Pancreatitis is a very rare adverse effect of quetiapine treatment, with only 5 cases of quetiapine-associated pancreatitis reported in the English literature to date. Herein, we report one patient who developed severe hypertriglyceridemia (>1000 mg/dL) after quetiapine administration, resulting in acute pancreatitis. An analysis of the underlying pathogenic mechanisms and a review of relevant literature are also presented. Clinicians should be aware of the potentially life-threatening metabolic disturbances and/or pancreatitis associated with quetiapine therapy.
Acute Disease ; Bipolar Disorder/*drug therapy/*psychology ; Dibenzothiazepines/*therapeutic use ; Humans ; Hypertriglyceridemia/*drug therapy/*psychology ; Pancreatitis/*drug therapy/*psychology

To discuss the etiology, pathogenesis, therapies and prescriptions of psycho-cardiological abnormality of patients with coronary heart disease. According to the advance in modern diagnosis and treatment, the authors believed that psycho-cardiological abnormality of patients with coronary heart disease is closely related with mental stresses, like anxiety, depression and insomnia. It is mostly caused by emotional injury and expressed in heart, liver, spleen and kidney. The pathogenesis is heart-liver hyperactivity, yin deficiency in heart and kidney, and insufficiency in heart and spleen. The full recognition of etiology and pathogenesis of psycho-cardiological abnormality of patients with coronary heart disease and the combined treatment of disease and syndromes are of great significance to reduce mental stress and other risk factors, prevent and treat coronary heart disease and improve prognosis.
Coronary Disease ; drug therapy ; psychology ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; Stress, Psychological ; drug therapy ; etiology

OBJECTIVETo observe the differences in the clinical efficacy on menopausal irritability between acupuncture and medication.

METHODSSixty cases of menopausal irritability were randomized into an acupuncture group (31 cases) and a medication group (29 cases). In the acupuncture group, the warming needling manipulation was applied at the key acupoints such as Hegu (LI 4) and Taichong (LR 3), once a day, 10 treatments made one session. Totally, 2 sessions were required. In the medication group, 2.5 mg diazepam tablets were prescribed, three times a day, for 23 days totally. The clinical efficacy, the modified Kupperman score and self-rated health measurement scale (SRHMS) were compared before and after treatment in the two groups. RESULTS The total effective rate was 87. 1% (27/31) in the acupuncture group and 82.8% (24/29) in the medication group. The difference in the clinical efficacy was not significant between the two groups (P > 0.05). The modified Kupperman score and SRHMS score were both reduced obviously after treatment in the two groups, indicating the significant difference (all P < 0.05). The reduction of two scores in the acupuncture group was more obvious than those in the medication group (Kupperman: 15.23 +/- 6.19 vs 18.45 +/- 5.37; SRHMS: 116.29 +/- 38.24 vs 140.34 +/- 42.15, both P < 0.05).

CONCLUSIONThe acupuncture and medication are effective in the treatment of menopausal irritability, but the efficacy of warming needling manipulation is better than that of diazepam tablets.

Acupuncture Therapy ; Adult ; Anti-Anxiety Agents ; administration & dosage ; Anxiety ; drug therapy ; psychology ; therapy ; Diazepam ; administration & dosage ; Female ; Humans ; Menopause ; drug effects ; psychology ; Middle Aged ; Treatment Outcome

