Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy v. group psychoeducation for people with generalised anxiety disorder: randomised controlled trial

Background: Research suggests that an 8-week mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) course may be effective for generalised anxiety disorder (GAD). Aims: To compare changes in anxiety levels among participants with GAD randomly assigned to MBCT, cognitive–behavioural therapy-based psychoeducation and usual care. Method: In total, 182 participants with GAD were recruited (trial registration number: CUHK_CCT00267) and assigned to the three groups and followed for 5 months after baseline assessment with the two intervention groups followed for an additional 6 months. Primary outcomes were anxiety and worry levels. Results: Linear mixed models demonstrated significant group × time interaction (F(4,148) = 5.10, P = 0.001) effects for decreased anxiety for both the intervention groups relative to usual care. Significant group × time interaction effects were observed for worry and depressive symptoms and mental health-related quality of life for the psychoeducation group only. Conclusions: These results suggest that both of the interventions appear to be superior to usual care for the reduction of anxiety symptoms

Presence of tumour capsule on contrast-enhanced CT is associated with improved outcomes of stereotactic body radiation therapy in hepatocellular carcinoma patients

Purpose Stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is a novel local therapy for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). While effective, there is currently noreliable radiological marker to guide patient selection. In this study, we investigated the prognostic value of capsule appearanceon contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CT) for patients undergoing SBRT. Materials and Methods Between 2006 and 2017, 156 consecutive patients with Child-Pugh score class A/B and HCC ≥5cm that underwent SBRT were retrospectively analysed. Baseline triple-phase CTs of the abdomen were reviewed for the presence of capsule appearances and correlated with objective response rate (ORR), overall survival (OS), and pattern of treatment failure. Results Capsule appearance on CT was present in 83 (53.2%) patients.It was associated with improved ORR by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours (RECIST) (60.2% vs 24.7%; p<0.001) andModified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours(mRECIST) (ORR 78.3% vs 34.2%; p<0.001). The presence of a capsule was also associated with superior 2-year local control (89.1% vs. 51.4%; p<0.001) and 2-year OS (34.1% vs. 14.8%, p<0.01). Hepatic out-field failure was the dominant mode of progression, which was less common in patients with intact capsule (54.2% vs. 60.3%, p=0.01). Conclusion Capsule appearance on CT could potentially be a non-invasive prognostic marker for selecting HCC patients undergoing SBRT. Larger cohort is warranted to validate our findings

Throwing the dart blind-folded: comparison of computed tomography versus magnetic resonance imaging-guided brachytherapy for cervical cancer with regard to dose received by the ‘actual’ targets and organs at risk

Purpose : Computed tomography (CT) is inferior to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in cervical tumor delineation, but similar in identification of organs at risk (OAR). The trend to over-estimate high-risk and low-risk clinical target volume (HRCTV, IRCTV) on CT can lead to under-estimation of dose received by 90% (D 90 ) of the ‘actual’ CTV. This study aims to evaluate whether CT-guided planning delivers adequate dose to the ‘actual’ targets while spares the OAR similarly. Material and methods : MRI-guided high-dose-rate image-guided brachytherapy (IGBT) was performed in 11 patients. The pre-brachytherapy CTs were retrospectively contoured to generate CT-guided plans. MRI-based contours (HRCTV mri , IRCTV mri , bladder mri , rectum mri , and sigmoid mri ) were fused to CT plans for dosimetric comparison with MRI-guided plans. Paired 2-tailed t-test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used to analyze data. Results : 63.6% of CT plans achieved the HRCTV mri D 90 constraint (≥ 7.2 Gy in one fraction), compared with 90.9% for MRI plans. > 90% of both modalities achieved the OAR’s constraints (EMBRACE). The percentage of CT and MRI plans that achieved the aims (EMBRACE II) for bladder, rectum, and sigmoid were 36.4% vs. 81.8%, 63.6% vs. 63.6%, and 72.7% vs. 72.7%, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in HRCTV mri D 90 , IRCTV mri D 90 , or dose received by the most exposed 2 cm3 (D 2cc ) of OARmri between the modalities. Excluding the CT plans not achieving HRCTV mri D 90 constraint, there were significant increase in bladder mri D 2cc , rectum mri D 2cc , and sigmoid mri D 2cc , compared with MRI plans (0.9 Gy/Fr, 95% CI 0.2-1.5, p = 0.018; 0.9 Gy/Fr, 95% CI 0.3-1.4, p = 0.009; 0.5 Gy/Fr, 95% CI 0.2-0.9, p = 0.027, respectively). Conclusions : MRI-based IGBT remains the gold standard. CT planning may compromise HRCTV mri D 90 or increase OARmriD 2cc , which could decrease local control or increase treatment toxicity

Mitochondrial diseases in Hong Kong: prevalence, clinical characteristics and genetic landscape

Abstract Objective To determine the prevalence of mitochondrial diseases (MD) in Hong Kong (HK) and to evaluate the clinical characteristics and genetic landscape of MD patients in the region. Methods This study retrospectively reviewed the phenotypic and molecular characteristics of MD patients from participating public hospitals in HK between January 1985 to October 2020. Molecularly and/or enzymatically confirmed MD cases of any age were recruited via the Clinical Analysis and Reporting System (CDARS) using relevant keywords and/or International Classification of Disease (ICD) codes under the HK Hospital Authority or through the personal recollection of treating clinicians among the investigators. Results A total of 119 MD patients were recruited and analyzed in the study. The point prevalence of MD in HK was 1.02 in 100,000 people (95% confidence interval 0.81–1.28 in 100,000). 110 patients had molecularly proven MD and the other nine were diagnosed by OXPHOS enzymology analysis or mitochondrial DNA depletion analysis with unknown molecular basis. Pathogenic variants in the mitochondrial genome (72 patients) were more prevalent than those in the nuclear genome (38 patients) in our cohort. The most commonly involved organ system at disease onset was the neurological system, in which developmental delay, seizures or epilepsy, and stroke-like episodes were the most frequently reported presentations. The mortality rate in our cohort was 37%. Conclusion This study is a territory-wide overview of the clinical and genetic characteristics of MD patients in a Chinese population, providing the first available prevalence rate of MD in Hong Kong. The findings of this study aim to facilitate future in-depth evaluation of MD and lay the foundation to establish a local MD registry

13Th International Conference On Conservative Management Of Spinal Deformities And First Joint Meeting Of The International Research Society On Spinal Deformities And The Society On Scoliosis Orthopaedic And Rehabilitation Treatment – Sosort-Irssd 2016 Meeting

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