Surveillance of adolescent suicide attempters in the Rhode Island Hospital Pediatric Emergency Department.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to A Bond.
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The psychological impact of the diagnosis of gestational diabetes was examined in 68 pregnant women. No differences between the women with gestational diabetes and 50 non-diabetic pregnant controls, matched for gestational age, were found on the Profile of Mood States--Bipolar Form. Contrary to clinical lore, the prescription of insulin was not found to have an adverse effect on the emotional status of women with gestational diabetes. In this diabetic population whose blood glucose levels were well controlled, psychological status was not found to be related to blood glucose levels. The results suggest that the majority of pregnant women adapt readily to the unexpected diagnosis of gestational diabetes.
Two doses of two very similar benzodiazepines (oxazepam 15 and 30 mg: lorazepam 1 and 2 mg) and placebo were compared 4 h post-administration on a competitive reaction time task designed to measure behavioural aggression. Forty-five subjects were assigned randomly to five independent drug groups. Subjective ratings of mood, anxiety and aggression were completed pre- and post-drug and post-task. Oxazepam and lorazepam had very similar subjective effects, but the higher dose of lorazepam increased aggressive responding on the task more than any other treatment. This may be related to the different ceiling efficacies of the two benzodiazepines.
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In a health centre, 3.6% of the registered patients were found to have received at least one prescription for psychotropic drugs in each quarter of a year. These patients were mainly elderly and female. Psychiatric interviews were held with randomly selected index patients, and with matched controls. Most index patients reported taking psychotropic drugs for several years, mainly anxiolytics, antidepressants and non-barbiturate hypnotics, and mainly in low dosage. Index patients had much higher levels of psychiatric morbidity, as shown by the Present State Examination, history of specialist psychiatric treatment, and previous drug overdoses. In index patients the main diagnoses were neurotic depression and phobic disorder. Index patients reported more problems with finances and with social isolation.
The psychiatric state of 483 women was examined antenatally and at 3, 6, and 12 months postpartum. Comprehensive assessments were made of all women antenatally and of subgroups of the full sample postnatally. Psychiatric state was assessed using the General Health Questionnaire, the Present State Examination and the Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale. In terms of PSE criteria, the point prevalence of non-psychotic psychiatric disorder antenatally was found to be 6.0%; and postnatally it was estimated to be 8.7% at 3 months, 8.8% at 6 months and 5.2% at 12 months after delivery. These prevalence rates were compared to the rate in a general population sample of non-puerperal women and found to be no greater. In a subgroup of the full sample, the incidence of psychiatric disorder in the year following delivery was estimated to be 15.1%, which is close to a figure previously reported for women in the community. The onset of psychiatric disturbance was soon after delivery in most instances; and, for the majority, the episode of disturbance lasted for 3 months or less. The distribution of PSE Catego classes and syndromes among the antenatal and postnatal samples were found to be similar to those in the non-puerperal comparison sample. Thus, the prevalence, incidence, and nature of non-psychotic psychiatric disorder in the 12 months following delivery do not appear to distinguish it from such disorders arising at other times.
The murine response to bromelain-treated mouse red blood cells (BrMRBC) is derived from Ly-1 B cells. It has been proposed that this B-cell subset produces a variety of other autoantibodies and is elevated in autoimmune mouse strains. We have studied the ability of MRL lpr/lpr and the non-autoimmune congenic MRL +/+ mice to make autoantibodies to BrMRBC and immunoglobulin (rheumatoid factors, RF). Following lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation we found the numbers of autologous plaque-forming cells (PFC) to be low in both lpr and MRL +/+ mice, suggesting low Ly-1 B-cell numbers. This observation is consistent with the view that Ly-1 B cells in the mouse may not give rise to pathologically relevant RF.
MRL/lpr mice spontaneously develop an arthritis which, in several respects, is similar to human rheumatoid arthritis, including joint inflammation and circulating rheumatoid factors. In human disease, circulating IgM rheumatoid factor (RF) predominates but, surprisingly, in these mice we have detected much more IgA rheumatoid factor. This IgA rheumatoid factor has a major specificity for IgG2a, but heterogeneity in binding specificity was seen between different mice. IgG rheumatoid factors were determined in a heterologous mouse IgG assay, in which each subclass of rheumatoid factor was tested for its ability to bind to the remaining IgG subclasses. Rheumatoid factor activity was detected in all the IgG subclasses, but particularly elevated levels were seen in IgG3 and IgG1. Both the levels and specificities of IgG rheumatoid factors were markedly different between each mouse.
