The potential impact of computed tomography coronary calcium score screening on patients with dyslipidemia.

Background: Coronary artery calcium (CAC) scoring helps determine whether patients with known coronary artery disease (CAD) should initiate medical management by predicting future cardiac event risk. CAC scoring is underutilized because many insurance companies consider it experimental. This study aimed to determine whether CAC screening of patients at risk for CAD is associated with decreased risk of myocardial infarction and improved survival. Methods: The TriNetX research network was used for this study. Two cohorts of 86,574 patients aged 40 to 70 years were created. All patients were diagnosed with dyslipidemia and without CAD, and the cohorts were matched for demographics, comorbidities, and statin use. One cohort had been screened with CAC scoring while the other had not. The primary outcomes of this study were myocardial infarction and overall survival at 5 years. Results: Screened patients had 44% fewer myocardial infarction events at 5 years with a 76% lower risk of death. Conclusion: CAC scoring is associated with reduced risk of myocardial infarction and death in asymptomatic dyslipidemia patients and should be considered as a screening tool in these patients. The presumed mechanism for improved outcomes is that early identification of CAD results in earlier or more intensive treatment, reducing future cardiac event risk.

Postmenopausal Tubular Adenoma of the Breast: A Case Report.

Tubular adenoma (TA) of the breast is a rare, benign proliferative breast lesion that is predominantly composed of closely compacted tubules with an inner layer of epithelial cells and an outer layer of myoepithelial cells. They are regarded as residing on the opposite end of a spectrum of proliferative breast lesions from fibroadenomas, which are predominantly stromal. The majority of TAs are found in premenopausal women and the reason for this demographic predilection is not yet known. It is generally not possible to distinguish between TA and other, higher-risk breast lesions prior to biopsy or resection because the clinical and radiographic findings overlap. In this article, we present the case of a TA in a postmenopausal patient and review the epidemiology, histology, carcinogenic potential, and management of such lesions.

A Spectrum of Ultrasound and MR Imaging of Fetal Gastrointestinal Abnormalities: Part 2 Anorectal Malformation, Liver, and Abdominal Wall Anomalies.

Ultrasound (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are two modalities for diagnosing fetal gastrointestinal (GI) anomalies. Ultrasound (US) is the modality of choice. MRI can be used as a complementary method. Despite its expanding utilization in central nervous system (CNS) fetal malformation, MRI has not yet been established for evaluation of fetal GI abnormalities. Therefore, more attention should be paid to the clinical implications of MRI investigations following screening by US.

A Spectrum of Ultrasound and MR Imaging of Fetal Gastrointestinal Abnormalities: Part 1 Esophagus to Colon.

Ultrasound (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) are two modalities for diagnosing fetal gastrointestinal (GI) anomalies. Ultrasound (US) is the modality of choice. MRI can be used as a complementary method. Despite its expanding utilization in central nervous system (CNS) fetal malformation, MRI has not yet been established for evaluation of fetal GI abnormalities. Therefore, more attention should be paid to the clinical implications of MRI investigations following screening by US.

Radiological manifestations of chondromyxoid fibroma in the zygoma: A case report and literature review.

Chondromyxoid fibroma (CMF) is a rare benign bone tumor of cartilaginous origin, with an extremely rare craniofacial occurrence. Considering its rarity, craniofacial CMF presents a diagnostic challenge for radiologists. To our knowledge, only seven cases of zygomatic CMF have been described in the literature, only one of which was in the paediatric age group. Furthermore, none of the currently reported cases include MRI findings of zygomatic CMF. Here, we present a paediatric case of CMF of the zygoma with a comprehensive literature review of the reported cases, focusing on their radiological features and its differential diagnosis.

Complete abdomen and pelvis segmentation using U-net variant architecture.

