Effectiveness of Long-term Doxycycline Treatment and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy on Fatigue Severity in Patients with Q Fever Fatigue Syndrome (Qure Study): A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Approximately 20% of patients with acute Q fever will develop chronic fatigue, referred to as Q fever fatigue syndrome (QFS). The objective of this randomized controlled clinical trial was to assess the efficacy of either long-term treatment with doxycycline or cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) in reducing fatigue severity in patients with QFS. Methods: Adult patients were included who met the QFS criteria according to the Dutch guideline: a new onset of severe fatigue lasting ≥6 months with significant disabilities, related to an acute Q fever infection, without other somatic or psychiatric comorbidity explaining the fatigue. Using block randomization, patients were randomized between oral study medication and CBT (2:1) for 24 weeks. Second, a double-blind randomization between doxycycline (200 mg/day, once daily) and placebo was performed in the medication group. Primary outcome was fatigue severity at end of treatment (EOT; week 26), assessed with the Checklist Individual Strength subscale Fatigue Severity. Results: Of 155 patients randomized, 154 were included in the intention-to-treat analysis (doxycycline, 52; placebo, 52; CBT, 50). At EOT, fatigue severity was similar between doxycycline (40.8 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 37.3-44.3]) and placebo (37.8 [95% CI, 34.3-41.2]; difference, doxycycline vs placebo, -3.0 [97.5% CI, -8.7 to 2.6]; P = .45). Fatigue severity was significantly lower after CBT (31.6 [95% CI, 28.0-35.1]) than after placebo (difference, CBT vs placebo, 6.2 [97.5% CI, .5-11.9]; P = .03). Conclusions: CBT is effective in reducing fatigue severity in QFS patients. Long-term treatment with doxycycline does not reduce fatigue severity in QFS patients compared to placebo. Clinical Trials Registration: NCT01318356.

Psychophysiological responses to stress after stress management training in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

BACKGROUND: Stress management interventions may prove useful in preventing the detrimental effects of stress on health. This study assessed the effects of a stress management intervention on the psychophysiological response to stress in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: Seventy-four patients with RA, who were randomly assigned to either a control group or a group that received short-term stress management training, performed a standardized psychosocial stress task (Trier Social Stress Test; TSST) 1 week after the stress management training and at a 9-week follow-up. Psychological and physical functioning, and the acute psychophysiological response to the stress test were assessed. RESULTS: Patients in the intervention group showed significantly lower psychological distress levels of anxiety after the training than did the controls. While there were no between-group differences in stress-induced tension levels, and autonomic (α-amylase) or endocrine (cortisol) responses to the stress test 1 week after the intervention, levels of stress-induced tension and cortisol were significantly lower in the intervention group at the 9-week follow-up. Overall, the response to the intervention was particularly evident in a subgroup of patients with a psychological risk profile. CONCLUSION: A relatively short stress management intervention can improve psychological functioning and influences the psychophysiological response to stress in patients with RA, particularly those psychologically at risk. These findings might help understand how stress can affect health and the role of individual differences in stress responsiveness. TRIAL REGISTRATION: TrialRegister.nl NTR1193.

Gamma knife radiosurgery for vestibular schwannomas: identification of predictors for continued tumor growth and the influence of documented tumor growth preceding radiation treatment.

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS: Gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) has become an important treatment modality for vestibular schwannomas. The primary aim of this study was to investigate whether tumor growth at the moment of GKRS has any correlation with the outcome. The secondary aim was to identify clinical predictors of radioresistance in vestibular schwannoma patients treated with GKRS. STUDY DESIGN: One hundred vestibular schwannoma patients, treated with GKRS, were divided into two groups: 1) proven tumor growth preceding GKRS; and 2) previous history of growth unknown. GKRS outcome was defined in two ways. According to the first definition, GKRS was said to have failed when additional treatment had taken place. According to the second one, a volume decrease >20% after 2 years marked successful treatment. METHODS: Correlations between outcome and growth status were determined with SPSS software. Furthermore, the study assessed how different variables (patient data, history, tumor characteristics, imaging, and audiovestibular examinations) correlated with the outcome of GKRS. RESULTS: No significant difference regarding success and failure of GKRS was found between the two patient groups. The mean reduction in tumor volume after GKRS was less pronounced in patients in whom tumor growth was demonstrated before treatment, but this finding was not significant. No significant predictors (P < .05) could be identified in this data set. CONCLUSIONS: This study found no indication that growth at the moment of GKRS influences therapeutic outcome, nor did it identify any predictors of the outcome after GKRS in vestibular schwannoma patients.

Prediction of vestibular schwannoma growth: a novel rule based on clinical symptomatology.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to formulate a predictive rule for vestibular schwannoma growth during the initial observation period after diagnosis. METHODS: Logistic regression models were fitted, with tumor growth in the first year as the dependent variable and patient characteristics as the independent variables. Backward selection was used to eliminate superfluous predictors. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was taken as a measure of the model's discriminative power. RESULTS: Eventually, the model or rule consisted of 4 significant growth predictors: localization (if extrameatal, +1; if intrameatal, 0), sudden sensorineural hearing loss (if present, -1; if absent, 0), balance symptoms (if present, +1; if absent, 0), and complaints of hearing loss for less than 2 years (if present, +1; if absent, or present for more than 2 years, 0). A higher score indicates a higher likelihood of tumor growth during the period of observation after diagnosis. If the total score is 0 or less, the likelihood of tumor growth during the first year after diagnosis is less than 10%. If the score is 3, the likelihood of growth during the first year after diagnosis is more than 70%. CONCLUSIONS: We were able to create a useful rule to predict vestibular schwannoma growth during the first year after diagnosis.