Evidence of impaired pain modulation in adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis and chronic back pain

BACKGROUND CONTEXT

Although 40% of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients present with chronic back pain, the pathophysiology and underlying pain mechanisms remain poorly understood. We hypothesized that development of chronic pain syndrome in AIS is associated with alterations in pain modulatory mechanisms.

控制性低中心静脉压在原发性肝癌伴肝炎后肝硬化患者腹腔镜肝切除中的应用

背景与目的:在肝脏切除手术中采用控制性低中心静脉压(CLCVP)技术可有效减少肝断面出血,然而,低中心静脉压(CVP)所产生的相对低血压和潜在低灌注可能造成不良影响,这使其推广应用受到一定程度的限制。本研究探讨CLCVP技术在原发性肝癌伴肝炎后肝硬化患者腹腔镜肝切除手术中的应用效果和安全性。方法:回顾性分析2017年4月—2019年3月在安徽医科大学第一附属医院肝胆胰外科行全腹腔镜解剖性肝切除手术的44例原发性肝癌伴肝炎后肝硬化患者临床资料,所有患者均接受同一组医生手术,其中24例患者术中采用CLCVP技术(观察组),另外20例患者术中未采用CLCVP对照组(对照组),分析并比较两组术前、术中、术后的相关临床资料。结果:两组患者术前资料包括性别、年龄、BMI、Child分级、肝硬化程度、肝肾功能指标差异均无统计学意义(均P0.05)。两组手术均顺利完成,无围手术期死亡病例。观察组术中、术后均未见低CVP相关气栓、肝肾损伤等并发症。与对照组比较,观察组术中动脉收缩压、CVP明显降低,手术时间与肝门阻断时间明显缩短、术中出血和手术输血率明显降低,但术中乳酸指标明显升高(均P0.05)。两组的术后出血、感染、胸腔积液、胆汁漏的发生率以及肝肾功能指标、拔管时间、住院时间方面均无统计学差异(均P0.05),但观察组患者术后引流量多于对照组(P0.05);两组术后复发率亦无统计学差异(P0.05)。结论:在做好术前肝功能评估和术中密切观测患者灌注指标的前提下,CLCVP技术对肝炎后肝硬化患者腹腔镜肝切除手术是安全可靠的,虽然低CVP会使机体灌注减少,机体无氧代谢增强,乳酸含量增高,但对肝肾功能及肝癌的复发无明显影响,而且较低的CVP能够有效减少术中出血量和输血量,缩短手术时长和肝门阻断时间,降低长时间缺血缺氧对肝脏的打击。总之,在无严重心、肺、脑、肾基础疾病的肝炎后肝硬化患者腹腔镜肝切除手术中,CLCVP是一种值得推荐的控制肝断面出血技术。     

Association of dietary acid-base load and psychological disorders among Iranian women: A cross-sectional study

Metabolic acidosis, which can be affected by dietary acid-base load, seems to be associated with psychological disorders through different pathways. Given limited evidence on dietary acid-base load, we aimed to examine the association of dietary acid-base load with psychological disorders in Iranian women. This cross-sectional study was performed on 447 female subjects (20–50 years old). Dietary intake was assessed using a valid food frequency questionnaire for Iran. Dietary acid-base load was calculated through different indices including potential renal acid load (PRAL), net endogenous acid production (NEAP), and dietary acid load (DAL). To assess psychological disorders, an Iranian validated version of depression, anxiety, and stress scale (DASS-21) was used. The mean value of PRAL, NEAP, and DAL were -8.87mEq/da, 37.94mEq/day, and 30.77mEq/day, respectively. Considering a wide range of confounding variables, compared with the first tertile, a significant positive association was observed between dietary acid-base load and depression (OR_PRAL: 3.63; 95 %CI:1.97, 6.71; P_trend = 0.0001) (OR_NEAP:3.42; 95 %CI: 1.87, 6.23; P_trend = 0.0001) (OR_DAL: 3.02; 95 %CI: 1.64, 5.58; P_trend = 0.0001). Women in the high dietary acid-base load category had higher anxiety (OR_PRAL: 3.31; 95 %CI: 1.81, 6.06; P_trend = 0.0001) (OR_NEAP:3.47; 95 %CI: 1.90, 6.33; P_trend = 0.0001) (OR_DAL: 3.25; 95 %CI: 1.76, 5.98; P_trend = 0.0001). Moreover, there was a strong positive relationship between dietary acid-base load and psychologicaldistress (OR_PRAL: 3.79; 95 %CI: 2.09, 6.90; P_trend = 0.0001) (OR_NEAP: 3.67; 95 %CI: 2.04, 6.58; P_trend = 0.0001) (OR_DAL: 3.00; 95 %CI: 1.66, 5.43; P_trend = 0.0001). Women with higher dietary acid-base load score had greater odds for depression, anxiety, and psychological distress compared to lower ones.     

Racial matching and adolescent self-disclosure of substance use and mental health symptoms

Obtaining accurate assessment data from adolescents in treatment aids clinical decision making and facilitates more accurate outcome evaluations. However, findings could be biased due to underreported substance use and mental health symptoms. This article compares self-reports of youth in non-White matched client–assessor dyads and those in nonmatched dyads. There were no differences on self-reported substance use, but matched youth reported significantly fewer attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms versus the comparison group. One possible reason for these findings is the effect of in-group stereotype threat. Future studies should examine the potential effect that in-group stereotyping and perceived racism have on the therapeutic relationship.     

Free GP care and psychological health: Quasi-experimental evidence from Ireland

There is considerable ambiguity in the literature on the effect of health insurance on health. While the majority of previous analyses have examined physical health outcomes, analyses of the broader dimensions of health such as psychological health and wellbeing have been less frequent. Using data from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) and a difference-in-differences research design, we examine the impact of free general practitioner (GP) care on psychological health among the older population and explore potential mechanisms. While we find no impact of public health insurance expansions on quality of life, life satisfaction, depression, and worry, the removal of GP fees for all those 70+ leads to a significantly lower level of perceived stress. The impact is mainly driven by poorer, sicker and single individuals. Further analyses show that removing GP fees leads to greater access to GP services and lower levels of financial stress.     

Longitudinal effects of educational involvement on parent and family functioning among mothers of children with ASD

Utilizing a cohort sequential design and multilevel modeling on a sample of 113 mothers, the effects of three forms of maternal educational involvement (school-based involvement, home-based involvement, and home-school communication) on maternal and family functioning (maternal psychological distress, parenting efficacy, and family cohesion) were assessed over a seven year period when children with ASD in the study were 7–14 years of age. Findings indicated that maternal home-based educational involvement was linked to decreased psychological distress as well as to increased parenting efficacy and family cohesion, while home-school communication was linked to decreased distress and increased parenting efficacy (school-based involvement was related to decreased maternal distress only). In addition, in two instances, home-based involvement was found to moderate the effects of child and maternal risk factors (child problem behavior and stress proliferation) on maternal and family outcomes. Study findings are discussed in light of prior research and study limitations and implications are highlighted.