Acute Retinal Necrosis Caused by the Zoster Vaccine Virus.

We report acute retinal necrosis caused by the vaccine Oka strain following immunization of a 78-year-old woman with live zoster vaccine. Whole genome sequencing confirmed the ocular vOka strain to be derived from the vaccine and excluded the presence of new mutations or recombination with wild-type Varicella zoster virus.

A Ventricular Assist Device Recipient and Suicidality: Multidisciplinary Collaboration With a Psychiatrically Distressed Patient.

BACKGROUND: Ventricular assist device (VAD) recipients are at high risk of depression and anxiety, and poor psychosocial functioning is associated with worse medical outcomes. PURPOSE: We present a case of a 31-year-old depressed patient who demonstrated passive suicidal behavior through multiple episodes of noncompliance, including temporarily discontinuing warfarin (Coumadin) several months after VAD implantation. The patient's psychosocial and medical histories and outcomes are presented. CONCLUSIONS: This case underscores the importance of pre-VAD as well and ongoing psychosocial evaluation and management for this unique patient population. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Medical teams who are treating patients with cardiovascular disease who are under consideration for VAD or heart transplantation need to be aware of the multitude of ways in which patients can express depressed and suicidal mood and work with a multidisciplinary team to treat such symptoms to optimize patients' success with VAD/heart transplantation.

A pooled analysis of six month comparative efficacy and tolerability in four randomized clinical trials: agomelatine versus escitalopram, fluoxetine, and sertraline.

OBJECTIVE: A pooled-analysis on the long-term outcome in four head-to-head studies: agomelatine versus fluoxetine, sertraline, and (twice) escitalopram. Method A meta-analytic approach was used. Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) scores, response and remission rates, Clinical Global Impression of Improvement (CGI-I) scores, response and remission rates, and completion rates/discontinuation rates due to adverse events were analyzed. RESULTS: At the last post-baseline assessment on the 24-week treatment period, the final HAM-D-17 score was significantly lower in patients treated with agomelatine than in patients treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), as well in the total group of patients with severe depression (P = 0.014 and 0.040, respectively). HAM-D response rates at the end of 24 weeks were significantly higher in patients treated with agomelatine than in patients treated with SSRIs, as well in the total group of patients with severe depression (P = 0.031 and 0.048, respectively). HAM-D remission rates at the end of 24 weeks were numerically but not significantly higher in patients treated with agomelatine than in patients treated with SSRIs. Final CGI-I scores were significantly lower for agomelatine. CGI-I response as well as remission rates were numerically higher in patients treated with agomelatine, without statistical significance. The percentage of patients with at least one emergent adverse event leading to treatment discontinuation was 9.4% in patients treated with SSRIs and 6.6% in patients treated with agomelatine (P = 0.065). CONCLUSION: The present pooled analysis shows that, from a clinical point of view, agomelatine is at least as efficacious as the investigated SSRIs with a trend to fewer discontinuations due to adverse events.

Antidepressant efficacy of agomelatine versus SSRI/SNRI: results from a pooled analysis of head-to-head studies without a placebo control.

Pooled analysis of individual patient data was used to compare the antidepressant efficacy of agomelatine with that of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs). We sought head-to-head, double-blind, randomized studies without a placebo arm using antidepressant doses in the licensed range and primary evaluation on the Hamilton scale (HAM-D(17)). Six studies were identified versus venlafaxine, sertraline, fluoxetine, paroxetine or escitalopram. Estimates of differences between treatments were calculated on parameters expressed as the last postbaseline value (6, 8 or 12 weeks). A total of 2034 patients were randomized (age 47.6 ± 14.9 years; 73% women; HAM-D(17) total score 26.9 ± 3.0). The full analysis set included 1997 patients (1001 agomelatine; 996 SSRI/SNRI). There was a significant difference between HAM-D(17) total scores, with a greater reduction with agomelatine than with SSRI/SNRI [E(SE), 0.86 (0.35), 95% confidence interval 0.18-1.53, P=0.013], and better rates of response on the HAM-D(17) (P=0.012) and the Clinical Global Impression-Improvement scales (P=0.032). Similar results were found in patients with severe depression. Agomelatine was associated with better tolerability than SSRI/SNRI. Agomelatine has favourable efficacy and tolerability versus a range of SSRIs and SNRIs - including agents considered to have superior efficacy - and may deserve benefit-risk analysis as a first-line treatment of major depressive disorder.

