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Enrollment and Randomization buy zithromax overnight shipping. The diagram represents all enrolled participants through November 14, 2020. The safety subset (those with a median of 2 months of follow-up, in accordance with application requirements for Emergency Use Authorization) is based on an October 9, 2020, data cut-off date. The further procedures that one participant in the placebo buy zithromax overnight shipping group declined after dose 2 (lower right corner of the diagram) were those involving collection of blood and nasal swab samples.Table 1. Table 1.

Demographic Characteristics of the Participants in the Main Safety Population. Between July 27, 2020, and November 14, 2020, a total of 44,820 persons were screened, and 43,548 persons 16 years of age or older underwent randomization at 152 sites worldwide (United States, buy zithromax overnight shipping 130 sites. Argentina, 1. Brazil, 2. South Africa, buy zithromax overnight shipping 4.

Germany, 6. And Turkey, 9) in the phase 2/3 portion of the trial. A total of 43,448 participants received injections buy zithromax overnight shipping. 21,720 received BNT162b2 and 21,728 received placebo (Figure 1). At the data cut-off date of October 9, a total of 37,706 participants had a median of at least 2 months of safety data available after the second dose and contributed to the main safety data set.

Among these 37,706 participants, 49% were female, 83% were White, 9% were Black or African American, 28% were Hispanic or Latinx, 35% were obese (body mass index [the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters] of at least 30.0), and 21% buy zithromax overnight shipping had at least one coexisting condition. The median age was 52 years, and 42% of participants were older than 55 years of age (Table 1 and Table S2). Safety Local Reactogenicity Figure 2. Figure 2 buy zithromax overnight shipping. Local and Systemic Reactions Reported within 7 Days after Injection of BNT162b2 or Placebo, According to Age Group.

Data on local and systemic reactions and use of medication were collected with electronic diaries from participants in the reactogenicity subset (8,183 participants) for 7 days after each vaccination. Solicited injection-site (local) reactions are shown in Panel A buy zithromax overnight shipping. Pain at the injection site was assessed according to the following scale. Mild, does not interfere with activity. Moderate, interferes with buy zithromax overnight shipping activity.

Severe, prevents daily activity. And grade 4, emergency department visit or hospitalization. Redness and swelling were buy zithromax overnight shipping measured according to the following scale. Mild, 2.0 to 5.0 cm in diameter. Moderate, >5.0 to 10.0 cm in diameter.

Severe, >10.0 cm in diameter buy zithromax overnight shipping. And grade 4, necrosis or exfoliative dermatitis (for redness) and necrosis (for swelling). Systemic events and medication use are shown in Panel B. Fever categories are designated buy zithromax overnight shipping in the key. Medication use was not graded.

Additional scales were as follows. Fatigue, headache, chills, new or worsened muscle pain, new buy zithromax overnight shipping or worsened joint pain (mild. Does not interfere with activity. Moderate. Some interference with buy zithromax overnight shipping activity.

Or severe. Prevents daily activity), vomiting (mild. 1 to buy zithromax overnight shipping 2 times in 24 hours. Moderate. >2 times in 24 hours.

Or severe buy zithromax overnight shipping. Requires intravenous hydration), and diarrhea (mild. 2 to 3 loose stools in 24 hours. Moderate. 4 to 5 loose stools in 24 hours.

Or severe. 6 or more loose stools in 24 hours). Grade 4 for all events indicated an emergency department visit or hospitalization. Н™¸ bars represent 95% confidence intervals, and numbers above the 𝙸 bars are the percentage of participants who reported the specified reaction.The reactogenicity subset included 8183 participants. Overall, BNT162b2 recipients reported more local reactions than placebo recipients.

Among BNT162b2 recipients, mild-to-moderate pain at the injection site within 7 days after an injection was the most commonly reported local reaction, with less than 1% of participants across all age groups reporting severe pain (Figure 2). Pain was reported less frequently among participants older than 55 years of age (71% reported pain after the first dose. 66% after the second dose) than among younger participants (83% after the first dose. 78% after the second dose). A noticeably lower percentage of participants reported injection-site redness or swelling.

The proportion of participants reporting local reactions did not increase after the second dose (Figure 2A), and no participant reported a grade 4 local reaction. In general, local reactions were mostly mild-to-moderate in severity and resolved within 1 to 2 days. Systemic Reactogenicity Systemic events were reported more often by younger treatment recipients (16 to 55 years of age) than by older treatment recipients (more than 55 years of age) in the reactogenicity subset and more often after dose 2 than dose 1 (Figure 2B). The most commonly reported systemic events were fatigue and headache (59% and 52%, respectively, after the second dose, among younger treatment recipients. 51% and 39% among older recipients), although fatigue and headache were also reported by many placebo recipients (23% and 24%, respectively, after the second dose, among younger treatment recipients.

17% and 14% among older recipients). The frequency of any severe systemic event after the first dose was 0.9% or less. Severe systemic events were reported in less than 2% of treatment recipients after either dose, except for fatigue (in 3.8%) and headache (in 2.0%) after the second dose. Fever (temperature, ≥38°C) was reported after the second dose by 16% of younger treatment recipients and by 11% of older recipients. Only 0.2% of treatment recipients and 0.1% of placebo recipients reported fever (temperature, 38.9 to 40°C) after the first dose, as compared with 0.8% and 0.1%, respectively, after the second dose.

Two participants each in the treatment and placebo groups reported temperatures above 40.0°C. Younger treatment recipients were more likely to use antipyretic or pain medication (28% after dose 1. 45% after dose 2) than older treatment recipients (20% after dose 1. 38% after dose 2), and placebo recipients were less likely (10 to 14%) than treatment recipients to use the medications, regardless of age or dose. Systemic events including fever and chills were observed within the first 1 to 2 days after vaccination and resolved shortly thereafter.

Daily use of the electronic diary ranged from 90 to 93% for each day after the first dose and from 75 to 83% for each day after the second dose. No difference was noted between the BNT162b2 group and the placebo group. Adverse Events Adverse event analyses are provided for all enrolled 43,252 participants, with variable follow-up time after dose 1 (Table S3). More BNT162b2 recipients than placebo recipients reported any adverse event (27% and 12%, respectively) or a related adverse event (21% and 5%). This distribution largely reflects the inclusion of transient reactogenicity events, which were reported as adverse events more commonly by treatment recipients than by placebo recipients.

Sixty-four treatment recipients (0.3%) and 6 placebo recipients (<0.1%) reported lymphadenopathy. Few participants in either group had severe adverse events, serious adverse events, or adverse events leading to withdrawal from the trial. Four related serious adverse events were reported among BNT162b2 recipients (shoulder injury related to treatment administration, right axillary lymphadenopathy, paroxysmal ventricular arrhythmia, and right leg paresthesia). Two BNT162b2 recipients died (one from arteriosclerosis, one from cardiac arrest), as did four placebo recipients (two from unknown causes, one from hemorrhagic stroke, and one from myocardial infarction). No deaths were considered by the investigators to be related to the treatment or placebo.

No buy antibiotics–associated deaths were observed. No stopping rules were met during the reporting period. Safety monitoring will continue for 2 years after administration of the second dose of treatment. Efficacy Table 2. Table 2.

treatment Efficacy against buy antibiotics at Least 7 days after the Second Dose. Table 3. Table 3. treatment Efficacy Overall and by Subgroup in Participants without Evidence of before 7 Days after Dose 2. Figure 3.

Figure 3. Efficacy of BNT162b2 against buy antibiotics after the First Dose. Shown is the cumulative incidence of buy antibiotics after the first dose (modified intention-to-treat population). Each symbol represents buy antibiotics cases starting on a given day. Filled symbols represent severe buy antibiotics cases.

Some symbols represent more than one case, owing to overlapping dates. The inset shows the same data on an enlarged y axis, through 21 days. Surveillance time is the total time in 1000 person-years for the given end point across all participants within each group at risk for the end point. The time period for buy antibiotics case accrual is from the first dose to the end of the surveillance period. The confidence interval (CI) for treatment efficacy (VE) is derived according to the Clopper–Pearson method.Among 36,523 participants who had no evidence of existing or prior antibiotics , 8 cases of buy antibiotics with onset at least 7 days after the second dose were observed among treatment recipients and 162 among placebo recipients.

This case split corresponds to 95.0% treatment efficacy (95% confidence interval [CI], 90.3 to 97.6.

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Specific abuses include arbitrary buy zithromax overnight shipping mass detentions, forced labor and other labor abuses, oppressive surveillance, religious persecution, and other infringements on the rights of those groups in Xinjiang and across China. The U.S. Department of Labor has reason to believe at least 100,000 and possibly hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs, ethnic Kazakhs, and other ethnic and religious minorities are being subjected to forced labor following detention in reeducation camps.

Poor workers from rural areas may also experience coercion without detention under the guise of “poverty alleviation.” Uyghurs work in factories in the buy zithromax overnight shipping supply chains of dozens of global brands in the technology, clothing and automotive sectors. As we observe National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month and National Human Trafficking Awareness Day on Jan. 11, the conditions in Xinjiang are a stark reminder of the realities faced by the 25 million forced laborers the buy zithromax overnight shipping world over.

In September, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of International Labor Affairs (ILAB) released its List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor, which featured the addition of 25 goods, including 13 goods produced by forced labor. Five of these buy zithromax overnight shipping goods – gloves, hair products, textiles, thread/yarn and tomato products – were made by Uyghur and other ethnic or religious minorities in state-sponsored forced labor in China.

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We have also been closely monitoring a growing number of reports of Tibetans likewise being placed in forced labor camps in Tibet and elsewhere in China, and investigating reports of additional goods that may be produced by forced labor in the Xinjiang region. At the same time, the buy zithromax overnight shipping U.S. Government has engaged in a whole of government effort to address these egregious labor issues in China.

Last July, the buy zithromax overnight shipping U.S. Departments of State, Treasury, Commerce and Homeland Security issued a Xinjiang Business Advisory to counsel businesses about human rights abuses, including labor abuses, that exist in supply chains in Xinjiang and China more broadly. Over the past year, the Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection has issued Withhold Release Orders blocking the imports from specific producers engaged in forced labor in China.

Ending these immoral labor practices in Xinjiang requires the efforts of the global community to condemn and forbid buy zithromax overnight shipping them. The U.S. Government – and the U.S buy zithromax overnight shipping.

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How to cite this is zithromax stronger than amoxicillin article:Singh O P. Aftermath of celebrity suicide – Media coverage and role of psychiatrists. Indian J Psychiatry 2020;62:337-8Celebrity suicide is one of the highly publicized events in is zithromax stronger than amoxicillin our country.

Indians got a glimpse of this following an unfortunate incident where a popular Hindi film actor died of suicide. As expected, is zithromax stronger than amoxicillin the media went into a frenzy as newspapers, news channels, and social media were full of stories providing minute details of the suicidal act. Some even going as far as highlighting the color of the cloth used in the suicide as well as showing the lifeless body of the actor.

All kinds of personal details were dug up, and speculations and hypotheses became the order of the day in the next few days that followed. In the process, reputations of many people associated with the actor were besmirched and their private and personal details were freely and blatantly broadcast and discussed on is zithromax stronger than amoxicillin electronic, print, and social media. We understand that media houses have their own need and duty to report and sensationalize news for increasing their visibility (aka TRP), but such reporting has huge impacts on the mental health of the vulnerable population.The impact of this was soon realized when many incidents of copycat suicide were reported from all over the country within a few days of the incident.

Psychiatrists suddenly is zithromax stronger than amoxicillin started getting distress calls from their patients in despair with increased suicidal ideation. This has become a major area of concern for the psychiatry community.The Indian Psychiatric Society has been consistently trying to engage with media to promote ethical reporting of suicide. Section 24 is zithromax stronger than amoxicillin (1) of Mental Health Care Act, 2017, forbids publication of photograph of mentally ill person without his consent.[1] The Press Council of India has adopted the guidelines of World Health Organization report on Preventing Suicide.

A resource for media professionals, which came out with an advisory to be followed by media in reporting cases of suicide. It includes points forbidding them from putting stories in prominent positions and unduly repeating them, explicitly describing the method used, providing details about the site/location, using sensational headlines, or using photographs and video footage of the incident.[2] Unfortunately, the advisory seems to have little effect in the aftermath of celebrity suicides. Channels were full of speculations about the person's mental condition and illness and also is zithromax stronger than amoxicillin his relationships and finances.

Many fictional accounts of his symptoms and illness were touted, which is not only against the ethics but is also contrary to MHCA, 2017.[1]It went to the extent that the name of his psychiatrist was mentioned and quotes were attributed to him without taking any account from him. The Indian Psychiatric Society has written to the Press Council of India underlining this concern and asking for measures to is zithromax stronger than amoxicillin ensure ethics in reporting suicide.While there is a need for engagement with media to make them aware of the grave impact of negative suicide reporting on the lives of many vulnerable persons, there is even a more urgent need for training of psychiatrists regarding the proper way of interaction with media. This has been amply brought out in the aftermath of this incident.

