Prevalence and Incidence of Hypoparathyroidism in the United States Using a Large Claims Database

Hypoparathyroidism is a rare endocrine disorder whose incidence and prevalence have not been well defined. This study aimed to 1) estimate the number of insured adult patients with hypoparathyroidism in the United States and 2) obtain physician assessment of disease severity and chronicity. Prevalence was estimated through calculation of diagnoses of hypoparathyroidism in a large proprietary health plan claims database over a 12‐month period from October 2007 through September 2008 and projected to the US insured population. Incidence was also calculated from the same database by determining the proportion of total neck surgeries resulting in either transient (≤6 months) or chronic (>6 months) hypoparathyroidism. A physician primary market research study was conducted to assess disease severity and determine the percentage of new nonsurgical patients with hypoparathyroidism. Incidence data were entered into an epidemiologic model to derive an estimate of prevalence. The diagnosis‐based prevalence approach estimated 58,793 insured patients with chronic hypoparathyroidism in the United States. The surgical‐based incidence approach yielded 117,342 relevant surgeries resulting in 8901 cases over 12 months. Overall, 7.6% of surgeries resulted in hypoparathyroidism (75% transient, 25% chronic). The prevalence of chronic hypoparathyroidism among insured patients included in the surgical database was estimated to be 58,625. The physician survey found that 75% of cases treated over the past 12 months were reported due to surgery and, among all thyroidectomies and parathyroidectomies and neck dissections performed in a year, 26% resulted in transient hypoparathyroidism and 5% progressed to a chronic state. In conclusion, the two claims‐based methods yielded similar estimates of the number of insured patients with chronic hypoparathyroidism in the United States (～58,700). The physician survey was consistent with those calculations and confirmed the burden imposed by hypoparathyroidism. © 2013 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.     

The efficacy of cervical/thoracic active range of motion for detecting changes associated with individuals receiving muscle energy techniques

Abstract

Background: Muscle energy techniques (METs) have been used to treat cervical and thoracic range of motion (ROM) restrictions for over 40 years. Of the trials published on METs, most have examined the effectiveness of METs on ROM in the cervical and thoracic spine.

Objectives: The aim of this systematic review was to investigate the sensitivity of cervical and thoracic rotation active range of motion, as an objective measure of function, for detecting changes associated with individuals receiving METs compared to (1) individuals receiving no treatment and (2) individuals receiving manipulation.

Methods: Relevant databases were searched from January 1970 up to March 2010. Methodological quality of each included study was assessed using the PEDro scale. Effect sizes (Hedges' g) and their 95% confidence intervals were calculated for active rotation ROM scores between and within the MET and comparison groups.

Results: Five randomized controlled trials were included in this review. Four studies addressed the first clinical question and one study answered the second. The average PEDro score was 5.8. In general, between and within group effect sizes were moderate to strong in favour of METs.

Conclusion: There is fair evidence that cervical and thoracic active range of motion is sensitive to changes associated with individuals who receive an MET. The change in ROM was associated with asymptomatic individuals having restricted rotation. Further studies with higher methodological quality are needed to make a stronger clinical conclusion about the effectiveness of METs.     

A Review of Laser Technology and Light-Tissue Interactions as a Background to Therapeutic Applications of Low Intensity Lasers and Other Light Sources

Abstract

This paper reviews aspects of laser physics, radiometry and photochemistry relevant to the use of low intensity light therapy delivered by lasers or conventional lamps. Current theories regarding the biophysical mechanisms of low intensity laser therapy are reviewed. Characteristics of laser radiation such as monochromaticity, coherence, collimation, speckle, beam profile, penetration depth and temporal modulation of irradiation, and the relevance of these factors to photon propagation are explained. Physical principles that describe light–tissue interactions are presented. The importance of irradiance and radiant exposure is discussed and methods of quantifying these values are shown. Clinical implications are briefly discussed.     

End-of-life issues in US nursing school curricula: 1984–2006

Abstract

The objective of this study was to compare the status of current death education and end-of-life issues in US undergraduate nursing programmes with those in 1984.     

Cancer of unknown primary: addressing the communicative,ethical and medical challenges in clinical practice – a perspective from palliative care and supportive oncology

Abstract

Cancer of unknown primary (CUP) constitutes approximately 3–5% of all cancers and is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in females and males in developed countries. Despite its frequency, it remains a poorly understood entity in terms of its behaviour, investigation, management and prognosis. Physicians and allied professionals, especially those in palliative care, face unique ethical, communicative and medical challenges in the context of CUP. These challenges have not been specifically explored in the literature to date. This article illustrates these challenges in the form of a case report and discussion.     

Cognitive and Guided Mastery Therapy of Agoraphobia: Long-Term Outcome and Mechanisms of Change

The aims of this study were to compare thelong-term efficacy of cognitive and guided masterytherapy of panic disorder with moderate to severeagoraphobia and to analyze cognitive mechanisms ofchange. Patients (N = 46) suffering from panic disorderwith moderate or severe agoraphobia, who regardedagoraphobia as their main problem, were randomlyassigned to receive either cognitive therapy or guided mastery therapy in a 6-week inpatient groupprogram. At 1-year follow-up, more of the cognitivetherapy patients were behavioral responders, were freeof spontaneous panic attacks, were able to work, and did not use anxiolytic medication. Oncontinuous outcome measures, overall tests revealed nodifferences between the patients in the two treatmentconditions. Results of path analyses of cognitivevariables were consistent with the cognitive model ofpanic with agoraphobia which is based on catastrophicbeliefs and inconsistent with the guided mastery modelwhich is based on self-efficacy.     

