PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

R Raskin

Publications and source records attributed to R Raskin.

18 recordsLinked to original sources

FIV-infected cats respond to short-term rHuG-CSF treatment which results in anti-G-CSF neutralizing antibody production that inactivates drug activity.

The hematological and virological effects of recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (rHuG-CSF) were evaluated in feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV)-infected cats. Six age-matched, FIV-infected cats used in this cross-over study were injected subcutaneously with 5 microg/kg of rHuG-CSF daily for 3 weeks, while six control cats received a placebo. Five of six rHuG-CSF-treated cats had significant increases in neutrophil counts that peaked on days 11-21 of treatment. All rHuG-CSF-treated cats exhibited an increase in myeloid:erythroid ratios of the bone marrow cells without significant changes in lymphocyte, CD4 counts, CD4/CD8 ratios, RBC counts, FIV antibody titers, and FIV loads in peripheral blood, and without clinical and hematological toxicities. Five of six rHuG-CSF-treated cats developed antibodies to rHuG-CSF by 14-21 days of treatment, which correlated with decreasing neutrophil counts and increasing neutralizing antibodies to rHuG-CSF. Three cats re-treated with rHuG-CSF rapidly developed neutralizing antibodies to rHuG-CSF, while one cat also developed neutralizing antibodies to recombinant feline G-CSF (rFeG-CSF). Overall, rHuG-CSF treatment increased neutrophil counts in FIV-infected cats without affecting the infection status of cats. However, long-term use of rHuG-CSF is not recommended in cats because of the neutralizing antibody production to rHuG-CSF that affects the drug activity. In addition, a preliminary finding suggests that repeated treatment cycle can also induce cross-neutralizing antibodies to rFeG-CSF, which may potentially affect the homeostasis of endogenous FeG-CSF.

Animals↗

Recognition of warning signs: a consideration for cost-effective treatment of severe mental illness.

Warning signs of decompensation, also known as prodromal symptoms, and problems related to poor recognition of warning signs were examined in a sample of 370 adult outpatients with severe mental illness. Clinicians' ratings, client interviews, and eight months of client service records revealed that poor recognition of warning signs was a prevalent problem in this population and was related to poorer treatment outcomes and greater use of the most expensive types of services. Poor recognition was more likely to improve when it was specifically treated than when not treated. Improvement in recognition was related to better outcomes and lower costs. Results suggest the need for patients' recognition of warning signs to receive standardized assessment, treatment, and monitoring.

Adult↗

A model for evaluating intensive outpatient behavioral health care programs.

OBJECTIVE: This study proposes a model with five criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of intensive outpatient behavioral health care programs and applies this model to a brief partial hospital-crisis stabilization program. The five criteria are client selection, program attendance, service utilization and focus of treatment, client improvement, and cost-effectiveness. METHODS: The program evaluation model was tested with a sample of 285 adults with severe mental illness who were admitted for or were receiving outpatient treatment at a state-funded community mental health center. Evaluation data included pre- and postprogram ratings by clinical staff of clients' symptoms, level of functioning, and treatment readiness; current and retrospective reports of clients' symptoms based on interviews with clients; and clients' service and financial records. Clients and clinicians also provided data about the problems addressed during treatment sessions. RESULTS: Program dropouts used significant facility resources before dropping out. Clients who participated in the partial hospital-crisis stabilization program showed reduced symptoms, improved daily functioning, and improved treatment readiness. Clients who showed more improvement cost less to treat. CONCLUSIONS: The evaluation model produced the information necessary for demonstrating program effectiveness. The results support the belief that clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness are positively related.

Adult↗

Narcissism and the use of fantasy.

This study examined the relationship between narcissism and the use of daydreams and fantasy in samples of 129 and 193 subjects. In sample 1, it was found that (1) narcissistic individuals experience achievement, heroic, sexual, hostile, self-revelation, and future-oriented daydreams; and (2) these six types of daydreams represent a coherent "narcissistic" fantasy style. In sample 2, narcissistic individuals who were experiencing higher levels of daily stress report using more self-admiration, power and revenge, and suffering fantasies to cope with stress. The narcissistic theme of entitlement is uniquely related to narcissistic fantasy and the narcissists' use of sustaining fantasies to cope with stress. Results are consistent with clinical literature on the narcissistic personality.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Narcissism, self-esteem, and defensive self-enhancement.