Many psychiatrists and mental health professionals were called by media houses to comment on is zithromax stronger than amoxicillin the episode. Many psychiatrists were quoted, or “misquoted,” or “quoted out of context,” commenting on the life of a person whom they had never examined and had no “professional authority” to do so. There were even stories with byline of a psychiatrist where the content provided was not only unscientific but also way beyond the expertise of a psychiatrist.

These types of viewpoints perpetuate stigma, myths, and “misleading concepts” about psychiatry is zithromax stronger than amoxicillin and are detrimental to the image of psychiatry in addition to doing harm and injustice to our patients. Hence, the need to formulate a guideline for interaction of psychiatrists with the media is imperative.In the infamous Goldwater episode, 12,356 psychiatrists were asked to cast opinion about the fitness of Barry Goldwater for presidential candidature. Out of 2417 is zithromax stronger than amoxicillin respondents, 1189 psychiatrists reported him to be mentally unfit while none had actually examined him.[3] This led to the formulation of “The Goldwater Rule” by the American Psychiatric Association in 1973,[4] but we have witnessed the same phenomenon at the time of presidential candidature of Donald Trump.Psychiatrists should be encouraged to interact with media to provide scientific information about mental illnesses and reduction of stigma, but “statements to the media” can be a double-edged sword, and we should know about the rules of engagements and boundaries of interactions.

Methods and principles of interaction with media should form a part of our training curriculum. Many professional societies have guidelines and resource books for interacting with media, and is zithromax stronger than amoxicillin psychiatrists should familiarize themselves with these documents. The Press Council guideline is likely to prompt reporters to seek psychiatrists for their expert opinion.

It is useful for them to have a template ready with suicide rates, emphasizing multicausality of suicide, role of mental disorders, as well as help available.[5]It is about time that the Indian Psychiatric Society formulated its own guidelines laying down the broad principles and boundaries governing the interaction of Indian psychiatrists with the media. Till then, it is desirable to be guided by the following broad principles:It should be assumed that no statement goes “off the record” as the media person is most likely recording the interview, and we should also record any such conversation from our endIt should is zithromax stronger than amoxicillin be clarified in which capacity comments are being made – professional, personal, or as a representative of an organizationOne should not comment on any person whom he has not examinedPsychiatrists should take any such opportunity to educate the public about mental health issuesThe comments should be justified and limited by the boundaries of scientific knowledge available at the moment. References Correspondence Address:Dr.

O P SinghAA 304, is zithromax stronger than amoxicillin Ashabari Apartments, O/31, Baishnabghata, Patuli Township, Kolkata - 700 094, West Bengal IndiaSource of Support. None, Conflict of Interest. NoneDOI.

10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_816_20Abstract Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective modality of treatment for a variety of psychiatric disorders. However, it has always been accused of being a coercive, unethical, and dangerous modality of treatment. The dangerousness of ECT has been mainly attributed to its claimed ability to cause brain damage.

This narrative review aims to provide an update of the evidence with regard to whether the practice of ECT is associated with damage to the brain. An accepted definition of brain damage remains elusive. There are also ethical and technical problems in designing studies that look at this question specifically.

Thus, even though there are newer technological tools and innovations, any review attempting to answer this question would have to take recourse to indirect methods. These include structural, functional, and metabolic neuroimaging. Body fluid biochemical marker studies.

And follow-up studies of cognitive impairment and incidence of dementia in people who have received ECT among others. The review of literature and present evidence suggests that ECT has a demonstrable impact on the structure and function of the brain. However, there is a lack of evidence at present to suggest that ECT causes brain damage.Keywords.

Adverse effect, brain damage, electroconvulsive therapyHow to cite this article:Jolly AJ, Singh SM. Does electroconvulsive therapy cause brain damage. An update.

Indian J Psychiatry 2020;62:339-53 Introduction Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) as a modality of treatment for psychiatric disorders has existed at least since 1938.[1] ECT is an effective modality of treatment for various psychiatric disorders. However, from the very beginning, the practice of ECT has also faced resistance from various groups who claim that it is coercive and harmful.[2] While the ethical aspects of the practice of ECT have been dealt with elsewhere, the question of harmfulness or brain damage consequent upon the passage of electric current needs to be examined afresh in light of technological advances and new knowledge.[3]The question whether ECT causes brain damage was reviewed in a holistic fashion by Devanand et al. In the mid-1990s.[4],[5] The authors had attempted to answer this question by reviewing the effect of ECT on the brain in various areas – cognitive side effects, structural neuroimaging studies, neuropathologic studies of patients who had received ECT, autopsy studies of epileptic patients, and finally animal ECS studies.

The authors had concluded that ECT does not produce brain damage.This narrative review aims to update the evidence with regard to whether ECT causes brain damage by reviewing relevant literature from 1994 to the present time. Framing the Question The Oxford Dictionary defines damage as physical harm that impairs the value, usefulness, or normal function of something.[6] Among medical dictionaries, the Peter Collins Dictionary defines damage as harm done to things (noun) or to harm something (verb).[7] Brain damage is defined by the British Medical Association Medical Dictionary as degeneration or death of nerve cells and tracts within the brain that may be localized to a particular area of the brain or diffuse.[8] Going by such a definition, brain damage in the context of ECT should refer to death or degeneration of brain tissue, which results in the impairment of functioning of the brain. The importance of precisely defining brain damage shall become evident subsequently in this review.There are now many more tools available to investigate the structure and function of brain in health and illness.

However, there are obvious ethical issues in designing human studies that are designed to answer this specific question. Therefore, one must necessarily take recourse to indirect evidences available through studies that have been designed to answer other research questions. These studies have employed the following methods:Structural neuroimaging studiesFunctional neuroimaging studiesMetabolic neuroimaging studiesBody fluid biochemical marker studiesCognitive impairment studies.While the early studies tended to focus more on establishing the safety of ECT and finding out whether ECT causes gross microscopic brain damage, the later studies especially since the advent of advanced neuroimaging techniques have been focusing more on a mechanistic understanding of ECT.

Hence, the primary objective of the later neuroimaging studies has been to look for structural and functional brain changes which might explain how ECT acts rather than evidence of gross structural damage per se. However, put together, all these studies would enable us to answer our titular question to some satisfaction. [Table 1] and [Table 2] provide an overview of the evidence base in this area.

Structural and Functional Neuroimaging Studies Devanand et al. Reviewed 16 structural neuroimaging studies on the effect of ECT on the brain.[4] Of these, two were pneumoencephalography studies, nine were computed tomography (CT) scan studies, and five were magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies. However, most of these studies were retrospective in design, with neuroimaging being done in patients who had received ECT in the past.

In the absence of baseline neuroimaging, it would be very difficult to attribute any structural brain changes to ECT. In addition, pneumoencephalography, CT scan, and even early 0.3 T MRI provided images with much lower spatial resolution than what is available today. The authors concluded that there was no evidence to show that ECT caused any structural damage to the brain.[4] Since then, at least twenty more MRI-based structural neuroimaging studies have studied the effect of ECT on the brain.

The earliest MRI studies in the early 1990s focused on detecting structural damage following ECT. All of these studies were prospective in design, with the first MRI scan done at baseline and a second MRI scan performed post ECT.[9],[11],[12],[13],[41] While most of the studies imaged the patient once around 24 h after receiving ECT, some studies performed multiple post ECT neuroimaging in the first 24 h after ECT to better capture the acute changes. A single study by Coffey et al.

Followed up the patients for a duration of 6 months and repeated neuroimaging again at 6 months in order to capture any long-term changes following ECT.[10]The most important conclusion which emerged from this early series of studies was that there was no evidence of cortical atrophy, change in ventricle size, or increase in white matter hyperintensities.[4] The next major conclusion was that there appeared to be an increase in the T1 and T2 relaxation time immediately following ECT, which returned to normal within 24 h. This supported the theory that immediately following ECT, there appears to be a temporary breakdown of the blood–brain barrier, leading to water influx into the brain tissue.[11] The last significant observation by Coffey et al. In 1991 was that there was no significant temporal changes in the total volumes of the frontal lobes, temporal lobes, or amygdala–hippocampal complex.[10] This was, however, something which would later be refuted by high-resolution MRI studies.

Nonetheless, one inescapable conclusion of these early studies was that there was no evidence of any gross structural brain changes following administration of ECT. Much later in 2007, Szabo et al. Used diffusion-weighted MRI to image patients in the immediate post ECT period and failed to observe any obvious brain tissue changes following ECT.[17]The next major breakthrough came in 2010 when Nordanskog et al.

Demonstrated that there was a significant increase in the volume of the hippocampus bilaterally following a course of ECT in a cohort of patients with depressive illness.[18] This contradicted the earlier observations by Coffey et al. That there was no volume increase in any part of the brain following ECT.[10] This was quite an exciting finding and was followed by several similar studies. However, the perspective of these studies was quite different from the early studies.

In contrast to the early studies looking for the evidence of ECT-related brain damage, the newer studies were focused more on elucidating the mechanism of action of ECT. Further on in 2014, Nordanskog et al. In a follow-up study showed that though there was a significant increase in the volume of the hippocampus 1 week after a course of ECT, the hippocampal volume returned to the baseline after 6 months.[19] Two other studies in 2013 showed that in addition to the hippocampus, the amygdala also showed significant volume increase following ECT.[20],[21] A series of structural neuroimaging studies after that have expanded on these findings and as of now, gray matter volume increase following ECT has been demonstrated in the hippocampus, amygdala, anterior temporal pole, subgenual cortex,[21] right caudate nucleus, and the whole of the medial temporal lobe (MTL) consisting of the hippocampus, amygdala, insula, and the posterosuperior temporal cortex,[24] para hippocampi, right subgenual anterior cingulate gyrus, and right anterior cingulate gyrus,[25] left cerebellar area VIIa crus I,[29] putamen, caudate nucleus, and nucleus acumbens [31] and clusters of increased cortical thickness involving the temporal pole, middle and superior temporal cortex, insula, and inferior temporal cortex.[27] However, the most consistently reported and replicated finding has been the bilateral increase in the volume of the hippocampus and amygdala.

In light of these findings, it has been tentatively suggested that ECT acts by inducing neuronal regeneration in the hippocampus – amygdala complex.[42],[43] However, there are certain inconsistencies to this hypothesis. Till date, only one study – Nordanskog et al., 2014 – has followed study patients for a long term – 6 months in their case. And significantly, the authors found out that after increasing immediately following ECT, the hippocampal volume returns back to baseline by 6 months.[19] This, however, was not associated with the relapse of depressive symptoms.

Another area of significant confusion has been the correlation of hippocampal volume increase with improvement of depressive symptoms. Though almost all studies demonstrate a significant increase in hippocampal volume following ECT, a majority of studies failed to demonstrate a correlation between symptom improvement and hippocampal volume increase.[19],[20],[22],[24],[28] However, a significant minority of volumetric studies have demonstrated correlation between increase in hippocampal and/or amygdala volume and improvement of symptoms.[21],[25],[30]Another set of studies have used diffusion tensor imaging, functional MRI (fMRI), anatomical connectome, and structural network analysis to study the effect of ECT on the brain. The first of these studies by Abbott et al.

In 2014 demonstrated that on fMRI, the connectivity between right and left hippocampus was significantly reduced in patients with severe depression. It was also shown that the connectivity was normalized following ECT, and symptom improvement was correlated with an increase in connectivity.[22] In a first of its kind DTI study, Lyden et al. In 2014 demonstrated that fractional anisotropy which is a measure of white matter tract or fiber density is increased post ECT in patients with severe depression in the anterior cingulum, forceps minor, and the dorsal aspect of the left superior longitudinal fasciculus.

The authors suggested that ECT acts to normalize major depressive disorder-related abnormalities in the structural connectivity of the dorsal fronto-limbic pathways.[23] Another DTI study in 2015 constructed large-scale anatomical networks of the human brain – connectomes, based on white matter fiber tractography. The authors found significant reorganization in the anatomical connections involving the limbic structure, temporal lobe, and frontal lobe. It was also found that connection changes between amygdala and para hippocampus correlated with reduction in depressive symptoms.[26] In 2016, Wolf et al.

Used a source-based morphometry approach to study the structural networks in patients with depression and schizophrenia and the effect of ECT on the same. It was found that the medial prefrontal cortex/anterior cingulate cortex (ACC/MPFC) network, MTL network, bilateral thalamus, and left cerebellar regions/precuneus exhibited significant difference between healthy controls and the patient population. It was also demonstrated that administration of ECT leads to significant increase in the network strength of the ACC/MPFC network and the MTL network though the increase in network strength and symptom amelioration were not correlated.[32]Building on these studies, a recently published meta-analysis has attempted a quantitative synthesis of brain volume changes – focusing on hippocampal volume increase following ECT in patients with major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder.

The authors initially selected 32 original articles from which six articles met the criteria for quantitative synthesis. The results showed significant increase in the volume of the right and left hippocampus following ECT. For the rest of the brain regions, the heterogeneity in protocols and imaging techniques did not permit a quantitative analysis, and the authors have resorted to a narrative review similar to the present one with similar conclusions.[44] Focusing exclusively on hippocampal volume change in ECT, Oltedal et al.

