Biomedical subjects

J Sáiz-Ruiz

Publications and source records attributed to J Sáiz-Ruiz.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

Plasma testosterone and pathological gambling.

The authors studied plasma testosterone levels and psychological characteristics of male pathological gamblers. Twenty-nine male pathological gamblers and a group of healthy volunteers matched for age and gender were compared on levels of plasma testosterone and scores on the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ) and the Psychopathic Deviance scale of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI). Plasma testosterone levels were similar in the pathological gambling and comparison group (476.06 ng/100 ml vs. 560.71 ng/100 ml). Patients had higher scores on the Neuroticism subscales of the EPQ (13.83 vs. 10.83) and the Psychopathic Deviance scale of the MMPI (27.03 vs. 21.03), but not on any of the other subscales of the EPQ. Testosterone levels did not correlate with the psychological ratings. Testosterone levels are probably not related to impulsivity in pathological gambling.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Assessment of reliability in the clinical evaluation of depressive symptoms among multiple investigators in a multicenter clinical trial.

The objective of this work was to determine the severity of depressive symptoms when multiple clinical examiners evaluate a single subject, as preparatory to their participation as evaluators in a clinical trial. Using the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS), 37 psychiatrists independently assessed the videotape of a patient with symptoms of depression. A new measure for the detection of multiple examiners not in consensus (DOMENIC) was used to identify scale items with low reliability and raters with low inter-rater reliability, from among the remaining raters. Overall inter-rater agreement on the full HDRS was 'excellent' (97%). All raters but one showed adequate agreement both on individual items and on total scores. Two of the 17 HDRS symptomatology items had unacceptable levels of inter-rater scoring variability (<70% agreement). The use of DOMENIC allows for the detection of items of low inter-rater reliability and identification of raters that deviate from the group's ratings prior to the beginning of a clinical trial.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Pathological gambling: addiction or compulsion?

There is considerable debate about the appropriate conceptualization of pathological gambling and its place in psychiatric nosology. The authors examined the existing research on different areas of pathological gambling to find evidence for a particular model of this disorder. There are 2 dominant models of pathological gambling: as a nonpharmacologic addiction and as an obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorder. The data available from different areas seem to converge in suggesting that pathological gambling has characteristics that are similar to those of substance abuse, and less close to those of obsessive-compulsive disorder, although those conceptualizations are not mutually exclusive. An alternative model of pathological gambling is that it constitutes a heterogeneous disorder with some subtypes resembling obsessive-compulsive disorder, and other subtypes being closer to substance abuse disorders. Improved understanding of the conceptualization of this disorder may help improve the quality of the treatments available.

Gambling↗

PubMed2001

Psychiatric comorbidity in pathological gamblers seeking treatment.

OBJECTIVE: The authors' goal was to determine the frequency of psychiatric comorbidity among treatment-seeking pathological gamblers, compare the severity of gambling and psychological problems in gamblers with and without comorbid disorders, and investigate differences between gamblers with and without comorbid disorders in the dopamine D(2) receptor gene (DRD(2)). METHOD: Sixty-nine pathological gamblers who consecutively applied to a specialized outpatient treatment program were evaluated with structured interviews, self-report questionnaires, and psychological scales and were genotyped for a DRD(2) polymorphism. RESULTS: A comorbid psychiatric disorder was present in 43 (62.3%) of the gamblers. The most frequent diagnoses were personality disorders (N=29 [42.0%]), alcohol abuse or dependence (N=23 [33.3%]), and adjustment disorders (N=12 [17.4%]). Gamblers with comorbid psychiatric disorders had gambling scores and psychological scale scores indicating greater severity of gambling and psychopathology. Significant differences in DRD(2) allele distribution were found in gamblers with and without comorbid disorders. CONCLUSIONS: Psychiatric comorbidity is common among pathological gamblers and is associated with greater severity of clinical problems. The DRD(2) gene could be a liability genetic factor for psychiatric comorbidity in pathological gambling.

Comorbidity↗

PubMed2000

Sertraline in the treatment of mixed anxiety and depression disorder.