In a community survey 521 women aged 35-59 were selected at random from all patients registered in two groups practices. They were interviewed at home and assessed by means of standardised psychiatric measures and detailed gynaecological inquiry. Levels of psychiatric morbidity were found to be within the expected range for such a sample. Both psychiatric morbidity and the personality dimension of neuroticism were significantly associated with gynaecological symptoms, including dysmenorrhoea and premenstrual tension, some symptoms of excessive menstruation, and flushes and sweats but not disappearance of menstruation for over six months. Current psychiatric state was significantly associated with recent adverse life events and with indices of psychiatric vulnerability (neuroticism and previous psychiatric history), suggesting possible aetiological links with gynaecological symptoms. The findings of this study have implications for the management of gynaecological complaints in general practice.
Pregnancy complicated because of maternal spina bifida remains uncommon. With more aggressive surgical management in the 1960s these patients are now in adulthood and achieving pregnancies. In this series all four patients were delivered by caesarean section. As most patients have undergone extensive urological surgery great care is required at operation to avoid trauma to the urinary tract.
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The plasma steroid-binding proteins play a fundamental role in the modification and delivery of the steroid "signal" to its target tissue. While their precise function requires further evaluation, the measurement of these proteins, particularly of SHBG, provides clinically useful information. This article reviews the current theories of sex steroid transport and uptake, and documents the changes in SHBG status relevant to health, disease and drug therapy.
A technique is described which elicits hostility via provocation in a competitive reaction time task incorporating a predetermined failure rate of 50%. When the subject loses he is exposed to a white noise which increases in intensity through the experiment. When he wins he is able to administer one of 8 levels of noise to his opponent. Heart rate and skin conductance level and fluctuations were monitored throughout the experiment. Self-ratings of mood, aggression and anxiety were completed both pre and post task. It was found that the task elicited hostility which could be measured behaviourally, physiologically and emotionally.
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Advances in microsurgical techniques, with the use of the laser and the ultrasonic suction aspirator, have paved the way for even more aggressive surgical approaches to large skull-base lesions, such as glomus tumors, adenocarcinomas of the temporal bone, and cranial nerve neuromas. Postoperative morbidity of multiple cranial nerve dysfunction has been aggravated in the past by cerebrospinal fluid leakage and/or gastro-intestinal dysfunction. At the Otology Group, P.C., in the course of dealing with more than 86 skull-base tumors, we have developed a standardized, multispecialty approach to such extensive skull-base lesions, including tracheotomy, gastrostomy, "ventriculoatrial" shunt placement, and rotated temporalis muscle flap closure. This article presents cases that illustrate the evolution of the current, "standard skull-base" operative procedure and the rationale for incorporation of the shunt and the muscle flap closure as operative refinements. Their beneficial effects upon postoperative morbidity are detailed.
Monoclonal anti-idiotypic antibodies to HBsAg were screened by immunofluorescence for the presence of a subset behaving as the internal image of the original antigen. We describe the technique and the criteria fulfilled to establish that 2/6 monoclonals studied act as the internal images of the a determinant of hepatitis B surface antigen.
An automated technique for the continuous analysis of different frequency bands of the electrocorticogram (ECoG) of the rat has been used to quantify the actions of phencyclidine (PCP) and various other stimulant drugs. It has been demonstrated that phencyclidine, etoxadrol and LY154045 produced similar changes in the individual frequency bands whereas amphetamine and apomorphine had different profiles of activity. The phencyclidine-like compounds exhibited extremely strong stimulation of the ECoG with very large increases recorded in high frequency (15-50 Hz) activity and reductions in all other frequency bands. Various compounds have been used in an attempt to antagonise the changes in the ECoG. Chlorpromazine caused a slight shift in the dose-response curves as did chlordiazepoxide when used with phencyclidine. The GABA agonists, THIP and muscimol, had no effect on the stimulation of the ECoG. In contrast another presumed GABA agonist, baclofen, proved to be the most effective agent for blocking the stimulation induced by phencyclidine. The role of the GABAB receptor in the action of phencyclidine is discussed.
The hypervariable regions of the immunoglobulin molecule which function as the antigen-combining site are, themselves, capable of provoking an antibody response. These antigenic determinants on the immunoglobulin are termed the 'idiotype', and antibodies directed against them 'anti-idiotype'. In circumstances where there is a close complementarity of shape between antigen and idiotype, and subsequently between idiotype and anti-idiotype, it would be predicted that anti-idiotype would be like an 'internal image' of the antigen. Starting with a monoclonal antibody (idiotype) to the protective a determinant of the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), we have succeeded in raising two monoclonal anti-idiotypes which mimic HBsAg in their ability to bind polyclonal antibodies to HBsAg produced in a variety of species. These internal image anti-idiotypes may provide a strategy for immunization without the need for antigen.