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Biomedical subjects

M W Naylor

Publications and source records attributed to M W Naylor.

25 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Plasma dexamethasone levels in children given the dexamethasone suppression test.

To determine whether children who demonstrate dexamethasone suppression test (DST) nonsuppression have lower plasma dexamethasone levels than DST suppressors, we administered the DST to 73 patients ranging in age from 5-14 years. Plasma dexamethasone levels and postdexamethasone cortisol levels were measured at 4:00 PM on day 2. We found: (1) DST nonsuppressors had significantly lower plasma dexamethasone levels (p less than 0.03) than suppressors; similar trends were observed when the population was divided into depressed and nondepressed patients; (2) mg/m2 dose of dexamethasone was directly correlated with plasma dexamethasone (p less than 0.003) and inversely correlated with postdexamethasone plasma cortisol levels (p less than 0.04); and (3) a statistically significant inverse correlation between plasma dexamethasone levels and postdexamethasone cortisol levels (p less than 0.04). Our findings show that plasma dexamethasone levels are important in evaluating DST results in psychiatrically disturbed children and suggest that dexamethasone dosage for use in the DST in children might be better calculated in terms of body surface area.

Adolescent↗

Pseudoarylsulfatase A deficiency in a psychiatrically disturbed adolescent.

A case of pseudoarylsulfatase A deficiency in an adolescent boy presenting with affective lability, impulsivity, aggression, inattention, and academic difficulties is described. Genetically related to metachromatic leukodystrophy, pseudoarylsulfatase A deficiency has generally been felt to be a benign disorder. Pseudodeficiency of arylsulfatase A has, however, been associated with serious psychiatric morbidity in recent studies. Possible explanations for this association are suggested. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first case report of pseudoarylsulfatase A deficiency in a psychiatrically disturbed adolescent.

Adolescent↗

Narcolepsy associated with lesions of the diencephalon.

Although symptomatic narcolepsy, or narcolepsy due to identifiable brain lesions, was once thought to be common, there are few well-documented reported cases since the discovery of the association of REM sleep abnormalities with narcolepsy. Even fewer such reports have been accompanied by human leukocyte antigen (HLA) testing. We report 3 patients who fulfill criteria for symptomatic narcolepsy, 1 with a craniopharyngioma, the 2nd with a hypothalamic syndrome of unknown etiology, and the 3rd with obstructive hydrocephalus and a sarcoid granuloma in the region of the 3rd ventricle. The first 2 were positive for HLA-DR2 while the 3rd was negative for the HLA-DR2 and HLA-DQwl antigens. These findings suggest that diencephalic lesions can be associated with signs and symptoms of narcolepsy that are clinically indistinguishable from those of idiopathic narcolepsy, and that the HLA-DR2 antigen is not required in all cases of symptomatic narcolepsy.

Adult↗

Myoclonic seizures after abrupt withdrawal from phenelzine and alprazolam.

Monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) are being used more frequently in the treatment of various psychiatric and neurological disorders. Although adverse effects of MAOI treatment are widely known, withdrawal symptoms are less well known. They include nausea, sweating, palpitations, nightmares, and psychosis. Withdrawal reactions from combination therapy with an MAOI and another agent are seldom described. Reported here is the occurrence of myoclonic seizures after the abrupt discontinuation of phenelzine and alprazolam. Alterations in the GABA and serotonin neurotransmitter systems as a result of withdrawal of the MAOI and the benzodiazepine may account for the seizures.

Adult↗

Update on lithium carbonate therapy in children and adolescents.

The use of lithium to treat child and adolescent psychiatric disorders is becoming more common. Since the publication of the report of The Committee on Biological Aspects of Child Psychiatry of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry in 1978, a considerable body of literature has accumulated on the efficacy of lithium in treating adolescent bipolar disorders, childhood aggression, and behavioral disorders associated with mental retardation and developmental disorders. Efforts to understand lithium's mechanism(s) and refinements in psychiatric diagnosis have contributed to its growing use.

Adenylyl Cyclases↗

Language disorders and learning disabilities in school-refusing adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: We undertook this study to test the hypothesis that school-refusing adolescents hospitalized on an inpatient psychiatric unit have more language and learning disabilities than diagnosis-, age-, and sex-matched psychiatric controls. METHOD: The Woodcock-Johnson Tests of Achievement-Revised (WJTA-R), the WISC-R, the Adolescent Language Screening Test, the Clinical Evaluation of Language Fundamentals-Revised, and the Test of Language Competence (TLC) were given to a group of well-characterized, primarily depressed school refusers and matched psychiatric controls. RESULTS: We found that school-refusing adolescents had significantly lower WISC-R verbal intelligence scores, lower Math and Written Language subscale scores on the WJTA-R, and lower scores on the TLC than nonrefusers. School refusers were found to have a significantly higher incidence of both language impairments and learning disabilities than controls. CONCLUSIONS: We infer that academic and communicative frustration and the adolescent's resulting inability to meet the academic and social demands in the school environment may play a role in the etiology of school refusal.

Adolescent↗