bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Cannabis use in the last year in a US national sample of twin and sibling pairs
Authors: KENDLER K. S. , NEALE M. C. , THORNTON L. M. , AGGEN S. H. , GILMAN S. E. , KESSLER R. C. 
Published: October 2002

Background. Three prior population-based twin studies, none of which was nationally representative, suggested that both genetic and familial–environmental factors contribute to family resemblance for lifetime cannabis use. We seek to replicate these results in a US national probability sample of twin and sibling pairs examining only last year cannabis use.Methods. Cannabis use in the last year was assessed by self-report questionnaire. Biometrical twin analyses were performed.Results. Twin and sibling resemblance for last-year cannabis use was substantial, and much higher in monozygotic pairs than in dizygotic and sibling pairs, where levels of resemblance were similar. Modeling suggested that sibling resemblance was due to genetic factors – with a heritability of at least 60% – and probably family environmental factors. No evidence was found that cannabis use was influenced by a special twin environment.Conclusions. Consistent with prior studies, use of cannabis is substantially influenced by genetic factors but family–environment is also possibly of importance.
The prevalence of psychiatric morbidity and its associated factors in general health care in Taiwan
Authors: LIU S. I. , PRINCE M. , BLIZARD B. , MANN A. 
Published: October 2002

Background. This paper reports the prevalence, disability, sociodemographic and clinical association of psychiatric morbidity among attenders in general health care in Taiwan where, as in the rest of non-Western countries, few studies have been carried out.Methods. A cross-sectional survey with a two-phase design was carried out at out-patient clinics of three health stations and a general hospital.Results. A total of 990 patients completed the brief screen in the first phase, 486 of whom completed the independent assessment in the second phase. The proportion of screening positives was 46·0% and the weighted prevalence of definite psychiatric disorder was 38·2%. Common mental disorders were associated with female gender and unemployment. Housewives, students and patients with higher educational attainment were at lower risk of having alcohol use disorders. Patients with common mental disorders were more likely to present with psychological complaints, to attribute their illness to psychosocial causes and to perceive their mental and physical health as poor. Psychiatric morbidity was associated with excess life events. Common mental disorders, particularly depressive disorders, were significantly associated with self-reported disability.Conclusions. Psychiatric morbidity is a major health problem in general health care in Taiwan. Physicians should be aware of these health problems.
Home treatment for mental health problems: a systematic review
Authors: CATTY J. , BURNS T. , KNAPP M. , WATT H. , WRIGHT C. , HENDERSON J. , HEALEY A. 
Published: October 2002

Background. Concerns have been raised about the scope and generalizability of much community mental health research. In particular, both experimental and control services are poorly characterized.Methods. To review the effectiveness of ‘home treatment’ for mental health problems in terms of hospitalization, we conducted a systematic review, using Cochrane methodology but with a wider remit. Non-randomized studies were included in response to concerns about RCTs’ generalizability. All authors were followed up for data on service components. ‘Home treatment’ was defined broadly for the purposes of the literature search, but included studies were then assessed against service components specifically focused on delivering treatment at home. The study tested components and other features for associations with days in hospital, as well as conducting a conventional meta-analysis of data on days in hospital.Results. We found 91 studies, 18 comparing home to in-patient treatment. Sixty per cent of authors responded to follow-up. The vast majority of the services studied had a ‘home treatment function’ and regularly visited patients at home. The heterogeneity of control services made meta-analysis problematical as did the limited availability of data. There was some evidence that ‘regular’ home visiting and combined responsibility for health and social care were associated with reduced hospitalization. The inclusion of non-randomized studies rarely affected the findings.Conclusions. Evidence concerning the effectiveness of home treatment remains inconclusive. A centrally coordinated research strategy is recommended, with attention to study design. Experimental and control service components should be prospectively recorded and reported to enable meaningful analysis.
Cognition following acute tryptophan depletion: difference between first-degree relatives of bipolar disorder patients and matched healthy control volunteers
Authors: SOBCZAK S. , RIEDEL W. J. , BOOIJ I. , AAN HET ROT M. , DEUTZ N. E. P. , HONIG A. 
Published: October 2002

