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Biomedical subjects

O Presslich

Publications and source records attributed to O Presslich.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1989

Opiate detoxification under general anesthesia by large doses of naloxone.

For opiate detoxification 6 volunteer opiate addicts were intravenously administered 10 mg naloxone within one hour while under barbiturate anesthesia. During administration of naloxone none of the patients demonstrated significant changes in the hemodynamic parameters of heart rate, mean arterial pressure, cardiac index, peripheral resistance or in the oxygen saturation. After patients awoke from anesthesia, they experienced no or only minimal withdrawal symptoms. Possible explanations for the suppression of withdrawal symptoms are discussed.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Psychophysiological research in psychiatry and neuropsychopharmacology. I. Methodological aspects of the Viennese Psychophysiological Test-System (VPTS).

In order to find a psychophysiological paradigm for clinical application we have developed the Viennese Psychophysiological Test-System (VPTS), which includes a special selection and combination of experimental situations, physiological measurements, behavioral measurements and data analysis. This study presents detailed information concerning these four aspects. Experimental situations are related to the human model of information processing, where short changes of stimulus-reaction-correlated processes are selected: resting conditions (eyes open, eyes closed), habituation-orienting test, psychomotor-performance test, signal-detection test and reaction-time test. Physiological measures include central and peripheral activity of the cerebrospinal and autonomic nervous system: cortical activity (spontaneous electroencephalogram, auditory evoked potentials, late positive components, slow potentials), ocular activity (eye and eyelid movements), electrodermal activity (skin conductance), cardiac activity (heart rate measurement), respiratory activity (rate of respiration) and peripheral vascular activity (finger pulse volume). Behavioral measurements extend from micro behavior to complex diagnostic systems: psychomotor measurements, self-reported mood, arousal and visceral perception, psychological and psychiatric interviews. The application of this test system in 15 elderly subjects of both sexes aged 58-77 years gives information which exceeds the sum of the singular constructing elements of the VPTS.

Electrocardiography↗
PubMed1989

Psychophysiological research in psychiatry and neuropsychopharmacology. II. The investigation of antihypoxidotic/nootropic drugs (tenilsetam and co-dergocrine-mesylate) in elderlies with the Viennese Psychophysiological Test-System (VPTS).

In a double-blind placebo-controlled study, the effects of tenilsetam, a novel antihypoxidotic/nootropic agent, on spontaneous and event-related activity of the central and autonomous nervous system were studied in 15 elderly subjects of both sexes aged 58-77 years by means of the Viennese Psychophysiological Test-System (VPTS). The VPTS includes a special selection and combination of experimental situations, physiological measurements, behavioral measurements and data analysis. At weekly intervals, the subjects received randomized single oral doses of placebo, 150 mg, 300 mg and 900 mg tenilsetam (TEN) and 5 mg co-dergocrine-mesylate (CDM) as reference drug. Psychophysiological testings were carried out before and 2 h after drug administration. Evaluation of the spontaneous EEG-activity demonstrated no significant drug effects as compared to placebo. In contrast, TEN showed a dose-dependent augmentation of the N1-P2 and N2-P300 amplitudes of the event-related potentials (ERPs) in specific experimental conditions. In reference to placebo, the increase of N2-P300 amplitude after the highest dosage of TEN, as well as after CDM, amounted to approximately 5 microV, which confirms the hypothesis that nootropic drugs may influence the P300 amplitude in the sense of an improved availability of cognitive processing resources. There was no effect on ERP latencies, on mean amplitudes of contingent negative variation and of post-imperative negative variation, on autonomous nervous system, on psychological measurements, nor on reaction time. However, specific improvements were observed in psychomotor measures, such as synchronization accuracy and rhythmicity. These findings highlight the importance of using EEG and ERP measures in different experimental situations in conjunction with behavioral, psychological and autonomous nervous system measures to study nootropic drug effects.

Aged↗
PubMed1989

[Fractionated opiate withdrawal with tiapride and naloxone, a new treatment approach].

To date, no satisfying solution has been found to the problem of how to avoid the distressing withdrawal symptoms accompanying opiate detoxification. By administering staggered doses of naloxone to the patient while under tiapride (Delpral-R), the various discomforts were satisfactorily reduced and the detoxification syndrome could be limited to 50 hours. This study covers 15 patients who had an average addiction history of more than 7 1/e years, and who underwent inpatient rapid opiate withdrawal treatment lasting an average of five days.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

[Initial clinical experiences in a large Austrian patient sample with immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS): I. Type and course of encountered infections].

