Effects on acne of two oral contraceptives containing desogestrel and cyproterone acetate

Contains fulltext : 23803___.PDF (publisher's version ) (Open Access

Active Versus Receptive Group Music Therapy for Major Depressive Disorder-a Pilot Study

OBJECTIVES: To compare the effects of 1) active group music therapy and 2) receptive group music therapy to group counseling in treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD). DESIGN & SETTING: On top of standard care, 14 MDD outpatients were randomly assigned to receive 1) active group music therapy (n=5), 2) receptive group music therapy (n=5), or 3) group counseling (n=4). There were 12 one-hour weekly group sessions in each arm. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participants were assessed at baseline, 1 month (after 4 sessions), 3 months (end of interventions), and 6 months. Primary outcomes were depressive scores measured by Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) Thai version. Secondary outcomes were self-rated depression score and quality of life. RESULTS: At 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months, both therapy groups showed statistically non-significant reduction in MADRS Thai scores when compared with the control group (group counseling). The reduction was slightly greater in the active group than the receptive group. Although there were trend toward better outcomes on self-report depression and quality of life, the differences were not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Group music therapy, either active or receptive, is an interesting adjunctive treatment option for outpatients with MDD. The receptive group may reach peak therapeutic effect faster, but the active group may have higher peak effect. Group music therapy deserves further comprehensive studies

Rate of conversion from mild cognitive impairment to dementia in a Thai hospital‐based population: A retrospective cohort

Abstract Introduction Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is the state between normal cognition and dementia. This study objective was to estimate an average 1‐year rate of conversion from MCI to dementia and explore the associated factors of conversion in a hospital‐based cohort. Methods A retrospective cohort study of participants with MCI was conducted in a tertiary care hospital in Thailand. Two hundred fifty participants, 50 years of age or older, were enrolled. Results An average 1‐year conversion rate from MCI to dementia was 18.4%. MCI patients who converted to dementia were likely older (P < .001), predominantly female (P = .028), vitamin D deficient (P = .012), and associated with lower Mini–Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) scores during first assessments (P < .001, P < .001 respectively) and follow‐up assessments (P < .045, P < .001 respectively). We conducted two models of multivariate analysis, using binary logistic regression. In the first model, adjusted for age, sex, education, vitamin D deficiency, and first assessment MMSE scores, we found that underlying vitamin D deficiency (odds ratio [OR] = 3.13, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04 to 9.44) and first assessment MMSE scores (OR = 0.83, 95% CI 0.73 to 0.93) were significantly associated with conversion to dementia. In the second model, adjusted for age, sex, education, vitamin D deficiency and first assessment MoCA scores, only first assessment MoCA scores (OR = 0.58, 95% CI 0.45 to 0.76) were significantly associated with conversion to dementia. Discussion The 1‐year conversion rate from MCI to dementia was 18.4%. MMSE and MoCA were useful tools to assess baseline cognitive status in MCI patients and predict dementia progression. The association between vitamin D deficiency and risk of conversion from MCI to dementia requires further investigations