Background. Serotonergic circuits have been proposed to mediate cognitive processes, particularly learning and memory. Cognitive impairment is often seen in bipolar disorders in relation to a possible lowered serotonergic turnover.Methods. We investigated the effects of acute tryptophan depletion (ATD) on cognitive performance in healthy first-degree relatives of bipolar patients (FH) (N = 30) and matched controls (N = 15) in a placebo-controlled, double-blind cross-over design. Performance on planning, memory and attention tasks were assessed at baseline and 5 h after ATD.Results. Following ATD, speed of information processing on the planning task was impaired in the FH group but not in the control group. FH subjects with a bipolar disorder type I relative (FH I) showed impairments in planning and memory, independent of ATD. In all subjects, ATD impaired long-term memory performance and speed of information processing. ATD did not affect short-term memory and focused and divided attention.Conclusions. The results suggest serotonergic vulnerability affecting frontal lobe areas in FH subjects, indicated by impaired planning. Biological vulnerability in FH I subjects is reflected in impaired planning and memory performance. In conclusion, the cognitive dysfunctions in FH subjects indicate an endophenotype constituting a possible biological marker in bipolar psychopathology. Serotonin appears to be involved in speed of information processing, verbal and visual memory and learning processes.
The neuropsychology of antisocial personality disorder
Authors: DOLAN MAIREAD , PARK ISABELLE 
Published: October 2002

Background. The literature on executive function in antisocial populations is unclear due to variation in diagnostic criteria and variation in the inclusion of healthy control comparison groups. Some studies suggest prototypical psychopathy is associated with specific deficits in ventromedial prefrontal (VMPFC) function rather than dorsolateral prefrontal (DLPFC). Meta-analytical studies, however, suggest that antisocial personality disorder may be associated with a broader range of executive deficits. This study assessed DLPFC and VMPFC function in antisocial personality disorder subjects and controls using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) and a Go/NoGo task respectively.Methods. All subjects were screened for Axis I pathology, substance misuse and prescribed medication. The performance of 29 subjects with antisocial personality disorder DSM-IV and 20 male right-handed controls (matched for age and IQ) on the neuropsychological test battery was compared.Results. Subjects with antisocial personality disorder displayed impairments on DLPFC executive function tasks of planning ability and set shifting. Impairments were also seen in VMPFC Go/NoGo tasks and in visual memory tasks.Conclusions. Antisocial personality disorder is associated with a broad range of deficits in DLPFC and VMPFC function. Future studies need to examine relationships between the interpersonal and behavioural components of antisocial personality disorder and neuropsychological function.
Do schizophrenic patients who managed to get to university have a non-developmental form of illness?
Authors: MacCABE J. H. , ALDOURI E. , FAHY T. A. , SHAM P. C. , MURRAY R. M. 
Published: October 2002

Background. Many people who develop schizophrenia have impairments in intellectual and social functioning that are detectable from early childhood. However, some patients do not exhibit such deficits, and this suggests that they may have suffered less neurodevelopmental damage. We hypothesized that the aetiology and form of schizophrenia may differ in such patients. We therefore studied a group of schizophrenic patients who were functioning well enough to enter university prior to illness onset.Methods. The casenotes of 46 university-educated patients and 48 non-university-educated patients were rated on several schedules including the OPCRIT checklist, and the two groups were compared using univariate statistical techniques. Principal components analysis was then performed using data from all patients, and the factor scores for each principal component were compared between groups.Results. Univariate analyses showed the university-educated patients had an excess of depressive symptoms, and a paucity of core schizophrenic symptoms. Four principal components emerged in the principal components analysis: mania, biological depression, schizophrenic symptoms, and a reactive depression. University-educated patients scored significantly higher on the reactive depression principal component, and lower on the schizophrenic symptoms principal component, than the non-university-educated patients.Conclusions. University-educated patients may have a non-developmental subtype of schizophrenia.
Stratum-specific likelihood ratios of the General Health Questionnaire in the community: help-seeking and physical co-morbidity affect the test characteristics
Authors: FURUKAWA T. A. , ANDREWS G. , GOLDBERG D. P. 
Published: October 2002