In 2018 conducted a mega-analysis of 281 patients with major depressive disorder treated with ECT enrolled at ten different global sites of the Global ECT-MRI Research Collaboration.[45] Similar to previous studies, there was a significant increase in hippocampal volume bilaterally with a dose–response relationship with the number of ECTs administered. Furthermore, bilateral (B/L) ECT was associated with an equal increase in volume in both right and left hippocampus, whereas right unilateral ECT was associated with greater volume increase in the right hippocampus. Finally, contrary to expectation, clinical improvement was found to be negatively correlated with hippocampal volume.Thus, a review of the current evidence amply demonstrates that from looking for ECT-related brain damage – and finding none, we have now moved ahead to looking for a mechanistic understanding of the effect of ECT.

In this regard, it has been found that ECT does induce structural changes in the brain – a fact which has been seized upon by some to claim that ECT causes brain damage.[46] Such statements should, however, be weighed against the definition of damage as understood by the scientific medical community and patient population. Neuroanatomical changes associated with effective ECT can be better described as ECT-induced brain neuroplasticity or ECT-induced brain neuromodulation rather than ECT-induced brain damage. Metabolic Neuroimaging Studies.

Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Imaging Magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) uses a phase-encoding procedure to map the spatial distribution of magnetic resonance (MR) signals of different molecules. The crucial difference, however, is that while MRI maps the MR signals of water molecules, MRSI maps the MR signals generated by different metabolites – such as N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) and choline-containing compounds. However, the concentration of these metabolites is at least 10,000 times lower than water molecules and hence the signal strength generated would also be correspondingly lower.

However, MRSI offers us the unique advantage of studying in vivo the change in the concentration of brain metabolites, which has been of great significance in fields such as psychiatry, neurology, and basic neuroscience research.[47]MRSI studies on ECT in patients with depression have focused largely on four metabolites in the human brain – NAA, choline-containing compounds (Cho) which include majorly cell membrane compounds such as glycerophosphocholine, phosphocholine and a miniscule contribution from acetylcholine, creatinine (Cr) and glutamine and glutamate together (Glx). NAA is located exclusively in the neurons, and is suggested to be a marker of neuronal viability and functionality.[48] Choline-containing compounds (Cho) mainly include the membrane compounds, and an increase in Cho would be suggestive of increased membrane turnover. Cr serves as a marker of cellular energy metabolism, and its levels are usually expected to remain stable.

The regions which have been most widely studied in MRSI studies include the bilateral hippocampus and amygdala, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and ACC.Till date, five MRSI studies have measured NAA concentration in the hippocampus before and after ECT. Of these, three studies showed that there is no significant change in the NAA concentration in the hippocampus following ECT.[33],[38],[49] On the other hand, two recent studies have demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in NAA concentration in the hippocampus following ECT.[39],[40] The implications of these results are of significant interest to us in answering our titular question. A normal level of NAA following ECT could signify that there is no significant neuronal death or damage following ECT, while a reduction would signal the opposite.

However, a direct comparison between these studies is complicated chiefly due to the different ECT protocols, which has been used in these studies. It must, however, be acknowledged that the three older studies used 1.5 T MRI, whereas the two newer studies used a higher 3 T MRI which offers betters signal-to-noise ratio and hence lesser risk of errors in the measurement of metabolite concentrations. The authors of a study by Njau et al.[39] argue that a change in NAA levels might reflect reversible changes in neural metabolism rather than a permanent change in the number or density of neurons and also that reduced NAA might point to a change in the ratio of mature to immature neurons, which, in fact, might reflect enhanced adult neurogenesis.

Thus, the authors warn that to conclude whether a reduction in NAA concentration is beneficial or harmful would take a simultaneous measurement of cognitive functioning, which was lacking in their study. In 2017, Cano et al. Also demonstrated a significant reduction in NAA/Cr ratio in the hippocampus post ECT.

More significantly, the authors also showed a significant increase in Glx levels in the hippocampus following ECT, which was also associated with an increase in hippocampal volume.[40] To explain these three findings, the authors proposed that ECT produces a neuroinflammatory response in the hippocampus – likely mediated by Glx, which has been known to cause inflammation at higher concentrations, thereby accounting for the increase in hippocampal volume with a reduction in NAA concentration. The cause for the volume increase remains unclear – with the authors speculating that it might be due to neuronal swelling or due to angiogenesis. However, the same study and multiple other past studies [21],[25],[30] have demonstrated that hippocampal volume increase was correlated with clinical improvement following ECT.

Thus, we are led to the hypothesis that the same mechanism which drives clinical improvement with ECT is also responsible for the cognitive impairment following ECT. Whether this is a purely neuroinflammatory response or a neuroplastic response or a neuroinflammatory response leading to some form of neuroplasticity is a critical question, which remains to be answered.[40]Studies which have analyzed NAA concentration change in other brain areas have also produced conflicting results. The ACC is another area which has been studied in some detail utilizing the MRSI technique.

In 2003, Pfleiderer et al. Demonstrated that there was no significant change in the NAA and Cho levels in the ACC following ECT. This would seem to suggest that there was no neurogenesis or membrane turnover in the ACC post ECT.[36] However, this finding was contested by Merkl et al.

In 2011, who demonstrated that NAA levels were significantly reduced in the left ACC in patients with depression and that these levels were significantly elevated following ECT.[37] This again is contested by Njau et al. Who showed that NAA levels are significantly reduced following ECT in the left dorsal ACC.[39] A direct comparison of these three studies is complicated by the different ECT and imaging parameters used and hence, no firm conclusion can be made on this point at this stage. In addition to this, one study had demonstrated increased NAA levels in the amygdala following administration of ECT,[34] with a trend level increase in Cho levels, which again is suggestive of neurogenesis and/or neuroplasticity.

A review of studies on the DLPFC reveals a similarly confusing picture with one study, each showing no change, reduction, and elevation of concentration of NAA following ECT.[35],[37],[39] Here, again, a direct comparison of the three studies is made difficult by the heterogeneous imaging and ECT protocols followed by them.A total of five studies have analyzed the concentration of choline-containing compounds (Cho) in patients undergoing ECT. Conceptually, an increase in Cho signals is indicative of increased membrane turnover, which is postulated to be associated with synaptogenesis, neurogenesis, and maturation of neurons.[31] Of these, two studies measured Cho concentration in the B/L hippocampus, with contrasting results. Ende et al.

In 2000 demonstrated a significant elevation in Cho levels in B/L hippocampus after ECT, while Jorgensen et al. In 2015 failed to replicate the same finding.[33],[38] Cho levels have also been studied in the amygdala, ACC, and the DLPFC. However, none of these studies showed a significant increase or decrease in Cho levels before and after ECT in the respective brain regions studied.

In addition, no significant difference was seen in the pre-ECT Cho levels of patients compared to healthy controls.[34],[36],[37]In review, we must admit that MRSI studies are still at a preliminary stage with significant heterogeneity in ECT protocols, patient population, and regions of the brain studied. At this stage, it is difficult to draw any firm conclusions except to acknowledge the fact that the more recent studies – Njau et al., 2017, Cano, 2017, and Jorgensen et al., 2015 – have shown decrease in NAA concentration and no increase in Cho levels [38],[39],[40] – as opposed to the earlier studies by Ende et al.[33] The view offered by the more recent studies is one of a neuroinflammatory models of action of ECT, probably driving neuroplasticity in the hippocampus. This would offer a mechanistic understanding of both clinical response and the phenomenon of cognitive impairment associated with ECT.

However, this conclusion is based on conjecture, and more work needs to be done in this area. Body Fluid Biochemical Marker Studies Another line of evidence for analyzing the effect of ECT on the human brain is the study of concentration of neurotrophins in the plasma or serum. Neurotrophins are small protein molecules which mediate neuronal survival and development.

The most prominent among these is brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) which plays an important role in neuronal survival, plasticity, and migration.[50] A neurotrophic theory of mood disorders was suggested which hypothesized that depressive disorders are associated with a decreased expression of BDNF in the limbic structures, resulting in the atrophy of these structures.[51] It was also postulated that antidepressant treatment has a neurotrophic effect which reverses the neuronal cell loss, thereby producing a therapeutic effect. It has been well established that BDNF is decreased in mood disorders.[52] It has also been shown that clinical improvement of depression is associated with increase in BDNF levels.[53] Thus, serum BDNF levels have been tentatively proposed as a biomarker for treatment response in depression. Recent meta-analytic evidence has shown that ECT is associated with significant increase in serum BDNF levels in patients with major depressive disorder.[54] Considering that BDNF is a potent stimulator of neurogenesis, the elevation of serum BDNF levels following ECT lends further credence to the theory that ECT leads to neurogenesis in the hippocampus and other limbic structures, which, in turn, mediates the therapeutic action of ECT.

Cognitive Impairment Studies Cognitive impairment has always been the single-most important side effect associated with ECT.[55] Concerns regarding long-term cognitive impairment surfaced soon after the introduction of ECT and since then has grown to become one of the most controversial aspects of ECT.[56] Anti-ECT groups have frequently pointed out to cognitive impairment following ECT as evidence of ECT causing brain damage.[56] A meta-analysis by Semkovska and McLoughlin in 2010 is one of the most detailed studies which had attempted to settle this long-standing debate.[57] The authors reviewed 84 studies (2981 participants), which had used a combined total of 22 standardized neuropsychological tests assessing various cognitive functions before and after ECT in patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder. The different cognitive domains reviewed included processing speed, attention/working memory, verbal episodic memory, visual episodic memory, spatial problem-solving, executive functioning, and intellectual ability. The authors concluded that administration of ECT for depression is associated with significant cognitive impairment in the first few days after ECT administration.

However, it was also seen that impairment in cognitive functioning resolved within a span of 2 weeks and thereafter, a majority of cognitive domains even showed mild improvement compared to the baseline performance. It was also demonstrated that not a single cognitive domain showed persistence of impairment beyond 15 days after ECT.Memory impairment following ECT can be analyzed broadly under two conceptual schemes – one that classifies memory impairment as objective memory impairment and subjective memory impairment and the other that classifies it as impairment in anterograde memory versus impairment in retrograde memory. Objective memory can be roughly defined as the ability to retrieve stored information and can be measured by various standardized neuropsychological tests.

Subjective memory or meta-memory, on the other hand, refers to the ability to make judgments about one's ability to retrieve stored information.[58] As described previously, it has been conclusively demonstrated that anterograde memory impairment does not persist beyond 2 weeks after ECT.[57] However, one of the major limitations of this meta-analysis was the lack of evidence on retrograde amnesia following ECT. This is particularly unfortunate considering that it is memory impairment – particularly retrograde amnesia which has received the most attention.[59] In addition, reports of catastrophic retrograde amnesia have been repeatedly held up as sensational evidence of the lasting brain damage produced by ECT.[59] Admittedly, studies on retrograde amnesia are fewer and less conclusive than on anterograde amnesia.[60],[61] At present, the results are conflicting, with some studies finding some impairment in retrograde memory – particularly autobiographical retrograde memory up to 6 months after ECT.[62],[63],[64],[65] However, more recent studies have failed to support this finding.[66],[67] While they do demonstrate an impairment in retrograde memory immediately after ECT, it was seen that this deficit returned to pre-ECT levels within a span of 1–2 months and improved beyond baseline performance at 6 months post ECT.[66] Adding to the confusion are numerous factors which confound the assessment of retrograde amnesia. It has been shown that depressive symptoms can produce significant impairment of retrograde memory.[68],[69] It has also been demonstrated that sine-wave ECT produces significantly more impairment of retrograde memory as compared to brief-pulse ECT.[70] However, from the 1990s onward, sine-wave ECT has been completely replaced by brief-pulse ECT, and it is unclear as to the implications of cognitive impairment from the sine-wave era in contemporary ECT practice.Another area of concern are reports of subjective memory impairment following ECT.

One of the pioneers of research into subjective memory impairment were Squire and Chace who published a series of studies in the 1970s demonstrating the adverse effect of bilateral ECT on subjective assessment of memory.[62],[63],[64],[65] However, most of the studies conducted post 1980 – from when sine-wave ECT was replaced by brief-pulse ECT report a general improvement in subjective memory assessments following ECT.[71] In addition, most of the recent studies have failed to find a significant association between measures of subjective and objective memory.[63],[66],[70],[72],[73],[74] It has also been shown that subjective memory impairment is strongly associated with the severity of depressive symptoms.[75] In light of these facts, the validity and value of measures of subjective memory impairment as a marker of cognitive impairment and brain damage following ECT have been questioned. However, concerns regarding subjective memory impairment and catastrophic retrograde amnesia continue to persist, with significant dissonance between the findings of different research groups and patient self-reports in various media.[57]Some studies reported the possibility of ECT being associated with the development of subsequent dementia.[76],[77] However, a recent large, well-controlled prospective Danish study found that the use of ECT was not associated with elevated incidence of dementia.[78] Conclusion Our titular question is whether ECT leads to brain damage, where damage indicates destruction or degeneration of nerves or nerve tracts in the brain, which leads to loss of function. This issue was last addressed by Devanand et al.