Sertindole in the long-term treatment of schizophrenia.

This study assessed the safety and tolerability of sertindole in the long-term treatment of schizophrenia. An open-label, noncomparative, flexible-dose study was carried out in 11 European countries. Upon completion of an 8-week, haloperidol-referenced randomized clinical trial with sertindole, patients were offered sertindole maintenance treatment up to 18 months. In total, 294 patients were enrolled, of whom 237 (81%) had received sertindole and 57 (19%) had received haloperidol in the lead-in trial. The modal dose during the maintenance period was 16 mg/day. Patients showed therapeutic improvement indicated by significant decreases in the Positive And Negative Syndrome Scale and Clinical Global Impression 'severity-of-illness' scores. An adverse event was the primary reason for withdrawal in 13% of patients. The most common adverse events were fatigue and weight gain, both with incidences of 14%. The incidence of extrapyramidal symptoms was 18%, and 11% of the patients required anticholinergic medication. No statistically significant changes were observed in laboratory values or vital signs, but the mean serum prolactin levels decreased. The mean change in weight from baseline to the last assessment was 2.7 kg. The largest weight increase was observed in patients who were underweight at baseline. Long-term treatment with sertindole was safe and well tolerated, and patients showed clinical improvement beyond acute treatment.

Superior antidepressant efficacy results of agomelatine versus fluoxetine in severe MDD patients: a randomized, double-blind study.

The objective of this international, 8-week, randomized, double-blind study was to show the superiority of the antidepressant efficacy of agomelatine, the first MT1/MT2 receptor agonist and 5-HT2C receptor antagonist antidepressant, versus fluoxetine in outpatients fulfilling Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-volume IV-TR criteria for major depressive disorder of severe intensity, defined by a baseline Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D17) total score of at least 25 and CGI severity of illness score of at least 4. Patients received agomelatine 25-50 mg/day (n=252) or fluoxetine 20-40 mg/day (n=263) for 8 weeks. The main efficacy outcome measure was HAM-D17 total score (change from baseline to last post-baseline assessment). Secondary outcome measures were Clinical Global Impressions-improvement (CGI), severity (CGI-S), anxiety (HAM-A), and sleep (HAM-D sleep items) scores. The mean decrease in HAM-D17 total score over 8 weeks was significantly greater with agomelatine than fluoxetine with a between-group difference of 1.49 (95% confidence interval, 0.20-2.77; P=0.024). The percentage of responders at last post-baseline assessment was higher with agomelatine on both HAM-D17 (decrease in total score from baseline ≥50%; 71.7% agomelatine vs. 63.8% fluoxetine; P=0.060) and CGI-improvement (score 1 or 2; 77.7 vs. 68.8%; P=0.023). There was a significant between-group difference of 0.37 (95% confidence interval, 0.06-0.68) in HAM-D sleep subscore in favor of agomelatine (P=0.018). Similar improvements were observed on HAM-A with agomelatine and fluoxetine. Both treatments were safe and well tolerated. In conclusion, in this study, agomelatine showed superior antidepressant efficacy over fluoxetine in treating patients with a severe episode of major depressive disorder after 8 weeks of treatment with a good tolerability profile.

The European post-marketing observational sertindole study: an investigation of the safety of antipsychotic drug treatment.

