Is Obesity a Risk Factor for Disorders of Amniotic Fluid?

Objectives: Prior studies show conflicting evidence as to whether obesity in the absence of other medical or pregnancy-related conditions contributes to amniotic fluid disorders. The purpose of this study is to determine the association between late-pregnancy obesity with oligohydramnios (amniotic fluid index [AFI] ≤5 cm or maximum vertical pocket [MVP] <2 cm) and/or polyhydramnios (AFI ≥24 cm or MVP ≥8 cm).

Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of 961 women with singleton gestations who had one or more obstetrical ultrasounds at a single institution at 36 0/7 weeks gestation or beyond between August 1, 2015, and May 1, 2020.

Effects of lamotrigine and lithium on body weight during maintenance treatment of bipolar I disorder.

Objective: The effect of lamotrigine maintenance therapy on body weight was assessed retrospectively in analyses of data from two double-blind, placebo- and lithium-controlled, 18-month studies in patients with bipolar I disorder (n = 227 for lamotrigine, 190 for placebo, 166 for lithium).

Methods: Endpoints included mean change in weight, the percentage of patients with > or = 7% change (increase, decrease, fluctuation) in weight, and the percentage of patients with weight-related adverse events during double-blind treatment.

Results: Mean weight remained stable during maintenance therapy with lamotrigine.

Safety and tolerability of lamotrigine for bipolar disorder.

Tolerability and safety are important considerations in optimising pharmacotherapy for bipolar disorder. This paper reviews the tolerability and safety of lamotrigine, an anticonvulsant recommended in the 2002 American Psychiatric Association guidelines as a first-line treatment for acute depression in bipolar disorder and one of several options for maintenance therapy. This paper reviews the tolerability and safety of lamotrigine using data available from a large programme of eight placebo-controlled clinical trials of lamotrigine enrolling a total of nearly 1800 patients with bipolar disorder.

Pharmacokinetic optimisation of sustained-release bupropion for smoking cessation.

Sustained-release bupropion (bupropion SR) is a unique, non-nicotine smoking cessation aid that is hypothesised to act upon neurological pathways involved in nicotine dependence. Pharmacokinetic and metabolism studies reveal that bupropion SR is metabolised by multiple pathways with no single pathway predominating. When one pathway is inhibited, others are available to compensate.