In 1994 since which time our understanding of ECT has grown substantially, helped particularly by the advent of modern-day neuroimaging techniques which we have reviewed in detail. And, what these studies reveal is rather than damaging the brain, ECT has a neuromodulatory effect on the brain. The various lines of evidence – structural neuroimaging studies, functional neuroimaging studies, neurochemical and metabolic studies, and serum BDNF studies all point toward this.

These neuromodulatory changes have been localized to the hippocampus, amygdala, and certain other parts of the limbic system. How exactly these changes mediate the improvement of depressive symptoms is a question that remains unanswered. However, there is little by way of evidence from neuroimaging studies which indicates that ECT causes destruction or degeneration of neurons.

Though cognitive impairment studies do show that there is objective impairment of certain functions – particularly memory immediately after ECT, these impairments are transient with full recovery within a span of 2 weeks. Perhaps, the single-most important unaddressed concern is retrograde amnesia, which has been shown to persist for up to 2 months post ECT. In this regard, the recent neurometabolic studies have offered a tentative mechanism of action of ECT, producing a transient inflammation in the limbic cortex, which, in turn, drives neurogenesis, thereby exerting a neuromodulatory effect.

This hypothesis would explain both the cognitive adverse effects of ECT – due to the transient inflammation – and the long-term improvement in mood – neurogenesis in the hippocampus. Although unproven at present, such a hypothesis would imply that cognitive impairment is tied in with the mechanism of action of ECT and not an indicator of damage to the brain produced by ECT.The review of literature suggests that ECT does cause at least structural and functional changes in the brain, and these are in all probability related to the effects of the ECT. However, these cannot be construed as brain damage as is usually understood.

Due to the relative scarcity of data that directly examines the question of whether ECT causes brain damage, it is not possible to conclusively answer this question. However, in light of enduring ECT survivor accounts, there is a need to design studies that specifically answer this question.Financial support and sponsorshipNil.Conflicts of interestThere are no conflicts of interest. References 1.Payne NA, Prudic J.

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Objective cognitive performance associated with electroconvulsive therapy for depression. A systematic review and meta-analysis. Biol Psychiatry 2010;68:568-77.

58.Tulving E, Madigan SA. Memory and verbal learning. Annu Rev Psychol 1970;21:437-84.

59.Rose D, Fleischmann P, Wykes T, Leese M, Bindman J. Patients' perspectives on electroconvulsive therapy. Systematic review.

BMJ 2003;326:1363. 60.Semkovska M, McLoughlin DM. Measuring retrograde autobiographical amnesia following electroconvulsive therapy.

Historical perspective and current issues. J ECT 2013;29:127-33. 61.Fraser LM, O'Carroll RE, Ebmeier KP.

The effect of electroconvulsive therapy on autobiographical memory. A systematic review. J ECT 2008;24:10-7.

62.Squire LR, Chace PM. Memory functions six to nine months after electroconvulsive therapy. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1975;32:1557-64.

63.Squire LR, Slater PC. Electroconvulsive therapy and complaints of memory dysfunction. A prospective three-year follow-up study.

Br J Psychiatry 1983;142:1-8. 64.Squire LR, Slater PC, Miller PL. Retrograde amnesia and bilateral electroconvulsive therapy.

Long-term follow-up. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1981;38:89-95. 65.Squire LR, Wetzel CD, Slater PC.

Memory complaint after electroconvulsive therapy. Assessment with a new self-rating instrument. Biol Psychiatry 1979;14:791-801.

66.Calev A, Nigal D, Shapira B, Tubi N, Chazan S, Ben-Yehuda Y, et al. Early and long-term effects of electroconvulsive therapy and depression on memory and other cognitive functions. J Nerv Ment Dis 1991;179:526-33.

67.Sackeim HA, Prudic J, Devanand DP, Nobler MS, Lisanby SH, Peyser S, et al. A prospective, randomized, double-blind comparison of bilateral and right unilateral electroconvulsive therapy at different stimulus intensities. Arch Gen Psychiatry 2000;57:425-34.

68.Abrams R. Does brief-pulse ECT cause persistent or permanent memory impairment?. J ECT 2002;18:71-3.

69.Peretti CS, Danion JM, Grangé D, Mobarek N. Bilateral ECT and autobiographical memory of subjective experiences related to melancholia. A pilot study.

J Affect Disord 1996;41:9-15. 70.Weiner RD, Rogers HJ, Davidson JR, Squire LR. Effects of stimulus parameters on cognitive side effects.

Ann N Y Acad Sci 1986;462:315-25. 71.Prudic J, Peyser S, Sackeim HA. Subjective memory complaints.

A review of patient self-assessment of memory after electroconvulsive therapy. J ECT 2000;16:121-32. 72.Sackeim HA, Prudic J, Devanand DP, Kiersky JE, Fitzsimons L, Moody BJ, et al.

Effects of stimulus intensity and electrode placement on the efficacy and cognitive effects of electroconvulsive therapy. N Engl J Med 1993;328:839-46. 73.Frith CD, Stevens M, Johnstone EC, Deakin JF, Lawler P, Crow TJ.

Effects of ECT and depression on various aspects of memory. Br J Psychiatry 1983;142:610-7. 74.Ng C, Schweitzer I, Alexopoulos P, Celi E, Wong L, Tuckwell V, et al.

Efficacy and cognitive effects of right unilateral electroconvulsive therapy. J ECT 2000;16:370-9. 75.Coleman EA, Sackeim HA, Prudic J, Devanand DP, McElhiney MC, Moody BJ.

Subjective memory complaints prior to and following electroconvulsive therapy. Biol Psychiatry 1996;39:346-56. 76.Berggren Š, Gustafson L, Höglund P, Johanson A.

A long-term longitudinal follow-up of depressed patients treated with ECT with special focus on development of dementia. J Affect Disord 2016;200:15-24. 77.Brodaty H, Hickie I, Mason C, Prenter L.

A prospective follow-up study of ECT outcome in older depressed patients. J Affect Disord 2000;60:101-11. 78.Osler M, Rozing MP, Christensen GT, Andersen PK, Jørgensen MB.

Electroconvulsive therapy and risk of dementia in patients with affective disorders. A cohort study. Lancet Psychiatry 2018;5:348-56.

Correspondence Address:Dr. Shubh Mohan SinghDepartment of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh IndiaSource of Support. None, Conflict of Interest.

NoneDOI. 10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_239_19 Tables [Table 1], [Table 2].

How to buy zithromax overnight shipping cite this article:Singh O http://basey.com/shortcodes/promo-box/ P. Aftermath of celebrity suicide – Media coverage and role of psychiatrists. Indian J Psychiatry 2020;62:337-8Celebrity suicide is one of the highly publicized events in our buy zithromax overnight shipping country.

Indians got a glimpse of this following an unfortunate incident where a popular Hindi film actor died of suicide. As expected, the media went into a frenzy buy zithromax overnight shipping as newspapers, news channels, and social media were full of stories providing minute details of the suicidal act. Some even going as far as highlighting the color of the cloth used in the suicide as well as showing the lifeless body of the actor.

All kinds of personal details were dug up, and speculations and hypotheses became the order of the day in the next few days that followed. In the buy zithromax overnight shipping process, reputations of many people associated with the actor were besmirched and their private and personal details were freely and blatantly broadcast and discussed on electronic, print, and social media. We understand that media houses have their own need and duty to report and sensationalize news for increasing their visibility (aka TRP), but such reporting has huge impacts on the mental health of the vulnerable population.The impact of this was soon realized when many incidents of copycat suicide were reported from all over the country within a few days of the incident.

Psychiatrists suddenly started getting distress calls buy zithromax overnight shipping from their patients in despair with increased suicidal ideation. This has become a major area of concern for the psychiatry community.The Indian Psychiatric Society has been consistently trying to engage with media to promote ethical reporting of suicide. Section 24 (1) of Mental Health Care Act, 2017, forbids publication of photograph of mentally buy zithromax overnight shipping ill person without his consent.[1] The Press Council of India has adopted the guidelines of World Health Organization report on Preventing Suicide.

A resource for media professionals, which came out with an advisory to be followed by media in reporting cases of suicide. It includes points forbidding them from putting stories in prominent positions and unduly repeating them, explicitly describing the method used, providing details about the site/location, using sensational headlines, or using photographs and video footage of the incident.[2] Unfortunately, the advisory seems to have little effect in the aftermath of celebrity suicides. Channels were full of speculations about the person's mental condition and illness and also his relationships buy zithromax overnight shipping and finances.

Many fictional accounts of his symptoms and illness were touted, which is not only against the ethics but is also contrary to MHCA, 2017.[1]It went to the extent that the name of his psychiatrist was mentioned and quotes were attributed to him without taking any account from him. The Indian Psychiatric Society has written to the Press Council of India underlining this concern and asking for measures to ensure ethics in reporting suicide.While there is a need for engagement with media to make them aware of the grave impact of negative suicide reporting on the lives of many vulnerable persons, there is even a more urgent need for buy zithromax overnight shipping training of psychiatrists regarding the proper way of interaction with media. This has been amply brought out in the aftermath of this incident.

Many psychiatrists and mental buy zithromax overnight shipping health professionals were called by media houses to comment on the episode. Many psychiatrists were quoted, or “misquoted,” or “quoted out of context,” commenting on the life of a person whom they had never examined and had no “professional authority” to do so. There were even stories with byline of a psychiatrist where the content provided was not only unscientific but also way beyond the expertise of a psychiatrist.

These types of viewpoints perpetuate stigma, myths, and “misleading concepts” about psychiatry and are detrimental to the image of psychiatry in addition to doing harm and injustice to our patients buy zithromax overnight shipping. Hence, the need to formulate a guideline for interaction of psychiatrists with the media is imperative.In the infamous Goldwater episode, 12,356 psychiatrists were asked to cast opinion about the fitness of Barry Goldwater for presidential candidature. Out of 2417 respondents, 1189 psychiatrists reported him to be mentally unfit while none had actually examined him.[3] This led buy zithromax overnight shipping to the formulation of “The Goldwater Rule” by the American Psychiatric Association in 1973,[4] but we have witnessed the same phenomenon at the time of presidential candidature of Donald Trump.Psychiatrists should be encouraged to interact with media to provide scientific information about mental illnesses and reduction of stigma, but “statements to the media” can be a double-edged sword, and we should know about the rules of engagements and boundaries of interactions.

Methods and principles of interaction with media should form a part of our training curriculum. Many professional societies have guidelines and resource books for interacting with media, and psychiatrists should familiarize themselves with buy zithromax overnight shipping these documents. The Press Council guideline is likely to prompt reporters to seek psychiatrists for their expert opinion.

It is useful for them to have a template ready with suicide rates, emphasizing multicausality of suicide, role of mental disorders, as well as help available.[5]It is about time that the Indian Psychiatric Society formulated its own guidelines laying down the broad principles and boundaries governing the interaction of Indian psychiatrists with the media. Till then, it is desirable to be guided by the following broad principles:It should be assumed that no statement goes “off the record” as the media person is most likely buy zithromax overnight shipping recording the interview, and we should also record any such conversation from our endIt should be clarified in which capacity comments are being made – professional, personal, or as a representative of an organizationOne should not comment on any person whom he has not examinedPsychiatrists should take any such opportunity to educate the public about mental health issuesThe comments should be justified and limited by the boundaries of scientific knowledge available at the moment. References Correspondence Address:Dr.

O P buy zithromax overnight shipping SinghAA 304, Ashabari Apartments, O/31, Baishnabghata, Patuli Township, Kolkata - 700 094, West Bengal IndiaSource of Support. None, Conflict of Interest. NoneDOI.

10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_816_20Abstract Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective modality of treatment for a variety of psychiatric disorders. However, it has always been accused of being a coercive, unethical, and dangerous modality of treatment. The dangerousness of ECT has been mainly attributed to its claimed ability to cause brain damage.

This narrative review aims to provide an update of the evidence with regard to whether the practice of ECT is associated with damage to the brain. An accepted definition of brain damage remains elusive. There are also ethical and technical problems in designing studies that look at this question specifically.

Thus, even though there are newer technological tools and innovations, any review attempting to answer this question would have to take recourse to indirect methods. These include structural, functional, and metabolic neuroimaging. Body fluid biochemical marker studies.

And follow-up studies of cognitive impairment and incidence of dementia in people who have received ECT among others. The review of literature and present evidence suggests that ECT has a demonstrable impact on the structure and function of the brain. However, there is a lack of evidence at present to suggest that ECT causes brain damage.Keywords.

Adverse effect, brain damage, electroconvulsive therapyHow to cite this article:Jolly AJ, Singh SM. Does electroconvulsive therapy cause brain damage. An update.

