Efficacy and Effectiveness of Child and Adolescent Psychotherapy and Pharmacotherapy

Decades of intervention research have produced a rich body of evidence on the effects of psychotherapies and pharmacotherapies with children and adolescents. Here we summarize and critique that evidence. We review findings bearing on the efficacy of psychosocial treatments and medications under controlled experimental conditions. We also report evidence, where available, on the effectiveness of both classes of treatment with clinically referred youth treated in real-world clinical contexts. In general, the large body of evidence on efficacy contrasts sharply with the small base of evidence on effectiveness. Addressing this gap through an enriched research agenda could contribute importantly to linking scientific inquiry and clinical practice—to the benefit of both ventures. This is one element of a multifaceted agenda for future research and for synthesis of research, which will require the interplay of multiple disciplines related to child and adolescent mental health.     

低分子肝素治疗糖尿病肾病的疗效观察

目的　观察低分子肝素治疗糖尿病肾病的临床疗效和安全性。 方法　 将 30例临床期糖尿病肾病患者随机分为治疗组和对照组各 15例 ,所有病人均给予积极降糖降压治疗 ,治疗组加用低分子肝素 5 0 0 0U ,1次 /d治疗 ,疗程 8周。观察血脂、血小板、纤维蛋白原、肝肾功能、内生肌酐清除率、2 4h尿蛋白定量变化及副作用。 结果　治疗组治疗 8周后血脂、纤维蛋白原、2 4h尿蛋白定量下降 ,血尿素氮、肌酐降低 ,内生肌酐清除率升高 ,和治疗前及对照组治疗后比较均有显著性差异 (P <0 .0 1或P <0 .0 5 )。 结论　低分子肝素可安全有效的用于糖尿病肾病的临床治疗     

盐酸洛美沙星眼凝胶临床生物等效性试验

目的:观察3g/L盐酸洛美沙星眼凝胶的临床疗效及安全性。方法:对128例(203眼)细菌性结膜炎和细菌性角膜炎患者采用多中心、随机分组、平行对照试验,观察其主要症状体征消失情况、角膜炎症面积缩小情况、病原菌清除效果和不良反应。试验组(testgroup,TG)65例(103眼),对照组(controlledgroup,CG)63例100眼,分别应用3g/L盐酸洛美沙星眼凝胶和3g/L盐酸洛美沙星滴眼液。结果:①TG治愈率(80.6%)高于CG治愈率(65.0%);②TG(细菌性结膜炎)眼痛异物感消失率和消失时间(83.7%,5.33±2.00d)优于CG(64.1%,6.36±1.50d);TG(细菌性结膜炎)流泪消失率(91.8%)高于CG(75.0%);③记分统计表明:TG(细菌性结膜炎)结膜充血改善(平均下降1.76分)明显优于CG(平均下降1.25分);TG畏光消失情况(平均下降1.24分)好于CG(平均下降0.87分);TG(细菌性结膜炎)分泌物消失情况(平均下降1.64分)好于CG(平均下降1.33分);④其他情况两组间无明显差异。结论:3g/L盐酸洛美沙星眼凝胶治疗眼前段细菌感染安全、有效,对结膜炎症状体征的改善优于滴眼液。     

老年人勃起功能障碍的药物治疗进展

阴茎勃起功能障碍(ED)的药物治疗主要有三类：①阴茎海绵体注射；②尿道局部给药；③口服药物。以西地那非为代表的磷酸二酯酶抑制剂因口服疗效好、不良事件少、使用方便、耐受性好而被广为使用，已成为一线治疗药物。伐地那非作用更强，他达那非持续作用更长。     

World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP) Guidelines for Biological Treatment of Unipolar Depressive Disorders,Part 1: Update 2013 on the acute and continuation treatment of unipolar depressive disorders

Abstract

Objectives. This 2013 update of the practice guidelines for the biological treatment of unipolar depressive disorders was developed by an international Task Force of the World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP). The goal has been to systematically review all available evidence pertaining to the treatment of unipolar depressive disorders, and to produce a series of practice recommendations that are clinically and scientifically meaningful based on the available evidence. The guidelines are intended for use by all physicians seeing and treating patients with these conditions. Methods. The 2013 update was conducted by a systematic update literature search and appraisal. All recommendations were approved by the Guidelines Task Force. Results. This first part of the guidelines (Part 1) covers disease definition, classification, epidemiology, and course of unipolar depressive disorders, as well as the management of the acute and continuation phase treatment. It is primarily concerned with the biological treatment (including antidepressants, other psychopharmacological medications, electroconvulsive therapy, light therapy, adjunctive and novel therapeutic strategies) of adults. Conclusions. To date, there is a variety of evidence-based antidepressant treatment options available. Nevertheless there is still a substantial proportion of patients not achieving full remission. In addition, somatic and psychiatric comorbidities and other special circumstances need to be more thoroughly investigated. Therefore, further high-quality informative randomized controlled trials are urgently needed.     

