Influence of COMT genotype and affective distractors on the processing of self-generated thought

The catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) enzyme is a major determinant of prefrontal dopamine levels. The Val¹⁵⁸Met polymorphism affects COMT enzymatic activity and has been associated with variation in executive function and affective processing. This study investigated the effect of COMT genotype on the flexible modulation of the balance between processing self-generated and processing stimulus-oriented information, in the presence or absence of affective distractors. Analyses included 124 healthy adult participants, who were also assessed on standard working memory (WM) tasks. Relative to Val carriers, Met homozygotes made fewer errors when selecting and manipulating self-generated thoughts. This effect was partly accounted for by an association between COMT genotype and visuospatial WM performance. We also observed a complex interaction between the influence of affective distractors, COMT genotype and sex on task accuracy: male, but not female, participants showed a sensitivity to the affective distractors that was dependent on COMT genotype. This was not accounted for by WM performance. This study provides novel evidence of the role of dopaminergic genetic variation on the ability to select and manipulate self-generated thoughts. The results also suggest sexually dimorphic effects of COMT genotype on the influence of affective distractors on executive function.     

Cured Today,Ill Tomorrow: A Method for Including Future Unrelated Medical Costs in Economic Evaluation in England and Wales

ObjectivesIn many countries, future unrelated medical costs occurring during life-years gained are excluded from economic evaluation, and benefits of unrelated medical care are implicitly included, leading to life-extending interventions being disproportionately favored over quality of life-improving interventions. This article provides a standardized framework for the inclusion of future unrelated medical costs and demonstrates how this framework can be applied in England and Wales.MethodsData sources are combined to construct estimates of per-capita National Health Service spending by age, sex, and time to death, and a framework is developed for adjusting these estimates for costs of related diseases. Using survival curves from 3 empirical examples illustrates how our estimates for unrelated National Health Service spending can be used to include unrelated medical costs in cost-effectiveness analysis and the impact depending on age, life-years gained, and baseline costs of the target group.ResultsOur results show that including future unrelated medical costs is feasible and standardizable. Empirical examples show that this inclusion leads to an increase in the ICER of between 7% and 13%.ConclusionsThis article contributes to the methodology debate over unrelated costs and how to systematically include them in economic evaluation. Results show that it is both important and possible to include future unrelated medical costs.     

Case Study of Phrenic Nerve Paralysis: “I Can't Breathe!”

BackgroundThe anatomic course of the phrenic nerve runs in the fascia covering the anterior scalene muscle. Interscalene blocks are commonly performed by an anesthesiologist for shoulder surgery, such as a rotator cuff repair, total shoulder replacement, humeral fracture, or other arm surgery. Phrenic nerve palsy or paralysis is a known complication from interscalene block and is covered in multiple case reports and series in both Anesthesia and Neurosurgical literature, but only one case report in the Emergency Medicine literature.Case ReportThis case involves a 57-year-old man who had an uncomplicated arthroscopic rotator cuff repair with placement of interscalene block under care of anesthesia. He was discharged with a pain pump in place and then subsequently presented to the Emergency Department (ED) later that same day for evaluation of dyspnea. Using point-of-care ultrasound, his right diaphragm did not appear to be moving. Chest x-ray study revealed an elevated right hemidiaphragm. He was diagnosed with iatrogenic right phrenic nerve paralysis from interscalene block.Why Should an Emergency Physician Be Aware of This?Emergent diagnosis of phrenic nerve paralysis in the ED is complicated by a distressed patient and need for quick intervention. Most formal tests for this diagnosis are not immediately available to emergency physicians. Ultrasound is a rapid and reproducible, noninvasive resource with high sensitivity and specificity, making it an ideal imaging modality for the emergent evaluation of possible phrenic nerve palsy or paralysis.     