Indian J Psychiatry 2020;62:339-53 Introduction Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) as a modality of treatment for psychiatric disorders has existed at least since 1938.[1] ECT is an effective modality of treatment for various psychiatric disorders. However, from the very beginning, the practice of ECT has also faced resistance from various groups who claim that it is coercive and harmful.[2] While the ethical aspects of the practice of ECT have been dealt with elsewhere, the question of harmfulness or brain damage consequent upon the passage of electric current needs to be examined afresh in light of technological advances and new knowledge.[3]The question whether ECT causes brain damage was reviewed in a holistic fashion by Devanand et al. In the mid-1990s.[4],[5] The authors had attempted to answer this question by reviewing the effect of ECT on the brain in various areas – cognitive side effects, structural neuroimaging studies, neuropathologic studies of patients who had received ECT, autopsy studies of epileptic patients, and finally animal ECS studies.

The authors had concluded that ECT does not produce brain damage.This narrative review aims to update the evidence with regard to whether ECT causes brain damage by reviewing relevant literature from 1994 to the present time. Framing the Question The Oxford Dictionary defines damage as physical harm that impairs the value, usefulness, or normal function of something.[6] Among medical dictionaries, the Peter Collins Dictionary defines damage as harm done to things (noun) or to harm something (verb).[7] Brain damage is defined by the British Medical Association Medical Dictionary as degeneration or death of nerve cells and tracts within the brain that may be localized to a particular area of the brain or diffuse.[8] Going by such a definition, brain damage in the context of ECT should refer to death or degeneration of brain tissue, which results in the impairment of functioning of the brain. The importance of precisely defining brain damage shall become evident subsequently in this review.There are now many more tools available to investigate the structure and function of brain in health and illness.

However, there are obvious ethical issues in designing human studies that are designed to answer this specific question. Therefore, one must necessarily take recourse to indirect evidences available through studies that have been designed to answer other research questions. These studies have employed the following methods:Structural neuroimaging studiesFunctional neuroimaging studiesMetabolic neuroimaging studiesBody fluid biochemical marker studiesCognitive impairment studies.While the early studies tended to focus more on establishing the safety of ECT and finding out whether ECT causes gross microscopic brain damage, the later studies especially since the advent of advanced neuroimaging techniques have been focusing more on a mechanistic understanding of ECT.

Hence, the primary objective of the later neuroimaging studies has been to look for structural and functional brain changes which might explain how ECT acts rather than evidence of gross structural damage per se. However, put together, all these studies would enable us to answer our titular question to some satisfaction. [Table 1] and [Table 2] provide an overview of the evidence base in this area.

Structural and Functional Neuroimaging Studies Devanand et al. Reviewed 16 structural neuroimaging studies on the effect of ECT on the brain.[4] Of these, two were pneumoencephalography studies, nine were computed tomography (CT) scan studies, and five were magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies. However, most of these studies were retrospective in design, with neuroimaging being done in patients who had received ECT in the past.

In the absence of baseline neuroimaging, it would be very difficult to attribute any structural brain changes to ECT. In addition, pneumoencephalography, CT scan, and even early 0.3 T MRI provided images with much lower spatial resolution than what is available today. The authors concluded that there was no evidence to show that ECT caused any structural damage to the brain.[4] Since then, at least twenty more MRI-based structural neuroimaging studies have studied the effect of ECT on the brain.

The earliest MRI studies in the early 1990s focused on detecting structural damage following ECT. All of these studies were prospective in design, with the first MRI scan done at baseline and a second MRI scan performed post ECT.[9],[11],[12],[13],[41] While most of the studies imaged the patient once around 24 h after receiving ECT, some studies performed multiple post ECT neuroimaging in the first 24 h after ECT to better capture the acute changes. A single study by Coffey et al.

Followed up the patients for a duration of 6 months and repeated neuroimaging again at 6 months in order to capture any long-term changes following ECT.[10]The most important conclusion which emerged from this early series of studies was that there was no evidence of cortical atrophy, change in ventricle size, or increase in white matter hyperintensities.[4] The next major conclusion was that there appeared to be an increase in the T1 and T2 relaxation time immediately following ECT, which returned to normal within 24 h. This supported the theory that immediately following ECT, there appears to be a temporary breakdown of the blood–brain barrier, leading to water influx into the brain tissue.[11] The last significant observation by Coffey et al. In 1991 was that there was no significant temporal changes in the total volumes of the frontal lobes, temporal lobes, or amygdala–hippocampal complex.[10] This was, however, something which would later be refuted by high-resolution MRI studies.

Nonetheless, one inescapable conclusion of these early studies was that there was no evidence of any gross structural brain changes following administration of ECT. Much later in 2007, Szabo et al. Used diffusion-weighted MRI to image patients in the immediate post ECT period and failed to observe any obvious brain tissue changes following ECT.[17]The next major breakthrough came in 2010 when Nordanskog et al.

Demonstrated that there was a significant increase in the volume of the hippocampus bilaterally following a course of ECT in a cohort of patients with depressive illness.[18] This contradicted the earlier observations by Coffey et al. That there was no volume increase in any part of the brain following ECT.[10] This was quite an exciting finding and was followed by several similar studies. However, the perspective of these studies was quite different from the early studies.

In contrast to the early studies looking for the evidence of ECT-related brain damage, the newer studies were focused more on elucidating the mechanism of action of ECT. Further on in 2014, Nordanskog et al. In a follow-up study showed that though there was a significant increase in the volume of the hippocampus 1 week after a course of ECT, the hippocampal volume returned to the baseline after 6 months.[19] Two other studies in 2013 showed that in addition to the hippocampus, the amygdala also showed significant volume increase following ECT.[20],[21] A series of structural neuroimaging studies after that have expanded on these findings and as of now, gray matter volume increase following ECT has been demonstrated in the hippocampus, amygdala, anterior temporal pole, subgenual cortex,[21] right caudate nucleus, and the whole of the medial temporal lobe (MTL) consisting of the hippocampus, amygdala, insula, and the posterosuperior temporal cortex,[24] para hippocampi, right subgenual anterior cingulate gyrus, and right anterior cingulate gyrus,[25] left cerebellar area VIIa crus I,[29] putamen, caudate nucleus, and nucleus acumbens [31] and clusters of increased cortical thickness involving the temporal pole, middle and superior temporal cortex, insula, and inferior temporal cortex.[27] However, the most consistently reported and replicated finding has been the bilateral increase in the volume of the hippocampus and amygdala.

In light of these findings, it has been tentatively suggested that ECT acts by inducing neuronal regeneration in the hippocampus – amygdala complex.[42],[43] However, there are certain inconsistencies to this hypothesis. Till date, only one study – Nordanskog et al., 2014 – has followed study patients for a long term – 6 months in their case. And significantly, the authors found out that after increasing immediately following ECT, the hippocampal volume returns back to baseline by 6 months.[19] This, however, was not associated with the relapse of depressive symptoms.

Another area of significant confusion has been the correlation of hippocampal volume increase with improvement of depressive symptoms. Though almost all studies demonstrate a significant increase in hippocampal volume following ECT, a majority of studies failed to demonstrate a correlation between symptom improvement and hippocampal volume increase.[19],[20],[22],[24],[28] However, a significant minority of volumetric studies have demonstrated correlation between increase in hippocampal and/or amygdala volume and improvement of symptoms.[21],[25],[30]Another set of studies have used diffusion tensor imaging, functional MRI (fMRI), anatomical connectome, and structural network analysis to study the effect of ECT on the brain. The first of these studies by Abbott et al.

In 2014 demonstrated that on fMRI, the connectivity between right and left hippocampus was significantly reduced in patients with severe depression. It was also shown that the connectivity was normalized following ECT, and symptom improvement was correlated with an increase in connectivity.[22] In a first of its kind DTI study, Lyden et al. In 2014 demonstrated that fractional anisotropy which is a measure of white matter tract or fiber density is increased post ECT in patients with severe depression in the anterior cingulum, forceps minor, and the dorsal aspect of the left superior longitudinal fasciculus.

The authors suggested that ECT acts to normalize major depressive disorder-related abnormalities in the structural connectivity of the dorsal fronto-limbic pathways.[23] Another DTI study in 2015 constructed large-scale anatomical networks of the human brain – connectomes, based on white matter fiber tractography. The authors found significant reorganization in the anatomical connections involving the limbic structure, temporal lobe, and frontal lobe. It was also found that connection changes between amygdala and para hippocampus correlated with reduction in depressive symptoms.[26] In 2016, Wolf et al.

Used a source-based morphometry approach to study the structural networks in patients with depression and schizophrenia and the effect of ECT on the same. It was found that the medial prefrontal cortex/anterior cingulate cortex (ACC/MPFC) network, MTL network, bilateral thalamus, and left cerebellar regions/precuneus exhibited significant difference between healthy controls and the patient population. It was also demonstrated that administration of ECT leads to significant increase in the network strength of the ACC/MPFC network and the MTL network though the increase in network strength and symptom amelioration were not correlated.[32]Building on these studies, a recently published meta-analysis has attempted a quantitative synthesis of brain volume changes – focusing on hippocampal volume increase following ECT in patients with major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder.

The authors initially selected 32 original articles from which six articles met the criteria for quantitative synthesis. The results showed significant increase in the volume of the right and left hippocampus following ECT. For the rest of the brain regions, the heterogeneity in protocols and imaging techniques did not permit a quantitative analysis, and the authors have resorted to a narrative review similar to the present one with similar conclusions.[44] Focusing exclusively on hippocampal volume change in ECT, Oltedal et al.

In 2018 conducted a mega-analysis of 281 patients with major depressive disorder treated with ECT enrolled at ten different global sites of the Global ECT-MRI Research Collaboration.[45] Similar to previous studies, there was a significant increase in hippocampal volume bilaterally with a dose–response relationship with the number of ECTs administered. Furthermore, bilateral (B/L) ECT was associated with an equal increase in volume in both right and left hippocampus, whereas right unilateral ECT was associated with greater volume increase in the right hippocampus. Finally, contrary to expectation, clinical improvement was found to be negatively correlated with hippocampal volume.Thus, a review of the current evidence amply demonstrates that from looking for ECT-related brain damage – and finding none, we have now moved ahead to looking for a mechanistic understanding of the effect of ECT.

In this regard, it has been found that ECT does induce structural changes in the brain – a fact which has been seized upon by some to claim that ECT causes brain damage.[46] Such statements should, however, be weighed against the definition of damage as understood by the scientific medical community and patient population. Neuroanatomical changes associated with effective ECT can be better described as ECT-induced brain neuroplasticity or ECT-induced brain neuromodulation rather than ECT-induced brain damage. Metabolic Neuroimaging Studies.

Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopic Imaging Magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) uses a phase-encoding procedure to map the spatial distribution of magnetic resonance (MR) signals of different molecules. The crucial difference, however, is that while MRI maps the MR signals of water molecules, MRSI maps the MR signals generated by different metabolites – such as N-acetyl aspartate (NAA) and choline-containing compounds. However, the concentration of these metabolites is at least 10,000 times lower than water molecules and hence the signal strength generated would also be correspondingly lower.

However, MRSI offers us the unique advantage of studying in vivo the change in the concentration of brain metabolites, which has been of great significance in fields such as psychiatry, neurology, and basic neuroscience research.[47]MRSI studies on ECT in patients with depression have focused largely on four metabolites in the human brain – NAA, choline-containing compounds (Cho) which include majorly cell membrane compounds such as glycerophosphocholine, phosphocholine and a miniscule contribution from acetylcholine, creatinine (Cr) and glutamine and glutamate together (Glx). NAA is located exclusively in the neurons, and is suggested to be a marker of neuronal viability and functionality.[48] Choline-containing compounds (Cho) mainly include the membrane compounds, and an increase in Cho would be suggestive of increased membrane turnover. Cr serves as a marker of cellular energy metabolism, and its levels are usually expected to remain stable.

The regions which have been most widely studied in MRSI studies include the bilateral hippocampus and amygdala, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and ACC.Till date, five MRSI studies have measured NAA concentration in the hippocampus before and after ECT. Of these, three studies showed that there is no significant change in the NAA concentration in the hippocampus following ECT.[33],[38],[49] On the other hand, two recent studies have demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in NAA concentration in the hippocampus following ECT.[39],[40] The implications of these results are of significant interest to us in answering our titular question. A normal level of NAA following ECT could signify that there is no significant neuronal death or damage following ECT, while a reduction would signal the opposite.

However, a direct comparison between these studies is complicated chiefly due to the different ECT protocols, which has been used in these studies. It must, however, be acknowledged that the three older studies used 1.5 T MRI, whereas the two newer studies used a higher 3 T MRI which offers betters signal-to-noise ratio and hence lesser risk of errors in the measurement of metabolite concentrations. The authors of a study by Njau et al.[39] argue that a change in NAA levels might reflect reversible changes in neural metabolism rather than a permanent change in the number or density of neurons and also that reduced NAA might point to a change in the ratio of mature to immature neurons, which, in fact, might reflect enhanced adult neurogenesis.

