Depression during pregnancy: views on antidepressant use and information sources of general practitioners and pharmacists

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The use of antidepressants during pregnancy has increased in recent years. In the Netherlands, almost 2% of all pregnant women are exposed to antidepressants. Although guidelines have been developed on considerations that should be taken into account, prescribing antidepressants during pregnancy is still a subject of debate. Physicians and pharmacists may have opposing views on using medication during pregnancy and may give contradictory advice on whether or not to take medication for depression and anxiety disorders during pregnancy. In this study, we investigated information sources used by general practitioners (GPs) and pharmacists and their common practices.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A questionnaire on the use of information sources and the general approach when managing depression during pregnancy was sent out to 1400 health care professionals to assess information sources on drug safety during pregnancy and also the factors that influence decision-making. The questionnaires consisted predominantly of closed multiple-choice questions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 130 GPs (19%) and 144 pharmacists (21%) responded. The most popular source of information on the safety of drug use during pregnancy is the Dutch National Health Insurance System Formulary, while a minority of respondents contacts the Dutch national Teratology Information Service (TIS). The majority of GPs contact the pharmacy with questions concerning drug use during pregnancy. There is no clear line with regard to treatment or consensus between GPs on the best therapeutic strategy, nor do practitioners agree upon the drug of first choice. GPs have different views on stopping or continuing antidepressants during pregnancy or applying alternative treatment options. The debate appears to be ongoing as to whether or not specialised care for mother and child is indicated in cases of gestational antidepressant use.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Primary health care workers are not univocal concerning therapy for pregnant women with depression. Although more research is needed to account for all safety issues, local or national policies are indispensable in order to avoid undesirable practices, such as giving contradictory advice. GPs and pharmacists should address the subject during their regular pharmacotherapeutic consensus meetings, preferably in collaboration with the TIS or other professionals in the field.</p

68Ga-PSMA PET-CT Imaging of Metastatic Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma

A patient with a history of adenoid cystic carcinoma of the nasal cavity presented himself with bone pain and an elevated PSA level. On suspicion of metastatic prostate cancer a 68Ga-PSMA PET-CT was performed. The PET-CT showed numerous lung and non-sclerotic bone metastasis. Biopsy of a bone metastasis was performed and pathology showed adenoid cystic carcinoma instead of prostate cancer. Immunohistochemical PSMA staining of the primary tumour showed intense PSMA expression in adenoid cystic carcinoma tumour cells. Because of the high PSMA expression of adenoid cystic carcinoma, 68Ga-PSMA PET-CT might be a promising imaging modality for this malignancy

Evaluation of Available Treatment Guidelines for the Management of Lithium Intoxication

Intoxications with lithium carry considerable risk for long-term morbidity and even mortality. Consequently, any patient suspected of lithium intoxication requires immediate and appropriate care. The objectives of this study were to assess the completeness and the applicability of generally available treatment guidelines for the management of patients with a lithium intoxication and, hence, to provide general recommendations for improvement of existing treatment guidelines. Nineteen treatment guidelines originating from 7 different countries were gathered by searching the Internet, online databases, and textbooks and by contacting different poison information centers and university medical centers. A list of items was composed from the retrieved treatment guidelines and a further literature search. Most relevant items were present in the various guidelines. However, in some guidelines, essential information was missing or potentially hazardous information was provided. Clarity, presentation. and applicability of the guidelines, as assessed using parts of the Appraisal of Guidelines Research and Evaluation instrument, were relatively poor. Regular updates of treatment guidelines should be performed to incorporate new essential information. To improve applicability of guidelines, unambiguous key recommendations, alternative treatments, and special care requirements should be provided and authors are recommended to test treatment guidelines using a panel of less experienced caregivers in a hypothetical case scenario

68Ga-PSMA PET-CT Imaging of Metastatic Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma

A patient with a history of adenoid cystic carcinoma of the nasal cavity presented himself with bone pain and an elevated PSA level. On suspicion of metastatic prostate cancer a 68Ga-PSMA PET-CT was performed. The PET-CT showed numerous lung and non-sclerotic bone metastasis. Biopsy of a bone metastasis was performed and pathology showed adenoid cystic carcinoma instead of prostate cancer. Immunohistochemical PSMA staining of the primary tumour showed intense PSMA expression in adenoid cystic carcinoma tumour cells. Because of the high PSMA expression of adenoid cystic carcinoma, 68Ga-PSMA PET-CT might be a promising imaging modality for this malignancy

Highly variable plasma concentrations of voriconazole in pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplantation patients

Invasive fungal infections are of great concern in pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) recipients. Voriconazole is usually the drug of first choice for treating or preventing invasive aspergillosis. Optimum trough levels (Ctroughs) are between 1 and 5 mg/liter. It is unclear whether these levels are reached with currently advised pediatric dosing schedules. Between 2007 and 2011, 11 patients 12 years) (P = 0.034). The intrapatient variability in Ctrough ranged between 1 and 238%. Voriconazole was discontinued in six patients due to toxicity. These patients had a median Ctrough of 0.5 mg/liter at the initial dose (ranging from 0.5 to 2.6 mg/liter), and a medium maximal concentration of 4 mg/liter was reached. Inter- and intrapatient variability is a major concern in voriconazole treatment and necessitates therapeutic drug monitoring of dosing, especially in young children

Impact of external cooling with icepacks on 68Ga-PSMA uptake in salivary glands

Background: External cooling of the salivary glands is advised to prevent xerostomia in lutetium-177-PSMA treatment for advanced prostate cancer. Since evidence addressing this subject is sparse, this study aims to determine impact of icepacks application on uptake in salivary glands. Eighty-nine patients referred for gallium-68-PSMA PET/CT for (re)staging of prostate cancer were prospectively included. Twenty-four patients were scanned with unilateral (solely left-sided) icepacks; 20 with bilateral icepacks; 45 without icepacks. Icepacks were applied approximately 30 minutes prior to tracer injection. PET/CT acquisition started 1 hour postinjection. Radiotracer uptake was measured in the parotid- and submandibular glands. Results: When comparing the intervention group with the control group, uptake in the left parotid gland significantly differed: SUVmax: 11.07 ± 3.53 versus 12.95 ± 4.16; p = 0.02. SUVpeak: 9.91 ± 3.14 versus 11.45 ± 3.61; p = 0.04. SUVmax and SUVpeak were reduced with 14.52% and 13.45%. All other SUV values did not significantly differ. Patients with bilateral icepacks showed no significant differences in PSMA uptake compared to the control group (all: p > 0.05). Intra-patient analysis revealed some significant differences in SUVmax and SUVpeak between the cooled and non-cooled parotid gland (SUVmax: 11.12 ± 3.71 versus 12.69 ± 3.75; p = 0.00. SUVpeak: 9.93 ± 3.32 versus 11.25 ± 3.25; p = 0.00). Conclusions: Impact of icepacks on PSMA uptake seems to be limited to the parotid glands. As clinical relevance of these findings is debatable, structural application of icepacks in the setting of lutetium-177 PSMA therapy needs careful consideration

Case report. Toepassing van 177Lu-PSMA bij een patiënt met gemetastaseerd castratieresistent prostaatcarcinoom

In December 2016, the first patient in the Netherlands was treated with lutetium-177 prostate specific membrane antigen (177Lu-PSMA); a promising application of radionuclide therapy in prostate carcinoma. This case report discusses the working mechanism of 177Lu-PSMA therapy. Furthermore, an overview of the published literature on this specific subject is presented