bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Biogenic amine-related enzymes and personality variations in normals
Authors: Murphy D. L. , Belmaker R. H. , Buchsbaum M. , Martin N. F. , Ciaranello R. , Wyatt R. J. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisAltered activities of biogenic amine-related enzymes have been reported in some studies of patients with affective disorders and chronic schizophrenia. To evaluate whether any relationship between personality variations, including non-diagnosed psychopathology, and these enzymes might occur in non-psychiatric patients, 95 young adult volunteers were studied. Higher MMPI and Zuckerman sensation-seeking scale scores were found in male, but not female, volunteers with lower platelet and plasma amine oxidase activities. Males generally exhibited negative correlations, while females had positive correlations between the psychological test scores and amine oxidase activities. In contrast to the amine oxidase results, no associations were observed between plasma dopamine β-hydroxylase activities and the personality variables.
Platelet serotonin concentration and monoamine oxidase activity in unmedicated chronic schizophrenic and in schizoaffective patients
Authors: Joseph Michael H. , Owen Frank , Baker Harry F. , Bourne Rachel C. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisElevated blood serotonin, perhaps secondary to reduced platelet MAO, has been reported in a group of chronic schizophrenic patients. We have failed to find elevated platelet serotonin, or any relationship between platelet serotonin and MAO either in a group of unmedicated chronic schizophrenic patients or in a group of schizoaffective patients. Possible reasons for these discrepancies are discussed.
Two kinds of cognitive deficit associated with chronic schizophrenia
Authors: Frith C. D. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisThe performance of 21 chronic schizophrenic patients was investigated on two tests of feature selection. It was found that patients with negative symptoms (muteness, withdrawal, etc.) were characterized by an extreme lack of persistence, but selected usual features; whereas patients with positive symptoms (hallucinations, delusions, etc.) had a normal degree of persistence, but selected unusual features.
Sensitivity to noise in a community sample: II. Measurement of psychophysiological indices
Authors: Stansfeld S. A. , Clark C. R. , Turpin G. , Jenkins L. M. , Tarnopolsky A. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisA sample of 77 women of high and low noise sensitivity in 1977, living in areas of high and low exposure to aircraft noise, were interviewed in the community in 1980. High, intermediate and low noise sensitive women were compared, using measures of blood pressure, heart rate, skin conductance, hearing threshold, uncomfortable loudness level and magnitude estimation of six tones. These physiological measures did not clearly distinguish different noise sensitivity groups, except that highly noise sensitive women had a consistently slower heart rate. Noise sensitivity was not related to auditory threshold. In the high aircraft noise area there were significantly more skin conductance responses than in the low aircraft noise area, irrespective of noise sensitivity. This may be the result of chronic exposure to high aircraft noise.
The chronically mentally ill in primary care
Authors: Regier Darrel A. , Burke Jack D. , Manderscheid Ronald W. , Burns Barbara J. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisThe role of primary care physicians in addressing the needs of chronically mentally ill patients is examined from three perspectives: (1) assessing community prevalence; (2) treating chronic medical problems in the context of other human service needs; and (3) treating specific types of chronic mental disorders. About 30% of primary care patients were found to have at least one Research Diagnostic Criteria mental disorder, five-sixths of which had a duration greater than 1 year. However, about 9% of patients had some impairment and 2% had severe impairment associated with a mental disorder. Although affective disorders have the highest overall rates, personality, psychotic, and anxiety disorders contribute the greatest proportion of severe disability.
Social support, social pressures and psychological distress during unemployment
Authors: Ullah Philip , Banks Michael , Warr Peter 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisA sample of 1150 unemployed 17 year-olds, containing blacks and whites, males and females, was obtained from 11 urban regions in England. Social support was measured in respect of five different forms of help from others. Measures were also obtained of psychological distress, perceived pressure from others to obtain a job, employment commitment, contact with other young people, and contact with other unemployed young people. Two forms of social support (having someone to turn to for help with money, and having someone to suggest interesting things to do) were significantly associated with measures of distress, as were perceived pressure to obtain a job and employment commitment, but not contact with other unemployed young people. The association between distress and having someone to turn to for help with money was greater for those perceiving pressure from others to obtain a job than those not perceiving pressure. Also, the association between distress and having someone to turn to when feeling low was greater for those with a high employment commitment than for those with a low one. Other associations between support and distress were found to be affected by sex and ethnic differences in the sample. The results are discussed in the light of a stress-buffering model of social support; and the need to disaggregate social support into its component parts is emphasized.
