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Biomedical subjects

B F Grant

Publications and source records attributed to B F Grant.

89 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1988

Lifetime psychiatric comorbidity in hospitalized alcoholics: subject and familial correlates.

We classified 123 alcohol rehabilitation patients by their histories of lifetime psychiatric comorbidity, and examined the demographic, social, occupational, treatment, and familial variables characterizing the groups. Diagnostic assessments were made with the SADS-L/RDC. High lifetime prevalences of major depressive disorder and drug use disorder were found. Aspects of treatment history distinguished between patient groups with and without lifetime major depression, but not other personal or familial variables. Patients with lifetime drug use disorders were younger and experienced an earlier onset of alcohol problems and treatment. Those with numerous childhood antisocial symptoms were younger, more likely to be male and unmarried, and less educated, and they had presented earlier for treatment. Subjects with two or more adult antisocial symptoms which occurred when subjects were not drinking or using drugs had a significant increase in family history of antisocial personality disorder. However, adult antisocial behaviors which were not separated from the effects of alcohol or drug use were unrelated to a family history of antisocial personality disorder. Implications of these findings are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Psychiatric diagnosis of patients with substance abuse problems: a comparison of two procedures, the DIS and the SADS-L. Alcoholism, drug abuse/dependence, anxiety disorders and antisocial personality disorder.

We compared DSM-III and RDC diagnoses from the DIS to RDC diagnoses from the SADS-L for alcohol and drug use disorders, anxiety disorders and Antisocial Personality Disorder in a group of patients with substance abuse problems. Kappa values for substance use disorders were fairly good. The instruments did not agree well on anxiety disorders, or on Antisocial Personality Disorder. Criterion differences gave rise to some of the disagreement between the instruments on Antisocial Personality Disorder, but the causes of disagreement for the anxiety disorders were not so clear. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Diagnosing depressive disorders in patients with alcohol and drug problems: a comparison of the SADS-L and the DIS.

The DIS and the SADS-L diagnostic procedures occupy an important position in psychiatric research. We compared these procedures for assessing depressive disorders in patients with substance abuse problems. The two instruments agreed poorly, and the SADS-L produced a considerably higher proportion of cases than the DIS. A number of factors were examined to determine their influence on the agreement obtained for Major Depression. These factors included (1) recency of the disorder, (2) the primary/secondary distinction, (3) clinical experience of the DIS interviewers, (4) numerous subject characteristics and (5) the DIS procedure for differentiating organic from non-organic affective symptomatology, which relies on subjects' attributions of the cause of symptoms. The first four factors did not influence agreement. However, removal of the influence of the fifth factor did increase agreement between the instruments appreciably. Validation evidence favored the SADS-L, although not definitively. Implications of the findings are discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Assessment of specific drug disorders in a sample of substance abuse patients: a comparison of the DIS and the SADS-L procedures.

Both the DIS and the SADS-L interviews offer researchers a procedure for assessing the presence of drug disorders categorized by drug class, as defined by psychiatric nomenclatures. In this study, the performance of the drug section of each interview was compared in a sample of hospitalized substance abuse patients. The classes of drug disorders assessed by both instruments and reported here include narcotics, amphetamines, sedatives and tranquilizers, cannabis, cocaine, and hallucinogens. On a group level, the DIS and SADS-L agreed fairly well for all drug classes except hallucinogens. A within-DIS comparison of DSM-III and Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) diagnoses followed the same pattern, except with higher agreement. Distinctions between drug abuse and dependence within a drug class were not as reliable as overall assessments. On only a small proportion of patients did the instruments agree completely for all drug classes within an individual. Implications of the findings for research on drug problems are discussed.

Humans↗
PubMed1987

Psychosocial factors in adolescent drinking contexts.

A number of environmental and personality characteristics of adolescent students and their relationship to types of drinking contexts were examined using a series of canonical correlation analyses. The strongest relationship was defined by the perceived normative support for drinking, which accounted for 55% of the variance in the drinking context items for males (58% among females). Positive functions of drinking, personal attitudes and values, and environmental contexts were also associated with drinking context items but accounted for smaller proportions of the variance. The contribution of important environmental, personality and drinking context variables to each canonical relationship is discussed. Consistency of studies relevant to the major finding is reviewed and possible bases for discrepancies are explored. Further studies relating to antecedent networks of access to various drinking contexts are identified as areas deserving more intensive and extensive research efforts.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Plasma cyclic AMP response to calcitonin: a potential clinical marker of bone turnover.

