Lethal infective endocarditis due to Streptococcus agalactiae in a man with a history of alcohol abuse: A case report.

RATIONAL: Infective endocarditis (IE) is defined as an infection of the endocardial surface of the heart, which may include one or more heart valves, the mural endocardium. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 53-years-old man with a history of alcohol abuse was admitted in hospital for fever, paroxysmal atrial fibrillation cardioverted by Amiodarone and pulmonary infection. DIAGNOSIS: A case of recurrent severe endocarditis, with neurological complications both ischemic and hemorrhagic and heart failure caused by Streptococcus agalactiae in healthy man we reported. INTERVENTIONS: Surgery was performed 2 weeks after admission. OUTCOMES: The onset of intracranial hemorrhage delayed second cardiac surgery and the patient died because of end-stage heart failure. CONCLUSIONS: Infective endocarditis caused by S. agalactiae is very rare, particularly in patients without underlying structural heart disease. This study showed that IE due to S. Agalactiae is a disease with high mortality when associated with neurological complication, heart failure but especially when it is recurrent and hits valve prosthesis.

Pediatric social anxiety disorder: predictors of response to pharmacological treatment.

OBJECTIVE: Pediatric social anxiety disorder (SAD) is associated with an increased risk of comorbid mental disorders, with implications for prognosis and treatment strategy. The aim of this study is to explore predictors of treatment response, and the role of comorbidity in affecting refractoriness. METHODS: One hundred and forty consecutive youths (81 males, 57.9%), ages 7-18 years (mean age 13.7 ± 2.5 years, mean age at onset of SAD 10.6 ± 2.7 years) met American Psychiatric Association, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. (DSM-IV) criteria for SAD as primary diagnosis, according to a structured clinical interview (Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Aged Children-Present and Lifetime Version [K-SADS-PL]). All received a pharmacological treatment with serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) targeted to SAD, associated with additional medications for comorbidities (mood stabilizers in 27.1%, antipsychotics in 12.8%) and 57.9% received an additional psychotherapy. RESULTS: Eighty-nine patients (63.6%) responded to treatments after 3 months, namely 72.8% with psychotherapy plus medication and 50.8% with medication only. Nonresponders had more severe symptoms at baseline in terms of both clinical severity and functional impairment, and had more comorbid disruptive behavior disorders. The backward logistic regression indicated that clinical severity and functional impairment at baseline, comorbid disruptive behavior disorders, and bipolar disorders were predictors of nonresponse. CONCLUSION: Our data suggest that SSRIs can be effective in pediatric SAD, but that the more severe forms of the disorder and those with heavier comorbidity are associated with poorer prognosis.

Developmental pathways for different subtypes of early-onset bipolarity in youths.

OBJECTIVE: Two main patterns of comorbidity have been described in bipolar disorder in children and adolescents: the first including preexisting attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and related disruptive behavior disorders and the second including anxiety disorders, namely, the association of co-occurring multiple anxiety disorders, usually predating the onset of bipolarity. This study was aimed at exploring whether ADHD and multiple anxiety disorders may exhibit different pathways to specific bipolar phenotypes. METHOD: We compared 49 youths (7 to 18 years) with bipolar disorder + ADHD without anxiety, 76 youths with bipolar disorder + multiple anxiety disorders without ADHD, and 52 youths with bipolar disorder without ADHD or multiple anxiety disorders who were referred to a third-level hospital and diagnosed according to DSM-IV-TR in the period 2005-2011. Subjects were evaluated for current and lifetime Axis I psychiatric disorders by using a structured clinical interview (Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Aged Children-Present and Lifetime Version) and followed up for at least 6 months. RESULTS: Compared to both patients with bipolar disorder + multiple anxiety disorders and patients with bipolar disorder without ADHD and multiple anxiety disorders, patients with bipolar disorder + ADHD without anxiety were more frequently male, were younger, had an earlier onset of bipolar disorder, had a prevalent chronic course and irritable mood, were more likely to present with a bipolar disorder not otherwise specified diagnosis, had a greater clinical severity and functional impairment, had a manic/mixed index episode, had a higher risk of conduct disorder, and were more resistant to treatments, according to the CGI-Improvement scores (P < .0001). Patients with bipolar disorder + multiple anxiety disorders were similar to those with bipolar disorder without ADHD or multiple anxiety disorders, except for a higher rate of diagnosis of bipolar II disorder, more use of antidepressants, and less use of atypical antipsychotics. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of comorbid ADHD versus anxiety disorders is indicative of fundamental differences in the phenomenology of bipolar disorder in youth. While ADHD prior to bipolar disorder is associated with a specific bipolar phenotype, bipolar patients with multiple anxiety disorders are similar to "typical" bipolar patients.

Aripiprazole in children with Tourette's disorder and co-morbid attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a 12-week, open-label, preliminary study.