The objective of the European Post-marketing Observational Serdolect((R)) (EPOS) Study was to compare the safety of treatment with Serdolect (sertindole) with that of usual treatment in patients with schizophrenia, in normal European clinical practice. The EPOS was a multicentre, multinational, referenced, cohort study. Patients were enrolled at 226 centres in ten European countries. The study was prematurely terminated in 1998 as a result of the temporary market suspension of sertindole. Termination of the study reduced the number of patients recruited from the planned 12,000 to 2,321. While the power of the study was weakened, it did provide useful mortality information, which may be useful for future long-term studies. Crude mortality in the sertindole and non-sertindole groups was 1.45 (95% confidence interval, CI 0.53-3.16) and 1.50 (CI 0.72-2.76) deaths/100 patient-years exposed, respectively. There were no more cardiac deaths in the sertindole group than in the non-sertindole group. QT interval prolongation did not translate into an increased risk of death. Sertindole was well tolerated and caused few extrapyramidal symptoms. Although CIs remained large, this post-marketing study does not provide any evidence against the use of sertindole under normal conditions. Sertindole was well tolerated and posed no significant safety problems.

Valproate in the treatment of PTSD: systematic review and meta analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Anticonvulsants are used in clinical practice for the treatment of PTSD. However, a systematic investigation of their effects in the treatment of PTSD is currently lacking from the literature. Our aim is to review and appraise the evidence for the use of the anticonvulsant valproate for the treatment of PTSD. METHODS: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature where valproate was used for the treatment of PTSD. Studies of treatment of PTSD with valproate were located using a search protocol which was applied to the electronic databases CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE and PSYCHINFO. A search of the National PTSD Centre Pilots Database and of the Cochrane Collaboration Depression, Anxiety and Neurosis Controlled Trials Register (CCDANCTR) were also conducted. FINDINGS: We only found one single-blinded study, four open-label studies and three case reports. These data do not allow for robust conclusions because of the design of the studies which are of limited patient number and open to bias. However, the studies reported that valproate was generally effective for the treatment of symptoms of PTSD by reducing hyperarousal, improving irritability and anger outbursts and improving mood. CONCLUSIONS: The limited evidence base suggests that valproate can be effective as a monotherapy for the treatment of both PTSD and mood symptoms. A double blind controlled study should be the next step to robustly study the efficacy of valproate on the treatment of PTSD.

Dopaminergic mechanism of antidepressant action in depressed patients.

Clinical studies have not yet determined a common mechanism of action for antidepressant drugs, which have primary sites of action on a variety of different neurotransmitter systems. However, a large body of evidence from animal studies demonstrates that sensitisation of D2-like dopamine receptors in the mesolimbic dopamine system may represent a 'final common pathway' in antidepressant action. The present study aimed to determine whether, consistent with data from animal studies, the clinical antidepressant action of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) is reversed by acute administration of a receptor antagonist selective for D2-like receptors in the mesolimbic dopamine system. The participants were patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder (n = 8) who had been treated successfully (Hamilton Depression Scale < 10) with selective serotonin uptake inhibitors (fluoxetine, citalopram or paroxetine); and age-matched, non-depressed, untreated volunteers (n = 10). They attended a psychiatric research ward on an out-patient basis, and received double-blind acute administration of either placebo, or a low dose of the selective dopamine D2/D3 receptor antagonist sulpiride (200 mg), in a counterbalanced order. Mood and psychomotor effects were assessed using visual analogue scales and the Fawcett-Clark Pleasure Capacity Scale. Sulpiride slightly improved subjective well-being in the control group, but in the antidepressant-treated patients, sulpiride caused a substantial reinstatement of depressed mood. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that sensitisation of D2-like receptors may be central to the clinical action of SSRIs.

PTSD and the law of psychiatric injury in England and Wales: finally coming closer?

With the increase in terrorism in several parts of the world, more people are exposed to traumatic events that could cause psychiatric injury either to them or to members of their families. In Britain, terrorist attacks or other catastrophes are not unknown; indeed, the case law relating to psychiatric injury is vast. However, the intersection between medicine and the law is minimal. The result is a law that lags behind the scientific evidence and, on occasion, may seem unfair.