Biomedical subjects
B Mackie
Publications and source records attributed to B Mackie.
Growth hormone response to clonidine in neuroleptic-free patients with multidagnostically defined schizophrenia.
The role of alpha 2-adrenergic receptor sensitivity in schizophrenia was examined by measuring growth hormone (GH) response after the intravenous administration of clonidine (1.3 micrograms/kg) in 26 healthy control subjects and 26 neuroleptic-free, acutely psychotic patients with at least 1 out of 11 possible diagnoses of schizophrenia derived from a multidiagnostic psychopathological assessment. GH responses were significantly (0.01) lower than control values in schizophrenias defined by E. Bleuler, M. Bleuler, Schneider, Langfeldt, Taylor and Abrams, and Cloninger, but not in DSM-III, World Health Organization, Feighner, Kraepelian, and Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) schizophrenias. Eight patients with RDC schizoaffective disorder also had a blunted response. However, there were no correlations with any symptom measures. There were no differences between paranoid and nonparanoid patients, although there was a significant difference between nonparanoid patients and control subjects. These findings support the presence of noradrenergic dysfunction in some patients within the schizophrenia syndrome, possibly those whose illnesses have an affective component. The study also illustrates the need for simultaneous investigation of several different sets of diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia in neurobiological research.
Comparison of participants and nonparticipants in a neuroendocrine investigation of psychosis.
Of all neuroleptic-naive, acutely psychotic subjects admitted to hospital over a 2-year period (n = 62), 27 participated in a neuroendocrine study and 35 did not participate (51% refused consent, 19% were incapable of consent and 31% started neuroleptics immediately). However, all nonparticipants agreed to psychopathological evaluation, thus allowing comparison between participants and nonparticipants. The 2 groups were similar in most respects, except that more nonparticipants were hostile. Among subjects with schizophrenia, 47% of nonparticipants had the paranoid subtype vs 8% of participants. There was also a trend towards longer illness duration in nonparticipants. These results underline the need for neurobiological studies of psychosis to consider sample bias as a confounding variable.
Basal and haloperidol-stimulated prolactin in neuroleptic-free men with schizophrenia defined by 11 diagnostic systems.
Forty-four male, neuroleptic-free, acutely psychotic patients with at least one diagnosis of schizophrenia among 11 diagnostic systems, and 28 healthy controls, underwent measurement of prolactin (PRL) concentrations before and after intravenous administration of haloperidol (0.5 mg). Basal PRL concentrations were lower in the patients with Research Diagnostic Criteria (RDC) DSM-III, Cloninger, and Taylor and Abrams schizophrenias than in controls. Compared with the controls, the PRL response to haloperidol was lower in the patients with schizophrenia defined by all diagnostic systems except those of Schneider and M. Bleuler. Neither basal nor stimulated PRL concentrations were correlated with positive symptoms, but basal PRL was correlated with the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) depression-related subscore. This study lends further support for the presence of dopaminergic dysfunction in schizophrenia, and demonstrates the advantages and problems in the use of multidiagnostic psychopathological evaluation to categorize a disorder where there is major disagreement among diagnostic systems.
Relationship of psychotic symptoms to haloperidol-stimulated prolactin release.
Prolactin (PRL) response to a single dose of intravenous haloperidol (0.5 mg) was measured as a marker of tuberoinfundibular dopamine (TIDA) activity in 24 neuroleptic-free, male, psychotic patients. The PRL responses were then correlated with psychotic symptoms measured with Andreasen's Scales for the Assessment of Positive and Negative Symptoms (SAPS, SANS). Correlation analyses revealed a significant inverse relationship between PRL response and the severity of delusional symptoms. There was no significant correlation between the symptoms of hallucinations, formal thought disorder, or global negative symptoms and PRL response to haloperidol, nor were there any significant correlations between basal PRL and symptom severity. These results suggest that among the positive and negative symptoms associated with psychoses, only delusions may be associated with TIDA overactivity.
Short stay surgery. Week work looks strong.
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Residual biliary calculi: dispersal by irrigation of common bile duct.
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Topical ampicillin and noxythiolin antisepsis in appendicectomy wounds.
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Long-term blood flow studies in the gastric submucosa of unanesthetized rats.
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Dermatomyositis induced by drugs.
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