A noninvasive marker of bone turnover would be useful in predicting which patients are at risk of rapid bone loss and in monitoring response to therapy. Calcitonin (CT)-induced hypocalcemia correlates with bone turnover but has not been a clinically useful test because changes in serum calcium are small, and test duration is long. CT rapidly increases plasma cAMP levels. We conducted studies in rats and in man to characterize the origin of this rise, and to determine its suitability as a potential clinical marker of bone resorption. Administration of CT to rats resulted in a prompt and sustained rise in plasma cAMP. This effect was not blunted by nephrectomy and was greater in calcium-deprived rats with increased bone resorption. Thus, it appears to reflect CT action on bone. An intramuscular injection of 100 units salmon CT elevated plasma cAMP in 18 normal men and women. This effect was observed by 20 min after injection and persisted over 2 h. Although basal levels of plasma cAMP were similar in healthy postmenopausal women and men, the response to CT was greater in women. The response of women with hyperparathyroidism was greater than that of normal women, and the response of pagetic men was greater than that of normal men. The rise in plasma cAMP following CT is rapid and easily measured and appears to correlate with the state of bone remodeling. Additional studies will be required in osteoporotic subjects with high and low remodeling activity before the clinical utility of this test can be determined.

Aged↗
PubMed1983

Parathyroid hormone induces a calmodulin-dependent alteration in phosphodiesterase activity of rat kidney in vivo.

In the basal state cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase in cytosol of rat kidney cortex is characterized by at least two kinetically distinct activities, with Michaelis-Menten constant (Km) for cAMP of 3.3 X 10(-6) and 3.7 X 10(-5) M. Eight minutes after in vivo injection of parathyroid extract, and persisting over 4 h, phosphodiesterase showed only one apparent activity, Km = approximately 1 X 10(-5) M. This change in kinetic profile was mimicked by the ip injection of 10 mg/kg (Bu)2-cAMP, and was reversed by incubation of cytosol with trifluoperazine or EGTA. Incubation of control cytosol with purified calmodulin duplicated the effect of hormone injection. Chromatography of control cytosol over diethylaminoethyl-cellulose resolved two activity peaks. Peak I, corresponding to the high Km activity of whole cytosol, was stimulated by calmodulin, representing a change in maximum velocity but not in substrate affinity. In addition, calmodulin stimulated the hydrolysis by Peak I of 3',5'-cyclic guanosine monophosphate. Peak II activity was not altered by calmodulin. These studies demonstrate that PTH promotes a rapid and sustained alteration in phosphodiesterase kinetics which is mediated by calcium and calmodulin, and which reflects the activation of the high Km component of the enzyme.

3',5'-Cyclic-AMP Phosphodiesterases↗
PubMed1979

An adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate-dependent protein kinase from the human erythrocyte membrane. Purification and characterization.

An adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate-dependent protein kinase (ATP:protein phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.37) has been isolated from the human erythrocyte memebrane and the phosphotransferase activity exhibited by this enzyme has been purified 800-fold. In concentrated solutions, the membrane-derived protein kinase undergoes aggregation with a concomitant loss in observed phosphotransferase activity. This loss of activity can be restored by means of inducing deaggregation. The phosphotransferase activity of the protein kinase is virtually obliterated in the presence of high (300 mM) concentrations of sodium chloride. This effect is also reversible. The pH optimum for the phosphotransferase reaction that is catalyzed by the membrane-derived protein kinase is approximately 8. Micromolar concentrations of cAMP are optimal with respect to promoting the phosphotransferase reaction. Initial velocity and product inhibition studies were conducted on the cAMP-independent protein kinase derived from the cAMP-dependent enzyme. These studies indicate that the phosphotransferase reaction proceeds by a sequential kinetic mechanism.

Cyclic AMP↗
PubMed1975

Composition of fluid from the notochordal canal of the coelacanth, Latimeria chalumnae.

