Re-evaluating DSM-I

The DSM-I is currently viewed as a psychoanalytic classification, and therefore unimportant. There are four reasons to challenge the belief that DSM-I was a psychoanalytic system. First, psychoanalysts were a minority on the committee that created DSM-I. Second, psychoanalysts of the time did not use DSM-I. Third, DSM-I was as infused with Kraepelinian concepts as it was with psychoanalytic concepts. Fourth, contemporary writers who commented on DSM-I did not perceive it as psychoanalytic. The first edition of the DSM arose from a blending of concepts from the Statistical Manual for the Use of Hospitals of Mental Diseases, the military psychiatric classifications developed during World War II, and the International Classification of Diseases (6th edition). As a consensual, clinically oriented classification, DSM-I was popular, leading to 20 printings and international recognition. From the perspective inherent in this paper, the continuities between classifications from the first half of the 20th century and the systems developed in the second half (e.g. DSM-III to DSM-5) become more visible.

Neurovascular Interactions in the Neurologically Compromised Neonatal Brain

Neurological brain injuries such as hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy (HIE) and associated conditions such as seizures have been associated with poor developmental outcome in neonates. Our limited knowledge of the neurological and cerebrovascular processes underlying seizures limits their diagnosis and timely treatment. Diffuse optical tomography (DOT) provides haemodynamic information in the form of changes in concentration of de/oxygenated haemoglobin, which can improve our understanding of seizures and the relationship between neural and vascular processes. Using simultaneous EEG-DOT, we observed distinct haemodynamic changes which are temporally correlated with electrographic seizures. Here, we present DOT-EEG data from two neonates clinically diagnosed as HIE. Our results highlight the wealth of mutually-informative data that can be obtained using DOT-EEG techniques to understand neurovascular coupling in HIE neonates.

Diagnostic accuracy of the Xpert® MTB/RIF assay for extra-pulmonary tuberculosis: a meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Xpert(®) MTB/RIF is a commercially available nucleic acid amplification test developed for the diagnosis of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB).

OBJECTIVE

To determine the diagnostic accuracy of Xpert for the detection of extra-pulmonary tuberculosis (EPTB).

METHODS

We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE and Global Health databases from January 2010 to 15 August 2014 for studies of diagnostic performance in which Xpert was examined against culture for patients with clinically suspected EPTB. Bivariate random effects models were used to provide pooled estimates of diagnostic accuracy.

RESULTS

Thirty-six studies were identified, with a pooled sensitivity and specificity of respectively 77% (95%CI 66-85) and 97% (95%CI 94-98). Substantial variations existed between study estimates of sensitivity (I(2) = 99%) and specificity (I(2) = 96%). Among site-specific estimates for lymph, pleural fluid, cerebrospinal fluid, gastro-intestinal and urinary samples, the pooled sensitivity was lower in pleural fluid (37%, 95%CI 26-50, meta-regression P < 0.001) and higher in lymph node samples (87%, 95%CI 75-95, meta-regression P = 0.03).

CONCLUSION

Xpert has high specificity but limited sensitivity for the detection of EPTB. Although positive Xpert test results may be useful in rapidly identifying EPTB cases, negative test results provide less certainty for ruling out disease.

Operational Definition of Active and Healthy Ageing (AHA): A Conceptual Framework

Health is a multi-dimensional concept, capturing how people feel and function. The broad concept of Active and Healthy Ageing was proposed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as the process of optimizing opportunities for health to enhance quality of life as people age. It applies to both individuals and population groups. A universal Active and Healthy Ageing definition is not available and it may differ depending on the purpose of the definition and/or the questions raised. While the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing (EIP on AHA) has had a major impact, a definition of Active and Healthy Ageing is urgently needed. A meeting was organised in Montpellier, France, October 20-21, 2014 as the annual conference of the EIP on AHA Reference Site MACVIA-LR (Contre les Maladies Chroniques pour un Vieillissement Actif en Languedoc Roussillon) to propose an operational definition of Active and Healthy Ageing including tools that may be used for this. The current paper describes the rationale and the process by which the aims of the meeting will be reached.