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Biomedical subjects

M Preisig

Publications and source records attributed to M Preisig.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

[Health examination survey of the Lausanne population: first results of the CoLaus study].

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) remain the main cause of morbidity and mortality in our society. CoLaus is a population-based health examination survey started in 2003 in Lausanne in order to assess: 1. Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, 2. New genetic determinants of cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, 3. Association of mood disorders with incidence of cardiovascular events and 4. Trends in prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors. In order to do so, over 6000 subjects (ages 35-75 years) provided data on CVD risk factors. Herein we provide preliminary results of this study, in particular on classical risk factors such as hypertension, obesity and diabetes. Implications and perspectives of this population based-study for public health and genetic studies are also discussed.

Adult↗

Genome-wide scan for genes involved in bipolar affective disorder in 70 European families ascertained through a bipolar type I early-onset proband: supportive evidence for linkage at 3p14.

Preliminary studies suggested that age at onset (AAO) may help to define homogeneous bipolar affective disorder (BPAD) subtypes. This candidate symptom approach might be useful to identify vulnerability genes. Thus, the probability of detecting major disease-causing genes might be increased by focusing on families with early-onset BPAD type I probands. This study was conducted as part of the European Collaborative Study of Early Onset BPAD (France, Germany, Ireland, Scotland, Switzerland, England, Slovenia). We performed a genome-wide search with 384 microsatellite markers using non-parametric linkage analysis in 87 sib-pairs ascertained through an early-onset BPAD type I proband (AAO of 21 years or below). Non-parametric multipoint analysis suggested eight regions of linkage with P-values<0.01 (2p21, 2q14.3, 3p14, 5q33, 7q36, 10q23, 16q23 and 20p12). The 3p14 region showed the most significant linkage (genome-wide P-value estimated over 10 000 simulated replicates of 0.015 [0.01-0.02]). After genome-wide search analysis, we performed additional linkage analyses with increased marker density using markers in four regions suggestive for linkage and having an information contents lower than 75% (3p14, 10q23, 16q23 and 20p12). For these regions, the information content improved by about 10%. In chromosome 3, the non-parametric linkage score increased from 3.51 to 3.83. This study is the first to use early-onset bipolar type I probands in an attempt to increase sample homogeneity. These preliminary findings require confirmation in independent panels of families.

Adolescent↗

Tobacco and cannabis smoking cessation can lead to intoxication with clozapine or olanzapine.

Plasma levels of clozapine and olanzapine are lower in smokers than in nonsmokers, which is mainly due to induction of cytochrome P4501A2 (CYP1A2) by some smoke constituents. Smoking cessation in patients treated with antipsychotic drugs that are CYP1A2 substrates may result in increased plasma levels of the drug and, consequently, in adverse drug effects. Two cases of patients who smoked tobacco and cannabis are reported. The first patient, who was receiving clozapine treatment, developed confusion after tobacco and cannabis smoking cessation, which was related to increased clozapine plasma levels. The second patient, who was receiving olanzapine treatment, showed important extrapyramidal motor symptoms after reducing his tobacco consumption. The clinical implication of these observations is that smoking patients treated with CYP1A2 substrate antipsychotics should regularly be monitored with regard to their smoking consumption in order to adjust doses in cases of a reduction or increase in smoking.

Adult↗

Clinical significance and comorbidity of subthreshold depression and anxiety in the community.

OBJECTIVE: This report examines: 1) the magnitude of co-occurrence of threshold and subthreshold-level depression and anxiety in the community, and 2) the relationship between comorbidity and the diagnostic level of depression and anxiety and their clinical correlates. METHOD: A community sample of 591 subjects was interviewed prospectively five times across 15 years from the ages of 20-35. The diagnostic interview allowed the assignment of diagnoses according to DSM-III criteria and operational definitions of subthreshold syndromes. RESULTS: 1) Comorbidity between depression and anxiety was more frequent when one syndrome reached threshold level; 2) comorbidity at both the threshold and subthreshold diagnostic levels was associated with symptom severity, disability and treatment, whereas the diagnostic level was associated with disability and suicidal attempts. CONCLUSION: The systematic association between comorbidity across diagnostic threshold levels of anxiety and depression with clinical correlates suggests the importance of a more dimensional approach to their classification.

