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Biomedical subjects

A Apter

Publications and source records attributed to A Apter.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Psychological aspects of developmental endocrinopathies in adolescence.

Ninety-six adolescents referred to a pediatric endocrinology clinic were divided into eight groups according to degree of sexual maturity and height. Each adolescent was assessed by a psychiatric interview, a self-concept questionnaire, a human figure drawing test and a cognitive screening battery. The results showed a definite deleterious effect of growth retardation, but not sexual maturity, on self-concept. Sex of the adolescent did not affect the results. Cognitively there was no difference between groups. The psychological impact of short stature should be taken into consideration in the decision to utilize pharmacological or delay of puberty.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Epidemiology of the sick building syndrome.

The sick building syndrome (SBS) has been the subject of serious scientific inquiry only in the past 10 years. It is commonly accepted to represent eye, nose, and throat irritation; headaches, lethargy, difficulty concentrating, and sometimes dizziness; nausea, chest tightness; and other symptoms. Evidence suggests that what is called the SBS is at least three separate entities, each of which has at least one cause. This review will summarize the epidemiologic investigations of the SBS and present an overview of etiologic hypotheses.

Air Pollution, Indoor↗
PubMed1994

Platelet monoamine oxidase activity in neuroleptic-naive schizophrenic patients: lack of influence of chronic perphenazine treatment.

We investigated the possible relationship between schizophrenia, neuroleptic treatment, and platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity. Platelet MAO activity was similar in neuroleptic-naive schizophrenic patients and healthy controls and was not affected by chronic (10-week) perphenazine treatment. A relationship between platelet MAO activity and central disturbances in schizophrenia remains uncertain.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Cultural effects on eating attitudes in Israeli subpopulations and hospitalized anorectics.

We assessed eating attitudes and body image using the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT: Garner & Garfinkel, 1979) and a 17-item body image scale in Israeli Jewish female high school populations in five distinct residential settings (kibbutz, moshav, city, and 2 different boarding schools); in five ethnically distinct Arab female high school populations (Muslim, Christian, Druze, Circassian, and Bedouin); and in a group of hospitalized adolescent girls with anorexia nervosa. We hypothesized that the attitudes of the adolescent females most exposed to Western body shape ideals and simultaneously undergoing role conflict between traditional and modern images of the female role would most resemble attitudes of anorectics. This was partly supported by the findings. Ethnic differences also emerged in attitude toward food. All the Arab populations except the Circassian showed strong Western influences in their attitudes toward eating and body image and thus may well be prone to epidemics of anorexia and similar eating disorders in the near future. Kibbutz girls were most similar to the anorectic group.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

[Anorexia nervosa and obsessive-compulsive disorder in a young Russian immigrant].

Anorexia nervosa is a psychiatric disorder characterized by excessive dieting, severe weight loss, disturbed body image and inexplicable fear of gaining weight. It afflicts mainly upper class women of developed countries. We present a 16-year-old recent immigrant from Russia, where she had developed anorexia nervosa, obsessive-compulsive disorder and depression. The management of this patient is presented in the light of the sociocultural theory of the pathogenesis of anorexia nervosa and the clinical link between eating disorders and depression and obsessive-compulsive disorders.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Death without warning? A clinical postmortem study of suicide in 43 Israeli adolescent males.

Forty-three consecutive Israeli male suicides, 18 to 21 years of age, that occurred during compulsory military service were studied using preinduction assessment data, service records, and extensive postmortem interviews with family and peers. At preinduction, subjects, as a group, appeared above average in intelligence, physical fitness, and measures predictive of successful adaptation to military service. Active duty performance was generally satisfactory. Ascertained post mortem, 53.5% met formal criteria for major depressive disorder; most cases, however, appeared recent and reactive. Narcissistic and/or schizoid traits were common. Substance abuse was absent and antisocial personality disorder was rare (4.7%). Furthermore, in eight patients (18.6%) no Axis I diagnosis could be made; half of these also lacked any significant Axis II pathology. These findings, at partial variance with US studies, suggest a complex relationship between suicide and mental disorder. The striking failure of intensive screening and preventive measures to prevent these suicides highlights unresolved questions of etiology and intervention.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1993

An epidemiologic study of Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome in Israel.

OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to estimate the lifetime prevalence of Gilles de la Tourette's syndrome (GTS) in adolescents aged 16 to 17 years. DESIGN: Population-based epidemiologic study. SUBJECTS: Eighteen thousand three hundred sixty-four males and 9673 females aged 16 to 17 years screened for induction into the Israel Defense Force. RESULTS: Of the 28,037 individuals screened, 12 met diagnostic criteria for GTS. The point prevalence in this population was 4.3 +/- 1.2 (mean +/- SE) per 10,000. The 95% confidence interval for this estimate is 1.9 to 6.7 per 10,000. The point prevalence was 4.9 +/- 1.6 per 10,000 for males (95% confidence interval, 1.8 per 10,000) and 3.1 +/- 1.8 per 10,000 for females (95% confidence interval, 0 to 6.6 per 10,000). The rate of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) was significantly elevated among the subjects with GTS (41.7%) compared with the population point prevalence of OCD (3.4) in those without GTS. In contrast, the rate of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder was only 8.3% compared with the population point prevalence of 3.9% in those individuals without GTS. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence estimates from this population-based study are in agreement with previous results based on surveys of younger children. The sex ratio observed in this study is not as large as reported in previous studies and remains to be explored in other studies of adolescents and adults.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Fears of death in suicidal and nonsuicidal adolescents.

