The metabolic syndrome and risk of coronary artery disease in patients with chronic schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder in a chronic mental institute

The prevalence rate of metabolic syndrome (MS) and coronary artery disease (CAD) has been found to be high in patients with chronic schizophrenia. Current evidence shows that CAD is underdiagnosed in this group. Our study evaluated the prevalence of MS and the risk of CAD in patients with chronic schizophrenia in a chronic care mental hospital in southern Taiwan. We included all patients with the diagnosis of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. We collected all laboratory, physical examination, psychiatric interview, and chart review data. We also evaluated the risk of CAD in these patients using the Framingham point system. There was no significant age difference in the MS prevalence rate in these patients. The young patients with schizophrenia in our study tended to have a higher prevalence of MS than the general population. In addition, female patients had a higher prevalence rate of MS than males. Based on the Framingham point system, we found the 10-year risk of CAD to be higher among the patients with schizophrenia than in the general population. Our study highlights the importance of the high risk of MS in both younger and older patients with schizophrenia, without a significant relationship to the use of antipsychotics. More complete cohort studies are needed to confirm these findings. Psychiatrists may want to establish more specific and detailed clinical guidelines for patients with chronic schizophrenia with comorbid physical diseases, especially MS and CAD.     

耳穴贴压用于预防乳腺纤维瘤摘除术后呕吐疗效观察

目的评价耳穴贴压预防喉罩辅助通气全凭静脉麻醉下乳腺纤维瘤摘除术患者术后呕吐的效果。方法选择年龄40岁以下、ASA评分Ⅰ级、乳腺纤维瘤摘除术患者80例,随机分为A组和B组,每组40例。A组在麻醉复苏阶段患者唤醒后于耳廓相应穴位寻找敏感点,采用耳穴贴压治疗。B组不予任何处理。术后不同时间随访观察两组患者恶心、呕吐次数及BP、HR、SpO2等生命体征变化。结果两组患者术后4 h和24 h BP、HR、SpO2比较,差异均无统计学意义(P0.05);A组患者术后恶心、呕吐发生率低于B组,两组比较差异具有统计学意义(P0.01)。结论耳穴贴压具有良好的预防全凭静脉麻醉下乳腺纤维瘤摘除术患者术后恶心、呕吐的作用,且无明显不良反应。     

Neurobiological Mechanisms of Acupuncture for Some Common Illnesses: A Clinician's Perspective

This paper presents some previously proposed neurobiological mechanisms on how acupuncture may work in some clinical applications from a clinician's perspective. For the treatment of musculoskeletal conditions, the proposed mechanisms included microinjury, increased local blood flow, facilitated healing, and analgesia. Acupuncture may trigger a somatic autonomic reflex, thereby affecting the gastric and cardiovascular functions. Acupuncture may also change the levels of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, thereby affecting the emotional state and craving. This mechanism may form the basis for the treatment of smoking cessation. By affecting other pain-modulating neurotransmitters such as met-enkephalin and substance P along the nociceptive pathway, acupuncture may relieve headache. Acupuncture may affect the hypothalamus pituitary axis and reduce the release of the luteinizing hormone in the treatment of polycystic ovary syndrome. In addition, two other approaches to the acupuncture mechanism, the fascia connective tissue network and the primo vascular system, are briefly reviewed. Finally, the idea of true versus sham acupuncture points, which are commonly used in clinical trials, is examined because the difference between true and sham points does not exist in the neurobiological model.     

Impact of physical therapists’ instructions on function and the perception of post-dry needling soreness in mechanical cervical pain; a randomized clinical trial

BackgroundTo investigate the impact of physical therapists’ instructions on the perception of post dry needling (DN) soreness and function in patients with mechanical neck pain.MethodsSeventy-five patients with neck pain were randomly assigned to three groups: “positive” group (n = 25) received positive verbal input; “negative” group (n = 25) received negative verbal input, and control group (n = 25) did not receive any input about post-needling soreness. All three groups received DN of a trigger point in the upper trapezius muscle. The subjective pain experience, pressure pain threshold (PPT), and neck disability Index (NDI) were assessed before and after DN.ResultsPatients in all groups showed improvement in pain, PPT and NDI. There were no significant differences in pain (P = 0.41) and PPT (P = 0.68) in the positive and negative groups compared with the control group. Significant difference in function was seen with the NDI after DN of patients in the positive and negative groups compared with the control group (P = 0.011, standard error: 1.08–1.5).ConclusionConsidering that the power of our study may be too low to draw more definitive conclusions, DN appears to be an effective technique to improve pain and mechanical hyperalgesia. The experience of post-needling soreness does not appear to influence the outcome of DN on pain, PPT, and NDI. Post-needling soreness does not seem to be a limiting factor in achieving acceptable outcomes, especially when clinicians offer DN within a therapeutic emphasizing a positive patient response. This study questions whether any treatments need to be offered to patients receiving DN.     

