Pharmacotherapy of postpartum depression

Background: The prevalence and recurrence rates of postpartum depression (PPD) are 13 and 25%, respectively. Despite its detrimental impact on the health of the mother–infant dyad, there is a paucity of data in the literature regarding the efficacy of pharmacological treatment of PPD. Objectives: i) To review the literature on the use of antidepressants and hormonal supplements for the prevention and the treatment of PPD; ii) to give the authors' opinion on the current status of the pharmacological treatment of PPD; and iii) to discuss developments that are likely to be important in the future. Methods: An electronic search was performed by using PubMed, Medline, and PsychINFO. Inclusion criteria were: i) empirical articles in peer-reviewed English-language journals; ii) well-validated measures of depression; and iii) a uniform scoring system for depression among the sample. Results/conclusion: The electronic search yielded a total of 19 articles (12 on treatment and 7 on prevention of PPD) with the following study designs: eight randomized clinical trials (six using placebo control and two using active control groups), and 11 open-label studies. The selection of the specific antidepressant for a woman with PPD should derive from a personalized risk–benefit analysis.     

Pharmacotherapy of allergic rhinitis: a pharmaco-economic approach

This article reports on a systematic literature review of the costs of allergic rhinitis (AR), the economic value of pharmacotherapy of AR, and the factors affecting costs and economic value of pharmacotherapy. Included studies had carried out a cost-of-illness analysis, cost analysis, cost-effectiveness, cost-utility or cost-benefit analysis. Allergic rhinitis imposes a substantial economic burden on society, with indirect costs of productivity loss being larger than the direct healthcare costs. Cost estimates were biased because of difficulties of diagnosis; exclusion of patients who do not seek healthcare; exclusion of over-the-counter medication; difficulties in estimating productivity loss. There is limited evidence on costs of seasonal/perennial and intermittent/persistent AR. Little is known of the economic value of pharmacotherapy of AR, although levocetirizine appears to be cost-effective as compared with placebo. Economic evaluations suffered limitations from small sample sizes, short trial duration, lack of standardized effectiveness measure, restricted scope of costs. Finally, the economic value of pharmacotherapy of AR is influenced by the perspective of the economic evaluation, relative effectiveness and costs of available drugs, patient compliance with treatment.     

川芎素在脑出血早期应用的临床研究

目的：探讨川芎素(阿魏酸钠)用于脑出血早期的临床应用价值。方法：选择本院大脑基底节区脑出血24 h以内的病人共60例，随机分成两组，两组病人年龄、入院时血肿体积、周围水肿体积、病灶中心CT值、神经功能损伤评分等基线资料具有可比性。对照组采用脱水、脑细胞活化剂、调控血压及血糖，处理应激性并发症及对症支持等常规治疗，治疗组在常规治疗基础上发病24 h后静脉滴注川芎素。治疗14 d后观察两组血肿体积、中心CT值、周围水肿体积的改变，治疗14，28 d后进行神经功能损伤分评价，测定两组血清内皮素(endothelin，ET)的动态变化。结果：治疗组较对照组周围水肿减轻(P<0.01)、中心CT值下降(P<0.05)，血肿有缩小趋势；治疗组神经功能损伤改善优于对照组(P<0.05)，临床疗效优于对照组(P<0.05)；2组患者发病后血清ET均明显高于正常组(P<0.01)，对照组在7 d持续升高后逐渐下降，在14 d时较治疗前有下降但仍较正常组高(P<0.05)，治疗组治疗第3 天ET即明显降低，接近正常组，14 d时较正常组降低(P<0.05)。对血压无明显影响，未见明显心、肝、肾功能损害。结论：脑出血病人早期应用川芎素治疗，能有效减轻脑水肿，促进血肿的吸收，改善血肿周围的低灌注区血供，改善患者的神经功能，疗效优于常规内科处理，且应用安全。     

氨酚羟考酮在癌痛治疗中的作用与优势

癌痛是癌症患者常见症状，癌痛的有效处理取决于对癌症特点、癌症治疗方法以及疼痛程度、类型、性质等的充分了解。癌痛需综合治疗。另外，疼痛处理与癌症治疗相互影响,而药物治疗是疼痛综合治疗中的主要手段。众多国内外文献提示氨酚羟考酮（泰勒宁）可适用于各种癌症引起的不同部位、不同性质、不同程度的急性、慢性疼痛，可用于剂量滴定、也可用于维持治疗，镇痛疗效好，起效快，不良反应少且轻微。总之，世界卫生组织癌痛三阶梯治疗中第二阶梯复方制剂如氨酚羟考酮在癌痛中的作用与地位值得肯定。     

Fluvoxamine treatment in veterans with combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder

This study was designed to investigate the efficacy of the antidepressant fluvoxamine in the treatment of combat-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Fifteen veterans with combat-related PTSD and no other psychiatric diagnosis except depression were recruited to participate in a 14-week open-label study of fluvoxamine. Patients underwent a 30-day washout period and were rated with the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS), Mississippi Scale, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) and Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HAM-A) at baseline, and every 2 weeks until week 14. Three patients stopped fluvoxamine prematurely due to side effects and 7 withdrew consent before completing the 14-week trial. Eight patients completed at least 8 weeks of treatment. The total daily dose of fluvoxamine ranged from 100 to 300 mg with a mean daily dose of 150 mg at week 14. Intent-to-treat analysis revealed a significant improvement in total CAPS scores, and in the intrusion and the avoidance/numbing subscales. The CAPS hyper-arousal scores did not change significantly. HAM-A score also improved significantly. No significant changes were seen on the Mississippi scale, HAM-D, or Beck Depression Inventory in the intent-to-treat analysis. In summary, our study shows that fluvoxamine appears to improve combat-related PTSD symptoms but not depressive symptoms. The high attrition rate and lack of a placebo group limits the conclusions of our study. Controlled studies of fluvoxamine in the treatment of PTSD are warranted.     

