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Biomedical subjects

E Aguglia

Publications and source records attributed to E Aguglia.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

An open-label, comparative study of rivastigmine, donepezil and galantamine in a real-world setting.

OBJECTIVE: We analysed the effects of donepezil, rivastigmine and galantamine, prescribed for the treatment of Alzheimer disease in a real-world setting in Italy. METHODS: Outcome measures included the MiniMental State Examination (MMSE), the Alzheimer Disease Assessment Scale cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog), Instrumental Activity of Daily Living (IADL) and ADL scales. RESULTS: Seventy patients were treated with donepezil, 121 with rivastigmine and 51 with galantamine. At 6 months, rivastigmine-treated patients improved by 1.29 points from baseline on the ADAS-cog, while donepezil- and galantamine-treated patients showed 'no change' (changes of < 0.2 points). On the IADL, patients treated with rivastigmine, donepezil and galantamine showed decreases of 0.42, 0.58 and 0.75 points, respectively. On the ADL, donepezil- and galantamine-treated patients showed decreases of 0.44 and 0.86 points, respectively, while there was 'no change' with rivastigmine. On the MMSE, donepezil- and rivastigmine-treated patients showed 'no change' and galantamine-treated patients showed a mean decrease of 1.19 points. A subgroup analysis of 'pseudo-randomised' patients (rivastigmine, n = 63; donepezil, n = 55; galantamine, n = 51) supported the main findings. Side effects were similar (in type and frequency) in the three treatment groups. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first study to compare the effects of the three most commonly-used cholinesterase inhibitors on the MMSE, ADAS-cog, IADL and ADL. Limitations included its small population size, its open-label design, and the fact that patients were randomised only after the introduction of galantamine. There were no statistically significant differences between the three drugs at 3 months. While numerical trends were observed suggesting the effect of rivastigmine > donepezil > galantamine, larger, longer-term prospective studies are needed to confirm whether there are important differences in the long-term efficacy of the three drugs.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2000

Reboxetine in the maintenance therapy of depressive disorder in the elderly: a long-term open study.

Depression in the elderly is often not recognised and is frequently under-treated. Reboxetine is a selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor (selective NRI) which is effective and well tolerated in the treatment of depressed adult patients. This prospective, uncontrolled, multicentre study was designed to assess the efficacy and tolerability of reboxetine as maintenance therapy for major depressive disorder or dysthymia in 160 elderly patients (aged 65-94 years). One hundred and thirty-nine patients completed the 6-week run-in period and entered the long-term phase; 104 patients completed the 52-week treatment period. The proportion of patients with CGI-global improvement ratings assessed as 'much' and 'very much' improved increased from 15.1% at week 2 to 88.7% at week 6 and to 95.2% at week 52. The mean HAM-D total score showed a reduction from 24.0 at baseline to 10.4 at week 6 and 7.5 at week 52. Twenty-five patients discontinued treatment due to adverse events. The most frequently reported adverse events were nausea (11.9%), insomnia (11.9%), headache (10.0%) and dry mouth (9.1%), and these were of mild or moderate severity. In summary, results from this study show reboxetine to be effective, and well tolerated in both the short- and long-term treatment of elderly depressed or dysthymic patients.

Aged↗
PubMed1998

Guidelines for depot antipsychotic treatment in schizophrenia. European Neuropsychopharmacology Consensus Conference in Siena, Italy.

These guidelines for depot antipsychotic treatment in schizophrenia were developed during a two-day consensus conference held on July 29 and 30, 1995 in Siena, Italy. Depot antipsychotic medications were developed in the 1960s as an attempt to improve the long-term treatment of schizophrenia (and potentially other disorders benefiting from long-term antipsychotic medication). Depot drugs as distinguishable from shorter acting intramuscularly administered agents can provide a therapeutic concentration of at least a seven day duration in one parenteral dose. The prevention of relapse in schizophrenia remains an enormous public health challenge worldwide and improvements in this area can have tremendous impact on morbidity, mortality and quality of life, as well as direct and indirect health care costs. Though there has been debate as to what extent depot (long-acting injectable) antipsychotics are associated with significantly fewer relapses and rehospitalizations, in our view when all of the data from individual trials and metaanalyses are taken together, the findings are extremely compelling in favor of depot drugs. However in many countries throughout the world fewer than 20% of individuals with schizophrenia receive these medications. The major advantage of depot antipsychotics over oral medication is facilitation of compliance in medication taking. Non-compliance is very common among patients with schizophrenia and is a frequent cause of relapse. In terms of adverse effects, there are not convincing data that depot drugs are associated with a significantly higher incidence of adverse effects than oral drugs. Therefore in our opinion any patient for whom long-term antipsychotic treatment is indicated should be considered for depot drugs. In choosing which drug the clinician should consider previous experience, personal patient preference, patients history of response (both therapeutic and adverse effects) and pharmacokinetic properties. In conclusion the use of depot antipsychotics has important advantages in facilitating relapse prevention. Certainly pharmacotherapy must be combined with other treatment modalities as needed, but the consistent administration of the former is often what enables the latter.