Comparison of Ultrasound-Secretin Test and Sphincter of Oddi Manometry in Patients with Recurrent Acute Pancreatitis

Manometry is considered the gold standard forevaluating sphincter of Oddi dysfunction. It hasrecently been demonstrated that the ultrasound (US)secretin test proposed a few years ago as a noninvasive test for the study of sphincter of Oddidysfunction yields a substantial percentage ofpathological findings in patients with acute recurrentpancreatitis. The aim of this study was to compare theresults of the US secretin test with sphincter of Oddimanometry findings in a consecutive series of patientswith recurrent acute pancreatitis. Forty-seven patientsadmitted to our gastrointestinal unit suffering from recurrent acute pancreatitis underwentultrasonographic measurement of the main pancreatic ductat baseline and for 60 min after maximal stimulationwith secretin at 1 IU/kg. According to the US secretin test findings in 35 healthy control subjects,the test results were considered to indicate pathologywhen the duct was still dilated after 20 min. Withinthree to seven days the same patients underwent perendoscopic manometry. Thirty-six patients(17 men, 19 women; mean age 41 ± 15 years) had asuccessful US secretin test and sphincter of Oddimanometry. Eleven patients (30.6%) presented normalmanometric findings. Two of these had an abnormal USsecretin test. Twenty-five patients had abnormalmanometry findings, revealing stenosis in 19 (52.7%) (17with abnormal US secretin test) and dyskinesia in six (five with an abnormal US secretin test).Compared to manometry findings, the US secretin testsensitivity and specificity for sphincter of Oddidysfunction were 88% and 82%, respectively. Inconclusion, most patients with recurrent acute pancreatitishave sphincter of Oddi dysfunction documented by both atthe US secretin test and sphincter of Oddi manometry;results of the US secretin test are reliable compared to sphincter of Oddi manometry, andtherefore the US secretin test may offer a validalternative to the more expensive and invasivemanometric procedure for assessing sphincter of Oddidysfunction in patients with recurrent acutepancreatitis.     

早期电针治疗缺血性与出血性中风头颅CT分析

观察１００例中风急性期患者,结果表明电针对急性中风疗效肯定（显效率７６７％,有效率９７０％）。结合ＣＴ分析,中风患者病情程度及疗效与病灶性质关系不明显（Ｐ＞００５）,而与病灶大小,部位深浅有关（Ｐ＜００１）。     

Toxicological aspects of trans fat consumption over two sequential generations of rats: Oxidative damage and preference for amphetamine

Chronic consumption of processed food causes structural changes in membrane phospholipids, affecting brain neurotransmission. Here we evaluated noxious influences of dietary fats over two generations of rats on amphetamine (AMPH)-conditioned place preference (CPP). Female rats received soybean oil (SO, rich in n-6 fatty acids (FA)), fish oil (FO, rich in n-3 FA) and hydrogenated vegetable fat (HVF, rich in trans fatty acids (TFA)) for two successive generations. Male pups from the 2nd generation were maintained on the same supplementation until 41 days of age, when they were conditioned with AMPH in CPP. While the FO group showed higher incorporation of n-3 polyunsaturated-FA (PUFA) in cortex/hippocampus, the HVF group showed TFA incorporation in these same brain areas. The SO and HVF groups showed AMPH-preference and anxiety-like symptoms during abstinence. Higher levels of protein carbonyl (PC) and lower levels of non-protein thiols (NPSH) were observed in cortex/hippocampus of the HVF group, indicating antioxidant defense system impairment. In contrast, the FO group showed no drug-preference and lower PC levels in cortex. Cortical PC was positively correlated with n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio, locomotion and anxiety-like behavior, and hippocampal PC was positively correlated with AMPH-preference, reinforcing connections between oxidative damage and AMPH-induced preference/abstinence behaviors. As brain incorporation of trans and n-6 PUFA modifies its physiological functions, it may facilitate drug addiction.     

基础窦卵泡计数等临床资料对体外受精-胚胎移植妊娠结局的预测作用

目的:了解基础窦卵泡计数等临床资料对IVF-ET妊娠结局的预测作用。方法:回顾性分析757名进行IVF-ET助孕术患者临床资料,比较妊娠组和非妊娠组患者AFC、基础FSH、年龄等指标的差异,通过ROC曲线下面积对各个指标的预测作用进行评估比较。结果:和未妊娠组患者相比,妊娠组患者的一般情况无明显差异,但总AFC稍高。各个指标中,两原核数的AUC值最高,总AFC的AUC值高于基础FSH和年龄。结论:各个指标对妊娠结局的预测作用均比较弱,应联合多个指标对患者生育能力和妊娠结局进行综合评估,但总AFC的预测价值要高于基础FSH和年龄。