Project description:Eating disorders, which are associated with a host of adverse medical morbidities, negative psychological sequelae, and considerable reductions in quality of life, should be diagnosed and treated promptly. However, primary care physicians may find it uniquely challenging to detect eating disorders in their early stages, before obvious physical problems arise and while psychological symptoms are subtle. Although psychological symptoms may dominate the presentation, the physician is an integral member of the treatment team and is in a unique role to diagnose and treat eating disorders. This clinical review surveys the eating disorders literature, identified by searching MEDLINE and PubMed for articles published from January 1, 1983, to September 30, 2009, using the following keywords: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, eating disorders, eating disorders NOS, binge eating, binge eating disorder, and night eating syndrome. This review also focuses on practical issues faced by primary care physicians in the management of these conditions and other issues central to the care of these complex patients with medical and psychiatric comorbid conditions.
Project description:ObjectivesExamination of current temporal trends and clinical management patterns of eating disorders (ED) in primary care is lacking. We aimed to calculate annual incidence rates of EDs in primary care by age, sex and deprivation. We also explored the care received through referrals, psychotropic prescriptions and associated secondary care service use.Participants and settingsA retrospective electronic cohort study was conducted using the Clinical Practice Research Datalink in those aged 11-24 years between 2004 and 2014 in England (n=1 135 038).ResultsA total of 4775 individuals with a first ever recorded ED diagnosis were identified. The crude incidence rate was 100.1 per 100 000 person years at risk (95% CI 97.2 to 102.9). Incidence rates were highest in females (189.3 per 100 000 person years, 95% CI 183.7 to 195.0, n=4336), 16-20 years of age (141.0 per 100 000 person years, 95% CI 135.4 to 146.9, n=2348) and individuals from the least deprived areas (115.8 per 100 000 person years (95% CI 109.3 to 122.5, n=1203). Incidence rates decreased across the study period (incidence rate ratio (IRR) 0.6, 95% CI 0.5 to 0.8), particularly for individuals with bulimia nervosa (IRR 0.5, 95% CI 0.3 to 0.7) and from the most deprived areas (IRR 0.5, 95% CI 0.4 to 0.7). A total of 17.4% (95% CI 16.3 to 18.5, n=831) of first ever recorded ED cases were referred from primary to secondary care. 27.1% (95% CI 25.9 to 28.4, n=1294) of individuals had an inpatient admission 6 months before or 12 months after an incident ED diagnosis and 53.4% (95% CI 52.0 to 54.9, n=2550) had an outpatient attendance. Antidepressants were the most commonly prescribed psychotropic medication.ConclusionsNew ED presentations in primary care are reducing. Understanding the cause of this decrease (coding behaviours, changes in help-seeking or a genuine reduction in new cases) is important to plan services, allocate resources and deliver effective care.
Project description:BackgroundThe primary care setting offers an attractive opportunity for, not only the identification of pediatric eating disorders, but also the delivery of evidence-based treatment. However, constraints of this setting pose barriers for implementing treatment. For interventions to be successful, they need to take into consideration the perspectives of stakeholders. As such, the purpose of this study was to examine in-depth primary care providers' perspective of challenges to identifying and managing eating disorders in the primary care setting.MethodsThis mixed methods study surveyed 60 Pediatric and Family Medicine providers across 6 primary care practices. Sixteen of these providers were further interviewed using a qualitative, semi-structured interview.ResultsProviders (n = 60, response rate of 45%) acknowledged the potential of primary care as a point of contact for early identification and treatment of pediatric eating disorders. They also expressed that this was an area of need in their practices. They identified numerous barriers to successful implementation of evidence-based treatment in this setting including scarcity of time, knowledge, and resources.ConclusionsInvestigations seeking to build capacities in primary care settings to address eating disorders must address these barriers.
Project description:This editorial seeks to encourage the increased application of three open science practices in eating disorders research: Preregistration, Registered Reports, and the sharing of materials, data, and code. For each of these practices, we introduce updated International Journal of Eating Disorders author and reviewer guidance. Updates include the introduction of open science badges; specific instructions about how to improve transparency; and the introduction of Registered Reports of systematic or meta-analytical reviews. The editorial also seeks to encourage the study of open science practices. Open science practices pose considerable time and other resource burdens. Therefore, research is needed to help determine the value of these added burdens and to identify efficient strategies for implementing open science practices.
Project description:ObjectivesStigma toward people with mental health problems (MHP) in primary health care (PHC) settings is an important public health challenge. Research on stigma toward MHP is relatively scarce in Chile and Latin America, as are instruments to measure stigma that are validated for use there. The present study aims to validate the Opening Minds Scale for Health Care Professionals (OMS-HC) among staff and providers in public Chilean PHC clinics, and examine differences in stigma by sociodemographic characteristics.Methods803 participants from 34 PHC clinics answered a self-administered questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis was completed. Average 15-item OMS-HC scores were calculated, and means were compared via t-test or ANOVA to identify group differences. Correlations of OMS-HC scores with other commonly used stigma scores were calculated to evaluate construct validity.ResultsThe 3-factor OMS-HC structure was confirmed in this population. The average OMS-HC (α = 0.69) score was 34.55 (theoretical range 15-75). Significantly lower (less stigmatizing) mean OMS-HC scores were found in those with additional training and/or personal experience with MHP.ConclusionThe validated, Spanish version of OMS-HC can be of use to further research stigma toward MHP in Chile and Latin America, advancing awareness and inspiring interventions to reduce stigma in the future.