Conditioned fear and its abnormal extinction are involved in the psychopathology of anxiety disorders, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Cognitive enhancing agents have been demonstrated to alter fear extinction in many animal research literatures. The present review has examined the pharmacological role of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamatergic, cholinergic, adrenergic, dopaminergic, and cannabinoid as well as compounds able to alter the epigenetic and neurotrophic mechanism in fear extinction, highlighting great hope for the future treatment of anxiety disorders with new agents based on the fear extinction.
Animals ; Anxiety Disorders ; drug therapy ; psychology ; Cannabinoids ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Conditioning, Psychological ; drug effects ; Extinction, Psychological ; drug effects ; Fear ; drug effects ; psychology ; Humans ; Nootropic Agents ; pharmacology ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic ; drug therapy ; psychology ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to develop and preliminarily evaluate the reliability and validity of the Symptom-Management Self-Efficacy ScaleeBreast Cancer (SMSES-BC) related to chemotherapy. METHODS: The study included three stages. This paper presents the results of stage 2 and stage 3. In total, 34 items in the SMSES-BC were found during stage 1 from qualitative findings, a literature review, and expert suggestions; the 34 items were used for the psychometric properties test. Test-retest reliability and Cronbach alpha were assessed in the first sample, which included 45 participants for the pilot test (stage 2). The second sample, which included 152 patients, was used to assess the construct validity and concurrent validity (stage 3). RESULTS: The pilot test results revealed a test-retest reliability of .73 (p < .001) and Cronbach alpha coefficient of .96 for the total scale. Three factors (managing chemotherapy-related symptoms, acquiring problem solving, and managing emotional and interpersonal disturbances) were identified from exploratory factor analysis. Correlation coefficient r was .40 (p < .001), which supported the association between SMSES-BC and the General Self-Efficacy Scale for concurrent validity. CONCLUSIONS: The study results demonstrate acceptable reliability and validity for the SMSES-BC that was developed for measuring symptom-management self-efficacy related to chemotherapy for patients with breast cancer. This study suggests further research to validate the construct of the SMSES-BC.
Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents/*therapeutic use ; Breast Neoplasms/*drug therapy/*psychology ; Drug Therapy/*psychology ; Factor Analysis, Statistical ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Patients/*psychology ; Pilot Projects ; Psychometrics ; Reproducibility of Results ; Self Care/*psychology ; Self Efficacy ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Taiwan

Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) property theory is believed to be a key and difficult point of basic theory studies of TCM. Complex concepts, components and characteristics of TCM property have long puzzled researchers and urged them to develop new angles and approaches. In the view of cognitive science, TCM property theory is a cognitive process of storing, extracting, rebuilding and summarizing the sensory information about TCMs and their effects during the medical practice struggling against diseases under the guidance of traditional Chinese philosophical thinking. The cognitive process of TCM property has particular cognitive elements and strategies. Taking into account clinical application characteristics of TCMs, this study defines the particular cognitive elements. In the combination of research methods of modern chemistry, biology and mathematics, and on the basis early-stage work for five years, we have built a TCM property cognition model based on three elements and practiced with drugs with pungent and hot properties as example, in the hope of interpreting TCM properties with modern science and providing thoughts for the nature of medical properties and instruction for rational clinical prescription.
Animals ; Cognition ; Drug Therapy ; psychology ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; Humans ; Medicine, Chinese Traditional ; psychology ; Models, Theoretical

OBJECTIVE: To explore the change and impact factors of craving for heroin in patients after 6 month methadone maintenance treatment (MMT). METHODS: The questionnaire of craving for heroin was used to measure the level of craving for heroin when patients just entered the study and were treated for 6 months. The influence of MMT on craving in patients were analyzed. RESULTS: The total score and score for other factors decreased except the factor "self-control" after MMT. The craving for high dose patients decreased significantly after 6 month treatment (P<0.05). The degree of craving for heroin in males and females all decreased after MMT, but no significant difference was shown (P>0.05). The craving degree for heroin in patients with long drug use was higher than that of patients with short drug use. After the treatment, the improvement of craving was more significant for the long drug users. CONCLUSION MMT can decline the craving for heroin in drug users. Dosage for methadone and gender may be the risk factors of craving change.
Adult ; China ; Female ; Heroin Dependence ; drug therapy ; psychology ; rehabilitation ; Humans ; Male ; Methadone ; therapeutic use ; Substance Withdrawal Syndrome ; drug therapy ; psychology ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Young Adult

OBJECTIVE: To explore the association between the cancer related fatigue and social support in breast cancer patients after chemotherapy. METHODS: According to the uniform inclusive and exclusive criteria, 396 breast cancer patients after chemotherapy were sampled randomly from 4 hospitals in Changsha and investigated on the spot by cancer fatigue scale and social support scale. RESULTS: The levels of social support, subjective support, Objective support, and utilization of support of the breast cancer patients after chemotherapy were 36.63±7.80, 21.05±4.67, 8.45±3.06, and 7.13±2.10, respectively, which were lower than the normal level, with significant difference(P<0.001). There was a negative correlation between each fatigue dimension and social support, subjective support, Objective support, and utilization of support (P<0.05 or P<0.001). CONCLUSION The social support system in patients with breast cancer after chemotherapy is poor. There is a negative correlation between the social support system and cancer related fatigue.
Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Breast Neoplasms ; complications ; drug therapy ; Carcinoma, Ductal, Breast ; drug therapy ; psychology ; China ; Fatigue ; etiology ; psychology ; Female ; Humans ; Middle Aged ; Social Support