Fluid from the notochordal canal of the coelacanth, Latimeria chalumnae, was analyzed for major inorganic and organic constituents and compared with blood serum from the same fish. Significantly or suggestively lower levels of sodium, magnesium, calcium, bicarbonate, sulfate, total carbohydrates, glucose, lactate, cholesterol, bound phosphate and total proteins were found in notochordal fluid than in serum, whereas potassium, chloride, urea, trimethylamine oxide, and total free amino acids were higher and inorganic phosphorus essentially identical. Osmolarity of notochordal fluid (1058 mOsm) exceeds that of serum (942 mOsm). A whitish precipitate in the fluid consisted of a matrix of fibers 100 A in diameter and of indefinite length. It resembled a sialoglycoprotein in composition and was stabilized by disulfide bonds. The fluid contained cellular debris.

Amino Acids↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Gender differences in DSM-IV alcohol use disorders and major depression as distributed in the general population: clinical implications.

This study examined gender differences within and between five groups of subjects drawn from a large representative sample of the United States population and classified as having either major depression (MDD) only, alcohol use disorder (AUD) only, or primary, secondary, or concurrent depression to determine if these diagnostic profiles (1) were consistent with those drawn on clinical samples and (2) might suggest potential clinical implications. Respondents (N = 9,985) from a nationally representative survey of the United States population met DSM-IV criteria for classification into these five mutually exclusive groups that were compared within and between groups by gender on the characteristics of each disorder. The results were consistent with those of other studies: (1) gender distributions of AUD and depressive disorder remain almost mirror opposites, and (2) comorbid disorders are more severe than either of the conditions appearing singly. Findings of particular interest were that the synergistic effects of an alcohol and a depressive condition operate equally for both men and women with concurrent depression. This points to the necessity of attending carefully to gender biases when dealing with comorbid conditions, last we fail to take alcoholism in the presence of depression seriously enough in women and vice versa in men. Additionally, women with primary depression are at high risk for suicide and thus may require special attention in the evaluative phase of treatment.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The relationship between ethanol intake and DSM-III alcohol use disorders: a cross-perspective analysis.

The purpose of this investigation was to quantify the relationship between ethanol consumption and DSM-III alcohol use disorders using mathematical modeling techniques that allowed for the simultaneous control of several extraneous factors and the assessment of potential interaction. Although gender, education, ethnicity, and marital status were not identified as actual confounders in the logistic regression model, the ethanol intake-dependence association was found to be stronger among younger adults than in the later stages of life. Age was an influential confounder of the ethanol intake-abuse relationship, but the magnitude of the association was generally weaker for abuse than for dependence. Separate analyses in which the abuse and dependence criteria served as outcome measures qualified the interpretation of the overall ethanol intake-disorder associations. Implications of these results are discussed in terms of age differences in exposure and context of consumption, differential interpretation of withdrawal symptoms, and the relationship between abuse and dependence. The need for future research to refine our descriptions of risk of alcohol use disorders in relation to levels of intake is highlighted.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Trends in alcohol-related morbidity and mortality.

Two major trends regarding alcohol use and consequences of alcohol abuse in the United States are showing significant improvement. Continued declines are evident in age-adjusted rates of liver cirrhosis mortality, and per capita alcohol consumption is at its lowest level in 15 years. Two other trends, however, are less clear. After declining in 1982 and continuing through 1984, alcohol-related morbidity--as measured by principal diagnoses listed on short-stay, community hospital discharges--showed a slight increase in 1985. Similarly, after declining every year but one since 1981, alcohol-related motor vehicle fatalities showed a significant increase in 1986. The downward trends suggest that progress is being made in efforts to reduce alcohol-related deaths and morbidity, but there are no easy explanations for any of the trends. Reductions in liver cirrhosis death rates may reflect coding changes in liver disease categories, less chronic heavy drinking, or better medical care. Lower per capita alcohol consumption may indicate the public's increased awareness of drinking risks or the aging of the U.S. population. Ironically, the recent increase in alcohol-related motor vehicle fatalities may reflect stronger enforcement of drunk driving laws and increased BAC (blood alcohol content) testing.

Accidents, Traffic↗