Adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell (ADMSC) therapy in regenerative medicine is a rapidly growing area of research and is currently also being used to treat osteoarthritis (OA). Force platform analysis has been consistently used to verify the efficacy of different therapeutic strategies for the treatment of OA in dogs, but never with AD-MSC.
Regenerative medicine using Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSC) alone or combined with Plasma Rich in Growth Factors (PRGF) is a rapidly growing area of clinical research and is currently also being used to treat osteoarthritis (OA). Force platform analysis has been consistently used to verify and quantify the efficacy of different therapeutic strategies for the treatment of OA in dogs including MSC associated to PRGF, but never with AD-MSC alone.
Background: The Canary Islands longitudinal study on non-pharmacological treatments showed the overall effectiveness of mindfulness in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, no specific data on the maintenance of cognitive capacities were presented. Objective: To determine whether the practice of mindfulness modifies the course of cognitive impairment in AD. Methods: Design: Longitudinal, non-inferiority and equivalence, randomized clinical trial, repeated-measures design, with three experimental groups and one control group. Participants: Patients with AD who voluntarily attended the Lidia García Foundation (n = 502). Only those who were treated with donepezil and MMSE ≥18 were included (n = 120). Intervention: Over a two-year period, each group carried out three weekly sessions of stimulation based on mindfulness, cognitive stimulation therapy, and progressive muscle relaxation. Measures: Cognitive assessment CAMDEX-R (MMSE and CAMCOG). Statistical analysis: Repeated-measures ANOVA (p < 0.05) and the effect size Cohen’s d were performed. Results: The mindfulness group showed significant scores compared with the control and muscle relaxation groups (p < 0.05), while mindfulness and cognitive stimulation therapy were equivalent (p≥0.05). Group cognitive stimulation evolved better than the control (p < 0.05) group but not better than the muscle relaxation group (p≥0.05). The effect size compared over two years was large for the mindfulness group (p≥0.80), moderate for the relaxation group (p≥0.50), and low for the cognitive stimulation group (p≥0.20). Conclusion: The practice of mindfulness maintained cognitive function over a period of two years. This longitudinal study suggests that mindfulness can be used as a non-pharmacological treatment to slow cognitive impairment in AD.
A recent Finnish study described reduced fertility in patients with childhood-onset type 1 diabetes. The Type 1 Diabetes Genetics Consortium (T1DGC) is an international programme studying the genetics and pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes that includes families with the disease. Our aim was to assess fertility, defined as number of offspring, in the affected and unaffected siblings included in the T1DGC. Clinical information from participants aged ≥18 years at the time of examination was included in the present analysis. The number of offspring of affected and unaffected siblings was compared (in families including both) and the influence of birth year, disease duration and age of onset was assessed, the last in affected siblings only, using Poisson regression models. A total of 3010 affected and 801 unaffected adult siblings that belonged to 1761 families were assessed. The mean number of offspring was higher in the unaffected than in the affected individuals, and the difference between the two groups was more pronounced in women than men. Poisson regression analysis showed that both sex and birth cohort significantly affected the differences between groups. In the affected siblings, adult onset (≥18 years), female sex and older birth cohort were associated with higher fertility. Patients with type 1 diabetes have fewer children than their unaffected siblings. This effect is more evident in women and in older birth cohorts. Onset of type 1 diabetes as an adult rather than a child is associated with a higher number of offspring, even after accounting for birth cohort and disease duration.
In psychedelic therapy, the importance of set and setting is a fundamental but under-researched assumption. The aim of this study is to correlate variables of set (psychedelic use motivation) and setting (psychedelic use location and type of companion) with psychopathology, wellbeing and personality variables. A sample of 1022 participants of the Spanish-speaking population was collected through an online survey. A novel instrument, the Psychedelic Use Scale (PUS), was developed to measure substance use variables of LSD, mescaline, psilocybin, DMT, 5-Meo-DMT, ketamine, Salvia divinorum, ibogaine and MDMA. Various personality, well-being and psychopathology instruments were implemented to measure outcome variables. Growth motivations, natural settings and presence of significant others predicted less psychopathology, greater wellbeing and meaningfulness of psychedelic experiences, whereas problematic motivations predicted greater psychopathology, lower wellbeing and did not predict meaningfulness of psychedelic experiences. Based on these results, we suggest experimental hypotheses for future clinical trials and longitudinal studies with potential clinical implications.