CSF monoamine metabolites in chronic schizophrenic patients who attempt suicide
Authors: Roy Alec , Ninan Philip , Mazonson Anne , Pickar David , Kammen Daniel Van , Linnoila Markku , Paul Steven M. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisThe monoamine metabolites 5-hydroxindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), homovanillic acid (HVA) and 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylethyleneglycol (MHPG) were measured in the lumbar cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of 27 chronic schizophrenic patients who at some time had attempted suicide, and were compared with values from 27 chronic schizophrenic patients without a history of attempted suicide. There were no significant differences between either the violent or non-violent attempters and those without a history of attempted suicide in the mean lumbar CSF concentrations of the serotonin metabolite 5-HIAA, the dopamine metabolite HVA, or the norepinephrine metabolite MHPG. Significantly more of the suicide attempters had a previous major depressive episode, had received a course of ECT, and had significantly more psychiatric admissions than those who had never attempted suicide.
Side-effects of lithium at lower therapeutic levels: the significance of thirst
Authors: King J. R. , Aylard P. R. , Hullin R. P. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisThe prevalence of thirst, subjective polyuria and related side-effects was investigated in 87 patients attending a lithium clinic and in a group of 52 controls. Thirst was surprisingly common, occurring in 67% of patients, in spite of the fact that they had been maintained on relatively low levels of lithium, and was due principally to the lithium rather than to other psychotropic drugs. Urine flow and impaired renal water absorption correlated with the serum lithium level and the length of treatment in the patients, despite the fact that few were clinically polyuric. The pattern of the results confirms previous suggestions that lithium may stimulate the thirst mechanism directly as well as via an increased renal resistance to vasopressin. The possible implications in terms of clinical response are discussed.
Investigating renal function during lithium treatment
Authors: Waller Derek G. , Edwards J. Guy 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisThe tests that have been used to assess glomerular and tubular function in patients receiving treatment with lithium have been reviewed. The advantages and disadvantages of these are discussed. The most useful tests are the creatinine clearance, which may be predicted from the serum creatinine using a formula or nomogram, and the measurement of urine osmolality, followed if necessary by assessment of the maximum urine concentrating ability after desaminocys-1–8-Darginine vasopressin.
Measuring the burden of psychiatric illness on the family: an evaluation of some rating scales
Authors: Platt Stephen 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisThe gradual shift towards non-institutional treatment for severe and chronic psychiatric illnesses has been accompanied by a recognition of potentially harmful effects (‘burden’) upon the patient's caregivers. This paper aims to provide a framework for the development of further research into the burden of ‘community care’ by offering a clear definition of the burden concept, an exposition of the criteria for evaluating rating scales to measure the concept, a review of major rating scales of burden, and some suggestions for improvements in methodology which are urgently required.
Self-injurious behaviour and the Gilles de la Tourette syndrome: a clinical study and review of the literature
Authors: Robertson Mary M. , Trimble M. R. , Lees A. J. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisThirty (33%) of 90 patients with the Gilles de la Tourette syndrome exhibited selfinjurious behaviour. Fourteen were head bangers, of whom two had cavum septum pellucidum. Clinical correlates of self-injury were the severity of Gilles de la Tourette syndrome symptoms and psychopathology, with special reference to obsessionality and hostility. We discuss an additional patient who died from a subdural haematoma as a result of head banging, and three who had permanent vision impairment from self inflicted eye injuries.
Fear talk versus voluntary hyperventilation in agoraphobics and normals: a controlled study
Authors: Bass Christopher , Lelliott Paul , Marks Isaac 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisTwenty-three drug-free patients with agoraphobia and panic disorder (DSM-III criteria) had, at rest, lower mean end-tidal PCo2 (32 v. 36 mmHg) and higher mean heart rate (92 v. 83 bpm) than did 18 controls. During 5 min of listening to fear talk, only eight (35 %) patients and three (16 %) controls panicked, but panic was associated with marked physiological changes in only two patients and one control. Patients said that breathlessness began slightly more often before than after panic. In 59 % of patients the symptoms from voluntary hyperventilation (VHV) were very similar or identical to those of their usual panics. Compared with the remainder, these patients felt more unpleasant during hyperventilation (HV); in such patients HV may aggravate somatic symptoms. Agoraphobics with panic differed from controls in having higher baseline arousal, but were not more reactive than controls to HV or fear talk.
Threat and loss in breast cancer
Authors: Deadman J. M. , Dewey M. J. , Owens R. G. , Leinster S. J. , Slade P. D. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisThe psychological well-being of forty-four breast cancer patients was assessed shortly before and after surgery, and at three and twelve months post-operatively. Regression analysis revealed type of treatment, control over treatment and concern for appearance as significant predictors of nature of subsequent mood state. Results are discussed with reference to the theoretical position that type of severe life event can predict the nature of ensuing psychological disorder.
