Faculty Bibliography

BACKGROUND:Weight gain is a potentially concerning side effect of second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs). Metformin, a biguanide with antihyperglycemic effects, is used to manage weight gain in adults treated with SGAs. OBJECTIVE:The objective of this study was to perform the first systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effects of metformin on weight gain in children and adolescents treated with SGAs. METHODS:Based on a pre-registered protocol (PROSPERO-CRD42017074839), we searched the PubMed, EMBASE, PsychoINFO, BIOSIS, Science Direct, Cochrane Central, and ClinicalTrials.gov electronic databases through March 2018 (with no restrictions on language, date, or type of publication) for RCTs that assessed the effect of metformin or placebo on body weight in children or adolescents (< 18 years of age) treated with selected SGAs (risperidone, aripiprazole, olanzapine, and clozapine) for any psychiatric disorder. We also contacted relevant drug manufacturers for possible additional pertinent studies/data. A random effects model was used and the quality of the included RCTs was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. RESULTS:Five RCTs (205 participants in total) were included in the meta-analysis. We found a significant weight decrease in the metformin group compared with placebo after 4, 12, and 16 weeks of treatment {mean difference - 0.98 kg (95% confidence interval [CI] - 1.26, - 0.69); - 1.83 kg (95% CI - 2.47, - 1.18); and - 3.23 kg (95% CI - 5.59, - 0.86), respectively}. A weight decrease at weeks 2 and 8 did not reach statistical significance. The decrease in body mass index (BMI) paralleled that of weight, with a significant effect at weeks 4, 12, and 16. Overall, four studies were rated as unclear, and one study was rated as high, risk of bias. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:Meta-analytical evidence shows that metformin might decrease weight in children/adolescents treated with SGAs but additional high-quality evidence is needed. Clinicians need to be aware that this use of metformin is currently off-label.

Transgender and gender-nonconforming (TGNC) youth who suffer from gender dysphoria are at a substantially elevated risk of numerous adverse physical and psychosocial outcomes compared with their cisgender peers. Innovative treatment options used to support and affirm an individual's preferred gender identity can help resolve gender dysphoria and avoid many negative sequelae of nontreatment. Yet, despite advances in these relatively novel treatment options, which appear to be highly effective in addressing gender dysphoria and mitigating associated adverse outcomes, ethical challenges abound in ensuring that young patients receive appropriate, safe, affordable treatment and that access to this treatment is fair and equitable. Ethical considerations in gender-affirming care for TGNC youth span concerns about meeting the obligations to maximize treatment benefit to patients (beneficence), minimizing harm (nonmaleficence), supporting autonomy for pediatric patients during a time of rapid development, and addressing justice, including equitable access to care for TGNC youth. Moreover, although available data describing the use of gender-affirming treatment options are encouraging, and the risks of not treating TGNC youth with gender dysphoria are evident, little is known about the long-term effects of both hormonal and surgical interventions in this population. To support ethical decision-making about treatment options, we encourage the development of a comprehensive registry in the United States to track long-term patient outcomes. In the meantime, providers who work with TGNC youth and their families should endeavor to offer ethically sound, patient-centered, gender-affirming care based on the best currently available evidence.

Parents' cognitive schemas about parenting, personal vulnerabilities, and personal resources may affect their risk of engaging in parent-child aggression (PCA). This longitudinal study examined predictors of change in mothers' and fathers' PCA risk across the transition to parenthood, comparing trajectories of parents evidencing high versus low sociodemographic risk. Potential predictors involved parenting-relevant schemas (consistent with Social Information Processing theory, including approval of PCA, negative attributions of child behavior, and knowledge of nonphysical discipline options), personal vulnerabilities (psychopathology, intimate partner violence, substance use issues), and resources (problem-focused coping, emotion regulation, social support, and partner satisfaction). Results indicated that increases in PCA approval, negative child behavior attributions, and symptoms of psychopathology, as well as decreases in problem-focused coping skills, emotion regulation ability, and partner satisfaction, all significantly predicted changes in mothers' and fathers' PCA risk over time-regardless of risk group status. Notably, increases in intimate partner violence victimization and decreases in social support satisfaction predicted mothers' but not fathers' PCA risk change; moreover, increases in knowledge of nonphysical discipline alternatives or in substance use issues did not predict change in PCA risk for either mothers or fathers. Risk groups differed in PCA risk across all predictors with minimal evidence of differential trajectories. Overall, these findings have important implications for child abuse prevention programs involving both universal and secondary abuse prevention efforts.

