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Biomedical subjects

P Castrogiovanni

Publications and source records attributed to P Castrogiovanni.

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

Age-related differences in human platelet 5-HT uptake.

Platelet 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) uptake was measured in a group of young healthy volunteers and a group of aged healthy volunteers. Our results show a significant increase in the maximal velocity of uptake (Vmax) in the platelets of aged subjects. This could result in a decreased concentration of extracellular 5-HT in old age. Such reduced levels of 5-HT, if they occurred at 5-HT synapses in the brain, could result in susceptibility to the development of neurological or psychiatric illness.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Fibromyalgia features in patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome. Evidence of a relationship with psychological depression.

The prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints suggestive of the fibromyalgia syndrome (FS) was evaluated in 30 patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (1 degree SS) and in two control groups of patients with osteoarthritis (OA) and diabetes mellitus (DM). In addition, the presence of depressive state was investigated in patients and controls using the Hamilton rating scale and an Italian self-evaluating test. Fibromyalgia features were found in 14 1 degree SS patients (47%), in 21 OA (70%) and in 10 DM (33%) controls. 1 degree SS patients showed the highest prevalence (47%) of moderate-severe depression with respect to OA (20%) and DM (7%) groups (p less than 0.01). Furthermore, while FS features correlated closely with both tests for depression in 1 degree SS (p less than 0.001), this correspondence was absent or much less significant in the other disease groups. Finally, neither psychopathological features nor FS complaints appeared to be related to the other clinical and serological findings of 1 degree SS.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Evaluation of the central dopaminergic activity in gestational hyperprolactinaemia by means of the electroretinographic technique.

Electroretinography, a simple, bloodless technique commonly used in ophthalmological diagnostic practice, seems to give important informations on the level of activity of the retinal and/or other central dopaminergic systems. The Authors have employed this technique in a group of 30 normal pregnant women in the ninth month of gestation, in order to evaluate the dopaminergic activity in a condition of physiological hyperprolactinemia, such as pregnancy, and in a group of 25 normal nonpregnant control women. The b wave amplitude of the electroretinographic traces was significantly higher in pregnant women than in controls, suggesting an over-activity of dopaminergic systems in late pregnancy. The possible interpretations of these data are discussed.

Brain↗
PubMed1978

Controlled double-blind trial of camazepam, a new benzodiazepine derivative, versus chlordiazepoxide.

31 in-patients with anxiety entered at random in a double-blind clinical trial of chlordiazepoxide and camazepam, a benzodiazepine derivative. They were assessed by three different rating scales. Statistical evaluation of the results showed similar psychopharmacological activity of both drugs. It is concluded that camazepam is suitable for treatment of mild and severe anxiety states.

Anti-Anxiety Agents↗
PubMed1978

Computer-aided classification and assessment of patients in multicenter trials.

The automated diagnostic procedure appears to be particularly suitable for clinical psychopharmacological trials since it provides a diagnostic definition and a psychopathological profile of patients assessed by various investigators of different centers where a different kind of psychopathology as well as different cultural, clinical and psychopharmacological backgrounds may be present. Furthermore, this procedure offers the possibility of reexamining and analyzing the characteristics of the experimental sample as related to the responses to the drugs. It also provides a new approach for solving some of the problems which play an important role in determining divergent results in clinical psychopharmacology such as that of patients selection and diagnostic definition. In the present study the automated diagnostic procedure derived by the scores of each item of I.M.P.S. and by factor scores are evaluated comparatively. The data reported show that the automated diagnosis should be based on the scores of single aspects of the symptomatology rather than on the basis of the factor scores.

Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted↗
PubMed1976

An automated diagnostic process (PDA) in clinical psychopharmacology. An exemplification of its use in a sulpiride versus haloperidol comparative trial.

One of the main unsolved problems, and one which produces divergent results in clinical psychopharmacology, is that concerning the selection of patients and their diagnostic definition. An automated diagnostic procedure (PDA) was set up in order to classify each patient into one nosographic category on the basis of a cross-sectional examination of his mental state. Such diagnostic procedure appears particularly suitable for multicenter drug trials, since it gives a profile and a diagnostic definition of patients, assessed by investigators from different areas and with different cultural, and clinical backgrounds. In a multicenter trial (sulpiride versus haloperidol) PDA offered a chance to re-examine and analyze the characteristics of each patient and therefore to control the criteria followed for the sample selection in the various experimental settings. The agreement between clinician and computer diagnosis was 78.9%; this agreement rises to 85.5% if the computerlabelled schizo-affective syndromes are considered within the schizophrenic group. Moreover, and attempt has been made to relate psychopathological patterns to drug responses.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

Bromazepam versus diazepam in psychoneurotic inpatients.

A double blind between-groups trial was carried out to compare the effectiveness of the new benzodiazepine compound, bromazepam, (Lexotan, Ro 5-3350) as an anti-anxiety compound with that of diazepan. The fifty-eight psychoneurotic inpatients admitted to the trial were divided into two groups, "obsessives" and "neurotics", in order to assess any specific action of the drug. Assessment was made by means of B.P.R.S. of Overall and Gorham, R.S.A.S. of Hamilton, P.R.S. of Wittenborn and I.M.P.S. of Lorr. The results showed that bromazepam has a general therapeutic effectiveness (though not always as great as that of diazepam) as an anti-anxiety agent, while no difference in the effects of the two drugs was found between the two psychopathologic groups; with both treatments the "obsessives" responded less than the "neurotics". Detailed evaluation of the individual items of the I.M.P.S. showed that bromazepam is likely to exert a disinhibiting or "activating" action, unlike most other benzodiazepines in clinical use.

Adult↗