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M Balestrieri

Publications and source records attributed to M Balestrieri.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1998

[Hypnotic drugs in a population. Prescriptions by the specialist and the general practitioner].

The aims of our survey were to estimate the prevalence of hypnotic drug prescription in a representative sample of population in 5 cities of Northern Italy and to analyse the pattern of prescription of these drugs by general practitioners (GPs) and psychiatrists. The data were collected with the collaboration of pharmacists working in 145 pharmacies. All consecutive patients presenting a prescription for a hypnotic drug were interviewed by the pharmacists during a two-week period. The pharmacists interviewed 7744 consecutive patients. The highest prevalence of prescriptions for hypnotic drugs was found in the elderly and in women. The majority of prescriptions were for benzodiazepines (BDZ), with lorazepam and triazolam accounting for about 50% of the total prescriptions. Short-acting and ultra-short-acting BDZ were more frequently prescribed for sleep induction by GPs than by psychiatrists. Approximately 73% of subjects reported that they had been taking the prescribed drug for one year or more. The high proportion of long-term BDZ users may be a consequence of the short period surveyed, which produced data weighted toward long-term consumption. Our data, however, do not permit to establish whether long-term use is appropriate from a clinical point of view or is the consequence of a physical dependence. We must be aware that this practice needs to be studied more accurately, with the aim to assess the risk/benefit ratio of long-term BDZ use.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Gender-specific decline and seasonality of births in operationally defined schizophrenics in Italy.

All clinical records of schizophrenic patients included in the period 1979-1995 in the South Verona Psychiatric Case Register were reviewed and diagnoses operationally defined according to ICD-10 criteria using OPCRIT 3.1. Among the 335 scrutinized, 205 patients met the ICD-10 criteria for paranoid or undifferentiated schizophrenia. No seasonality of birth was found in these patients using a log-linear equiprobability model. The incidence and seasonality of birth were then analysed on the subsample of 106 patients born in 1947-1974 for whom corresponding data for the Verona general population were available. Schizophrenic males displayed a significant excess of birth in November-January with respect to the Verona population (chi 2 = 10.93, p = 0.012). The time series of the incidence of schizophrenia by cohort of birth 1947-1974 had a linearly decreasing trend, steeper in males than in females. The significant increase in age at first ever psychiatric contact, observed in both males and females throughout the period considered, cannot completely account for the gender-specific decline of birth of schizophrenics.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

CD4-mediated anchoring of the seminal antigen gp17 onto the spermatozoon surface.

A soluble 1, kDa glycoprotein, namely gp17, was previously isolated from human semen and used to obtain mouse monoclonal or chicken polyclonal antibodies. This protein was shown to bind CD4+ T-cells and to soluble recombinant CD4 in vitro. Here, we report that the anti-gp17 monoclonal antibodies are captured by ejaculated spermatozoa and that gp17-like antigens are released by cell acid extraction. Immunoblotting experiments with monoclonal antibodies indicated that SDS-lysates from spermatozoa contain proteins with the same electrophoretic and antigenic properties of CD4 and gp17. Anti-CD4 mouse monoclonal antibodies were used to coprecipitate from NP40-lysate proteins reacting with chicken anti-gp17 antibodies. Analytical chromatography demonstrated that a number of gp17-like forms are present in the seminal plasma, put that only the 1 kDa species can be detected in the spermatozoa lysate. This protein was localised by immunofluorescence on the post-acrosomal region of the spermatozoon. The same surface domain was also reactive with anti-CD4 antibodies. After treatment to induce in vitro capacitation, gp17 was detected all over the spermatozoon head. Conversely, only a minor part of the treated spermatozoa exhibited CD4 immunostaining, which remained localised on the post-acrosomal region. The possible function of CD4 and gp17 on male germ cells is discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Action potential configuration in heart papillary muscles from female rats in different thyroid states.

