Biomedical subjects

H Hinterhuber

Publications and source records attributed to H Hinterhuber.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed1992

Neopterin production in acute schizophrenic patients: an indicator of alterations of cell-mediated immunity.

This longitudinal study analyzed how the activation of cell-mediated immunity (CMI) was related to the severity of symptomatology in 25 acute schizophrenic inpatients (DSM-III-R, 295.31). Neopterin, which was used to monitor the activation of T-cells and macrophages, was found to be within the normal range, but the lowest neopterin concentrations were measured on day 0. By day 3, a significant increase of neopterin was observed. Compared with healthy controls, patients had significantly lower neopterin levels at baseline. The highest scores on the Clinical Global Impressions Scale and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale occurred on day 0 and decreased significantly over the observation period. In general, the increase of neopterin was accompanied by a decrease in psychopathological symptoms. These results' indicate that at study entry, when patients are acutely ill, activation of the CMI is reduced rather than increased. Possible pathophysiological mechanisms are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

The effects of alcohol and benzodiazepines on the severity of ski accidents.

Urine samples from 402 victims of ski accidents were analyzed for the presence of benzodiazepines (BZD) and alcohol. Eighty-one (20%) samples were positive for alcohol; BZD were detected in 34 (8.5%) cases. Ten of the samples (2.5%) were found to be positive for both alcohol and BZD. Subjects who were positive for either alcohol or BZD or both were older than the other persons examined. The prevalence of alcohol was significantly higher among male accident victims. BZD intake could be demonstrated to have a significant influence on the severity of injuries. Besides an increased awareness of the need for skier education regarding drug use, heightened attention of medical caregivers is warranted to inform their patients about potential accident hazards in sport activities when BZD are prescribed.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1992

A multicenter double-blind study of three different doses of the new cAMP-phosphodiesterase inhibitor rolipram in patients with major depressive disorder.

A multicenter randomized 4-week interindividual double-blind study was carried out in 58 hospitalized patients with major depressive disorder (DSM III 296.23, 296.22, 296.33, 296.32, 296.53 and 296.52) to test the dose-effect relationship of three different doses of the new cAMP-phosphodiesterase inhibitor rolipram: 3 x 0.25 mg, 3 x 0.50 mg and 3 x 1.00 mg rolipram/day. With respect to the desired effect, the 3 x 0.50 mg dosage stood out from the others in almost all relevant parameters. With respect to the response rate, the efficacy of the 3 x 0.25 mg dosage was about the same as that reported in the literature for placebo. The inferior performance of the 3 x 1.00 mg dosage compared to the 3 x 0.50 mg dosage might indicate a reverse U-shaped dose-effect relationship. There was good tolerance to all three dosages. There were no findings that might cast doubt on the safety of the dosages tested.

Antidepressive Agents↗

PubMed1991

Characteristics of benzodiazepine long-term users: investigation of benzodiazepine consumers among pharmacy customers.

A sample of 171 benzodiazepine (bzd) users was investigated in the pharmacy where the patients filled in their prescriptions. Of the sample, 29.8% were males and 70.2% were females. About 60% of the patients had their current prescription from a general practitioner, the rest from different specialists. 70.8% stated to take bzds on more than 3 days of the week. The mean duration of intake of the entire sample was 4.5 years. The most frequent reasons for bzd intake were sleep disturbance followed by nervousness and somatic diseases. A total of 74.9% of the patients turned out to be well informed about the potential dependence hazards of bzd long term intake, but less than half of them had been informed by the prescribing physician. In a second step it could be demonstrated by means of multiple stepwise logistic regression analysis that certain characteristic parameters differentiate long-term users and persons with signs of potential abuse and dependence from other bzd users.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

[Zotepine vs. haloperidol in paranoid schizophrenia: a double-blind study].

The efficacy and tolerance of zotepine and haloperidol were examined in 40 patients suffering from paranoid schizophrenia (DSM III). The study period was 6 weeks. Psychopathology was assessed with BPRS and CGI. Documentation of side effects was done with DOTES. The safety parameters were pulse, blood pressure, leucocyte count, liver enzymes, ECG and EEG, determined at different times. Both treatment groups improved significantly without any differences in respect to efficacy. The patients who had been treated with zotepine had significantly fewer extrapyramidal side effects. However, transient increases in liver enzyme levels were seen more frequently in the zotepine group. There were no differences between the groups in respect to other side effects.

Adult↗

PubMed1991

[Effect of alcohol and benzodiazepines on the severity of ski accidents].

