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Biomedical subjects

J Rybakowski

Publications and source records attributed to J Rybakowski.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1998

Rates of flu-like infection in patients with affective illness.

Studies of immunologic profiles of depressed patients are suggestive of chronic viral infection and several investigators have found specific viral protein in some depressed patients. Moreover, several psychotropic drugs have anti-viral activity and can inhibit viral replication. In this preliminary report, we retrospectively examined the rate of reported flu-like episodes before and during psychotropic drug treatment in 236 affectively ill patients: 177 receiving lithium prophylaxis and 59 receiving chronic antidepressant medication. We observed a small but significant reduction in the mean rate of reported flu-like illness during lithium therapy (P < 0.001), with a greater reduction in men vs. women (P < 0.05). We also found a modest reduction in reported flu-like illness during chronic treatment with antidepressants (P = 0.08). Although these observations are preliminary in nature, they complement earlier reports that some psychotropic drugs may have anti-viral activity.

Antiviral Agents↗
PubMed1998

Anxiolytic and memory improving effects of moclobemide.

The anxiolytic and memory enhancing effects of moclobemide (p-chloro-N-(2-morphinoethyl)benzamide, CAS 71320-77-9, Ro 11-1163), a reversible and selective monoamine A oxidase inhibitor, were investigated in rats. It was found that the drug had an anxiolytic activity lasting in chronic experiments over 2 weeks. The used dose of the drug did not change animal locomotion in activity cages. In memory experiments (food finding time in maze), moclobemide exerted a favorable effect only after a single administration. In rats with scopolamine-impaired memory, moclobemide attenuated the effects of scopolamine in single and chronic experiments.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Three clusters of male alcoholics.

The study comprises 296 male alcoholics in whom detailed studies of family history, clinical factors, psychopathology of dependence as well as psychological and neurophysiological tests were made. On the basis of five clinical factors: age of onset of dependence, history of familial alcoholism, severity of alcohol-related problems and the prevalence of psychiatric and somatic diseases, K-means cluster analysis delineated three types of alcoholics. Type 1 was characterized by late onset of dependence, low prevalence of familial alcoholism and mild course. Type 2 was characterized by early onset of dependence, high familial alcoholism in fathers, frequent antisocial personality, severe intensity of alcohol-related problems. Type 3 was characterized by early onset of dependence, familial history of psychiatric diseases, severe intensity of alcohol-related problems and high prevalence of psychiatric disturbances and somatic diseases. Type 3 may be characterized as alcoholism associated with high predisposition and comorbidity. This may make a distinct type of male alcoholics.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Indicators of immune activation in major depression.

Immune-inflammatory markers and their correlations were examined in patients with major depression. Plasma concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6), soluble IL-6 receptor (sIL-6R), soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R), transferrin receptor (TfR), C-reactive protein (CRP), and alpha 1-acid glycoprotein (AGP), as well as the microheterogeneity of AGP, were measured in 49 major depressed patients during an acute phase of the illness and compared with concentrations in 15 normal control subjects. Plasma concentrations of IL-6, sIL-6, sIL-2R, TfR, CRP, and AGP were significantly higher in major depressed patients than in healthy control subjects. Patients with higher values of AGP microheterogeneity coefficient (AGP-RC > 1.5) had significantly higher concentrations of AGP, IL-6, and TfR. The correlations between cytokines and acute phase proteins studied point to a significant role of elevated IL-6 secretion in the induction of Type I AGP microheterogeneity changes that are characteristic of some inflammatory conditions.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1996

Membrane fatty acids, niacin flushing and clinical parameters.

Clinical definitions of schizophrenia are unreliable and difficult to use. The niacin flush test, which involves prostaglandin-induced vasodilatation, offers a method of exploring essential fatty acid metabolism in schizophrenic patients and may serve to define a subgroup of patients. In a multicentre study of schizophrenic patients with negative symptoms, we have examined the clinical accompaniments of the niacin response. Patients failing to flush with niacin showed significantly reduced levels of arachidonic and docosahexaenoic acids. Conversion from non-flushing to flushing during the 6 month supplementation period was predicted by an increase in arachidonic acid levels in red blood cell membranes irrespective of nature of supplementation. In this study, patients were selected for their negative symptoms and, therefore, it was not surprising that further measures of negative or positive symptoms did not predict flushing. However, an increased score for affective symptoms was significantly associated with a positive flush response. The stability of the niacin test needs to be examined in relation to the periodicity of symptoms in schizophrenia and manic depressive illness. New information on the anandamide system suggests that it may be associated with periodic phenomena and should be investigated in relation to the niacin test.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Decrease in alcohol tolerance: clinical significance in alcohol dependence.

In 237 male inpatients with alcohol dependence, clinical, demographic and biochemical data were analyzed in relation to alcohol tolerance. All subjects had a history of marked tolerance. At the time of assessment, 46% of subjects continued to meet the criteria for marked tolerance and 54% of the subjects reported a loss or decreased tolerance. Subjects with decreased tolerance were older than those with high tolerance and had a longer duration of illness. The age of onset was similar in both groups. Patients with decreased tolerance had more mental confusion and psychotic symptoms, and were less likely to be currently married.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Seasonal variations of the dexamethasone suppression test in depression compared with schizophrenia: a gender effect.