We have studied the effects of thyroidectomy and the in vivo administration of different triiodothyronine (T3) doses in thyroidectomized female rats on electrophysiological properties, measured in vitro, of the anterior and posterior papillary muscle fibers from the right ventricle. In each thyroid state, the action potential duration (APD) measured by stimulating at 1 Hz was shorter for the posterior papillary muscle. APD from both preparations was found significantly lengthened in thyroidectomized animals in comparison to euthyroid controls. APD was shortened owing to treatment of thyroidectomized rats with T3 doses up to 10 micrograms/100 g body weight every second day. Treatment with larger doses of T3 tended to restore the values of APD found for ventricular fibres from both controls and thyroidectomized animals treated with substitutive T3 doses (5 micrograms/100 g body weight every second day). As the stimulation rate was increased from 1 to 5 Hz, APD increased in both preparations of all groups. The changes were of different amounts but the APD difference between the rat groups, which were significant at 1 Hz, remained significant at 5 Hz, while the differences between anterior and posterior preparations were cancelled in animals treated with 50 micrograms of T3 and reversed in those treated with 100 micrograms.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1997

Patterns of hypnotic drug prescription in Italy. A two-week community survey.

BACKGROUND: In Italy a number of studies have been published on psychotropic drug use in general practice and community settings. However, the present study is the first Italian study to focus on hypnotic drug prescriptions in a large community sample. METHOD: Data were collected from 145 of the total of 404 pharmacies of five large cities in north-eastern Italy. All consecutive patients presenting a prescription for a hypnotic drug were interviewed by the pharmacists during a two-week period. RESULTS: The pharmacists interviewed 7/44 consecutive patients. The highest prevalence of prescriptions for hypnotic drugs was found in the elderly and in women. The majority (96%) of prescriptions were for benzodiazepines, with lorazepam and triazolam accounting for 50%. Short-acting and ultra-short-acting benzodiazepines were more frequently prescribed for sleep induction by general practitioners (GPs) than by psychiatrists and other physicians. Frequently the benzodiazepine used as a hypnotic was also prescribed for day time sedation. Approximately 72% of subjects reported they had been taking the prescribed drug for one year or more. CONCLUSIONS: In Italy benzodiazepines are the most frequently prescribed drugs for sleep induction; as they are widely prescribed for elderly people by GPs often for long periods of time, educational programmes and guidelines on the rational use of benzodiazepines in general practice are needed.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Effect of thyroid state on lipid peroxidation, antioxidant defences, and susceptibility to oxidative stress in rat tissues.

The effects of altered thyroid states on lipid peroxidation, antioxidant capacity, and susceptibility to oxidative stress of rat tissues were examined. Hypothyroidism was induced by administering methimazole in drinking water for 15 days. Hyperthyroidism was elicited by a 10-day treatment of hypothyroid rats with tri-iodothyronine (10 micrograms/100 g body weight). In tissues of hypothyroid rats the lipid peroxidation was not modified, whereas in hyperthyroid rats lipid peroxidation increased in liver and heart but not in skeletal muscle. The glutathione peroxidase activity increased significantly in heart and muscle of hypothyroid rats and in muscle of hyperthyroid rats. The glutathione reductase activity was not modified in tissues of hypothyroid and hyperthyroid rats. In both rat groups the whole antioxidant capacity of tissues decreased, but significantly only in liver and heart. The results obtained studying the response to oxidative stress in vitro indicated that the susceptibility to oxidative challenge was increased in all tissues of hyperthyroid rats and in heart and muscle of hypothyroid animals. These results are explainable in terms of tissue variations in haemoprotein content and/or of antioxidant capacity. Since it has been reported that hypothyroidism offers in vivo protection against free radical damage, we suggest that such an effect could be due to greater effectiveness of cellular defence systems different from antioxidant ones.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1995

Purification of a 240 kDa protein from serum and follicular fluid of water buffalo and its identification as haptoglobin.

The fluids from healthy growing follicles of water buffalo were previously found free of the polypeptides H (M(r) 36,000) and L (M(r) 21,000) which were instead detected in fluids from atretic follicles and blood. Here we report evidence that these two polypeptides, as selected from serum by specific anti-L antibodies, are the subunits of an oligomeric protein. The protein was purified from serum or follicular fluid, and its molecular weight (240 kDa), isoelectric point (6.5), and amino acid composition were determined. The NH2-terminal sequences of the subunits L and H were analyzed: 100% and 90% homology with alpha and beta chains of bovine haptoglobin, respectively, was found. Thus, haptoglobin can be used as a novel molecular marker to assess the physiological state of the blood-follicle barrier or discriminate between atretic and healthy follicles.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1995

Episodes of care for first-ever psychiatric patients. A long-term case-register evaluation in a mainly urban area.

