Meta-analysis of randomized controlled comparisons of psychopharmacological and psychological treatments for anxiety disorders.

BACKGROUND: A number of meta-analyses have led to contradictory results regarding the efficacy of the psychological and pharmacological treatment of anxiety disorders. The main reasons for these inconsistent results seem to be the inclusion of heterogeneous studies and influences of selection biases. We performed a meta-analysis, which only included studies using a direct comparison of pharmacological, psychological, or combined treatments. METHOD: Sixteen studies on panic disorder, six studies on social anxiety disorder, and two studies on generalized anxiety disorder have been analyzed. Effect sizes for differences between the different treatment modalities were calculated. Also, the effect sizes of the pre-post differences were calculated. RESULTS: Pharmacological treatment, cognitive-behavioural treatment, and the combination of both treatment modalities all led to substantial improvement between pre- and post-treatment. Combined pharmacological and psychological treatment was superior to the monotherapies for panic disorder. For social anxiety disorder, there is only preliminary support for combined treatment. Due to lack of sufficient data, no final conclusions can be drawn for generalized anxiety disorder. CONCLUSIONS: While drug treatment and CBT showed equal efficacy, only in panic disorder the combination of pharmacological and psychological treatment was superior to either treatment alone. For the other anxiety disorders, the evidence for greater efficacy of combination treatment is still not sufficient due to lack of studies.     

Comparison of Two Absorbable Monofilament Polydioxanone Threads in Intradermal Buried Sutures

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Two absorbable polydioxanone threads are compared regarding intraoperative handling qualities, scar dehiscence, and possible side effects. METHODS: In 30 excisions, half of each suture was performed with PDS II (Ethicon GmbH, Norderstedt, Germany), whereas the other half was closed with Serasynth (Serag-Wiessner, Naila, Germany). Clinical evaluation for scar spreading, spitting of the sutures, hypertrophic scarring, or suture granuloma was performed 3 and 6 months after surgery. RESULTS: No significant difference in scar spreading, hypertrophic scarring, or the incidence of suture granuloma was noted. A significantly lower frequency of spitting was seen with Serasynth than with PDS. The handling and suturing properties of SerasynthM were estimated to be slightly superior compared with those of PDS. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that PDS and Serasynth provide equal cosmetic results when applied in an appropriate suturing technique. Possibly owing to its better pliability, the frequency of spitting was lower with Serasynth.     

Gallbladder sludge and acute pancreatitis induced by acute hepatitis A.

In this case report, a young woman with gallbladder sludge and acute pancreatitis due to acute hepatitis A (HAV) is presented. She was admitted to our hospital with abnormal hepatic enzymes. Five days prior to her admission, an initial abdominal ultrasound was performed at another hospital and revealed no abnormality, while her serum aspartate aminotransferase (AST) level was at the upper limit of normal (ULN) x 8. A second ultrasound was performed at our hospital and revealed a gallbladder wall thickness (9.3 mm), gallbladder sludge in the gallbladder lumen, pancreatic edema, ascites, and hepatomegaly while AST was at the ULN x 50. Magnetic resonance imaging and magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography revealed imaging features of an acute stage of pancreatitis and gallbladder wall thickness with coexisting sludge in the gallbladder lumen. HAV infection was diagnosed by the detection of immunoglobulin M against HAV in the serum. The patient underwent two repeated abdominal ultrasound examinations on the 5th (AST was at the ULN x 3) and the 20th days (AST was at the normal) after her discharge, and both revealed normal findings. In our case, we observed reversible changes in the hepatobiliary and pancreatic system which was related to the severity of hepatic necro-inflammation. HAV-associated pancreatitis may be due to the formation of biliary sludge during the acute phase of the viral illness, but this association needs further investigation.     

The natural course of DSM-IV somatoform disorders and syndromes among adolescents and young adults: a prospective-longitudinal community study.

OBJECTIVE: Although somatoform disorders are assumed to be chronic clinical conditions, epidemiological knowledge on their natural course based on representative samples is not available. METHOD: Data come from a prospective epidemiologic study of adolescents and young adults in Munich, Germany. Respondents' diagnoses (N = 2548) at baseline and follow-up on average 42 months later are considered. The follow-up incidence, stability as well as selected baseline risk factors (sociodemographics, psychopathology, trauma exposure) for the incidence and stability of somatoform disorders and syndromes are prospectively examined. Diagnostic information was assessed by using the standardized Munich-Composite International Diagnostic Interview (M-CIDI). RESULTS: Over the follow-up period, incidence rate for any of the covered somatoform diagnoses was 25.7%. Stability for the overall group of any somatoform disorder/syndrome was 48%. Female gender, lower social class, the experience of any substance use, anxiety and affective disorder as well as the experience of traumatic sexual and physical threat events predicted new onsets of somatoform conditions, while stability was predicted by being female, prior existing substance use, affective and eating disorders as well as the experience of a serious accident. CONCLUSIONS: At least for a substantial proportion of individuals, the overall picture of somatization seems to be relatively stable, but with fluctuation in the symptom picture over time. Being female, the experience of substance use as well as anxiety disorder seem to constitute risk factors for the onset of new somatoform conditions as well as for a stable course over time.     

