Successful treatment of OCD with a micronutrient formula following partial response to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): A case study

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) affects 0.5–2% of young people many of whom are resistant to conventional treatments. This case study describes an 18-year-old male with OCD who first underwent cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for a 1-year period with a modest response (his OCD had shifted from severe to moderate). Within a year, his anxiety had deteriorated back to the severe range and he now had major depression. He then entered an ABAB design trial using a nutritional formula consisting mainly of minerals and vitamins (together, known as micronutrients). After 8 weeks on the formula, his mood was stabilized, his anxiety reduced, and his obsessions were in remission. The treatment was then discontinued for 8 weeks, during which time his obsessions and anxiety worsened and his mood dropped. Reintroduction of the formula again improved the symptoms. This case illustrates the importance of considering the effect micronutrients have on mental illness.     

Evaluation of gastric emptying in familial and sporadic Parkinson disease

ObjectiveTo assess for the presence of gastric dysmotility in familial and sporadic Parkinson disease (PD).Methods10 subjects with familial Parkinson disease (fPD), 35 subjects with sporadic Parkinson disease (sPD), and 15 controls, all from academic tertiary care movement disorders centers, were studied. fPD was defined as the presence of at least 2 affected individuals within 2–3 consecutive generations in a family. Molecular genetic analysis has not revealed, thus far, any known genomic abnormality in these families. Gastric emptying was assessed by dynamic abdominal scintigraphy over 92 min following ingestion of a solid meal containing 99mTc-labeled colloid of 40 MBq activity. The main outcome measures were gastric emptying half-time and radiotracer activity over the gastric area at 46 and at 92 min.ResultsGastric emptying time was delayed in 60% of subjects with PD. In comparison to mean t_1/2 of 38 ± 7 min in controls, mean t_1/2 was 58 ± 25 min in fPD (p = 0.02) and 46 ± 25 min in sPD (p = 0.10). Both fPD and sPD groups included subjects with delayed gastric emptying at an early stage of disease.ConclusionsPatients with fPD showed significantly delayed gastric emptying in comparison to normal age-matched individuals. Further studies of gastrointestinal dysfunction in PD, particularly fPD, are warranted.     

Impact of type 2 diabetes mellitus on diffuse inflammatory activation of de novo atheromatous lesions: Implications for systemic inflammation

AimsLocal coronary and systemic inflammation is pronounced in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). Intracoronary thermography detects local inflammation and C-reactive protein (CRP) is a marker of systemic inflammation. We investigated whether or not, in patients with DM, thermal heterogeneity of culprit lesions (CLs) correlates with that of non-culprit lesions (NCLs) and with systemic inflammation.MethodsWe included DM patients who had two angiographically significant lesions and were undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. We measured the temperature difference (ΔT) between the lesion and proximal vessel wall.ResultsWe included 104 (n = 208 lesions) patients: 32 (n = 64 lesions) had DM and 72 (n = 144 lesions) were non-DM (control group). ΔT was increased in DM in both CLs and NCLs (CLs: DM = 0.12 ± 0.06 °C; no DM = 0.06 ± 0.04 °C; P < 0.01 versus NCLs: DM = 0.13 ± 0.08 °C versus no DM = 0.06 ± 0.05 °C; P < 0.01). Patients with DM had similar ΔT in CLs and NCLs (P = 0.49). A linear correlation was detected between heat production in all lesions and CRP (R = 0.45; P < 0.01), which was attributed to the correlation of ΔT in lesions of patients with DM and CRP (R = 0.32; P < 0.01). In lesions of patients with low CRP, a greater rate of discrepancy was found, as 100% of lesions in patients with DM versus 66.1% of lesions of patients without DM had a high ΔT in one or both lesions (P < 0.01).ConclusionIn patients with DM, local inflammatory activation is diffuse and correlates with systemic inflammation. However, low systemic inflammatory activation does not always predict an increase in local thermal heterogeneity.     

Energy recommendations for normal weight,overweight and obese children and adolescents: are different equations necessary?

In 2002/2005, separate energy requirement equations were generated by the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) Dietary Reference Intake process for normal weight and overweight/obese children and adolescents. The current paper questions the theoretical rationale of having two sets of equations (based solely on body-weight classification): when body weight is considered, overweight and obese children and adolescents do not seem to differ from their normal weight counterparts in energy expended for basal metabolism or physical activity tasks. However, energy needs for weight maintenance among overweight/obese girls were consistently higher when predicted using the equations for overweight/obese individuals compared with those developed for normal weight individuals. In contrast, among overweight/obese boys, they were consistently lower . Although the differences are within the variability of the estimates, even theoretical support for a higher energy intake (as occurs in girls) seems unwise because of the potential contribution to a higher body mass in children who are already at risk. It is the opinion of the authors that the IOM revisit the use of two separate equations and generate one set that is appropriate for all children and adolescents.     

Remission and Recovery in the Treatment for Adolescents With Depression Study (TADS): Acute and Long-Term Outcomes

ObjectiveWe examine remission rate probabilities, recovery rates, and residual symptoms across 36 weeks in the Treatment for Adolescents with Depression Study (TADS).MethodThe TADS, a multisite clinical trial, randomized 439 adolescents with major depressive disorder to 12 weeks of treatment with fluoxetine, cognitive–behavioral therapy, their combination, or pill placebo. The pill placebo group, treated openly after week 12, was not included in the subsequent analyses. Treatment differences in remission rates and probabilities of remission over time are compared. Recovery rates in remitters at weeks 12 (acute phase remitters) and 18 (continuation phase remitters) are summarized. We also examined whether residual symptoms at the end of 12 weeks of acute treatment predicted later remission.ResultsAt week 36, the estimated remission rates for intention-to-treat cases were as follows: combination, 60%; fluoxetine, 55%; cognitive–behavioral therapy, 64%; and overall, 60%. Paired comparisons reveal that, at week 24, all active treatments converge on remission outcomes. The recovery rate at week 36 was 65% for acute phase remitters and 71% for continuation phase remitters, with no significant between-treatment differences in recovery rates. Residual symptoms at the end of acute treatment predicted failure to achieve remission at weeks 18 and 36.ConclusionsMost depressed adolescents in all three treatment modalities achieved remission at the end of 9 months of treatment.     

Shyness and face scanning in children

Contrary to popular beliefs, a recent empirical study using eye tracking has shown that a non-clinical sample of socially anxious adults did not avoid the eyes during face scanning. Using eye-tracking measures, we sought to extend these findings by examining the relation between stable shyness and face scanning patterns in a non-clinical sample of 11-year-old children. We found that shyness was associated with longer dwell time to the eye region than the mouth, suggesting that some shy children were not avoiding the eyes. Shyness was also correlated with fewer first fixations to the nose, which is thought to reflect the typical global strategy of face processing. Present results replicate and extend recent work on social anxiety and face scanning in adults to shyness in children. These preliminary findings also provide support for the notion that some shy children may be hypersensitive to detecting social cues and intentions in others conveyed by the eyes. Theoretical and practical implications for understanding the social cognitive correlates and treatment of shyness are discussed.