Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and gastrointestinal morbidity in a large cohort of young adults

BACKGROUND Although the association of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder(ADHD)with psychiatric disorders is well known,its association with somatic diseases is unclear.Only few studies have investigated the gastrointestinal(GI)morbidity in adult patients with ADHD.AIM To measure gastrointestinal comorbidity and its burden on healthcare in young adults with ADHD.METHODS The cohort included subjects aged 17-35 years recruited to the Israel Defense Forces in 2007-2013,33380 with ADHD and 355652 without(controls).The groups were compared for functional and inflammatory conditions of the gastrointestinal tract and clinic and specialist visits for gastrointestinal symptoms/disease during service(to 2016).Findings were analyzed by generalized linear models adjusted for background variables.RESULTS Compared to controls,the ADHD group had more diagnoses of functional gastrointestinal disorders(referred to as FGID),namely,dyspepsia[odds ratio(OR):1.48,95%confidence interval(CI):1.40-1.57,P<0.001],chronic constipation(OR:1.64,95%CI:1.48-1.81,P<0.001),and irritable bowel syndrome(OR:1.67,95%CI:1.56-1.80,P<0.001)but not of organic disorders(inflammatory bowel disease,celiac disease).They had more frequent primary care visits for gastrointestinal symptoms[rate ratio(RR):1.25,95%CI:1.24-1.26,P<0.001]and referrals to gastrointestinal specialists(RR:1.96,95%CI:1.88-2.03,P<0.001)and more episodes of recurrent gastrointestinal symptoms(RR:1.29,95%CI:1.21-1.38,P<0.001).Methylphenidate use increased the risk of dyspepsia(OR:1.49,95%CI:1.28-1.73,P<0.001)and constipation(OR:1.42,95%CI:1.09-1.84,P=0.009).CONCLUSION ADHD in young adults is associated with an excess of FGID and increased use of related health services.Research is needed to determine if an integrative approach treating both conditions will benefit these patients and cut costs.

Sigma-1 receptor: a new player in neuroprotection against chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy

Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy is a very frequent neurological complication in cancer. Oxaliplatin（OXA） is a platinum analogue used as a first-line agent in the treatment of colorectal cancer. OXA induced peripheral neuropathy（OIN） is the main toxicity both during and after the completion of chemotherapy that presents as two distinct syndromes： acute and chronic neuropathy. None of the neuroprotective agents previously tested had prevented or limited the acute and/or chronic OIN. MR309（previously developed as E-52862） is a novel selective sigma-1 receptor（S1R） antagonist with preclinical analgesic activity in OXA-induced neuropathic pain in animal models. This review analyzes the results of the recently published phase Ⅱ, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial including 124 patients with colorectal cancer（CRC） treated with MR309. This study shows encouraging findings in the setting of neuroprotection against OIN with an acceptable safety profile. The study demonstrated MR309 usefulness in decreasing acute OIN, by reducing cold hypersensitivity experienced by patients, and pointed to the amelioration of chronic OIN by lowering the proportion of patients who developed severe chronic OIN. In addition, we provide a summary and discussion on the pathways that can be modulated by the S1R to explain the observed clinical benefits in the OIN.

Long-Term Follow-Up of 82 Cavernous Sinus Meningiomas Treated with Radiosurgery

The cases of 82 patients with cavernous sinus meningioma (CSM) treated with Stereotactic Radiosurgery (SRS) at our institution from 1992 to 2005 were retrospectively reviewed. The mean follow-up time was 8.38 years. Patients’?age ranged between 16 and 78 years (mean 51). There were 35 patients who had been operated before, and two of them had been treated with fractionated radiotherapy. Twenty-three from 35 patients were surgically intervened?(65.7%)?and?presented post-surgical morbidity. Only in 3 cases the surgery was considered complete. The patients were referred for SRS treatment due to having tumour remains or a tumour growth. The mean volume of the tumour was 17.96 (+/?13.67) cm3.?All the patients had been treated with a Linear Accelerator (LINAC) using a high precision positioning and radiation system (SRS 2000) University of Florida. The clinical progress of the patients was assessed using preand post-SRS radiological imaging, post-surgical and pre-post-SRS morbidity and mortality. Tumour volume decreased significantly with RS in 61 of 82 patients (74.4%). The tumour volume remained stable 12 patients (14.6%) and only in 9 patients (11%) was there tumour growth after SRS. Of these, 5 required surgical intervention, and 7 of the 82 underwent SRS or another fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy after the RS. Morbidity due to the SRS was only seen in 14 out of the 82 patients treated with SRS, five of them recovered completely. SRS is a high precise and effective treatment with low morbidity, becoming more and more the option of choices?in the treatment of cavernous sinus meningioma.

Neurocognitive outcomes in pediatric brain tumors after treatment with proton versus photon radiation:a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background Advances in cancer treatments,particularly the development of radiation therapy,have led to improvements in survival outcomes in children with brain tumors.However,radiation therapy is associated with significant long-term neurocognitive morbidity.The present systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to compare the neurocognitive outcomes of children and adolescents with brain tumors treated with photon radiation(XRT)or proton therapy(PBRT).Methods A systematic search was conducted(PubMed,Embase,Cochrane,and Web of Science from inception until 02/01/2022)for studies comparing the neurocognitive outcomes of children and adolescents with brain tumors treated with XRT vs.PBRT.The pooled mean differences(expressed as Z scores)were calculated using a random effects method for those endpoints analyzed by a minimum of three studies.Results Totally 10 studies(n=630 patients,average age range:1–20 years)met the inclusion criteria.Patients who had received PBRT achieved significantly higher scores(difference in Z scores ranging from 0.29–0.75,all P<0.05 and significant in sensitivity analyses)after treatment than those who had received XRT for most analyzed neurocognitive outcomes(i.e.,intelligence quotient,verbal comprehension and perceptual reasoning indices,visual motor integration,and verbal memory).No robust significant differences(P>0.05 in main analyses or sensitivity analyses)were found for nonverbal memory,verbal working memory and working memory index,processing speed index,or focused attention.Conclusions Pediatric brain tumor patients who receive PBRT achieve significantly higher scores on most neurocognitive outcomes than those who receive XRT.Larger studies with long-term follow-ups are needed to confirm these results.