BACKGROUND: Psychiatric case registers (PCRs) are particularly useful for studying patterns of care over time. Methods of 'survival analysis' have rarely been used for assessing such data. METHOD: A longitudinal study was conducted over 10 years (1 January 1982 to 31 December 1991) on 1423 first-ever psychiatric patients, using the PCR of South Verona, Italy. The product-limit method, the log-rank test, the Cox regression model and the Poisson regression analysis were used to analyse episodes of care and relapses. RESULTS: The duration of the episodes of care increased consistently from the first to the fifth episode. The probability of opening a new episode of care after the first one increased consistently from the second to the sixth episode. The only variable significantly associated with the length of the first episode of care was diagnosis (highest probability of having longer episodes for schizophrenic patients), while the length of the breaks following the first episode of care was associated with diagnosis, sex and occupational status (highest probability of opening a second episode of care for schizophrenic subjects and those with alcohol and personality disorders, for males, and for unemployed patients). The probability of opening a new episode of care decreased with time since last contact and increased with number of previous contacts. CONCLUSIONS: The community psychiatric service in South Verona is fulfilling its original aim, that is, to give priority to the continuity of care for patients with chronic and severe mental illnesses. Survival analyses proved to be useful methods for assessing episodes of care.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Pathways to psychiatric care in south-Verona, Italy.

This paper compares the pathway to psychiatric care of patients contacting the South-Verona Community Psychiatrics Service (CPS) with the pathways described in other countries, using the method of the WHO cross-cultural study of pathways in psychiatric care. One hundred and sixteen South-Verona residents starting new episodes of care were traced and included in the study. The first port of call for 92% of patients was a doctor. More than one-third arrived at the CPS directly, not filtered by other carers. One-third went first to the GP and then straight to the CPS. Both the median total interval since onset of symptoms and the median interval between onset of the problem and first seeking care was 8 weeks. Patients presenting first at the two major ports of call tend to have a quite similar latency period before seeking care. Problems presented are represented mostly by depression and anxiety. The diagnosis of affective disorders occurred in more than half of the sample, followed by neurotic and somatoform disorders and schizophrenia and related disorders. The intervals after seeing the first carer are short and quite homogeneous among all patients. More than three-quarters of the patients said that they received some form of treatment for their presenting problems prior to arrival at the CPS, mostly psychopharmacotherapy with sedatives/hypnotics. These results are discussed in the light of those obtained in the WHO cross-cultural study.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Antidepressant drug prescribing in general practice: a 6-year study.

We analysed antidepressant drugs (AD) prescription ratios of the GPs working in Verona, Italy, over a 6-year period (1983-1988). The data, provided by a local drug information system (SIF-USL), were calculated as Defined Daily Dose (DDD), which is the unit of drug consumption recommended by WHO. We found that DDD/1000 patients/day increased over the period, mainly because of an increase in the use of 'second-generation' antidepressants and other non-tricyclic antidepressants. An increase in the levels of prescription of AD was observed over the 6 years. This increase was statistically significant when comparing the first (1983) with the other years. Low correlations were found between DDD/patient/year ratios and GPs' age, sex and list size. Harmonic analysis of the seasonal variations in prescriptions of AD revealed a substantial pattern of seasonality, in which the first four harmonics accounted for the greater part (95.5%) of the seasonality. AD prescribing may be linked more closely to seasonal holiday patterns than to seasonality in the onset of depressive disorders.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Meta-analysis of double-blind placebo-controlled trials of antidepressants and benzodiazepines for patients with panic disorders.

Meta-analysis of 19 double-blind placebo-controlled trials of antidepressants (N = 13) and benzodiazepines (N = 6) for patients with panic disorders showed that active treatment had 25% greater success rate than placebo over a mean duration of 14 weeks. There were no statistically significant differences observed between treatment sub-groups (antidepressants--mean duration 16 weeks; and benzodiazepines--mean duration 7 weeks). On this basis antidepressants and benzodiazepines prescribed in clinical settings are likely to be equally effective in the short-term treatment of people with panic disorders.

