Population Management of Diabetes in a High-Need Urban Community in the Bronx: The Experience of Montefiore Medical Center.

Population Management of Diabetes in a High-Need Urban Community in the Bronx: The Experience of Montefiore Medical Center.

Diabetes Educ. 2013 May 14;
Farrell P, Barnaby S, Galarza T, Simonson JK, Zonszein J, Meara A, Chung H, Figueira R, Felleman S

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the impact of a Care Management Organization (CMO) Diabetes Disease Management Program (DDMP) in improving diabetes outcomes among high-risk patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in the Bronx, New York.MethodsAn interventional, nonrandomized study design was used to assess the effectiveness of the DDMP. Patients older than 18 years who had T2DM and an A1C persistently 8% or greater or with a cardiovascular comorbidity were characterized as high risk and received intensive disease management. Patients served as their own controls, with data collection and analysis occurring 12 months prior to and 12 months after enrollment in DDMP. Data collection included screening rates for A1C, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, depression, smoking status, and annual influenza vaccine administration. Changes in A1C and LDL cholesterol were also analyzed. Statistical analyses were conducted using Minitab. McNemar’s chi-square and paired t tests were used to assess within-group changes from baseline to final outcomes.ResultsSignificant improvements in screening rates for A1C, LDL, depression, smoking status, and annual influenza vaccine administration were found among high-risk/intensively managed patients in the DDMP. Improvements in clinical measures were also achieved in this group. Provider and patient satisfaction surveys were positive, with 92% of patients believing that the program helped them better understand their disease.ConclusionsA DDMP among high-risk patients has shown promise in improving the quality of care for patients with diabetes. This program has relevance for other integrated delivery systems that are developing accountable care approaches. HubMed – depression

Effect of Depressor Septi Nasi Muscle Activity on Nasal Lengthening With Time.

Aesthetic Plast Surg. 2013 May 15;
Beiraghi-Toosi A, Rezaei E, Jabbari Nooghabi M, Izadpanah S

BACKGROUND: The depressor septi nasi (DSN) muscle is an important muscle in nose dynamics. Its hyperactivity causes smile deformity including nasal tip depression. The nasal tip of individuals with a hyperactive DSN muscle depresses repeatedly while they are speaking and smiling. This may result in nasal lengthening as they age. METHODS: Pairs of cases consisting of a child and one of his or her parents were studied in two groups: case group (with DSN muscle hyperactivity) and the control group (with DSN muscle inactivity in both child and parent). Nasal length from nasion to tip and facial length from nasion to menton were measured during repose and during smiling. RESULTS: This study investigated 80 pairs of children and parents. In both groups, a significant linear correlation between the nasal length of the parent and the child was found. In both groups (case and control), the nasal length of the child differed significantly from that of the parent. The increase in the nasal length of the parents compared with the children was greater in the control group. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that nasal length increases with age and that DSN muscle hyperactivity is not an effective factor in this increase. This unpredictable result may affect the presumption that patients with DSN muscle hyperactivity will have longer noses in the future. Long-term prospective studies investigating cohort groups are required to clarify the variables affecting nasal lengthening with aging, and interventional studies are needed to examine the effects of DSN muscle resection on this phenomenon. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III: This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 . HubMed – depression

Cetirizine-Associated Delusions and Depression in an 18-Year-Old Woman.

Clin Neuropharmacol. 2013 May/June; 36(3): 96-97
Garden BC, Francois D

INTRODUCTION: Cetirizine is a second-generation H1 histamine receptor antagonist that is commonly used for symptomatic relief of hay fever and other allergies and can be combined with pseudoephedrine hydrochloride, a decongestant. The most common adverse effects include headache, nausea, nasopharyngitis, vomiting, and coughing. OBJECTIVE: To report on an adolescent 18-year-old woman who developed delusional thinking and depression after starting treatment with cetirizine. CASE REPORT: We report on an adolescent 18-year-old woman who developed delusional thinking and depression after starting treatment with cetirizine. Once cetirizine was discontinued, the patient returned to her clinical baseline. CONCLUSIONS: Physicians need to be aware of the potential psychiatric adverse effects associated with cetirizine. HubMed – depression

Curcumin as an Add-On to Antidepressive Treatment: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Pilot Clinical Study.

Clin Neuropharmacol. 2013 May/June; 36(3): 73-77
Bergman J, Miodownik C, Bersudsky Y, Sokolik S, Lerner PP, Kreinin A, Polakiewicz J, Lerner V

OBJECTIVES: Depression is a widespread mental disorder in which nearly half of the affected people have recurrent symptoms. Drug combinations may produce cumulative adverse effects, especially in elderly and physically ill patients. It was demonstrated that curcumin possesses antidepressive activity in various animal models of depression, and a combination of curcumin with some antidepressants potentiates the antidepressive effect of these agents. We sought to evaluate the efficacy of curcumin as an antidepressive agent in a combination with other antidepressants in patients with major depression. METHODS: Forty patients with a first episode of depression participated in a 5-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study. The subjects were treated with either 500-mg/d curcumin or placebo together with antidepressants (escitalopram or venlafaxine) during August 2010 until June 2011. The outcome measures were Clinical Global Impression-Severity Scale, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, and Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale. RESULTS: Analysis of variance showed significant positive changes in both groups from baseline to the end of the study in all scales of measurement. These changes became significant from the first visit after 7 days of treatment. There was no difference between curcumin and placebo, which means negative results. However, the patients in the curcumin group demonstrated a trend to a more rapid relief of depressive symptoms in comparison to those in the placebo group. None of the patients complained of any adverse effect during the study. CONCLUSIONS: Although there is no definitive proof that curcumin can induce an earlier beneficial effect of antidepressive agents, it seems like an extended study is needed to prove it, using higher therapeutic doses of curcumin. HubMed – depression