Advanced Test of Attention in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Japan for Evaluation of Methylphenidate and Atomoxetine Effects

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to validate the Advanced Test of Attention (ATA) of the visual attention version of Japanese children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and to evaluate the efficacy of methylphenidate (OROS-MPH) and atomoxetine medications. METHODS: To assess pharmacotherapy efficacy, the visual version of ATA was administered to 42 children with ADHD. Results were assessed using discriminant analysis, ANOVA for indices of ATA before and after medication treatment, and correlation analysis between the improvement of indices of ATA and clinical symptoms during medication treatment. RESULTS: Discriminant analysis showed that 69.0% of ADHD children were assigned correctly. The T score of commission errors increased as the trial progressed on the medication-off condition. T scores of commission errors and standard deviation of response times on medication-on condition were low compared to the medication-off condition. A few significant correlations were found between the improvements of indices of ATA and ADHD-Rating Scale (RS) during treatment. CONCLUSION: The performance of the visual version of ATA on medication-off condition reflected the features of ADHD. Furthermore, the medication treatment effects were confirmed sufficiently. In addition, results suggest that indices of ATA reflected aspects of ADHD symptoms that are difficult to elucidate for ADHD-RS. For assessing symptoms and effects of medical treatment in children with ADHD, ATA might be a useful assessment tool.

A two-case report of successful treatment with pregabalin for refractory chemotherapy-induced hiccups

<b>Purpose</b>: Hiccups are a symptom that often appear in lung cancer patients during medical treatment. Although various drugs and non-pharmacologic therapies are used to treat them, they often are not effective. We report 2 cases of successful treatment for refractory hiccups due to chemotherapy for lung cancer using pregabalin. <b>Case report</b>: Both patients had advanced squamous lung cancer. That in case 1 was treated using chemotherapy with carboplatin and paclitaxel, while the case 2 received nedaplatin and irinotecan. Hiccups occurred and became exacerbated during chemotherapy in both, and were considered to be induced by the anticancer drugs. Separate treatments with metoclopramide, chlorpromazine, and gabapentin did not have any effect, whereas immediate improvement was seen after taking pregabalin in both cases. <b>Conclusion</b>: Pregabalin, often used as an adjuvant analgesic, controls excessive neuronal excitement. In the present cases, effective relief of refractory hiccups was seen.