The term justice-involved youth encompasses a broad range of youth. It can include youth who have not been detained and have been placed on probation or diversion programs, as well re-entry populations transitioning out of detention facilities or stated custody and placed on probation or parole. There are more than 1.3 million juvenile arrests per year, and on any given day there are 50,821 youth incarcerated in the United States. Of the 716,000 delinquency cases, probation is court-ordered for approximately half.¹ Even among these youth who are supervised in the community, rates of mental health and substance use disorders are high, with more than two-thirds reporting substance use problems or other mental health disorders.² However, these youth often have a hard time connecting to and staying in treatment,³ and recidivism is high-most commonly for failing to satisfy the myriad (and well intentioned) conditions of their probation.⁴ Dual diagnosis (ie, co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders) in justice-involved youth is one of the most significant predictors of recidivism,⁵ and, as such, closing the gap between need and receipt of substance use and mental health treatment for justice-involved youth could potentially offset rates of re-offending into adulthood.⁶ Despite high rates of mental health and substance use disorders among justice-involved adolescents, only 15% of detained youth receive mental health treatment for their condition(s); this number falls to 8% once these youth re-enter the community.⁷ These statistics regarding treatment receipt among justice-involved youth are important to consider not only from a health care perspective but also in terms of public health significance and policy.

BACKGROUND:The United States lags behind most other countries regarding the support for working mothers and parental leave. Data are limited to describe the experience of female hospital medicine physicians during pregnancy, parental leave, and their return to work in academic hospital medicine. METHODS:We conducted a qualitative descriptive study including interviews with 10 female academic hospitalists chosen from institutions across the country that are represented in Society of Hospital Medicine (SHM) Committees. Interview guides were based on the following domains: experience in pregnancy, parental leave, and return to work. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using a general inductive approach to theme analysis using the ATLAS.ti software (Scientific Software Development GmbH, Berlin, Germany). PRIMARY OUTCOME:Women in hospital medicine experience the following six common challenges in their experience as new parents, each of which has the potential to impact their career trajectory, wellness, and are associated with areas for institutional improvement: (1) access to paid parental leave, (2) physical challenges, (3) breastfeeding, (4) career opportunities, (5) colleague responses, and (6) empathy in patient care.

Hoarding disorder is characterized by difficulty parting with possessions and by clutter that impairs the functionality of living spaces. Cognitive behavioral therapy conducted by a therapist (individual or in a group) for hoarding symptoms has shown promise. For those who cannot afford or access the services of a therapist, one alternative is an evidence-based, highly structured, short-term, skills-based group using CBT principles but led by non-professional facilitators (the Buried in Treasures [BIT] Workshop). BIT has achieved improvement rates similar to those of psychologist-led CBT. Regardless of modality, however, clinically relevant symptoms remain after treatment, and new approaches to augment existing treatments are needed. Based on two recent studies - one reporting that personalized care and accountability made treatments more acceptable to individuals with hoarding disorder and another reporting that greater number of home sessions were associated with better clinical outcomes, we tested the feasibility and effectiveness of adding personalized, in-home uncluttering sessions to the final weeks of BIT. Participants (n = 5) had 15 sessions of BIT and up to 20 hours of in-home uncluttering. Reductions in hoarding symptoms, clutter, and impairment of daily activities were observed. Treatment response rate was comparable to rates in other BIT studies, with continued improvement in clutter level after in-home uncluttering sessions. This small study suggests that adding in-home uncluttering sessions to BIT is feasible and effective.

