Deep Brain Stimulation Compared With Contingency Management for the Treatment of Cocaine Use Disorders: A Threshold and Cost-Effectiveness Analysis

ObjectivesCocaine is the second most frequently used illicit drug worldwide (after cannabis), and cocaine use disorder (CUD)-related deaths increased globally by 80% from 1990 to 2013. There is yet to be a regulatory-approved treatment. Emerging preclinical evidence indicates that deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the nucleus accumbens may be a therapeutic option. Prior to expanding the costly investigation of DBS for treatment of CUD, it is important to ensure societal cost-effectiveness.AimsWe conducted a threshold and cost-effectiveness analysis to determine the success rate at which DBS would be equivalent to contingency management (CM), recently identified as the most efficacious therapy for treatments of CUDs.Materials and MethodsQuality of life, efficacy, and safety parameters for CM were obtained from previous literature. Costs were calculated from a societal perspective. Our model predicted the utility benefit based on quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) and incremental-cost-effectiveness ratio resulting from two treatments on a one-, two-, and five-year timeline.ResultsOn a one-year timeline, DBS would need to impart a success rate (ie, cocaine free) of 70% for it to yield the same utility benefit (0.492 QALYs per year) as CM. At no success rate would DBS be more cost-effective (incremental-cost-effectiveness ratio <$50,000) than CM during the first year. Nevertheless, as DBS costs are front loaded, DBS would need to achieve success rates of 74% and 51% for its cost-effectiveness to exceed that of CM over a two- and five-year period, respectively.ConclusionsWe find DBS would not be cost-effective in the short term (one year) but may be cost-effective in longer timelines. Since DBS holds promise to potentially be a cost-effective treatment for CUDs, future randomized controlled trials should be performed to assess its efficacy.     

钝性肝脾肾损伤的CT平扫与增强扫描比较

目的:比较CT平扫与增强扫描对肝脾肾钝性损伤的诊断能力。方法:回顾性分析临床疑似钝性肝脾肾损伤,并经手术和临床观察证实的CT平扫和增强扫描的患者84例。结果:平扫确定的损伤:肝12例,脾25例,肾5例;平扫可疑损伤:肝22例,脾15例,肾5例。增强确定的损伤:肝32例,脾40例,肾12例(全肾梗塞1例,局限性梗塞3例);对比剂外溢(活动性出血)3例;无可疑损伤。平扫无异常而增强确定有损伤:肝10例,脾5例,肾2例。增强显示的损伤灶比平扫范围明显大、病灶多、界限清楚。结论:CT增强扫描显示肝脾肾损伤明显优于平扫,延时扫描有助于发现活动性出血,应常规增强扫描。     

Juvenile Xanthogranuloma with Ocular Involvement

Abstract:   Juvenile xanthogranuloma is a benign histiocytic skin disorder encountered primarily in infancy and childhood. Approximately 0.4% of cases exhibit ocular manifestations, which can result in glaucoma and blindness. We present a case of a 7-month-old male with unilateral glaucoma associated with Juvenile xanthogranuloma, and emphasize the importance of an ocular screening in patients with Juvenile xanthogranuloma, especially those with periocular lesions.     

5-羟色胺受体激动剂对脊髓损伤猫排尿功能的影响

目的探讨5-羟色胺(5-HT)受体激动剂对猫脊髓损伤后膀胱过度活动的影响。方法雌性猫18只,其中正常假手术组5只,脊髓损伤组13只。术后6~8周,氯醛糖麻醉下,在猫颈动脉及膀胱内置管,连接压力感受器,记录诱发膀胱收缩的膀胱容量阈值、膀胱容量、剩余尿量、排尿量和血压。静脉注入5-HT1A受体激动剂8-OH-DPAT(0.3~30μg/kg)或5-HT1B/1D受体激动剂GR-46611(0.03~300μg/kg),得到剂量-效应曲线后再给予5HT1A受体抑制剂WAY-100635(300μg/kg),比较给药前后各项指标变化。结果正常猫使用8-OH-DPAT后,膀胱容量阈值、膀胱容量、剩尿量均有增加趋势,但差异无统计学意义;8-OH-DPAT和GR-46611均能使脊髓损伤猫的膀胱容量阈值、膀胱容量、剩余尿量增加,且效应随着剂量增加而增加,差异有统计学意义。WAY-100635能抵消8-OH-DPAT的作用,但对GR-46611无影响。结论5-HT1A和5-HT1B/1D受体激动剂能改善慢性脊髓损伤后的膀胱过度活动,增加膀胱容量。     

64排螺旋CT冠状动脉造影与DSA的对照研究

目的:通过和冠脉造影对比,评价64排螺旋CT冠状动脉成像在冠状动脉狭窄中的临床应用价值。方法:28例患者同时行64排螺旋CT冠状动脉成像和有创性冠脉造影检查,依据AHA17段分段法,评价所有有效节段,并将两者进行对比。结果:冠脉造影显示阴性病例占7.1%(2例),单只病变占21.4%(6例),多支病变占71.4%(20例)。按节段分析,CT检出冠脉狭窄的敏感度,特异度,阳性预测值和阴性预测值分别为91.1%,94.6%,90.0和95.3%。结论:64排螺旋CT冠状动脉成像和传统的冠脉造影检查对检出正常冠脉节段以及狭窄节段具有很好的一致性。     

Dependence of cardiac 11C-meta-hydroxyephedrine retention on norepinephrine transporter density.

The norepinephrine analog (11)C-meta-hydroxyephedrine (HED) is used with PET to map the regional distribution of cardiac sympathetic neurons. HED is rapidly transported into sympathetic neurons by the norepinephrine transporter (NET) and stored in vesicles. Although much is known about the neuronal mechanisms of HED uptake and retention, there is little information about the functional relationship between HED retention and cardiac sympathetic nerve density. The goal of this study was to characterize the dependence of HED retention on nerve density in rats with graded levels of cardiac denervation induced chemically with the neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA). METHODS: Thirty male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 6 groups, and each group was administered a different dose of 6-OHDA: 0 (controls), 7, 11, 15, 22, and 100 mg/kg intraperitoneally. One day after 6-OHDA injection, HED (3.7-8.3 MBq) was injected intravenously into each animal and HED concentrations in heart and blood at 30 min after injection were determined. Heart tissues were frozen and later processed by tissue homogenization and differential centrifugation into a membrane preparation for in vitro measurement of cardiac NET density. A saturation binding assay using (3)H-mazindol as the radioligand was used to measure NET density (maximum number of binding sites [B(max)], fmol/mg protein) for each heart. RESULTS: In control animals, NET B(max) was 388 +/- 23 fmol/mg protein and HED heart uptake (HU) at 30 min was 2.89% +/- 0.35 %ID/g (%ID/g is percentage injected dose per gram tissue). The highest 6-OHDA dose of 100 mg/kg caused severe cardiac denervation, decreasing both NET B(max) and HED HU to 8% of their control values. Comparing values for all doses of 6-OHDA, HED retention had a strong linear correlation with NET density: HU = 0.0077B(max) -0.028, r(2) = 0.95. CONCLUSION: HED retention is linearly dependent on NET density in rat hearts that have been chemically denervated with 6-OHDA, suggesting that HED retention is a good surrogate measure of NET density in the rat heart. This finding is discussed in relation to clinical observations of the dependence of HED retention on cardiac nerve density in human subjects using PET.