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Biomedical subjects

Pedro Delgado

Publications and source records attributed to Pedro Delgado.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Number of risk genotypes is a risk factor for major depressive disorder: a case control study.

BACKGROUND: The objective of the study was to determine the genetic basis of Major Depressive Disorder, and the capacity to respond to antidepressant treatment. An association study of 21 candidate polymorphisms relevant to monoamine function and the mechanism of antidepressant response was conducted in 3 phenotypically distinct samples: a group with chronic or recurrent depression unable to respond to antidepressants (non-responders) (n = 58), a group capable of symptomatic improvement with or without treatment (responders) (n = 39), and volunteer controls (n = 85). The responders and non-responders constituted a larger group of depressed subjects. METHODS: A candidate gene approach was employed to asses the genetics basis of Major Depressive Disorder. The genotypic frequencies of selected polymorphisms were compared between the controls and depressed subjects. To asses the genetics basis of the capacity to respond to antidepressant treatment, the responders were compared to the non-responders. Candidate genes were chosen based on functional studies and proximity to whole genome linkage findings in the literature. Risk genotypes were identified by previous functional studies and association studies. RESULTS: A statistically significant difference in genotype frequency for the SLC6A4 intron 2 VNTR was detected between the subjects with a history of depression and controls (p = 0.004). Surprisingly, a statistically significant difference was detected between responders and non-responders for the DRD4 exon III VNTR genotype frequencies (p = 0.009). Furthermore, a difference between the controls and depressed subjects as well as between the controls and non-responders was detected for the number and distribution of risk genotypes in each group. CONCLUSION: An association between several monoamine-related genes and Major Depressive Disorder is supported. The data suggest that the two depressive phenotypes are genetically different, inferring that the genetic basis for the capacity to respond to standard antidepressant treatment, and the genetic susceptibility to Major Depressive Disorder may be independent. In addition, a proof of concept is provided demonstrating that the number of risk genotypes may be an indication of susceptibility of major depressive disorder and the severity of the disorder.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Potential dermal exposure during the painting process in car body repair shops.

The object of this study was to assess potential dermal exposure to the non-volatile fractions of paints based on studies assessing potential exposure during the painting process in car body repair shops with water-based paints. The measurements were done during filling of the spray gun, paint spraying and cleaning of the gun. Potential dermal exposure was assessed using patches and gloves as dosimeters and analysing deposits of aluminium, a constituent of the paint mixture, which is used as a chemical tracer for these studies. The total body area used excluding hands was 18 720 cm(2) and the area of each hand was 410 cm(2). Dermal exposure to the paint during filling of the spray gun occurs mainly on the hands and ranged from 0.68 to 589 micro g paint/cm(2)/min, as calculated from the amount of aluminium observed and the concentration of aluminium in the paint. During spraying, the levels of exposure of the hands and body ranged from 0.20 to 4.35 micro g paint/cm(2)/min for the body and 0.40 to 13.4 micro g paint/cm(2)/min for the hands. With cleaning of the spray gun the hands were the principal area exposed, with values ranging from 0.44 to 213 micro g paint/cm(2)/min. Information on and observations of each of the scenarios were recorded in a structured questionnaire.

Aluminum↗
PubMed2004

Escitalopram.

Escitalopram, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) was recently approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of major depression. This chapter reviews preclinical and clinical studies with escitalopram, focusing on its therapeutic profile of action and tolerability. Escitalopram is the S-enantiomer of the racemic SSRI citalopram. It has been proposed that the S-enantiomer of citalopram is the isomer that holds antidepressant efficacy, and that the R-enantiomer is clinically inactive; preclinical and clinical data support this. Based on in vitro radioligand binding data, escitalopram is the most selective SSRI available. Hypotheses that escitalopram has a more rapid onset of action or fewer adverse effects than citalopram have not yet been fully documented in published studies, although its profile is at least comparable to citalopram. Escitalopram is more effective than placebo in the treatment of major depression and as effective as other SSRIs, including citalopram. Comparable to other SSRIs, it is well tolerated, safe in overdose and has a low incidence of adverse effects or drug interactions.

Antidepressive Agents, Second-Generation↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Patients' perception of their depressive illness.

Perception of illness has been described as an important predictor in the medical health psychology literature, but has been given little attention in the domain of mental disorders. The patient's Perception of Depression Questionnaire (PDIQ) is a newly developed measure whose factor structure and psychometric properties were evaluated on a sample of 174 outpatients meeting criteria for major depressive disorder. The clinical utility of the questionnaire was assessed on a sub-sample of 121 participants in a study of acupuncture treatment for depression. The questionnaire has four subscales, each with high internal consistency and high test-retest reliability. These four subscales are: Self-Efficacy, which reflects perceived controllability of the illness, Externalizing, which reflects attributing the illness to external causes, Hopeless/Flawed, which reflect a belief that depression is a personal trait and therefore there is little hope for cure, and Holistic, which reflects a belief in alternative therapies. Although the PDIQ did not predict outcome, its subscales were related to adherence to treatment, treatment preference, expectations, and therapeutic alliance. The subscales have adequate convergent/discriminant validity and are clinically relevant to aspects of treatment provision.

Adult↗