Suicidal, psychiatric, and normal adolescent girls and boys, ages 15-17 years, participated in a study on five types of death fears. A mixed within-between multivariate analysis of variance (5 factors x 3 groups) yielded significant interactive effects of indicating that there were different profiles of fears among the three groups: Relative to the other groups, suicidal adolescents displayed little differentiation between facets of fear, with differences in the magnitude of fear limited to the intrapersonal facets. Correlates of fear varied between groups: Fear was positively correlated with suicidality in normal subjects, negatively correlated with suicidality among suicidal ones, and unrelated to suicidality in the psychiatric group. It is suggested that fear of death is processed and experienced differently by suicidal and nonsuicidal adolescents to serve as a facilitator or inhibitor of suicidal behavior.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Cytokine production in anorexia nervosa.

The capacity of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of anorexia nervosa (AN) patients to produce interleukin-1 (IL-1), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and interleukin-3-like activity (IL-3-LA) was studied. A significantly lower (-49%, p < 0.005) capacity to synthesize IL-2 and an almost significantly impaired ability (-35%, p = 0.058) to release IL-3-LA by PBMCs of AN patients was found, as compared with cells of the control group. IL-1 production, either spontaneous or after stimulation with lipopolysaccharide (LPS), did not differ significantly between AN patients and healthy subjects. The lessened capacity to produce IL-2 was accompanied by an enhanced stimulatory activity of the patient sera on the production of this cytokine by PBMCs of healthy subjects. It is therefore suggested that the serum of AN patients contains a stimulatory factor or factors for cytokine production that compensates for the lower production of cytokines by AN PBMCs. Such a compensatory mechanism may explain why AN patients do not have an higher susceptibility to infections.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

The Ganser syndrome in two adolescent brothers.

The Ganser syndrome is rare in children and adolescents. Two cases of Ganser syndrome in adolescent brothers, both of whom developed the syndrome while in jail and awaiting trial, are presented. Both brothers subsequently developed signs and symptoms indicative of affective disorder. The differential diagnosis and the management of these two patients are discussed in the light of the nosological controversies surrounding this clinical entity.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Anxiety, impulsivity and depressed mood in relation to suicidal and violent behavior.

Many different variables have been associated with suicidal behavior as well as with violent behavior. This study was designed to test a model that attempts to relate such variables to violence and suicide risk. Sixty psychiatric patients were evaluated and divided into suicidal and nonsuicidal groups and then into violent and nonviolent groups. Scores on suicide risk, violence risk, anxiety, anger, impulsivity and mood were then compared between these groups. In a second analysis, scores on suicide risk and violence risk were correlated with all the other variables. Anxiety and impulsivity were found to strongly correlate with suicide risk. Angry and resentful mood correlated with violence risk; trait anxiety correlated negatively with violence risk. The results contribute further insight into the authors' two-stage model of countervailing forces.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

[Anorexia nervosa in a young diabetic].

Coexistence of diabetes mellitus and anorexia nervosa has been noted in the past 2 decades. The nature and treatment of diabetes offer numerous opportunities for the anorectic patient to lose weight. Improper adjustment of the insulin dose, failure to inject insulin, clandestine vomiting and failure to provide urine samples allow the anorectic diabetic to achieve morbid weight loss. The treatment of patients with both conditions is difficult; behavioral management combined with psychotherapy was found to be most effective. An illustrative case is presented.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Neuroendocrine response to trihexyphenidyl in depressed patients.

The effect of a single dose (10 mg P.O.) of trihexyphenidyl (THP) on plasma cortisol, growth hormone (GH), and immunoreactive beta-endorphin (ir-beta-EP) was studied in seven major depressed patients and seven controls. GH secretion was suppressed (34-41%) by THP in both groups. THP did not affect cortisol secretion in depressed patients and controls. An increase (18%; p less than 0.05) in plasma ir-beta-EP levels was detected in the healthy subjects only. The results of this study do not support the hypothesized altered responsiveness to anticholinergic provocation in major depression. The inhibitory activity of THP on GH secretion indicates the involvement of the cholinergic system in the regulation of GH release in humans.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Elevated plasma immunoreactive beta-endorphin in anorexia nervosa.

Basal morning plasma levels of immunoreactive-beta-endorphin (ir-beta-EP), and 17-beta estradiol (E2) were assessed in 25 adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN) in comparison to 24 healthy controls. All subjects were drug free for at least 6 weeks. The mean plasma level of ir-beta-EP was significantly higher (84%) in the AN patients when compared with the control subjects. The elevated plasma ir-beta-EP may be relevant to the suppression of appetite, tolerance of fasting, and to the hypothalamic hypogonadism in AN.

Adolescent↗