A comparative study of short‐ and long‐TE 1H MRS at 3 T for in vivo detection of 2‐hydroxyglutarate in brain tumors

2‐Hydroxyglutarate (2HG) is produced in gliomas with mutations of isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) 1 and 2. The ¹H resonances of the J‐coupled spins of 2HG are extensively overlapped with signals from other metabolites. Here, we report a comparative study at 3 T of the utility of the point‐resolved spectroscopy sequence with a standard short TE (35 ms) and a long TE (97 ms), which had been theoretically designed for the detection of the 2HG 2.25‐ppm resonance. The performance of the methods is evaluated using data from phantoms, seven healthy volunteers and 22 subjects with IDH‐mutated gliomas. The results indicate that TE = 97 ms provides higher detectability of 2HG than TE = 35 ms, and that this improved capability is gained when data are analyzed with basis spectra that include the effects of the volume localizing radiofrequency and gradient pulses. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Review of use of a new rapid real-time PCR,the Cepheid GeneXpert® (Xpert) CT/NG assay,for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae: results for patients while in a clinical setting

Rapid diagnostics for Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae are desirable so that patients can be treated while they are still in the clinic or doctor’s office. The Cepheid GeneXpert^® (Xpert) CT/NG assay was US FDA-cleared in December 2012. The assay is a rapid real-time PCR nucleic acid amplified test. The cartridge-based assay detects DNA of Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae. It is FDA-cleared for use in female endocervical swabs, patient-collected vaginal swabs and for female and male urine specimens from symptomatic and asymptomatic patients. It has demonstrated near-perfect sensitivity and specificity in urogenital specimens. The Xpert is a modular platform for testing samples directly from patients, which requires no hands-on manipulation from specimen loading until results are available. Results are provided in approximately 90 minutes. It has been graded by the FDA as moderately complex for Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments. Several publications have reported its promising use in clinical settings.     

Enhancing the Reliability in the Noninvasive Measurement of the His Bundle Magnetic Field Using a Novel Signal Averaging Methodology

Background: Extraction of the weak electrical activity of the “His Bundle” (HB) by noninvasive methods has not been very successful in the past. The study reassesses the use of signal averaged magnetocardiography (SAMCG), overcoming some of the limitations in earlier studies including in the signal averaging methodology. Methods: SAMCG on healthy subjects (14 male and 1 female) were performed using R‐peak as the fiducial point in all cases and also using QRS‐onset as the fiducial point in select cases. Results: A conspicuous feature (H) with a magnitude up to 200 femto Tesla (fT) attributed to the HB activity was observed in the PR segment at several spatial positions on the thorax, with onset at 35–50 ms before the QRS‐onset (V) in 15 out of 18 trials constituting 83% of cases studied. The QRS‐onset as the fiducial point resolved the feature better compared to the conventionally used R‐peak, especially in trials exhibiting spread in heart rate (HR). This is attributed to the fluctuations in Q_onRD (the time interval between QRS‐onset and R‐peak) compared to the temporal stability of the H‐V duration. Conclusions: SAMCG reveals a well‐resolved H feature. The double hump morphology of the feature extended at least up to a frequency of 150 Hz. The importance of the choice of QRS‐onset as the fiducial point is unequivocally demonstrated, illustrated by measurements on subjects exhibiting considerable heart rate variability. The latter has a general validity and should be applicable to SAECG as well.     

齐刺阳陵泉对胆绞痛豚鼠IL-1β、IL-6的影响

目的:观察齐刺胆的下合穴阳陵泉对胆绞痛豚鼠血清白介素1β(1L-1β)和白介素6(IL-6)的影响以及镇痛效果。方法:将60只成年雄性豚鼠随机分为空白组(10只)、模型组(10只)、药物组(20只)和针刺组(20只),空白组正常饲养,模型组、药物组、针刺组造模成功后,药物组给予双氯芬酸钠盐酸利多卡因注射液腹腔注射,针刺组取双侧阳陵泉穴进行齐刺,每日1次。治疗5天后于腹主动脉采取新鲜血液,匀浆、离心后分离血清,采用酶联免疫吸附法(ELISE)测定IL-1β,IL-6的含量。结果:①与空白组比较,模型组豚鼠血清IL-1β、IL-6含量明显升高,差异有非常显著意义(P0.01);②与模型组比较,药物组、针刺组血清IL-1β、IL-6含量明显偏低,差异有非常显著意义(P0.01);与药物组比较,针刺组IL-1β、IL-6含量明显偏低,差异有显著意义(P0.05)。结论:针刺治疗对胆绞痛豚鼠有一定的镇痛作用,且针刺疗效明显优于药物组。