Smoking cessation in a blue-collar population: results from an evidence-based pilot program

BACKGROUND: Taft Hartley Funds provide group health care coverage for 10 million union workers as well as their dependents in industries such as construction and transportation. The adult smoking rate in these populations is estimated at approximately 40%, therefore, these funds include 9 million adult smokers. The absence of evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of smoking cessation programs has kept Taft Hartley Funds from investing in smoking cessation benefits. METHODS: A prototype for Taft Hartley Funds consistent with the Federal Clinical Guidelines for Smoking Cessation was designed and implemented in a pilot demonstration in the Carpenters Health and Security Trust of Western Washington. Participants chose a 1-call or more intensive 5-call smoking cessation counseling plan provided by the Group Health Cooperative's Free and Clear program. Medications were limited to the nicotine patch, nicotine gum, and Bupropion. Assessment of outcomes was performed by Free and Clear through a telephone survey 12 months following the enrollment date. RESULTS: Nine hundred thirty-five smokers participated in the program. This pilot evaluation covers 325 participants with at least 12 months since enrollment; 75% were male, the average age was 41.4 and 63% had smoked at least one pack per day for more than 20 years. Sixty-one percent selected 5-Call Counseling; 39% 1-Call. Seventy-five percent also used smoking cessation medications: gum, 4%; patch, 32%; Bupropion 21.5%; patch plus Bupropion, 15.7%. The point-prevalence-quit rates were: overall, 27.5%; 1-Call, 25.5%; and 5-Call, 28.9%. The cost of the program was $1025.28 per smoker who quit, or $11.78 per full-time equivalent employee covered by the Fund per year. The compounded savings in reduced lifetime tobacco-related medical costs for the participants who quit are estimated to be 15 times the cost of the program, yielding an annual return on investment of 27.6%. CONCLUSIONS: These results strongly suggest that smoking cessation programs can be effective even in such hard-to-reach populations as itinerant building trades workers, provided that the program is designed to their needs and environment. Based on these findings, health plans need to consider whether they are at risk of violating their fiduciary duties if they fail to offer smoking cessation benefits.     

Patients' Satisfaction with Psychiatric Treatment: Comparison Between an Open and a Closed Ward

The study compared patients' satisfaction with psychiatric inpatient treatment between an open and a closed ward. During a six-month period, all voluntarily participating patients on two wards of a psychiatric University hospital were investigated anonymously at admission and/or before discharge. A self-rating questionnaire (SATQ-98) was used to assess satisfaction with several domains of psychiatric inpatient treatment. In total, 135 questionnaires were received (retrieval rate 49%). The general level of satisfaction with treatment was high. General satisfaction, satisfaction with medication, ward equipment, visiting opportunities, and regulations for going out were significantly lower at discharge on the closed ward. Dissatisfaction with medication was related to low actual mood, and to low satisfaction with the frequency of psychotherapeutic interventions, visiting opportunities, and with the treating doctor. The results thus far strongly support the need for patients' satisfaction with treatment to be taken into account in order to improve psychiatric inpatient services, particularly on closed wards.     

温肾健脾方对大鼠慢性创面愈合的影响

目的:探讨温肾健脾中药对慢性创面愈合的影响及可能作用机制.方法:采用大鼠背部开放性创面模型,用肌注氢化可的松的方法造成慢性难愈性创面,以辛葡康为阳性对照药,应用免疫组化、流式细胞术等方法,观察创面愈合时间、新生上皮宽度、肉芽组织形态学变化、肉芽组织细胞周期、表皮生长因子(epidermal growth factor, EGF)、转化生长因子β1 (transforming growth factor-β1, TGF-β1)及纤维连接蛋白(fibronectin, FN)等指标.结果:温肾健脾方治疗组与辛葡康对照组平均创面愈合时间分别为(17.0±1.9)和(18.8±1.9) d,较模型组及空白组明显缩短(P<0.05);治疗14 d后,治疗组及对照组新生上皮宽度分别为(3.73±0.19)和(3.21±0.15)mm,较模型组及空白组明显增宽(P<0.05);治疗组新生毛细血管丰富,成纤维细胞数量多,而对照组、模型组及空白组新生毛细血管及成纤维细胞数量均较治疗组明显减少(P <0.05);治疗组S期细胞比例较对照组、模型组及空白组明显提高(P<0.05);治疗组及对照组与模型组及空白组比较,EGF、TGF-β1、FN蛋白表达均增强(P<0.05).结论:温肾健脾方有促进大鼠慢性难愈创面修复的作用,其机制与调节细胞周期,上调EGF、TGF-β1细胞因子蛋白表达水平,促进间质FN的表达有关.