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Biomedical subjects

J Rybakowski

Publications and source records attributed to J Rybakowski.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

[Plasma proteins as biochemical markers of alcohol abuse].

Fractions of plasma proteins were marked in 135 alcohol dependent men. The increase in the level of beta globulins was found in 58%, a fall in the level of gamma globulins was found in 52% and in 26% of patients a fall in the level of albumin was recorded. Patients with a shorter period of dependence more frequently showed a lowering of the concentration of gamma globulin (59% of cases). Persons with a greater pathological pattern of dependence, however, showed an increase in the level of beta globulin (65% of cases). The joint use of beta globulin and gamma globulin as markers of alcohol abuse allowed for the detection of irregularities in the range of at least one of the above mentioned markers in 84% of the patients. The joint use of albumin, beta globulin and gamma globulin showed irregularities in at least one of these three tests in 90% of the patients. The authors conclude that marking the changes in the fraction of plasma proteins may be used as a biochemical marker of alcohol abuse.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Stress, depression and schizophrenia in view of psychoimmunology.

The authors discuss the influence of stress on the immunological system. They describe changes in this system in depressive and in schizophrenic patients and analyze the eventual effect of these changes in the pathogenesis of endogenous psychopathology. The authors conclude that despite the fact that research into the immunology of these aspects are in the beginning stages, the data so far collected indicate a promising result.

Depressive Disorder↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Rapid cycling bipolar affective illness].

A subtype of rapid cycling bipolar affective illness (RC) is presented from an aspect of its clinical appearances pathogenesis and treatment. RC was defined in 1974 and will be included in DSM-IV. Patients with RC (4 or more episodes per year) make up about 13% of all subjects with bipolar affective illness. The majority of them are females and nearly half of RC patients have family history of affective illness. In 1/3 of patients, the illness begins with RC in young age, in the remaining this is preceded by several years of "normal" course. The induction of RC may be related to the administration of antidepressant drugs, mostly tricyclics; in some patients, such course may remit upon discontinuation or change of such drugs. The inducing factor may be organic brain impairment and also stressful events operating by means of the "kindling" mechanism. Other pathogenetic concepts of RC point to a role of thyroid pathology and disturbances of circadian and circannual rhythms. Variability of the course and dynamics of RC may be conceptualized within the framework of chaos theory. The best therapeutic results in RC are obtained by combined treatment with two mood stabilizing drugs (e.g. lithium and carbamazepine, lithium and valproic acid) or by a combination of mood stabilizing drug with hypermetabolic doses of thyroxine.

Age of Onset↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Clinical evaluation of fluoxetine].

The multicenter trials were performed in a group of 86 depressive inpatients (among them 64 with endogenous depression) managed with fluoxetine (Prozac). It was established that the drug is most effective in managing psychogenic depressions and may also be of use in endogenous depressions, among them in drug resistant ones. Tolerance to the drug was satisfactory, 62% did not show any unwanted side-effects. The rest of the group displayed sleep disorders, increased anxiety, lost of appetite and nausea. Changes in the laboratory parameters and non-specific changes in the electrocardiogram were observed sporadically. Fluoxetine seemed not to have any direct cholinolytic effect.

Depressive Disorder↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Labial herpes in patients with affective disorders receiving long-term lithium carbonate].

Lithium carbonate has been administered to 69 patients (45 women and 24 men) for 1-17 years as affective disorders prevention. Its effect on the recurrence and clinical course of labial herpes infection has been analysed both prior to and after the administration of lithium carbonate. Labial herpes has been diagnosed in 28 patients before lithium prophylaxis. The drug significantly decreased virus infection recurrence incidence in this group. No labial herpes recurrence has been noted in 13 patients after the treatment. Lithium efficiency has not been dependent on patients' age, duration of therapy, and lithium levels in both blood serum and erythrocytes. These results suggest, that lithium salts may be effective in certain herpes simplex infections at doses used for prevention affective disorders.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Computer tomography of the brain in psychiatric patients. Comparison with other indices of organic changes].

A group of 80 psychiatric patients--40 males and 40 females--aged 13 to 72--were examined in order to compare the results of computer tomography (CT) of the brain with indicators of organic changes obtained from EEG, psychological and neurological tests. The most frequent organic pathology present in the computer tomography was brain atrophy, displayed in 40 patients (50% of the examined) and constituting the only change in 29 patients (36% of the examined, including 19 males and 10 females). The comparison of 29 patients with brain atrophy with those with normal CT revealed that the former produced pathological EEG more frequently. However, it did not indicate any predominance of pathological results of psychological and neurological examination, neither did it show one of defined psychopathological image. Within the group of "other organic pathology", the most frequent abnormality was hyperostosis frontalis interna. It was present in 6 persons, including 5 females, and was usually associated with brain atrophy and pathological results of psychopathological tests. Other abnormalities found in the "other group of organic changes" included celebral tumours, hydromas, ischenic foci and inherited defects of the brain. No explicit relationship between the CT and the indicators of organic changes was found in this group.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Social functioning of patients with schizophrenia: a follow-up study].

