Shaken baby syndrome masquerading as apparent life threatening event

A variety of diseases and disorders can present as an acute life-threatening event among which shaken baby syndrome has been recently recognized. A high index of suspicion along with an ophthalmologic evaluation and cranial imaging helps to identify this form of child abuse, which needs multidisciplinary management.     

Treatment of bipolar depression: focus on pharmacologic therapies

Recent studies have highlighted significant limitations in our capacity to effectively treat bipolar depression. This article reviews the present status of treatments for this condition, highlighting emerging new pharmacotherapies such as lamotrigine, olanzapine and quetiapine, while also addressing modern psychologic interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy and psychoeducation. The role of older treatments such as lithium and the antidepressants is also discussed, particularly as a recent meta-analysis has thrown into question current heightened concern over antidepressant-induced mania. The advent of new pharmacologic and psychologic treatments provides optimism for improved outcomes for this highly disabling condition.     

When euthymia is just not good enough: the neuropsychology of bipolar disorder

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a debilitating psychiatric illness that is uniquely characterized by switching between psychopathologically contrasting phases of mania and depression, often with intervening periods of euthymia. However, these periods of apparent clinical recovery (euthymia) are marked by subtle social, occupational, and cognitive impairments, profiled by recent neuropsychological investigations. Determining the cognitive changes across these three phases may help differentiate the disruptions that are mood state-dependent from those associated with underlying pathology. This article therefore critically reviews the reported neuropsychological impairments in BD and the methodological limitations facing such research. Integration of the available evidence, principally from the field of neuropsychology, when synthesized, implicates the prefrontal cortex in the etiopathogenesis of BD and posits cortical-subcortical-limbic disruption in recovered euthymic patients that manifests as cognitive dysfunction.     

Evaluation of quality of life in indian children with bronchial asthma using a disease-specific and locally appropriate questionnaire

AIM: To evaluate quality of life (QOL) in Indian children with bronchial asthma. METHODS: A disease-specific, locally appropriate QOL questionnaire was administered in asthmatic children and compared with FEV1, FVC, PEFR and asthma symptom score, on three occasions. RESULTS: QOL score had strong negative correlation with symptom score and weaker positive correlation with pulmonary function tests. CONCLUSION: Disease-specific QOL score correlates inversely with symptom score in children with bronchial asthma.     

Warfarin and celecoxib interaction in the setting of cytochrome P450 (CYP2C9) polymorphism with bleeding complication

Drug metabolism may be perturbed by genetically determined differences in the metabolic activity of cytochrome P450 enzymes. The authors encountered extensive bleeding in a patient receiving warfarin for anticoagulation after the introduction of celecoxib, an anti-inflammatory drug. As the CYP2C9 enzyme metabolises these drugs, it was determined whether variant alleles were responsible for altering warfarin handling. Genetic analysis established that the patient was a compound heterozygote with CYP2C9*2 and *3 variant alleles, which exhibit lower drug metabolising capacity and enhance susceptibility to drug toxicity.     

Cognitive generation of affect in hypomania: an fMRI study

OBJECTIVE: To identify the brain regions associated with the cognitive generation of affect in hypomanic bipolar patients. METHODS: The study examined 10 hypomanic female subjects with bipolar affective disorder, and 10 age- and sex-matched comparison subjects using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while viewing alternating blocks of captioned-pictures designed to evoke negative, positive or no affective change. The activation paradigm involved the presentation of the same visual materials over three experiments alternating (a) negative and reference, (b) positive and reference and (c) positive and negative captioned-pictures. RESULTS: The stimuli produced activation in both patients and comparison subjects in brain regions previously implicated in the generation and modulation of affect, in particular the prefrontal cortex. Activation in patients involved additional subcortical regions namely the caudate and thalamus. CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary study suggests that hypomanic patients recruit additional subcortical limbic systems for emotional evaluation when advanced prefrontal cortical processing is no longer sufficient. The differential patterns of activation inform us about bipolar disorder and may have potential diagnostic and therapeutic significance.     