Adult↗

Cytochrome P450 2D6 genotype and methadone steady-state concentrations.

A genetic polymorphism of cytochrome P450 2D6 has been described with the existence of poor (zero functional genes), extensive (one or two functional genes), and ultrarapid metabolizers (three or more functional genes). The authors measured the steady-state trough (R)- (i.e., the active enantiomer), (S)-, and (R,S)-methadone plasma levels in opiate-dependent patients receiving methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) and genotyped them for cytochrome P4502D6. The patients' medical records were reviewed to assess the outcome of the MMT with regard to the absence of illicit opiate consumption and to the absence of withdrawal complaints in ultrarapid and poor metabolizers. Of 256 patients included, 18 were found to be poor metabolizers, 228 to be extensive metabolizers, and 10 to be ultrarapid metabolizers. Significant differences were found between genotypes for (R)- (p = 0.024), (S)- (p = 0.033), and (R,S)-methadone (p = 0.026) concentrations to dose-to-weight ratios. For (R)-methadone, a significant difference was found between ultrarapid metabolizers and poor metabolizers (p = 0.009), with the median value in the former group being only 54% of the median value in the latter group. These results confirm the involvement of cytochrome P450 2D6 in methadone metabolism. Although the difference was nonsignificant (p = 0.103), 13 (72%) of the 18 poor metabolizers and only 4 (40%) of the 10 ultrarapid metabolizers were considered successful in their treatment. More studies are needed to examine the influence of the ultrarapid metabolizer status on the outcome of the MMT.

Adolescent↗

Association between bipolar disorder and monoamine oxidase A gene polymorphisms: results of a multicenter study.

OBJECTIVE: Although genetic factors have been implicated in the etiology of bipolar disorder, no specific gene has been conclusively identified. Given the link between abnormalities in serotonergic neurotransmission and bipolar disorder, a candidate gene association approach was applied to study the involvement of the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene, which codes for a catabolic enzyme of serotonin, in the susceptibility to bipolar disorder. METHOD: In France and Switzerland, 272 patients with bipolar disorder and 122 healthy subjects were typed for three polymorphic markers of the MAOA gene: the MAOA-CA repeat, the MAOA restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), and a repeat directly adjacent to the variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) locus. RESULTS: A significant difference in the distribution of the alleles for the MAOA-CA repeat was observed between the female bipolar patients and comparison group. CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained in the French and Swiss population confirm findings from two studies conducted in the United Kingdom.

Adult↗

Diagnostic interview for genetic studies (DIGS): inter-rater and test-retest reliability of the French version.

The National Institute of Mental Health developed the semi-structured Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies (DIGS) for the assessment of major mood and psychotic disorders and their spectrum conditions. The DIGS was translated into French in a collaborative effort of investigators from sites in France and Switzerland. Inter-rater and test-retest reliability of the French version have been established in a clinical sample in Lausanne. Excellent inter-rater reliability was found for schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, and unipolar schizoaffective disorder while fair inter-rater reliability was demonstrated for bipolar schizoaffective disorder. Using a six-week test-retest interval, reliability for all diagnoses was found to be fair to good with the exception of bipolar schizoaffective disorder. The lower test-retest reliability was the result of a relatively long test-retest interval that favored incomplete symptom recall. In order to increase reliability for lifetime diagnoses in persons not currently affected, best-estimate procedures using additional sources of diagnostic information such as medical records and reports from relatives should supplement DIGS information in family-genetic studies. Within such a procedure, the DIGS appears to be a useful part of data collection for genetic studies on major mood disorders and schizophrenia in French-speaking populations.

Adolescent↗

Trace lithium in mood disorders.