Antipsychotic Agents↗
PubMed1996

Cross validation of the factor structure of the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale: an Italian multicenter study.

The 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) has been shown in previous research to measure a general dimension of alexithymia with three intercorrelated factors. This study evaluated the reliability and factorial validity of an Italian translation of the TAS-20 in a group of normal adults (N = 206) and in a mixed group of medical and psychiatric outpatients (N = 642). Using confirmatory factor analyses, the previously established three-factor model of the TAS-20 was found to be replicable in both groups. In addition, the Italian TAS-20 demonstrated adequate estimates of internal reliability and test-retest reliability. Although evaluation of the convergent, discriminant, and concurrent validity of the TAS-20 is required in Italian populations, the present results support the use of the Italian translation of the scale for clinical and research purposes.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Seasonality of mood in Italy: role of latitude and sociocultural factors.

A mail survey of degree of seasonal suffering was conducted in Italy using the SPAQ (Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire). Experiencing seasonal changes as a problem was reported by more than half of the 543 responders. Both mean GSS (Global Seasonality Score) and circannual profile of 'feeling worst' yielded results similar to those reported in the USA at comparable latitudes. Global prevalences of SAD, Reverse-SAD and Sub-SAD were 4.4, 2.1 and 4.8%, respectively. Female sex and young age were associated with a higher degree of seasonal sensitivity. No clear evidence was found of higher sensitivity at higher latitudes or of a significant influence of sociocultural factors.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

[Pain in psychopathology. Brief phenomenological analysis].

The problem of pain is felt more and more by people at various levels of privacy and social life. It is important to examine the possibility of pain as "communicative metalanguage", or language of languages. This language is deeply analogic, metaphoric, symbolic, experienced. The authors, in this paper, try to consider the problem of pain from a psychopathologic point of view and outline some lines of phenomenological analysis, from depression to schizophrenia.

Depressive Disorder↗
PubMed1994

The efficacy and safety of tianeptine in the treatment of depressive disorder: results of a controlled double-blind multicentre study vs. amitriptyline.

Three hundred in- and outpatients suffering from depressive disorder, as diagnosed using DSM-III criteria were treated for 6 weeks under double-blind conditions in a multicenter controlled study of tianeptine vs. amitriptyline. Both groups presented steady improvement of depressive syndrome from day 7 up to the end of the treatment, as shown by all evaluation scales: HDRS, SAD, CGI. Furthermore, anxiety linked to the depressive syndrome decreased equally in both groups, as shown by the HARS measurements. In addition to the improvement of mood, the tianeptine-treated patients presented less somatic complaints and side effects when compared to the reference antidepressant. These results confirm previous findings that tianeptine is an effective antidepressant with a lower side effect profile than amitriptyline.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Double-blind study of the efficacy and safety of sertraline versus fluoxetine in major depression.

An eight-week double-blind, multicentre study was performed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of sertraline vs. fluoxetine in the treatment of major depression (DSM-III-R). There were 108 out-patients, from nine Italian centres, entered into the study, of whom 88 were evaluable (48 sertraline, 40 fluoxetine). The final mean daily dose of sertraline was 72 mg and for fluoxetine it was 28 mg. Both treatment groups showed a statistically significant improvement from baseline at one week, and this was maintained until the end of treatment for all of the following measures: Hamilton Rating Scales for Depression and Anxiety, the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale, Clinical Global Impressions Scale, Zung Self-Rating Scale for Anxiety and the Leeds Sleep Evaluation Questionnaire. Although there was a numerical advantage for sertraline on several efficacy measures, there was no statistically significant difference found between the treatment groups. The incidence of adverse events was similar for both treatments; 40.4% for sertraline and 39.3% for fluoxetine. However, adverse events were generally rated by patients as of lower severity in the sertraline group. In addition, for the fluoxetine group, there was a higher incidence of agitation, anxiety and insomnia than for sertraline. Sertraline was considered to be better tolerated than fluoxetine overall, since only 9.6% of sertraline-treated patients discontinued treatment due to therapy failure whereas in the fluoxetine-treated group this figure was 19.6%. By contrast, 13.5% of sertraline-treated patients discontinued prematurely because of clinical improvement, compared with 10.7% of fluoxetine-treated patients.