PURPOSE: Organ segmentation of computed tomography (CT) imaging is essential for radiotherapy treatment planning. Treatment planning requires segmentation not only of the affected tissue, but nearby healthy organs-at-risk, which is laborious and time-consuming. We present a fully automated segmentation method based on the three-dimensional (3D) U-Net convolutional neural network (CNN) capable of whole abdomen and pelvis segmentation into 33 unique organ and tissue structures, including tissues that may be overlooked by other automated segmentation approaches such as adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, and connective tissue and vessels. Whole abdomen segmentation is capable of quantifying exposure beyond a handful of organs-at-risk to all tissues within the abdomen. METHODS: Sixty-six (66) CT examinations of 64 individuals were included in the training and validation sets and 18 CT examinations from 16 individuals were included in the test set. All pixels in each examination were segmented by image analysts (with physician correction) and assigned one of 33 labels. Segmentation was performed with a 3D U-Net variant architecture which included residual blocks, and model performance was quantified on 18 test cases. Human interobserver variability (using semiautomated segmentation) was also reported on two scans, and manual interobserver variability of three individuals was reported on one scan. Model performance was also compared to several of the best models reported in the literature for multiple organ segmentation. RESULTS: The accuracy of the 3D U-Net model ranges from a Dice coefficient of 0.95 in the liver, 0.93 in the kidneys, 0.79 in the pancreas, 0.69 in the adrenals, and 0.51 in the renal arteries. Model accuracy is within 5% of human segmentation in eight of 19 organs and within 10% accuracy in 13 of 19 organs. CONCLUSIONS: The CNN approaches the accuracy of human tracers and on certain complex organs displays more consistent prediction than human tracers. Fully automated deep learning-based segmentation of CT abdomen has the potential to improve both the speed and accuracy of radiotherapy dose prediction for organs-at-risk.

Fully Automated Segmentation of Head CT Neuroanatomy Using Deep Learning.

PURPOSE: To develop a deep learning model that segments intracranial structures on head CT scans. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study, a primary dataset containing 62 normal noncontrast head CT scans from 62 patients (mean age, 73 years; age range, 27-95 years) acquired between August and December 2018 was used for model development. Eleven intracranial structures were manually annotated on the axial oblique series. The dataset was split into 40 scans for training, 10 for validation, and 12 for testing. After initial training, eight model configurations were evaluated on the validation dataset and the highest performing model was evaluated on the test dataset. Interobserver variability was reported using multirater consensus labels obtained from the test dataset. To ensure that the model learned generalizable features, it was further evaluated on two secondary datasets containing 12 volumes with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) and 30 normal volumes from a publicly available source. Statistical significance was determined using categorical linear regression with P < .05. RESULTS: Overall Dice coefficient on the primary test dataset was 0.84 ± 0.05 (standard deviation). Performance ranged from 0.96 ± 0.01 (brainstem and cerebrum) to 0.74 ± 0.06 (internal capsule). Dice coefficients were comparable to expert annotations and exceeded those of existing segmentation methods. The model remained robust on external CT scans and scans demonstrating ventricular enlargement. The use of within-network normalization and class weighting facilitated learning of underrepresented classes. CONCLUSION: Automated segmentation of CT neuroanatomy is feasible with a high degree of accuracy. The model generalized to external CT scans as well as scans demonstrating iNPH.Supplemental material is available for this article.© RSNA, 2020.

A Survey of Deep-Learning Applications in Ultrasound: Artificial Intelligence-Powered Ultrasound for Improving Clinical Workflow.

Ultrasound is the most commonly used imaging modality in clinical practice because it is a nonionizing, low-cost, and portable point-of-care imaging tool that provides real-time images. Artificial intelligence (AI)-powered ultrasound is becoming more mature and getting closer to routine clinical applications in recent times because of an increased need for efficient and objective acquisition and evaluation of ultrasound images. Because ultrasound images involve operator-, patient-, and scanner-dependent variations, the adaptation of classical machine learning methods to clinical applications becomes challenging. With their self-learning ability, deep-learning (DL) methods are able to harness exponentially growing graphics processing unit computing power to identify abstract and complex imaging features. This has given rise to tremendous opportunities such as providing robust and generalizable AI models for improving image acquisition, real-time assessment of image quality, objective diagnosis and detection of diseases, and optimizing ultrasound clinical workflow. In this report, the authors review current DL approaches and research directions in rapidly advancing ultrasound technology and present their outlook on future directions and trends for DL techniques to further improve diagnosis, reduce health care cost, and optimize ultrasound clinical workflow.

RIL-Contour: a Medical Imaging Dataset Annotation Tool for and with Deep Learning.