BACKGROUND: Variations in trace (endogenous) lithium exchanges have been postulated to play a role in the pathophysiology of affective diseases. This prospective study aimed to check whether plasma, erythrocytes and urine trace lithium levels were altered in mood disorders. METHODS: Trace lithium was determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry in patients without mood stabilizing drugs or somatic diseases, hospitalized for bipolar affective disorders, major depressive episodes, and other psychiatric disorders with depressive features. Patients admitted for psychotic disorders without mood alterations and healthy volunteers served as controls. RESULTS: There were no differences in trace lithium status between the groups. Erythrocytes/plasma ratios appeared higher than described on therapeutic lithium (1.6+/-0.7, N = 199). LIMITATIONS: The study had sufficient power to detect clinically significant differences in whole body lithium handling between the groups. However, it did not address alterations of lithium exchanges across neuronal membranes or the blood-brain barrier. CONCLUSIONS: Alterations of membrane exchanges hypothetically associated with mood disorders are not reflected in plasma or erythrocytes trace lithium levels. The occurrence of mood disorders seems not to be related to abnormalities in endogenous lithium.

Antimanic Agents↗

Sedation and analgesia for colonoscopy: patient tolerance, pain, and cardiorespiratory parameters.

BACKGROUND: Colonoscopy is generally performed with the patient sedated and receiving analgesics. However, the benefit of the most often used combination of intravenous midazolam and pethidine on patient tolerance and pain and its cardiorespiratory risk have not been fully defined. METHODS: In this double-blind prospective study, 150 outpatients undergoing routine colonoscopy were randomly assigned to receive either (1) low-dose midazolam (35 micrograms/kg) and pethidine (700 micrograms/kg in 48 patients, 500 micrograms/kg in 102 patients), (2) midazolam and placebo pethidine, or (3) pethidine and placebo midazolam. RESULTS: Tolerance (visual analog scale, 0 to 100 points: 0 = excellent; 100 = unbearable) did not improve significantly more in group 1 compared with group 2 (7 points; 95% confidence interval [-2-17]) and group 3 (2 points; 95% confidence interval [-7-12]). Similarly, pain was not significantly improved in group 1 as compared with the other groups. Male gender (p < 0.001) and shorter duration of the procedure (p = 0.004), but not amnesia, were associated with better patient tolerance and less pain. Patient satisfaction was similar in all groups. Oxygen desaturation and hypotension occurred in 33% and 11%, respectively, with a similar frequency in all three groups. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, the combination of low-dose midazolam and pethidine does not improve patient tolerance and lessen pain during colonoscopy as compared with either drug given alone. When applying low-dose midazolam, oxygen desaturation and hypotension do not occur more often after combined use of both drugs. For the individual patient, sedation and analgesia should be based on the endoscopist's clinical judgement.

Adult↗

Subthreshold syndromes of depression and anxiety in the community.

Nearly 50% of individuals in the community meet threshold or subthreshold diagnostic criteria for depression or anxiety, with depression being far more common. Co-occurrence of anxiety and depression is common, as the majority of individuals who experience anxiety also manifest threshold- or subthreshold-level depression. In the current study, addition of subthreshold categories improved the coverage of treated cases in the community by nearly a third; 61% of subjects were diagnosed according to threshold criteria while 89% were diagnosed according to subthreshold categories. These results suggest that inclusion of subthreshold-level syndromes enhances the validity of diagnostic systems by increasing the proportion of treated cases that meet diagnostic criteria and by providing a more accurate representation of milder syndromes of depression and anxiety.

Adult↗

Outcome of a clinical cohort of unipolar, bipolar and schizoaffective patients. Results of a prospective study from 1959 to 1985.

In a prospective study, 186 unipolar depressives and 220 cases of bipolar disorder meeting DSM-III criteria for major depression or mania were followed up. Subjects were classified according to polarity and the presence or absence of schizophrenic symptoms, into four diagnostic subgroups: unipolar depression, bipolar disorder, unipolar schizoaffective disorder and bipolar schizoaffective disorder. At the last follow-up in 1985, 53% of the patients had deceased. Eleven percent of the sample (17% of all deaths) had committed suicide. The risk of suicide was associated with clinical severity and onset prior to the age of 60. However, there was no difference in suicide rates according to sex or diagnostic subgroup. Late onset of affective illness was associated with chronicity, which occurred in 10 to 19% of cases. Recovery was more frequent among unipolar than among bipolar patients. The 5-year remission rates (i.e. 26% in unipolars, 16% in bipolars) were independent of the number of episodes.

