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Biomedical subjects

A Di Muro

Publications and source records attributed to A Di Muro.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Suicidality and aggressive behaviour.

Psychiatrists have always maintained that there is a relationship between aggressive behaviour and suicide in depressed patients. However, this relationship is based on inconsistent and undocumented hypotheses, not on reliable clinical experimental data. The present study was designed to investigate the relationship between aggressive behaviour assessed by means of the Buss and Durkee Hostility Inventory (BDHI), and suicide in a sample of 134 depressed out-patients. The group with a higher level of suicidal behaviour was of younger age. The association between depressive subtypes (major depression, recurrent; major depression, single episode; bipolar disorder, depressive episode; dysthymia) and suicidality was found to be statistically significant. In contrast, there was no correlation between depressive subtypes and aggressive behaviour. The relationship between suicide and guilt as measured by the BDHI suggests that, in depression, suicidal behaviour becomes part of a symptom pattern in which aggression does not appear to be the main component. The suicide dimension arises when the cognitive sphere is involved. In fact, in depression, suicide is included among the cognitive disturbances, together with guilt, paranoid and obsessive-compulsive symptoms, depersonalization/derealization and agitation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Imipramine binding as a predictor of fluoxetine response in depressed patients.

We evaluated platelet 3H-imipramine (3H-IMI) binding parameters (Bmax and Kd) at baseline (t0) and 2 months after (t1) treatment with fluoxetine in a group of outpatients affected by a major depressive episode, according to DSM-IIIR criteria. The possible relationships between biological parameters and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) total score were examined. The results confirmed previous reports that depressed patients possessed a lower density (Bmax) of platelet 3H-IMI binding sites than healthy controls, but the Bmax tended to decrease with fluoxetine. In addition, we observed a negative correlation between Bmax values at t0 and the HRSD total scores at t1 indicating that the patients who responded better to fluoxetine were those with a lower Bmax at t0. Future studies will substantiate this preliminary observation on the possible usefulness of platelet 3H-IMI binding as a predictor of pharmacological response.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Psychological stress and body temperature changes in humans.

We investigated the possible changes in body temperature, heart frequency, and blood pressure in 22 residents sitting for the yearly exam at the Specialty School of Psychiatry at Pisa University. All subjects were then evaluated 2 or 3 weeks later, in calm situations. In a subgroup, a specific plasmatic diazepam binding inhibitor (BBIA), previously described, was also measured. The results showed that all subjects underwent significant stress-related changes in the parameters studied, which suggest the involvement of different mechanisms in preexam stress.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Personality features and platelet 3H-imipramine binding.

In an attempt to provide further information on the functions of the serotonergic system in humans, we investigated the possible correlation between a peripheral serotonergic marker, such as platelet 3H-imipramine binding, and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) items and scales in a group of 20 healthy subjects. The results showed the presence of significant positive correlation between the maximum binding capacity, a measure of the number of 3H-imipramine sites, and 17 MMPI items suggestive of personality features of self-certainty, feeling of well-being and sense of reality.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Interaction between the serotonin and dopamine systems in humans: preliminary findings.

The availability of peripheral tools, such as platelet [3H]-imipramine binding and electroretinogram b-wave amplitude, for investigating serotonin and dopamine systems respectively, prompted us to explore the possible relationships between these two systems in a group of 8 healthy drug-free volunteers. The results showed a significant correlation between the peripheral parameters of serotonin and dopamine systems and underline the importance of studying different neurotransmitters at the same time in humans.

Adult↗