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Biomedical subjects

H Loo

Publications and source records attributed to H Loo.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2004

Double-blind comparative study of the action of repeated administration of milnacipran versus placebo on cognitive functions in healthy volunteers.

OBJECTIVE: The principal objective was to compare the effects of milnacipran, an antidepressant characterized by a dual-action on serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake, with placebo on memory, attention and psychomotor performance in healthy volunteers. The secondary objective was to evaluate the effects of milnacipran on mood, anxiety and vigilance in these subjects. METHODS: In a double-blind crossover randomized trial, milnacipran (50 mg b.d.) or placebo was administered during two periods of 7 days separated by a washout period of 7 days. Memory tests (recall of words, images and coloured bars), tests to evaluate attention and vigilance (squares test, critical flicker fusion test and choice reaction time test) and visual analogue scales for affect and sleep were used. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between milnacipran and placebo groups with respect to the psychomotor functions tested. No differences were observed in the Norris scales for vigilance, anxiety or satisfaction or in the sleep questionnaire (sleep latency, sleep quality and waking). CONCLUSION: Milnacipran, administered at 100 mg per day for 7 days to healthy volunteers, had no effects on cognitive functions.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Phenomenological and comorbid features associated in obsessive-compulsive disorder: influence of age of onset.

BACKGROUND: To explore clinical features of symptoms and comorbidity according to the age of onset of patients suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). METHODS: The survey involved collecting data from both patient members of an OCD association, and a sample of 175 OCD patients seen in OCD specialty practice. All the patients (n=617) responded to a questionnaire on family and personal psychiatric OCD history, phenomenological features of OCD and comorbidity. They were classified according to OCD age at onset [group early age of onset (EO): under 15, group late age of onset (LO): older than 15]. RESULTS: A higher percentage of patients from Group LO complained of OCD triggering by factors such as professional difficulties and childbirth (P<0.05); also they more often had (P=0.05) a sudden onset of symptoms. On the other hand, clinical features, such as superstition and magic thoughts, parasite obsessions and repeating, counting, hoarding, tapping/rubbing and collecting compulsions were significantly more frequent (P<0.05) in EO; likewise, history of tics was more frequent in this group. The existence of comorbid depression (at least one episode) did not show any significant difference between groups. However, depression preceding OCD was more frequent in LO. There was no significant difference in treatment response according to age of onset OCD. CONCLUSIONS: The results showed a clear association of EO with obsessions of superstition and parasites, repetitive compulsions and motor and vocal tics, whereas a sudden onset, triggering factors and a more frequent depression preceding OCD characterized LO.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Social functioning and quality of life in the schizophrenic patient: advantages of amisulpride.

Schizophrenia is associated with significant social, psychological and occupational dysfunction. Not only is this distressing for the patients and their family and friends, but it also results in high indirect costs. Reintegration back into society, one of the most important aspects of quality life for schizophrenic patients and their physicians, must therefore take into account a patient's social functioning and employability, as well as improvement in symptoms. Although the typical antipsychotics are effective in managing the positive symptoms of schizophrenia, they may not alleviate other aspects of the disorder. They are also associated with extrapyramidal symptoms and other severe adverse events that have significant consequences for quality of life and compliance. The atypical antipsychotic, amisulpride, has an improved safety and tolerability profile and has been shown to be significantly more effective than placebo and haloperidol on a number of quality of life and social functioning scales, including the Global Assessment of Functioning, the Quality of Life Scale, the Functional Status Questionnaire and the Psychosocial Aptitude Rating Scale. In conclusion, amisulpride, in addition to its proven clinical efficacy, may help reintegration of the schizophrenic patient back into society.

Amisulpride↗
PubMed2000

Evolution of plasma homovanillic acid (HVA) levels during treatment in schizo-affective disorder.

1. Plasma Homovanillic Acid (p HVA) levels were measured by HPLC (high performance liquid chromatography) in 5 schizo-affective depressed patients receiving a standardized treatment. (lithium, chlorpromazine and clomipramine) during 4 weeks. 2. Four patients were pretreated, without a washout period. 3. No significant difference was observed between patients and normal controls at baseline. Under treatment, pHVA levels increased (p<0.02) with clinical improvement (MADRS and PANSS scores). 4. Although effects of medications prior to the study period were not controlled, these findings suggest that depressed schizo-affective patients may have normal pHVA levels that increase with clinical improvement, unlike schizophrenic patients whose increased pHVA concentrations decline with neuroleptic treatment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Genetic vulnerability to drug abuse.

