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Biomedical subjects

M L Figueira

Publications and source records attributed to M L Figueira.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Delirium in acute stroke: a preliminary study of the role of anticholinergic medications.

The pathogenesis of delirium in acute stroke is incompletely understood. The use of medications with anticholinergic (ACH) activity is associated with an increased frequency of delirium. We hypothesized that the intake of medications with ACH activity is associated with delirium in acute stroke patients. Delirium was assessed using the DSM-IV-TR criteria and the Delirium Rating Scale, in a sample of consecutive patients with an acute (< or =4 days) cerebral infarct or intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH). We performed a gender and age matched case-control study. Twenty-two delirious stroke patients (cases) and 52 non-delirious patients (controls) were compared concerning the intake of ACH medications (i) before stroke, (ii) during hospitalization but before the assessment. The variables associated with delirium on bivariate analysis were entered in a stepwise logistic regression analysis. The final regression model (Nagelkerke R2 = 0.65) retained non-neuroleptics ACH medication during hospitalization (OR = 24.4; 95% CI = 2.18-250), medical complications (OR = 20.8; 95% CI = 3.46-125), ACH medication taken before stroke (OR = 17.5; 95% CI = 1.00-333.3) and ICH (OR = 16.9; 95% CI = 2.73-100) as independent predictors of delirium. This preliminary result indicates that drugs with subtle ACH activity play a role in the pathogeneses of delirium in acute stroke. Medication with ACH activity should be avoided in acute stroke patients.

Aged↗
PubMed1994

Multicenter double-blind study of moclobemide and maprotiline.

A randomized double-blind, multicenter 6-week study was undertaken in 80 depressed patients to compare the effects of moclobemide, a selective and reversible monoamine oxidase-A inhibitor (300 mg daily), and maprotiline (75 mg daily). Efficacy was assessed by Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) and Clinical Global Impression (CGI). Tolerability was assessed by adverse events reports. After 6 weeks of therapy, both groups of patients showed significant improvement in HDRS and CGI. Speed of onset of action was faster with moclobemide (significant difference at week 3, p = 0.025). There was a significant reduction of depression ratings (HDRS) in both the moclobemide and maprotiline group in all types of depression according to ICD-9 criteria (major depressive disorder, neurotic depression and adjustment-prolonged depressive reaction). Significantly fewer patients in the moclobemide group reported adverse events (28.9% compared with 70.2%) including weight gain (2.6% compared to 21.6%). Anticholinergic side effects were less frequent with moclobemide. It is concluded that both drugs are at least equivalent in terms of therapeutic efficacy, but moclobemide is better tolerated.

Adult↗
PubMed1978

How do normal subjects learn a simple adaptative task: how and why do paranoid schizophrenic patients fail?

The authors studied the behavior of normal subjects and paranoid schizophrenic patients in a simple problem-solving situation. The schizophrenics were divided into two sample groups, one of individuals under treatment and the other of individuals not under treatment. The learning process involved in this problem-solving situation is very similar to an instrumental conditioning, and can be understood by means of the following assumptions: (1) the subjects use decision functions in reacting to the stimuli, although they may be not fully aware of this; (2) learning is the result of successive transformations of these decisions in the course of time; (3) the changes have specific probabilities and are related to (a) those responses which are made to the latest stimuli, and (b) a differential probability for decision functions which were effective, or only interrupted painful reinforcement, or were completely ineffective. In schizophrenics further factors of importance were (1) an 'inertia' factor and (2) the rigidly continued use of unsuccessfuly or only partially successful decision criteria. The authors used a systems theory based on Galois field theory and a calculus of operators specifying three groups of subjects. A computer program based on thses hypotheses was tested in a stimulation experiment. The statistical evaluation of the results showed a congruence between the theoretical approach and the experimental data.

Cognition↗