A number of subjective and objective tools have been developed recently to assess cough severity. An encouraging development to aid in the assessment of new antitussives is the automated cough counter. Researchers will now be able to make objective measurements of cough frequency rather than relying exclusively on reported cough symptoms such as recorded in cough diaries and visual analogue scales describing cough severity. Approved devices are available that appear to accurately distinguish cough from throat clearing, snoring, and ambient background noises. They are compact and noninvasive, with a long battery life for extended recording times. Their role is currently limited to cough research rather than clinical practice.

• Neurostimulation offers the opportunity to impact neuronal functioning to treat severe psychiatric illness as an adjunct or alternative to pharmacotherapy.
• Transcranial magnetic stimulation offers a clear and compelling evidence base for the treatment of moderate-to-severe depression.
• Vagal nerve stimulation has shown significant efficacy in the most severe treatment-resistant depressions (TRD) in naturalistic studies, but wide adoption has been hampered by difficulties in randomized controlled trials.
• Low intensity transcranial electrical stimulation has varied delivery systems with numerous stimulation arrays, which have hampered professional and regulatory acceptance.
• Deep brain stimulation as the most expensive and invasive of the neurostimulation modalities has failed two sham-controlled trials and awaits more conclusive evidence before becoming part of the TRD options.

When investigating malnutrition and weight loss in older patients, clinicians should screen for physiologic, psychological, and social risk factors. Malnutrition may be caused by social isolation and lack of awareness regarding healthy eating and may be associated with depression, bereavement, dementia, or alcohol use. Patients with malignancy, nonmalignant gastrointestinal diseases, psychiatric conditions, and diseases that become more common with aging (such as diabetes mellitus and cancer) should be considered high risk for unintentional weight loss.

• Increasing adoption of risk calculators to assess operative risks
• Use of regional anesthesia approaches to decrease narcotic usage
• Impact of ERAS pathways on approaches to perioperative management

• Caloric reduction is more important than macronutrient distribution for weight loss
• Frequent provider contact by a trained health professional is beneficial for successful weight management. 
• Exercise is is highly essential for maintaining weight loss and achieving general health improvements.
• An individualized approach toward weight loss is important to take into account food, cultural, and lifestyle preferences. 
• Weight management clinicians are the leaders in representing science-based approaches toward weight loss

• Individuals with intellectual disability have high rates of medical and psychiatric comorbidity.
• Healthcare providers lack education and training to provide health care to individuals with an intellectual disability.
• Expert consensus guidelines recommend using the same medications and therapeutic doses for individuals with intellectual disability.
• Polypharmacy and chronic medication use are common in individuals with an intellectual disability, despite lack of evidence on safety and effectiveness.
• The DM-ID adapts the DSM criteria to individuals with intellectual disability.  The DM-ID is considered the gold standard for diagnosing psychiatric disorders in individuals with an intellectual disability