Guidelines for the Evaluation and Treatment of Perimenopausal Depression: Summary and Recommendations.

There is a new appreciation of the perimenopause-defined as the early and late menopause transition stages as well as the early postmenopause-as a window of vulnerability for the development of both depressive symptoms and major depressive episodes. However, clinical recommendations on how to identify, characterize and treat clinical depression are lacking. To address this gap, an expert panel was convened to systematically review the published literature and develop guidelines on the evaluation and management of perimenopausal depression. The areas addressed included: (1) epidemiology; (2) clinical presentation; (3) therapeutic effects of antidepressants; (4) effects of hormone therapy; and (5) efficacy of other therapies (e.g., psychotherapy, exercise, and natural health products). Overall, evidence generally suggests that most midlife women who experience a major depressive episode during the perimenopause have experienced a prior episode of depression. Midlife depression presents with classic depressive symptoms commonly in combination with menopause symptoms (i.e., vasomotor symptoms, sleep disturbance), and psychosocial challenges. Menopause symptoms complicate, co-occur, and overlap with the presentation of depression. Diagnosis involves identification of menopausal stage, assessment of co-occurring psychiatric and menopause symptoms, appreciation of the psychosocial factors common in midlife, differential diagnoses, and the use of validated screening instruments. Proven therapeutic options for depression (i.e., antidepressants, psychotherapy) are the front-line treatments for perimenopausal depression. Although estrogen therapy is not approved to treat perimenopausal depression, there is evidence that it has antidepressant effects in perimenopausal women, particularly those with concomitant vasomotor symptoms. Data on estrogen plus progestin are sparse and inconclusive.

Guidelines for the evaluation and treatment of perimenopausal depression: summary and recommendations.

There is a new appreciation of the perimenopause - defined as the early and late menopause transition stages as well as the early postmenopause - as a window of vulnerability for the development of both depressive symptoms and major depressive episodes. However, clinical recommendations on how to identify, characterize and treat clinical depression are lacking. To address this gap, an expert panel was convened to systematically review the published literature and develop guidelines on the evaluation and management of perimenopausal depression. The areas addressed included: 1) epidemiology; 2) clinical presentation; 3) therapeutic effects of antidepressants; 4) effects of hormone therapy; and 5) efficacy of other therapies (eg, psychotherapy, exercise, and natural health products). Overall, evidence generally suggests that most midlife women who experience a major depressive episode during the perimenopause have experienced a prior episode of depression. Midlife depression presents with classic depressive symptoms commonly in combination with menopause symptoms (ie, vasomotor symptoms, sleep disturbance), and psychosocial challenges. Menopause symptoms complicate, co-occur, and overlap with the presentation of depression. Diagnosis involves identification of menopausal stage, assessment of co-occurring psychiatric and menopause symptoms, appreciation of the psychosocial factors common in midlife, differential diagnoses, and the use of validated screening instruments. Proven therapeutic options for depression (ie, antidepressants, psychotherapy) are the front-line treatments for perimenopausal depression. Although estrogen therapy is not approved to treat perimenopausal depression, there is evidence that it has antidepressant effects in perimenopausal women, particularly those with concomitant vasomotor symptoms. Data on estrogen plus progestin are sparse and inconclusive.

Novel metabolic roles of L-arginine in body energy metabolism and possible clinical applications.

