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Biomedical subjects

O Lingjaerde

Publications and source records attributed to O Lingjaerde.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources
PubMed1982

Effect of the benzodiazepine derivative estazolam in patients with auditory hallucinations. A multicentre double-blind, cross-over study.

The main aim of this study was to test the effect of the triazolobenzodiazepine, estazolam, on auditory hallucinations. Fifty-eight patients (28 male, 30 female) with auditory hallucinosis that had responded poorly to neuroleptics alone, were included; most patients were chronic schizophrenics, and most patients were maintained on previous neuroleptic treatment during the trial. Each patient was treated for three consecutive 3-week periods, and randomly allocated to receive estazolam (1 + 1 + 4 mg) either in the first and third, or in the second period. Similar-looking placebo tablets were given in the control periods. These were seven drop-outs, three of them due to somnolence on estazolam. In both treatment groups there was a significant (but not significantly different) improvement during the first 3-week period, with regard to both global clinical state and auditory hallucinations. During the second and third periods, however, the two groups differed significantly, in that improvement of global state and hallucinosis was seen on estazolam, and deterioration on placebo. It is concluded that estazolam (as an addition to neuroleptics) had a significantly better effect than placebo on the global clinical state, on the frequency of, and attitude towards the hallucinations, and also on the single symptoms "Compulsive thoughts" and "Visual hallucinations" (items in the Comprehensive Psychopathological Rating Scale). There were few side effects except drowsiness. Possible pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic interactions between benzodiazepines and neuroleptics are discussed briefly.

Adult↗
PubMed1981

Dopamine uptake in platelets: two different low-affinity, saturable mechanisms.

Uptake of dopamine (DA) in human blood platelets was found to encompass two different saturable components, one chloride-dependent and one non-chloride-dependent. The chloride-dependent uptake had an apparent Km of about 4 X 10(-5) M, was strongly inhibited by serotonin (5HT), and moderately inhibited by ouabain, PHMB and by substituting K+ for Na+ in the incubation medium. The antidepressants imipramine, clomipramine, desipramine and nomifensine showed approximately the same inhibitory potency against this uptake as against 5HT uptake in platelets. This chloride-dependent mechanism is probably identical with the 5HT uptake mechanism in platelets. The non-chloride-dependent uptake had an apparent Km of about 1.4 X 10(-4) M, and was not inhibited by metabolic inhibitors or antidepressants, and only moderately by 5HT. Its characteristics seem to be in accordance with facilitated diffusion. When platelets preloaded with DA were reincubated in fresh medium without chloride, the efflux curve indicated a distribution between one "superficial" and one "deep" compartment, containing 68% and 32% of total platelet DA, respectively. The deep compartment probably corresponds to the dense osmiophilic granules. The efflux kinetics are similar to those found for 5HT.

Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic↗
PubMed1981

Flupenthixol decanoate in recurrent manic-depressive illness. A comparison with lithium.

The hypothesis that flupenthixol decanoate may serve as an alternative to prophylactically administered lithium in recurrent manic-depressive illness, bipolar and unipolar type, was tested in two groups of patients. In Group I the patients were allocated randomly to maintenance treatment with either lithium or flupenthixol decanoate. The patients in Group II had previously been given lithium and were switched to flupenthixol decanoate because of unsatisfactory prophylactic effect of lithium, doubtful tablet compliance, troublesome side effects, or fear of later harmful effects. The flupenthixol decanoate dosage was 20 mg every 2-3 weeks. The study was not blind. In Group I neither lithium treatment (14 patients) nor treatment with flupenthixol decanoate (19 patients) led to a significant fall of mean episode frequency or mean per cent time ill. The reasons for this lack of response are not clear, but prognostically negative selection of the patients presumably took place before and possibly also during the hospitalization. Since absent effects cannot be compared, this part of the trial remains inconclusive. In Group II (93 patients) treatment with flupenthixol decanoate was associated with significant falls of the frequency of manic episodes and per cent time ill in mania and with significant rises of the frequency of depressive episodes and per cent time ill in depression. Increase of depressive morbidity was seen only in patients who had been given lithium during the pre-trial period and was presumably a result of the discontinuation of lithium. It is not known whether flupenthixol decanoate is of value in the prophylactic treatment of recurrent manic-depressive illness, but the drug may be worth trying in patients whose disease is dominated more by manic than by depressive recurrences and who do not respond to lithium or do not tolerate it or do not take it.