Thus, the authors warn that to conclude whether a reduction in NAA concentration is beneficial or harmful would take a simultaneous measurement of cognitive functioning, which was lacking in their study. In 2017, Cano et al. Also demonstrated a significant reduction in NAA/Cr ratio in the hippocampus post ECT.

More significantly, the authors also showed a significant increase in Glx levels in the hippocampus following ECT, which was also associated with an increase in hippocampal volume.[40] To explain these three findings, the authors proposed that ECT produces a neuroinflammatory response in the hippocampus – likely mediated by Glx, which has been known to cause inflammation at higher concentrations, thereby accounting for the increase in hippocampal volume with a reduction in NAA concentration. The cause for the volume increase remains unclear – with the authors speculating that it might be due to neuronal swelling or due to angiogenesis. However, the same study and multiple other past studies [21],[25],[30] have demonstrated that hippocampal volume increase was correlated with clinical improvement following ECT.

Thus, we are led to the hypothesis that the same mechanism which drives clinical improvement with ECT is also responsible for the cognitive impairment following ECT. Whether this is a purely neuroinflammatory response or a neuroplastic response or a neuroinflammatory response leading to some form of neuroplasticity is a critical question, which remains to be answered.[40]Studies which have analyzed NAA concentration change in other brain areas have also produced conflicting results. The ACC is another area which has been studied in some detail utilizing the MRSI technique.

In 2003, Pfleiderer et al. Demonstrated that there was no significant change in the NAA and Cho levels in the ACC following ECT. This would seem to suggest that there was no neurogenesis or membrane turnover in the ACC post ECT.[36] However, this finding was contested by Merkl et al.

In 2011, who demonstrated that NAA levels were significantly reduced in the left ACC in patients with depression and that these levels were significantly elevated following ECT.[37] This again is contested by Njau et al. Who showed that NAA levels are significantly reduced following ECT in the left dorsal ACC.[39] A direct comparison of these three studies is complicated by the different ECT and imaging parameters used and hence, no firm conclusion can be made on this point at this stage. In addition to this, one study had demonstrated increased NAA levels in the amygdala following administration of ECT,[34] with a trend level increase in Cho levels, which again is suggestive of neurogenesis and/or neuroplasticity.

A review of studies on the DLPFC reveals a similarly confusing picture with one study, each showing no change, reduction, and elevation of concentration of NAA following ECT.[35],[37],[39] Here, again, a direct comparison of the three studies is made difficult by the heterogeneous imaging and ECT protocols followed by them.A total of five studies have analyzed the concentration of choline-containing compounds (Cho) in patients undergoing ECT. Conceptually, an increase in Cho signals is indicative of increased membrane turnover, which is postulated to be associated with synaptogenesis, neurogenesis, and maturation of neurons.[31] Of these, two studies measured Cho concentration in the B/L hippocampus, with contrasting results. Ende et al.

In 2000 demonstrated a significant elevation in Cho levels in B/L hippocampus after ECT, while Jorgensen et al. In 2015 failed to replicate the same finding.[33],[38] Cho levels have also been studied in the amygdala, ACC, and the DLPFC. However, none of these studies showed a significant increase or decrease in Cho levels before and after ECT in the respective brain regions studied.

In addition, no significant difference was seen in the pre-ECT Cho levels of patients compared to healthy controls.[34],[36],[37]In review, we must admit that MRSI studies are still at a preliminary stage with significant heterogeneity in ECT protocols, patient population, and regions of the brain studied. At this stage, it is difficult to draw any firm conclusions except to acknowledge the fact that the more recent studies – Njau et al., 2017, Cano, 2017, and Jorgensen et al., 2015 – have shown decrease in NAA concentration and no increase in Cho levels [38],[39],[40] – as opposed to the earlier studies by Ende et al.[33] The view offered by the more recent studies is one of a neuroinflammatory models of action of ECT, probably driving neuroplasticity in the hippocampus. This would offer a mechanistic understanding of both clinical response and the phenomenon of cognitive impairment associated with ECT.

However, this conclusion is based on conjecture, and more work needs to be done in this area. Body Fluid Biochemical Marker Studies Another line of evidence for analyzing the effect of ECT on the human brain is the study of concentration of neurotrophins in the plasma or serum. Neurotrophins are small protein molecules which mediate neuronal survival and development.

The most prominent among these is brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) which plays an important role in neuronal survival, plasticity, and migration.[50] A neurotrophic theory of mood disorders was suggested which hypothesized that depressive disorders are associated with a decreased expression of BDNF in the limbic structures, resulting in the atrophy of these structures.[51] It was also postulated that antidepressant treatment has a neurotrophic effect which reverses the neuronal cell loss, thereby producing a therapeutic effect. It has been well established that BDNF is decreased in mood disorders.[52] It has also been shown that clinical improvement of depression is associated with increase in BDNF levels.[53] Thus, serum BDNF levels have been tentatively proposed as a biomarker for treatment response in depression. Recent meta-analytic evidence has shown that ECT is associated with significant increase in serum BDNF levels in patients with major depressive disorder.[54] Considering that BDNF is a potent stimulator of neurogenesis, the elevation of serum BDNF levels following ECT lends further credence to the theory that ECT leads to neurogenesis in the hippocampus and other limbic structures, which, in turn, mediates the therapeutic action of ECT.

Cognitive Impairment Studies Cognitive impairment has always been the single-most important side effect associated with ECT.[55] Concerns regarding long-term cognitive impairment surfaced soon after the introduction of ECT and since then has grown to become one of the most controversial aspects of ECT.[56] Anti-ECT groups have frequently pointed out to cognitive impairment following ECT as evidence of ECT causing brain damage.[56] A meta-analysis by Semkovska and McLoughlin in 2010 is one of the most detailed studies which had attempted to settle this long-standing debate.[57] The authors reviewed 84 studies (2981 participants), which had used a combined total of 22 standardized neuropsychological tests assessing various cognitive functions before and after ECT in patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder. The different cognitive domains reviewed included processing speed, attention/working memory, verbal episodic memory, visual episodic memory, spatial problem-solving, executive functioning, and intellectual ability. The authors concluded that administration of ECT for depression is associated with significant cognitive impairment in the first few days after ECT administration.

However, it was also seen that impairment in cognitive functioning resolved within a span of 2 weeks and thereafter, a majority of cognitive domains even showed mild improvement compared to the baseline performance. It was also demonstrated that not a single cognitive domain showed persistence of impairment beyond 15 days after ECT.Memory impairment following ECT can be analyzed broadly under two conceptual schemes – one that classifies memory impairment as objective memory impairment and subjective memory impairment and the other that classifies it as impairment in anterograde memory versus impairment in retrograde memory. Objective memory can be roughly defined as the ability to retrieve stored information and can be measured by various standardized neuropsychological tests.

Subjective memory or meta-memory, on the other hand, refers to the ability to make judgments about one's ability to retrieve stored information.[58] As described previously, it has been conclusively demonstrated that anterograde memory impairment does not persist beyond 2 weeks after ECT.[57] However, one of the major limitations of this meta-analysis was the lack of evidence on retrograde amnesia following ECT. This is particularly unfortunate considering that it is memory impairment – particularly retrograde amnesia which has received the most attention.[59] In addition, reports of catastrophic retrograde amnesia have been repeatedly held up as sensational evidence of the lasting brain damage produced by ECT.[59] Admittedly, studies on retrograde amnesia are fewer and less conclusive than on anterograde amnesia.[60],[61] At present, the results are conflicting, with some studies finding some impairment in retrograde memory – particularly autobiographical retrograde memory up to 6 months after ECT.[62],[63],[64],[65] However, more recent studies have failed to support this finding.[66],[67] While they do demonstrate an impairment in retrograde memory immediately after ECT, it was seen that this deficit returned to pre-ECT levels within a span of 1–2 months and improved beyond baseline performance at 6 months post ECT.[66] Adding to the confusion are numerous factors which confound the assessment of retrograde amnesia. It has been shown that depressive symptoms can produce significant impairment of retrograde memory.[68],[69] It has also been demonstrated that sine-wave ECT produces significantly more impairment of retrograde memory as compared to brief-pulse ECT.[70] However, from the 1990s onward, sine-wave ECT has been completely replaced by brief-pulse ECT, and it is unclear as to the implications of cognitive impairment from the sine-wave era in contemporary ECT practice.Another area of concern are reports of subjective memory impairment following ECT.

One of the pioneers of research into subjective memory impairment were Squire and Chace who published a series of studies in the 1970s demonstrating the adverse effect of bilateral ECT on subjective assessment of memory.[62],[63],[64],[65] However, most of the studies conducted post 1980 – from when sine-wave ECT was replaced by brief-pulse ECT report a general improvement in subjective memory assessments following ECT.[71] In addition, most of the recent studies have failed to find a significant association between measures of subjective and objective memory.[63],[66],[70],[72],[73],[74] It has also been shown that subjective memory impairment is strongly associated with the severity of depressive symptoms.[75] In light of these facts, the validity and value of measures of subjective memory impairment as a marker of cognitive impairment and brain damage following ECT have been questioned. However, concerns regarding subjective memory impairment and catastrophic retrograde amnesia continue to persist, with significant dissonance between the findings of different research groups and patient self-reports in various media.[57]Some studies reported the possibility of ECT being associated with the development of subsequent dementia.[76],[77] However, a recent large, well-controlled prospective Danish study found that the use of ECT was not associated with elevated incidence of dementia.[78] Conclusion Our titular question is whether ECT leads to brain damage, where damage indicates destruction or degeneration of nerves or nerve tracts in the brain, which leads to loss of function. This issue was last addressed by Devanand et al.

In 1994 since which time our understanding of ECT has grown substantially, helped particularly by the advent of modern-day neuroimaging techniques which we have reviewed in detail. And, what these studies reveal is rather than damaging the brain, ECT has a neuromodulatory effect on the brain. The various lines of evidence – structural neuroimaging studies, functional neuroimaging studies, neurochemical and metabolic studies, and serum BDNF studies all point toward this.

These neuromodulatory changes have been localized to the hippocampus, amygdala, and certain other parts of the limbic system. How exactly these changes mediate the improvement of depressive symptoms is a question that remains unanswered. However, there is little by way of evidence from neuroimaging studies which indicates that ECT causes destruction or degeneration of neurons.

Though cognitive impairment studies do show that there is objective impairment of certain functions – particularly memory immediately after ECT, these impairments are transient with full recovery within a span of 2 weeks. Perhaps, the single-most important unaddressed concern is retrograde amnesia, which has been shown to persist for up to 2 months post ECT. In this regard, the recent neurometabolic studies have offered a tentative mechanism of action of ECT, producing a transient inflammation in the limbic cortex, which, in turn, drives neurogenesis, thereby exerting a neuromodulatory effect.

This hypothesis would explain both the cognitive adverse effects of ECT – due to the transient inflammation – and the long-term improvement in mood – neurogenesis in the hippocampus. Although unproven at present, such a hypothesis would imply that cognitive impairment is tied in with the mechanism of action of ECT and not an indicator of damage to the brain produced by ECT.The review of literature suggests that ECT does cause at least structural and functional changes in the brain, and these are in all probability related to the effects of the ECT. However, these cannot be construed as brain damage as is usually understood.

Due to the relative scarcity of data that directly examines the question of whether ECT causes brain damage, it is not possible to conclusively answer this question. However, in light of enduring ECT survivor accounts, there is a need to design studies that specifically answer this question.Financial support and sponsorshipNil.Conflicts of interestThere are no conflicts of interest. References 1.Payne NA, Prudic J.

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Correspondence Address:Dr. Shubh Mohan SinghDepartment of Psychiatry, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh IndiaSource of Support. None, Conflict of Interest.

NoneDOI. 10.4103/psychiatry.IndianJPsychiatry_239_19 Tables [Table 1], [Table 2].

Zithromax z pak cost walmart

Maeda Y, http://bretmwebb.com/?p=53 Nakamura M, Ninomiya H, zithromax z pak cost walmart et al. Trends in intensive neonatal care during the buy antibiotics outbreak in Japan. Arch Dis Child Fetal zithromax z pak cost walmart Neonatal Ed 2021;106:327–29.

Doi. 10.1136/archdischild-2020-320521The authors have noticed an error in table 1 of their short report recently published. They mistakenly showed values for weeks zithromax z pak cost walmart 10–17 of 2019 instead of those for weeks 2–9 of 2020.

The values for ‘Births before 33 6/7 weeks’ and ‘Births between 34 0/7 and 36 6/7 weeks’ of Table 1 should be amended as follows:Births before 33 6/7 weeksWeeks 2-9, 2020. 83, instead of 99Difference (% change). 17 (20.5), instead of 33 zithromax z pak cost walmart (33.3)Births between 34 0/7 and 36 6/7 weeksWeeks 2-9, 2020.

207, instead of 211Difference (% change). 17 (8.2), instead of 21 (10.0)Accordingly, the second sentence of the subsection ‘Preterm births’ should also be corrected to “The number of preterm births showed a statistically significant reduction in weeks 2–9 vs weeks 10–17 of 2020. Births before 33 6/7 gestational zithromax z pak cost walmart weeks from 83 to 66 (aIRR, 0.71.

