Joy A. Weydert

A Survey of Cognitive Functioning at Different Glucose Levels in Diabetic Persons

Cognitive functioning was assessed in diabetic patients during hypoglycemia (60 mg/dl), euglycemia/ control (110 mg/dl), and hyperglycemia (300 mg/dl). Blood glucose levels were set and maintained to within 4% of targeted levels by an artificial insulin/glucose infusion system (Biostator). Attention and fine motor skills, assessedby visual reaction time, was slowed at altered glucose levels. Performance was less impaired during hyperglycemia than hypoglycemia when a longer interstimulus interval was used,although it was still slower than normal. The time required to solve simple addition problems was increased during hypoglycemia, although reading comprehension was not affected. The possibility that some automatic brain skills are disrupted at altered glucose concentrations is discussed, while associative or inferential skills may be less affected.

Evaluation of guided imagery as treatment for recurrent abdominal pain in children: a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundBecause of the paucity of effective evidence-based therapies for children with recurrent abdominal pain, we evaluated the therapeutic effect of guided imagery, a well-studied self-regulation technique.Methods22 children, aged 5 – 18 years, were randomized to learn either breathing exercises alone or guided imagery with progressive muscle relaxation. Both groups had 4-weekly sessions with a therapist. Children reported the numbers of days with pain, the pain intensity, and missed activities due to abdominal pain using a daily pain diary collected at baseline and during the intervention. Monthly phone calls to the children reported the number of days with pain and the number of days of missed activities experienced during the month of and month following the intervention. Children with ≤ 4 days of pain/month and no missed activities due to pain were defined as being healed. Depression, anxiety, and somatization were measured in both children and parents at baseline.ResultsAt baseline the children who received guided imagery had more days of pain during the preceding month (23 vs. 14 days, P = 0.04). There were no differences in the intensity of painful episodes or any baseline psychological factors between the two groups. Children who learned guided imagery with progressive muscle relaxation had significantly greater decrease in the number of days with pain than those learning breathing exercises alone after one (67% vs. 21%, P = 0.05), and two (82% vs. 45%, P < 0.01) months and significantly greater decrease in days with missed activities at one (85% vs. 15%, P = 0.02) and two (95% vs. 77%. P = 0.05) months. During the two months of follow-up, more children who had learned guided imagery met the threshold of ≤ 4 day of pain each month and no missed activities (RR = 7.3, 95%CI [1.1,48.6]) than children who learned only the breathing exercises.ConclusionThe therapeutic efficacy of guided imagery with progressive muscle relaxation found in this study is consistent with our present understanding of the pathophysiology of recurrent abdominal pain in children. Although unfamiliar to many pediatricians, guided imagery is a simple, noninvasive therapy with potential benefit for treating children with RAP.

Verbal Fluency and Naming Performance in Type I Diabetes at Different Blood Glucose Concentrations

The effect of serum glucose alterations on selected verbal skills was examined in a group of diabetic men between 18 and 35 yr of age. An artificial insulin infusion system was used to set and maintain glucose concentrations during testing at each of three levels: hypoglycemia (55 mg/dl), euglycemia (110 mg/dl), and hyperglycemia (300 mg/dl). Subjects were used as their own controls, with performance at euglycemia serving as the comparison standard. A double-blind crossover design was employed as described in Holmes et al. (see ref. 14). Results showed significantly disrupted naming or labeling skills at hypoglycemia, with a trend toward poorer performance at hyperglycemia. During hypoglycemia, rate of responding was slowed from 6% to 18%, compared with euglycemic performance, but accuracy was not impaired. In contrast, word recognition skills were not affected by deviations in glucose. These performance effects were not correlated with duration of disease except for one of the five tests administered. This one exception, on the most difficult task, was less notable than the general finding of no relation between disease duration (from 6 mo to 17.5 yr) and test performance. Thus, in addition to considering long-term consequences of blood glucose alterations, clinicians and diabetic patients may wish to consider acute neuropsychological consequences of disrupted euglycemia.

A Pilot Study of the Use of Guided Imagery for the Treatment of Recurrent Abdominal Pain in Children

Few effective therapies are available for children with recurrent abdominal pain (RAP). Relaxation and guided imagery have been shown to impact the autonomic nervous system, which is altered in patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders. Ten children with RAP were enrolled in the study after evaluation by a pediatric gastroenterologist. They were trained in relaxation and guided imagery during 4 weekly 50-minute sessions. Pain diaries were completed at 0, 1, and 2 months. Children and parents also completed psychological questionnaires at enrollment. Although refractory to conventional treatment by their physician and pediatric gastroenterologist, the children experienced a 67% decrease in pain during the therapy (chi-square for trend, p<0.001). No baseline psychological characteristics impacted the response to therapy. The use of relaxation along with guided imagery is an effective and safe treatment for childhood RAP.

Validity of urine glucose measurements for estimating plasma glucose concentration.