Bipolar Disorder↗
PubMed1981

Triazolam (Halcion) versus flunitrazepam (Rohypnol) against midwinter insomnia in Northern Norway.

In a double-blind, cross-over trial, triazolam (0.25 mg) was tested against flunitrazepam (1 mg) in the typical midwinter insomnia which is often seen among otherwise healthy people in Northern Norway. Each drug was given for five nights, in random order, with a five-night placebo period between the active drugs (providing for a single blind comparison with placebo). A total of 2 outpatients started the trial; 19 completed. There were highly significant differences between each active drug and placebo on the subjectively scored variables sleep latency, duration of sleep, and total evaluation of sleep, and also significant differences for feeling in the morning, number of awakenings, and quality of sleep; all differences were in favour of the active drugs. Generally, the sleep variables were rated on the same level in the placebo period as they were for the last five nights prior to the trial. There were no significant differences between triazolam and flunitrazepam on any variable. However, eight patients stated a preference for triazolam and eight for flunitrazepam. These two groups of patients did not differ significantly with regard to sex, age, previous use of hypnotics, or severity of insomnia. Only three patients complained about side effects. Notably, the feeling of being alert and refreshed in the morning was significantly superior in the active drug periods as against the placebo period. It is concluded that both active drugs were highly effective, with a minimum of side effects, in this type of insomnia and with the relatively low dosage used.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1981

Biologically active peptide-containing fractions in schizophrenia and childhood autism.

It is well documented that peptides have a major role in the effective functioning of higher animals at all levels from enzyme stabilization to homeostatic mechanisms governing essential functions such as eating, sexual behavior, and temperature regulation. The effects of exogenously administered peptides on neurotransmitter release, uptake, metabolism and behavioral consequences are also well established. We have attempted to extend these findings by postulating peptidergic neurons as transducers of multisignal inputs, and that development of pathological states may be due to genetically-determined reduced levels of activity of key peptidases, leading to excretion of regulatory peptides into the circulation. We have been able to demonstrate that, in schizophrenia and autism (in well defined clinical cases), the patterns of peptides and associated proteins from urinary samples differ considerably from each other and from normal controls. In addition to this, further purification of the material obtained has led to the discovery of a number of factors capable of modulating the function of major neurotransmitters. Some of these are in the final stages of characterization as peptides, while the remainder are also probably peptides, as purification has been followed by both biological testing and chemical analysis for peptidic material. We have outlined a number of parameters which we consider relevant in any attempt to put psychiatric disorders on a biological foundation. Any new advances in the neurochemical understanding of such disorders must take into consideration the observations of several different disciplines including genetics and psychology. However, at this stage of research it is far too early to speculate on the relevance of the various biological activities to the etiology and symptomatology of schizophrenia and childhood autism.

Autistic Disorder↗
PubMed1979

Inhibition of platelet uptake of serotonin in plasma from patients treated with clomipramine and amitriptyline.

The inhibition of serotonin uptake by platelets has been measured in blood from 20 patients on amitriptyline (50--225 mg daily), 14 patients on clomipramine (25--200 mg daily), and in an untreated group of 21 depressed patients. A complete kinetic analysis was carried out in each patient. Using the increase in the kinetic parameter Km as a measure of uptake inhibition, there was high correlation between the daily dose and inhibition within each drug group, clomipramine being about 10 times more potent than amitriptyline. The inhibition did not vary with age, sex, duration of treatment (up to 3 years), or concomitant use of moderate doses of benzodiazepines, neuroleptics or lithium. In the amitriptyline group the inhibition was significantly smaller in smokers than in non-smokers. The kinetic parameter Vmax was essentially unchanged in the amitriptyline group, and was markedly reduced in the clomipramine group, but without any correlation with dose. The mixed competitive-noncompetitive effect of clomipramine confirms previous in vitro findings.

Adult↗
PubMed1979

Inhibitory effect of ethanol on 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) uptake in human blood platelets in vitro.

Ethanol in concentrations higher than 10(-2) M (or about 0.5% W/W) inhibited the uptake of 14C-5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) in human blood platelets in an artificial, protein-free medium, by a non-competitive mechanism. The inhibition was not influenced by the alcohol dehydrogenase inhibitor methylpyrazole (10(-3) M). In concentrations up to 0.1 M, ethanol had no effect on 5-HT efflux from the platelets. At higher concentrations, ethanol increased efflux. Inhibition of 5-HT uptake was found to increase progressively in the sequence methanol - ethanol - propanol - butanol.

1-Propanol↗