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Biomedical subjects

C Stefanis

Publications and source records attributed to C Stefanis.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1986

Delusional depression: phenomenology and response to treatment. A prospective study.

In a prospective study, the authors compared 22 delusional and 36 non-delusional depressive patients with respect to demographic and clinical variables, personality, and response to treatment. Delusional depressives had a higher total score than non-delusional depressives on Hamilton's Rating Scale for Depression, as well as a higher score for depressed mood and psychomotor retardation. The type of treatment failed to differentiate the two groups as to outcome at discharge. However, six of the seven delusional depressives who did not respond to tricyclic antidepressants had a full recovery with ECT. The results indicate that delusional depression represents a more severe type of major depression.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Effects of six weeks' neuroleptic treatment on the pituitary-thyroid axis in schizophrenic patients.

In order to investigate the effects of 6 weeks' neuroleptic treatment on the pituitary-thyroid axis in 25 male schizophrenic patients, and the diurnal variation in the thyrotropin (TSH) and prolactin (PRL) responses to thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) in these patients, the TRH stimulation test was performed in each of them at 14.00 and 24.00 h of the same day, both before and after 6 weeks' treatment with neuroleptics (chlorpromazine or fluspirilene). Also, serum thyroxine (T4), in vitro radioactive triiodothyronine uptake (RT3 U) and free-thyroxine index (FTI) values were estimated from the pre-TRH blood sample. We found no evidence of diurnal variation in the TSH response to TRH in the schizophrenic patients, before or after 6 weeks' neuroleptic treatment. Only drug-free schizophrenic patients had significantly higher PRL responses to TRH at 14.00 h than those at 24.00 h. After 6 weeks' neuroleptic treatment, schizophrenic patients tended to have lower FTI values; also, they had significantly higher basal TSH and PRL values, as well as significantly augmented TSH and PRL responses to TRH, in comparison to their pretreatment values. These findings render possible the diagnosis of subclinical hypothyroidism in neuroleptic-treated schizophrenic patients.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1986

Prolactin response induced by ECT and TRH.

The prolactin response after ECT in ten female melancholic patients correlated significantly to their prolactin response to i.v. TRH. These findings may suggest an underlying common mechanism between TRH and ECT regarding their PRL releasing properties.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

A psychoendocrine study in male paranoid schizophrenics with delusional ideas of homosexual content.

The serum prolactin (PRL), luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone (T) and estradiol (E) levels were investigated in a group of male paranoid schizophrenics with delusional ideas of homosexual content, in a group of male paranoid schizophrenics without delusional ideas of homosexual content, and in a group of healthy, male heterosexual subjects. Only male paranoid schizophrenics with delusional ideas of homosexual content had significantly lower serum PRL values and significantly higher serum E levels than those of the age-matched group of normal, male heterosexual controls; also, these patients tended to have higher (though not to a statistically significant degree) serum LH and T levels than those of normal controls. Findings of this study are discussed within the framework of the possible involvement of endocrine factors in the occurrence of delusional ideas of homosexual content in male patients with paranoid schizophrenia.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Prevalence of psychological disorders in the Athens area. Prediction of causal factors.

A two-phase cross-sectional study on the prevalence of psychological disorders was carried out in a sample of 1,574 adult male and female residents of two boroughs in the greater Athens area. The analysis focused on the detection of any possible effects (risk factors) that personal data (such as sociodemographic profile, use of psychiatric services, medication and experience of stressful life events) may have on mental health; information about the latter was assessed by Langner's scale. The findings are that all the independent variables investigated affect the respondents' psychological status, although interactive effects between variables predicted different patterns of psychopathological symptom formation.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Increases in prolactin levels following bilateral and unilateral ECT.

Plasma prolactin levels were studied after bilateral and unilateral ECT in eight female melancholic patients. Although prolactin levels were higher after both treatments, patients who received bilateral ECT had significantly higher prolactin levels than did those who received unilateral ECT.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Neuroses and ABO blood types.

Determination of ABO blood types was carried out in 72 (35 female and 37 male) patients with obsessive-compulsive neurosis, 73 (35 female and 38 male) patients with phobic neurosis, 75 (54 female and 21 male) patients with hysteria and a random sample of 600 individuals (268 female and 332 male) drawn from the general population. Results provide evidence of: (1) a positive association between obsessive-compulsive neurosis and blood type A and a corresponding negative association between the former and blood type O; (2) a positive association between phobic neurosis and blood type O and a corresponding negative association between the former and blood type A, and (3) a positive association between hysteria and blood type A and a corresponding negative association between the former and blood type O. Moreover, sex does not appear to modify the ABO blood type distribution in our patients with obsessive-compulsive neurosis, phobic neurosis or hysteria. These findings might be considered as supporting the view that hereditary factors in the neurotic individual may influence the clinical form of his neurosis.

ABO Blood-Group System↗
PubMed1983

Depression: biological and neuroendocrine aspects.

