Trial of the Modified Atkins Diet in Infantile Spasms Refractory to Hormonal Therapy
Infantile SpasmsInfantile spasms comprise an infantile epileptic encephalopathy characterized by hypsarrhythmia on EEG, and frequent neurodevelopmental regression. Unfortunately the treatment of this disorder remains difficult. The first-line options which include hormonal therapy, i.e., adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) or oral corticosteroids, and vigabatrin are effective in 60-70% of the patients. Hormonal therapy is considered the best available treatment. Vigabatrin being expensive and of limited availability is not a feasible option for most patients in our setting. Also, these are however associated with significant side effects, and high relapse rates. Newer drugs such as topiramate, zonisamide, and levetiracetam have also been evaluated; however these drugs are less effective than ACTH. The ketogenic diet (KD) is a high fat, low carbohydrate diet. It has been used for treatment of intractable childhood epilepsy. The KD has also been shown to be effective for intractable infantile spasms; often after ACTH and vigabatrin have failed. The modified Atkins diet is a non-pharmacologic therapy for intractable childhood epilepsy that was designed to be a less restrictive alternative to the traditional ketogenic diet. This diet is started on an outpatient basis without a fast, allows unlimited protein and fat, and does not restrict calories or fluids. Preliminary data have shown efficacy in refractory infantile spasms. This diet is also ideal for resource-constraint settings with paucity of trained dieticians. Hence this study has been planned to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of the modified Atkins diet in children with infantile spasms refractory to hormonal treatment in a randomized controlled trial.
Hot and Cold Compress in Hemodialysis
Hemodialysis ComplicationMuscle Spasm1 moreAims and objectives. To examine and compare the effects of hot and cold compresses administration on muscle cramps, fatigue, and comfort in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Background. Muscle cramps and fatigue are common complications in HD patients and reduce patient comfort. Among the nursing interventions stated for the management of these complications in the literature, hot and cold therapy are remarkable. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first research up to date that examined and compared the effects of hot and cold compress administrations on abovementioned complications in HD. Design. This placebo-controlled randomized trial was conducted in two hemodialysis centers between February and October 2020. Methods. The study sample consisted of 69 patients, stratified and randomly allocated to two intervention groups and placebo group. For patients of each group, the implementation of the study continued for four weeks, 12 HD sessions.
7 Tesla MRI Study in Patients With Statin Related Muscle Complaints
Statin-related Muscle PainMuscle Aches3 moreRoughly 5-10% of statin-treated patients report muscle pain, aches, weakness, cramps, stiffness, or "heaviness" - typically occurring symmetrically in the legs. For healthcare providers, the major diagnostic challenge is to unambiguously link these symptoms to statin use, especially since some patients can have normal serum creatine kinase (CK) levels despite demonstrable weakness and muscle biopsy proven statin-induced myopathy . No well accepted, standardized, or Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-endorsed diagnostic method exists for statin-induced muscle injury. This lack of an objective diagnostic methodology blocks vertical advancement of the field. The successful completion of this project will develop in vivo techniques that will provide insight into how statins affect muscle metabolism and help establish a methodology to objectively diagnose muscle injury due to statins. The development of an MRS technique will allow for in-vivo analyses and the data accumulated here will serve as preliminary data for futher extramural funding of studies with much larger sample sizes. Ultimately, this focus of research will lead to improved diagnosis and treatment of patients with statin-related muscle complaints, which is central to obtaining the cardiovascular risk reduction from lipid-lowering drugs.
Intradialytic Stretching Exercises on Prevention and Reduction of Leg Muscle Cramps
Muscle CrampRenal replacement therapy is a treatment option for people who have acute or chronic renal failure. A patient with increasing symptoms of renal failure is referred to a dialysis and transplantation center early in the course of progressive kidney disease. Hemodialysis is one of the most widely used dialysis procedures. Muscle cramps are the most common complication experienced by hemodialysis patients that usually develop during and in between hemodialysis therapy. These cramps appear to be the most common reason for the early termination of the hemodialysis session. - Research Question: Is there a difference in leg muscle cramps levels between patients undergoing hemodialysis who received intradialytic stretching exercises compared to those patients who do not receive these exercises? - Hypothesis: Leg muscle cramp levels are less among patients undergoing hemodialysis who receive intradialytic stretching exercises compared to those patients who do not receive such exercises.
Assessment of Correlation Between Changes of Shear Wave Elastography and Surface Electromyogram...
