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Biomedical subjects

S G Holliday

Publications and source records attributed to S G Holliday.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Risperidone: treatment response in adult and geriatric patients.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy and side effects of risperidone in younger adult and geriatric patients. METHODS: Open retrospective study of 102 consecutive intakes, prescribed risperidone, by a mental health team. All patients were non-hospitalized community residents. Prior to initiation of risperidone, and at termination of study period, Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scores were used to track progress. Variables monitored were: concurrent use of other antipsychotics, compliance, side effects, and maintenance dosage. RESULTS: The most common DSM-IV diagnoses were schizophrenia in the younger adult group and late onset delusional disorders in the geriatric group. Compliance was good for both groups. The geriatric group demonstrated a greater treatment response which was reached at a significantly lower dosage. There was no statistically significant difference in the occurrence of side effects. Examination of response by diagnostic category indicated that geriatric patients with late onset delusional disorder showed the best response while adults with either schizophrenia or affective syndromes also showed positive response. CONCLUSIONS: Risperidone, at lower than recommended doses, shows promise in the treatment of late onset delusional disorders and behavior syndrome of dementia. The side effect profile was benign, as was suggested by experience in treating schizophrenia. Scientifically more rigorous prospective studies for the indications and efficacy of risperidone in late onset psychotic disorders and psychoses and behavior syndromes associated with dementing illness are overdue.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Electrophoretic mobility and zeta potential of lysozyme crystals.

Using free-solution capillary electrophoresis, the electrophoretic mobility of micro m-sized lysozyme crystals in their growth solution at 283 K, 1.5%(w/v) NaC1, and over a range of pH values between 3.59 and 5.70 has been measured. Under these conditions, the mobility is independent of crystal size, while the calculated zeta potential increases from +8 to +24 mV as the pH decreases. Since the pH dependence of the zeta potential mirrors the pH dependence of charge on the free molecule, as determined by acid titration, it is concluded that the charge on the crystal is a result of H(+) adsorption from solution.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1991

Agitation in the demented elderly: a role for benzodiazepines?

"Agitation" is a term that is used to describe a wide range of dysfunctional behaviours in geriatric populations. The term is so widely used that in many cases it loses clinical meaning and therefore a more restricted use of the term is suggested. When patients with agitation are identified it is important to look for underlying treatable pathology which is often present. Controversy surrounding the most appropriate medications is reviewed with particular reference to both neuroleptics and benzodiazepines. A randomized double-blind comparison of lorazepam and alprazolam in demented patients with agitation was carried out. While both drugs were efficacious for some patients, there were significantly more serious side-effects with lorazepam. It appears that there is a role for benzodiazepines such as alprazolam in the management of the agitated demented patient.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Treatment of depression in the elderly: a Canadian view.

1. Between 10 and 15% of people over the age of 65 have a potentially treatable depression. 2. The commonest antidepressants used in Canada, the tertiary-amine tricyclics, are potentially problematic when used with geriatric patients. 3. It is current practice in geriatric psychiatry to use secondary-amine tricyclics as "first choice" drugs for elderly depressed patients. 4. Electroconvulsive therapy can be effectively used to deal with severely depressed elderly patients, particularly if there are also features of dementia. 5. Although "better drugs" are needed for the elderly, people over the age of 65 are typically excluded from treatment outcome research.

Aged↗
PubMed1988

Risky-choice behavior: a life-span analysis.

The purpose of the present study was to systemically test the hypothesis that older people adopt risk-avoiding strategies when faced with risky-choice situations. Ninety-six adults, representing four age cohorts, filled out a risk-taking questionnaire consisting of twelve situations demanding a choice between a safe and a risky option. One-half of the choices involved potential losses, the other half involved potential gains. The results indicated that older adults choose no more safe alternatives than do younger adults. Additionally, for all age cohorts, risk avoiding was more evident when choices were between risky and certain gains than when choices were between risky and certain losses. This pattern of responding suggests that older adults do not necessarily adopt a general strategy of avoiding risk options when a safe alternative is available. Instead, risk avoiding, for all age cohorts, appears to be influenced by the parameters of the choice situation.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Multidimensional assessment of psychosis: a factor-analytic validation study of the Routine Assessment of Patient Progress.

The areas of function affected by major mental disorders are more diverse than the list of core symptoms assessed by many psychiatric rating scales, and the cross-sectional picture obtained in mental status interviews often fails to capture important data. Information on patient function can be obtained from measures that are based on extended observation and complement symptom-focused assessments. The Routine Assessment of Patient Progress (RAPP) is a 21-item rating scale that assesses both functional and psychiatric symptoms. It is usually completed by nursing staff who have observed patients over a 1-week period. Previous research has shown it to be reliable, valid, simple to complete, and of substantial value for patient care and diagnosis. The present study sought to examine the psychometric structure of the RAPP to define what domains of symptoms and behavior it measures. RAPP scores obtained from 165 psychotic inpatients were submitted to a factor analysis. A five-factor solution was derived in which 18 of 21 RAPP items were assigned to factors. The factors were labeled aggression, positive symptoms, negative symptoms, somatization/anxiety, and organic/ disorganization. The RAPP factors were moderately correlated with conceptually similar factor scores derived from the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). RAPP aggression scores were validated with an independent clinical measure of aggression. Patients who were independently rated as improved over their hospital stay showed significant improvement on all RAPP factors, and unimproved patients showed stability or deterioration on RAPP measures. The data indicate that RAPP factors assess domains of psychopathology that are moderately correlated with both global ratings and symptom-focused scales. The RAPP's sensitivity to change suggests it is a valid measure of treatment outcome that could be used in controlled trials, as well as standard care outcome evaluation.

Adolescent↗