Grenzen und Möglichkeiten der Glaskörperchirurgie bei diabetischer Retinopathie

Hintergrund: Verschiedene Indikationen für glask?rperchirurgische Eingriffe bei Komplikationen der diabetischen Retinopathie haben sich etabliert. Jedoch gibt es wenig Daten zu der Frage, in welchen Situationen auf einen Eingriff wegen aussichtsloser funktioneller Prognose verzichtet werden sollte. Material und Methode: Die Krankengeschichten von 389 Patienten, die zwischen 1990 und 1994 in unserer Klinik wegen Komplikationen der diabetischen Retinopathie vitrektomiert worden sind, wurden retrospektiv analysiert. Die Nachbeobachtung betrug mindestens 6 Monate, im Median 26 Monate. Mit multivariaten, logistischen Regressionsanalysen wurden Faktoren ermittelt, die mit schlechten postoperativen, funktionellen Ergebnissen korrelieren. Ein mathematisches Modell wurde entwickelt, welches die Einsch?tzung der Prognose für verschiedene Ausgangssituationen erlaubt. Ergebnisse: Bei 45 Augen (12%) stieg der postoperative Visus nicht über 1/50. Risikofaktoren waren Ablatio der Makula, Ausdehnung der Ablatio, Rubeosis und Dauer der Visusminderung. ?hnliche Risikofaktoren gelten auch für Revisionsoperationen. Bei einem Auge mit totaler Traktionsablatio von über 6 Monaten Dauer und Rubeosis liegt die berechnete Wahrscheinlichkeit für einen postoperativen Visus über 1/50 lediglich bei 2%. Schlu?folgerungen: Bei totaler Traktionsablatio, insbesondere bei Rubeosis und l?ngerem Bestehen der Ablatio, ist die Prognose extrem schlecht. Auf operative Ma?nahmen sollte hier verzichtet werden.      

Structure-activity studies of potassium channel opening in pinacidil-type cyanoguanidines, nitroethenediamines, thioureas, and ureas.

Potassium channel opening activity for pinacidil-type cyanoguanidines, nitroethenediamines, thioureas, and ureas, has been assessed through simultaneous measurement of spontaneous contractile activity and stimulation of 86Rb+ efflux from rat portal veins loaded with 86Rb+. The good correlation between these two effects suggests that the vasodilator activity of the compounds is directly attributable to an increased opening of potassium channels. The resulting quantitative in vitro data has been used to analyze the structure-activity relationships for potassium channel opening, allowing the biological activity to be rationalized in terms of a pharmacophore involving a hydrogen-bond-acceptor element, a hydrogen-bond-donor element, and a lipophilic binding group. A model for the binding of pinacidil-related compounds to their potassium channel receptor has been developed, and compounds designed to test this model have been synthesized and tested. Prototropic equilibria are implicated as playing a fundamental role in determining the hydrogen-bonding ability of the compounds, and conformational changes in the receptor are invoked to explain disparities in the chiral recognition of lipophilic groups in different compounds.     

Influence of Gas Composition on Recurrence of Atelectasis after a Reexpansion Maneuver during General Anesthesia

Background: Atelectasis, an important cause of impaired gas exchange during general anesthesia, may be eliminated by a vital capacity maneuver. However, it is not clear whether such a maneuver will have a sustained effect. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of gas composition on reappearance of atelectasis and impairment of gas exchange after a vital capacity maneuver.

Methods: A consecutive sample of 12 adults with healthy lungs who were scheduled for elective surgery were studied. Thirty minutes after induction of anesthesia with fentanyl and propofol, the lungs were hyperinflated manually up to an airway pressure of 40 cmH2 O. FI sub O2 was either kept at 0.4 (group 1, n = 6) or changed to 1.0 (group 2, n = 6) during the recruitment maneuver. Atelectasis was assessed by computed tomography. The amount of dense areas was measured at end-expiration in a transverse plane at the base of the lungs. The ventilation-perfusion distributions (V with dot A/Q with dot) were estimated with the multiple inert gas elimination technique. The static compliance of the total respiratory system (Crs) was measured with the flow interruption technique.

Results: In group 1 (FIO2 = 0.4), the recruitment maneuver virtually eliminated atelectasis for at least 40 min, reduced shunt (V with dot A/Q with dot < 0.005), and increased at the same time the relative perfusion to poorly ventilated lung units (0.005 < V with dot A/Q with dot < 0.1; mean values are given). The arterial oxygen tension (PaO2) increased from 137 mmHg (18.3 kPa) to 163 mmHg (21.7 kPa; before and 40 min after recruitment, respectively; P = 0.028). In contrast to these findings, atelectasis recurred within 5 min after recruitment in group 2 (FIO2 = 1.0). Comparing the values before and 40 min after recruitment, all parameters of V with dot A/Q with dot were unchanged. In both groups, Crs increased from 57.1/55.0 ml *symbol* cmH2 O sup -1 (group 1/group 2) before to 70.1/67.4 ml *symbol* cmH2 O sup -1 after the recruitment maneuver. Crs showed as low decrease thereafter (40 min after recruitment: 61.4/60.0 ml *symbol* cmH2 O sup -1), with no difference between the two groups.