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The deep brain stimulation (DBS) Think Tank X was held on August 17-19, 2022 in Orlando FL. The session organizers and moderators were all women with the theme women in neuromodulation. Dr. Helen Mayberg from Mt. Sinai, NY was the keynote speaker. She discussed milestones and her experiences in developing depression DBS. The DBS Think Tank was founded in 2012 and provides an open platform where clinicians, engineers and researchers (from industry and academia) can freely discuss current and emerging DBS technologies as well as the logistical and ethical issues facing the field. The consensus among the DBS Think Tank X speakers was that DBS has continued to expand in scope however several indications have reached the "trough of disillusionment." DBS for depression was considered as "re-emerging" and approaching a slope of enlightenment. DBS for depression will soon re-enter clinical trials. The group estimated that globally more than 244,000 DBS devices have been implanted for neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. This year's meeting was focused on advances in the following areas: neuromodulation in Europe, Asia, and Australia; cutting-edge technologies, closed loop DBS, DBS tele-health, neuroethics, lesion therapy, interventional psychiatry, and adaptive DBS.

Background: Parkinson's Disease (PD) is a progressive neurological disorder that results in potentially debilitating mobility deficits. Recently, spinal cord stimulation (SCS) has been proposed as a novel therapy for PD gait disorders. The highest levels of evidence remain limited for SCS. Objectives: In this systematic review and narrative synthesis, the literature was searched using combinations of key phrases indicating spinal cord stimulation and PD. Methods: We included pre‐clinical studies and all published clinical trials, case reports, conference abstracts as well as protocols for ongoing clinical trials. Additionally, we included trials of SCS applied to atypical parkinsonism. Results: A total of 45 human studies and trials met the inclusion criteria. Based on the narrative synthesis, a number of knowledge gaps and future avenues of potential research were identified. This review demonstrated that evidence for SCS is currently not sufficient to recommend it as an evidence‐based therapy for PD related gait disorders. There remain challenges and significant barriers to widespread implementation, including issues regarding patient selection, effective outcome selection, stimulation location and mode, and in programming parameter optimization. Results of early randomized controlled trials are currently pending. SCS is prone to placebo, lessebo and nocebo as well as blinding effects which may impact interpretation of outcomes, particularly when studies are underpowered. Conclusion: Therapies such as SCS may build on current evidence and be shown to improve specific gait features in PD. Early negative trials should be interpreted with caution, as more evidence will be required to develop effective methodologies in order to drive clinical outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Infection after deep brain stimulation (DBS) implanted pulse generator (IPG) replacement is uncommon but when it occurs can cause significant clinical morbidity, often resulting in partial or complete DBS system removal. An antibiotic absorbable envelope developed for cardiac implantable electronic devices (IEDs), which releases minocycline and rifampicin for a minimum of 7 days, was shown in the WRAP-IT study to reduce cardiac IED infections for high-risk cardiac patients. We aimed to assess whether placing an IPG in the same antibiotic envelope at the time of IPG replacement reduced the IPG infection rate. Methods: Following institutional ethics approval (UnitingCare HREC), patients scheduled for IPG change due to impending battery depletion were prospectively randomised to receive IPG replacement with or without an antibiotic envelope. Patients with a past history of DBS system infection were excluded. Patients underwent surgery with standard aseptic neurosurgical technique [J Neurol Sci. 2017;383:135–41]. Subsequent infection requiring antibiotic therapy and/or IPG removal or revision was recorded. Results: A total of 427 consecutive patients were randomised from 2018 to 2021 and followed for a minimum of 12 months. No patients were lost to follow-up. At the time of IPG replacement, 200 patients received antibiotic envelope (54 female, 146 male, mean age 72 years), and 227 did not (43 female, 184 male, mean age 71 years). The two groups were homogenous for risk factors of infection. The IPG replacement infection rate was 2.1% (9/427). There were six infections, which required antibiotic therapy and/or IPG removal, in the antibiotic envelope group (6/200) and three in the non-envelope group (3/227) (p = 0.66). Conclusion: This prospective randomised study did not find that an antibiotic envelope reduced the IPG infection rate in our 427 patients undergoing routine DBS IPG replacement. Further research to reduce IPG revisions and infections in a cost-effective manner is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Objective: To determine the efficacy of a breakfast promotion intervention based on Health Promoting Schools processes. Design: Schools were recruited and randomly allocated into intervention (seven schools) or control [...]

Abstract Objective: To describe the settings for, and foods eaten at, breakfast for a sample of Queensland school children. Design: A cross-sectional study using a 17-item, self-completed questionnaire, and recall [...]

This study is the first to describe disparity and change in the food supply between metropolitan, rural and remote stores by Accessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia (ARIA) (1) category. A total of 92 stores (97% response rate) within five aggregate ARIA categories participated throughout Queensland in 2000. There was a strong association between ARIA category and the cost of the basket of basic foods, with prices being significantly higher (20% and 31% respectively) in the `remote' and `very remote' categories than in the `highly accessible' category. The association with ARIA was less marked for fruit and vegetables than for other food groups, but not for tobacco and take-away food items. Basic food items were less available in the more remote stores. Over the past two years, relative improvements in food prices have been seen in stores in the `very remote' category, with observed increases less than the consumer price index (CPI) for food. Some factors which may have contributed to this improvement are discussed.

Subthalamic deep brain stimulation for Parkinson's disease may not ameliorate burden among caregivers. An 8-session, manualized program of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) was delivered to a pilot sample of 10 caregivers (6 females, mean age: 60, age range: 34-79). Primary outcome measures were caregiver burden (Zarit Burden Interview) and caregiver quality of life (Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire–Carer). Secondary outcome measures comprised ratings of depression and anxiety in the caregiver, in addition to relationship quality. Caregiver burden (t = 2.91 P =.017) and caregiver anxiety (t = 2.82 P =.020) symptoms were significantly reduced at completion of the program, and these benefits were maintained 3 months later. Caregiver quality of life had significantly improved by the end of the intervention (t = 3.02 P =.015), but this effect was not sustained after 3 months. The longitudinal influence of participation in the program on caregiver burden was confirmed in a linear, mixed-effects model, χ2 (3) = 15.1, P =.0017). The intervention was well received by participants, and qualitative feedback was obtained. These results indicate that caregiver burden is modifiable in this cohort with a short course of CBT, that benefits are maintained after termination of the program, and that psychological treatment is acceptable to participants. Larger, controlled trials are justified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Objective To characterize the Modification of Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) Study nutrition intervention program by determining the frequency of intervention strategies used by the dietitians and the usefulness [...]

Adherence is defined as the extent to which a person's behavior coincides with medical advice of recommendations (1). Many factors influence adherence, including the complexity of the recommendations, environmental and [...]

Promoting quality of life and patient satisfaction is a critical component of effective health care and is an important consideration in clinical trials (1-4). Quality of life has been defined [...]