Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), a non-invasive neuromodulation technique, has been increasingly used to treat bipolar depression. Researchers recently noticed the risk of tDCS-emergent mania/hypomania in depressed patients and started to evaluate this risk by launching a meta-analysis. Here we present a female with bipolar II depression who rapidly developed hypomanic switching during bifrontal tDCS.
Bipolar Disorder* ; Depression ; Female ; Humans ; Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation*

Objective: Negative symptoms in schizophrenia indicate a poor prognosis. However, the mechanisms underlying the development of negative symptoms remain unclear. This study investigated the relationship between negative symptoms in schizophrenia and frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA). Methods: The study used a 32-channel electroencephalography to acquire alpha power in 4 target-paired sites in each patient. Regional alpha asymmetry was calculated based on the alpha power using EEGLAB Frontal Alpha Asymmetry Toolbox. Results: Sixty schizophrenia patients with predominant negative symptoms (PNS), 72 stabilized schizophrenia (SS) patients, and 73 healthy control (HC) participants were enrolled in this study. No significant differences were observed in FAA between the PNS and SS groups, although both groups exhibited reduced P3-P4 alpha asymmetry compared to HCs. A positive correlation was found between F7-F8 alpha asymmetry and illness duration. Additionally, a predictive model based on P3-P4 alpha asymmetry scores was able to differentiate schizophrenia patients from HCs, achieving a sensitivity of 71.2% and a specificity of 72.6%. Conclusion This study highlighted that parietal alpha asymmetry could serve as a valuable diagnostic tool for schizophrenia.

Background: Delivering a poor prognosis to patients and their families is critically challenging in pediatric populations. The application of palliative care (PC) provides a bridge between accepting the occurrence of mortality and offering lifelong support.However, little is known about the specifics of PC. This study aims to explore the unmet need for PC in pediatric populations. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of mortality cases in the Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. Statistical tests, including Chi-square and Student’s t-tests, were applied to determine the differences between early and late intervention groups in terms of the timing of PC introduction. Results: During the study period, 41 patients were included. Their median age was 11.8 years (IQR, 7.6-15.9). The majority of the disease statuses were refractory or relapsing (R/R). The incidence of memento application was significantly higher in the early intervention group (47.6% vs. 10%, P=0.0081). Vital signs variations tended to be end-of-life (EoL) indicators in this study. Conclusion The early introduction of PC encourages families to accompany their beloved child. EoL signs in the pediatric population include vital sign variations. With the presence of relevant EoL signs, clinical physicians can apply PC earlier to meet the needs.

Background: Delivering a poor prognosis to patients and their families is critically challenging in pediatric populations. The application of palliative care (PC) provides a bridge between accepting the occurrence of mortality and offering lifelong support.However, little is known about the specifics of PC. This study aims to explore the unmet need for PC in pediatric populations. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of mortality cases in the Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. Statistical tests, including Chi-square and Student’s t-tests, were applied to determine the differences between early and late intervention groups in terms of the timing of PC introduction. Results: During the study period, 41 patients were included. Their median age was 11.8 years (IQR, 7.6-15.9). The majority of the disease statuses were refractory or relapsing (R/R). The incidence of memento application was significantly higher in the early intervention group (47.6% vs. 10%, P=0.0081). Vital signs variations tended to be end-of-life (EoL) indicators in this study. Conclusion The early introduction of PC encourages families to accompany their beloved child. EoL signs in the pediatric population include vital sign variations. With the presence of relevant EoL signs, clinical physicians can apply PC earlier to meet the needs.

Objective: Negative symptoms in schizophrenia indicate a poor prognosis. However, the mechanisms underlying the development of negative symptoms remain unclear. This study investigated the relationship between negative symptoms in schizophrenia and frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA). Methods: The study used a 32-channel electroencephalography to acquire alpha power in 4 target-paired sites in each patient. Regional alpha asymmetry was calculated based on the alpha power using EEGLAB Frontal Alpha Asymmetry Toolbox. Results: Sixty schizophrenia patients with predominant negative symptoms (PNS), 72 stabilized schizophrenia (SS) patients, and 73 healthy control (HC) participants were enrolled in this study. No significant differences were observed in FAA between the PNS and SS groups, although both groups exhibited reduced P3-P4 alpha asymmetry compared to HCs. A positive correlation was found between F7-F8 alpha asymmetry and illness duration. Additionally, a predictive model based on P3-P4 alpha asymmetry scores was able to differentiate schizophrenia patients from HCs, achieving a sensitivity of 71.2% and a specificity of 72.6%. Conclusion This study highlighted that parietal alpha asymmetry could serve as a valuable diagnostic tool for schizophrenia.