PURPOSE: Effective communication is an essential aspect of nursing care. This qualitative study was performed to analyze nurse-patient conversations about medication. METHOD: The nurse-patient dialogue was collected by video tape recording during the nurse's duty time in an internal medicine ward. One hundred seventy-eight episodes were extracted from the conversation. Using conversational analysis, the functional phases and patterns of dialogue sequence pertaining to medication were analyzed. RESULTS: Conversations about medication were very brief dialogues, so 68.8% of the dialogue had a duration of less than 20 seconds. However, it was a systematic and comprehensive dialogue which had structures and sequential dialogue patterns. Four functional phases were explored: greeting, identifying the patient, medicating, finishing. The medicating phase was essential, in which the nurse gave the drug to the patient and provided information initiated by the nurse simultaneously. The patterns of the dialogue sequence represented were the nurse provided information first, and then, patients responded to the nurse as accepting, rejecting, raising an objection, or asking again later. CONCLUSION: As the results of this study show, a nurse's role is important as an educator. For effective conversation about medication, the development of an educational program should be considered, which includes knowledge about medication and communication skills.
*Communication ; Drug Therapy/*psychology ; Humans ; Internal Medicine ; Nurse's Role/*psychology ; *Nurse-Patient Relations ; Nursing Care ; Nursing Education Research ; Nursing Staff, Hospital/*psychology ; Tape Recording

OBJECTIVETo study the effects of Kuntai Capsule (KTC), a Chinese herbal preparation, on the quality of life (QOL), breast distending pain and vaginal bleeding in women at early stage of menopause.

METHODSA total of 104 women at early stage of menopause, 54 had their uterus existed (Ue) and 50 in-existed (Ui), were enrolled, and they were randomized to the KTC group and the control group, with equal cases of Ue and Ui in each. The KTC group was treated with KTC 4 capsules twice a day; the control group treated with premarin 0.45 mg per day and for those of Ue 2 mg medroxyprogesterone additionally, with the remedies medicated orally for 1 year. All the testees were asked to record everyday their own condition of breast pain and vaginal bleeding and followed-up every 3 months to fulfill the Menopause Specific Quality of Life questionnaire. Ultrasonic examination on pelvis and breast as well as endocrine hormone assays of estradiol (E2) and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) were performed before and after the medication term.

RESULTSEffects of treatment in the two groups were different insignificantly in terms of QOL. The women were benefited in vasomotor and physical domains from the 3rd month of medication, and the psychosocial domain was also improved (for Ui initiating from the 3rd month and for Ue from the 6th month). In the domain of sexual life, KTC showed its favorable effect only on Ue beginning from the 9th month, but not on Ui; while all subjects in the control group had their sexual life improved from the 3rd month. In domain of breast pain, the occurrence at various time points between the two groups was insignificantly different, only that the severity in Ue of the control group was more significant from the 1st to 3rd month than that in the KTC group. As for the domain of vaginal bleeding, the uterine membrane was basically normal in both groups either before or after medication, but the incidence and lasting days from the 1st to 3rd month in Ue of the KTC group were significantly lower than those of the control group. Levels of E2 and FSH were not significantly changed after medication in the KTC group, while in the control group, E2 significantly increased and FSH significantly decreased in the women of Ue (P <0.05).

CONCLUSIONKTC could evidently improve the QOL of women at the early stage of menopause, and is of high safety, with less adverse reaction of breast pain and vaginal bleeding, and shows few impact on sexual hormones.

Adult ; Breast ; pathology ; physiology ; Capsules ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Female ; Hemorrhage ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Humans ; Menopause ; drug effects ; psychology ; Middle Aged ; Pain ; drug therapy ; pathology ; Quality of Life ; Vaginal Diseases ; drug therapy ; pathology ; psychology