This study presents a report on the first clinical experiences gained in 68 hospitalized HIV antibody-positive patients from Austria, covering a period of twelve months. 36 patients (52.9%) belonged to risk group I or Ib (homo- or bisexual), whereas 26 (38.2%) patients were i.v. drug abusers (risk group II). 5 (7.4%) patients fulfilled the criteria of stage II of the CDC classification of HIV-associated clinical symptoms, 10 (14.7%) were classified as stage III and the remaining 53 patients (78%) as stage IV. The most frequent and also the most serious problem was the development of opportunistic infections. Multiple infections were found in 45.7% of all cases. Kaposi's sarcoma was found in 9 patients who all belonged to risk group I. During the entire observation period 10 patients died as a consequence of HIV-1-induced immunodeficiency and the resulting opportunistic infections and/or neoplasms.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
PubMed1987

[Prevalence of HIV antibodies in intravenous drug-dependent patients 1986 and 1987 in Vienna].

As one of the most important risk groups for HIV infection 82 intravenous drug addicts were tested in December 85/January 86 and 159 in December 86/January 87 for HIV antibody when entering a detoxification programme of our drug addition outpatient clinic. All these drug addicts had used intravenous drugs, mostly opiates. Serum antibodies to HIV were found in 7 (8.5%) of the first sample and in 23 (14.4%) of the second sample. Among seronegative drug addicts a significantly higher use of sterile needles was found than among HIV seropositive drug addicts. Among the seropositive drug abusers a history of intravenous drug abuse outside Austria was found more often than in seronegative drug addicts. The incidence of HIV antibodies in i.v. drug addicts in Vienna appears low in comparison with figures in the Austrian Tyrol (44%), Scotland (33%), Italy (53%) and Switzerland (53%), but similar to England (10%). The low frequency in Vienna could be explained by a significantly higher use of sterile equipment. Furthermore, at the first test period a change in abuse behaviour was found; an increasing number of patients was taking oral opiates exclusively, or reduced intravenous drug intake.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Contralateral eye movements and alpha reactivity of lithium patients in recognition tasks.

For the purpose of analyzing memory deficits in patients on lithium therapy the Psychological Labor (E. Opgenoorth et al.) and Lithium Department (R. Wolf et al.) studied not only psychological performance but also biosignals of elementary complexity (characteristic values of eye movements as a reaction to simple light stimuli) and of higher complexity, i.e. those which accompany the cognitive processing of information. Recall and recognition performance for incidentally learned word and picture items was tested in 14 patients receiving lithium treatment. Simultaneously registered EEG (O1-Cz and O2-Cz) and lateral eye movements (LEM) were analyzed with reference to different stimuli. Absolute alpha power and relative event-related desynchronization (ERD) show differences in EEG reactivity between healthy individuals and lithium patients demonstrated by differences in the amplitudes. LEM are characterized by a slight delay of the peaks.

Adult↗
PubMed1986

Mood-dependent learning. I. Endogenomorphic and psychoreactive depressions--influence of positive and negative feedback on expectancy shifts.

Influenced by Seligman's definition of 'learned helplessness' we studied the change of expectancy after positive and negative reinforcement before the onset and in the course of treatment of endogenomorphic and psychoreactive depressions. Before the onset of treatment patients do not exhibit any systematic change of expectancy after positive or negative reinforcement, in the course of treatment reaction to reinforcement is demonstrable, the type of treatment administered during the observation period causes differences in behavior.

Achievement↗
PubMed1986

Results of learning experiments in the course of treatment of endogenomorphic depression. A comparison of electroconvulsive and pharmacological treatment.

In this study we attempted to break down short-term effects of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) on memory into anterograde and retrograde amnesia, and for the latter we again separated short-term store performances from those connected with the long-term store of memory. Our experiments included complicated learning tasks. Although impairment caused by ECT was demonstrable in all three test fields, complicated conditioning experiments stored in the long-term store proved to be most sensitive to the disturbing effect of ECT.

Adult↗
PubMed1984

Development of a new shortened version of Raven's matrices test for application and rough assessment of present intellectual capacity within psychopathological investigation.

Based on a sample of 300 psychiatric patients the items of the Standard Progressive Matrices test are analyzed in terms of classical and probabilistic methods, and a version shortened to 30 items is developed. This new version of the test is then standardized from a new sample of 1,200 patients. A table of selected percentiles is computed. Validation with respect to rough classification of intelligence is proved by comparison with results of the WIP .

