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Biomedical subjects

O A De León

Publications and source records attributed to O A De León.

18 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2000

[Clinical use of new antidepressive agents with dual action (literature review)].

The effective pharmacological treatment of depression started in 1958 with the introduction of iproniazide and imipramine. New agents quickly followed with more specific actions and a safer side effect profile. Very recently, fourth generation antidepressants with dual action have been introduced. These new agents pose a challenging dilemma. Is it better to develop drugs ever more selective towards specific monoamine receptor subpopulations, or drugs that act upon several monoamines in a more focused way? The priority seems to be the investigation of the interactions of the various monoaminergic systems. This paper reviews the clinical use of the new antidepressants that implement the notion of dual action as an important element for efficacy combined with receptor-specific action as a basis for tolerability.

Antidepressive Agents↗
PubMed1997

Application of ictal brain SPECT for differentiating epileptic from nonepileptic seizures.

The authors report 2 clinical cases that illustrate the difficulties with video-monitored EEG and the advantages of brain SPECT in differential diagnosis of true epileptic seizures and nonepileptic seizures. Injection of [99mTc]HMPAO at the time of the ictal event provides a means to obtain a SPECT image postictally for comparison with interictal examinations so that an epileptic or nonepileptic focus may be localized.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Risperidone in the treatment of delusions of infestation.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to describe the efficacy and safety of risperidone, in the treatment of delusions of infestation. METHOD: The authors present a three-case series in which risperidone was used to treat delusions of infestation. RESULTS: All three patients responded to risperidone and experienced no extrapyramidal side effects. Two of our patients had failed treatment with haloperidol and another had failed treatment with pimozide. CONCLUSION: Risperidone was an effective and safe treatment in three cases of delusions of infestation. It is possible that 5-HT2 antagonism is essential for therapeutic benefit in this condition.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Development, reliability and validation of the Diabetes Emotional Adjustment Scale in Spanish: preliminary findings.

OBJECTIVE: The development of instruments to measure emotional maladjustment in diabetic Hispanic populations has received little attention. We present the development and validation of the Diabetes Emotional Adjustment Scale in Spanish. METHOD: An eighteen-item self-administered scale was construed to assess emotional adjustment in Spanish-speaking diabetic patients and the psychometric properties of the scale were assessed. The scale was applied to a sample of sixty patients and scale scores were correlated with scores on a battery of Spanish versions of established measures of psychological distress, to assess concurrent validity. Test-retest reliability was established four years later re-examining thirty-eight of the initial sixty-patients sample. RESULTS: Split-half reliability and test-retest reliability were satisfactory. There were significant correlations between the scale results and measures of depression, trait-anxiety, family adjustment, and locus of control of behavior. A principal component analysis with varimax rotation yielded a six-factor solution explaining 50.4 percent of the total variance. CONCLUSIONS: The scale is useful as a screening instrument, but the confirmation of factor structure stability and the correlation of the scale results with objective measures of metabolic control, require further investigation.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1994

[The neurobiological bases of aggression: the pharmacotherapeutic implications].

The aim of this paper is to attempt a classification of aggressive behavior based on neurobiological mechanisms and to shed some light on the pharmacological treatment of this condition. Drugs that enhance serotonin transmission are indicated in conditions related to decreased serotonergic transmission. Dopamine blockers are useful in the acute control of aggression and the violence displayed by schizophrenic patients. Clozapine probably has an anti-aggressive effect independent of its antipsychotic action. Noradrenergic agents have been shown effective in chronic aggression of organic brain syndromes. Gabaergic drugs are effective in acute aggression and in organic brain syndromes.

Aggression↗
PubMed1993

[The Capgras syndrome: a clinical study of 9 cases].

The Capgras' syndrome is the delusional belief that a person or object has been replaced by an identical duplicate, usually with evil intent. A clinical, psychometric and electroencephalographic study of 9 patients afflicted with this syndrome and its variants was performed. The clinical course and the therapeutic response were assessed during the follow up that run between 2 and 11 years. The aim of this paper is to discuss the etiologically relevant psychodynamic, organic and mythological issues and to postulate an explanatory model that integrates limbic mechanisms, affect recognition processes, psychodynamic factors and anthropological aspects.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

[Identification of emotional disturbances in the diabetic patient].

The Emotional Adjustment Scale for Diabetics (EAD) and the Brown Scale (SB) were used to evaluate 60 diabetic patients. The aim of the study was to compare the clinicians' ability to diagnose the emotional maladjustment with the results of a standardized instrument. A battery of psychosocial tests was also applied. The results showed that SB has low sensibility, specificity and positive predictive value which suggests that clinicians has less ability to diagnose emotional maladjustment than a standardized instrument. The analysis of tests results helped to identify predictive variables for the results of SB (personality factors) and the results of EAD (locus of control of behavior, age, escolarity and scales D and F of the Minimult). The findings are discussed in the light of the relevant literature.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1992

[The coexistence of the intermetamorphosis and Foley syndromes: an interhemispheric disconnection or a limbic hyperconnection?].

The case of a patient with both, the intermetamorphosis and the Foley syndromes is studied. Both of these syndromes are extremely infrequent and their coexistence in a single patient points up to a common etiopathogenic mechanism. The relevant literature is discussed and a limbic hyperconnection syndrome is proposed to explain the clinical findings as well as the positive response to valproic acid.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

[Psychiatric implications of bank closing].

The author investigated the incidence of emotional problems in 96 persons affected by the economic disaster which occurred in Panama during the period in which banks were closed. The authors used the self-reporting questionnaire, a survey of the social support network, a psychiatric examination, cognitive appreciation and the subject's adaptive behavior. The results obtained suggest that individuals who are culturally isolated are more susceptible to present emotional disorders.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

[Pathogenesis of the delusional formation in Ekbom's syndrome].

The Authors describe the clinical histories of two patients who presented with the infrequent delusion of being infected with very tiny organisms which crawl in the skin (Ekbom's syndrome) and comments on its phenomenological characteristics and nosological classification. In their discussion they clarify aspects of the pathogenesis of delusions in this condition.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Antiepileptic drugs for the acute and maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder.

Both traditional and newer antiepileptic drugs have been considered for the acute and maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder. Although the psychotropic actions of these compounds have long been recognized, their specific mood-stabilizing properties have become evident only relatively recently. Carbamazepine and valproate are the antiepileptics most thoroughly studied for the treatment of bipolar disorder, but trials of the newer compounds such as lamotrigine, gabapentin, topiramate, and tiagabine have also begun to emerge. This article reviews the published research (including controlled trials, outcome reports, case series, and anecdotal observations) relevant to the efficacy of these agents in the acute and maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder. It also reviews the available information regarding clinical predictors of response. Despite considerable interest in these drugs, data are still limited. Comparison of clinical responses to the various mood stabilizers and determination of their mechanisms of action could help to improve treatment for bipolar disorder.

Acetates↗