Nasal interferon responses to community rhinovirus infections are similar in controls and children with asthma

BackgroundRhinovirus (RV) is the main cause of asthma exacerbations in children. Some studies reported that persons with asthma have attenuated interferon (IFN) responses to experimental RV infection compared with healthy individuals. However, responses to community-acquired RV infections in controls and children with asthma have not been compared.ObjectiveTo evaluate nasal cytokine responses after natural RV infections in people with asthma and healthy children.MethodsWe compared nasal cytokine expression among controls and children with asthma during healthy, virus-negative surveillance weeks and self-reported RV-positive sick weeks. A total of 14 controls and 21 patients with asthma were studied. Asthma disease severity was based on symptoms and medication use. Viral genome was detected by multiplex polymerase chain reaction. Nasal cytokine protein levels were determined by multiplex assays.ResultsTwo out of 47 surveillance weeks tested positive for RV, illustrating an asymptomatic infection rate of 5%. A total of 38 of 47 sick weeks (81%) tested positive for the respiratory virus. Of these, 33 (87%) were positive for RV. During well weeks, nasal interleukin 8 (IL-8), IL-12, and IL-1β levels were higher in children with asthma than controls. Compared with healthy virus-negative surveillance weeks, IL-8, IL-13, and interferon beta increased during colds only in patients with asthma. In both controls and children with asthma, the nasal levels of interferon gamma, interferon lambda-1, IL-1β, IL-8, and IL-10 increased during RV-positive sick weeks. During RV infection, IL-8, IL-1β, and tumor necrosis factor-α levels were strongly correlated.ConclusionIn both controls and patients with asthma, natural RV infection results in robust type II and III IFN responses.     

Non-invasive prenatal testing for single gene disorders: exploring the ethics

Non-invasive prenatal testing for single gene disorders is now clearly on the horizon. This new technology offers obvious clinical benefits such as safe testing early in pregnancy. Before widespread implementation, it is important to consider the possible ethical implications. Four hypothetical scenarios are presented that highlight how ethical ideals of respect for autonomy, privacy and fairness may come into play when offering non-invasive prenatal testing for single gene disorders. The first scenario illustrates the moral case for using these tests for ‘information only'', identifying a potential conflict between larger numbers of women seeking the benefits of the test and the wider social impact of funding tests that do not offer immediate clinical benefit. The second scenario shows how the simplicity and safety of non-invasive prenatal testing could lead to more autonomous decision-making and, conversely, how this could also lead to increased pressure on women to take up testing. In the third scenario we show how, unless strong safeguards are put in place, offering non-invasive prenatal testing could be subject to routinisation with informed consent undermined and that woman who are newly diagnosed as carriers may be particularly vulnerable. The final scenario introduces the possibility of a conflict of the moral rights of a woman and her partner through testing for single gene disorders. This analysis informs our understanding of the potential impacts of non-invasive prenatal testing for single gene disorders on clinical practice and has implications for future policy and guidelines for prenatal care.     

Less depressed or less forthcoming? Self-report of depression symptoms in women preparing for in vitro fertilization

While depression has been associated with infertility treatments, it is not routinely assessed in women prior to undergoing in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment. Findings are mixed regarding the degree to which women report depression prior to IVF. The purpose of this study was to (1) examine response profiles in women preparing for IVF and (2) compare responses to those of postpartum, primary care, and general population groups. Female IVF patients (n?=?321; 19–45 years) completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) at their first visit. Clinical and demographic characteristics and incidence of major depressive disorder (MDD) and other depressive disorders (ODD) were examined. Overall score distributions of the IVF group were compared to those of local postpartum patients and published primary care and general populations. Demographic or clinical characteristics did not account for response differences within the IVF group. The IVF group had lower incidences of MDD and ODD than a PHQ-9 normative group. Women in the IVF group reported no depressive symptoms significantly more than postpartum, primary care, and general population groups. Women preparing to undergo IVF report fewer symptoms of depression than multiple comparison groups. Specific quality of life measures may be needed to assess distress in this population.     

“Many miles to go …”: a systematic review of the implementation of patient decision support interventions into routine clinical practice

Background

Two decades of research has established the positive effect of using patient-targeted decision support interventions: patients gain knowledge, greater understanding of probabilities and increased confidence in decisions. Yet, despite their efficacy, the effectiveness of these decision support interventions in routine practice has yet to be established; widespread adoption has not occurred. The aim of this review was to search for and analyze the findings of published peer-reviewed studies that investigated the success levels of strategies or methods where attempts were made to implement patient-targeted decision support interventions into routine clinical settings.

Methods

An electronic search strategy was devised and adapted for the following databases: ASSIA, CINAHL, Embase, HMIC, Medline, Medline-in-process, OpenSIGLE, PsycINFO, Scopus, Social Services Abstracts, and the Web of Science. In addition, we used snowballing techniques. Studies were included after dual independent assessment.

Results

After assessment, 5322 abstracts yielded 51 articles for consideration. After examining full-texts, 17 studies were included and subjected to data extraction. The approach used in all studies was one where clinicians and their staff used a referral model, asking eligible patients to use decision support. The results point to significant challenges to the implementation of patient decision support using this model, including indifference on the part of health care professionals. This indifference stemmed from a reported lack of confidence in the content of decision support interventions and concern about disruption to established workflows, ultimately contributing to organizational inertia regarding their adoption.

Conclusions

It seems too early to make firm recommendations about how best to implement patient decision support into routine practice because approaches that use a ‘referral model’ consistently report difficulties. We sense that the underlying issues that militate against the use of patient decision support and, more generally, limit the adoption of shared decision making, are under-investigated and under-specified. Future reports from implementation studies could be improved by following guidelines, for example the SQUIRE proposals, and by adopting methods that would be able to go beyond the ‘barriers’ and ‘facilitators’ approach to understand more about the nature of professional and organizational resistance to these tools. The lack of incentives that reward the use of these interventions needs to be considered as a significant impediment.

     

Obesity in the absence of comorbidities is not related to clinically meaningful left ventricular hypertrophy

The International Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging - Obesity is associated with the development of left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy. Whether obesity in in the absence of comorbidities can cause...     

支架辅助下弹簧圈栓塞颅内宽颈动脉瘤长期随访分析

目的 观察使用支架辅助弹簧圈栓塞治疗颅内宽颈动脉瘤患者术后3年以上的复发率、支架内狭窄率、动脉瘤再破裂发生率.方法 47例支架辅助弹簧圈栓塞颅内宽颈动脉瘤患者,术后3年以上接受DSA下全颈脑血管造影检查.结果 出现不同程度的支架内狭窄3例,其中1例出现载瘤动脉慢性闭塞.复发5例,其中1例为小型前交通动脉瘤,患者动脉瘤体可见部分显影;4例为超过1.5 cm的颈内动脉虹吸段的大型动脉瘤,栓塞后半年随访发现,动脉瘤内弹簧圈压缩,瘤体再度显影,该4例中有3例经过2次栓塞后即时显影消失,但仍有2例3年随访动脉瘤体再度显影,另1例拒绝2次栓塞,继续随访中.3年随访期内无一例患者栓塞后动脉瘤再破裂.结论 支架辅助弹簧圈栓塞颅内宽颈动脉瘤术式有效、可行,复发率低,支架内狭窄发生率不高,长期效果良好.