Both physicians and diabetic patients have traditionally relied on measurement of glycosuria as an indirect method of estimating plasma glucose concentration to guide adjustment of insulin and diet therapy. Our observations on the correlation between mean plasma glucose concentration with simultaneous urine glucose concentration or excretion rate re-emphasize the limitations of this approach. Although our observations show a significant correlation (P < 0.0001) between plasma glucose concentration and urine glucose concentration or urine glucose excretion rate, the wide confidence limits [95% confidence limits (minimum) ± 150 mg/dl] on plasma glucose concentration estimated from urine glucose measurements limit the clinical applicability of such estimates. Differences among subjects in the renal resorption of glucose contribute to the wide variance of estimates. However, significant variability in renal glucose resorption within individuals is documented, further reinforcing the limitations of urine glucose determinations for reliable estimates of plasma glucose concentrations. Diabetologists need to reconsider the applicability of urine glucose measurements in evaluation of adequacy of therapy and in adjustment of insulin dosage.

Pediatric Integrative Medicine in Residency (PIMR): Description of a New Online Educational Curriculum

Use of integrative medicine (IM) is prevalent in children, yet availability of training opportunities is limited. The Pediatric Integrative Medicine in Residency (PIMR) program was designed to address this training gap. The PIMR program is a 100-hour online educational curriculum, modeled on the successful Integrative Medicine in Residency program in family medicine. Preliminary data on site characteristics, resident experience with and interest in IM, and residents’ self-assessments of perceived knowledge and skills in IM are presented. The embedded multimodal evaluation is described. Less than one-third of residents had IM coursework in medical school or personal experience with IM. Yet most (66%) were interested in learning IM, and 71% were interested in applying IM after graduation. Less than half of the residents endorsed pre-existing IM knowledge/skills. Average score on IM medical knowledge exam was 51%. Sites endorsed 1–8 of 11 site characteristics, with most (80%) indicating they had an IM practitioner onsite and IM trained faculty. Preliminary results indicate that the PIMR online curriculum targets identified knowledge gaps. Residents had minimal prior IM exposure, yet expressed strong interest in IM education. PIMR training site surveys identified both strengths and areas needing further development to support successful PIMR program implementation.

Pediatric Integrative Medicine

The American Academy of Pediatrics is dedicated to optimizing the well-being of children and advancing family-centered health care. Related to this mission, the American Academy of Pediatrics recognizes the increasing use of complementary and integrative therapies for children and the subsequent need to provide reliable information and high-quality clinical resources to support pediatricians. This Clinical Report serves as an update to the original 2008 statement on complementary medicine. The range of complementary therapies is both extensive and diverse. Therefore, in-depth discussion of each therapy or product is beyond the scope of this report. Instead, our intentions are to define terms; describe epidemiology of use; outline common types of complementary therapies; review medicolegal, ethical, and research implications; review education and training for select providers of complementary therapies; provide educational resources; and suggest communication strategies for discussing complementary therapies with patients and families.

Integrative Therapies to Support Pediatric Palliative Care: the Current Evidence

Purpose of ReviewThis review offers an evidence-based introduction to integrative therapies that can be used with children receiving palliative care and suggestions for how to incorporate these therapies into practice.Recent FindingsFor each integrative therapy discussed, recent research from both the pediatric and adult literature is summarized.SummaryIntegrative medicine offers a patient-centered approach to care that brings together conventional and complementary therapies. Evidence-based integrative therapies exist for many troublesome end-of-life symptoms, including pain, anxiety, nausea, and constipation, and offer the benefits of being low risk and non-invasive. The body of evidence on integrative therapies for pediatric palliative care is still small but interest and use among patients and providers are stimulating increased research efforts which are summarized here.

Pediatric Integrative Medicine in Residency Program: Relationship between Lifestyle Behaviors and Burnout and Wellbeing Measures in First-Year Residents

It is widely recognized that burnout is prevalent in medical culture and begins early in training. Studies show pediatricians and pediatric trainees experience burnout rates comparable to other specialties. Newly developed Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) core competencies in professionalism and personal development recognize the unacceptably high resident burnout rates and present an important opportunity for programs to improve residents experience throughout training. These competencies encourage healthy lifestyle practices and cultivation of self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, mindfulness, and compassion—a paradigm shift from traditional medical training underpinned by a culture of unrealistic endurance and self-sacrifice. To date, few successful and sustainable programs in resident burnout prevention and wellness promotion have been described. The University of Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine Pediatric Integrative Medicine in Residency (PIMR) curriculum, developed in 2011, was designed in part to help pediatric programs meet new resident wellbeing requirements. The purpose of this paper is to detail levels of lifestyle behaviors, burnout, and wellbeing for the PIMR program’s first-year residents (N = 203), and to examine the impact of lifestyle behaviors on burnout and wellbeing. The potential of the PIMR to provide interventions addressing gaps in lifestyle behaviors with recognized association to burnout is discussed.