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Biomedical subjects

J Micallef

Publications and source records attributed to J Micallef.

40 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

[Pharmacological modulation of the effects induced by ketamine at subanesthetic doses].

The similarity between ketamine effects and endogenous psychoses has created interest in the capacity of antipsychotic medications to block ketamine effects. In healthy subjects, a sub-anaesthetic single dose of lorazepam, typical neuroleptics, such as haloperidol, and atypical neuroleptics, such as clozapine and olanzapine, failed to block ketamine-induced positive and negative symptoms resembling schizophrenia. However, haloperidol is able to decrease ketamine-induced impairment in executive cognitive functions. Recently, lamotrigine reduced ketamine-induced psychotic symptoms, perceptual alterations, and cognitive impairments. In schizophrenic subjects, single doses of olanzapine do not decrease the effects of ketamine. However, long term treatment with clozapine has been reported to decrease ketamine-induced positive symptoms. Pharmacological modulation of the effects of NMDA receptor antagonists, such as ketamine, may lead to development of novel therapeutic agents for psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia.

Anesthetics, Dissociative↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Elective neurosurgical office consultations: how well are patients informed?

A prospective study was performed on elective neurosurgical office referrals to one neurosurgeon at the Toronto Hospital from September 1988 to May 1996. Patient level of information was tested using the chisquare test on the study population of 2,017 patients grouped according to the type of referring doctor and regional category of diagnosis. There was a statistically significant difference in the degree of knowledge of referred patients according to the type of referring doctor (p < 0.008). In addition there was statistical significance found in the difference in degree of knowledge among patients referred with the various regional categories of disease (p < 0.008). Patients referred by family physicians are not as informed as to the nature of their neurosurgical referral as those referred by neurologists and other specialists. Furthermore, patients with an intracranial diagnosis had a greater level of knowledge about their referral than those patients referred for spinal, peripheral nerve or other diagnoses.

Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice↗