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Biomedical subjects

M De Vanna

Publications and source records attributed to M De Vanna.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1995

[Traits of personality in hypochondriacal subjects].

Among the several mental originated clinical syndromes, hypochondria is not still well understood and listed. Indeed, hypochondria is often a complicating element in other psychopathological pictures; a slight form of hypochondria can appear in phobic-obsessing neurosis, and a worse one at the beginning of psychosis. The Authors, trying to explain the complex questions about diagnosis and prognosis of hypochondria, look for common personality traits in these patients. The research instrument was the Adjective Check List (ACL), a psychological test highly standardized and diffused, composed of 300 adjectives, or adjectival sentences, used to describe a person's attributes. The ACL was given to 65 subjects divided into two groups. The first group was made of 15 subjects, 10 women and 5 men, ambulatory treated at the Psychiatric Clinic in Trieste for the following diagnosis: psychosis (4 persons), depressing syndrome (3 persons), hypochondria (6 persons), obsessive neurosis (1 persons), anxiety syndrome (1 person). The second group was made of 50 subjects, 28 women and 22 men, diagnosed as hypochondriac by their medical officers. The results point out that some personality traits rising above the others are suggesting for an apathetical patient, not ready to accept himself, easily overcome by everyday life problems. These subjects are introverted, intolerant to frustrations, and inclined to take refuge in their own imaginary world, not able to self-governing. In the considered group the Authors find a moderate tendency to change, and it could be interpreted like a good prognostic element for a psychotherapeutic treatment.

Female↗
PubMed1990

Recent life events and attempted suicide.

The contextual method was used to identify the incidence of recent life events and difficulties among 50 suicide attempters compared with a control group selected at random from the general population. Suicide attempters experienced a significantly greater incidence of major life events, although for all life events irrespective of stressfulness, and for independent events the differences were not significant. The overall incidence of difficulties was also higher among suicide attempters. Finally, the results suggest a vulnerability effect as far as three factors are concerned: early loss of/separation from one or both parents, absence of paid employment and living in a nuclear family.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Moclobemide compared with second-generation antidepressants in elderly people.

Two multicentre studies are described here; the first compared moclobemide with mianserin and the second with maprotiline, both in elderly patients with a DSM-III diagnosis of major depressive episode. In the first study, 80 eligible patients were randomized to either moclobemide 300-500 mg or mianserin 75-125 mg per day for 4 weeks. Mean reduction in Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD) score was 52% in both groups. The overall assessment of efficacy was good or very good for 60% of the patients, and tolerance was considered good or very good for 85% of the patients in both groups; no significant differences between the 2 treatments were seen. The second study comprised 39 hospitalized patients randomized to either moclobemide 150-300 mg daily or maprotiline 75-150 mg daily for 6 weeks. At the end of treatment, HRSD scores declined 85% in both groups compared with baseline. The overall assessment of efficacy was over 90% good or very good in both groups. Tolerance was rated good or very good for 80% of moclobemide and 75% of maprotiline patients; none of these results differed significantly between the groups, indicating that moclobemide is as effective in elderly patients as the 2 second-generation antidepressants. In view of the safety of moclobemide, it should be considered first-line therapy for depression in elderly people.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

Psoriasis and alexithymia.

Alexithymia is a perceptive, affective, specific disturbance of the psychic functions characterized by the difficulty to verbalize emotions and sensations and by a pragmatic thought content. The presence of alexithymia has been evidenced many times as an essential element in the genesis and in the maintenance of the various psychosomatic pathologies. This has stimulated us to research the alexithymical component in subjects affected by psoriasis in order to take advantage, when it is found, of a more appropriate therapeutic response.

Affective Symptoms↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Controlled clinical study on the effect of quazepam versus triazolam in patients with sleep disorders].

Quazepam (QZP), a new long half-life benzodiazepine, seems to have a more specific hypnotic activity and a "physiological" mechanism of action. This study assessed its clinical efficacy and any withdrawal symptoms occurring after the treatment with QZP and triazolam (TRZ). Sixty-five patients (mean age 41.4 yrs +/- 12.43 SD) with sleep disorders were included in the study. The patients were treated with placebo for 4 days (run-in period) and if no amelioration of insomnia was observed, were then randomly allocated to 15 mg QZP (33 patients) or TRZ (32 patients) for 8 weeks and finally placebo for another week. Sleep quality, efficiency, side-effects and withdrawal effects were assessed by specific rating scales. In comparing data obtained from the two treatments, the following conclusions were drawn: 1) both drugs showed a hypnoinductive efficacy but patients treated with QZP had significantly fewer night awakenings; 2) at the end of treatment only patients treated with TRZ had longer awakenings and rebound symptoms; 3) a lower withdrawal symptom incidence was observed in patients treated with QZP. Therefore, QZP seems to have a good hypnotic effect without inducing withdrawal symptoms. In contrast TRZ turned out to be a merely hypno-inducing drug presenting higher risks of rebound effects after withdrawal.

Adolescent↗