Addiction to various substances, including drugs and alcohol, probably arises from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. The genetic vulnerability to drug addiction is supported by several familial, adoption and twin studies. However, as in other mental disorders, the genetic vulnerability to drug addiction appears complex: these disorders do not follow the rules of Mendelian inheritance. Instead, they are probably influenced by multiple susceptibility genes, each of which contributes to the disorder. The more genes necessary for a disorder, the harder it is to detect any of them. This difficulty is magnified by the role of environmental factors. Association studies using the candidate gene approach can identify susceptibility genes for drug abuse supported by the pathophysiological hypothesis of the illness. This review will focus on the clinical and molecular genetic studies in drug abuse.

Female↗
PubMed1998

Evolution of plasma homovanillic acid (HVA) in chronic schizophrenic patients treated with haloperidol.

In a 4-week study of 14 drug-free schizophrenic patients (according to DSM-III-R), free and conjugated fractions of plasma homovanillic acid (pHVA) were repeatedly measured. Free HVA levels decreased during the first 2 h of haloperidol intake (P < 0.03). Conjugated HVA levels slowly decreased during the following weeks (P < 0.05), while free HVA levels remained stable. After 4 weeks, free HVA levels remained unchanged 2 h after morning haloperidol intake, but conjugated HVA levels tended to increase. In haloperidol responders, at baseline the free/total HVA ratio was significantly higher than that in non-responders (P < 0.01). Tolerant patients, i.e. those whose post-treatment free HVA levels decreased below pre-treatment levels, were not found to respond better to haloperidol than non-tolerant patients. The balance between free and conjugated pHVA may be a better reflection of the action of haloperidol than free pHVA levels and it may be of prognostic value in terms of drug response.

Adult↗
PubMed1997

Amisulpride versus placebo in the medium-term treatment of the negative symptoms of schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: Amisulpride is a substituted benzamide with high selectivity for dopamine D2 and D3 receptors. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effect of 100 mg amisulpride in patients with predominantly negative symptoms of schizophrenia. METHOD: This was a multi-centre, randomised, parallel-group, double-blind study. Patients received either amisulpride (100 mg/day) or placebo over a six-month treatment period. RESULTS: A total of 141 patients were included, 69 received amisulpride, 72 placebo. Fifty-eight patients (41%) had received neuroleptic treatment prior to inclusion. The percentage of amisulpride patients completing the study (55%) was significantly higher than that with placebo (32%), and drop-out rates due to lack of efficacy were 27% with amisulpride and 47% with placebo. All efficacy assessments were statistically in favour of amisulpride compared with placebo. The overall incidence of extrapyramidal symptoms was comparable in both groups; only five patients started anti-Parkinsonian treatment during the study (one in the placebo and four in the amisulpride group). CONCLUSION: Amisulpride is effective in the medium-term treatment schizophrenic patients with predominantly negative symptoms.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Differences in the natural autoantibody patterns of patients with schizophrenia and normal individuals.

The expression of IgG and IgM autoantibodies directed against various autoantigens, either part of the central nervous system or not, was investigated in the sera of inpatients with schizophrenia (n = 10). An enzyme immunoassay was used to measure the levels of these autoantibodies in whole sera, IgG-depleted sera, and isolated IgG fractions. IgG and IgM antibodies, reacting with all the antigens tested, were present in the sera of patients with schizophrenia as well as in the sera of normal individuals. Among patients suffering from schizophrenia, IgM natural autoantibody reactivities could be higher (myoglobin, serotonin, tubulin), lower (dopamine), or even identical to those of normal individuals, depending on whether whole or fractionated sera were assayed and on the group of patients with schizophrenia (responders and nonresponders) considered. The isolated IgG fractions of patients suffering from schizophrenia had higher anti-DNA and antiserotonin reactivities than those detected in normal individuals.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Factorial structure of the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale.

The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale was applied to 60 depressed inpatients diagnosed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. The information to rate the scale was obtained with a semistructured interview to standardize the scale administration method. Items were factorized using principal components analysis with Varimax rotation. Three factors were obtained with the simulation method, accounting for 47% of variance. The first includes the core symptoms of depression. The symptoms of patients having an isolated mood disorder were compared with those having comorbidity with other diagnoses. The comorbidity did not affect the first factor but modified the second factor (anxiety) and the third factor (insomnia).