Symptomatology of minor psychiatric morbidity: a crosscultural comparison
Authors: Cheng Tai Ann 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisThe basic symptoms of minor psychiatric morbidity (MPM) reported elsewhere were also found in a community survey in Taiwan. However, differences in the patterns of and manifestations of the symptoms were evident. Contrary to most Western surveys, the prevalence of anxiety (24·7 %) was found to be higher than that of depression (8·3 %) in Taiwan. Possible explanations based on sociocultural characteristics of the Chinese family were proposed. The notion of somatization as a predominant symptom in Chinese neurotic patients advocated by some research workers was not supported in this study. As a result of findings in community cases, it is argued that the importance of somatization has been considerably overemphasized as a factor in the illness behaviour of neurotic cases in Chinese and other cultures, and it is therefore not a culturespecific disease phenomenon. It is also suggested that certain culture-specific neurotic syndromes reported in Chinese, such asshen-ching-shuai-jo(neurasthenia) andshen-k'uei(semen loss syndrome), are clinically equivalent to MPM. Implications of the present findings on crosscultural research and management of MPM were discussed.
The contribution of childbearing to the sex difference in first admission rates for affective psychosis
Authors: Gater Richard A. , Dean Christine , Morris Julie 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisThis epidemiological study examines the contribution of childbearing to the sex difference in first admission rates for affective psychosis. The effects of sex, age, marital status and parity on first admission rates are examined in 114 patients admitted from a defined catchment area. The rate of first admission in females is almost twice that in males. Using logistic regression analysis one significant factor accounting for this sex difference emerges: female parity. The effect of parity is evident up to the age of 54, and it entirely accounts for the sex difference in relative risk. Non-parous females have a lower relative risk of admission than males. An apparent effect of marital status is only significant in females, and is accounted for by parity and age.
Polytomous logistic regression analysis of the General Health Questionnaire and the Present State Examination
Authors: Wilmink F. W. , Snijders T. A. B. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisFirst, two examples of dichotomous logistic regression analysis are presented. The probability of being a psychiatric case according to the Present State Examination is predicted from the total score on the General Health Questionnaire and from the general practitioner's judgement on the presence of a mental health problem. Subjects were 292 primary care attenders. Results are compared with those from prior studies.Next, the extension to the polytomous case is demonstrated. The probability of being at any given level of the Index of Definition (computed from PSE data) is estimated from the General Health Questionnaire total score by an ordered polytomous logistic regression model. Several applications of the polytomous logistic regression model are discussed. These range from estimating the proportion of psychiatric cases among individuals who refuse to be interviewed to the formulation of sampling schemes which can be expected to reduce costs while at the same time yielding optimal information for testing specific hypotheses.
The spectrum of psychiatric morbidity in a defined geographical area
Authors: Tansella Michele , Williams Paul 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisThe concept of ‘the pathway to psychiatric care’ as described by Goldberg & Huxley (1980) using a scheme of five ‘levels’ and four ‘filters’, has provided a useful framework in investigating referral processes in places where health services are organized in a way similar to the British National Health Service. Previous estimates of psychiatric morbidity at each of the levels of this model have been calculated, based upon data obtained from diverse geographical areas and over different time frames. The value of these estimates for service planning is therefore limited by the heterogeneity of the data sources. This paper provides data related to all five levels based upon the same geographical area (South-Verona, Italy) and within the same time frame (one week in 1987).The importance of studying the full spectrum of psychiatric morbidity at all levels in the same area is discussed. In particular, it is shown that the assessment of morbidity in the primary medical care setting (levels 2 and 3) and data about filters 2 and 3 can provide useful information for the evaluation of specialist services (levels 4 and 5) as well as for understanding changes in the provision of specialist care.
The influence of education, social class and sex on Mini-Mental State scores
Authors: O'connor D. W. , Pollitt P. A. , Treasure F. P. , Brook C. P. B. , Reiss B. B. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisThe Mini-Mental State Examination was administered to 1865 general-practice patients aged 75 years and over. Even when demented cases were removed from analysis, respondents with relatively little education, together with those in social classes Ill-manual and below, were significantly more likely to score below the cut-off point used in North American community surveys to denote ‘cognitive impairment’. Education and social class influenced scores on all sections within the MMSE with the exception of registration. Sex influenced scores on tests of calculation and spelling backwards but had no effect on total scores. These findings emphasize the importance of investigating low scorers in more detail before making a diagnosis of dementia.
The Child Behaviour Checklist and the Rutter Parental Questionnaire: a comparison between two screening instruments
Authors: Fombonne Eric 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisIn order to carry out an epidemiological survey of child psychiatric disorders in a community sample, the Child Behaviour Checklist was chosen as a parental questionnaire for screening in the first stage of the study. A French version of this instrument was developed and a pilot study of the scale was completed on a clinical sample (N= 127). As a criterion to gauge its validity, the Rutter scale was used as a concurrent measure. The correlation coefficient between the total scores of the two scales is 0·79, and ranges between 0·22 and 0·96 for individual items. A linear regression analysis, using the total score of the Rutter scale as an independent variable, predicts a value of 41 as the optimal cut-off to be used for the Child Behaviour Checklist. Comparative properties (reliability and time of completion) of the two scales are presented and discussed.