Background. In evidence-based medicine, stratum-specific likelihood ratios (SSLRs) are now being increasingly recognized as a more convenient and generalizable method to interpret diagnostic information than an optimal cut-off and its associated sensitivity and specificity. We previously examined the SSLRs of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) in primary care settings. The present paper aims to examine if these SSLRs are generalizable to the community settings.Methods. The Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI) and the GHQ were administered on a representative sample of the Australian population in the Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Well-Being. We first compared the SSLRs of GHQ in urban Australia with the estimates that we had previously obtained from the developed urban centres in the WHO Psychological Problems in General Health Care study. If the SSLRs in the community were found to differ significantly from those in the primary care, we sought for explanatory variables.Results. The SSLRs in urban Australia and in the urban centres in the WHO study were significantly different for three out of the six strata. When we limited the sample to those with physical problems who visited a health professional, however, the SSLRs in the Australian study were strikingly close to those observed for primary care settings.Conclusions. Different sets of SSLRs apply to primary care and general population samples. For general population surveys in developed countries, the results of the Australian National Survey represent the currently available best estimates. For developing countries or rural areas, the results are less definitive and an investigator may wish to conduct a pilot study.
DSM-IV generalized anxiety disorder in the Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Well-Being
Authors: HUNT C. , ISSAKIDIS C. , ANDREWS G. 
Published: October 2002

Background. This paper reports population data on DSM-IV generalized anxiety disorder from the Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Well-Being.Methods. The data were obtained from a nationwide household survey of adults using a stratified multi-stage sampling process. A response rate of 78·1% resulted in 10641 persons being interviewed. Diagnoses were made using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. The interview was computerized and conducted by trained lay interviewers.Results. Prevalence in the total sample was 2·8% for 1-month GAD and 3·6% for 12-month GAD. Persons over 55 years of age were less likely to have GAD than those in the younger age groups. Logistic regression analysis also showed that a diagnosis of GAD was significantly associated with being of younger to middle age, being separated divorced or widowed, not having tertiary qualifications or being unemployed. Co-morbidity with another affective, anxiety, substance use or personality disorders was common, affecting 68% of the sample with 1-month DSM-IV GAD. GAD was associated with significant disablement, and 57% of the sample with DSM-IV GAD had consulted a health professional for a mental health problem in the prior 12 months.Conclusions. The survey provides population data on DSM-IV GAD and its correlates. GAD is a common disorder that is accompanied by significant morbidity and high rates of co-morbidity with affective and anxiety disorders, and is associated with marital status, education, employment status, but not sex. Changes to DSM-IV diagnostic criteria did not appear to affect the prevalence rate compared to previous population surveys.
Dimensional and categorical approaches to hypochondriasis
Authors: HILLER W. , RIEF W. , FICHTER M. M. 
Published: October 2002

Background. The DSM-IV definition of hypochondriasis is contrasted with hypochondriacal dimensions as provided by the Whiteley Index (WI) and Illness Attitude Scales (IAS).Methods. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted on self-report data from 570 patients with mental and psychophysiological disorders. Of these, 319 were additionally diagnosed according to DSM-IV by structured interviews.Results. The three ‘classic’ factors of the WI labelled disease phobia, somatic symptoms and disease conviction were confirmed. The IAS consisted of two dimensions indicating health anxiety and illness behaviour. The overall scores of both instruments were highly correlated (0·80). Optimal cut-off points for case identification yielded sensitivity/specificity rates of 71/80% (WI) and 72/79% (IAS). The IAS was superior to the WI when patients with hypochondriacal disorder were to be discriminated from non-hypochondriacal somatizers. Largest group differences were found for scales related to affective components (health anxieties), smallest for illness behaviours. Affective components of hypochondriasis explained more variance of diagnostic group membership than somatization symptoms. The subscales of disease phobia (WI) and health anxiety (IAS) were most sensitive to treatment-related changes.Conclusions. The self-rating scales are valid for screening, case definition and dimensional assessment of hypochondriacal disorder, including the differentiation between hypochondriasis and somatization. The existence of distinguishable affective and cognitive components was confirmed.
Suicidality after traumatic brain injury: demographic, injury and clinical correlates
Authors: SIMPSON GRAHAME , TATE ROBYN 
Published: October 2002