Nitric oxide in patients with schizophrenia: the relationship with the severity of illness and the antipsychotic treatment

Objectives: Past studies regarding the relationship between nitric oxide and schizophrenia have reported controversial results. Consequently, the aims of this study are i) to analyze the differences in nitric oxide concentration between patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls, ii) to investigate the influence of antipsychotic treatment on nitric oxide, iii) to correlate nitric oxide concentration with severity of illness, and iv) to investigate the relationship between nitric oxide and any personality disorder.

Research design and methods: We recruited 24 patients and 24 controls; the sample was divided into three groups of 8 patients, each according to the pharmacological treatment (haloperidol, olanzapine, or risperidone). The severity of illness was assessed by PANSS and personality traits were evaluated by SCID II. A blood sample was taken to assess the plasma concentration of nitrites and nitrates.

Results: Patients presented higher nitrate levels than controls (p < 0.05); subjects under olanzapine reported lower nitrate levels than those treated with risperidone (p < 0.05) or haloperidol (p < 0.001). Nitrate levels were correlated with PANSS total score (rho = 0.748; p < 0.001), but not with SCID II scores.

Conclusions: Despite the fact that this study found a correlation between PANSS score and nitrate levels, it is unclear whether nitric oxide is related to the severity of schizophrenia, because nitrate levels are also affected by antipsychotic treatment.     

Pharmacological treatment of generalized anxiety disorder

Introduction: Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is a chronic, relapsing, debilitating disorder, associated with markedly impaired social and occupational functioning. Pharmacological treatment is considered standard care and several drug classes are now FDA approved for the treatment of GAD. While there are clear data for the efficacy of short-term acute treatment, long-term treatment and treatment-resistant GAD remain challenging.

Areas covered: This article describes current pharmacological treatment options for GAD, with focus on benzodiazepines, azapirones, antidepressants and anticonvulsant and antipsychotic drugs. Recent findings from placebo-controlled clinical trials are reviewed and evidence-based clinical implications are discussed. A PubMed search was completed using the terms: ‘generalized anxiety disorder AND treatment’ and ‘generalized anxiety disorder AND therapy’. Additional pivotal trials were included for a historical perspective (older landmark trials that established efficacy and safety for older drug classes in the treatment of GAD).

Expert opinion: Efficacy for treatment of GAD has been established for several different drug classes. At present, based on clear efficacy and good tolerability, first-line treatment with either a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) or a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) is indicated. If an initial, at least moderate, clinical response is achieved under antidepressant therapy, treatment should be at least continued for 12 months.     

Impact of Student- Versus Instructor-Directed Case Discussions on Student Performance in a Pharmacotherapy Capstone Course

Objective. To evaluate the impact of incorporating student-directed (SD) vs instructor-directed (ID) active learning on student performance in a pharmacotherapy capstone course.Design. This 9-credit course was redesigned from exclusively ID case discussions to a format in which half were SD and half were ID. Student performance on evaluation questions derived from SD sessions was compared with that from ID sessions.Assessment. Overall, students (n=299) performed better on ID-session questions than on SD-session questions (78.7% vs 75.3%, correctly answered, respectively; p<0.001). For written evaluations, students performed better on ID-session questions than on SD-session questions (79.8% vs 73.9%, respectively; p<0.001). For verbal evaluations, students performed better on SD-session questions than on ID-session questions (79.5% vs 74.5%, respectively; p<0.001). After the course revision, student confidence regarding their ability to think critically, solve problems, make decisions, and pursue lifelong learning was high, and student and faculty feedback was positive.Conclusion. Student performance in a pharmacotherapy capstone course remained acceptable when a combination of SD and ID active learning was used, but the addition of SD learning did not translate to better performance on course evaluations.