PI-RADS version 2: what you need to know

Prostate cancer is the second most prevalent cancer in men worldwide and its incidence is expected to double by 2030. Multi-parametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) incorporating anatomical and functional imaging has now been validated as a means of detecting and characterising prostate tumours and can aid in risk stratification and treatment selection. The European Society of Urogenital Radiology (ESUR) in 2012 established the Prostate Imaging-Reporting and Data System (PI-RADS) guidelines aimed at standardising the acquisition, interpretation and reporting of prostate MRI. Subsequent experience and technical developments have highlighted some limitations, and a joint steering committee formed by the American College of Radiology, ESUR, and the AdMeTech Foundation have recently announced an updated version of the proposals. We summarise the main proposals of PI-RADS version 2, explore the evidence behind the recommendations, and highlight key differences for the benefit of those already familiar with the original.

Classifying insulin regimens--difficulties and proposal for comprehensive new definitions

Modern insulin regimens for the treatment of type 1 diabetes are highly individualized. The concept of an individually tailored medicine accounts for a broad variety of different insulin regimens applied. Despite clear recommendations for insulin management in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes there is little distinctiveness about concepts and the nomenclature is confusing. Even among experts similar terms are used for different strategies. The aim of our review--based on the experiences of the Hvidoere Study Group (HSG)--is to propose comprehensive definitions for current insulin regimens reflecting current diabetes management in childhood and adolescence. The HSG--founded in 1994--is an international group representing 24 highly experienced pediatric diabetes centers, from Europe, Japan, North America and Australia. Different benchmarking studies of the HSG revealed a broad variety of insulin regimens applied in each center, respectively. Furthermore, the understanding of insulin regimens has been persistently different between the centers since more than 20 yr. Not even the terms 'conventional' and 'intensified therapy' were used consistently among all members. Besides the concepts 'conventional' and 'intensified', several other terms for the characterization of insulin regimens are in use: Basal Bolus Concept (BBC), multiple daily injections (MDI), and flexible insulin therapy (FIT) are most frequently used, although none of these expressions is clearly or consistently defined. The proposed new classification for insulin management will be comprehensive, simple, and catchy. Currently available terms were included. This classification may offer the opportunity to compare therapeutic strategies without the currently existing confusion on the insulin regimen.

Adolescents' views and experiences of treatments for Type 2 diabetes: a qualitative study

AIM

To explore adolescents' views and experiences of different treatments for Type 2 diabetes, in order to improve treatment concordance and consider how the current treatment pathway for adolescent Type 2 diabetes could be improved.

METHODS

In-depth interviews were held with 12 adolescents who had been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes. Adolescents were sampled from a UK cohort study. Data were analysed thematically.

RESULTS

Interviewees struggled to maintain lifestyle changes. Insulin, metformin and liraglutide were described as effective but, in some cases, as resulting in side effects. Injected treatments were viewed less favourably than oral medications. Weight loss surgery was considered an acceptable treatment for obese adolescents who had tried other treatments for their diabetes. It was apparent that some adolescents had not been surprised by their diagnosis and did not fully appreciate the implications of having diabetes. It was also evident that some individuals had not told peers about their diagnosis due to fearing how they would react. Factors identified as improving treatment concordance included reminders and viewing treatment as effective and easy to take.

CONCLUSIONS

Adolescents want treatments that are effective, discrete, easy to take and do not make them different from their peers. As liraglutide was described as effective, and surgery viewed as acceptable in certain circumstances, greater consideration should be given to their potential role in treating adolescent Type 2 diabetes. Practitioners need to ensure that adolescents appreciate the implications of having diabetes and may want to address adolescents' concerns regarding how others view this condition.