Deep-learning algorithms typically fall within the domain of supervised artificial intelligence and are designed to "learn" from annotated data. Deep-learning models require large, diverse training datasets for optimal model convergence. The effort to curate these datasets is widely regarded as a barrier to the development of deep-learning systems. We developed RIL-Contour to accelerate medical image annotation for and with deep-learning. A major goal driving the development of the software was to create an environment which enables clinically oriented users to utilize deep-learning models to rapidly annotate medical imaging. RIL-Contour supports using fully automated deep-learning methods, semi-automated methods, and manual methods to annotate medical imaging with voxel and/or text annotations. To reduce annotation error, RIL-Contour promotes the standardization of image annotations across a dataset. RIL-Contour accelerates medical imaging annotation through the process of annotation by iterative deep learning (AID). The underlying concept of AID is to iteratively annotate, train, and utilize deep-learning models during the process of dataset annotation and model development. To enable this, RIL-Contour supports workflows in which multiple-image analysts annotate medical images, radiologists approve the annotations, and data scientists utilize these annotations to train deep-learning models. To automate the feedback loop between data scientists and image analysts, RIL-Contour provides mechanisms to enable data scientists to push deep newly trained deep-learning models to other users of the software. RIL-Contour and the AID methodology accelerate dataset annotation and model development by facilitating rapid collaboration between analysts, radiologists, and engineers.

Outcomes of Reoperation After Laparoscopic Gastric Plication Failure.

BACKGROUND: Management of failed laparoscopic gastric plication (LGP), defined as weight regain or inadequate weight loss, is a challenging issue. METHODS: This prospective investigation was conducted in individuals with morbid obesity who had undergone LGP from 2000 to 2016. Patients with weight loss failure, weight regain, and regain-prone cases were indicated for reoperation. Re-plication, laparoscopic one anastomosis gastric bypass (LOAGB), and modified jejunoileal bypass were done as revisional surgery. RESULTS: Revisional surgery was performed in 102 of 124 patients who needed reoperation. Overall, 39 re-plication, 38 LOAGB, and 25 malabsorptive procedures were performed. Re-plication was the shortest surgery and had the shortest length of hospital stay. The percentage of TWL at 6, 12, and 24 months of follow-up was 20.5%, 25%, and 26.8% for re-plication; 20.2%, 27%, and 30.5% for LOAGB; and 22.9%, 28.9%, and 32.6% for the malabsorptive procedure, respectively. In addition, the percentage of EWL at 6, 12, and 24 months of follow-up was 62%, 74.6%, and 79.6% for re-plication; 51.6%, 68.2%, and 75.9% for LOAGB; and 55.4%, 70.1%, and 79.1% for malabsorptive procedure, respectively. In long-term follow-up, according to %TWL, LOAGB and malabsorptive procedure had better outcome compared to re-plication, whereas there was no statistically significant difference in %EWL among the three surgical approaches. CONCLUSIONS: In terms of weight loss, reoperation on failed LGP was completely successful and no treatment failure was reported. All three revisional procedures, including re-plication, LOAGB, and malabsorptive procedure showed promising results and provided substantial weight loss. Since there is little information about the long-term efficacy and safety of revisional surgery on failed LGP, we highly recommend further investigations to confirm our results.

Acetaminophen as Adjuvant to Risperidone in Chronic Schizophrenia: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial.

Objective: Although the pathogenesis of schizophrenia is still uncertain, a variety of predisposing mechanisms have been implicated including inflammatory cascades. The present study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of acetaminophen as a cyclooxygenase inhibitor in treating patients with schizophrenia. Method: A double-blind clinical trial was performed on 52 patients with chronic schizophrenia. Patients received risperidone (up to 6 mg/day) plus either acetaminophen (975mg/day) or placebo. Psychotic symptoms were assessed by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) at the onset of the trial, and at 2, 4, 6, and 8 weeks post therapy. Results: Compared to the placebo group, the acetaminophen group showed no significant difference in any subtypes of PANSS. Moreover, the side effect profiles of the 2treatment regimens were not significantly different. Conclusion: Acetaminophen adjuvant to risperidone showed no significant effect in ameliorating symptoms of schizophrenia. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The trial was registered at the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (registration number: IRCT201410251556N67).

A new modality for the estimation of corrected flow time via electrocardiography as an alternative to Doppler ultrasonography.

