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Biomedical subjects

H Lôo

Publications and source records attributed to H Lôo.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

[Towards the rehabilitation of maintenance electroconvulsive therapy?].

ECT is a reliable treatment of serious affective disorders more efficacious than antidepressants either used alone or combined with mood stabilizers or neuroleptics. Recurrent affective disorders refractory to all treatments presently available have been tentatively treated by prophylactic ECT since the beginning of ECT. In this study, 16 cases of recurrent affective disorders treated with maintenance ECT are discussed. Six continue to show a good response to maintenance ECT. Six remain improved although they discontinued ECT. ECT failed to improve 4 patients. Indications and inclusion criteria of maintenance ECT are defined. Good responses in cases refractory to all other treatment strategies are promising but still require prospective studies, difficult to implement, in order to confirm the efficacy of maintenance ECT.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

Lack of correlation between DST results and urinary MHPG in depressed inpatients.

Abnormalities of noradrenaline metabolism and of the activity of hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal axis (HPA) have been reported in depression. To study the possible relationship between these 2 parameters, urinary excretion of 3-methoxy-4-hydroxy-phenylethyleneglycol (MHPG) and Dexamethasone Suppression Test (DST) were analyzed in 58 depressed patients. A positive correlation was found between the age of depressed patients and 24-h urinary excretion of MHPG. Twenty-two patients (38%) were DST non suppressors. Pre-DST plasma cortisol levels were significantly higher in non suppressors than suppressors. No difference was found however between urinary MHPG levels in suppressors and non suppressors. There was no correlation between pre-DST plasma cortisol and levels of urinary excretion of MHPG. These results do not support the hypothesis of a relationship between these 2 parameters. However, when depressed patients were separated into two groups according to urinary excretion of MHPG ("high MHPG" and "low MHPG"), the "high MHPG" group included significantly more non suppressors then the "low MHPG" one. This result is not sufficient to demonstrate of link between HPA system activity and central noradrenaline metabolism.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Tianeptine and amitriptyline. Controlled double-blind trial in depressed alcoholic patients.

129 chronic alcoholic patients, withdrawn from alcohol and presenting major depression or dysthymic disorder, were treated for 4-8 weeks under double-blind conditions either with a new antidepressant, tianeptine (37.5 mg per day), or with amitriptyline (75 mg per day). Both groups presented steady improvement of the symptoms of depression during treatment, as scored on the Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale and the Hopkins Symptom Checklist self-evaluation; for the latter scale, the improvement was significantly greater in the tianeptine group. In addition to the improvement of mood, tianeptine also produced significant reduction of the somatic complaints of the depressed patients. Furthermore, tianeptine possesses anxiolytic activity, as shown by the change of the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale global score, similar to that produced by amitriptyline. The anxiolytic activity of tianeptine was not accompanied by any impairment of vigilance, unlike that of amitriptyline. Tianeptine produced rare, mild anticholinergic effects. The results obtained show that tianeptine is an effective anxiolytic antidepressant, with better safety than amitriptyline, suitable for use in the treatment of mood disorders following alcohol withdrawal.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Position of tianeptine among antidepressive chemotherapies.

The advent of a new antidepressant is always received with both interest and scepticism by clinicians. No new compound has yet been shown to be more efficient than imipramine in the treatment of depression. In determining the position of a compound among the antidepressants, four levels are to be considered: (a) Chemical family: Tianeptine is a tricyclic compound of dibenzothiazepine type. It is the only representative of this subgroup. (b) Biochemical activities: Tianeptine increases the presynaptic uptake of serotonin after single as well as repeated administration; but this action is not linked to any effect on the 5-HT post-synaptic systems. Electrophysiological modifications are observed in the locus coeruleus (noradrenergic) at 2.5 times higher doses; nevertheless, the essential action involves the serotoninergic systems. Tianeptine has no affinity for alpha 1 adrenergic and H1 antihistaminic receptors; this affinity is responsible in a large part for the sedative anxiolytic properties of antidepressants. Tianeptine has no affinity for the muscarinic receptors. It has secured its place among the non-anticholinergic antidepressants. The mechanism of action or the therapeutic profile cannot be inferred from this original biochemical profile. (c) In clinical trials, the double-blind trials confirm the antidepressant efficacy in essentially neurotic depressive syndromes, similar to that of imipramine, nomifensine, amitriptyline. They do not show a shorter onset time of antidepressant activity. The therapeutic profile appears to be neither stimulating nor sedative. Some arguments are in favor of an anxiolytic activity. Others favor a more psychotonic profile. Tianeptine can be classified among the mid-position antidepressants. (d) With respect to clinical acceptability, tianeptine has no anticholinergic effect and no cardiovascular effect.

Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic↗
PubMed1987

Platelet MAO activity in clinical subtypes of depression and DST suppression.

Platelet MAO activity was measured in 75 hospitalized depressed patients and in 31 healthy subjects. Plasmas post dexamethasone cortisol levels were examined in 73 patients. Results indicate that higher platelet MAO activity does not occur in all, but only in male major depressed patients. No relationship between changes of MAO activity and specific clinical subtypes was found. Platelet MAO activity is not different between DST suppressors and DST non suppressors. The authors suggest that platelet MAO activity may be related to non specific factors such as sex, age, but not to diagnosis of depression.

Adjustment Disorders↗
PubMed1986

Lack of circadian rhythm in plasma levels of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethyleneglycol in healthy human subjects.

In order to investigate the possible existence of a circadian rhythm in plasma free and sulfate-conjugated 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethyleneglycol (DOPEG), the plasma levels of this metabolite (and for comparison, of melatonin and cortisol) were measured in seven healthy volunteers at 4-h intervals over a period of 24 h. Plasma concentrations of melatonin and cortisol showed distinct diurnal variations with acrophases at 2.5 h and 8.5 h, respectively. In contrast, plasma free DOPEG levels were relatively stable over the 24-h period studied. Sulfate-conjugated and free + sulfate-conjugated DOPEG levels showed a slight, non-significant increase in the early afternoon. These results indicate that in contrast to plasma 3-methoxy 4-hydroxyphenylethyleneglycol, plasma free and conjugated DOPEG levels do not exhibit a circadian rhythm.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Lack of seasonal variation in platelet [3H]imipramine binding in humans.

The Bmax of [3H]imipramine (IMI) binding has been reported to be reduced in platelets of depressed untreated patients as compared with normal controls. However, it has also been suggested that this difference could be related to the failure to take into account seasonal variations in the binding parameters for [3H]IMI recognition sites in platelets. For this reason, [3H]IMI binding was studied throughout 1 year in platelet membranes from 11 control volunteers, with blood samples collected once a month. The Bmax and Kd values of [3H]IMI binding showed no significant variation throughout the 12-month period of the study. These results indicate that in the control population, the platelet [3H]IMI binding parameters remain stable, and that the decrease in Bmax observed in depressed untreated patients reflects a genuine difference, which may be considered to be a biological marker in depression.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Lack of correlation between plasma DOPEG and urinary MOPEG levels in depressed patients.

Twenty-four-hour urinary excretion of 3-methoxy,4-hydroxyphenylethyleneglycol (MOPEG) and levels of free and conjugated plasma 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethyleneglycol (DOPEG) were measured in 56 depressed patients to find a possible correlation between these two peripheral indices of cerebral noradrenergic activity. Plasma DOPEG was measured at 9:00 AM on the same day that urine was collected for the measurement of MOPEG. All depressed patients were diagnosed as having affective disorders according to DSM-III. No correlation was found between plasma free or conjugated DOPEG levels and urinary MOPEG output. This lack of correlation was found in the total sample of depressed patients (56), in 45 patients diagnosed as having major depressive episodes, and in 24 depressed patients diagnosed as major depressive with melancholia. The authors discuss the significance of this lack of correlation between two peripheral indices of central noradrenergic metabolism.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Plasma 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethyleneglycol and therapeutic response to maprotiline and indalpine in major depression.

Plasma levels of free and conjugated 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethyleneglycol (DOPEG), the main deaminated metabolite of norepinephrine, were assayed in 48 depressed patients before initiating a treatment with either maprotiline, an inhibitor of norepinephrine reuptake, or indalpine, a specific inhibitor of serotonin reuptake. The two groups of depressed patients were comparable. The therapeutic effect was evaluated by using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. No difference in pretreatment plasma free and conjugated DOPEG levels was found between the responders and the nonresponders to maprotiline or indalpine. Neither was there any difference in the pretreatment levels of plasma free DOPEG between the two groups of responders and the two groups of nonresponders to either drug. Finally, there was no difference in the therapeutic response to maprotiline or to indalpine between the patients with high and low plasma DOPEG levels before treatment. These results indicate that there is no relationship between the initial plasma levels of DOPEG in depressed patients and their therapeutic response to a norepinephrine or a serotonin reuptake blocker.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Plasma 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethyleneglycol levels in depressed patients with and without abnormal dexamethasone suppression.

