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Biomedical subjects

A Elizur

Publications and source records attributed to A Elizur.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

[Attitudes of courts, physicians and psychiatric committees to court-ordered psychiatric hospitalization].

Legal responsibility for the mentally ill has long been a dilemma. Public opinion with regard to the current law, which holds that the mentally ill are not responsible for their actions, is divided. We assessed 30 cases of psychiatric patients committed by court order following a criminal act. No relation was found between the nature of the transgression and the nature or seriousness of the psychiatric disorder. Interestingly, those who committed the more serious crimes, such as murder, usually had committed fewer criminal acts in the past. The functioning of the psychiatric committees in charge of releasing patients committed by court order has improved substantially under the new law for the treatment of the mentally ill. They now assess patients with considerably greater frequency. The reports to the courts of examining physicians tend to be general, with little attempt to differentiate ability to stand trial and responsibility for actions. On the other hand, treating physicians relate mainly to the patient's illness, rather than to the crime for which he was committed.

Attitude↗
PubMed1994

Anticardiolipin antibodies are elevated in drug-free, multiply affected families with schizophrenia.

The objective of this study was to measure anticardiolipin antibodies in patients and healthy relatives in multicase families with schizophrenia. Twenty-eight (28) multicase families with schizophrenia were examined. One hundred three drug-free patients and 66 first-degree relatives consented to evaluation by DSM-III-R criteria. Criteria for patient definition included the following: age > or = 16, a confirmed hospital diagnosis of schizophrenia, knowledge of biological parents, and consent to participate. Additional data were drawn from family history and medical records. Serum samples were tested separately for IgG and IgM anticardiolipin by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and designated positive/negative by comparison to the reactivity of an age-matched control group. IgG anticardiolipin antibodies were significantly more common in both patients and relatives compared to controls. IgM anticardiolipin antibodies were significantly more common in patients. In 75% of families at least one member was anticardiolipin positive and this positivity correlated with patient positivity. The relevance of anticardiolipin antibodies in both patients and healthy relatives of some multicase families to the pathogenesis of schizophrenia is discussed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

CSF inositol in schizophrenia and high-dose inositol treatment of schizophrenia.

Inositol is a key metabolite in the phosphatidylinositol cycle, which is a second messenger system for serotonin-2 receptors that have been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Cerebrospinal fluid inositol levels were measured in 20 schizophrenic patients and 19 age- and sex-matched controls and no difference was found. However, the patients were all neuroleptic-treated. A controlled double-blind crossover trial of 12 g daily of inositol for a month in 12 anergic schizophrenic patients, twice the dose given before in schizophrenia, did not show any beneficial effects. However, the number of patients studied was small and the length of time of inositol administration may not have been sufficient.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Self-evaluation of psychotherapeutic competence.

The authors investigated the process of change of self-evaluation of therapeutic competence in psychotherapists enrolled in a postgraduate training programme of psychotherapy. An analysis of the relationships between self-evaluated therapeutic skills and level or stage of formal training was performed. The results of this study suggest that a higher level of self-evaluated therapeutic skill among applicants was followed by a decline in self-evaluation as the training progressed, and a gradual increase in self-evaluation towards the end of formal training. The findings reveal a curvilinear pattern of change which suggests specific internal cognitive/emotional processes leading to the formation of a professional self-image as a psychotherapist.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Cloning and sequencing of dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus, Coryphaenidae) growth hormone-encoding cDNA.

The cDNA encoding the preprotein growth hormone from the dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) has been cloned and sequenced. The cDNA was derived by reverse transcription of RNA from the pituitary of a young fish using the method known as Rapid Amplification of cDNA Ends (RACE). An oligonucleotide primer corresponding to the 5' region of Pagrus major and the universal RACE primer enabled amplification using the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). The dolphinfish and yellow-tail, Seriola quineqeradiata, are both members of the sub-order Percoidei (Perciforme) and their GH sequences show a high level of homology.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed1994

Akathisia and pseudoakathisia: clinical observations and accelerometric recordings.

BACKGROUND: Akathisia is a common side effect of neuroleptic treatment that is diagnosed on the basis of clinical observations. Its definition is regarded as complex and controversial. Thus, for example, while some authorities see akathisia as strictly an abnormal subjective state, others require the inclusion of specific repetitive movements. The present study suggests that the addition of objective accelerometric recordings to standardized clinical observations may increase the validity of this diagnosis. METHOD: Sixteen chronic schizophrenic patients, treated with various neuroleptic medications, were diagnosed as suffering from akathisia. The diagnosis was based on detailed clinical observations performed according to accepted diagnostic criteria. All patients underwent repeated accelerometric recordings following the onset of akathisia. RESULTS: While most subjects suffered from lower limb akathisia, 5 patients demonstrated the involvement of other body segments. Akathisia most frequently appeared while the patients were seated. The abnormal movements were regular, nonparoxysmal, and intermittent. Most patients suffered from a tardive disorder. The accelerometric recordings demonstrated in all cases a constant and regular wave form, frequency (below 4 Hz), and amplitude. The findings were reproducible, i.e., similar patterns appeared in several recordings of the same patient during the abnormal movements. CONCLUSION: Extensive and detailed clinical evaluations reveal that akathisia is not necessarily associated with restless pacing. Rather, the syndrome may include periodic, regular, and stereotyped movements, appearing in different body segments. Accelerometric recordings seem to confirm the clinical diagnosis of akathisia, demonstrating the existence of a constant wave form, frequency, and amplitude. In addition, these techniques may distinguish between akathisia and other disorders e.g., neuroleptic-induced tremor or tardive dyskinesia.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Autoantibodies to DNA in multicase families with schizophrenia.