Objective: Negative symptoms in schizophrenia indicate a poor prognosis. However, the mechanisms underlying the development of negative symptoms remain unclear. This study investigated the relationship between negative symptoms in schizophrenia and frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA). Methods: The study used a 32-channel electroencephalography to acquire alpha power in 4 target-paired sites in each patient. Regional alpha asymmetry was calculated based on the alpha power using EEGLAB Frontal Alpha Asymmetry Toolbox. Results: Sixty schizophrenia patients with predominant negative symptoms (PNS), 72 stabilized schizophrenia (SS) patients, and 73 healthy control (HC) participants were enrolled in this study. No significant differences were observed in FAA between the PNS and SS groups, although both groups exhibited reduced P3-P4 alpha asymmetry compared to HCs. A positive correlation was found between F7-F8 alpha asymmetry and illness duration. Additionally, a predictive model based on P3-P4 alpha asymmetry scores was able to differentiate schizophrenia patients from HCs, achieving a sensitivity of 71.2% and a specificity of 72.6%. Conclusion This study highlighted that parietal alpha asymmetry could serve as a valuable diagnostic tool for schizophrenia.

Background: Delivering a poor prognosis to patients and their families is critically challenging in pediatric populations. The application of palliative care (PC) provides a bridge between accepting the occurrence of mortality and offering lifelong support.However, little is known about the specifics of PC. This study aims to explore the unmet need for PC in pediatric populations. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of mortality cases in the Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. Statistical tests, including Chi-square and Student’s t-tests, were applied to determine the differences between early and late intervention groups in terms of the timing of PC introduction. Results: During the study period, 41 patients were included. Their median age was 11.8 years (IQR, 7.6-15.9). The majority of the disease statuses were refractory or relapsing (R/R). The incidence of memento application was significantly higher in the early intervention group (47.6% vs. 10%, P=0.0081). Vital signs variations tended to be end-of-life (EoL) indicators in this study. Conclusion The early introduction of PC encourages families to accompany their beloved child. EoL signs in the pediatric population include vital sign variations. With the presence of relevant EoL signs, clinical physicians can apply PC earlier to meet the needs.

Objective: Negative symptoms in schizophrenia indicate a poor prognosis. However, the mechanisms underlying the development of negative symptoms remain unclear. This study investigated the relationship between negative symptoms in schizophrenia and frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA). Methods: The study used a 32-channel electroencephalography to acquire alpha power in 4 target-paired sites in each patient. Regional alpha asymmetry was calculated based on the alpha power using EEGLAB Frontal Alpha Asymmetry Toolbox. Results: Sixty schizophrenia patients with predominant negative symptoms (PNS), 72 stabilized schizophrenia (SS) patients, and 73 healthy control (HC) participants were enrolled in this study. No significant differences were observed in FAA between the PNS and SS groups, although both groups exhibited reduced P3-P4 alpha asymmetry compared to HCs. A positive correlation was found between F7-F8 alpha asymmetry and illness duration. Additionally, a predictive model based on P3-P4 alpha asymmetry scores was able to differentiate schizophrenia patients from HCs, achieving a sensitivity of 71.2% and a specificity of 72.6%. Conclusion This study highlighted that parietal alpha asymmetry could serve as a valuable diagnostic tool for schizophrenia.

Background: Delivering a poor prognosis to patients and their families is critically challenging in pediatric populations. The application of palliative care (PC) provides a bridge between accepting the occurrence of mortality and offering lifelong support.However, little is known about the specifics of PC. This study aims to explore the unmet need for PC in pediatric populations. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of mortality cases in the Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital. Statistical tests, including Chi-square and Student’s t-tests, were applied to determine the differences between early and late intervention groups in terms of the timing of PC introduction. Results: During the study period, 41 patients were included. Their median age was 11.8 years (IQR, 7.6-15.9). The majority of the disease statuses were refractory or relapsing (R/R). The incidence of memento application was significantly higher in the early intervention group (47.6% vs. 10%, P=0.0081). Vital signs variations tended to be end-of-life (EoL) indicators in this study. Conclusion The early introduction of PC encourages families to accompany their beloved child. EoL signs in the pediatric population include vital sign variations. With the presence of relevant EoL signs, clinical physicians can apply PC earlier to meet the needs.