[Railway suicide and the proximity of psychiatric hospitals: a scoping review]

BACKGROUND

The proximity of a psychiatric hospital to a railway infrastructure is a risk factor for railway suicide. Due to limited research results, no systematic reviews have extensively investigated the determinants of this association.

AIM

Scoping review of the current scientific knowledge on the institutional, patient-related and rail- and environment-related determinants of rail suicide in proximity of psychiatric hospitals and of existing preventive measures taken by rail managers in Belgium and the Netherlands.

METHOD

A literature search was conducted using the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus databases. Relevant policy documents were requested from railroad administrators.

RESULTS

Residential patients with a severe psychiatric disorder are at increased risk of railway suicide. Poor continuity of care and various rail and environmental factors appear to be other relevant risk factors. The rail sector in Belgium and the Netherlands appears to take specific measures to prevent rail suicide in the hotspots located near psychiatric hospitals.

CONCLUSION

Despite certain consistent findings about the population at risk for railway suicide, there is a clear need for more research concerning other possible determinants and the effectiveness of suicide prevention programs within a psychiatric context.

Interleukin-6 producing pheochromocytoma/paraganglioma: case series from a tertiary referral centre for pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas

INTRODUCTION

In addition to catecholamines, pheochromocytomas and paragangliomas (PPGL) may secrete interleukin-6 (IL-6). IL-6 contributes to the development of unusual symptoms, which may hinder the diagnosis.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

We report the clinical course and subsequent treatment of IL-6 producing PPGL in three patients from a single tertiary referral centre for PPGL patients in the Netherlands.

CONCLUSION

PPGL combined with persistent elevated inflammatory markers, either in the presence or absence of pyrexia, raised suspicion of IL-6 overproduction in these three patients. Although surgical resection of the tumour is the only curative treatment option, our case series adds to the accumulating evidence that alpha-blockers might be effective in these patients.

Thyroid hormones treatment for subclinical hypothyroidism: a clinical practice guideline

CLINICAL QUESTION

What are the benefits and harms of thyroid hormones for adults with subclinical hypothyroidism (SCH)? This guideline was triggered by a recent systematic review of randomised controlled trials, which could alter practice.

CURRENT PRACTICE

Current guidelines tend to recommend thyroid hormones for adults with thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) levels >10 mIU/L and for people with lower TSH values who are young, symptomatic, or have specific indications for prescribing.

RECOMMENDATION

The guideline panel issues a strong recommendation against thyroid hormones in adults with SCH (elevated TSH levels and normal free T4 (thyroxine) levels). It does not apply to women who are trying to become pregnant or patients with TSH >20 mIU/L. It may not apply to patients with severe symptoms or young adults (such as those ≤30 years old).

HOW THIS GUIDELINE WAS CREATED

A guideline panel including patients, clinicians, and methodologists produced this recommendation in adherence with standards for trustworthy guidelines using the GRADE approach.

THE EVIDENCE

The systematic review included 21 trials with 2192 participants. For adults with SCH, thyroid hormones consistently demonstrate no clinically relevant benefits for quality of life or thyroid related symptoms, including depressive symptoms, fatigue, and body mass index (moderate to high quality evidence). Thyroid hormones may have little or no effect on cardiovascular events or mortality (low quality evidence), but harms were measured in only one trial with few events at two years' follow-up.

UNDERSTANDING THE RECOMMENDATION

The panel concluded that almost all adults with SCH would not benefit from treatment with thyroid hormones. Other factors in the strong recommendation include the burden of lifelong management and uncertainty on potential harms. Instead, clinicians should monitor the progression or resolution of the thyroid dysfunction in these adults. Recommendations are made actionable for clinicians and their patients through visual overviews. These provide the relative and absolute benefits and harms of thyroid hormones in multilayered evidence summaries and decision aids available in MAGIC (https://app.magicapp.org/) to support shared decisions and adaptation of this guideline.

Ectopic fat and insulin resistance: pathophysiology and effect of diet and lifestyle interventions

The storage of triglyceride (TG) droplets in nonadipose tissues is called ectopic fat storage. Ectopic fat is associated with insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Not the triglycerides per se but the accumulation of intermediates of lipid metabolism in organs, such as the liver, skeletal muscle, and heart seem to disrupt metabolic processes and impair organ function. We describe the mechanisms of ectopic fat depositions in the liver, skeletal muscle, and in and around the heart and the consequences for each organs function. In addition, we systematically reviewed the literature for the effects of diet-induced weight loss and exercise on ectopic fat depositions.

No evidence for increased self-reported cognitive failure in Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes: a cross-sectional study

AIMS

Mild cognitive deficits have been determined in both types of diabetes using neurocognitive tests. Little is known about the degree to which patients complain about their cognitive functioning. This study set out to investigate the magnitude and correlates of self-reported cognitive failure in adult out-patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.

