Prescription Patterns for Bipolar Disorder in Asian Countries:Findings from Research on Asian Prescription Pattern-Bipolar Disorder

Objective@#Pharmacotherapy including mood stabilizers and antipsychotics are frequently used in bipolar disorder (BD); however, the lack of consensus regarding the definition of polypharmacy hinders conducting comparative studies across different settings and countries. Research on Asian Prescription Pattern (REAP) is the largest and the longest lasting international collaborative research in psychiatry in Asia. The objective of REAP BD was to investigate the prescription patterns of psychotropic medications across Asian countries. The rates of polypharmacy and psychotropic drug load were also analyzed. @*Methods@#The data collection was web-based. Prescription patterns were categorized as (1) mood stabilizer monotherapy: one mood stabilizer; (2) antipsychotic monotherapy: one antipsychotic; (3) simple polypharmacy: one mood stabilizer and one antipsychotic; and (4) complex polypharmacy: ≥ 2 mood stabilizers or/and antipsychotics. The psychotropic drug load in each patient was calculated using the defined daily dose method. @*Results@#Among 2003 patients with BD (52.1% female, 42.4 years) from 12 countries, 1,619 (80.8%) patients received mood stabilizers, 1,644 (82.14%) received antipsychotics, and 424 (21.2%) received antidepressants, with 14.7% mood stabilizer monotherapy, 13.4% antipsychotic monotherapy, 48.9% simple polypharmacy, 20.3% complex polypharmacy, and 2.6% other therapy. The average psychotropic drug load was 2.05 ± 1.40. Results varied widely between countries. @*Conclusion@#Over 70% of psychotropic regimens involved polypharmacy, which accords with the high prevalence of polypharmacy in BD under a permissive criterion (2 or more core psychotropic drugs) worldwide. Notably, ≥ 80% of our sample received antipsychotics, which may indicate an increasing trend in antipsychotic use for BD treatment.

Prenatal detection of Xq deletion by abnormal noninvasive prenatal screening, subsequently diagnosed by amniocentesis: A case report

We experienced a case of Xq deletion -- 46,X,del(X)(q22.3) -- detected by abnormal noninvasive prenatal screening, subsequently diagnosed by amniocentesis. Genetic counseling was a challenge because there are few reports of prenatal diagnosis of Xq deletion. In each female cell, one X chromosome is inactivated at random early in development, and there may be a preferential inactivation of the abnormal X chromosome. But some proportions of genes escape inactivation. The most common manifestation in women with Xq deletion is primary or secondary ovarian failure. Critical regions for ovarian function may be located at the long arm of the X chromosome. But, the onset and the severity of ovarian failure may vary with diverse, intricate factors. We anticipate that noninvasive prenatal screening can identify the broader range of chromosomal or genetic abnormalities with the advances in technology and analytic methods. We report our case with a brief review of the literature.

Hemoperitoneum: a complication of loop electrosurgical excision procedure

Loop electrosurgical excision procedure (LEEP) is commonly performed for the management of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. Although LEEP is considered to be a relatively simple procedure, several unexpected complications have been reported in the literature. Herein, we report a case of hemoperitoneum caused by uterine perforation following LEEP. Blood collection in pelvic cavity and two small defects of the uterus were confirmed by diagnostic laparoscopy. The defects were sutured and the patient recovered well after the operation.

Gastric type mucinous endocervical adenocarcinoma of the uterine cervix: very rare and interesting case

Gastric type mucinous endocervical adenocarcinomas of the uterine cervix (GAC) are a newly classified mucinous subtype with morphologically in 2014, WHO. They have a much more aggressiveness and show unusual metastatic patterns compared to usual type endocervical adenocarcinoma. They tend to present at higher stage and even in stage I, they have worse survival. Therefore, differential diagnosis of GAC from the usual type of endocervical adenocarcinoma is very important because they are related to a significant risk of recurrence and decreased 5-year disease-specific survival. Besides, GACs are mostly not associated with human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and p16 immunohistochemistry is also typically negative in GAC that is HPV-unassociated tumor. We report a very rare and interesting case of stage IB1 GAC with negative HPV DNA and p16.

Clinical Significance of Newborn Gastric Inflammatory Mediators

PURPOSE: We performed this study to determine (1) whether the levels of inflammatory mediators, including matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) and intercellular adhesion molecule-3 (ICAM-3), in gastric fluid (GF) in premature newborns are associated with those in amniotic fluid (AF) in their mothers and (2) whether the levels of the inflammatory mediators in newborn GF are associated with the presence of intrauterine inflammation (IUI). METHODS: Sixty-two pairs of pregnant women and their premature newborns born at <35 weeks' gestation by cesarean delivery were enrolled in this study. AF and newborn GFs were obtained during cesarean section procedures. Levels of MMP-9, ICAM-3, interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-8 (IL-8), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) were measured and compared between the AF and newborn GFs in each dyad, according to the presence or absence of chorioamnionitis (CA), preterm prelabor rupture of membranes (PPROM), and preterm labor (PTL). RESULTS: The levels of MMP-9, ICAM-3, IL-6, IL-8, and TNF-alpha in newborn GF were significantly correlated with those in AF in each dyad. The premature newborns and their mothers with CA had significantly higher GF MMP-9, IL-8, and TNF-alpha levels than those without CA. Those with PPROM or PTL showed similar findings in terms of GF MMP-9, IL-8, and TNF-alpha levels. CONCLUSION: The newborn GF immediately after birth can be a useful alternative source of information on whether a premature infant has been exposed to IUI at the time of delivery.