罗伊氏乳杆菌对轮状病毒感染肠炎患儿免疫功能与肠道菌群及临床疗效的影响

目的探究罗伊氏乳杆菌DSM 17938在治疗轮状病毒感染肠炎患儿中的疗效及对免疫功能、肠道菌群的影响。方法收集于2018年2月-2019年2月在阳光融和医院进行诊治的轮状病毒感染肠炎患儿126例,随机分为试验组(63例)和对照组(63例)。对照组给予常规补液治疗及蒙脱石散和枯草杆菌二联活菌口服治疗,试验组采用常规补液治疗及蒙脱石散和罗伊氏乳杆菌DSM 17938辅助治疗。观察两组患儿的腹泻改善情况,并分析对免疫功能(IgG、IgA、CD4^+/CD8^+水平)及肠道菌群失调的影响。结果在治疗72 h后,试验组患儿的治疗总有效率为92.06%,高于对照组的74.60%(P=0.009);且治疗后两组患儿的IgG、IgA、CD4^+/CD8^+水平均较治疗前有升高(P<0.05),且试验组水平高于对照组(P<0.05)。对患儿肠道菌群进行分析,在治疗1周后,试验组患儿肠道菌群失调程度低于对照组,且试验组的肠道菌群正常比例高于对照组(P<0.05)。结论罗伊氏乳杆菌DSM 17938对于辅助治疗轮状病毒感染肠炎患儿具有良好的疗效,能够提高患儿免疫力,改善肠道菌群失调,减轻患儿腹泻症状,具有一定的临床应用价值。     

八段锦治疗神经根型颈椎病的系统评价与Meta分析

[目的] 系统评价八段锦治疗神经根型颈椎病的临床疗效。[方法] 计算机检索中国知网数据库（CNKI）、维普资讯中文科技期刊数据库（VIP）、万方数据库（Wan-fang）、中国生物医学文献数据库（SinoMed）、Web of science、Clinical Trials gov、Pubmed、EMBASE、CENTRAL、Cochrane Library，查找出八段锦治疗神经根型颈椎病的随机对照试验（RCT），检索时限均从建库至2019年7月1日。两名研究者按照纳入与排除标准独立进行文献筛选、资料提取和偏倚风险评估，应用RevMan 5.3软件对最后纳入的研究进行Meta分析。[结果] 最终纳入10个RCT，共843例患者。Meta分析结果显示：八段锦+常规治疗与常规治疗比较，其临床疗效的总有效率差异具有统计学意义[OR=4.19，95% CI（2.42，7.26），P<0.000 01]；八段锦+常规治疗与常规治疗+颈部“米”字操比较，其临床疗效的总有效率差异具有统计学意义[OR=3.41，95% CI（1.56，7.46），P=0.002]；八段锦+常规治疗与常规治疗比较，其疼痛视觉模拟评分法（VAS）评分差异具有统计学意义[MD=-1.90，95% CI（-1.97，-1.83），P<0.000 01]。[结论] 基于现有的研究，该系统评价显示，与常规治疗相比，八段锦+常规治疗在临床疗效总有效率、VAS评分方面有一定的治疗优势。与常规治疗+颈部“米”字操比较，八段锦+常规治疗在临床疗效的总有效率方面有一定的治疗优势。但由于纳入研究的质量不高，仍需要大样本、多中心、随机、双盲试验及试验参照CONSORT标准和STRICTA声明进行RCT研究。     

卡马西平与左乙拉西坦治疗成人癫痫的效果及对认知功能和骨密度的影响分析

目的探究卡马西平与左乙拉西坦治疗成人癫痫的效果及对认知功能、骨密度的影响。方法92例成人癫痫患者作为研究对象,随机分为左乙拉西坦组与卡马西平组,各46例。左乙拉西坦组采用左乙拉西坦治疗,卡马西平组采用卡马西平治疗。比较两组患者治疗前及治疗6个月后认知功能[语言智商(VIQ)、操作智商(PIQ)、总智商(FIQ)]评分、骨密度(腰椎、股骨大转子、股骨颈)变化情况。结果治疗6个月后,两组患者VIQ、PIQ、FIQ评分均较治疗前显著提升,且左乙拉西坦组患者VIQ评分(101.2±3.1)分、PIQ评分(108.1±2.3)分、FIQ评分(105.2±1.8)分均明显高于卡马西平组的(95.1±2.8)、(94.1±2.0)、(93.5±1.6)分,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。治疗6个月后,卡马西平组患者腰椎、股骨大转子、股骨颈骨密度均较治疗前显著下降,且明显低于卡马西平组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);左乙拉西坦组治疗6个月后腰椎、股骨大转子、股骨颈骨密度与治疗前比较差异无统计学意义(P>0.05)。结论左乙拉西坦与卡马西平治疗成人癫痫,左乙拉西坦更能明显提升患者认知功能,且对患者骨密度无影响。