95% CI, 0.50 to 1.00. P=0.05) and births between 34 0/7 and 36 6/7 gestational weeks from 207 to 190 (aIRR, 0.85. 95% CI, 0.74 to zithromax z pak cost walmart 0.98.

P=0.02) (figure 1 and table 1).Reviewing recordings of neonatal resuscitation with parentsFew of us relish the thought of our performance in a challenging situation being recorded and reviewed by others, but many have accepted it for research purposes in the context of newborn resuscitation. At Leiden University Medical Centre Neonatal Unit zithromax z pak cost walmart they have been recording videos of all newborn resuscitations since 2014 in order to study and improve care during transition. The recordings are kept as a part of the medical record and, in contrast with other published practice to date, parents are offered an opportunity to review the recording with a professional and to have still images from it or a copy of the video.

In this qualitative study Maria C den Boer and colleagues interviewed parents of preterm babies who had viewed their baby’s recording to provide insight into their experience. The study included 25 parents of 31 preterm babies with median gestational age 27+5 zithromax z pak cost walmart weeks. Four of the babies had gone on to die in the neonatal unit.

Most parents offered the opportunity to see the recording wished to do so and around two thirds asked for images or a copy. The parental experiences of viewing the videos were very positive zithromax z pak cost walmart. The experience improved their understanding of what had happened, enhanced their family relationships, and increased their appreciation of the care team.Colm O’Donnell discusses his own experience with researching video recordings of resuscitation, beginning with a visit to Neil Finer and Wade Rich at University of California, San Diego in 2003.

Colm also has positive experiences of sharing the recordings with families. The team in zithromax z pak cost walmart Leiden recommend this practice. Both articles are an interesting read that will challenge your assumptions and stimulate reflection.

See page F346 and F344Physiological responses to facemask application in newborns immediately after birthVincent Gaertner and colleagues reviewed video recordings of initial stabilisation at birth of term and late-preterm infants who were enrolled in a randomised trial of different face-masks. 128 face-mask zithromax z pak cost walmart applications were evaluated. In eleven percent of face-mask applications the infant stopped breathing.

When apnoea occurred after mask application there was a median fall in heart rate of 38 beats per minute. These episodes are considered to represent the trigeminocardiac reflex and zithromax z pak cost walmart recovered within 30 s. Apnoea was also observed after face-mask reapplications, although less frequently.

There were a median of 4 face-mask applications per infant, suggesting a lot of additional potential for avoidable interruption zithromax z pak cost walmart of support. This observation of apneoa after face-mask application is less frequent than in previous reports in more preterm infants but is still quite common. See page F381Outcomes of a uniformly active approach to infants born at 22–24 weeks of gestationThis single centre report by Fanny Söderström and colleagues from Uppsala in Sweden describes the outcomes of infants born at 22 to 24 weeks gestation between 2006 and 2015.

In this institution, all mother-infant dyads at risk for extremely preterm delivery are provided zithromax z pak cost walmart proactive treatment. This includes intrauterine referral when approaching 22 weeks of gestation, provision of tocolytics, antenatal steroids and family counselling. There were 222 liveborn infants born at the hospital or admitted soon after birth.

There had been four fetal deaths during in utero transport to the centre and there were 14 stillbirths of fetuses that were alive at zithromax z pak cost walmart admission. Two infants died in the delivery room after birth. Survival of the liveborn babies was 52% at 22 weeks, 64% at 23 weeks and 70% at 25 weeks.

Follow-up information was available zithromax z pak cost walmart for 93% of infants. There were 10 infants with cerebral palsy and no infants who were blind or deaf. Around a third had diagnosis of developmental delay.

The study provides a measure of what can be achieved when decisions zithromax z pak cost walmart to initiate treatment are not selective according to the views of the parents and physicians. See page F413Bronchopulmonary dysplasia and growthTheodore Dassios and colleagues analysed data from the UK National Neonatal Research Database for the years 2014 to 2018. They looked at postnatal growth in all liveborn infants born before 28 weeks gestation and admitted to zithromax z pak cost walmart neonatal units.

There were 11 806 infants. Bronchopulmonary dysplsia was defined as any requirement for respiratory support at 36 weeks and affected 57%. As measured by change in weight and head circumference z-scores from birth to discharge, the infants who developed BPD grew slightly better zithromax z pak cost walmart than those who did not.

See page F386Disorders of vision in neonatal hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathyEva Nagy and colleagues undertook a systematic review of reports of outcome after hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy to evaluate the evidence relating to visual impairment. Although this is a recognised complication of hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy, it has not been well described. They identified six studies that enrolled zithromax z pak cost walmart 283 term born infants that met their inclusion criteria.

Some form of visual impairment was reported in 35% but there was huge variation in the techniques used for assessment. It remains difficult to advise families about the risks and nature of visual impairments that might be encountered. There are lots of barriers to obtaining good information in zithromax z pak cost walmart this area because of the need for prolonged follow-up and difficulty in testing individuals with other difficulties.

See page F357Management of systemic hypotension in term infants with persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newbornHeather Siefkes and Satyan Lakshminrusimha present a beautifully illustrated review of the multiple factors contributing to haemodynamic disturbance in infants with PPHN, and the mechanisms of action of the various candidate therapeutic agents. This supports a reasoned approach to treatment. The challenge remains to supplement this zithromax z pak cost walmart with high quality evidence.

The HIP trial report illustrates the enormous challenge of studying treatments for haemodynamic disturbance in the immediate newborn period and the hurdles that need to be overcome to enable progress. See page F446 and F398Ethics statementsPatient consent for publicationNot required..

Maeda Y, Nakamura M, Ninomiya buy zithromax overnight shipping H, et al. Trends in intensive neonatal care during the buy antibiotics outbreak in Japan. Arch Dis buy zithromax overnight shipping Child Fetal Neonatal Ed 2021;106:327–29. Doi.

10.1136/archdischild-2020-320521The authors have noticed an error in table 1 of their short report recently published. They mistakenly showed values for weeks 10–17 of 2019 instead of those buy zithromax overnight shipping for weeks 2–9 of 2020. The values for ‘Births before 33 6/7 weeks’ and ‘Births between 34 0/7 and 36 6/7 weeks’ of Table 1 should be amended as follows:Births before 33 6/7 weeksWeeks 2-9, 2020. 83, instead of 99Difference (% change).

17 (20.5), buy zithromax overnight shipping instead of 33 (33.3)Births between 34 0/7 and 36 6/7 weeksWeeks 2-9, 2020. 207, instead of 211Difference (% change). 17 (8.2), instead of 21 (10.0)Accordingly, the second sentence of the subsection ‘Preterm births’ should also be corrected to “The number of preterm births showed a statistically significant reduction in weeks 2–9 vs weeks 10–17 of 2020. Births before buy zithromax overnight shipping 33 6/7 gestational weeks from 83 to 66 (aIRR, 0.71.

95% CI, 0.50 to 1.00. P=0.05) and births between 34 0/7 and 36 6/7 gestational weeks from 207 to 190 (aIRR, 0.85. 95% CI, 0.74 to buy zithromax overnight shipping 0.98. P=0.02) (figure 1 and table 1).Reviewing recordings of neonatal resuscitation with parentsFew of us relish the thought of our performance in a challenging situation being recorded and reviewed by others, but many have accepted it for research purposes in the context of newborn resuscitation.

At Leiden University Medical Centre Neonatal Unit they have been buy zithromax overnight shipping recording videos of all newborn resuscitations since 2014 in order to study and improve care during transition. The recordings are kept as a part of the medical record and, in contrast with other published practice to date, parents are offered an opportunity to review the recording with a professional and to have still images from it or a copy of the video. In this qualitative study Maria C den Boer and colleagues interviewed parents of preterm babies who had viewed their baby’s recording to provide insight into their experience. The study included 25 parents of 31 preterm babies with median gestational age 27+5 buy zithromax overnight shipping weeks.

Four of the babies had gone on to die in the neonatal unit. Most parents offered the opportunity to see the recording wished to do so and around two thirds asked for images or a copy. The parental experiences of viewing the videos were very buy zithromax overnight shipping positive. The experience improved their understanding of what had happened, enhanced their family relationships, and increased their appreciation of the care team.Colm O’Donnell discusses his own experience with researching video recordings of resuscitation, beginning with a visit to Neil Finer and Wade Rich at University of California, San Diego in 2003.

Colm also has positive experiences of sharing the recordings with families. The team in Leiden recommend buy zithromax overnight shipping this practice. Both articles are an interesting read that will challenge your assumptions and stimulate reflection. See page F346 and F344Physiological responses to facemask application in newborns immediately after birthVincent Gaertner and colleagues reviewed video recordings of initial stabilisation at birth of term and late-preterm infants who were enrolled in a randomised trial of different face-masks.

128 face-mask applications buy zithromax overnight shipping were evaluated. In eleven percent of face-mask applications the infant stopped breathing. When apnoea occurred after mask application there was a median fall in heart rate of 38 beats per minute. These episodes are considered to represent the trigeminocardiac reflex and recovered within buy zithromax overnight shipping 30 s.

Apnoea was also observed after face-mask reapplications, although less frequently. There were a median of 4 buy zithromax overnight shipping face-mask applications per infant, suggesting a lot of additional potential for avoidable interruption of support. This observation of apneoa after face-mask application is less frequent than in previous reports in more preterm infants but is still quite common. See page F381Outcomes of a uniformly active approach to infants born at 22–24 weeks of gestationThis single centre report by Fanny Söderström and colleagues from Uppsala in Sweden describes the outcomes of infants born at 22 to 24 weeks gestation between 2006 and 2015.

In this buy zithromax overnight shipping institution, all mother-infant dyads at risk for extremely preterm delivery are provided proactive treatment. This includes intrauterine referral when approaching 22 weeks of gestation, provision of tocolytics, antenatal steroids and family counselling. There were 222 liveborn infants born at the hospital or admitted soon after birth. There had been four fetal deaths during in utero transport to the centre and there were 14 stillbirths of fetuses that buy zithromax overnight shipping were alive at admission.

Two infants died in the delivery room after birth. Survival of the liveborn babies was 52% at 22 weeks, 64% at 23 weeks and 70% at 25 weeks. Follow-up information buy zithromax overnight shipping was available for 93% of infants. There were 10 infants with cerebral palsy and no infants who were blind or deaf.

Around a third had diagnosis of developmental delay. The study provides a measure of what can be achieved when decisions to initiate treatment are not selective buy zithromax overnight shipping according to the views of the parents and physicians. See page F413Bronchopulmonary dysplasia and growthTheodore Dassios and colleagues analysed data from the UK National Neonatal Research Database for the years 2014 to 2018. They looked at postnatal growth in all liveborn infants born buy zithromax overnight shipping before 28 weeks gestation and admitted to neonatal units.

There were 11 806 infants. Bronchopulmonary dysplsia was defined as any requirement for respiratory support at 36 weeks and affected 57%. As measured buy zithromax overnight shipping by change in weight and head circumference z-scores from birth to discharge, the infants who developed BPD grew slightly better than those who did not. See page F386Disorders of vision in neonatal hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathyEva Nagy and colleagues undertook a systematic review of reports of outcome after hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy to evaluate the evidence relating to visual impairment.

Although this is a recognised complication of hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy, it has not been well described. They identified six buy zithromax overnight shipping studies that enrolled 283 term born infants that met their inclusion criteria. Some form of visual impairment was reported in 35% but there was huge variation in the techniques used for assessment. It remains difficult to advise families about the risks and nature of visual impairments that might be encountered.

There are lots buy zithromax overnight shipping of barriers to obtaining good information in this area because of the need for prolonged follow-up and difficulty in testing individuals with other difficulties. See page F357Management of systemic hypotension in term infants with persistent pulmonary hypertension of the newbornHeather Siefkes and Satyan Lakshminrusimha present a beautifully illustrated review of the multiple factors contributing to haemodynamic disturbance in infants with PPHN, and the mechanisms of action of the various candidate therapeutic agents. This supports a reasoned approach to treatment. The challenge remains to buy zithromax overnight shipping supplement this with high quality evidence.

The HIP trial report illustrates the enormous challenge of studying treatments for haemodynamic disturbance in the immediate newborn period and the hurdles that need to be overcome to enable progress. See page F446 and F398Ethics statementsPatient consent for publicationNot required..

Zithromax acne treatment

Imaging the encephalopathy of prematurityJulia Kline and colleagues assessed MRI findings at term in 110 preterm infants born Can you buy amoxil over the counter usa before 32 weeks’ gestation and cared for in four neonatal units zithromax acne treatment in Columbus, Ohio. Using automated cortical and sub-cortical segmentation they analysed cortical surface area, sulcal depth, gyrification index, inner cortical curvature and thickness. These measures of brain development and maturation were related to the outcomes of cognitive zithromax acne treatment and language testing undertaken at 2 years corrected age using the Bayley-III. Increased surface area in nearly every brain region was positively correlated with Bayley-III cognitive and language scores.