Anti-Anxiety Agents↗
PubMed1989

The reliability of diagnostic coding in psychiatric case registers.

In total, 103 cases were randomly selected from the Groningen, Nottingham and South Verona registers. Six raters (two in each of the register areas) were involved in coding these cases according to the ICD-9. In general, interrater agreement was satisfactory when codes were grouped into a limited number of categories. Nevertheless, considerable variation in agreement rates was found. We distinguished three steps in the diagnostic process. The selected logistic model showed that reliability is significantly affected in each step, but only substantial in the first where clinicians formulate a diagnosis.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Patterns of psychiatric care in south Verona and Groningen. A case-register follow-up study.

The pattern of utilization of mental health services in south Verona (Italy) and in Groningen (the Netherlands) was studied. The local psychiatric case registers were used to select patients aged 15 years or more who had at least one contact in 1982 and no contacts in the previous 365 days. Each patient was followed for 36 months after the first contact in 1982. The 2 cohorts differed in size (373 in south Verona and 590 in Groningen), age, diagnosis and pattern of care, whereas the sex distribution was similar. The cohort in Groningen was characterized by a higher number of elderly people, suffering from organic psychoses. Drug dependence prevailed in south Verona, while alcohol dependence was predominant in Groningen. The pattern of care was classified according to 2 basic measures, the gross duration of care and the net duration of care. In south Verona single consulters were almost 3 times more common than in Groningen. In general, patients in Groningen tended to depend more on the mental health services. Linear regression analysis was used to determine the extent to which the pattern of care was predicted by the sociodemographical and clinical characteristics of the patients. Only the site where the contacts were made (south Verona or Groningen) and the diagnosis were significantly associated with the pattern of care.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Use of mental health services in south Verona and Groningen. A comparative case-register study.

A comparison was made of the utilization of mental health services in a psychiatric case register area in Italy (south Verona) and one in the Netherlands (Groningen). All residents living in these areas who contacted a mental health service in 1982 were traced and followed for a period of one year. The year prevalence rates differed considerably (110/10,000 in south Verona and 329/10,000 in Groningen). Rates of single consulters were similar in both areas, while those of chronic inpatients were more than 11 times higher in Groningen than in south Verona. After excluding both single consulters and chronic inpatients, when comparing service consumption according to fixed classes of scores, the category of highest service use accounted for 60% of care provided in Groningen as compared with less than 30% in south Verona. The proportion of total service consumption due to inpatient care was about the same in both areas, but brief admissions were more common in south Verona. Moreover, when service use was considered as a relative construct, about 10% of patients in both areas could be called high users. Finally, long-term patients were more prevalent in Groningen (26%) than in south Verona (13%).

Adolescent↗
PubMed1989

Psychiatric clinics in general practice. Do they reduce admissions?

General-practice-based psychiatric clinics have increased substantially in recent years. We investigated the influence on psychiatric admissions of this style of practice in England over an 18-year period. We utilised data from a previous survey concerned with this type of work (Strathdee & Williams, 1984) and compared them with figures on psychiatric admissions. Parts of the country in which there has been greater development of general-practice-based psychiatric clinics were also those in which there has been a steeper decrease in psychiatric admissions. Further analysis showed this to be due primarily to an effect on admission of non-psychotic patients.

Community Psychiatry↗
PubMed1989

Drug treatment of panic disorder--a critical review of controlled clinical trials.

The clinical efficacy of drug treatment for panic disorder has been evaluated in several studies, especially in the last decade. In this paper we reviewed double-blind controlled clinical trials of antidepressants and benzodiazepines in the treatment of panic disorder. Tricyclic antidepressants (principally imipramine) and benzodiazepines were equally effective in reducing panic symptomatology. This evidence does not support the hypothesis that panic-related symptomatology is a psychopathological entity, requiring a specific antidepressant drug treatment. The combination of psychological therapy with drug treatment was associated with even better outcome. On the other hand, the efficacy of MAOI remains to be demonstrated. Better compliance with benzodiazepines may favor the clinical use of these drugs rather than antidepressants. However, more prospective controlled studies including follow-up examinations are required, in order to assess the risk/benefit ratio of these treatments after long-term therapy.

Anti-Anxiety Agents↗