1-Naphthylamine↗
PubMed1991

Glycosaminoglycan polysulfate in the treatment of old age dementias.

1. In a multicenter, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial in 155 elderly patients with cognitive decline, glycosaminoglycan polysulfate was found to be a therapeutically effective agent in the treatment of old age dementias. 2. Treatment with glycosaminoglycan polysulfate in the daily dosage of 600 LRU, administered on the basis of a divided dosage schedule for 12 weeks, was significantly superior to an inactive placebo on several outcome measures including the Wechsler Memory Scale-Russell Revision (Easy Paired Associates Learning and Immediate Visual Reproduction), Mini Mental State Examination, the Sandoz Clinical Assessment Geriatric (Cognitive Dysfunction and Depression), Hachinski Dementia Scale, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (Confusion and Depressive Withdrawal) and Global Improvement Scale of the Clinical Global Impression. 3. Adverse effects with glycosaminoglycan polysulfate were few and mild. The drug was equally well tolerated and equally effective in the two major dementias of old age, i.e., primary degenerative and multi-infarct. The number of abnormal laboratory test readings remained essentially unchanged from pre-treatment to post-treatment.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1990

Nimodipine in the treatment of old age dementias.

1. In a multicenter, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical study in 178 elderly patients with cognitive decline, nimodipine, a calcium antagonist was found to be a therapeutically effective agent in the treatment of old age dementias. 2. Treatment with 90 mg of nimodipine administered orally in divided doses for 12 weeks was significantly superior to an inactive placebo on all outcome measures including the Wechsler Memory Scale, the Mini Mental State Examination, the Global Deterioration Scale, the Sandoz Clinical Assessment Geriatric Scale, the Plutchik Geriatric Rating Scale, the Severity of Illness and Global Improvement Scales of Clinical Global Impression, and the Hamilton Psychiatric Rating Scale for Depression. 3. Adverse effects with nimodipine were few and mild. The drug was equally well tolerated and equally effective in the two major dementias of old age, i.e., primary degenerative and multi-infarct. The number of abnormal laboratory test readings remained essentially unchanged from pre-treatment to post-treatment.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

Psoriasis and alexithymia.

Alexithymia is a perceptive, affective, specific disturbance of the psychic functions characterized by the difficulty to verbalize emotions and sensations and by a pragmatic thought content. The presence of alexithymia has been evidenced many times as an essential element in the genesis and in the maintenance of the various psychosomatic pathologies. This has stimulated us to research the alexithymical component in subjects affected by psoriasis in order to take advantage, when it is found, of a more appropriate therapeutic response.

Affective Symptoms↗
PubMed1986

Neuropeptide therapies in chronic schizophrenia: TRH and vasopressin administration.

Twenty-three chronic undifferentiated schizophrenics, 13 women and 10 men, aged 37-64 years with 15-to 40-year histories of the disease were given either thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) (10 subjects) or DDAVP (13 subjects) with the aim to improve the negative symptoms of the disease and memory. TRH (600 micrograms i.v.) and DDAVP (4 micrograms i.m.) were administered every other day for 30 days. Negative symptoms were monitored by the Andreasen rating scale and by the Honingfeld NOSIE rating scale, memory by the Folstein 'Mini mental State' rating scale and by the Luria-Nebraska rating scale before therapy and then at days 15, 16, 30 and 31 of treatment. Both therapies significantly improved negative symptoms. Memory was significantly improved in all the patients treated with TRH and in 9 of the 13 patients treated with DDAVP, who presented less severe cognitive impairments. A peripheral mechanism of action of DDAVP was excluded by the observation that plasma electrolytes and osmolality, blood pressure, ECG patterns, 24-hour urine volume and specific gravity, basal plasma cortisol and growth hormone levels and weight of the patients were unchanged during therapy. TRH treatment induced a transient borderline hyperthyroidism at day 15 and a progressive decrease of the thyrotropin response to TRH stimulation. A common mechanism of action of the two peptides on the central noradrenergic system is suggested.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Ocular instillation of naloxone increases intraocular pressure in morphine-addicted patients: a possible test for detecting misuse of morphine.

The effect of conjunctival instillation of naloxone on intraocular pressure has been examined in morphine-addicted patients as compared to non-addicted healthy volunteers. Morphine-addicted subjects showed a lower basal value of intraocular pressure as compared to the control volunteers. The instillation of naloxone caused a normalization of intraocular pressure to a level similar to that of control volunteers. This test seems to be a useful screening method for detecting morphine addiction.

Adolescent↗