Genetic predictors of cardiovascular morbidity in Bardet-Biedl syndrome

Bardet-Biedl syndrome is a rare ciliopathy characterized by retinal dystrophy, obesity, intellectual disability, polydactyly, hypogonadism and renal impairment. Patients are at high risk of cardiovascular disease. Mutations in BBS1 and BBS10 account for more than half of those with molecular confirmation of the diagnosis. To elucidate genotype-phenotype correlations with respect to cardiovascular risk indicators 50 patients with mutations in BBS1 were compared with 19 patients harbouring BBS10 mutations. All patients had truncating, missense or compound missense/truncating mutations. The effect of genotype and mutation type was analysed. C-reactive protein was higher in those with mutations in BBS10 and homozygous truncating mutations (p = 0.013 and p = 0.002, respectively). Patients with mutations in BBS10 had higher levels of C peptide than those with mutations in BBS1 (p = 0.043). Triglyceride levels were significantly elevated in patients with homozygous truncating mutations (p = 0.048). Gamma glutamyl transferase was higher in patients with homozygous truncating mutations (p = 0.007) and heterozygous missense and truncating mutations (p = 0.002) than those with homozygous missense mutations. The results are compared with clinical cardiovascular risk factors. Patients with missense mutations in BBS1 have lower biochemical cardiovascular disease markers compared with patients with BBS10 and other BBS1 mutations. This could contribute to stratification of the clinical service.

Multidetector CT findings in patients with mesenteric ischaemia following cardiopulmonary bypass surgery

OBJECTIVE

To investigate CT findings in patients with pathologically proven mesenteric ischaemia post-cardiopulmonary bypass surgery and compare them with the control group of patients without ischaemia.

METHODS

68 patients were identified by a search of local surgical and pathological databases; these patients met the inclusion criteria of a laparotomy within 1 month of a procedure requiring cardiopulmonary bypass and a CT abdomen/pelvis within 1 week of the pathological diagnosis. Two radiologists independently reviewed the studies, evaluating 17 separate findings relating to the bowel, the vasculature or other structures; consensus was subsequently reached. The diagnostic value of CT findings was assessed using logistic regression.

RESULTS

52 of 68 patients had pathologically proven ischaemia. Portal venous gas, mesenteric venous gas and small bowel faeces sign all had specificities of >0.94 for ischaemia but low sensitivity (<0.27). Differential mural enhancement had high sensitivity (0.92) but poor specificity (0.50). The combination of pneumatosis, bowel loop dilatation and differential mural enhancement predicted bowel ischaemia with a probability of 98%. The hardest signs to interpret based on poor interreader kappa agreement were bowel wall thinning, mesenteric stranding and differential mural enhancement.

CONCLUSION

A combination of CT signs was predictive of ischaemic bowel; however, the more specific findings lacked sensitivity. If clinical suspicion is high for bowel ischaemia, prompt surgical intervention is warranted, regardless of CT findings.

ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE

Arterial occlusion was uncommon and venous occlusion was not present, which is supportive of a predominantly non-occlusive aetiology for ischaemia in this patient group.

Metformin in obese children and adolescents: the MOCA trial

CONTEXT

Childhood obesity is increasingly associated with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Metformin reduces the risk for T2D in adult obese nondiabetic patients, but the evidence in obese children and young people is inconclusive.

OBJECTIVE

The objective of the study was to assess the effect of metformin on body mass index sd score (BMI-SDS), metabolic risk factors, and adipokines.

DESIGN

This was a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

SETTING

The study was conducted at six pediatric endocrine centers in the United Kingdom.

PARTICIPANTS

One hundred fifty-one obese children and young people with hyperinsulinemia and/or impaired fasting glucose or impaired glucose tolerance (metformin: 74, placebo: 77). The study was comprised of 67.5% females, 65.6% postpubertal individuals, and 23.8% British Asian or Afro-Caribbean participants. The age range was 8-18 yr, the mean age was 13.7 (SD 2.3) yr, and the mean BMI-SDS was +3.4 (SD 0.5).

INTERVENTIONS

The intervention included metformin 1 g in the morning and 500 mg in the evening vs. placebo for 6 months.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

The main outcome measure was a reduction in BMI-SDS at 6 months. Secondary outcomes included insulin and glucose levels from oral glucose tolerance tests, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and adiponectin to leptin ratio (ALR) at 3 and 6 months.