BACKGROUND: Mixed anxiety and depression disorder (MAD) has been recognized in ICD-10 as a diagnostic group including those anxious and depressed patients which do not fit sufficient criteria for any major axis I disorders. MAD is usually treated as a combination of anxiety and depression, although there are data indicating that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) might be active on both anxiety and depression. METHOD: 38 patients diagnosed of MAD according to ICD-10 criteria were treated with flexible doses of sertraline for 8 weeks. Benzodiazepines were not allowed during the trial. Efficacy was evaluated with the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) improvement scale and with Hamilton's depression and anxiety Scales. Personality scales, including the Cloninger's TCI and Eysenck's EPQ, were used to test the predictive value of personality traits in the response to treatment. RESULTS: Anxiety was reduced by 55% and depression by 60% in Hamilton scales. At week 8, 29 patients were considered responders (CGI 1 ó 2). Two patients discontinued the trial, only one of them due to adverse events. The mean dose of sertraline was 83.4 mg/day. CONCLUSION: Sertraline showed an excellent tolerability in patients with mixed anxiety-depression disorder despite high levels of baseline anxiety. The response level was high and similar to that reported for patients with major depression. These results warrant further controlled trials to assess the efficacy of SSRIs in MAD.

Adult↗

PubMed1997

Genetic association study between pathological gambling and a functional DNA polymorphism at the D4 receptor gene.

A Spanish sample consisting of 68 Caucasian pathological gambling patients (47 males and 21 females) and 68 unaffected controls were screened by the molecular analysis of a functional DNA polymorphism in the locus for the D4 dopamine receptor gene. Our results are consistent with the existence of a significant association between genetic variants at a DRD4 gene polymorphism and pathological gambling (chi 2 = 11.82; P = 0.037). This association seems to be sex-influenced, since there was no significant association when only males were considered (chi 2 = 9.45; P = 0.09), but there was a more significant association if we only considered female subjects (chi 2 = 8.73; P = 0.033). Individuals with the longest allele (D7) were the most frequent in affected females (chi 2 = 4.50; P = 0.033). This work provides a new evidence of the implication of the dopaminergic reward pathways, now through the involvement of DRD4, in the aetiology of this impulsive disorder.

Alleles↗

PubMed1996

No association between particular DRD3 and DAT gene polymorphisms and manic-depressive illness in a Spanish sample.

We have carried out an association study of a polymorphism in the 3'UTR of the dopamine transporter gene (DAT) and a polymorphism in the coding region of the D3 receptor gene (DRD3) in Spanish patients with manic depression and in controls. No significant differences in allelic and genotypic frequencies of either of these polymorphisms was found in patients compared with controls.

Bipolar Disorder↗

PubMed1994

Low platelet monoamine oxidase activity in pathological gambling.

Decreased platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity has been reported in association with sensation-seeking personality type and in some mental disorders associated with a lack of impulse control. Pathological gambling itself has been related with both sensation-seeking and reduced impulse control. Platelet MAO activity was investigated in 15 DSM-III-R pathological gamblers from our outpatient clinic. Gamblers had a significantly lower platelet MAO activity than a group of 25 healthy controls. The range of MAO levels in gamblers was also significantly shorter than in controls. In controls, platelet MAO levels showed the previously described negative correlations with sensation-seeking scores but not in gamblers. The findings are consistent with previous studies showing an association of low platelet MAO activity with impulse control disorders and raise some interesting therapeutic alternatives for pathological gambling.

Adult↗

PubMed1992

Plasmatic somatostatin as a marker of positive symptoms of schizophrenia.

1. Somatostatin displays a regulatory function on several aminergic neurotransmitters, including dopamine. In addition, decreased CSF levels of the peptide has been found in Schizophrenia and other neuropsychiatric disorders. 2. In the present work, we have investigated levels of plasmatic somatostatin in a sample of 50 schizophrenic patients compared with a normal control group. 3. Somatostatin was increased in the patient group (p less than 0.01) as a whole but statistical analysis revealed that the increase was associated with the presence of positive symptoms (Factorial Analysis) with a significant correlation, specially with delusion and hallucination scores in the Andreasen rating scales.

Adult↗