Project description:BackgroundInflammation has been recognized as a significant factor in the pathophysiology of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), which have garnered increasing scholarly attention over the past few decades. This study aims to explore research trends related to inflammation and ASD through bibliometric analysis.MethodA comprehensive literature search was conducted in the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) on August 28, 2024. This study was restricted to literature published in English. The bibliometric analysis utilized VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and the R package "bibliometrix" to visualize collaborations, keyword co-occurrences, and emerging research trends.ResultsA total of 1,752 articles addressing inflammation and ASD were published, demonstrating a consistent upward trend in research output. The United States emerged as the country with the highest volume of publications. Saleh A. Bakheet was identified as the most prolific authors, significantly contributing to the literature with 54 publications. The University of California System was recognized as the most productive institution in this area of study. The journal of Brain Behavior and Immunity was noted as a prominent venue for publication in this field, exhibiting high citation metrics that reflect its considerable influence. The keyword "children" was the most frequently occurring term, with other significant terms including "oxidative stress" and "brain." The keyword burst analysis revealed notable periods of increased research focus on topics such as "inflammatory bowel disease," "cytokine production," "neurodevelopmental disorders," and "microbiota."ConclusionThis bibliometric analysis highlights the growing scholarly attention devoted to the relationship between inflammation and ASD. Significant contributions and emerging trends emphasize the pivotal role of neuroinflammation in ASD, indicating a necessity for further exploration in this domain.
Project description:Anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) are complex disorders characterized by disordered eating behavior where the patient's attitude towards weight and shape, as well as their perception of body shape, are disturbed. Formal genetic studies on twins and families suggested a substantial genetic influence for AN and BN. Candidate gene studies have initially focused on the serotonergic and other central neurotransmitter systems and on genes involved in body weight regulation. Hardly any of the positive findings achieved in these studies were unequivocally confirmed or substantiated in meta-analyses. This might be due to too small sample sizes and thus low power and/or the genes underlying eating disorders have not yet been analyzed. However, some studies that also used subphenotypes (e.g., restricting type of AN) led to more specific results; however, confirmation is as yet mostly lacking. Systematic genome-wide linkage scans based on families with at least two individuals with an eating disorder (AN or BN) revealed initial linkage regions on chromosomes 1, 3 and 4 (AN) and 10p (BN). Analyses on candidate genes in the chromosome 1 linkage region led to the (as yet unconfirmed) identification of certain variants associated with AN. Genome-wide association studies are under way and will presumably help to identify genes and pathways involved in these eating disorders. The elucidation of the molecular mechanisms underlying eating disorders might improve therapeutic approaches.
Project description:The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between methylation patterns of the histone deacetylase 4 gene and eating disorders in a site previously associated with anorexia nervosa (AN). Women with AN (N=28) or bulimia nervosa (BN) (N=19) were age-matched and sex-matched to controls (N=45). We obtained saliva-derived DNA and use bisulfite pyrosequencing to examine region-specific methylation differences between cases and controls. The region assayed includes 15 CpGs. We found no significant association between the previously implicated CpG and either AN or BN. We found that three CpGs were nominally associated with AN (P=0.02-0.03); the largest difference was a 9% hypermethylation in AN. One CpG was nominally associated with BN (P=0.04), with 4% hypomethylation. None of these results remained significant after correction for multiple testing. We did not replicate previous findings, though through expanded coverage, we identified additional CpGs that were nominally associated with eating disorders.
Project description:BackgroundSleep problems are common in eating disorders (EDs).PurposeWe evaluated whether sleep-phasing regularity associates with the regularity of daily eating events.MethodsED patients (n = 29) completed hourly charts of mood and eating occasions for 2 weeks. Locomotor activity was recorded continuously by wrist actigraphy for a minimum of 10 days, and sleep was calculated based on periods of inactivity. We computed the center of daily inactivity (CenDI) as a measure of sleep phasing and consolidation of the daily inactivity (ConDI) as a measure of daily sleep rhythm strength. We assessed interday irregularities in the temporal structure of food intake using the standard deviation (SD) of frequency (IFRQ), timing (ITIM), and interval (IINT) of food intake. A self-evaluation of other characteristics included mood, anxiety, and early trauma.ResultsA later phasing of sleep associated with a lower frequency of eating (eating frequency with the CenDI rho = -0.49, p = .007). The phasing and rhythmic strength of sleep correlated with the degree of eating irregularity (CenDI with ITIM rho = 0.48, p = .008 and with IINT rho = 0.56, p = .002; SD of CenDI with ITIM rho = 0.47, p = .010, and SD of ConDI with IINT rho = 0.37, p = .048). Childhood Trauma Questionnaire showed associations with variation of sleep onset (rho = -0.51, p = .005) and with IFRQ (rho = 0.43, p = .023).ConclusionsLate and variable phasing of sleep associated robustly with irregular pattern of eating. Larger data sets are warranted to enable the analysis of diagnostic subgroups, current medication, and current symptomatology and to confirm the likely bidirectional association between eating pattern stability and the timing of sleep.
Project description:Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) are demyelinating diseases of the central nervous system, have drawn the attention of many researchers due to the relapsing courses and cumulative disability. A first bibliometric analysis of NMOSD was conducted to identify the research hotspots and emerging trends. Articles relevant to NMOSD published in the core collection of Web of Science were retrieved and analyzed through visualized analysis using CiteSpace and VOSviewer, focusing on annual publication trends, countries, institutions, authors, journals, and keywords. The analysis showed that over the past 30 years, publications related to NMOSD had shown steady growth with slight fluctuations. The United States played an important part in this field, with the highest outputs and the greatest number of citations. Research hotspots of NMOSD had gradually shifted from the definition, biomarkers, and diagnostic criteria to diagnosis and treatment, particularly immunotherapy. This bibliometric analysis provides researchers with a theoretical basis for studying NMOSD and offers guidance for future research directions.