Functional recovery after moderate/severe traumatic brain injury: a role for cognitive reserve?

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the hypothesis that educational attainment, a marker of cognitive reserve, is a predictor of disability-free recovery (DFR) after moderate to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI).

METHODS

Retrospective study of the TBI Model Systems Database, a prospective multicenter cohort funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research. Patients were included if they were admitted for rehabilitation after moderate to severe TBI, were aged 23 years or older, and had at least 1 year of follow-up. The main outcome measure was DFR 1 year postinjury, defined as a Disability Rating Scale score of zero.

RESULTS

Of 769 patients included, 214 (27.8%) achieved DFR at 1 year. In total, 185 patients (24.1%) had <12 years of education, while 390 (50.7%) and 194 patients (25.2%) had 12 to 15 years and ≥16 years of education, respectively. DFR was achieved by 18 patients (9.7%) with <12 years, 120 (30.8%) with 12 to 15 years, and 76 (39.2%) with ≥16 years of education (p < 0.001). In a logistic regression model controlling for age, sex, and injury- and rehabilitation-specific factors, duration of education of ≥12 years was independently associated with DFR (odds ratio 4.74, 95% confidence interval 2.70-8.32 for 12-15 years; odds ratio 7.24, 95% confidence interval 3.96-13.23 for ≥16 years).

CONCLUSION

Educational attainment was a robust independent predictor of 1-year DFR even when adjusting for other prognostic factors. A dose-response relationship was noted, with longer educational exposure associated with increased odds of DFR. This suggests that cognitive reserve could be a factor driving neural adaptation during recovery from TBI.

Ultrasound assessment of the peri-implantation uterus: a review

Emerging evidence suggests that early embryo implantation is a more active maternal process than hitherto appreciated, involving active encapsulation of the implanting blastocyst by maternal decidual cells and coordinated changes in the underlying inner myometrium, known as the junctional zone. These concepts raise the possibility that early ultrasound markers predictive of adverse pregnancy outcome could be identified. In this review we assess the role of ultrasound in predicting the likelihood of different pregnancy outcomes and highlight potential novel markers that could be tested.

Prevalence of uterine anomalies and their impact on early pregnancy in women conceiving after assisted reproduction treatment

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the prevalence of congenital uterine anomalies in subfertile women and to evaluate their influence on early pregnancy following assisted reproduction treatment (ART).

METHODS

We prospectively recruited 1402 subjects undergoing ART over a period of 5 years from 2005 to 2009. Three-dimensional transvaginal sonography was performed in the early follicular phase of the menstrual cycle (days 2-5) and repeated in the late follicular phase (days 10-14) if the shape of the uterine cavity could not be assessed at the first scan. All subjects who conceived following ART were followed up to 12 weeks' gestation. Chi-square test was used to compare the pregnancy rates and miscarriage rates between women shown to have uterine anomalies and those with a normal uterus.

RESULTS

One thousand three hundred and eighty-five subjects were included for final analysis after excluding 17 subjects in whom a definitive diagnosis could not be made. While 1201 (86.7%) subjects had a normal uterine cavity, uterine anomalies were demonstrated in 184 (13.3%) subjects. Arcuate uteri represented the commonest anomaly (n = 164 (11.8%)) followed by septate (n = 7 (0.5%)), unicornuate (n = 6 (0.4%)), subseptate (n = 5 (0.4%)), bicornuate (n = 1 (0.1%)) and T-shaped uteri (n = 1 (0.1%)). A total of 440 subjects who underwent ART were followed up. The pregnancy rates in women with arcuate uteri (36/66 (54.5%)) and major uterine anomalies (7/10 (70.0%)) were statistically similar (P = 0.09 and P = 0.11, respectively) to that of the matched controls with normal uteri (158/364 (43.4%)). While first-trimester miscarriage rates were similar (P = 0.81) between the control group (20/158 (12.7%)) and women with arcuate uteri (5/36 (13.9%)), women with major uterine anomalies experienced a higher miscarriage rate (3/7 (42.9%); P = 0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Women who are referred for ART have a high prevalence of congenital uterine anomalies, the most common anomaly being an arcuate uterus. These anomalies are not associated with a reduction in pregnancy rates following ART. However, while the arcuate uterus was not associated with an increase in first-trimester miscarriage, major uterine anomalies seemed to increase the risk of first-trimester miscarriage.

First rank symptoms: concepts and diagnostic utility

First Rank Symptoms (FRS) were first defined by Schneider as diagnostic of schizophrenia. Since then, there has been an immense debate on their diagnostic and prognostic utility. This review attempts to understand the concepts of FRS as depicted over the years and the diagnostic and prognostic implications of FRS in mental illnesses including schizophrenia. Review of relevant material showed that there are wide variations in the concepts of FRS which may be classified according to broad and narrow definitions. These variations have also led to the differences in the diagnostic systems currently being used. Although the diagnostic utility of FRS in schizophrenia remains, it is not clearly so with other mental illnesses in which these symptoms may also be observed. In addition there is controversy over the prognostic implications with evidence divided between poor and no influence on outcome.

Delivery after caesarean section: consultant obstetricians' professional advice and personal preferences

The objective of this study was to determine how obstetricians would wish to be managed in their own pregnancy and their advice to patients delivering after a caesarean section. A questionnaire was sent to 219 consultant obstetricians in two large UK medical deaneries investigating their personal preferences for delivery and management of spontaneous, augmented and induced labour after a caesarean section and how they advise their patients related to the indication for the previous caesarean section. Responses were analysed according to age and gender. The questionnaire yielded a 68% response rate. None would counsel against labour unless there were contraindications. The majority would recommend labour for all indications for the previous caesarean section, although personal preferences were lower (p<0.04): 56% would recommend labour to their patients after a failed instrumental delivery, but only 36% would personally choose that option (p<0.002). Female obstetricians would contemplate and recommend labour more readily than males. Labour augmentation and induction was more frequently recommended (66% and 57%, respectively) than opted for personally (57% and 52%). Reluctance for labour augmentation and induction was greatest among younger consultants. While the majority of consultants favour labour for themselves and recommend this for their patients, it was reassuring to note that patients are encouraged to make the final decision. Informed patient choice is paramount and it is therefore important that full information about risks and benefits is available.