Urine samples from 402 victims of ski accidents were analyzed for the presence of alcohol and benzodiazepines. In a second stage of the investigation, patients were asked to fill in a questionnaire evaluating among other things the consumption of alcohol and the use of benzodiazepines during the last 24 hours before the accident. 81 (20.1%) samples were found to be positive for alcohol, in 34 cases (8.5%) benzodiazepines were detected by urinalysis. 10 samples were positive for both alcohol and benzodiazepines. Subjects positive for alcohol and benzodiazepines presented with significantly more severe injuries than the negative controls. Native accident victims were significantly less frequently positive for alcohol than were subjects from foreign countries. Accidents most commonly occurred early in the afternoon, the positive urine samples, however, were evenly distributed over the whole day. The questionnaire was answered and returned by 76.6% of the study population. 80% of the patients with urine samples positive for alcohol reported having consumed alcohol before the accident, whereas none of those who had been positive for benzodiazepines admitted having ingested tranquilizers.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1991

[The significance of incest experience for the development of psychiatric and psychosomatic diseases].

A history intrafamilial sexual child abuse was dicited from 33 patients (20%), admitted to the Psychiatric Department (Psychosomatic Unit) of the University Clinics of Innsbruck in 1989. They exhibited quite different psychopathologies, with no typical incest syndrome, however, self-destructive behaviours of different kinds appeared to be characteristic of sexually abused patients. Experiences of separation and loss could be seen as the most frequent trigger for mental and psychosomatic disorders. The importance of child sexual abuse as a vulnerability factor, the necessity to consider the possibility of sexual abuse during childhood in all cases of mental disorder and the importance of the therapist's empathy as a precondition for the patient's ability to speak about the traumatic experience are discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

PubMed1990

[Compulsory admission and detention at psychiatric hospitals in Tirol--a frequency analysis of 11 years].

Freedom and compulsion are burning questions in psychiatry, and often unsatisfactorily resolved. In this paper general aspects are discussed in the light of data obtained at the Innsbruck University Department of Psychiatry and the Mental State Hospital of Hall in Tyrol. From 1976 to 1986 364 (1.99%) patients required compulsory admission following certification by police (or civil service) doctors out of 18,207 admissions to the University Department of Psychiatry over this 11-year period. Of these patients 90 had to be jugded by a court commission with regard to further compulsory hospitalization. Most frequent reasons for compulsory admission were alcohol-related psychiatric diseases in men and endogenous psychoses in women. The data collected at the University Department are compared with the situation in the Mental State Hospital of Hall in Tyrol. Results are discussed in the light of recent literature.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1990

The neuroleptic malignant syndrome and its differentiation from lethal catatonia.

Neuroleptic malignant syndrome and lethal catatonia are potentially life-threatening diseases with similar clinical features, including fever, akinesia and rigidity. Differential diagnosis is difficult but possible by exact clinical observation and a detailed history of the 2 weeks prior to the onset of illness.

Catatonia↗

PubMed1989

Dose-related plasma levels of clozapine: influence of smoking behaviour, sex and age.

Drug monitoring in psychiatry is of increasing interest due to compliance problems, side effects of psychoactive drugs and the search for adequate dosage. In the present study, plasma levels of clozapine, as determined by high performance liquid chromatography, were investigated in 148 patients receiving a daily dose between 12.5 and 700 mg clozapine. Regression analysis revealed a linear relationship between dose and plasma concentrations. Plasma concentrations at a given dose (level divided by dose and body weight) in male patients reached only 69.3% of the concentrations in female patients (Mann-Whitney U Test P less than 0.001). When the patients were divided into smokers and non-smokers, the corresponding plasma levels were also found to be linearly dose dependent in each of the two groups. However, the average plasma concentration at a given dose was only 81.8% in smokers, compared to non-smokers. This difference was statistically significant (variance analysis P = 0.022). Dividing female patients into smokers and non-smokers, the smokers reached nearly the same plasma levels as the non-smokers. Male smoking patients reached average plasma concentrations which were only 67.9% of those of non-smokers. This difference was statistically significant (Mann-Whitney U Test P = 0.0083). The plasma levels of the different age groups at a given dose per kg body weight were compared using the Mann-Whitney U Test. Significant differences were found between group 1 (18-26) and group 4 (45-54) (P less than 0.01) and group 2 (27-35) and group 4 (P less than 0.01) showing higher plasma levels in the older age group.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

PubMed1989