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Biomedical subjects

G Canton

Publications and source records attributed to G Canton.

18 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Diplodia maydis: a cause of death of cattle in Argentina.

CASE HISTORY: This report describes an outbreak of high mortality of heifers after they consumed harvested maize fields parasitised with the fungus Diplodia maydis. CLINICAL FINDINGS: Clinical signs observed were generalised muscle tremors, incoordination, ataxic hindquarters, paralysis and death. The morbidity of the outbreak was 27/500 (5.4 %) and mortality 10/27 (37%). No gross lesions were observed, however histopathological examination revealed moderate to severe degeneration of myelin shafts in the white matter of the cerebellum. Diplodia maydis infection of maize was identified from visual characteristics of mycelia and pycnidia. DIAGNOSIS: Diplodia toxicity (diplodiosis). CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This is the first description of the poisoning of cattle by maize contaminated with D. maydis in Argentina, where feeding cattle on harvested maize fields is common practice. It is possible this disease could occur in other countries, like New Zealand, where this fungus is known to be present.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Psychiatric diagnoses in ulcerative colitis. A controlled study.

Fifty patients with UC and 50 matched controls with urolithiasis were interviewed with the SADS (lifetime version) and completed the SCL-90. According to information given during the SADS, there was a history of psychiatric disturbance in 11 UC patients (22%) and 8 controls (16%). At the time of the interview a psychiatric disturbance was present in 31 UC patients (62%) and four controls (8%), the most frequent diagnoses in the former being minor depression and generalised anxiety disorder. Patients with UC scored significantly higher than the controls on all the different SCL-90 subscales.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Pain symptoms in an adolescent Italian population.

We have assessed the incidence of four types of self-reported pain symptoms (headache, pain in heart or chest, pain in lower back and muscle soreness) in a randomised sample of 1413 persons from a population of 93481 students aged 14-16 years in the Veneto region of Italy. In males, 26% reported moderate and 1.2% severe pain distress. In female, 35% and 3.7% reported moderate and severe pain respectively. Pain symptoms were positively correlated with anxiety and depressive symptoms and were more frequent in females.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid for treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome.

The effect of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) on ethanol withdrawal syndrome in alcoholics was investigated in a randomised double-blind study. Patients with withdrawal symptoms were treated either with GHB (orally in a syrup preparation) (11 patients) or with the syrup alone (12). GHB treatment (50 mg/kg) led to a prompt reduction in withdrawal symptoms, such as tremors, sweating, nausea, depression, anxiety, and restlessness. The only side-effect was dizziness. GHB may be useful in the management of alcohol withdrawal syndrome in man.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1988

Locus of control, life events and treatment outcome in alcohol dependent patients.

We investigated the relationship of locus of control and life events to outcome of treatment at 6 months in 67 patients with alcohol dependence. Outcome was less favourable in patients with pre-treatment scores indicating external locus of control than in those with internal locus of control. Furthermore, patients with relapse in the follow-up period experienced more independent life events with moderate to severe objective negative impact than those with more favourable outcome. These results suggest that locus of control may be of clinical use in formulating treatment and prognosis, and that the occurrence of life events may influence outcome. The results are discussed in relation to strategies for treatment and prevention of relapse.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Anorexia nervosa in Italy: clinical features and outcome in a long-term follow-up study.

Fifty-five patients with a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa hospitalized between 1970 and 1975 in the Departments of Psychiatry and Internal Medicine of the University of Padua were recalled between 1981 and 1983. Forty patients (73%) participated in this follow-up study. At follow-up, using the criteria of Garfinkel et al., 15 patients (37.5%) had an 'excellent' outcome, 10 (25%) were 'much improved', 7 (17.5%) were 'symptomatic', 6 (15%) had a 'poor' outcome and 2 (5%) were deceased. There was, generally, a more marked improvement in weight and menses than in eating habits and mental state. We also found that percentage weight loss, depressive symptoms, abnormal attitudes towards food and weight, the association vomiting/laxative abuse and sexual relations are all significantly associated with a poor outcome. Results are compared with a review of existing literature.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Life events and schizophrenia. A replication.

54 schizophrenic patients paired for age, sex, marital status and social class with 54 normal subjects were investigated with Paykel's Interview for Recent Life Events. The interview covered life events occurring in the 6 months preceding admission to hospital for a schizophrenic episode for the patients and screening for the normal subjects. The schizophrenics reported more life events than the normal controls in the areas of work, health, and social and familial relations, and also experienced more events with a moderate to severe objective negative impact than the latter. While these results confirm the hypothesis that threatening life events can, in many patients, be considered risk factors for the development of an acute schizophrenic episode, they do suggest the need to examine the life event-schizophrenic relation according to a multifactorial approach, such as that provided by the vulnerability model, which includes an evaluation of the role of moderating variables.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

[Psychological effects in the drug treatment of arterial hypertension. A study during a community preventive program].