Although the body can synthesize L-arginine, exogenous supplementation may be sometimes necessary, especially in particular conditions which results in depleted endogenous source. Among diseases and states when exogenous supplementation may be necessary are: burns, severe wounds, infections, insufficient circulation, intensive physical activity or sterility. In recent time, the attention was paid to the use of L-arginine supplementation by athletes during intensive sport activity, to enhance tissue growth and general performance, to potentiate the ergogenic potential and muscle tolerance to high intensive work and gas exchange threshold, to decrease ammonia liberation and recovery performance period and to improve wound healing. High-intensity exercise produces transient hyperammoniemia, presumably due to AMP catabolism. Catabolic pathways of AMP may involve its deamination or dephosphorylation, mainly in order to compensate fall in adenylate enrgy charge (AEC), due to AMP rise. The enzymes of purine metabolism have been documented to be particularly sensitive to the effect of dietary L-arginine supplementation. L-arginine supplementation leads to redirection of AMP deamination on account of increased AMP dephosphorylation and subsequent adenosine production and may increase ATP regeneration via activation of AMP kinase (AMPK) pathway. The central role of AMPK in regulating cellular ATP regeneration, makes this enzyme as a central control point in energy homeostasis. The effects of L-arginine supplementation on energy expenditure were successful independently of age or previous disease, in young sport active, elderly, older population and patients with angina pectoris.

3 case reports of edema associated with quetiapine.

BACKGROUND: Edema associated with quetiapine has been described in only one case report to date and represents a potentially serious adverse reaction. METHODS: We present a case series of 3 patients who developed bilateral leg edema following initiation of quetiapine. RESULTS: One of these patients had a recurrence of edema with subsequent rechallenge. Another patient developed quetiapine-induced edema following a prior episode of olanzapine-induced edema. All 3 cases present a compelling temporal relationship between the drug challenge and the adverse event. CONCLUSION: Prompt recognition and intervention with discontinuation of the offending agent is important for this potentially serious, seemingly idiosyncratic vascular complication.

Ultrasound treatment of cellulitis in the maxillofacial region: a ten-year experience.

AIM: To evaluate the effect of therapeutic ultrasound in the treatment of cellulitis in the maxillofacial region. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We report our experience in the management of maxillofacial cellulitis in thirty six patients using therapeutic ultrasound as an adjunct to the standard treatment. The patients were allocated to two groups: group A, treated by surgery, drugs and ultrasound therapy, and group B, where the patients were treated only surgically and medicamentously. The effect of treatment was evaluated on the basis of inflamed tissue volume reduction and normalization of tissue structure determined by ultrasonography. RESULTS: The dynamic changes in the mean values of inflamed tissue volume indicated more rapid reduction in group A in which therapeutic ultrasound was applied. Analysis of the ultrasonographic images in group A demonstrated merging of the miliary liquid foci as early as the first day of treatment. They coalesced, and this coincided with the initiation of purulent discharge. The reduction in volume was due to the accelerated elimination of breakdown inflammatory products from the tissues. CONCLUSION: The better results in group A compared with group B suggest that the method for ultrasound management was effective and could be recommended for use in clinical practice.

Sarcomas of the mandible. Literature review and case reports.

Sarcomas of the maxillofacial region are rare tumors presenting with wide variety of histopathological and clinical features. The authors treated six patients with sarcomas of the mandible over a period of ten years: 2 patients with fibrosarcomas, 2 with lymphosarcomas, one with osteogenic sarcoma and one with chondrosarcoma. The patients' ages ranged from 28 to 65 years, one was male and five - female. The present study reports three cases (osteogenic sarcoma, fibrosarcoma, chondrosarcoma) with specific clinical and radiographic characteristics, demonstrating the differences between the various types of sarcomas. Special attention is paid to the first clinical signs and symptoms, and to the differential diagnosis with inflammatory conditions (post-extraction alveolitis, chronic odontogenic osteomyelitis), benign tumors (osteoblastoclastoma, ameloblastoma, odontogenic cysts, fibrous dysplasia) and centrally developing jaw carcinomas. Particular emphasis is given to CT imaging and morphological examinations in making an accurate diagnosis and providing adequate treatment. Early diagnosis and precise surgical treatment (total resection or hemiexarticulation, or neck dissection if submandibular or cervical metastases are present) are essential to achieve satisfactory management of these malignant neoplasms. The radiotherapy and chemotherapy administered according to the histologic features of the tumor are also of significance.