BACKGROUND: Evaluation of corrected flow time (FTc) via ultrasonography is one of the suggested modalities for the assessment of intravascular volume status. This study aimed to compare the results of FTc of carotid artery measured via ultrasonography, as a measure of mechanical outcome of the cardiac cycle, with the results of FTc estimation from a new modified formula via electrocardiography (ECG), as a measure of electrical function of the cardiac cycle. METHODS: Healthy volunteers were evaluated before and after a passive leg raising (PLR) maneuver. FTc was measured concurrently before and after PLR via a modified method from ECG and via ultrasonography of the carotid artery. RESULTS: A total number of 98 healthy volunteers (51 women and 47 men) with a mean age of 30.69 ± 6.28 years were included. There was a significant correlation between FTc measured by ultrasonography and estimated by ECG both before PLR and after PLR (r = .878, p < .0001 and r = .797, p < .0001, respectively). Changes in FTc were slightly higher in measurements by ultrasonography compared to estimations by ECG (22.33 ± 17.15 ms0.5 vs. 15.86 ± 14.25 ms0.5 , p = .001). CONCLUSION: Estimation of FTc via ECG is potentially an effective and feasible method for the assessment of volume status at the clinical settings. Further investigations should determine the significance of differences that may be observed between ultrasonography and ECG in patients with either dehydration or volume overload and in the need of real-time volume status assessment.

A Randomized, Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial on Effectiveness and Safety of Celecoxib Adjunctive Therapy in Adolescents with Acute Bipolar Mania.

OBJECTIVE: Recent studies have focused on the role of inflammatory cascades as one of the possible etiologic factors of bipolar disorder. We hypothesize that celecoxib, through its anti-inflammatory properties, may have a therapeutic role in acute bipolar mania. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Forty-two adolescent inpatients with the diagnosis of acute bipolar mania participated in a parallel, randomized, double-blind controlled trial, and 40 patients underwent an 8-week treatment with either celecoxib (100 mg twice daily) or placebo as an adjunctive treatment to lithium and risperidone. Patients were evaluated using Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) at baseline and weeks 2, 4, and 8. The primary outcome measure was to assess the efficacy of celecoxib compared with placebo in improving mania symptoms. RESULT: General linear model repeated measures showed significant effect for time × treatment interaction on YMRS scores [F (2.54, 96.56) = 3.21, p = 0.03]. Significantly greater improvement was observed in YMRS scores in the celecoxib group compared with the placebo group from baseline YMRS score at week 8 (p = 0.04). Although a 35% greater response to treatment (considering a Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement score of ≤2, very much/much improved) was observed in the celecoxib group compared with the placebo group, the difference did not reach the statistical significance level (p = 0.09). No serious adverse event was reported. CONCLUSIONS: Celecoxib may be an effective adjuvant therapy in treatment of manic episodes (without psychotic features) of adolescents with bipolar mood disorder. The mood-stabilizing role of this drug might be mediated through its action on inflammatory cascades.

Central Obesity and Liver Iron Content: A Noninvasive Assessment in General Population by Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

BACKGROUND/AIM: Existing evidence points to an altered status of iron metabolism in obesity. We aimed to investigate whether central obesity is independently associated with estimated liver iron content (liver T2* value) in general population that used the noninvasive assessment method by MRI. METHODS: The study was carried out on 200 subjects randomly selected from the Golestan Cohort Study who underwent abdominal MRI. Quantitative T2* maps of entire cross-sectional area of liver were calculated using a semi-automated software for estimating the levels of iron content. Segmentation and calculation of visceral (VFA) and subcutaneous fat area (SFA) were also performed. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in mean liver T2* values between obese (body mass index, BMI >30 kg/m2) and non-obese (BMI ≤30 kg/m2) subjects. After controlling for other covariates, no statistically significant association was detected between liver T2* values and VFA, SFA and VFA/SFA ratio. The drop in the relative signal intensity as an indicator of steatosis and serum ferritin predicted liver T2* values that almost had the same strength (standardized ß of -0.41 and -0.41, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Central obesity indices are not correlated with estimated liver iron content by MRI. Hepatic steatosis and serum ferritin seem to be the best predictors of hepatic T2* value. Since central obesity indices were not direct predictors of hepatic T2* value after the adjustment for confounding factors, it is possible that lipid accumulation in the liver locally, but not systematically, influences hepatic iron metabolism.

Minocycline combination therapy with fluvoxamine in moderate-to-severe obsessive-compulsive disorder: A placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized trial.