Distorted biorhythms and altered neuroendocrine function may accompany depressive disorders. Restoration of the above derangements occurs with effective therapy, whereas persistence of the biological abnormalities is found in patients incompletely cured and may be predictive of early relapse. The commonest hormonal abnormalities are: decreased suppressibility of the ACTH-cortisol axis to dexamethasone, subnormal thyrotropin response to TRH and growth hormone release to hypoglycemia; attenuated gonadotropin production and abnormal light-dark entrained melatonin secretion. The observed hormonal derangements seem to be epiphenomena of the primary disorder. The reversibility of the disordered neuroendocrine control with treatment of the depressive syndrome suggests that the hormonal abnormalities represent a state rather than trait disorders. Finally, the lack of similar neuroendocrine derangements in schizophrenia or secondary exogenous depression suggests that different neurochemical alterations underlie these disorders.

Biological Clocks↗
PubMed1982

Effects of acute cannabis use and short-term deprivation on plasma prolactin and dopamine-beta-hydroxylase in long-term users.

Six long-term cannabis users (10 - 44 years of use) were studied for four days during which cannabis smoking was followed by three days deprivation and smoking on the fourth day. Blood samples were taken at - 30, + 30 and + 120 minutes from each smoking and once in every deprivation day. Pulse rate and blood pressure were measured before each blood sample. Prolactin and dopamine-beta-hydroxylase activity were estimated in plasma. On the third deprivation day, both prolactin and dopamine-beta-hydroxylase were significantly elevated compared to the pre-smoking values, but returned to them after the second cannabis use. The mean arterial pressure followed the same course. The data suggest that cannabis use in man reduces noradrenergic and enhances dopaminergic activity, while deprivation has the opposite effect, possibly through presynaptic receptor mechanisms.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

Subtypes of schizophrenia and ABO blood types.

Determination of ABO blood types was carried out in 430 (171 female and 259 male) patients with hebephrenic schizophrenia and in 340 (155 female and 185 male) patients with paranoid schizophrenia. Results were compared with a random sample of 600 individuals (268 female and 332 male) drawn from the general population. No significant association was detected between any of the ABO blood phenotypes and affliction either with hebephrenic or paranoid schizophrenia

ABO Blood-Group System↗
PubMed1980

Alcohol consumption and rates of alcoholism in Greece.

It appears that the incidence of alcoholism is relatively low in Greece, in spite of high consumption of alcohol and absence of restrictive measures for its use. This may be related to the traditional integration of alcohol use in the social ritualistic structures and to family and social support of susceptible individuals in the small Greek communities. The differences between urban and rural areas support these assumptions but should perhaps be taken as a danger signal. In order to establish effective measures of prevention, epidemiological studies are needed to confirm the trends and identify the risk factors.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMed1980

Free-thyroxine index in schizophrenic patients before and after neuroleptic treatment.

The mean values of serum thyroxine (T4), in vitro radioactive triiodothyronine uptake and free-thyroxine index (FTI) in 41 drug-free schizophrenic patients did not differ significantly from those of euthyroid controls. Following 6 weeks' treatment of 24 schizophrenics with chlorpromazine, trifluoperazine or clozapine, a significant decrease in serum T4 and FTI was noted after chlorpromazine and clozapine, whereas after trifluoperazine only serum T4 decreased, but not FTI. The questions arising from these findings are discussed and the need for a future investigation of serum triiodothyronine and serum TSH in schizophrenic patients before and after neuroleptic treatment is stressed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1980

Obsessional personality traits and ABO blood types.

The relation of ABO blood types to obsessional personality traits, as measured by the Leyton Obsessional Inventory (LOI), was studied in a sample of 600 normal individuals. High scorers of the LOI trait portion demonstrated a significantly lower incidence of phenotype O and a significantly higher incidence of phenotypes AB, A and B, taken together, compared to those of a general population sample and the entire study group. Findings of the present study, in conjunction with previous findings concerning a lower incidence of phenotype O and a higher incidence of phenotype A in obsessive compulsive patients, could be interpreted as indicating that phenotype O may be associated with personality traits hindering the development of obsessive-compulsive symptomatology.

ABO Blood-Group System↗
PubMed1980

Relations of obsessional traits to anxiety in patients with ulcerative colitis.

The obsessional personality traits and the "state" and "trait" anxiety, measured by means of self-rating inventories, were correlated in a group of patients with ulcerative colitis and a group of anxiety neurotics. The results suggest that patients with ulcerative colitis demonstrate strong positive trends, contrary to neurotics who show negative or very weak correlations, during the active period of their illness. These findings are discussed and some hypotheses concerning the different association of anxiety to obsessionality between the two groups are presented.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Looking differences in relation to examiner's attitude in paranoid patients and normal controls.

The differences in amount and pattern of looking during interviews of 20 male paranoid patients and 20 nomral controls are investigated in relation to a female examiner's change of attitude, as indicated by change in the tone of her voice, by means of a cross-over design. The results indicate that paranoids do not follow the "decreased looking" model suggested for schizophrenics in other studies. Patients show a significant order effect, a higher overall amount of looking and a quite opposite pattern of looking across interviews as compared to controls. It is suggested that patients may have difficulties in regulating their visual behaviour according to examiner's attitude, resulting to a "stereotyped" pattern of looking. These findings are discussed with particular reference to visual information processing.

Adult↗