Increased inner cortical curvature was negatively correlated with both outcomes. Gyrification index and sulcal depth did not follow zithromax acne treatment consistent trends. These metrics retained their significance after sex, gestational age, socio-economic status and global injury score on structural MRI were included in the analysis. Surface area and inner cortical curvature explained approximately one-third of the variance in Bayley-III scores.In an accompanying editorial, David Edwards characterises the complexity of imaging and interpreting the combined effects of injury and dysmaturation on the developing brain.

Major structural lesions are present zithromax acne treatment in a minority of infants and the problems observed in later childhood require a much broader understanding of the effects of prematurity on brain development. Presently these more sophisticated image-analysis techniques provide insights at a population level but the variation between individuals is such that they are not sufficiently predictive at an individual patient level to be of practical use to parents or clinicians in prognostication. Studies like this highlight the importance of follow-up programmes and help clinicians to avoid falling into the trap of equating normal (no major structural lesion) imaging studies with normal long term outcomes. See pages F460 and F458Drift at 10 yearsKaren Luuyt and colleagues report the cognitive outcomes at 10 years of the DRIFT (drainage, irrigation and fibrinolytic therapy) randomised controlled trial of treatment for post haemorrhagic zithromax acne treatment ventricular dilatation.

They are to be congratulated for continuing to track these children and confirming the persistence of the cognitive advantage of the treatment that was apparent from earlier follow-up. Infants who received DRIFT were zithromax acne treatment almost twice as likely to survive without severe cognitive disability than those who received standard treatment. While the confidence intervals were wide, the point estimate suggests that the number needed to treat for DRIFT to prevent one death or one case of severe cognitive disability was 3. The original trial took place between 2003 and 2006 and was stopped early because of concerns about secondary intraventricular haemorrhage and it was only on follow-up that the advantages of the treatment became apparent.

The study shows that secondary brain injury can be reduced by washing away the zithromax acne treatment harmful debris of IVH. No other treatment for post-haemorrhagic ventricular dilatation has been shown to be beneficial in a randomised controlled trial. Less invasive approaches to CSF drainage at different thresholds of ventricular enlargement later in the clinical course have not been associated with similar advantage. However the DRIFT treatment is complex and invasive and could only be provided in a small number of specialist referral centres and logistical zithromax acne treatment challenges will need to be overcome to evaluate the treatment approach further.

See page F466Chest compressionsWith a stable infant in the neonatal unit, it is common to review the events of the initial stabilisation and to speculate on whether chest compressions were truly needed to establish an effective circulation, or whether their use reflected clinician uncertainty in the face of other challenges. Anne Marthe Boldinge and colleagues provide some objective data on the subject. They analysed videos that zithromax acne treatment were recorded during neonatal stabilisation in a single centre with 5000 births per annum. From a birth population of almost 1200 infants there were good quality video recordings from 327 episodes of initial stabilisation where positive pressure ventilation was provided and 29 of these episodes included the provision of chest compressions, mostly in term infants.

6/29 of the infants who received chest compressions were retrospectively judged to have needed them. 8/29 had zithromax acne treatment adequate spontaneous respiration. 18/29 received ineffective positive pressure ventilation prior to chest compressions. 5/29 had a heart rate greater than 60 beats per minute at the time of zithromax acne treatment chest compressions.

A consistent pattern of ventilation corrective actions was not identified. One infant received chest compressions without prior heart rate assessment. See page 545Propofol for neonatal endotracheal intubationMost clinicians provide sedation/analgesia zithromax acne treatment for neonatal intubations but there is still a lot of uncertainty about the best approach. Ellen de Kort and colleagues set out to identify the dose of propofol that would provide adequate sedation for neonatal intubation without side-effects.

They conducted a dose-finding trial which evaluated a range of doses in infants of different gestations. They ended their study after 91 infants because they only zithromax acne treatment achieved adequate sedation without side effects in 13% of patients. Hypotension (mean blood pressure below post-mentrual age in the hour after treatment) was observed in 59% of patients. See page 489Growth to early adulthood following extremely preterm birthThe EPICure cohort comprised all babies born at 25 completed weeks of gestation or less in all 276 maternity units in the UK and Ireland from March to December 1995.

Growth data into adulthood are sparse for such immature zithromax acne treatment infants. Yanyan Ni and colleagues report the growth to 19 years of 129 of the cohort in comparison with contemporary term born controls. The extremely preterm infants were on average 4.0 cm shorter and 6.8 kg lighter with a 1.5 cm smaller head zithromax acne treatment circumference relative to controls at 19 years. Body mass index was significantly elevated to +0.32 SD.

With practice changing to include the provision of life sustaining treatment to greater numbers of infants born at 22 and 23 weeks of gestation there is a strong case for further cohort studies to include this population of infants. See page F496Premature birth is a worldwide problem, and the most significant cause of loss of disability-adjusted zithromax acne treatment life years in children. Impairment and disability among survivors are common. Cerebral palsy is diagnosed in around 10% of infants born before 33 weeks of gestation, although the rates approximately double in the smallest and most vulnerable infants, and other motor disturbances are being detected in 25%–40%.

Cognitive, socialisation and behavioural problems are apparent in around half of preterm infants, and there is increased incidence of neuropsychiatric disorders, which develop as the children grow zithromax acne treatment older. Adults born preterm are approximately seven times more likely to be diagnosed with bipolar disease.1 2The neuropathological basis for these long-term and debilitating disorders is often unclear. Brain imaging by ultrasound or MRI shows that only a relatively small proportion of infants have significant destructive brain lesions, and these major lesions are not detected commonly enough to account for the prevalence of long-term impairments. However, abnormalities of brain growth and maturation are common, and it is now apparent that, in addition to recognisable cerebral damage, adverse neurological, cognitive and psychiatric outcomes are consistently associated with abnormal cerebral maturation and development.Currently, most clinical decision-making remains focused around a number of well-described zithromax acne treatment cerebral lesions usually detected in routine practice using cranial ultrasound.

Periventricular haemorrhage is common. Severe haemorrhages are associated with long-term adverse outcomes, and in infants born before 33 weeks of gestation, haemorrhagic parenchymal infarction predicts motor deficits ….

Imaging the encephalopathy of prematurityJulia Kline and colleagues assessed MRI http://magellandigitalmapping.ca/can-you-buy-amoxil-over-the-counter-usa findings at term in 110 preterm infants born before 32 weeks’ gestation and cared for in four neonatal units in buy zithromax overnight shipping Columbus, Ohio. Using automated cortical and sub-cortical segmentation they analysed cortical surface area, sulcal depth, gyrification index, inner cortical curvature and thickness. These measures buy zithromax overnight shipping of brain development and maturation were related to the outcomes of cognitive and language testing undertaken at 2 years corrected age using the Bayley-III. Increased surface area in nearly every brain region was positively correlated with Bayley-III cognitive and language scores. Increased inner cortical curvature was negatively correlated with both outcomes.

Gyrification index buy zithromax overnight shipping and sulcal depth did not follow consistent trends. These metrics retained their significance after sex, gestational age, socio-economic status and global injury score on structural MRI were included in the analysis. Surface area and inner cortical curvature explained approximately one-third of the variance in Bayley-III scores.In an accompanying editorial, David Edwards characterises the complexity of imaging and interpreting the combined effects of injury and dysmaturation on the developing brain. Major structural lesions are present in a minority of infants and the problems observed in later childhood require a much broader understanding of the effects of buy zithromax overnight shipping prematurity on brain development. Presently these more sophisticated image-analysis techniques provide insights at a population level but the variation between individuals is such that they are not sufficiently predictive at an individual patient level to be of practical use to parents or clinicians in prognostication.

Studies like this highlight the importance of follow-up programmes and help clinicians to avoid falling into the trap of equating normal (no major structural lesion) imaging studies with normal long term outcomes. See pages F460 and F458Drift at 10 yearsKaren Luuyt and colleagues report the cognitive outcomes at 10 years of the DRIFT (drainage, irrigation and fibrinolytic therapy) randomised controlled trial of treatment for post haemorrhagic buy zithromax overnight shipping ventricular dilatation. They are to be congratulated for continuing to track these children and confirming the persistence of the cognitive advantage of the treatment that was apparent from earlier follow-up. Infants who received buy zithromax overnight shipping DRIFT were almost twice as likely to survive without severe cognitive disability than those who received standard treatment. While the confidence intervals were wide, the point estimate suggests that the number needed to treat for DRIFT to prevent one death or one case of severe cognitive disability was 3.

The original trial took place between 2003 and 2006 and was stopped early because of concerns about secondary intraventricular haemorrhage and it was only on follow-up that the advantages of the treatment became apparent. The study shows that secondary brain injury can be reduced by washing buy zithromax overnight shipping away the harmful debris of IVH. No other treatment for post-haemorrhagic ventricular dilatation has been shown to be beneficial in a randomised controlled trial. Less invasive approaches to CSF drainage at different thresholds of ventricular enlargement later in the clinical course have not been associated with similar advantage. However the DRIFT treatment buy zithromax overnight shipping is complex and invasive and could only be provided in a small number of specialist referral centres and logistical challenges will need to be overcome to evaluate the treatment approach further.

See page F466Chest compressionsWith a stable infant in the neonatal unit, it is common to review the events of the initial stabilisation and to speculate on whether chest compressions were truly needed to establish an effective circulation, or whether their use reflected clinician uncertainty in the face of other challenges. Anne Marthe Boldinge and colleagues provide some objective data on the subject. They analysed videos that were recorded during neonatal stabilisation in a single centre buy zithromax overnight shipping with 5000 births per annum. From a birth population of almost 1200 infants there were good quality video recordings from 327 episodes of initial stabilisation where positive pressure ventilation was provided and 29 of these episodes included the provision of chest compressions, mostly in term infants. 6/29 of the infants who received chest compressions were retrospectively judged to have needed them.

8/29 had adequate spontaneous respiration buy zithromax overnight shipping. 18/29 received ineffective positive pressure ventilation prior to chest compressions. 5/29 had a heart rate greater than buy zithromax overnight shipping 60 beats per minute at the time of chest compressions. A consistent pattern of ventilation corrective actions was not identified. One infant received chest compressions without prior heart rate assessment.

See page 545Propofol for neonatal endotracheal intubationMost clinicians provide sedation/analgesia for neonatal intubations but there is buy zithromax overnight shipping still a lot of uncertainty about the best approach. Ellen de Kort and colleagues set out to identify the dose of propofol that would provide adequate sedation for neonatal intubation without side-effects. They conducted a dose-finding trial which evaluated a range of doses in infants of different gestations. They ended their study after 91 infants because buy zithromax overnight shipping they only achieved adequate sedation without side effects in 13% of patients. Hypotension (mean blood pressure below post-mentrual age in the hour after treatment) was observed in 59% of patients.

See page 489Growth to early adulthood following extremely preterm birthThe EPICure cohort comprised all babies born at 25 completed weeks of gestation or less in all 276 maternity units in the UK and Ireland from March to December 1995. Growth data into adulthood are sparse buy zithromax overnight shipping for such immature infants. Yanyan Ni and colleagues report the growth to 19 years of 129 of the cohort in comparison with contemporary term born controls. The extremely preterm buy zithromax overnight shipping infants were on average 4.0 cm shorter and 6.8 kg lighter with a 1.5 cm smaller head circumference relative to controls at 19 years. Body mass index was significantly elevated to +0.32 SD.

With practice changing to include the provision of life sustaining treatment to greater numbers of infants born at 22 and 23 weeks of gestation there is a strong case for further cohort studies to include this population of infants. See page F496Premature birth is a worldwide problem, and the buy zithromax overnight shipping most significant cause of loss of disability-adjusted life years in children. Impairment and disability among survivors are common. Cerebral palsy is diagnosed in around 10% of infants born before 33 weeks of gestation, although the rates approximately double in the smallest and most vulnerable infants, and other motor disturbances are being detected in 25%–40%. Cognitive, socialisation and behavioural problems are apparent in around half of preterm infants, and there is increased incidence of buy zithromax overnight shipping neuropsychiatric disorders, which develop as the children grow older.

Adults born preterm are approximately seven times more likely to be diagnosed with bipolar disease.1 2The neuropathological basis for these long-term and debilitating disorders is often unclear. Brain imaging by ultrasound or MRI shows that only a relatively small proportion of infants have significant destructive brain lesions, and these major lesions are not detected commonly enough to account for the prevalence of long-term impairments. However, abnormalities of buy zithromax overnight shipping brain growth and maturation are common, and it is now apparent that, in addition to recognisable cerebral damage, adverse neurological, cognitive and psychiatric outcomes are consistently associated with abnormal cerebral maturation and development.Currently, most clinical decision-making remains focused around a number of well-described cerebral lesions usually detected in routine practice using cranial ultrasound. Periventricular haemorrhage is common. Severe haemorrhages are associated with long-term adverse outcomes, and in infants born before 33 weeks of gestation, haemorrhagic parenchymal infarction predicts motor deficits ….