In an attempt to define the autoimmune status of members of multicase families with schizophrenia, sera of both patients and healthy relatives from 28 such cases were tested for antinuclear antibodies, anti-double-stranded DNA, and anti-single-stranded DNA autoantibodies. These autoantibodies were significantly more frequent in both schizophrenic patients and healthy relatives than in normal subjects. Immunoglobulin (Ig) M anti-DNA antibodies were more common in patients, whereas in healthy relatives, IgG anti-DNA antibodies were more common. No significant differences were found between schizophrenic patients and their healthy relatives. The data indicate that an autoimmune process may be involved in the etiology of a subset of patients with schizophrenia.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Genetic analysis of chromosomal region 97D2-9 of Drosophila melanogaster.

The rough homeobox gene of D. melanogaster is required for the correct patterning of the developing eye. The locus maps to cytological location 97D2-5, a region which has not been extensively characterised. As part of our genetic and molecular characterization of rough we carried out an EMS mutagenesis to generate mutants that map to the surrounding region, 97D2-9 which is deleted in Df(3R)ro-XB3. We have generated 1 visible and 13 lethal mutations which, together with the previously described Toll and ms(3)K10 loci, and other unpublished lethals, define nine complementation groups--four lethal, three semi-lethal, one visible and one male-sterile. In addition to rough, one other locus within this region, 1(3)97De, was shown to be required for formation of the normal pattern of photoreceptor cells in the compound eye.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Increased anti-Sm antibodies in schizophrenic patients and their families.

1. Autoantibodies in the Sm complex have become a useful serologic aid in the diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and have rarely been observed in other diseases. 2. A subset of SLE patients have a variety of psychiatric abnormalities, including schizophrenia. 3. The authors have recently observed that schizophrenic patients have a high incidence of autoantibodies suggesting that autoimmune phenomena may play a role in the pathogenesis of this disease. 4. In the present study the authors investigated multicase families with schizophrenia for the presence of anti-Sm antibodies and showed that these autoantibodies are elevated both in patients and in their healthy relatives. 5. An autoimmune process may be involved in the pathology of schizophrenia.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

Cyclic psychosis associated with the menstrual cycle.

Psychotic symptoms are not included under accepted definitions of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). We present a 14-year-old girl with PMS, who developed a late luteal cyclic psychosis during two consecutive premenstrual periods, which resolved completely after the onset of menses. She was treated with dehydroxyprogesterone for two cycles, and later with placebo for the next three consecutive cycles. Psychotic symptoms did not reappear following two psychotic cycles, and the PMS resolved within the next menstrual cycle. We suggest that cyclic psychoses associated with the menstrual cycle may be a specific benign entity, not included under the recognised functional psychoses. In some cases these psychoses could be classified as a subgroup of PMS.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

The Israeli mental health budgeting policy: an historical perspective.

The Israeli health care system is undergoing important and drastic changes. The two main causes, the State Commission of Inquiry into the Functioning and Efficiency of Health Care Report and the Ministry of Health National Health Law, are publicly discussed. One of the main changes will be the mental health care budgeting system. This paper summarizes the current reimbursement policy and the main budgeting models of psychiatric services. It also reviews the main changes, in a historical perspective, of the psychiatric services organization.

Community Mental Health Centers↗
PubMed1992

Psychological and hormonal changes in the course of in vitro fertilization.

This study was designed to investigate concurrently the psychological and hormonal changes at three critical points during in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment. One hundred thirteen couples suffering from mechanical and unexplained infertility participated in the study and 23 of them conceived. Psychological evaluation included background questionnaires, Lubin's Depression Adjective Check List, and Spielberger's State Trait Anxiety inventory. Cortisol and prolactin levels were estimated by radioimmunoassay. The results showed that patients' anxiety and depression scores were significantly higher than the population norm. Psychological test scores and hormonal levels showed a similar pattern of change, increasing on oocyte retrieval day, decreasing on embryo transfer day, and rising again on pregnancy test day. Differences between these phases were generally significant. Differences in parameters' means between conceiving (C) and nonconceiving (NC) women were generally not significant. However, correlations between psychological measures and hormonal levels showed a clear disparity between C and NC women in the last phase. Whereas significant negative correlations were found in C patients, no relationship was found in NC patients. The findings suggest that success in IVF treatment may depend, in part, on differential modes of coping with anxiety and depression, involving hormonal or endorphin mediation.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1992

The association between adolescents' attitudes toward suicide and their psychosocial background and suicidal tendencies.

The present study examined the relationship between adolescents' attitudes toward suicide and their psychosocial background. It also evaluated the association between attitudes toward suicide and the subjects' own suicidal tendencies. A questionnaire assessing these issues was administered to 525 Israeli adolescents. Results indicated that significantly more females, nonreligious adolescents, those exposed to suicidal behavior, and those with increased suicidal risk held more accepting attitudes. Ethnic origin, socioeconomic status, and living in intact/nonintact families were not associated with adolescents' attitudes toward suicide.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Platelet autoantibodies in dementia and schizophrenia. Possible implication for mental disorders.

Platelets isolated from blood of demented and schizophrenic patients were found to bear surface antibodies at a considerably higher titer than those found on platelets from normal age-matched groups or patients with affective disorders. The platelet count in demented and schizophrenic patients correlated inversely with the level of the platelet associated antibodies (PAA) which suggested an autoimmune route of opsonization. In most individual cases of dementia or schizophrenia PAA and platelet count were found to oscillate with time between high PAA-low platelet number and low PAA-high platelet number in approximately inverse correlation. PAA isolated from demented patients were found to cross-react with platelets from normals and with brain tissue from rats. Furthermore, molecular weights of specific brain antigens were identified by binding to PAA. These observations support the possibility that PAA might be implicated in the etiology of some mental dysfunctions associated with dementia and schizophrenia.

Adult↗