The explicitly stated rationale for the involuntary commitment of the mentally ill given by the nineteenth-century German-speaking psychiatrists
Authors: Windholz George 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisThe contemporary practice of involuntary commitment to psychiatric institutions of individuals diagnosed as mentally ill is based upon practices established by psychiatrists in the nineteenth century. The justifications given by nineteenth-century German-speaking psychiatrists for involuntary commitment are considered. An examination of sixty-seven texts by German-speaking psychiatrists reveals that involuntary commitment was justified more often as benefiting the mentally ill individual than as benefiting society. Justification for involuntary commitment was made somewhat more frequently during the second part of the nineteenth century than during the first part
The timing, specificity and clinical prediction of tricyclic drug effects in depression
Authors: Katz M. M. , Koslow S. H. , Maas J. W. , Frazer A. , Bowden C. L. , Casper R. , Croughan J. , Kocsis J. , Redmond E. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisThis research was aimed at studying the rate of action of tricyclic drugs in depressive disorders, specifying the behavioural effects associated with recovery, and predicting clinical response. The research design involved comparison of a recovered group with a group treated for the equivalent four weeks, who showed minimal to no response. The findings indicated significant differences in baseline characteristics between responders and non-responders. Further, the drugs were found to act early in the responders, within the first week of treatment. Specific changes at one week which distinguished responder and non-responder groups occurred in the disturbed affects, and in cognitive functioning. Improvements also occurred in somatic symptoms, but these latter changes were general and not associated with later recovery. At 2½ weeks, all facets of the depressed condition showed positive change in the responders. Implications of the results for assessing rate of tricyclic drug actions, their effects on the interaction of affect and neurochemistry, and the practical application of the results for the clinical situation, are discussed.
The activation of red blood cell transketolase in groups of patients especially at risk from thiamin deficiency
Authors: Jeyasingham Marina D. , Pratt Oliver E. , Burns Alistair , Shaw George K. , Thomson Allan D. , Marsh Andrew 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisErythrocyte transketolase activation by thiamin diphosphate has been studied in elderly patients with moderate or severe chronic dementia, acute alcoholic admissions and chronic alcoholics with evidence of brain damage, mostly of the Wernicke–Korsakoff type. Significantly more patients in each group than controls showed abnormal activation of transketolase, not only by 0·3 mM thiamin diphosphate (TDP) but also in further activation by increase to 3 mM. This indicated the presence in a proportion of the alcoholic and the demented patients of an abnormal enzyme variant, similar to that previously found in vitro. The modified transketolase activation test may warn not only of marginal thiamin deficiency but also independently, of susceptibility to brain damage in patients at risk.
Selective effects of ECT on hypothalamic—pituitary activity
Authors: Whalley Lawrence J. , Eagles John M. , Bowler Geoffrey M. R. , Bennie John G. , Dick Heinz R. , McGuire Ralph J. , Fink George 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisThe hypothesis that ECT produces selective effects on hypothalamic–pituitary activity was investigated by determining the effect of ECT on pituitary hormone release in nine depressed patients. After ECT there were massive and rapid increases in the plasma concentrations of nicotine-and oestrogen-stimulated neurophysin (NSN and ESN), prolactin (PRL) and adrenocorticotropin (ACTH), smaller increases in plasma luteinizing hormone (LH) and cortisol, a significant decrease in plasma growth hormone (GH) concentration but no change in plasma thyrotropin (TSH). There was significant attenuation of PRL responses with repeated ECT. The hormonal responses to ECT cannot simply be attributed to stress, since a similar pattern of increases in plasma hormone concentrations did not occur in psychologically normal patients in whom plasma hormone concentrations were measured during induction of anaesthesia and abdominal incision for cholecystectomy. Analysis of these hormonal responses in terms of the knowledge available on the neurotransmitter control of pituitary hormone release suggests that some of these hormonal responses to ECT may be mediated by the activation of serotonergic neurones, while others are probadly due to direct stimulation of the neuroendocrine neurones themselves.
Cholinergic effects on constructional abilities and on mnemonic processes: a case report
Authors: Sahakian Barbara , Joyce Eileen , Lishman W. A. 
Published: July 2009

SynopsisThe effects of physostigmine on test performance of a patient with multiple cognitive deficits were observed in a double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Scores on tests of learning and memory and tests of visuo-spatial and constructional ability were both improved by physostigmine, while lecithin improved scores only on the former tests.