Breast Imaging During Pregnancy and Lactation

Breast imaging during pregnancy and lactation is important in order to avoid delays in the diagnosis and treatment of pregnancy-associated breast cancers. Radiologists have an opportunity to improve breast cancer detection by becoming familiar with appropriate breast imaging and providing recommendations to women and their referring physicians. Importantly, during pregnancy and lactation, both screening and diagnostic breast imaging can be safely performed. Here we describe when and how to screen, how to work up palpable masses, and evaluate bloody nipple discharge. The imaging features of common findings in the breasts of pregnant and lactating women are also reviewed. Finally, we address breast cancer staging and provide a brief primer on treatment options for pregnancy-associated breast cancers.

ADDRESSING SUBSTANCE-USE PROBLEMS IN TRIBAL HOME VISITING

Given the high rates for substance use among women and men of childbearing age, perinatal and early childhood home-visiting programs serving tribal communities must consider how they will address substance-use problems among the families they support. In this study, we explored the approaches to identifying and addressing family-based substance-use problems that were implemented by nine home-visiting programs serving American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities that are funded through the federal Tribal Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (Tribal MIECHV). These programs demonstrated a high awareness of substance-use problems and took concrete action to address them above and beyond that included in the home-visiting model they used. All nine programs reported that they provided substance-use preventive services and screened for substance-use problems. While all programs referred to substance-use treatment programs when needed, in six programs the home visitor provided substance-use services. Through Tribal MIECHV, the intense need for substance-use education, assessment, service delivery, and referral in many AI/AN communities is pushing the home-visiting field forward to address this increasingly critical issue for low-income families across the United States and the world.

Associations between birth size and later height from infancy through adulthood: An individual based pooled analysis of 28 twin cohorts participating in the CODATwins project

BACKGROUND

There is evidence that birth size is positively associated with height in later life, but it remains unclear whether this is explained by genetic factors or the intrauterine environment.

AIM

To analyze the associations of birth weight, length and ponderal index with height from infancy through adulthood within mono- and dizygotic twin pairs, which provides insights into the role of genetic and environmental individual-specific factors.

METHODS

This study is based on the data from 28 twin cohorts in 17 countries. The pooled data included 41,852 complete twin pairs (55% monozygotic and 45% same-sex dizygotic) with information on birth weight and a total of 112,409 paired height measurements at ages ranging from 1 to 69 years. Birth length was available for 19,881 complete twin pairs, with a total of 72,692 paired height measurements. The association between birth size and later height was analyzed at both the individual and within-pair level by linear regression analyses.

RESULTS

Within twin pairs, regression coefficients showed that a 1-kg increase in birth weight and a 1-cm increase in birth length were associated with 1.14-4.25 cm and 0.18-0.90 cm taller height, respectively. The magnitude of the associations was generally greater within dizygotic than within monozygotic twin pairs, and this difference between zygosities was more pronounced for birth length.

CONCLUSION

Both genetic and individual-specific environmental factors play a role in the association between birth size and later height from infancy to adulthood, with a larger role for genetics in the association with birth length than with birth weight.

Does young age merit increased emergency department trauma team response?

Introduction:

To determine if increased trauma team response results in alterations in resource use in a population of children <6 years, especially in those least injured.

Methods:

We conducted a retrospective before and after study of children <6 years sustaining blunt trauma and meeting defined prehospital criteria. We compared hospitalization rates and missed injuries (injuries identified after discharge from the emergency department/hospital) among patients with and without an upgraded trauma team response. We compared the computed tomography (CT) rate and laboratory testing rate among minimally injured patients (Injury Severity Score [ISS] 6).

Results:

We enrolled 352 patients with 180 (mean age 2.7 ± 1.5 years) in the upgrade cohort and 172 (mean age 2.6 ± 1.5 years) in the no-upgrade cohort. Independent predictors of hospital admission in a regression analysis included: Glasgow Coma Scale <14 (odds ratio [OR]=11.4, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.3, 56), ISS (OR=1.55, 95% CI 1.33, 1.81), and evaluation by the upgrade trauma team (OR=5.66, 95% CI 3.14, 10.2). In the 275 patients with ISS <6, CT (relative risk=1.34, 95% CI 1.09, 1.64) and laboratory tests (relative risk=1.71, 95% CI 1.39, 2.11) were more likely to be obtained in the upgrade cohort as compared to the no-upgrade cohort. We identified no cases of a missed diagnosis.

Conclusion:

Increasing the trauma team response based upon young age results in increased resource use without altering the rate of missed injuries. In hospitals with emergency department physicians capable of evaluating and treating injured children, increasing ED trauma team resources solely for young age of the patient is not recommended.

Alexithymic characteristics and metabolic control in diabetic and healthy adults

Diabetes has long been identified as a disease with possible psychological components. Alexithymia--an inability to express emotions verbally, operational thinking, and a lack of fantasy life--is found in a high proportion of psychosomatic patients. We therefore tested the hypothesis that diabetics would be more alexithymic than controls. In addition, the lack of awareness of affect was hypothesized to have negative consequences for the management of diabetes, as reflected in metabolic glucose control (HbA1). The number of emotion words produced in six imaginative (Thematic Apperception Test) stories was used as the measure of alexithymia, with few words reflecting alexithymic characteristics. Diabetics were found to be significantly more alexithymic than controls. Further, fewer emotion words (alexithymia) was associated with poorer metabolic control. These data suggest that alexithymic characteristics may interfere with a diabetic's ability to manage their illness, and support previous research showing that the suppression of emotions can lead to a difficulty in regulating glucose levels.

Elevated sleep and waking heart rates in anxious depressions

Autonomic functioning, as measured by baseline heart rates during daytime (DHR) and during sleep (SLHR), was examined in 28 patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), 13 patients with panic disorder (PD), 28 patients with MDD and coexisting PD (MDD + PD), and 19 controls. DHR and SLHR in patients with PD or MDD did not differ from normals. Only the MDD + PD group showed significantly higher heart rates than controls. This pattern of results suggests a combined effect of MDD and PD, providing psychophysiological support for clinical findings of poorer prognosis in this group.