Tourette's disorder (TD) in children and adolescents is frequently co-morbid with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Dopamine-blockers are the first line treatment for TD, whereas dopamine-agonists, such as stimulants, are the gold-standard in the treatment of ADHD. These contrasting effects supported concerns about the risk that stimulants for treating ADHD may trigger or worsen co-morbid tics. Aripiprazole, a partial dopamine agonist, acts as an antagonist at dopamine D2 receptors in hyperdopaminergic conditions and displays agonist properties under hypodopaminergic conditions. The present study describes the use of aripiprazole (10.0 ± 4.8 mg/day) in a consecutive group of 28 patients with a primary diagnosis of TD and co-morbid ADHD, combined subtype. The Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS) and the ADHD-Rating Scale (ADHD-RS-IV) were used as primary outcome measures and both significantly improved (p<0.001) after the treatment. Global measures of severity (Clinical Global Impressions-Severity) and of functional impairment (Children's Global Assessment Scale) also significantly improved during the treatment (p<0.001). At the YGTSS there was a reduction of 42.5%, in motor tics, of 47.9% in phonic tics (44.7% for the combined scores), and of 32.3% in tic impairment. Nineteen patients (67.9%) had a reduction of at least 50% of the YGTSS score (motor+phonic tics). The improvement at the ADHD-RS-IV score was 22.5%, 12 patients (42.8%) presented an improvement of 30%, but only 2 (7.1%) an improvement greater than 50%. Using a logistic regression model, a reduction of at least 30% in ADHD-RS-IV score was more likely to occur in the obsessive-compulsive disorder co-morbid group. Aripiprazole was well tolerated and none of the patients discontinued medication because of side effects. In summary, aripiprazole resulted in an effective treatment for TD, but it was only moderately effective on co-occurring ADHD symptomatology. Our preliminary data suggest that aripiprazole may represent a possible therapeutic option, among other possible monotherapies addressing both tics and ADHD.

Use and tolerability of newer antipsychotics and antidepressants: a chart review in a paediatric setting.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the prescribing pattern and the safety profile of different atypical antipsychotics and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) during the years 2002-2003 in paediatric setting. SETTING: Two Child Neurology and Psychiatry Divisions of Southern Italy (University of Messina and "Oasi Institute for Research on Mental Retardation and Brain Aging" of Troina). METHODS: A retrospective chart review of all children and adolescents starting an incident treatment with atypical antipsychotics or SSRIs was performed. Within the first 3 months of therapy, any potential adverse drug reaction (ADR) was identified and the clinical outcome of psychotropic drug treatment was assessed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Rate of ADR in the first 3 months of therapy with atypical antipsychotics and SSRIs in children and adolescents. RESULTS: On a total of 97 patients' charts being reviewed, 73 (75%) concerned atypical antipsychotics and 24 (25%) SSRIs. Risperidone (N=45, 62%) was the most frequently prescribed antipsychotic drug, followed by olanzapine (24, 32%). Overall, 50 (68%) antipsychotic users reported a total of 108 ADRs during the first 3 months of therapy, leading to drug discontinuation in 23 patients (31%). Among 24 users of SSRI, 12 (50%) received paroxetine, 6 (25%) sertraline, 5 (21%) citalopram and 1 (4%) fluoxetine. Only paroxetine users (21%) reported at least one ADR, however, none of SSRI users withdrew drug treatment within first 3 months. CONCLUSIONS: ADRs occurred frequently during first 3 months of treatment with atypical antipsychotics and, to a lesser extent, with SSRIs in children and adolescents. Further investigations are urgently needed to better define the benefit/risk ratio of psychotropic medications in paediatric setting.

Neuropsychological deficits in monozygotic twins with childhood epilepsy with occipital paroxysms.

We report a unique pair of monozygotic twins with childhood epilepsy with occipital paroxysms who showed subtle cognitive deficits. The twin with a more severe epileptic disorder showed a more severe impairment of cognitive functioning. We suggest that epileptic focus may act as an element of disturbance in the development of primary functions and may give rise to a neuropsychological impairment proportionate to the severity of the epileptic activity.

Benign childhood epilepsy with occipital paroxysms: neuropsychological findings.

Benign childhood epilepsy with occipital paroxysms is classified among childhood benign partial epilepsies. The absence of neurological and neuropsychological deficits has long been considered as a prerequisite for a diagnosis of benign childhood partial epilepsy. Much evidence has been reported in literature in the latest years suggesting a neuropsychological impairment in this type of epilepsy, particularly in the type with Rolandic paroxysms. The present work examines the neuropsychological profiles of a sample of subjects affected by the early-onset benign childhood occipital seizures (EBOS) described by Panayotopulos. The patient group included 22 children (14 males and 8 females; mean age 10.1+/-3.3 years) diagnosed as having EBOS. The patients were examined with a set of tests investigating neuropsychological functions: memory, attention, perceptive, motor, linguistic and academic (reading, writing, arithmetic) abilities. The same instruments have been given to a homogeneous control group as regards sex, age, level of education and socio-economic background. None of the subjects affected by EBOS showed intellectual deficit (mean IQ in Wechsler Full Scale 91.7; S.D. 8.9). Results show a widespread cognitive dysfunction in the context of a focal epileptogenic process in EBOS. In particular, children with EBOS show a significant occurrence of specific learning disabilities (SLD) and other subtle neuropsychological deficits. We found selective dysfunctions relating to perceptive-visual attentional ability (p<0.05), verbal and visual-spatial memory abilities (p<0.01), visual perception and visual-motor integration global abilities (p<0.01), manual dexterity tasks (p<0.05), some language tasks (p<0.05), reading and writing abilities (p<0.01) and arithmetic ability (p<0.01). The presence of cognitive dysfunctions in subjects with EBOS supports the hypothesis that epilepsy itself plays a role in the development of neuropsychological impairment. Supported by other studies that have documented subtle neuropsychological deficits in benign partial epilepsy, we stress the importance of reconsidering its supposed "cognitive benignity", particularly in occipital types.