OBJECTIVE:This study examined associations between 3 distinct parent factors (parent personal distress, parenting stress, and spina bifida (SB)-specific parenting stress) and youth and parent proxy reports of youth health-related quality of life (HRQOL) over time. METHOD:Participants were recruited as part of a longitudinal study, and data were collected at 3 time points, spaced 2 years apart. Parents and youth completed questionnaires, and youth completed neuropsychological assessment tasks to determine youth intelligence quotient during home visits. RESULTS:Analyses revealed that higher levels of maternal SB-specific parenting stress were related to lower levels of youth-reported HRQOL at time 1. Other parent factors were not associated with youth report of HRQOL at the earlier time points, although higher levels of maternal SB-specific parenting stress and paternal parenting stress were associated with lower levels of youth HRQOL at time 3. For mothers and fathers, increased parent personal distress, parenting stress, and SB-specific parenting stress were associated with decreased proxy report of youth HRQOL. Of these three parent factors, SB-specific parenting stress was consistently the most strongly associated with parent proxy-report of youth HRQOL. CONCLUSION:Parenting stress and distress are important targets for interventions, and these interventions may improve youth outcomes, especially as youth age. Future research is needed to identify other factors influencing youth HRQOL over time.

Despite prior extensive investigations of the interactions between the amygdala and prefrontal cortex, few studies have simultaneously considered activation and structural connectivity in this circuit, particularly as it pertains to adolescent socioemotional development. The current multi-modal study delineated the correspondence between uncinate fasciculus (UF) connectivity and amygdala habituation in a large adolescent sample that was drawn from a population-based sample. We then examined the influence of demographic variables (age, gender, and pubertal status) on the relation between UF connectivity and amygdala habituation. 106 participants (15-17 years) completed DTI and an fMRI emotional face processing task. Left UF fractional anisotropy was associated with left amygdala habituation to fearful faces, suggesting that increased structural connectivity of the UF may facilitate amygdala regulation. Pubertal status moderated this structure-function relation, such that the association was stronger in those who were less mature. Therefore, UF connectivity may be particularly important for emotion regulation during early puberty. This study is the first to link structural and functional limbic circuitry in a large adolescent sample with substantial representation of ethnic minority participants, providing a more comprehensive understanding of socioemotional development in an understudied population.

RATIONALE/BACKGROUND:Weight gain during treatment with antipsychotics is a prominent side-effect, especially with some second-generation antipsychotics, such as olanzapine and clozapine, and pharmacological treatments which ameliorate this side-effect are important to investigate. Decreases in histaminergic transmission in the brain induced by antipsychotics may be one of the mechanisms contributing to weight gain. Since betahistine is a histaminergic agonist, it may potentially counteract the weight gain effects of antipsychotics. METHOD/METHODS:We conducted a double-blind placebo-controlled study to evaluate the effects of 12 weeks of treatment with betahistine (N = 29) or placebo (N = 22) in adolescents and adults on anthropomorphically measured weight-related parameters, appetite, and fasting glucose-lipid and leptin levels in 51 patients treated with first and/or second-generation antipsychotics who had gained weight during treatment or had high body-mass-index (BMI). Psychopathology and side-effects were also assessed with relevant scales. RESULTS:In a sub-group of patients being treated with olanzapine or clozapine (n = 26), betahistine was significantly (P < .05) better than placebo in preventing increases in weight (3.1 kg less weight gain than placebo), BMI, and waist circumference. Betahistine did not decrease weight or BMI in patients treated with other antipsychotics. There was also no effect of betahistine on preventing weight or BMI gain in the total combined sample of all subjects. Betahistine did not significantly improve appetite or glucose-lipid measures in either subgroup. There were no significant differences in side-effects or psychopathology changes in the betahistine- vs. placebo-treated patients. CONCLUSIONS:These results suggest that betahistine may potentially be a useful adjunctive drug for decreasing weight gain in patients treated with antipsychotics that are potent histamine antagonists, such as olanzapine or clozapine, but may not be useful for this purpose in patients on other antipsychotic medications. The results justify larger placebo-controlled studies to further confirm these effects before specific recommendations can be made for routine use.