Depression

PITTSBURGH -- Concerns about weight gain and body shape may sabotage pregnant women's motivation not to resume smoking after the baby is born, researchers reported.

EAST HANOVER, N.J. -- Investigators looking to see whether an Alzheimer's drug could help the memory of patients after a traumatic brain injury had to mine the data hard for a faint light at the end of the tunnel.

EAST HANOVER, N.J. -- Investigators looking to see whether an Alzheimer's drug could help the memory of patients after a traumatic brain injury had to mine the data hard for a faint light at the end of the tunnel.

BANGOR, Wales -- Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI) can have a rare paradoxical effect, sparking aggressive or violent behaviors in otherwise placid patients, said researchers here.

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- When medical residents make major errors, as many of them believe they do, their emotional suffering and guilt may require counseling to avoid burnout, according to Mayo investigators.

Bipolar disorders cause twice as much lost time in the workplace as does major depression, according to a national mental health survey.

ATLANTA -- Men with major depression have an exaggerated inflammatory response to stress, a finding that could partly explain some of the somatic diseases associated with the condition.

ABSTRACT: Subclinical hypothyroidism is associated with elevated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels and several factors related to atherosclerosis, including increased C-reactive protein levels and impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilatation. However, considerable controversy exists about screening for and treating this thyroid disorder. Thyroxine therapy lowers elevated LDL cholesterol levels in patients whose serum thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) concentrations are higher than 10 mIU/L ; thus, most experts recommend treatment for such patients. However, there is no consensus regarding the management of patients with TSH levels of less than 10 mIU/L. Although the evidence supporting treatment of these patients is not compelling, it is reasonable to offer a therapeutic trial of thyroxine to those who have symptoms.

ABSTRACT: The number of medical therapies for patients with erectile dysfunction (ED) has increased in recent years because of our expanded understanding of the physiologic and neurologic causes of ED. Oral agents range from testosterone to antidepressants to phosphodiesterase inhibitors. Nitroglycerin and minoxidil have shown some effectiveness as topical agents. Alprostadil, which can be applied intraurethrally, is also effective as intracavernosal injection therapy. Prostaglandin E1 and papaverine are effective as intracavernosal injection agents. Some studies have shown that combined use of intracavernosal injection and oral therapy produces satisfactory erections.

ABSTRACT: Our knowledge of chronic diseases has advanced significantly in recent decades, but patient outcomes have not kept pace. This is largely because the traditional acute care model does not adequately address the needs of patients with chronic disease. Patients play an active role in the management of chronic disease, and successful outcomes are highly dependent on adherence to treatment. Thus, clinicians need to have skills in coaching and encouraging as well as an awareness of factors in patients' backgrounds that are likely to affect their ability or willingness to follow treatment plans. Provider- and system-related factors, such as lack of reimbursement for counseling and high copayments, can also act as barriers to compliance. Among the strategies that can improve adherence are the use of community resources, multidisciplinary approaches, and regular follow-up.

The optimal approach to subclinical hypothyroidism continues to be debated. Experts disagree over screening for thyroid dysfunction, the threshold TSH level for treatment, and the upper limit of normal of the TSH reference range.

An up-to-the-minute review of the array of oral and topical agents as well as those used intraurethrally or for intracavernosal injection.

Over the past few decades, the management of chronic disease has assumed a greater role in health care. Diseases such as diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and depression have replaced acute disorders as the leading cause of morbidity, mortality, and health care expenditures.

BOSTON -- For those who lived through Hurricane Katrina, mental disorders doubled but thoughts of suicide did not rise, with the experience bringing out newly found resiliency.

GRAND FORKS, N.D. -- Long-term effects of West Nile virus infection may emerge irrespective of the severity of initial acute symptoms, according to investigators here.

BOSTON -- For a few survivors of childhood cancer, the pain, depression, and other aspects of diagnosis and treatment can turn thoughts in adulthood to suicide, a study here suggested.

SEATLLE -- Low testosterone may be a signal that a man's body is running down-or maybe out.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Of U.S. adolescents in the general population, 3.5% have exchanged sex for money or drugs, and two-thirds of these youths were boys, researchers reported.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Postmenopausal women with chronically elevated blood sugar had a nearly fourfold risk of mild cognitive impairment over four years compared with women with blood sugar in the normal range.

NEW YORK -- Severely depressed adults do not seem susceptible to an additional suicide risk from antidepressants as do children and adolescents, a case-control study here suggested.

BETHESDA, Md. -- Symptoms of depression can be made to disappear in less than two hours with a common anesthetic, not the weeks or months required for onset of relief with traditional antidepressants, according to results of a pilot study.

LONDON -- For some patients with cardiovascular disease risk factors, the root cause may be the loneliness of childhood, according to a study that followed more than 1,000 adults from birth.

STOCKHOLM -- Breastfeeding in infancy, even briefly, may help children later bounce back from stressful events like parental divorce.

NEW ORLEANS -- Combat soldiers returning from Iraq don't get over it quickly. Their neuropsychological adaptations to warfare are not easily set aside, according to a VA study reported here.

ABSTRACT: The number of medical therapies for patients with erectile dysfunction (ED) has increased in recent years because of our expanded understanding of the physiologic and neurologic causes of ED. Oral agents range from testosterone to antidepressants to phosphodiesterase inhibitors. Nitroglycerin and minoxidil have shown some effectiveness as topical agents. Alprostadil, which can be applied intraurethrally, is also effective as intracavernosal injection therapy. Prostaglandin E1 and papaverine are effective as intracavernosal injection agents. Some studies have shown that combined use of intracavernosal injection and oral therapy produces satisfactory erections.

ABSTRACT: The number of medical therapies for patients with erectile dysfunction (ED) has increased in recent years because of our expanded understanding of the physiologic and neurologic causes of ED. Oral agents range from testosterone to antidepressants to phosphodiesterase inhibitors. Nitroglycerin and minoxidil have shown some effectiveness as topical agents. Alprostadil, which can be applied intraurethrally, is also effective as intracavernosal injection therapy. Prostaglandin E1 and papaverine are effective as intracavernosal injection agents. Some studies have shown that combined use of intracavernosal injection and oral therapy produces satisfactory erections.

Primary care clinicians are encouraged to use the latest evidence-based diagnostic and therapeutic strategies from prospective randomized, controlled trials in their practice. But are the participants in these trials typical patients?

A succinct review of hyperkalemia . . . its various causes, clinical manifestations and consequences, ECG findings, and treatment approaches.

KINGSTON, Jamaica -- For growth-retarded children, an excess of play, talk, and toys can help avoid psychosocial hurdles in adolescence, according to a 16-year follow-up study.

VIENNA -- Carotid stenting can significantly ease both the frequency and severity of so-called "vascular depression," according to investigators here.