RESULTS

Metformin was associated with a significant reduction in BMI-SDS compared with placebo at 6 months [mean difference -0.1 SD (95% confidence interval -0.18 to -0.02), P = 0.02]. Significant improvements at 3 months were found in the metformin group: fasting glucose, -0.16 mmol/liter (-0.31 to -0.00), P = 0.047; ALT, 19% (5-36%), P = 0.008; and ALR, 32% (4-67%), P = 0.02.

CONCLUSIONS

Metformin therapy has a beneficial treatment effect over placebo for BMI-SDS, fasting glucose, ALT, and ALR ratio at 3 months, with changes in BMI-SDS sustained at 6 months.

DCE and DW MRI in monitoring response to androgen deprivation therapy in patients with prostate cancer: a feasibility study

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is a key primary treatment for advanced and metastatic prostate cancer and is an important neoadjuvant before radiotherapy. We evaluated 3.0 T dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI and diffusion-weighted (DW) MRI in monitoring ADT response. Twenty-three consecutive patients with prostate cancer treated by primary ADT were included. Imaging was performed at baseline and 3 months posttreatment with ADT. After 3 months therapy there was a significant reduction in all dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI parameters measured in tumor regions of interest (K(trans), k(ep), v(p), IAUGC-90); P < 0.001. Areas of normal-appearing peripheral zone showed no significant change; P = 0.285-0.879. Post-ADT, there was no significant change in apparent diffusion coefficient values in tumors, whilst apparent diffusion coefficient values significantly decreased in areas of normal-appearing peripheral zone, from 1.786 × 10(-3) mm(2) /s to 1.561 × 10(-3) mm(2) /s; P = 0.007. As expected the median Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) significantly reduced from 30 ng/mL to 1.5 ng/mL posttreatment, and median prostate volume dropped from 47.6 cm(3) to 24.9 cm(3) ; P < 0.001. These results suggest that dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI and diffusion-weighted MRI offer different information but that both could prove useful adjuncts to the anatomical information provided by T2-weighted imaging. dynamic contrast-enhanced as a marker of angiogenesis may help demonstrate ADT resistance and diffusion-weighted imaging may be more accurate in determining presence of tumor cell death versus residual tumor.

Determinants of pattern of breathing during respirator use

The relationship between the pattern of breathing in response to respirator-type loads and an individual's psychophysiologic sensitivity to loads (load scaling sensitivity, LSS) was investigated in the study of 11 normal volunteers. LSS was measured by having the subjects numerically rate a series of resistors; Steven's Psychophysical Law was used to evaluate sensitivity as the slope relating log (sensation) to log (stimulus). Peak pressure and actual added resistance were the stimuli. Inspiratory time, peak pressure, duty cycle, and tidal volume were inversely related to independently measured LSS during exercise and with a respiratory-type dead space and inspiratory resistance load. Because the need for changes in respiratory timing is a major adaptation in respirator use, it suggests that workers who are very sensitive to loads may have limited ability to adapt to respirator use.

Radiological staging in breast cancer: which asymptomatic patients to image and how

BACKGROUND

Approximately 4% of patients diagnosed with early breast cancer have occult metastases at presentation. Current national and international guidelines lack consensus on whom to image and how.

METHODS

We assessed practice in baseline radiological staging against local guidelines for asymptomatic newly diagnosed breast cancer patients presenting to the Cambridge Breast Unit over a 9-year period.

RESULTS

A total of 2612 patients were eligible for analysis; 91.7% were appropriately investigated. However in the subset of lymph node negative stage II patients, only 269 out of 354 (76.0%) investigations were appropriate. No patients with stage 0 or I disease had metastases; only two patients (0.3%) with stage II and < or =3 positive lymph nodes had metastases. Conversely, 2.2, 2.6 and 3.8% of these groups had false-positive results. The incidence of occult metastases increased by stage, being present in 6, 13.9 and 57% of patients with stage II (> or =4 positive lymph nodes), III and IV disease, respectively.

CONCLUSION

These results prompted us to propose new local guidelines for staging asymptomatic breast cancer patients: only clinical stage III or IV patients require baseline investigation. The high specificity and convenience of computed tomography (chest, abdomen and pelvis) led us to recommend this as the investigation of choice in breast cancer patients requiring radiological staging.