Background. In spite of the high frequency of emotional distress after traumatic brain injury (TBI), few investigations have examined the extreme of such distress, namely, suicidality, and no large scale surveys have been conducted. The current study examined both the prevalence and demographic, injury, and clinical correlates of hopelessness, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts after TBI.Methods. Out-patients (N = 172) with TBI were screened for suicidal ideation and hopelessness using the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation and the Beck Hopelessness Scale. Data were also collected on demographic, injury, pre-morbid and post-injury psychosocial variables and included known risk factors for suicide.Results. A substantial proportion of participants had clinically significant levels of hopelessness (35%) and suicide ideation (23%), and 18% had made a suicide attempt post-injury. There was a high degree of co-morbidity between suicide attempts and emotional/psychiatric disturbance. Results from regression analyses indicated that a high level of hopelessness was the most significant association of suicide ideation and a high level of suicide ideation, along with occurrence of post-injury emotional/psychiatric disturbance, were the most significant associations of post-injury suicide attempts. Neither injury severity nor the presence of pre-morbid suicide risk factors contributed to elevated levels of suicidality post-injury.Conclusions. Suicidality is a common psychological reaction to TBI among out-patient populations. Management should involve careful history taking of previous post-injury suicidal behaviour, assessment of post-injury adjustment to TBI with particular focus on the degree of emotional/psychiatric disturbance, and close monitoring of those individuals with high levels of hopelessness and suicide ideation.
Duration and severity of depression predict mortality in older adults in the community
Authors: GEERLINGS S. W. , BEEKMAN A. T. F. , DEEG D. J. H. , TWISK J. W. R. , TILBURG W. VAN 
Published: October 2002

Background. The association between depression and mortality has become a topic of interest. Little is known about the association between the course of depression and mortality.Methods. In an initially non-depressed cohort (N = 325) and a depressed cohort (N = 327), depression was measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CES-D) at eight successive waves over a period of 3 years. Both cohorts were then followed with respect to mortality status for up to 3·5 additional years. Clinical course types as well as theoretical course type parameters (basic symptom levels, increases in symptoms and instability over time) were distinguished to study the effect of the course of depression on mortality.Results. Contrary to transient states of depression, both chronic depression and chronic intermittent depression predicted mortality at follow-up. Additionally, evidence was found that the effect on mortality is related to severity of depression; high basic symptom levels and increases in symptoms over time were predictive of mortality. A high degree of instability over time was not associated with mortality.Conclusions. Since the mortality effect of depression is a function of both exposure time and symptom severity, more attention should be paid to the treatment of depression in order to prevent severe longstanding depression.
The Australian National Survey of Psychotic Disorders: profile of psychosocial disability and its risk factors
Authors: GUREJE O. , HERRMAN H. , HARVEY C. , MORGAN V. , JABLENSKY A. 
Published: October 2002