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Maintenance ECT in intractable manic-depressive disorders.

Twenty-two patients suffering from intractable recurrent unipolar or bipolar mood disorders were enrolled in a maintenance-ECT protocol (ECT-M) for more than 18 months, with a treatment at approximately monthly intervals. Eleven have continued treatment for > 2 years. Whereas 44% of the year had been spent in the hospital with at least three episodes a year prior to ECT-M, only 7% of the year was spent in the hospital during ECT-M with only one relapse every 16 months requiring admission (p < 0.001). Forty-five percent of the patients were in full remission and 27% in partial remission according to DSM-III-R criteria. ECT-M responsiveness of rapid-cyclers and delusional depressed patients usually drug refractory has been very encouraging with full or partial remission for 100% of rapid-cyclers and 80% of delusional depressed patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Predictive performance of population pharmacokinetic parameters of tianeptine as applied to plasma concentrations from a post-marketing study.

The predictive ability of population pharmacokinetic parameters of tianeptine, obtained from a mixed effect analysis of pre-marketing pharmacokinetic studies, was evaluated using tianeptine plasma concentrations obtained during a large multi-center post-marketing surveillance study. The mean prediction error was 7.8 ng.ml-1 and the root mean square prediction error was 52.1 ng/ml when initial estimates of population pharmacokinetic parameters were used to predict drug concentrations in one half of the post-marketing data. When the population parameters were revised to reflect the data collected in the first half of the post-marketing study, the mean prediction error was reduced to -3.2 ng.ml-1 and the root mean square prediction error was reduced to 29.5 ng.ml-1. These results suggest that population pharmacokinetic parameters obtained from pre-marketing data may not accurately predict drug concentrations in patients receiving the drug in the post-marketing setting. Once the population parameters are updated to reflect data from the post-marketing period, the predictive ability of the data-base increases, but substantial variability in the prediction error remains.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1993

[Treatment of heroin addicts by substitution with methadone. Importance, limits and experience in France].

The authors present a review of literature and their personal experience concerning the practice of methadone substitutive therapy for heroin addicts in France. In their experience, the use of methadone, within the frame of a controlled administration and in the perspective of a specific pharmaco-therapeutic profile, is a valuable therapeutical option. Otherwise, methadone could only induce a new and further pharmacological dependence. The use of methadone has often been the subject of controversies overlooking the clinical reality of drug addiction. Therefore, a controlled use of methadone remains a valuable therapeutic tool if its indications are strictly delimited.

France↗
PubMed1992

Natural autoantibodies in schizophrenia.

Autoantibodies reacting with cell constituents other than antinuclear antibodies have seldom been reported in the literature on schizophrenia. Serum of 41 DSM-III-R schizophrenic patients was examined for the presence of various autoantibodies and compared with that of healthy volunteers (n = 10) and hospitalized controls. Titers of IgG, IgA and IgM autoantibodies directed against actin, tubulin, myosin, DNA, thyroglobulin, elastin, albumin, DNA and trinitrophenyl groups were determined using enzyme immunoassay. IgG and IgA titers were significantly decreased in schizophrenic patients. These results contrast with those obtained with various other autoimmune and nonautoimmune diseases in which titers are either unchanged or increased. A significant increase of various autoantibody levels was observed in the paranoid subgroup of schizophrenics compared with the disorganized subgroup. These autoantibodies possess characteristics similar to those of natural autoantibodies, which seem to play several biological roles.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

[Topographical analysis of endogenous evoked potentials in depressed old people and in patients with Alzheimer's type dementia].

Latencies, amplitudes and localization of the maximum of the peaks of late onset evoked responses have been studied in 3 groups of elderly people: normal, depressed and demented (probable dementia of Alzheimer type DAT) at the early stage of the disease. Evoked responses with an auditory oddball paradigm have been recorded with 16 electrodes in 2 situations: counting the target sounds, and motor response with measurement of the reaction time. No difference in amplitude was observed between the 3 groups. Only a significant difference for P3 latency was observed between the DAT and the depressed groups and only in the counting situation. The maximum P3 response was most often found on the anterior areas in the DAT group and in the posterior areas in the normal and depressed groups. The topographic localization of the P3 peak could therefore be of some help in the characterize of subjects with probable DAT at the early stage of the disease.

Aged↗