Fertility after abdominal myomectomy

This study aimed to evaluate the morbidity and pregnancy outcome of myomectomy in infertile women with uterine fibroids. This was a cross-sectional study. Records were reviewed for 100 consecutive women in the Rotunda Hospital who underwent myomectomy in the years 1995-1996. A questionnaire regarding subsequent fertility was sent. The study was carried out in the infertility unit at the Rotunda Hospital, Dublin, Ireland. Seventy-five women responded. Multiple myomectomy was performed in 52 (70%). Mean fibroid size was 6.8 cm (range 2-14.5 cm). Nine women (12%) developed complications; five had menstrual problems, two had wound discomfort and two had abdominal discomfort. Twenty-five women (33%) became pregnant. Seven (28%) were IVF pregnancies. Overall six (24%) miscarried. In 19 of 25, pregnancy occurred where fibroids were the only identifiable cause of infertility. We conclude that abdominal myomectomy is associated with a favourable outcome in infertile women particularly if no other confounding variable is present.

Ambulatory blood pressure measurements are related to albumin excretion and are predictive for risk of microalbuminuria in young people with type 1 diabetes

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS

The relationship between BP and microalbuminuria in young people with type 1 diabetes is not completely clear. As microalbuminuria is preceded by a gradual rise in albumin excretion within the normal range, we hypothesised that ambulatory BP (ABP) may be closely related to albumin excretion and progression to microalbuminuria.

METHODS

ABP monitoring (ABPM) was performed in 509 young people with type 1 diabetes (age median [range]: 15.7 [10.7-22.6] years) followed with annual assessments of three early morning urinary albumin:creatinine ratios (ACRs) and HbA(1c). Systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) and the nocturnal fall in BP were analysed in relation to ACR.

RESULTS

All ABPM variables were significantly related to baseline log(10) ACR (p < 0.001). After the ABPM evaluation, 287 patients were followed for a median of 2.2 (1.0-5.5) years. ABP at baseline was independently related to mean ACR during follow-up. Nineteen initially normoalbuminuric patients developed microalbuminuria after 2.0 (0.2-4.0) years and their baseline daytime DBP was higher than in normoalbuminuric patients (p < 0.001). After adjusting for baseline ACR and HbA(1c), there was an 11% increased risk of microalbuminuria for each 1 mmHg increase in daytime DBP. Forty-eight per cent of patients were non-dippers for SBP and 60% for DBP; however, ACR was not different between dippers and non-dippers and there were no differences in the nocturnal fall in BP between normoalbuminuric and future microalbuminuric patients.

CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION

In this cohort of young people with type 1 diabetes, ABP was significantly related to ACR, and daytime DBP was independently associated with progression to microalbuminuria. Increasing albumin excretion, even in the normal range, may be associated with parallel rises in BP.

Nurses are the key to improving mental health services in low- and middle-income countries

Mental health nursing is a critical issue for most countries. Nurses in low- and middle-income countries are often the primary providers of care for people with mental disorders. Some are highly qualified professionals who train other providers to identify and treat mental disorders. However, in other instances, particularly in low-income countries, nurses have had very little or no mental health training and receive no support from mental health professionals. The lack of sufficient mental health professionals in these countries creates an environment where nurses without training are often the only providers available to care for people with mental disorders. In September 2007 the World Health Organization and the International Council of Nurses produced a report summarizing the responses to some of the questions on a survey of nursing mental health practices in 177 countries and territories. The summary of the open-ended questions (e.g. what are the key issues for nurses providing mental health care in your country?) is reported for the first time in this article. Subsequent to the release of the Nurses in Mental Health Atlas, an online forum was held. There were 615 subscribers to this forum from over 80 countries. This article summarizes the rich insights and recommendations from both the survey's open-ended comments and the online forum. The issues discussed include: the varied and complex roles for nurses in mental health care; nursing education; prescribing practices; nurse recruitment and retention; human rights; research; and technical expertise.