Setting the eating disorder aside: An alternative model of care

Eating disorder treatment typically involves psychotherapy, structured programmes to normalize eating behaviours, and weight restoration. Unfortunately some individuals who receive these treatments do not recover. The Community Outreach Partnership Program (COPP) was developed to address the needs of these individuals. Using a team approach which combines both community and hospital services, COPP assists clients increase their quality of life by fostering independence, increasing hope and enhancing social skills in the context of the client's economic, social and physical living environment. Preliminary outcome research reveals significant improvement in eating disorder and psychiatric symptoms in individuals who complete four or more months of COPP. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.     

Changes in cortical excitability differentiate generalized and focal epilepsy

OBJECTIVE: Different pathophysiological mechanisms related to the balance of cortical excitatory and inhibitory influences may underlie focal and generalized epilepsies. We used transcranial magnetic stimulation to search for interictal excitability differences between patients with idiopathic generalized epilepsy (IGE) and focal epilepsy. METHODS: Sixty-two drug-naive patients with newly diagnosed epilepsy (35 IGE, 27 focal epilepsy) were studied. In the latter group, the seizure focus was not located in the motor cortex. Motor threshold at rest, cortical silent period threshold, recovery curve analysis using paired-pulse stimulation at a number of interstimulus intervals), and cortical silent period were determined. Results were compared with those of 29 control subjects. RESULTS: Hyperexcitability was noted in the recovery curves at a number of interstimulus intervals in both hemispheres in patients with IGE and in the hemisphere ipsilateral to the seizure focus in those with focal epilepsy compared with control subjects and the contralateral hemisphere in focal epilepsy. Motor threshold and cortical silent period threshold were higher in the ipsilateral hemisphere in focal epilepsy compared with the contralateral hemisphere. No other intragroup or intergroup differences were found in the other measures. INTERPRETATION: The disturbance of cortical excitatory/inhibitory function was found to be bilateral in IGE, whereas in focal epilepsy it spread beyond the epileptic focus but remained lateralized. This finding confirms that there are differences in cortical pathophysiology comparing the two major types of epilepsy.     

Normalizing risky sexual behaviors: a grounded theory study

PURPOSE: To generate a substantive theory that explained the sexual decision-making of high-risk adolescent females. METHOD: Grounded theory methods were used to concurrently collect and analyze data from interviews with 19 incarcerated adolescent females. Coding, memoing and constant comparison were used to identify the core variable and generate the theory. FINDINGS: The participants were bombarded by seductive influences. In response, they normalized risky sexual behaviors by finding membership in high-risk associations; perceiving "everybody's doing it;" disregarding conventional standards; and by saying "yes" to sexual opportunities. CONCLUSIONS: The theory of Normalizing Risky Sexual Behaviors provides a guide for: (a) the development of interventions to promote safe sex; (b) the design of research to understand and explore safe adolescent sexual decision making; and (c) the enhancement of effective communication between adolescents and adults about this important topic.     

The impact of Neonatal Resuscitation Program courses on mortality and morbidity of newborn infants with perinatal asphyxia

OBJECTIVE: Neonatal care provided within the first few minutes of life plays a major role in the reduction of neonatal morbidity and mortality. Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP) courses had been held since 1996. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of the NRP on morbidity and mortality of newborn infants with perinatal asphyxia. METHODS: This retrospective study comprised newborn infants who were born in hospitals at Trakya region of Turkey during the last 3 years and were diagnosed as perinatal asphyxia and were referred to our Neonatal Unit. Those patients who were referred before NRP course (pretraining period) were designated as Group 1, those who were referred after the first NRP course (transition period) as Group 2, and those who were referred after the second NRP course (post-training period) as Group 3. Chart review was performed with regard to gestational age, birth weight, Apgar scores, resuscitation type, stage of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), existence of meconium aspiration syndrome (MAS), progress of the disease, duration of hospitalization. RESULTS: The study comprised 66 patients; 35 in Group 1, 18 in Group 2 and 13 in Group 3. The number of cases who had not been resuscitated was 10 in the pretraining period, 3 in the transition period and 1 in the post-training period which decreased significantly. The first minute Apgar scores in three groups were as follows; 2.08+/-1.2, 2.2+/-1.1 and 3.7+/-1.4, and this increase was statistically significant. The fifth minute Apgar scores also increased from 5.43+/-1.5 in the pretraining period to 6.5+/-1.9 in the post-training period, but this increase was not statistically significant. The number of patients with Stage 1 and 2 HIE decreased more in Group 3 (n=11 in Stage 1 HIE, n=17 in Stage 2 HIE) compared to those in Group 1 (n=7 in Stage 1 HIE, n=5 in Stage 2 HIE) but the difference was not statistically significant. The duration of hospitalization decreased in post-training period (15.1+/-10.3 days in pretraining period, 12.0+/-8.9 days in transition period, 6.1+/-1.2 days in post-training period). CONCLUSIONS: After NRP courses, the number of patients with perinatal asphyxia and with no resuscitation and also the duration of hospitalization decreased significantly, whereas the first minute Apgar scores increased significantly.     

