A Systematic Review of Music Therapy Practice and Outcomes with Acute Adult Psychiatric In-Patients

PMCID: PMC3732280This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited

Phosphorus and Calcium

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/142245/1/ncp0021.pd

Postural control is not systematically related to reading skills:implications for the assessment of balance as a risk factor for developmental dyslexia

Impaired postural control has been associated with poor reading skills, as well as with lower performance on measures of attention and motor control variables that frequently co-occur with reading difficulties. Measures of balance and motor control have been incorporated into several screening batteries for developmental dyslexia, but it is unclear whether the relationship between such skills and reading manifests as a behavioural continuum across the range of abilities or is restricted to groups of individuals with specific disorder phenotypes. Here were obtained measures of postural control alongside measures of reading, attention and general cognitive skills in a large sample of young adults (n = 100). Postural control was assessed using centre of pressure (CoP) measurements, obtained over 5 different task conditions. Our results indicate an absence of strong statistical relationships between balance measures with either reading, cognitive or attention measures across the sample as a whole. © 2014 Loras et al

Factors associated with low bone mass in the hemodialysis patients – a cross-sectional correlation study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Low bone mass is common in end-stage renal disease patients, especially those undergoing hemodialysis. It can lead to serious bone health problems such as fragility fractures. The purpose of this study is to investigate the risk factors of low bone mass in the hemodialysis patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Sixty-three subjects on hemodialysis for at least 6 months were recruited from a single center for this cross-sectional study. We collected data by questionnaire survey and medical records review. All subjects underwent a bone mineral density (BMD) assay with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry at the lumbar spine and right hip. Data were statistically analyzed by means of descriptive analysis, independent t test and one way analysis of variance for continuous variables, Pearson product-moment correlation to explore the correlated factors of BMD, and stepwise multiple linear regression to identify the predictors of low bone mass.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Using WHO criteria as a cutoff point, fifty-one subjects (81%) had a T-score lower than -1, of them 8 subjects (13%) had osteoporosis with the femoral neck most commonly affected. Regarding risk factors, age, serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) level, and intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) level had significant negative correlations with the femoral neck and lumbar spine BMD. On the other hand, serum albumin level, effective exercise time, and body weight (BW) had significant positive correlations with the femoral neck and lumbar spine BMD. Age, effective exercise time, and serum albumin level significantly predicted the femoral neck BMD (R²× 0.25), whereas BW and the ALP level significantly predicted the lumbar spine BMD (R²× 0.20).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study showed that advanced age, low BW, low serum albumin level, and high ALP and iPTH levels were associated with a low bone mass in the hemodialysis patients. We suggest that regular monitoring of the femoral neck BMD, maintaining an adequate serum albumin level and BW, and undertaking an exercise program are important to improve bone health in the patients undergoing hemodialysis.</p

Mutations in the potassium channel subunit KCNE1 are associated with early-onset familial atrial fibrillation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia. The potassium current I_Ksis essential for cardiac repolarization. Gain-of-function mutations in K_V7.1, the pore-forming α-subunit of the I_Kschannel, have been associated with AF. We hypothesized that early-onset lone AF is associated with mutations in the I_Kschannel regulatory subunit KCNE1.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In 209 unrelated early-onset lone AF patients (< 40 years) the entire coding sequence of <it>KCNE1 </it>was bidirectionally sequenced. We analyzed the identified KCNE1 mutants electrophysiologically in heterologous expression systems.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Two non-synonymous mutations G25V and G60D were found in <it>KCNE1 </it>that were not present in the control group (n = 432 alleles) and that have not previously been reported in any publicly available databases or in the exom variant server holding exom data from more than 10.000 alleles. Proband 1 (female, age 45, G25V) had onset of paroxysmal AF at the age of 39 years. Proband 2 (G60D) was diagnosed with lone AF at the age of 33 years. The patient has inherited the mutation from his mother, who also has AF. Both probands had no mutations in genes previously associated with AF. In heterologous expression systems, both mutants showed significant gain-of-function for I_Ksboth with respect to steady-state current levels, kinetic parameters, and heart rate-dependent modulation.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Mutations in K_V7.1 leading to gain-of-function of I_Kscurrent have previously been described in lone AF, yet this is the first time a mutation in the beta-subunit <it>KCNE1 </it>is associated with the disease. This finding further supports the hypothesis that increased potassium current enhances AF susceptibility.</p