METHODS

Subjective cognitive functioning was measured in 187 diabetic patients using the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ). Demographic and clinical characteristics were retrieved from the medical records. The Patient Health Questionnaire 9 items (PHQ-9) was self-administered along with the CFQ to correct for the confounding effect of depression.

RESULTS

Analyses were based on 55 patients with Type 1 diabetes and 100 patients with Type 2 diabetes. No difference in mean CFQ score was observed between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetic patients or between Type 1 diabetic patients and healthy control subjects. Female patients with Type 2 diabetes reported significantly fewer cognitive complaints compared with female healthy control subjects. None of the demographic variables and diabetes-related complications was associated with subjective cognitive complaints. A strong positive association was found between depression symptomatology and frequency of self-reported cognitive failure.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study could not confirm elevated subjective cognitive complaints in a group of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes patients, as might be expected given the observed elevated rates of mild cognitive dysfunction in patients with diabetes. Self-reported cognitive failure appears largely determined by depressive symptomatology. Therefore, affective status should be included in any cognitive assessment procedure.

Hormonal versus non-hormonal contraceptives in women with diabetes mellitus type 1 and 2

BACKGROUND

Adequate contraceptive advice is important in women with diabetes mellitus type 1 and 2 to reduce the risk of maternal and infant morbidity and mortality in unplanned pregnancies. A wide variety of contraceptives are available for these women. However hormonal contraceptives might influence carbohydrate and lipid metabolism and increase micro- and macrovascular complications. So caution in selecting a contraceptive method is required.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate whether progestogen-only, combined estrogen/progestogen or non-hormonal contraceptives differ in terms of effectiveness in preventing pregnancy, in their side effects on carbohydrate and lipid metabolism and in long-term complications such as micro- and macrovascular disease, when used in women with diabetes mellitus.

SEARCH STRATEGY

The search was performed in MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL/CCTR, POPLINE, CINAHL, WorldCat, ECO, ArticleFirst, the Science Citation Index, the British Library Inside, and reference lists of relevant articles. Last search was performed in May 2005. In addition, experts in the field and pharmaceutical companies marketing contraceptives were contacted to identify published, unpublished or ongoing studies.

SELECTION CRITERIA

Randomised and quasi-randomised controlled trials that studied women with diabetes mellitus comparing: 1. hormonal versus non-hormonal contraceptives. 2. progestogen-only versus estrogen/progestogen contraceptives. 3. contraceptives containing <50 microg estrogen versus contraceptives containing > or = 50 microg estrogen. 4. contraceptives containing 'first'-, 'second'- and 'third'-generation progestogens, drospirenone and cyproterone acetate. Principal outcomes were contraceptive effectiveness, diabetes control, lipid metabolism and micro- and macrovascular complications.

DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS

Two investigators evaluated the titles and abstracts from the literature search. Quality assessment was performed independently with discrepancies resolved by discussion or consulting a third reviewer. Because the trials differed in studied contraceptives, participant characteristics and methodological quality, we could not combine the data in a meta-analysis. The trials were therefore examined on an individual basis and narrative summaries were provided.

MAIN RESULTS

Three randomised controlled trials were included. Only one was of good methodological quality. It compared the influence of levonorgestrel-releasing IUD versus copper-IUD on carbohydrate metabolism in women with type 1 diabetes mellitus. No difference was found in daily insulin requirement, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) or fasting blood sugar after twelve months. The other two trials were of limited methodological quality. Both compared progestogen-only pills with different estrogen/progestogen combinations. The trials reported blood glucose levels to remain stable during treatment with most regimens. Only high-dose combined oral contraceptives were found to slightly impair glucose homeostasis. Combined oral contraceptives also appeared to have a minor adverse effect on lipid metabolism whereas progestogen-only contraceptives slightly improved lipid-metabolism. Only one study reported on micro- and macrovascular complications. No signs or symptoms of thromboembolic incidents or visual disturbances were observed. However study duration was short. Minor adverse effects were reported in one study. The trial found progestogen-only pills to cause more bleeding irregularities when compared with combined oral contraceptives. Unintended pregnancies were not observed during any of the studies.

AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS

The three included randomised controlled trials in this systematic review provided insufficient evidence to assess whether progestogen-only and combined contraceptives differ from non-hormonal contraceptives in diabetes control, lipid metabolism and complications. Two of the three studies were of limited methodological quality, sponsored by pharmaceutical companies and described surrogate outcomes. Ideally, an adequately reported, high-quality randomised controlled trial analysing both intermediate outcomes (i.e. glucose and lipid metabolism) and true clinical endpoints (micro- and macrovascular disease) in users of combined, progestogen-only and non-hormonal contraceptives should be conducted. However, due to the low incidence of micro- and macrovascular disease and accordingly the large sample size and follow-up period needed to observe differences in risk, a randomised controlled trial might not be the ideal design.