Prediction and primary prevention of pre-eclampsia

Pre-eclampsia is associated with increased maternal and perinatal mortality and morbidity. Early recognition of women at risk of pre-eclampsia will enable the identification of high-risk women who may benefit from enhanced surveillance and prophylaxis. In this chapter, we summarise the accuracy of various tests used to predict the onset of pre-eclampsia and the effectiveness of preventative treatment. The tests used to predict pre-eclampsia include clinical history, examination findings, laboratory and haemodynamic tests. In general, tests in early pregnancy for predicting later development of pre-eclampsia have better specificity than sensitivity, as Body Mass Index greater than 34, alpha-fetoprotein, fibronectin and uterine artery Doppler (bilateral notching) all have specificities above 90%. Only uterine artery Doppler resistance index and combinations of indices have a sensitivity of over 60%. Test such as kallikreinuria not used in clinical practice, has shown high sensitivity above 80%, without compromising specificity, and require further investigation. None of the tests are sufficiently accurate to recommend them for routine use in clinical practice. The various treatment options for preventing pre-eclampsia include pharmacological agents, dietary supplementation and lifestyle modification. Antiplatelet agents, primarily low-dose aspirin, reduce the risk of pre-eclampsia by 10% (RR 0.90, 95% CI 0.84 to 0.97). Calcium effectively prevents pre-eclampsia (RR 0.45, 95% CI 0.31 to 0.65); the beneficial effect being observed in the high-risk group (RR 0.22; 95% CI 0.12 to 0.42) and in the group with low nutritional calcium intake (RR 0.36, 95% CI 0.20 to 0.65). Pharmacological agents, such as low molecular weight heparin, progesterone, nitric oxide donors, anti-hypertensive medication and diuretics are not effective in preventing pre-eclampsia. Dietary supplements, such as magnesium, anti-oxidants, marine oils and folic acid, do not reduce the incidence of pre-eclampsia. Evidence is lacking to support lifestyle preventative interventions for pre-eclampsia, such as rest, exercise and reduced dietary salt intake.     

The effectiveness of interventions for optometric referrals into the hospital eye service: A review

Purpose

Ophthalmic services are currently under considerable stress; in the UK, ophthalmology departments have the highest number of outpatient appointments of any department within the National Health Service. Recognising the need for intervention, several approaches have been trialled to tackle the high numbers of false-positive referrals initiated in primary care and seen face to face within the hospital eye service (HES). In this mixed-methods narrative synthesis, we explored interventions based on their clinical impact, cost and acceptability to determine whether they are clinically effective, safe and sustainable. A systematic literature search of PubMed, MEDLINE and CINAHL, guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA), was used to identify appropriate studies published between December 2001 and December 2022.

Recent Findings

A total of 55 studies were reviewed. Four main interventions were assessed, where two studies covered more than one type: training and guidelines (n = 8), referral filtering schemes (n = 32), asynchronous teleophthalmology (n = 13) and synchronous teleophthalmology (n = 5). All four approaches demonstrated effectiveness for reducing false-positive referrals to the HES. There was sufficient evidence for stakeholder acceptance and cost-effectiveness of referral filtering schemes; however, cost comparisons involved assumptions. Referral filtering and asynchronous teleophthalmology reported moderate levels of false-negative cases (2%–20%), defined as discharged patients requiring HES monitoring.

Summary

The effectiveness of interventions varied depending on which outcome and stakeholder was considered. More studies are required to explore stakeholder opinions around all interventions. In order to maximise clinical safety, it may be appropriate to combine more than one approach, such as referral filtering schemes with virtual review of discharged patients to assess the rate of false-negative cases. The implementation of a successful intervention is more complex than a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach and there is potential space for newer types of interventions, such as artificial intelligence clinical support systems within the referral pathway.