Psychiatry

Xanomeline–trospium beneficial in treatment of schizophrenia

7 hours ago

Treatment with the combination of xanomeline plus trospium leads to favourable reduction in positive and negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia, while being well tolerated, according to data from the phase III EMERGENT-2 trial.

NIH study: Semaglutide associated with lower risk of suicidal ideation

Kanas Chan, 5 days ago

Semaglutide is associated with a 49─73 percent lower risk of suicidal ideation vs other agents for treatment of obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), a National Institutes of Health (NIH)─funded study has shown.

Food insecurity leads to behavioural problems in children

Jairia Dela Cruz, 6 days ago

Household food insecurity appears to be associated with the manifestation of externalizing and internalizing behaviour problems in young children in Singapore through both nutritional deficits and family stress, according to a study.

Biosensors detect aggression risk in young psychiatric inpatients with autism

Jairia Dela Cruz, 07 Jan 2024

Wearable biosensors and machine learning algorithms show promise in predicting impending aggressive behaviour in youths with autism who are undergoing psychiatric treatment, offering opportunities for intervention and prevention.

One in five community-dwelling older adults has mild neurocognitive disorders

Kanas Chan, 04 Jan 2024

Mild neurocognitive disorders (NCDs) are present in one in five community-dwelling older adults in Hong Kong, while 70 percent of older adults living in residential care homes have dementia, researchers from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) have reported.

HCV pangenotypic DAA therapy in a patient with concomitant antipsychotic treatment

Dr. Ting-Ting Chan, 27 Oct 2023

A 43-year-old male former intravenous drug user presented with incidental findings of elevated alanine transaminase (ALT) levels in December 2021. The patient had depression and drug-induced psychosis associated with previous heroin, ketamine and methamphetamine use. He was on quetiapine 300 mg daily for his psychotic symptoms, pantoprazole 40 mg daily as needed for occasional acid reflux, and simvastatin 10 mg daily for hyperlipidaemia. He did not have hepatitis B virus (HBV) or human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coinfection.

A patient with treatment-resistant depression and suicidality achieving remission with an intranasal NMDA receptor antagonist

Dr. Chun Lam, 14 Sep 2023

A 25-year-old female school teacher with treatment-resistant depression (TRD), who was otherwise healthy with a strong family history of depression, was referred to our clinic in April 2023 by a general practitioner (GP) due to suicidal ideation – a psychiatric emergency.

Lemborexant as a safer alternative to GABA agents for long-term treatment of insomnia

Prof. Motohiro Ozone, 12 May 2023

Commonly prescribed insomnia medications, such as benzodiazepines and ‘Z-drugs’, which target the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors, are associated with unwanted consequences including next-day impairment, dependence, confusion and falls, especially in older people. Hence, there is an unmet need for safe and effective agents for long-term management of insomnia. In an interview with MIMS Doctor, Professor Motohiro Ozone of the Department of Neuropsychiatry, Kurume University School of Medicine, Fukuoka, Japan, discussed benefits of using the dual orexin receptor antagonist (DORA), lemborexant (Dayvigo^®, Eisai), over GABA agents in adults with insomnia.

Long-acting ART effective in and preferred by PLHIV

Dr. Moti Ramgopal, 19 Apr 2023

Cabotegravir (CAB) plus rilpivirine (RPV) is currently the only long-acting (LA) injectable antiretroviral therapy (ART) recommended for people living with HIV (PLHIV) who have achieved viral suppression with oral medications. At the 30^th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI 2023) in Seattle, Washington, US, Dr Moti Ramgopal of the Midway Immunology and Research Center in Fort Pierce, Florida, US, presented 12-month results of the SOLAR (Switch Onto Long-Acting Regimen) study, which demonstrated the efficacy, safety and improved patient satisfaction of LA CAB + RPV in PLHIV vs daily oral ART.

Expert insights on current aHUS diagnosis and management strategies

Dr. Elaine Au, Dr. Matthew Lee, Dr. Crystal Lam, Dr. Stella Chim, 19 Apr 2023

Atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome (aHUS) is a group of rare complement dysregulation disorders characterized by haemolytic anaemia, thrombocytopenia and acute kidney injury in both paediatric and adult patients. Prompt management is crucial to avoid life-threatening complications and invasive interventions. However, early detection and treatment remain challenging because aHUS is primarily diagnosed by exclusion. In an interview with MIMS Doctor, experts from Hong Kong shared current practices in the diagnosis and treatment of aHUS as well as their experience with using the complement component 5 (C5) inhibitor, eculizumab, for these patients.

Anti–IL-23 management of severe psoriatic arthritis in a heavily pretreated young obese patient

Dr. Billy Lai, 20 Feb 2023

The patient is a 29-year-old male who was first diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis (PsA) in November 2010. He had comorbid well-controlled epilepsy and obesity, with body weight fluctuating between 100 kg and 107 kg in recent years.

Young cyberbullying victims at heightened risk of self-harm

Jairia Dela Cruz, 24 May 2021

For children, being at the receiving end of online bullying makes them 12 times more susceptible to suicidal thoughts and actions, with the risk exacerbated by increased use of social media, as shown in the results of a meta-analysis presented at the virtual American Psychiatric Association (APA) 2021 Annual Meeting.

Bright light therapy at midday: Does it help in bipolar depression?

Elvira Manzano, 07 May 2021

Bright light therapy done at midday may be an effective and affordable adjunct to antimanic medication in patients with bipolar depression (BD), according to an expert who presented at APA 2021. This brings renewed attention to this natural, somatic treatment primarily used for seasonal depression.

Anxiety in MCI may lead to Alzheimer’s disease

Roshini Claire Anthony, 01 Jan 2021

Anxiety symptoms in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) may increase their risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, according to a study presented at the Radiological Society of North America annual meeting (RSNA 2020).

Virtual reality useful for pain reduction, cognitive rehab and medical training

Christina Lau, 21 May 2019

Virtual reality (VR) can be used to reduce pain during wound care for burn patients, facilitate cognitive rehabilitation for patients with neurological or psychiatric disorders, and transform medical training for healthcare staff, according to data presented at the 2019 Hong Kong Hospital Authority Convention.