The subject of this study was evaluation of social functioning of schizophrenic patients after a period of ten to twenty years of follow-up. 70 patients (29 men and 41 women) selected from the initial group of 303 patients (181 men and 122 women), with the diagnosis of schizophrenia were studied. They had been admitted for the first time to the Hospital for Mental and Nervous Diseases in Gniezno in the years 1975-76. Examinations were carried in household environment (interviews with patients and their relatives), based on of a standardized questionnaire. In the examination, six realms of social activity were considered: professional occupation, home occupation, self independence, participation in family life, care for a child, social relations and interests. The level of social functioning in the examined group of 70 schizophrenic patients several years after the first psychiatric hospitalization has been found satisfactory in 57% patients. Women were functioning better, especially in the scope of participation in family life and fulfilment of home duties. Better level of social functioning was related to lower family history of mental illness, lower degree of invalidization, activity attitude towards the illness and positive self evaluation of the state of health, advantageous family situation, better fulfilment of social needs and lower family burden caused by the patient.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Depression and alcoholism: a potential familial-genetic relationship].

In the paper, a review of literature was done for a potential familialgenetic relationship between alcohol dependence and depression. The incidence of secondary alcoholism in patients with depression may have different pathogenesis depending on gender: men with primary depression and alcoholism may exhibit two distinct illnesses, while in women secondary alcoholism may be a form of affective disorder (depression spectrum disease). Studies on the prevalence of alcohol dependence in families of depressive patients are inconsistent: some authors observed an increased risk of alcohol dependence while others did not. Secondary depression in alcohol dependent patients usually results from the pharmacological effect of alcohol, is concommittant with withdrawal syndrome or may be connected with psychological problems related to alcohol abuse. Usually, such depressive symptoms improve within 2-4 weeks after cessation of drinking and do not require additional treatment. However, the risk of major depression in alcohol-dependent persons is twice as high as in general population. Among various contemporary hypotheses about the genetic link between alcohol dependence and depression, a conception of "depressive spectrum", formulated by Winokur, received the strongest support from clinical and familial studies.

Alcohol Drinking↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Low concentration level of total serum cholesterol as a risk factor for suicidal and aggressive behavior].

The data have been presented for possible association between low total serum cholesterol concentration and the increased risk of suicidal and aggressive behavior. The analysis of results from some long-term epidemiological studies shows an excess of suicides and violent death cases among persons with low baseline total serum cholesterol level and in those in whom this level was lowered by means of pharmacotherapy or dieting. In patients hospitalized on psychiatric wards, having low total serum cholesterol concentration, a higher intensity of suicidal thoughts and tendencies was found. Such relationship was most evident in patients with depression. In some populations, an association between low total cholesterol level and the tendency to aggressive behavior was also found. Higher intensity of aggression was also observed in animals receiving low-cholesterol diet. A hypothesis was discussed, postulating the connection between low cholesterol level and lower activity of central serotonergic structures responsible for the inhibition of impulsive behavior.

Aged↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[The study of the relationship between cholesterol and lipid concentration and suicidal behavior in patients with schizophrenia affective illness].

In 143 patients (63 male, 80 female), admitted to the Department of Adult Psychiatry, University of Medical Sciences in Poznań, throughout the period from 1 October 95-31 March 96, with the diagnosis of schizophrenia (46 patients), endogenous depression (79 patients) or mania (18 patients), serum concentration of total cholesterol, LDL and HDL cholesterol, triglycerides and total lipids was estimated during the first days of admission. The occurrence of suicidal behaviors (thoughts, tendencies or acts) in these patients during the period of 3 months preceding the admission was also determined. The occurrence of suicidal behavior was found in 74 patients (30 male, 44 female). The persons revealing suicidal behaviors had significantly lower concentrations of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and total lipids compared with patients without such behaviors. This relationship was observed in all diagnostic groups as well as in both younger (below 32 years) and older (over 40 years) groups of patients. The results obtained confirm previous reports on the association between low cholesterol concentration and an increased risk of suicidal behavior in patients with psychiatric disorders. Authors discuss possible mechanisms and also clinical implications of this finding.

Adolescent↗