Masseter Muscle SpasmDiagnoses and follow up of muscles diseases lack imaging. Severity assessment of masticatory dysfunction and follow up of treatment effectiveness is currently based only on clinical features. Supersonic ShearWave Imaging® is a new, non-invasive, non-irradiating and dynamic imaging technique that uses ultrasound and allows shear wave elastic modulus in a muscle in order to study its viscoelastic properties. In this study, the investigators study the correlation between changes of shear wave elastography modulus and surface electromyogram features of the masseters between rest and maximal voluntary contraction.
The Effect of the Massage on Cramp Frequency, Cramp Severity, and Sleep Quality
Muscular CrampsHemodialysisThe aim of this randomized controlled experimental study was to determine the effect of the massage applied to hemodialysis patients with complaint of cramp on the cramp frequency, cramp severity, and sleep quality.
Effectiveness of Intradialytic Exercise on Reduction in Fatigue and Muscle Cramps
Dialysis; ComplicationsAn experimental study to assess the Effectiveness of Intradialytic exercise on reduction in Fatigue and Muscle Cramps and Improvement in Muscle Strength among CKD patients undergoing Maintenance Haemodialysis at dialysis unit of ILBS. Objectives Primary objective: 1.To evaluate the effectiveness of the intradialytic exercise on reduction in fatigue and muscle cramps and improvement in muscle strength among patients undergoing hemodialysis at dialysis unit of ILBS. Secondary objectives: To find out the association of mean fatigue score with demographic & clinical variables of patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis after intradialytic exercise. To find out the association of mean muscle cramps score with the demographic & clinical variables of patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis after intradialytic exercise. To find out the association of mean muscle strength score with demographic variables & clinical variables of patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis after intradialytic exercise.
Quick Start Insertion of Mirena and ParaGard
BleedingCramping3 moreIntrauterine devices (IUDs) are an effective form of contraception, but only about 3.4% of women in the US report using them. Women must often wait for their menses to start, or for results of screening for sexually transmitted infections (STIs), before their doctors will place IUDs for them. This is not the case with other birth control methods. Researchers know that it is safe to start oral contraceptive pills, transdermal patches or vaginal rings on the same day of a doctor's visit. In the investigators clinical practice, the investigators often place IUDs on the same day of a woman's visit, but outcomes have not been formally assessed. Currently, there are two kinds of IUDs available in the United States: the ParaGard T380A and the Mirena levonorgestrel intrauterine system (LNG-IUS). The investigators want to know if women who have IUDs placed at any time during their menstrual cycle have different experiences regarding the following, compared to those who have IUDS placed during the first 7 days of their cycle: bleeding or cramping patterns, active pelvic infections, becoming pregnant more often during that first cycle (window pregnancy). Women who come to their provider seeking an IUD for birth control will be asked to participate in this study. The investigators will ask them to keep track of their bleeding and cramping for three subsequent months to see if patterns differ according to the day in their menstrual cycle that the device was inserted. They will be randomly assigned either to record this information on paper, or to send in the information by responding to daily text messages. The investigators want to know if women who have an IUD placed at any time during the menstrual cycle have different outcomes compared to those who have IUDs placed during the first 7 days of their cycle. If the investigators have this information, the investigators can make recommendations to physicians, help counsel patients, and potentially expand access to IUDs.
Levocarnitine in Treating Patients With Vismodegib-Associated Muscle Spasms
Musculoskeletal ComplicationsThis randomized clinical trial studies levocarnitine in treating patients with vismodegib-associated muscle spasms. Levocarnitine may decrease muscle spasms caused by vismodegib.
An RCT of a Patient-initiated Treatment Service for BEB and HFS
BlepharospasmHemi Facial SpasmBlepharospasm and hemifacial spasm are debilitating conditions which significantly impact on patient quality of life. Cyclical treatment with botulinum toxin injections offers temporary relief but the duration of treatment efficacy is variable. The standard model of patient care defines routine fixed- time based scheduled treatment cycles which may lead to unnecessarily frequent treatment for some patients and experience of distressing symptoms in others if symptoms return before the scheduled follow up period. The present study aims to compare a patient-initiated model of care, where patients determine treatment timing, with the standard model of care by using a two-arm randomised controlled trial design. It is expected that patients able to initiate their own treatment will experience less variation in disease severity and disability over a treatment cycle as they will be empowered to take the initiative when they feel they need to have treatment. A range of other outcomes will be assessed including: confidence and satisfaction in the service, depression, anxiety, quality of life and, illness and treatment beliefs. If the patient-led care model is shown to be effective in preventing distress and reducing disability in these populations; and is found to be acceptable to service users, this will have significant implications for service organisation across the NHS.