Forty-four subjects with a history of a major recurrent affective disorder in remission and who were either on no medication or taking a single dose of psychotropic medication were conscripted together with matched controls. The fluorescent indicator fura 2 was used to measure intracellular calcium in platelets and estimations were made of total serum and ionised calcium as well as of whole blood serotonin. Intracellular calcium was measured in the resting state as well as after stimulation with thrombin, platelet activating factor and serotonin. No significant differences were found between the 17 subjects with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder or the 27 subjects with recurrent unipolar depression and their matched controls. Intracellular calcium measures were significantly higher in the lithium treated group after stimulation with 5HT, whereas the subjects taking tricyclic antidepressants did not differ significantly from their controls on any measure. Serum calcium was found to be significantly higher in those subjects taking lithium. These findings suggest that the measurement of intracellular calcium is not a useful trait marker in affective disorders. Lithium appears to enhance the 5HT induced rise of intracellular calcium.

Adult↗

PubMed1994

Effects of continued androgen-deprivation therapy and other prognostic factors on response and survival in phase II chemotherapy trials for hormone-refractory prostate cancer: a Southwest Oncology Group report.

PURPOSE: To assess the impact of prognostic factors, including continued (orchiectomy) versus discontinued androgen-suppression (nonorchiectomy) therapy, on chemotherapy response and survival of patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer. METHODS: Analysis of five consecutive Southwest Oncology Group (SWOG) phase II chemotherapy trials was undertaken. RESULTS: Two hundred five hormone-refractory patients were evaluated. Eighty-four percent had been orchiectomized. The median survival durations for the nonorchiectomy and orchiectomy patients were 6 and 7 months, respectively (P = .73). In a univariate analysis, orchiectomy patients had a significantly longer median time from diagnosis to first hormone therapy (1.1 v 0.1 years, P = .003), were more likely to have had chemotherapy initiated > or = 2 years from diagnosis (75% v 56%, P = .03), had a lower incidence of liver metastases (16% v 30%, P = .05), and had lower likelihood of being black (8% v 18%, P = .05) when compared with the nonorchiectomy group. Orchiectomy patients had a marginally significant longer median time from initial hormone treatment, more prior endocrine manipulations, lower median baseline alkaline phosphatase levels, and a lower likelihood of response to chemotherapy when compared with the nonorchiectomy group. Absence of liver metastases (P = .004), hemoglobin level > or = 10 g/dL (P < .001), acid phosphatase level > or = 1.2 IU/L (P = .05), response to chemotherapy (P = .001), and > or = 2 years from initial hormone treatment (P = .01) are important factors for survival. CONCLUSION: This study failed to show obvious advantages in response to chemotherapy or survival for patients with continued gonadal suppression. A prospective randomized trial is suggested to evaluate the effect of this factor on progression-free and overall survival of patients with hormone-refractory prostate cancer receiving chemotherapy.

Acid Phosphatase↗

PubMed1994

Parenting and childrearing attitudes among high school students.

A descriptive study to assess parenting and childrearing attitudes was conducted among 502 high school students in a greater metropolitan area in the Southeast. The Adult-Adolescent Parenting Inventory (Bavolek, 1984) was used to identify students' scores on four constructs associated with abusive parenting: inappropriate parental expectations, lack of empathy toward the child, value of physical punishment, and parent-child role reversal. Several group differences were found by sex, race, grade, and birth order. Ten percent of students scored consistently low and could be targeted for education programs to increase parenting knowledge and skill.

Adolescent↗