AIM: Several lines of evidence implicate glutamatergic dysfunction in the pathophysiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), presenting this neurotransmitter as a target for the development of novel pharmacotherapy. The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of minocycline as an augmentative agent to fluvoxamine in the treatment of patients with OCD. METHODS: One hundred and two patients with the diagnosis of moderate-to-severe OCD were recruited to this study. A randomized double-blind trial was designed and patients received either L-carnosine or placebo as adjuvant to fluvoxamine for 10 weeks. The patients randomly received either minocycline 100 mg twice per day or placebo for 10 weeks. All patients received fluvoxamine (100 mg/day) for the first 4 weeks, followed by 200 mg/day for the rest of the trial, regardless of their treatment groups. Participants were evaluated using the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). The main outcome measure was to assess the efficacy of minocycline in improving the OCD symptoms. RESULTS: General linear model repeated measures demonstrated significant effect for time × treatment interaction on the Y-BOCS total scores, F(1.49, 137.93) = 7.1, P = 0.003, and Y-BOCS Obsession subscale score, F(1.54, 141.94) = 9.72, P = 0.001, and near significant effect for the Y-BOCS Compulsion subscale score, F(1.27, 117.47) = 2.92, P = 0.08. A significantly greater rate of partial and complete response was observed in the minocycline group (P < 0.001). The frequency of side-effects was not significantly different between the treatment arms. CONCLUSION: The results of this study suggest that minocycline could be a tolerable and effective adjuvant in the management of patients with OCD.

Agomelatine as a Treatment for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Children and Adolescents: A Double-Blind, Randomized Clinical Trial.

OBJECTIVE: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a chronic neurodevelopmental disorder. Due to lack of response to the medication and significant side effects of the treatment with stimulants, alternative medications should be considered. The aim of this study is to evaluate efficacy of agomelatine in treatment of ADHD. METHODS: Fifty-four outpatients, children 6-15 years old, with diagnosis of ADHD according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) diagnostic criteria participated in a 6-week, parallel, double-blind, randomized clinical trial. Fifty patients completed 6 weeks of treatment with either ritalin (methylphenidate hydrochloride [MPH]) (20 mg/day in participants below 30 kg and 30 mg/day in patients with weight ≥30 kg) or agomelatine (15 mg/day in patients with weight ≥30 kg and 25 mg/day in patients with weight ≥45 kg). Participants were assessed using Parent and Teacher ADHD Rating Scale-IV at baseline and at weeks 3 and 6. RESULTS: General linear model repeated measures showed no significant differences between the two groups on Parent and Teacher Rating Scale scores (F = 1.13, df = 1.26, p = 0.305, and F = 0.95, df = 1.25, p = 0.353, respectively). Changes in Teacher and Parent ADHD Rating Scale scores from baseline to the study end were not significantly different between the agomelatine group (9.28 ± 8.72 and 24.12 ± 7.04, respectively) and the MPH group (6.64 ± 11.04 and 25.76 ± 7.82, respectively) (p = 0.46 and p = 0.44, respectively). There was a trend for less insomnia in the agomelatine group versus MPH-treated group (4% vs. 24%, p = 0.09). CONCLUSIONS: A treatment course of 6 weeks with agomelatine demonstrated a favorable safety and efficacy profile in children and adolescents with ADHD. Nonetheless, larger controlled studies with longer treatment periods are necessary.

Riluzole in augmentation of fluvoxamine for moderate to severe obsessive-compulsive disorder: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