Umbilical Cord Blood Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Levels are associated with Funisitis / 대한주산의학회잡지

PURPOSE: Intrauterine inflammation (IUI) is a leading cause of preterm delivery. Although matrix metalloproteinase-8 (MMP-8) and intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) are known to be related with IUI, it has not been fully elucidated whether MMP-9 or ICAM-3 is associated with IUI. We performed this study to determine whether the levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), MMP-9 and ICAM-3 in umbilical cord blood of preterm infants are associated with chorioamnionitis, funisitis or bronchopulmonary dysplasia. METHODS: Eighty-two pairs of pregnant women and their preterm newborns <35 weeks gestation were enrolled. Levels of TNF-alpha, MMP-9 and ICAM-3 in umbilical cord blood were measured using immunoassays and compared with results of histological examination of placenta and clinical data of the study participants. RESULTS: The level of MMP-9 in umbilical cord blood was significantly associated with the presence of funisitis (P =0.007). The level of TNF-alpha in umbilical cord blood was significantly associated with the development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (P =0.030). However, presence of chorioamnionitis or funisitis was not associated with development of bronchopulmonary dysplasia. With the establishment of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, the best cut-off value for umbilical blood MMP-9 was 99.42 pg/mL in identification of funisitis. The area under a constructed ROC curve for prediction of funisitis was 0.847 (standard error, 0.112; 95% confidence interval, 0.750-0.917). CONCLUSION: Measurement of MMP-9 concentration in umbilical cord blood may be an alternative way to predict whether a preterm infant has been exposed to IUI. Further study with larger numbers of subjects will be necessary to elucidate the association between the presence of IUI and neonatal adverse outcome.

A Case of Live Birth in a Non-communicating Rudimentary Horn Pregnancy and Rupture after Intrauterine Insemination / 대한주산의학회잡지

Rudimentary horn is a rare uterine anomaly and pregnancy in the rudimentary horn is an extremely rare condition. We report a case of live birth in a non-communicating rudimentary horn pregnancy and rupture. The pregnancy was successfully delivered by cesarean section, with neonatal and maternal survival.

A Case of Trisomy 8 Mosaicism in a Patient with Secondary Amnorreha without Abnormal Phenotype

Constitutional trisomy 8 mosaicism (CT8M) is a relatively rare aneuploidy in humans with characteristic phenotypes including typical craniofacial feature (such as deformed skull, prominent forehead, low-set and/or dysplastic ears), skeletal malformation, cardiac anomaly, renal malformation, cryptochidism, varying degree of developemental delay. Due to the extremely variable phenotypic and cytogenetic expression, CT8M has gone undiagnosed in certain patients. We report a 28-year-old women with secondary amenorreha without characteristic CT8M phenotype. Chromosomal analysis showed a CT8M (47,XX,+8[9]/46,XX[41]).

Multiple benign metastasizing leiomyomas in the pelvic and para-aortic lymph nodes: A case report / 대한산부인과학회지

Benign metastasizing leiomyoma (BML) is a rare entity, defined as a muscle tumor in association with one or more smooth muscle tumor of the uterus and without evidence of any extra uterine primary site. The lung is the most common site of involvement,(2) and the etiology of BML remains unknown. We experienced a case of BML arising in pelvic and para-aortic lymph nodes and report with a brief review of literature.

Discrepancy in cytogenetic results between amniotic fluid cells and other fetal tissues: A case report / 대한산부인과학회지

We present two fetuses who were prenatally diagnosed by amniocentesis as having chromosomal mosaicism but who had a normal karyotype in the fetal blood by cordocentesis. One of the both fetuses had Turner and the other had trisomy 20 mosaicism. The prognosis for Turner mosaicism and trisomy 20 mosaicism diagnosed prenatally has yet to be established. The pregnancy with 45,X/46,XX mosaicism was terminated at 23+3 weeks' gestation. Autopsy findings showed no features of Turner's syndrome. Postnatal cytogenetic analysis revealed 45,X[4]/46,XX[52] mosaicism in skin and 46,XX in the lung tissue. The other fetus had amniocytes with trisomy 20 mosaicism and fetal cord blood cells with a normal karyotype. The baby was delivered at 38+2 weeks' gestation. At birth and 3 months after birth, no apparent abnormal findings were found. These cases with chromosomal discrepancy among various fetal tissues are rare. Two cases were discussed with the review of literature.