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Biomedical subjects

Julien-Daniel Guelfi

Publications and source records attributed to Julien-Daniel Guelfi.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2007

Family trios analysis of common polymorphisms in the obestatin/ghrelin, BDNF and AGRP genes in patients with Anorexia nervosa: association with subtype, body-mass index, severity and age of onset.

Anorexia nervosa (AN) affects 0.3% of young girls with a mortality of 6%/decade and is strongly familial with genetic factors. Ghrelin is an upstream regulator of the orexigenic peptides NPY and AgRP and acts as a natural antagonist to leptin's effects on NPY/AgRP-expressing neurons, resulting in an increase in feeding and body weight. Obestatin which counteracts ghrelin action on feeding is derived from the same propeptide than ghrelin. BDNF has been involved in body weight regulation and its Val66Met polymorphism associated with AN. We therefore re-investigated the association between AN and the Leu72Met and Gln90Leu polymorphisms of the prepro-ghrelin/obestatin gene, the Ala67Thr polymorphism of AgRP and the Val66Met polymorphism of BDNF taking into account clinical subtypes (restrictive--ANR--and bingeing/purging--ANB--subtypes). Family trios study of these 4 single nucleotide polymorphisms were performed in 114 probands with AN and both their parents recruited in two specialized French centres. A transmission disequilibrium was observed for the Leu72Met SNP of the preproghrelin gene and for the Ala67Thr SNP of the AgRP gene. When stratified by clinical subtype, these two polymorphisms were preferentially transmitted for the trios with a bingeing/purging proband. An excess of transmission of the Gln90Leu72 preproghrelin/obestatin haplotype in patients with AN was observed. These results do not provide evidence for a preferential transmission of the 66Met allele of BDNF but support the hypothesis that ghrelin and AGRP polymorphisms confers susceptibility to AN. Further simultaneous analysis of genetic variants of the biological determinants of energy metabolism and feeding behaviour in very large populations should contribute to the understanding of the high degree of heritability of eating disorders and to the description of pathophysiological patterns leading to life-threatening conditions in a highly redundant system.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Night eating syndrome and winter seasonal affective disorder.

Night eating syndrome (NES) and winter seasonal affective disorder (SAD) share some features such as snacking for high-carbohydrate/high-fat food with increased weight, emotional distress, circadian disturbances, good response to serotoninergic antidepressants (SSRIs) and bright-light therapy. This study assessed the prevalence and socio-demographical and clinical correlates of the NES in a sample of 62 consecutive depressed outpatients with winter seasonal features (DSM-IV criteria). Depression was assessed with the 29 item-HDRS and Sigh-SAD version and with the 7-item depression subscale of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale. The prevalence of NES was low (4.8%). Patients suffering from NES were significantly older with a greater duration of the illness. NES was not related to depression and to Body Mass Index. NES and winter SAD are not overlapping disorders.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Reports on defense styles in depression.

INTRODUCTION: 'State effect' of depression on personality makes its assessment during depression difficult. Many clinicians do not only refer to the patient, but use additional information sources, especially reports from close informants. Our hypothesis was that an informant could assess the defensive functioning of the depressed patient. The objective of this study was to investigate the validity of the informants' assessment of defense styles in depressed patients. METHODS: Sixty-three inpatients with DSM-IV major depression as primary diagnosis were included. They were administered the Defense Style Questionnaire (DSQ) at admission (D0) and 28 days after treatment (D28) according to their current state. At the same time, informants rated an adapted version of the DSQ (INF-DSQ), according to the patient's current (D0 and D28) and premorbid defensive functioning (D0). Otherwise, severity of depression was assessed using the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale at D0 and D28. RESULTS: Agreement between patient's and informant's DSQ scores was moderate, both at D0 and D28, even if comparison of mean defense scores does not show significant difference. Mature defense scores significantly increased between D0 and D28, whereas immature defense scores significantly decreased, with both the DSQ and INF-DSQ. During the episode, informants are able to discriminate premorbid from current D0 defenses, but not from current D28 defenses. CONCLUSION: Even if this study has strong limitations, our results argue for the interest of close informants to assess premorbid personality. Before it could be validated, the INF-DSQ should be further studied in other subgroups of patients, especially its ability to give accurate descriptions of patient's premorbid defenses during an acute episode.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2005

[Obsessive-compulsive symptoms treatment in: schizophrenia].

Obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCSs) frequently occur in schizophrenia and seem to worsen prognosis. Many case studies suggest that OCSs appear or worsen with an atypical antipsychotic agent treatment (that is, with risperidone, olanzapine, and clozapine). Therefore, family or personal history of OCS should be investigated before initiating such treatment, and OCS onset should be monitored during treatment. Clozapine is involved in most such cases. When OCSs appear with clozapine, dosage can be reduced and a serotonin reuptake inhibitor treatment added. Current studies suggest that patients with schizophrenia and OCSs should benefit from treatment with an antipsychotic and an antiobsessive medication. Two controlled trials deal with OCS treatment in schizophrenia: the first, with clomipramine; and the second, with fluvoxamine. Both have proven their efficacy, but these trials include a small number of patients with heterogeneous characteristics.

Antipsychotic Agents↗
PubMed2003

Defense styles, impulsivity and suicide attempts in major depression.

BACKGROUND: The aim of our study was to identify if defense mechanisms are associated with impulsivity and lifetime suicide attempts in depressed patients. SAMPLING AND METHODS: The Defense Style Questionnaire, the Impulsivity Rating Scale and the Impulse Control Scale were used in 77 depressed inpatients. RESULTS: Impulsivity was correlated positively with immature and neurotic styles and negatively with mature style. Some but not all defense mechanisms were relevant in this respect. The number of lifetime suicide attempts was positively correlated not only with impulsivity, but also with immature style and to a lesser extent with neurotic style. Several defense mechanisms were involved in these correlations: undoing, projection, passive aggression, acting out, splitting and somatization. CONCLUSIONS: Like impulsivity, defense styles may be relevant to discriminate recurrent suicide attempters in depression. Prospective assessment of defense styles and suicide attempts in depression is needed.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Comorbidity of dependent personality disorder and separation anxiety disorder in addictive disorders and in healthy subjects.

The aim of the study was to determine the comorbidity of dependent personality disorder (DPD) and separation anxiety disorder (SAD) in large nonclinical and clinical samples. Using a cross-sectional method, the relationship between these disorders was studied in 784 healthy subjects and in 708 subjects presenting with various addictive behaviors. DPD was significantly associated with SAD in healthy subjects, alcoholics, drug abusers and anorectic and bulimic patients. The comorbidities of SAD and DPD suggest that specific therapeutic strategies could be discussed. Moreover, longitudinal studies are required to determine if SAD constitutes a risk factor for DPD.

Adolescent↗