Escape from dexamethasone-induced suppression of plasma cortisol is an abnormality found in about half of patients with major depression. It has been hypothesized that this hyperactivity of the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis might be related to a central noradrenergic hypofunction. The present study was designed to test this hypothesis by measuring plasma 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethyleneglycol (DOPEG) levels (free and conjugated forms), an index of central noradrenergic activity, and by simultaneously carrying out a dexamethasone suppression test. Forty-five patients with a diagnosis of major depression (according to the DSM-III) were investigated. Plasma DOPEG levels (measured at 8 a.m.) were found to be similar in dexamethasone suppressor and nonsuppressor depressed patients. These results do not support the hypothesis that central noradrenergic hypoactivity underlies nonsuppression of dexamethasone in major depression.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

[Lithium].

Lithium salts are used in psychiatry, for their sedative properties in states of agitation and, above all, for their ability to prevent recurring manic and depressive episodes in manic-depressive psychosis. In addition to manic-depressive psychosis, lithium is used as an antidepressant and the treatment of aggressive behaviors. Pharmacologic characteristics of lithium are incompletely elucidated; a few sedative and antiaggressive properties have been demonstrated in animals, but lithium fits into none of the known classes of psychoactive agents. Following absorption into the body, lithium does not bind to proteins. Penetration through the blood-brain barrier is poor. Elimination is mainly through the kidneys. Penetration of lithium into cells seems to vary across individuals. Lithium has a number of neurochemical effects, including stabilization of the number and sensitivity of monoaminergic receptors, which may be the mechanism for the drug's therapeutic properties. The main rule of lithium treatment is to achieve serum levels between 0.6 and 1 nM/l. Before starting a patient on lithium, tests are needed, especially to assess renal function: patients with renal failure are at risk for accumulation of lithium with toxic side effects. Most of the side effects are minor. The only serious risk is hyperlithemic intoxication that may cause mental confusion, coma and death. Lithium may induce malformations if given during the first trimester of pregnancy. The only true contraindications to lithium are renal failure, treatment by thiazide diuretics, and organic brain disease.

Adenylyl Cyclase Inhibitors↗
PubMed1986

[Cerebral noradrenaline metabolism and classification of depression].

Disturbed noradrenaline (NA) metabolism is thought to play a causal role in certain types of endogenic depression. This study was based on data from 88 patients with depression. The metabolism of NA was investigated by measuring urinary MHPG and plasma DOPEG concentrations and platelet nonoamine oxidase activity to determine if there were any differences in subgroups of depression defined by the DSM3. There was no difference in plasma DOPEG concentrations or of MAO activity in the different subgroups of depression, especially between episodes of major and non-major depression. On the other hand, depressed patients with an episode of major depression had significantly higher urinary MHPG concentrations than those with non-major depression.

Blood Platelets↗
PubMed1985

Changes in human platelet 5 HT level after 1 week of chlorimipramine treatment.

In platelets of six volunteers taking chlorimipramine (50 mg/day) for 1 week, 5-HT levels were markedly decreased at the time of treatment withdrawal, and remained significantly reduced after a 1-week washout. Individual levels in five subjects remained affected during a 3-week washout. The previously reported observations of reduced serotonin concentration in platelets from depressed patients may reflect a residual effect of previous antidepressant treatment.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Platelet monoamine oxidase activity and plasma 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethylene glycol levels during the menstrual cycle.

The influence of endocrine factors on monoamine oxidase activity (MAO) and on noradrenaline metabolism has been evaluated by measuring platelet MAO activity and plasma levels of 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethylene glycol (DOPEG), the major deaminated metabolite of noradrenaline, as well as serum levels of steroid hormones weekly in 9 young healthy women during one menstrual cycle. A decrease in platelet MAO activity (correlated with high serum estradiol levels) was observed during the ovulatory period. In contrast, plasma free or sulfoconjugated DOPEG remained unchanged throughout the menstrual cycle. These results indicate that the hormonal status should be taken into consideration in studies dealing with platelet MAO activity in depressed women.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

[Drug interactions of lithium. Review of the literature].

The authors have reviewed the literature regarding interactions of lithium and other drugs. The hypothetical physiopathogenic mechanisms of these interactions are discussed even if in some cases the mechanisms are not understood. The interactions of diuretic and anti-inflammatory drugs with lithium will mainly affect renal function and ionic exchange across cell membranes. Other drugs become toxic when associated to lithium because of the addition of their adverse effects. The beneficial effects of some drugs associations are also discussed.

Animals↗