How long to wait before reducing antipsychotic dosage in stabilized patients with schizophrenia? A retrospective chart review

Objective

Antipsychotic dose reduction is generally recommended to occur after six months of clinical stabilization despite inadequate evidence. This timing issue was addressed in this study.

Methods

This is an observational, retrospective and medical chart-based study. Inclusion criteria were (1) diagnosis of schizophrenia (DSM-IV), (2) being acutely psychotic at their first outpatient visit from May, 2002 to April, 2003, (3) having responded to antipsychotics and achieved clinical stabilization of acute symptoms, indexed as a fixation of regimen for four or more weeks, and (4) having one or more years of follow-up. Patients who had their antipsychotic doses reduced were then identified, and they were divided into two groups based on the waiting period before dose reduction: <24 weeks (Early Group) and ≥24 weeks (Standard Group). The rate of dose escalation for ≥20% during follow-up period was investigated as a proxy of clinical worsening.

Results

After excluding stable patients at baseline, 211 patients met inclusion criteria. The mean ± SD waiting period before reducing antipsychotics was 122 ± 102 days. The rates of patients needing dose escalation were not significantly different between patients whose dose was reduced (N = 83) and those who was not (N = 128) (57.8% vs. 59.4%), and between Early Group (N = 59) and Standard Group (N = 24) (61.0% vs. 50.0%) although the reduction rate in antipsychotic dosage was significantly greater in Early Group (58.7% vs. 43.3%, p < 0.05).

Conclusion

These findings may indicate that timeline until antipsychotic reduction in stable patients with schizophrenia could be earlier than recommended, although caution is needed in interpreting our retrospective results.     

Recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma after living donor liver transplantation: what is the current optimal approach to prevent recurrence?

Background  

Liver transplantation plays an important role in the multimodal treatment options for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, there has been little information about the prognosis for HCC recurrence after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT).     

Coronary bifurcation bench test using multimodality imaging: Impact of stent strut link location on stent deformity and jailed side‐branch orifices during re‐proximal optimizing technique

Conservative management is the first‐line treatment for spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) with stable haemodynamic status and thrombolysis in myocardial infarction three flow on angiography. However, in a few very specific patients, recurrent ischemia, or haemodynamic instability necessitates revascularization. Here, we describe a case of successful optical coherence tomography (OCT)‐guided percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with a cutting balloon. We performed fenestration at multiple decompression sites prior to stenting in an intramural haematoma with luminal compression. Rescue management of SCAD with luminal compression is a critical issue, because SCAD is an emergent clinical condition affecting young patients with a severe prognosis. To our knowledge, there are no large published series evaluating procedural success rates and long‐term follow‐up of this technique.     

Sarcopenia and dysphagia: Position paper by four professional organizations

This report was written by the Japanese Society of Dysphagia Rehabilitation, the Japanese Association of Rehabilitation Nutrition, the Japanese Association on Sarcopenia and Frailty, and the Society of Swallowing and Dysphagia of Japan to consolidate the currently available evidence on the topics of sarcopenia and dysphagia. Histologically, the swallowing muscles are of different embryological origin from somatic muscles, and receive constant input stimulation from the respiratory center. Although the swallowing muscles are striated, their characteristics are different from those of skeletal muscles. The swallowing muscles are inevitably affected by malnutrition and disuse; accumulating evidence is available regarding the influence of malnutrition on the swallowing muscles. Sarcopenic dysphagia is defined as dysphagia caused by sarcopenia of the whole body and swallowing‐related muscles. When sarcopenia does not exist in the entire body, the term “sarcopenic dysphagia” should not be used. Additionally, sarcopenia due to neuromuscular diseases should be excluded; however, aging and secondary sarcopenia after inactivity, malnutrition and disease (wasting disorder and cachexia) are included in sarcopenic dysphagia. The treatment of dysphagia due to sarcopenia requires both dysphagia rehabilitation, such as resistance training of the swallowing muscles and nutritional intervention. However, the fundamental issue of how dysphagia caused by sarcopenia of the swallowing muscles should be diagnosed remains unresolved. Furthermore, whether dysphagia can be caused by primary sarcopenia should be clarified. Additionally, more discussion is required on issues such as the relationship between dysphagia and secondary sarcopenia, as well as the diagnostic criteria and means for diagnosing dysphagia caused by sarcopenia. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2019; 19: 91–97 .     

Preoperative assessment of vascular anatomy of inferior mesenteric artery by volume-rendered 3D-CT for laparoscopic lymph node dissection with left colic artery preservation in lower sigmoid and rectal cancer

AIM:To determine the distance between the branch-ing point of the left colic artery(LCA)and the inferiormesenteric artery(IMA)by computed tomography(CT)scanning,for preoperative evaluation before laparoscopiccolorectal operation.METHODS:From February 2004 to May 2005,100patients(63 men,37 women)underwent angiographyperformed with a 16-scanner multi-detector row CT unit(Toshiba,Aquilion 16).All images were analyzed on aworkstation (AZE Ltd,Virtual Place Advance 300).Thedistance from the root of the IMA to the bifurcation ofthe LCA was measured by curved multi-planar recon-struction on a workstation.RESULTS:The IMA could be visualized in all the cases,but the LCA was missing in two patients.The mean dis-tance from the root of the IMA to the root of the LCAwas 42.0 mm(range,23.2-75.0 mm).There were nodifferences in gender,arterial branching types,bodyweight,height,and body mass index.CONCLUSION:Volume-rendered 3D-CT is helpful toassess the vascular branching anatomy for laparoscopicsurgery.