Background. Knowledge of the level of psychosocial impairment associated with psychosis is important in evaluating the impact of the illness on those affected. When such knowledge is derived from community-based epidemiological surveys, it can help in providing a public health perspective for service planning with information derived from representative samples of patients.Methods. A two-phase epidemiological survey of persons with psychosis in four predominantly urban areas of Australia. First phase screening for psychosis (N = 5710) was followed by a semi-structured interview of a stratified random sample (N = 980) to assess psychopathology (lifetime and current) and psychosocial disability.Results. Most of the interviewees were unemployed and had never married. There was widespread impairment in sexual and social relationships and in the performance of activities of daily living. Over half expressed dissatisfaction with life in general. Persons with affective psychoses were often as disabled as those with schizophrenia and diagnostic categorizations were not important in the conferment of risk for disability. Rather, poor pre-morbid work or social adjustment and poor course of illness were potent risk factors for diverse forms of disability in persons with psychosis.Conclusion. A large proportion of persons with experience of psychosis living in the community suffers from significant levels of psychosocial disability. Disablement seems to reflect, in part, a diathesis of poor pre-morbid functioning and less than optimal response to treatment of the disorder.
Pyrazinamide resistance associated with pncA gene mutation in Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Japan
Authors: ENDOH T. , YAGIHASHI A. , UEHARA N. , KOBAYASHI D. , TSUJI N. , NAKAMURA M. , HAYASHI S. , FUJII N. , WATANABE N. 
Published: October 2002

Thirty Japanese clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis were analysed by pyrazinamide susceptibility testing and pyrazinamidase assay, as well as polymerase chain reaction for single-strand conformational polymorphism and direct sequencing of the gene encoding pyrazinamidase (pncA). All sensitive isolates showed pyrazinamidase activity and a wild-type pncA gene, but three resistant isolates had pncA gene mutations and lacked pyrazinamidase activity. The latter isolates showed a minimum inhibitory concentration of at least 100 mg/l by the 7H10 agar proportion method and 400 mg/l by the 7H9 liquid medium method. Isolate 28 showed T-to-C change at position 11, leading to Leu4→Ser substitution; isolate 29 had an 8-bp deletion from position 382; and isolate 30 had A-to-C change at position 29, leading to Gln10→Pro substitution. The deletion has not been described previously. This is the first demonstration of pncA gene mutations in PZA-resistant M. tuberculosis strains isolated from Japanese patients.
Direct inhibition by cannabinoids of human 5‐HT3A receptors: probable involvement of an allosteric modulatory site
Authors: Barann M , Molderings G , Brüss M , Bönisch H , Urban B W , Göthert M 
Published: October 2002

Excised outside‐out patches from HEK293 cells stably transfected with the human (h) 5‐HT3A receptor cDNA were used to determine the effects of cannabinoid receptor ligands on the 5‐HT‐induced current using the patch clamp technique. In addition, binding studies with radioligands for 5‐HT3 as well as for cannabinoid CB1 and CB2 receptors were carried out.
The 5‐HT‐induced current was inhibited by the following cannabinoid receptor agonists (at decreasing order of potency): Δ9‐THC, WIN55,212‐2, anandamide, JWH‐015 and CP55940. The WIN55,212‐2‐induced inhibition was not altered by SR141716A, a CB1 receptor antagonist. WIN55,212‐3, an enantiomer of WIN55,212‐2, did not affect the 5‐HT‐induced current.
WIN55,212‐2 did not change the EC50 value of 5‐HT in stimulating current, but reduced the maximum effect.
The CB1 receptor ligand [3H]‐SR141716A and the CB1/CB2 receptor ligand [3H]‐CP55940 did not specifically bind to parental HEK293 cells. In competition experiments on membranes of HEK293 cells transfected with the h5‐HT3A receptor cDNA, WIN55,212‐2, CP55940, anandamide and SR141716A did not affect [3H]‐GR65630 binding, but 5‐HT caused a concentration dependent‐inhibition.
In conclusion, cannabinoids stereoselectively inhibit currents through recombinant h5‐HT3A receptors independently of cannabinoid receptors. Probably the cannabinoids act allosterically at a modulatory site of the h5‐HT3A receptor. Thus the functional state of the receptor can be controlled by the endogenous ligand anandamide. This site is a potential target for new analgesic and antiemetic drugs.

British Journal of Pharmacology (2002) 137, 589–596. doi:10.1038/sj.bjp.0704829