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

[Clonidine for the treatment of heroin withdrawal syndrome].

In an open study of 50 patients with heroin addiction, clonidine was efficacious by mouth in the treatment of acute heroin-withdrawal syndrome. Mean administration of clonidine (on an "as-needed" basis) was 5 days (maximum 7 days), whilst the mean daily dosage ranged from 0.112 mg to 0.468 mg, the maximum requirement occurring on day 2 of withdrawal and sinking thereafter. Since insomnia was not influenced by clonidine, we offered 100 mg doxepine and/or 10 mg nitrazepam (the latter only until day 4 of treatment). Under this medication a sudden, dramatic decrease in blood pressure was not seen, mean blood pressure and pulse rate were not markedly altered; this may, perhaps, be a consequence of the blocking effect of doxepine on the peripheral hypotensive actions of clonidine. Of the 9 drop-outs from treatment, five (10% of the total 50) were certainly directly attributable to the lack of response to clonidine, representing a failure of therapy in 10% cases at least.

2-Hydroxyphenethylamine↗
PubMed1983

[Inpatient withdrawal treatment of heroin dependence with neuroleptics--an approach to addicts].

The authors present a setting for abrupt withdrawal treatment with the following targets: 1. To facilitate the addicts the voluntary use of medical and psychiatric service. 2. To develop methods for withdrawal treatment, as riskless and easy to handle as possible. 3. To use the time of inpatient treatment for building up confidence in psychiatric services to motivate the patients for a following therapy. Drugs and dosage of peroral and intravenous neuroleptic treatment and possible complications are discussed. Peroral treatment has the advantage of lower doses, easier handling and lower complication rates. The setting and the used drugs seem to be attractive enough for many addicts to contact the clinic on their own account.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1983

[Spatial orientation capability in the elderly].

A labyrinth-learning experiment was conducted with 83 elderly subjects (median 53 years), which was validated against the architectural "reality" of the clinic in which the test was conducted. The orientation capability of psychologically normal subjects was compared with the performance of patients with a depressive syndrome and/or with an organic mental syndrome. Factor Analysis revealed the independent influence of component functions, the most important being spatial imaging, memory, goal-seeking orientation, labyrinth learning and right-left coordination. Orientation in reality is not accurately predicted by performance on the labyrinth test model. Contrary to our expectation, the presence of OMS alone did not decrease performance; however the presence of a depressive syndrome, both alone as well as in conjunction with OMS did. Diagnostic and therapeutic implications are discussed.

Aged↗
PubMed1982

[In-patient withdrawal treatment of heroin addicts with neuroleptics (author's transl)].

The results are reported of 144 abrupt withdrawal treatment in heroin addicts (102 in males, 42 in females). Neuroleptics were given intravenously (partly via subclavia catheter) or orally and the results compared with one another. Parenteral treatment needed much more specialist supervision and control and had a much higher complication rate. It should be used only on the individual special case. The initial withdrawal lasts about 4 days with an oral dosage of 270 mg levopromazine in males and 240 mg in females or 540 mg chlorprothixene in males and 520 mg in females per 24 hours. The only side effects encountered were tachycardia and the occasional occurrence of extrapyramidal signs. The liver function tests did not show any significant changes during the treatment.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1982

[Acute viral encephalitis with primary psychotic symptoms--diagnosis, course and prognosis].

In 13 cases referred to psychiatric treatment between 1974 and 1980 acute viral encephalitis was diagnosed in the further course of the illness. The majority were female patients. Positive virological or pathological evidence was obtained in 38% of all cases. The most frequent etiology to be found was the herpes-simplex virus. These findings correspond to 36 cases from the literature. 90% of all cases showed neurological symptoms within two weeks of hospital admission. EEG and cerebrospinal fluid examinations proved to yield most in diagnosis, whereas angiography and brain scanning did not have special diagnostic importance. The present diagnostic value of CT is mainly restricted to the detection of herpes-simplex virus encephalitis and acute leukoencephalitis. Initially psychopathological findings varied largely and fluctuations in the level of consciousness were a prominent feature in most cases. In others no difference to schizophrenic psychosis could be noted on admission. Compared to other studies on acute viral encephalitis with initial neurological symptoms, patients with a psychotic onset of the illness tend to have a higher morbidity, while the mortality remains the same.

Acute Disease↗