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Introduction: We aimed to assess persistence and adherence to basal insulin therapy, their association with all-cause healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and direct medical costs, and predictors of persistence and adherence in adults with type 2 diabetes., Research Design and Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted with US adults with type 2 diabetes initiating basal insulin therapy between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2018, using IQVIA PharMetrics Plus claims data. Persistence and adherence were assessed during 1 year post-initiation per previous definitions. Demographic/clinical characteristics were assessed during the 1 year pre-initiation. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) was used to adjust for confounding variables. Post-IPTW, all-cause HCRU and direct medical costs were assessed during the first-year and second-year post-initiation by persistence and adherence status. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify predictors of persistence and adherence., Results: The final sample comprised 64,953 patients; 56.8% demonstrated persistence and 41.9% demonstrated adherence. Patients demonstrating persistence and adherence were significantly less likely to have a hospitalization than patients demonstrating non-persistence or non-adherence, respectively. In the second-year post-initiation, total mean all-cause direct medical costs per patient were lower for patients demonstrating persistence and significantly lower for patients demonstrating adherence. Prior use of both oral and injectable antidiabetic medication predicted persistence and adherence compared with patients with only prior oral antidiabetic medication use (persistence OR, 1.50 (95% CI, 1.44 to 1.57); adherence OR, 1.48 (95% CI, 1.42 to 1.55))., Conclusions: Persistence and adherence to basal insulin was associated with fewer hospitalizations and lower direct medical costs., Competing Interests: Competing interests: NN, KKM, and JR are employees and shareholders of Novo Nordisk. TN is a research fellow with Novo Nordisk and Rutgers University. VD and JM are employees of IQVIA and received funding from Novo Nordisk for the current study. VRA is a consultant for Applied Therapeutics, Fractyl Healthy, Pfizer, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi and her institution has received research grants/contracts from Applied Therapeutics, Eli Lilly, Fractyl Health, Pfizer, Novo Nordisk, Sanofi. Her spouse is an employee of Janssen Pharmaceuticals., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. Re-use permitted under CC BY-NC. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

The Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) initiative has been considered a comprehensive alternative classification framework for understanding neuropsychiatric ailments, as opposed to the longstanding, traditional DSM framework. Where the DSM categorizes neuropsychiatric disorders as each being distinct and diagnostically defined by the presence of specified symptoms, RDoC provides a multidimensional conceptualization of psychiatric disorders with neurobiological roots. By taking a multidimensional approach, RDoC overcomes two major constraints of the DSM framework: that is, that the DSM is categorical in its approach to psychiatric disorders to the point of understating the intersectionality between concomitant disorders, and that the DSM focuses mainly on clinical features. RDoC seems to better account for the intersection between dual disorders and considers a range of factors, from the more microscopic (e.g., genetics or molecular functions) to the more macroscopic (e.g., environmental influences). The multidimensional approach of RDoC is particularly appealing in the context of dual disorders. Dual disorders refers to a concurrent psychiatric disorder with an addiction disorder. RDoC accounts for the fact that there is often overlap in symptoms across and bidirectional influence between various disorders. However, to date, there is limited research into the clinical utility of RDoC, and less so in the context of the clinical management of dual disorders. In this Mini-Review, we discuss how RDoC differs from the DSM, what outcomes have been reported in utilizing RDoC clinically, the utility of RDoC for the diagnosis, management, and monitoring of psychopathology, and the limitations of RDoC as well as avenues for future research., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2022 Hakak-Zargar, Tamrakar, Voth, Sheikhi, Multani and Schütz.)

Neural representations of the external world are constructed and updated in a manner that depends on behavioral context. For neocortical networks, this contextual information is relayed by a diverse range of neuromodulatory systems, which govern attention and signal the value of internal state variables such as arousal, motivation, and stress. Neuromodulators enable cortical circuits to differentially process specific stimuli and modify synaptic strengths in order to maintain short- or long-term memory traces of significant perceptual events and behavioral episodes. One of the most important subcortical neuromodulatory systems for attention and arousal is the noradrenergic locus coeruleus. Here we report that the noradrenergic system can enhance behavior in rats performing a self-initiated auditory recognition task, and optogenetic stimulation of noradrenergic locus coeruleus neurons accelerated the rate at which trained rats began correctly responding to a change in reward contingency. Animals successively progressed through distinct behavioral epochs, including periods of perseverance and exploration that occurred much more rapidly when animals received locus coeruleus stimulation. In parallel, we made recordings from primary auditory cortex and found that pairing tones with locus coeruleus stimulation led to a similar set of changes to cortical tuning profiles. Thus both behavioral and neural responses go through phases of adjustment for exploring and exploiting environmental reward contingencies. Furthermore, behavioral engagement does not necessarily recruit optimal locus coeruleus activity., (Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Purpose of Review: Dermoid ovarian cysts, or mature cystic teratomas, are the most common benign ovarian neoplasms found in adolescents and they continue to challenge clinicians about correct management and treatment., Recent Findings: Laparoscopic treatment for large cysts is usually the preferred method with ovarian preservation. Cyst rupture and recurrence still remain potential risks of this surgical approach. Torsion can occur frequently in the population and when it occurs, fertility-sparing treatment should be attempted., Summary: Physicians should understand the major controversies surrounding management of dermoid cysts and the importance of preserving future fertility.

Rarely, chronic subdural hematomas (CSDH) will present with symptoms mimicking transient ischemic attacks (TIAs). We report the case of an elderly man who presented with intermittent numbness and weakness of his left upper extremity typical of symptoms arising from a right sensorimotor cortex TIA. He was treated with empiric antiplatelet therapy for several days before a head CT was performed. The head CT and a subsequent MRI showed a CSDH with an acute component and cortical compression. Upon evacuation of the hematoma, his symptoms resolved. In cases of suspected TIA, a head CT should always be performed before beginning antiplatelet therapy. If there is an underlying hematoma, such therapy is dangerous, as it can potentiate more bleeding and leave the true pathology unaddressed.