AIM: The aim of the present randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 8-week trial was to assess the efficacy and tolerability of riluzole augmentation of fluvoxamine in treatment of patients with moderate to severe obsessive-compulsive disorder. METHODS: Patients were randomized into two parallel groups to receive fluvoxamine plus placebo or fluvoxamine plus riluzole (50 mg twice daily). All patients, regardless of their treatment group, received fluvoxamine at 100 mg/day for the initial 4 weeks of the study followed by 200 mg/day of fluvoxamine for the rest of the trial course. A total of 50 patients (25 in each group) were evaluated for response to treatment using the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) at baseline and at weeks 4, 8 and 10. Side-effects were recorded using predesigned checklists in each visit. Repeated-measure analysis of variance showed a significant effect for time × treatment interaction in the Y-BOCS total score and a significant effect for time × treatment interaction in the Y-BOCS Compulsive subscale score between the two groups. RESULTS: Repeated-measure analysis of variance showed a significant effect for time × treatment interaction (Greenhouse-Geisser corrected: F = 4.07, d.f. = 1.22, P = 0.04) in the Y-BOCS total score and a significant effect for time × treatment interaction (Greenhouse-Geisser corrected: F = 4.45, d.f. = 1.33, P = 0.028) in the Y-BOCS Compulsive subscale score between the two groups. Riluzole augmentation therapy demonstrated higher, partial or complete treatment response according to the Y-BOCS total scores. CONCLUSION: Riluzole may be of clinical use as an adjuvant agent to fluvoxamine in treatment of moderate to severe obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Minocycline as Adjunctive Treatment to Risperidone in Children with Autistic Disorder: A Randomized, Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: This is an investigation of minocycline efficacy and safety as an adjuvant to risperidone in management of children with autism. METHODS: Forty-six children with diagnosis of autistic disorder, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed., Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) criteria and a score of ≥12 on the Aberrant Behavior Checklist-Community (ABC-C) irritability subscale, who were already drug-free for at least 6 months participated in a randomized controlled trial and underwent 10 weeks of treatment with either minocycline (50 mg twice per day) or placebo in addition to risperidone titrated up to 2 mg/day (based on bodyweight). Patients were evaluated using ABC-C at baseline and at weeks 5 and 10. RESULTS: General linear model repeated measures showed significant effect for time × treatment interaction on the irritability [F(2, 88) = 3.94, p = 0.02] and hyperactivity/noncompliance [F(1.50, 66.05) = 7.92, p = 0.002], but not for lethargy/social withdrawal [F(1.61, 71.02) = 0.98, p = 0.36], stereotypic behavior [F(1.34, 58.80) = 1.55, p = 0.22], and inappropriate speech subscale scores [F(1.52, 66.88) = 1.15, p = 0.31]. By week 10, 21 (91.3%) patients in the minocycline group and 15 (65.5%) patients in the placebo group achieved at least partial response (p = 0.03). Frequencies of adverse events were not significantly different between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Minocycline seems to be a safe and effective adjuvant in management of patients with autistic disorder. Future studies with larger sample sizes, longer follow-ups, and inflammatory cytokine measurements are warranted to confirm these findings and provide insight into minocycline mechanism of action in autistic disorder.

Riluzole combination therapy for moderate-to-severe major depressive disorder: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Recent evidences suggest that glutamatergic dysregulation implicated in neural plasticity and cellular resilience may contribute to the pathophysiology of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Riluzole, which exerts its effect by targeting glutamate neurotransmission, has shown antidepressant effect in recent preclinical, observational and open label studies. This study aimed to assess the efficacy and tolerability of riluzole in patients with MDD. Sixty-four inpatients with diagnosis of moderate to severe major depressive disorder participated in a parallel, randomized, controlled trial, and sixty patients underwent 6 weeks treatment with either riluzole (50 mg/bid) plus citalopram (40 mg/day) or placebo plus citalopram (40 mg/day). All participants were inpatients for the whole duration of the study. Patients were assessed using Hamilton depression rating scale (HDRS) at baseline and weeks 2, 4 and 6. The primary outcome measure was to assess the efficacy of riluzole compared to placebo in improving the depressive symptoms. General linear model repeated measures demonstrated significant effect for time × treatment interaction on HDRS [F (1.86, 107.82) = 8.63, p < 0.001]. Significantly greater improvement was observed in HDRS scores in the riluzole group compared to the placebo group from baseline HDRS score at weeks 2, 4 and 6 (p < 0.001, p = 0.001, p = 0.002, respectively). Significantly greater response with greater speed to treatment was observed in the riluzole group than the placebo group. No serious adverse event occurred. This study showed a favorable safety and efficacy profile in patients with major depressive disorder. Larger controlled studies with longer treatment periods are needed to investigate long term safety, efficacy and optimal dosing.

The Epidemiology of Migraine Headache in General Population of Tehran, Iran.

BACKGROUND: Migraine as one of the most common types of headache is known to cause serious intervention with routine activities of affected individuals due to the devastating nature of attacks. The aim of this study was to provide epidemiological data of migraine in Iranian general population. METHODS: In this cross-sectional general population study, migraine diagnoses (both episodic and chronic) were based on the International Classification of Headache Disorders. Face-to-face interviews were performed by 5 trained medical interns on a sample size of 2,300 people aged 12-65 years. RESULTS: A total number of 2,076 subjects were enrolled for final analysis. The mean age of the subjects at the time of the study was 36.27 ± 14.56 years (age range 12-65 years). The 1-year prevalence of migraine was 27.6%. The prevalence of migraine among female subjects was significantly higher than among male subjects (36.7 vs. 21.6%, p < 0.001). The mean age of the subjects with migraine was 35.9 ± 12.96 years. Totally, 49.9% of migraine sufferers experienced at least one episode of aura. The most prevalent type of aura was numbness reported in 32.4% of migraine subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Despite the higher prevalence of migraine among Iranian general population compared to most of the other populations investigated by previous studies, these individuals experience a less severe course of disease.