The possibility that antihypertensive drug treatment may induce neurotic symptoms was investigated in a random sample of 114 hypertensives enrolled in an "Hypertension Register" by means of the Kellner and Sheffield Symptom Rating Test (S.R.T.). Of them 73 were on antihypertensive treatment; 41 untreated subjects constituted the control group. Covariance analysis adjusting for age and diastolic blood pressure was used as a statistical test. The comparison between treated and not treated hypertensive subjects did not show any significant difference either for total S.R.T. score (12.6 vs 10.6 in M, 11.6 vs 14.6 in F), or for the partial scores of anxiety (3.5 vs 3.0 in M, 3.1 vs 3.4 in F), depression (2.4 vs 2.2 in M, 2.7 vs 3.5 in F), somatization (4.2 vs 3.2 in M, 3.9 vs 5.6 in F), inadequacy (2.4 vs 2.1 in M, 1.9 vs 2.1 in F). Taking into account the total group (M + F) of treated hypertensives, no significant differences were observed between different treatments (reserpine, alphamethyldopa, clonidine; beta-blockers, diuretics). However beta-blockers and clonidine showed the highest scores for total S.R.T. score (17.3 and 13.2 respectively). The study suggests that the antihypertensive drugs taken into consideration, at least at the given regime, do not induce such psychological side effects as to prevent them being used in a programme of secondary prevention of hypertension.

Antihypertensive Agents↗
PubMed1984

Life events, abnormal illness behavior, and appendectomy.

Few studies have examined the role of stress and emotional disturbance in appendectomy patients. This paper explores the life events and illness behavior in such patients, in whom histologic signs of acute phlogosis were usually absent. 25 female appendectomy patients were compared to 25 depressed and 25 normal subjects, matched for age, sex, marital status, and social class. Life events were examined by means of Paykel and Mangen's Interview for Recent Life Events. No significant differences between the appendectomy and the depressed patients were found. However, both groups displayed more loss, socially undesirable events, and uncontrollable events than the nonpatients. The illness behavior profile, as measured by Pilowsky and Spence's IBQ, revealed that the appendectomy patients were more convinced of being ill and had less emotional disturbance than the depressed patients. These findings suggest that the appendectomy may mediate a psychologic disturbance characterized by a negation of psychologic problems, a reduced expression of emotional disturbances, and displacement toward somatic symptoms.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Psychotropic drug use in an Italian general hospital.

The present study is a survey of psychotropic drug use patterns among 1860 patients admitted to Padova General Hospital in North-East Italy. Our results show that 23% of the patients took psychotropic drugs for almost their entire stay in hospital. The drugs most commonly used are anxiolytics and hypnotics, both of the benzodiazepine class. The use of barbiturates as hypnotics has almost disappeared. Some significant correlations between the use of psychotropic drugs and socio-demographic factors were also found. Women, widows and widowers, retired and elderly persons seem to be at higher risk in the use of psychotropic drugs. The meaning and implications of these results are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Psychological distress and life events in neurotic patients.

In the present 6-month longitudinal study, the authors examine the relationship between stressful events and the intensity of psychological disorders. 40 neurotic outpatients were studied. The psychological distress was evaluated at the beginning and end of the study using Kellner and Sheffield's Symptom Rating Test (SRT), while stressful events were appraised using the Interview for Recent Life Events (ILE) of Paykel and Mangen. The results obtained demonstrate that patients, who experienced events which had a severe negative objective impact, showed high scores on the anxiety and somatization subscales, while patients, who reported events without an objective negative impact or with a slight impact, showed no change in the magnitude of their psychological distress. These results suggest that negative life events can increase the intensity of certain psychological symptoms and consequently prolong the psychiatric disturbance of the patient.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1984

Hypertension and neuroticism.

324 normo- and hypertensive subjects were investigated for neurotic symptoms during outpatient screening for arterial hypertension. The patients were randomly selected and subdivided into three groups: 'new' hypertensives, 'old' hypertensives and normotensives. Neurotic symptoms were evaluated using the Kellner and Sheffield Symptom Rating Test. The mean values thus obtained were adjusted using covariance analysis, with age and sex as the covariants. The 'new' hypertensives scored significantly lower for total neuroticism, depression and inadequacy than the normotensives. They also differed from the 'old' hypertensives, scoring significantly lower for total neuroticism, anxiety, somatization and inadequacy. However, no differences were revealed between the 'old' hypertensives and the normotensives. The significance and implications of these psychological differences are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Psychological effects of hypertension labelling during a community survey. A two-year follow-up.

The possibility that subjects examined during a population screening programme may develop psychological disturbances as a consequence of being labelled as hypertensives has been investigated. The Symptom Rating Test (SRT) for the assessment of neurotic symptoms was completed by 210 screenees. Aware hypertensives were excluded from the study. It was subsequently found that 81 subjects had raised BP (systolic greater than or equal to 160 or diastolic greater than or equal to 95 mmHg; group 1), and 129 subjects were 'normotensive' (group 2). The total SRT score was significantly higher in group 2 than in group 1. After screening, all subjects were returned to their GPs, and 82% of them were re-examined 2 years later. SRT scores were significantly lower than the initial ones in both groups. At re-examination 35% of 'hypertensives', were found to have 'normal' BP values. The SRT scores of these falsely-labelled subjects were similar to those of the subjects found still to be hypertensive. These findings suggest that subjects with raised BP at screening have lower neuroticism scores than normotensives. More importantly still, hypertension labelling, whether 'true' or 'false', does not have any negative long-term psychological consequences.

Adult↗