Advancing equity,diversity, and inclusion in the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP): advances,challenges, and opportunities to accelerate progress

It is increasingly accepted that higher levels of excellence and innovation in research can be achieved by organizations that promote equity, diversity, and inclusion across several domains including ethnicity and gender. The purpose of this commentary is to provide an overview of the methods used to increase diversity within ACNP, as well as recommendations for accelerating progress. Annual membership surveys confirm increases in female membership and leadership positions, slower but encouraging signals for “Asian” and “Hispanic” members, and less progress for African American and other ethnic populations. Meetings have become visibly more diverse, due in part to ethnic minority travel awards and apparently increasing diversity among guest attendees. Evidence of increasing inclusion includes well-attended networking events and minority-relevant programming, active communications about diversity-related events and resources, and strong statements by ACNP leadership that embrace diversity as a core value and support collaboration among key committees and task forces to identify and implement pro-inclusion and diversity-enhancing efforts. We believe ACNP can accelerate progress with more scientifically valid approaches to assessing diversity and inclusion. The current membership survey includes five outmoded ethnic options and postmeeting surveys that are not designed to assess inclusion efforts and consequences. Measures should be developed that better characterize diversity and assess efforts to reduce the barriers that exist for potential non-White populations (e.g., annual membership and meeting attendance costs). Increased collaboration with NIH and other organizations that are committed to these same goals may also contribute to acceleration of progress by ACNP and other scientific organizations.Subject terms: Medical research, Neuroscience     

骨代谢指标与类风湿关节炎病情活动性及骨质疏松相关性的研究

目的探讨骨代谢指标与类风湿关节炎(RA)病情活动性及骨质疏松(OP)的相关性。方法采用双能X线骨密度仪测定113例RA患者和120例正常对照组股骨和腰椎部位骨密度(BMD),酶联免疫吸附法(ELISA)检测血清中骨代谢指标:Ⅰ型原胶原N-端前肽(s-PINP)和血清Ⅰ型胶原交联C-末端肽(s-CTX)水平,详细记录RA患者各临床及实验室指标,对RA患者双手X线进行Sharp评分。结果 (1)RA组各部位BMD均明显低于对照组(P<0.0001),其OP发生率为31.9%,明显高于对照组(13.3%)(χ2=19.405,P<0.0001)。(2)RA组较正常组外周血s-CTX水平明显升高(Z=2.423,P<0.0015)、s-PINP水平明显降低(Z=2.264,P=0.024),s-CTX/s-PINP比值明显升高(Z=2.654,P=0.008);且重度活动组RA(78例)外周血s-CTX水平明显高于轻中度活动组(22例)(Z=2.375,P=0.035)。(3)相关性分析结果显示:RA患者外周血s-CTX水平与CRP和ESR呈正相关(P<0.05);s-CTX/s-PINP比值与关节肿胀指数和CRP呈正相关(P<0.05)。多元线性回归分析发现:病程和健康状况问卷(HAQ)与Sharp评分呈正相关(R2=0.559,F=22.791,P<0.0001)。(4)Logistic回归分析显示:s-CTX/s-PINP(OR=1.497,P=0.021,95%CI:1.061～2.113)和Sharp评分(OR=1.026,P<0.0001,95%CI:1.012～1.040)为RA患者股骨区发生OP的危险因素;年龄(OR=1.079,P=0.015,95%CI:1.015～1.148)和Sharp评分(OR=1.010,P=0.035,95%CI:1.001～1.020)为腰椎区发生OP的危险因素。结论 RA患者OP发生率显著升高,其外周血中s-PINP明显降低,s-CTX明显升高,提示骨代谢活跃;且外周血s-CTX水平、s-CTX/s-PINP比值与RA患者病情活动性和OP密切相关。     

Evisceración transvaginal post-histerectomía radical y radioterapia adyuvante

Transvaginal evisceration is a rare situation, with few cases reported in the international literature. This situation normally occurs in postmenopausal women and is associated with previous vaginal surgery, especially hysterectomy. The defect in the vaginal fundus requires emergency surgery, and even resection of the affected section of the bowel, if necessary. We report a case of vaginal evisceration of the small bowel 14 years after radical hysterectomy in a patient with endometrial cancer and vaginal vault prolapse.     

Ranolazine for the treatment of refractory angina in a veterans population

BackgroundPivotal ranolazine trials did not require optimization of conventional medical therapy including coronary revascularization and antianginal drug therapy prior to ranolazine use. This case series describes the use of ranolazine for the treatment of chronic stable angina refractory to maximal medical treatment in a veterans population.ResultsA total of 18 patients with a median age of 66 years were identified. All patients had prior percutaneous coronary intervention and/or coronary artery bypass graft surgery; 83% had three-vessel coronary artery disease, with left main disease present in 39% of patients. Prior to initiating ranolazine, antianginal use consisted of beta blockers (94%), long-acting nitrates (83%) and calcium channel blockers (61%). Median blood pressure (116.2/61.8 mmHg) and pulse (65 beats per min) were controlled. Median preranolazine angina episodes and sublingual nitroglycerin (SLNTG) doses per week were 14 and 10, respectively, with a Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) angina grade of III–IV in 67% of patients. After initiation of ranolazine, median angina episodes per week and SLNTG doses used per week decreased to 0.7 and 0, respectively, with CCS grade of III–IV declining to 17%. Of the 18 subjects enrolled, 44% had complete resolution of angina episodes.ConclusionThe addition of ranolazine to maximally tolerated conventional antianginal drug therapy post coronary revascularization was associated with decreases in angina episodes and SLNTG utilization and improvement in CCS angina grades. Ranolazine may provide an effective treatment option for revascularized patients with refractory angina.     

Inversion recovery ultrashort echo time imaging of ultrashort T2 tissue components in ovine brain at 3 T: a sequential D2O exchange study

Inversion recovery ultrashort echo time (IR‐UTE) imaging holds the potential to directly characterize MR signals from ultrashort T₂ tissue components (STCs), such as collagen in cartilage and myelin in brain. The application of IR‐UTE for myelin imaging has been challenging because of the high water content in brain and the possibility that the ultrashort T₂* signals are contaminated by water protons, including those associated with myelin sheaths. This study investigated such a possibility in an ovine brain D₂O exchange model and explored the potential of IR‐UTE imaging for the quantification of ultrashort T₂* signals in both white and gray matter at 3 T. Six specimens were examined before and after sequential immersion in 99.9% D₂O. Long T₂ MR signals were measured using a clinical proton density‐weighted fast spin echo (PD‐FSE) sequence. IR‐UTE images were first acquired with different inversion times to determine the optimal inversion time to null the long T₂ signals (TI_null). Then, at this TI_null, images with echo times (TEs) of 0.01–4 ms were acquired to measure the T₂* values of STCs. The PD‐FSE signal dropped to near zero after 24 h of immersion in D₂O. A wide range of TI_null values were used at different time points (240–330 ms for white matter and 320–350 ms for gray matter at TR = 1000 ms) because the T₁ values of the long T₂ tissue components changed significantly. The T₂* values of STCs were 200–300 μs in both white and gray matter (comparable with the values obtained from myelin powder and its mixture with D₂O or H₂O), and showed minimal changes after sequential immersion. The ultrashort T₂* signals seen on IR‐UTE images are unlikely to be from water protons as they are exchangeable with deuterons in D₂O. The source is more likely to be myelin itself in white matter, and might also be associated with other membranous structures in gray matter.