This study investigates the relationships among narcissism, self-esteem, and defensive self-enhancement in samples of 60, 84, 300, and 57 subjects. Using various self-report indices of these constructs we found that (a) defensive self-enhancement is composed of two orthogonal components: grandiosity and social desirability; (b) grandiosity and social desirability independently predict self-esteem and may represent distinct confounds in the measurement of self-esteem, (c) narcissism is positively related to grandiose self-enhancement (as opposed to social desirability), (d) narcissism is positively associated with both defensive and nondefensive self-esteem, and (e) authority, self-sufficiency, and vanity are the narcissistic elements most indicative of nondefensive self-esteem. The results are consistent with several theories that postulate a two-component model for self-esteem regulation and personality development.

Adult↗

An MMPI description of the narcissistic personality.

This study developed a Minnesota Multiphase Personality Inventory (MMPI) description of the narcissistic personality in a nonclinical population. The Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI) and the MMPI were administered to two samples of 57 and 173 subjects. A correlational analysis produced a cross-validated positive relationship between narcissism and MMPI mania (Ma) and cross-validated negative relationships between narcissism and MMPI depression (D), psychasthenia (Pt), social introversion (Si), anxiety (A), repression (R), and ego control (Ec). A correlational analysis of the 7-factor components of the NPI (Authority, Exhibitionism, Superiority, Vanity, Exploitativeness, Entitlement, and Self-Sufficiency) and the MMPI validity, clinical, commonly scored, and content scales suggests that the seven NPI components reflect different levels of psychological maladjustment. Narcissistic Entitlement and Exploitativeness reflect the most maladjustment, whereas narcissistic Authority reflects the least maladjustment. In addition, a profile analysis of the high NPI scorers suggest that a 98/89 MMPI profile with an elevated F score is most representative of the narcissistic personality in nonclinical samples.

Adolescent↗

A principal-components analysis of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory and further evidence of its construct validity.

We examined the internal and external validity of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI). Study 1 explored the internal structure of the NPI responses of 1,018 subjects. Using principal-components analysis, we analyzed the tetrachoric correlations among the NPI item responses and found evidence for a general construct of narcissism as well as seven first-order components, identified as Authority, Exhibitionism, Superiority, Vanity, Exploitativeness, Entitlement, and Self-Sufficiency. Study 2 explored the NPI's construct validity with respect to a variety of indexes derived from observational and self-report data in a sample of 57 subjects. Study 3 investigated the NPI's construct validity with respect to 128 subject's self and ideal self-descriptions, and their congruency, on the Leary Interpersonal Check List. The results from Studies 2 and 3 tend to support the construct validity of the full-scale NPI and its component scales.

Adolescent↗

Narcissism and the use of personal pronouns.

In this study we explored the relationship between narcissism and the individual's use of personal pronouns during extemporaneous monologues. The subjects, 24 males and 24 females, were asked to talk for approximately 5 minutes on any topic they chose. Following the monologues the subjects were administered the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, and the Rotter Internal-External Locus of Control Scale. The monologues were tape-recorded and later transcribed and analyzed for the subjects' use of personal pronouns. As hypothesized, individuals who scored higher on narcissism tended to use more first person singular pronouns and fewer first person plural pronouns. Discriminant validity for the relationship between narcissism and first person pronoun usage was exhibited in that narcissism did not show a relationship with subjects' use of second and third person pronouns, nor did the personality variables of extraversion, neuroticism, or locus of control exhibit any relationship with the subjects' personal pronoun usage.

Adolescent↗

Myelodysplastic syndrome in two dogs.

Two cases of myelodysplastic syndrome in the dog are described. Both cases were characterized by hepatomegaly, cytopenias, macrocytosis, cellular bone marrow, and dysplastic changes in all hematopoietic cell lines. Serum vitamin B12 and folic acid concentrations were within reference ranges in one dog, but vitamin B12 was slightly decreased in the other. Vitamin B12 therapy did not result in amelioration of the hematologic disorder. The duration of illness was approximately 5 months. Necropsy of one dog revealed an acute undifferentiated leukemia.

Anemia↗

The Narcissistic Personality Inventory: alternative form reliability and further evidence of construct validity.

The aim of this study was twofold: (a)to measure the alternate form reliability of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory, and (b)to determine its construct validity by correlating it with the four scales of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ). The alternate form reliability was .72. The Extraversion and Psychoticism scales of the EPQ were positively and significantly correlated with the narcissism measure, and the Lie scale showed a significant negative correlation. The Neuroticism scale showed a nonsignificant relationship with narcissism. In addition, the combined Extraversion and Psychoticism scales produced[ a Multiple R with the narcissism measure that accounted for significantly more of the variance in narcissism than did either measure alone.

Journal Article↗