The circannual results of the dexamethasone suppression test (DST) were compared in depressed and schizophrenic patients for the periods November-February and March-October. During the winter months, female depressive and schizophrenic patients had lower rates of DST nonsuppression as well as lower concentrations of post-dexamethasone plasma cortisol, compared to the March-October period, despite similar pre-dexamethasone cortisol levels. Male depressed patients had lower pre-dexamethasone cortisol levels during the winter months while male schizophrenics had higher pre- and post-dexamethasone cortisol levels and higher rates of DST nonsuppression. This may suggest less disturbance of HPA axis function in winter months in depressed patients, mostly females, and confirms findings from some previous studies. A gender effect of DST seasonality was also demonstrated, with male schizophrenic patients presenting a reverse DST nonsuppression pattern compared with female depressive and female schizophrenic patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Adding lithium to antidepressant therapy: factors related to therapeutic potentiation.

Lithium augmentation of antidepressant drugs was studied in 51 patients with endogenous refractory depression. The remission after 28 days of lithium was obtained in 28 patients (55%). Better effect of lithium was shown in bipolar than unipolar patients, with subjects with lower pre-lithium severity of depression and in those with rapid improvement (within 7 days) on lithium addition. Factors such as age, gender, number of prior antidepressant (or ECT) treatments, type of preceding antidepressant, mean plasma lithium concentration and the results of DST did not show any association with the outcome of lithium augmentation. The 'priming' effect of lithium may contribute to the mechanism of lithium potentiation in a proportion of depressed patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

The antidepressant effect of carbamazepine in callosal agenesis: a case report.

A dramatic resolution of severe depressive symptoms following carbamazepine administration in a patient with callosal agenesis is reported. Maintenance treatment with carbamazepine resulted in the alleviation of concomitant organic symptoms and in a marked improvement in quality of vital functions.

Agenesis of Corpus Callosum↗
PubMed1991

Clinical and biochemical heterogeneity of alcoholism: the role of family history and alexithymia.

Of 100 male patients with alcohol dependence, clinical and biochemical data were analysed in relation to family history of alcoholism and alexithymic personality traits. Family history was found in 38 patients and alexithymic personality traits in 79. No relationship was established between these two factors. In patients with a family history alcoholism began at a younger age with more severe clinical symptoms than in the remaining subjects. Patients with alexithymia had lower intensity of psychopathology but higher frequency of concomitant hypertension. Patients with family history had higher leukocyte counts and lower alcohol-induced elevations of liver enzymes and plasma lipids. In patients with alexithymia, higher values of hemoglobin and hematocrit were found. The results suggest that two predisposing factors to alcohol dependence such as family history of alcoholism and alexithymic personality determine the different clinical and biochemical features of the disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

A possible antiviral action of lithium carbonate in herpes simplex virus infections.

There has been considerable interest in the possibility that some psychotropic medications may possess antiviral activity. Several clinical observations suggest that lithium may inhibit the reactivation of latent herpes simplex virus, thereby reducing the number of recurrent infections. We performed a retrospective study examining the putative antiviral activity of various psychotropic agents in 177 subjects receiving lithium prophylaxis and a comparison group of 59 subjects receiving other antidepressant drugs for affective illness. Chronic lithium administration resulted in a significant reduction in the mean rate of recurrent labial herpes infections when compared to the pretreatment period (p less than 0.001). In contrast, the mean rate of herpes infections was unchanged in patients taking other antidepressants (p = 0.53). Although the overall reduction in herpes infections was not significantly different between groups, the proportion of subjects reporting a reduction in infection rate was greater in the lithium group (71%) compared with those receiving other antidepressants (52%) (p = 0.07). These data compliment prior in vitro and clinical studies demonstrating a potential antiviral activity for lithium carbonate.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

High prevalence of alexithymia in male patients with alcohol dependence.

The personality trait of alexithymia was assessed in 100 male inpatients with alcohol dependence using the Schaling-Sifneos Personality Scale. The score indicative of alexithymia (below 50 points) was found in 78 patients, a prevalence which exceeds that found in psychosomatic subjects. Patients with alexithymia did not differ from non-alexithymics in regard to demographic factors and severity of alcohol dependence. They were younger and had a shorter duration of illness what may indicate that alexithymia is not a result of the dependence. Alcoholic patients with concomitant hypertension had greater alexithymic scores. It is hypothesized that psychological and biological features of alexithymic subjects may render them more vulnerable to alcohol and more prone to subsequent development of the dependence.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Erythrocyte lithium transport during lithium treatment in patients with affective disorders.

Erythrocyte lithium transport mechanisms--lithium-sodium countertransport (LSC), lithium-potassium cotransport (LPC) and passive lithium efflux (PLE)--were measured in 46 patients with bipolar affective disorder on prophylactic lithium therapy and in 20 healthy control subjects. Maximal velocity of LSC measured at saturating intracellular lithium concentration was lower in the patients than in the controls; this may concur with previous reports on possible links between impaired activity of LSC and bipolar affective illness. When measured at therapeutic lithium concentration, LSC was 4 times lower and Km for LSC was 5 times higher in lithium-treated affective patients than in control subjects. The in vivo erythrocyte:plasma lithium ratio was inversely correlated with LSC in lithium-treated patients; higher ratios were found in females than in males. No differences were found between affective patients and control subjects in other erythrocyte lithium transport measurements. The values for lithium transport were not related to age, duration of lithium therapy, concomitant neuroleptic treatment, hypertension or obesity. Lower activity of LSC was found in patients with lithium-induced thyroid enlargement than in the other patients. The results obtained are discussed in the light of contemporary findings concerning erythrocyte lithium transport mechanisms in affective disorders and other conditions.

Adult↗