Adult↗

Course of a clinical cohort of unipolar, bipolar and schizoaffective patients. Results of a prospective study from 1959 to 1985.

This paper reports the results of a 27 year prospective study of 186 unipolar depressives and 220 bipolar disorders meeting DSM-III criteria for major depression or mania. Subjects were classified into four diagnostic subgroups, according to polarity and presence or absence of schizophrenic symptoms: unipolar depression, bipolar disorder, unipolar schizoaffective disorder and bipolar schizoaffective disorder. Course parameters were assessed for all samples. As the sequence of subtypes of affective and schizoaffective disorders progresses from unipolar depression, schizodepression, pure affective bipolar disorder to schizobipolar disorder, a systematic decrease in age of onset and length of episode can be observed. When compared to unipolar disorders (unipolar depression and schizodepressive disorder), bipolar (bipolar and schizobipolar) disorders showed more periodicity, characterized by greater number of total episodes, more episodes per year, but with shorter episodes and cycles. Despite the lower age of onset among schizoaffective subjects compared to pure affective disorders, the only difference in course between the two groups was a greater frequency in episodes requiring hospitalization among schizoaffectives.

Adult↗

[Depressive disorders. Risk factors of recurrence].

The prediction of recurrence in affective disorders is very difficult and in individual cases not possible at all. Socio-demographic variables as body build, positive family history, marital status and social class, do not predict recurrence. This is probably true for sex and age, too. The impact of stressors and social support on the course is relatively weak. In this context the research on expressed emotion is of interest, as it gives some evidence that the presence of a sick spouse may increase the relapse rate. On the other hand an inadequate premorbid personality, especially a high neuroticism score, could predict recurrence. Classification of the illness is an other variable with prognostic value. Relapse rate is probably higher in endogenous than in neurotic depressions. Comorbidity and a history of other psychiatric disorders correlate with a high relapse rate. One of the best established clinical and epidemiological finding is the prognostic value of the past course. Recurrence is higher in bipolar disorders and in patients with a high number of previous episodes. An older age of onset probably increases the likelihood of recurrence. A prospective study on the course of affective disorders was initiated in Zurich in 1959. All patients suffering from affective and schizoaffective psychoses (n = 406) who were admitted to the Psychiatric University Clinic of Zurich between 1959 and 1963 were followed up every 5 years. The last assessment was carried out in 1985. On the basis of a multiple regression analysis, we tried to establish correlations of several independent variables with the length of cycles and the number of episodes per year. Correlations were only found in bipolar disorders.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Causality↗

Familial relationship between mood disorders and alcoholism.

Clinical and epidemiological studies have consistently revealed an association between alcohol use disorders and both bipolar and nonbipolar mood disorders. However, the evidence regarding the nature of these associations is unclear. The familial patterns of alcohol and affective disorders were examined using data from a controlled family study of probands with alcohol and anxiety disorders who were sampled from treatment settings and the community. The substantial degree of comorbidity between mood and anxiety disorders among probands allowed for the examination of comorbidity and familial aggregation of alcohol and mood disorders. The major findings are that (1) alcoholism was associated with bipolar and nonbipolar mood disorders in the relatives; (2) there was a strong degree of familial aggregation of alcohol dependence and both types of mood disorders were observed; and (3) there was no evidence of cross-aggregation (i.e., increase in mood disorders among probands with alcohol dependence, and vice versa) between alcoholism and mood disorders. The independent familial aggregation of bipolar disorder and alcoholism and the finding that the onset of bipolar disorder tended to precede that of alcoholism are compatible with a self-medication hypothesis as the explanation for the frequent co-occurrence of these disorders. In contrast, the independent familial aggregation and the tendency of an earlier onset of alcoholism than that of nonbipolar depression suggest that unipolar mood disorders are frequently secondary to alcoholism.

Adult↗