Human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) is the causal agent of all forms of Kaposi's sarcoma, including the iatrogenic form that presents in solid-organ transplant recipients. A longitudinal study of HHV-8 seropositivity was conducted among a cohort consisting of children and adult solid-organ transplant recipients. Antibodies to HHV-8 lytic proteins were detected by an indirect immunofluorescence assay in serum samples of 100 transplant recipients. HHV-8 seropositivity increased significantly, from 5.3% before transplantation to 15.8% after transplantation (P<.01). Seropositivity was not related to the age of the patient or the type of organ transplanted. HHV-8 seroconversion occurred in both children and adult recipients. None of the seroconversion events was related to the source of the donor organ. These findings suggest that HHV-8 infection is not uncommon among both adult and children transplant recipients and that viral infection may be acquired from an outside source other than the transplanted organ.

Aims Symptoms of central sensitization syndrome (CSS) were evaluated among three different groups of temporomandibular disorder (TMD) patients. Additionally, TMD group differences in pain and pain-related disability were assessed, as well as emotional distress. Methods Participants were 250 patients with symptoms of acute TMD, recruited from dental clinics within a major metropolitan area. Sequential regressions and multivariate analyses of covariance were conducted in order to make group comparisons. Results Those with a TMD Muscle Disorder [i.e., myofacial TMD (m-TMD)] and those with more than one TMD diagnosis, had the most symptoms of CSS and higher reports of pain and pain-related disability. Moreover, emotional distress accounted for a substantial amount of the variance for physical symptoms and mediated all TMD comparisons. Conclusions Myofacial TMD is characterized by a high degree of comorbidity of symptoms of CSS and associated emotional distress.

Aims To assess whether a biobehavioral intervention would be more effective for patients with myogenous temporomandibular disorder (m-TMD) when compared to other patients receiving either a self-care intervention or no intervention. Three outcomes were assessed: psychosocial distress; pain; and functioning. Methods Participants (n=435) were from community dental clinics in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex seeking treatment for their acute TMD symptoms, and were recruited between 2008 and 2013. Outcome evaluations were conducted immediately post-intervention, as well as at 1- and 2-years after the interventions. For the current study, analyses using two-level hierarchical Multilevel Linear Models (MLMs) were conducted. Results Contrary to expectations, patients did not respond differently to the intervention based on their TMD diagnosis. However, acute m-TMD patients, especially those who had other comorbid TMD diagnoses, reported the highest levels of pain and pain-related symptoms and disability. They also exhibited poorer jaw functioning, especially if they were at high-risk for chronic TMD. Conclusion This study supports the finding that acute m-TMD tends to result in more severe symptom presentations, particularly if diagnosed in combination with other TMD diagnoses. Additionally, patients do not appear to respond better to biobehavioral treatment or self-care on the basis of their diagnoses.

BackgroundThe largest earthquake on record in Japan (magnitude 9.0) occurred on March 11, 2011, and the subsequent tsunami devastated the Pacific coast of Northern Japan. These further triggered the Fukushima I nuclear power plant accidents. Such a hugely complex disaster inevitably has negative psychological effects on general populations as well as on the direct victims. While previous disaster studies enrolled descriptive approaches focusing on direct victims, the structure of the psychological adjustment process of people from the general population has remained uncertain. The current study attempted to establish a path model that sufficiently reflects the early psychological adaptation process of the general population to large-scale natural disasters.Methods and FindingsParticipants from the primary disaster area (n = 1083) and other areas (n = 2372) voluntarily participated in an online questionnaire study. By constructing path models using a structural equation model procedure (SEM), we examined the structural relationship among psychological constructs known related to disasters. As post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTS) were significantly more present in people in the primarily affected area than in those in secondary- or non-affected areas, the path models were constructed for the primary victims. The parsimoniously depicted model with the best fit was achieved for the psychological-adjustment centered model with quality of life (QoL) as a final outcome.ConclusionThe paths to QoL via negative routes (from negative cognitive appraisal, PTS, and general stress) were dominant, suggesting the importance of clinical intervention for reducing negative cognitive appraisal, and for caring for general stress and PTS to maintain QoL at an early stage of psychological adaptation to a disaster. The model also depicted the presence of a positive route where positive cognitive appraisal facilitates post-traumatic growth (PTG) to achieve a higher QoL, suggesting the potential importance of positive psychological preventive care for unexpected natural disasters.

Background: The results of high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex for migraine have been inconsistent. However, high-frequency rTMS over the motor cortex is a treatment that may be effective in relieving symptoms of migraine with a low risk of side effects. Methods: A systematic review of high-frequency rTMS over the brain motor cortex areas in human participants was conducted to assess efficacy in treating migraine. Articles that were not looking at migraine patients, stimulation over the left motor cortex, or were not in English were excluded. Nine articles representing eight experiments using high-frequency rTMS over the motor cortex areas for migraine in human participants were extracted from the databases of PubMed, PsycINFO, MedLine, CINAHL, and BioMed Central. Results: Two-hundred and seven of 213 patients completed treatment throughout all the studies examined. High-frequency rTMS over the motor cortex areas for migraine improved migraine frequency in seven of eight studies. Two of the eight studies were randomized controlled trials at low risk for biases and found high-frequency rTMS over the motor cortex areas effective in improving migraine frequency and severity. Other details of treatment prescription and symptoms were also examined. Conclusion: High-frequency rTMS over the motor cortex areas for migraine demonstrated efficacy as a migraine treatment, had minimal side effects, and should be further investigated.