Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to F J Hullett.
Four cases are reported in which substantial depression was associated with the use of the calcium channel blocker nifedipine. In one instance, a patient became unresponsive to treatment with nortriptyline when nifedipine was introduced. In each case, the depression resolved following discontinuation of nifedipine. Possible mechanisms by which nifedipine may influence affective states are discussed.
An assay method for monoamine oxidase (MAO) employing whole blood samples is described. With this method, whole blood samples collected from three subgroups of chronic schizophrenic patients were assayed directly for MAOb activity without the need for prior isolation of platelets. Our results support previous findings from assays with platelets that chronic paranoid schizophrenics have decreased blood MAOb activity compared to chronic non-paranoid schizophrenics or normal controls. The level of MAOb activity in the blood of the non-paranoid schizophrenics was also linearly correlated with ventricular size (i.e. ventricular brain ratio, VBR) as determined by CT scan analysis. This correlation was not true for the paranoid group. The MAOb data in conjunction with the VBR data were sufficient to divide without overlap our schizophrenic patient population into two clinically defined subgroups.
In 10 patients, a comparison of serum and plasma concentrations of imipramine and desipramine, using B-D tiger-top and green-top tubes, respectively, showed the serum levels to be significantly lower. Since such differences can influence evaluations of patients' dose schedules, it is important to ascertain the type of sample being used by the laboratory.
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