Follow up of survival and quality of life in children after intensive care

OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the health related quality of life of children after intensive care and to assess their long term survival. DESIGN: Prospective. Setting: Tertiary Care Hospital Intensive Care Unit (ICU). SUBJECT AND METHODS: All patients admitted to ICU were enrolled prospectively over a period of 1 year. Children with ICU stay of less than 24 hrs, infants, readmission to ICU were however excluded. Survival was determined at the time of ICU discharge and 1 year later. Health status assessment was done with the help of the multiattribute health status classification (MAHSC), which has 6 domains; sensation, mobility, emotion, cognition, self care and pain. Assessment was done at two points of time - within 48 hours of admission to the ICU and 1 year after discharge. RESULTS: 150 children (mean age 5.68+/- 3.6 years) with a mean duration of ICU stay (5.7 +/- 5.5 days) were included in the study. The cumulative ICU mortality was 12.9%. Fifty-five (36.7% had no overall health impairment (no affected domains) preceding the present illness. There was overall health impairment (?1 affected domain) preceding the present illness in 95 of the 150 patients (63.3%). In the domain specific health status mobility was affected in 74 (49%) followed by pain 61 (41.2%), self care 56 (38.8%), sensation 29 (20%), cognition 21 (14.8%) and emotion 14(9.5%). After 1 year, overall state of health had improved or was equal to the premorbid state in 87 (75%). In domain specific health, the proportion improving or remaining unchanged varied from 75% (emotional) to 80% (cognition), 85.3% (pain) and 88.7% (mobility). The overall state of health had worsened as compared to the premorbid state in 29 (25%) majority with neurological illnesses. CONCLUSION: Quality of life in three-quarters of the patients was preserved and one year survival was favorable. Worsening was noted primarily in-patients with neurological illnesses.     

Bipolar depression: management options

Bipolar depression is the predominant abnormal mood state in bipolar disorder. However, despite the key pertinence of this phase of the condition, the focus of research and indeed of clinical interest in the management of bipolar disorder has been mainly on mania. Bipolar depression has been largely neglected, and early studies often failed to distinguish depression due to major unipolar depression from that due to bipolar disorder. Consequently, many treatments used in the management of major depression have been adopted for use in bipolar depression without any robust evidence of efficacy. The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), bupropion, tricyclic antidepressants and monoamine oxidase inhibitors are all effective antidepressants in the management of bipolar depression. They are all associated with a small risk of antidepressant-induced mood instability. The mood stabilisers lithium, carbamazepine and valproate semisodium (divalproex sodium) all appear to have modest acute antidepressant properties. Among these, lithium is supported by the strongest data, but the use of lithium in the treatment of bipolar depression as a monotherapeutic agent is limited by its slow onset of action. Recently, there has been a growing body of evidence suggesting that lamotrigine may have particular effectiveness in both the acute and prophylactic management of bipolar depression. Clinical management of bipolar depression involves various combinations of antidepressants and mood stabilisers and is partly determined by the context in which the depressive episode occurs. In general, 'de novo' and 'breakthrough' (where the patient is already receiving medication) bipolar depression may be successfully managed by initiating mood stabiliser monotherapy, to which an antidepressant or second mood stabiliser may be added at a later date, if necessary. Breakthrough episodes of bipolar depression occurring in patients receiving combination therapy (two mood stabilisers or a mood stabiliser plus an antidepressant) require either switching of ongoing medications or further augmentation. If this fails, then novel strategies or ECT should be considered. Bipolar depression is a disabling illness and the predominant mood state for the vast majority of those with bipolar disorder. It therefore warrants prompt management once suitably diagnosed, especially as it is associated with a considerable risk of suicide and in the majority of instances is eminently treatable.     

'Why getting fat, Doc?' Weight gain and psychotropic medications.

OBJECTIVES: Weight gain associated with the use of psychotropic medications is a common clinical problem that is of particular importance because of its effects on the general health of psychiatric patients and their compliance with treatment. This paper aims to explore this issue and discuss the mechanisms of weight gain and methods of prevention. METHOD: A literature review (Index Medicus/Medline) was carried out as well as a review of other relevant papers and data known to the authors. RESULTS: Significant weight gain may result in considerable morbidity. The majority of psychotropic medications are associated with weight gain, however, the mechanisms of weight gain are often complex and poorly understood. CONCLUSION: Clinically, weight gain can be anticipated and often managed with some success in the majority of psychiatric patients with simple but relatively effective measures. It is important for clinicians to be aware of this common clinical problem and educate patients from the outset, monitoring them regularly and intervening when necessary.