Search PubMed⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

S K Schultz

Publications and source records attributed to S K Schultz.

32 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

The core symptoms of schizophrenia.

The diagnosis of schizophrenia is made on the basis of a diverse set of characteristic signs and symptoms. These include disturbances in perception and inference, abnormalities in communication, behaviour and motor activity, and deficits in emotional expressivity, hedonic capacity and drive. No single symptom or set of symptoms is pathognomonic, and the question of which symptoms are indeed at the 'core' of schizophrenia has been an issue of much debate, opinion and study since the disorder was first described a century ago. In this review, the symptoms emphasized in current diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia are described and the relative importance of these symptoms in the evolution of the schizophrenia construct is discussed.

Delusions↗
PubMed1995

Withdrawal-emergent dyskinesia in patients with schizophrenia during antipsychotic discontinuation.

We examined whether patients exhibiting withdrawal-emergent dyskinesia (WE-D) represent a group vulnerable to subsequent development of tardive dyskinesia (TD). WE-D was defined as moderate abnormal movements during antipsychotic withdrawal in persons without persistent TD. We assessed patients with schizophrenia-spectrum illness participating in withdrawal from antipsychotic medication. Patients with WE-D were compared to those without dyskinesia and to those with persistent TD. Clinical measures included duration of illness and antipsychotic exposure, negative symptoms, and neurologic soft signs. We hypothesized that WE-D patients would not differ from persistent-TD patients across the above variables, but would differ from non-TD patients. Patients without TD significantly differed from persistent TD in duration of illness, medication exposure and neurologic soft signs. WE-D did not differ from TD across these measures. No-TD patients also showed less duration of medication exposure and neurologic soft signs than those with WE-D.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Neurological soft signs in neuroleptic-naive and neuroleptic-treated schizophrenic patients and in normal comparison subjects.

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study was to assess neurological soft signs and developmental reflexes in schizophrenic patients who had never received neuroleptic medication and those who were receiving neuroleptic medication. METHOD: Neurological soft signs and developmental reflexes were examined in 26 schizophrenic patients who had never received a neuroleptic, 126 schizophrenic patients who were currently receiving neuroleptics, and 117 normal subjects. RESULTS: Soft signs were present in 23% of the neuroleptic-naive and 46% of the medicated schizophrenic patients. Developmental reflexes were present in 19% of the neuroleptic-naive and 12% of the medicated patients. Both soft signs and developmental reflexes were absent in the normal subjects. There were significant differences between patients and normal subjects in neurological soft signs and developmental reflexes. The possibly confounding variables of age, age at onset, duration of illness, number of hospitalizations, Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) scores, and Simpson-Angus Scale extrapyramidal symptom scores were assessed by using logistic regression in the patients who were receiving neuroleptics. AIMS scores and Simpson-Angus Scale scores correlated with soft signs in these patients. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of neurological soft signs in schizophrenic patients who had never received neuroleptics indicates that these signs are present independent of medication effects, but it is possible that neuroleptics contribute to the prevalence of these abnormalities, as demonstrated by the patients who were receiving neuroleptics.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Clinical correlates of early-onset and late-onset poststroke generalized anxiety.

OBJECTIVE: The authors' goal was to determine if generalized anxiety diagnosed while a patient was hospitalized for stroke (early onset) had the same clinical correlates as anxiety beginning 3 months or more after the stroke (late onset). METHOD: Patients with acute stroke (N = 142) were examined while they were in the hospital and 3, 6, 12, and 24 months later for the presence of anxiety symptoms. Patients underwent a structured psychiatric interview as well as assessment of cognitive, physical, and social function at each visit. Patients with early-onset and late-onset poststroke generalized anxiety were identified and compared to patients without poststroke generalized anxiety. RESULTS: The frequency of early-onset poststroke generalized anxiety was 27% and that of late-onset poststroke generalized anxiety was 23%. Three-quarters of the anxious patients had comorbid major or minor depression. Patients who developed early-onset or late-onset poststroke generalized anxiety were no more socially, cognitively, or physically impaired than patients who did not develop anxiety. Early-onset but not late-onset anxiety was associated with a previous history of psychiatric disorder. The median duration of late-onset anxiety was 3.0 months, and that of early-onset anxiety was 1.5 months. The presence of anxiety was significantly associated with depression; onset of depression and onset of anxiety occurred at approximately the same time. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that although early-onset and late-onset poststroke generalized anxiety are phenomenologically similar, they may be the result of different pathophysiological mechanisms.

Anxiety Disorders↗
PubMed1994

Depression following myocardial infarction: a one year longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the course and clinical correlates of depression during the first year after myocardial infarction. METHOD: A group of seventy patients hospitalized for the treatment of myocardial infarction (MI) were assessed for the presence of mood disorders during their hospital admission and at three, six, nine, and twelve months follow-up. Patients were evaluated and diagnosed using the Present State Examination and DSM-III criteria. Impairment in activities of daily living was measured by the Johns Hopkins Functioning Inventory and impairment in social functioning was measured by the Social Functioning Examination. RESULTS: A total of twenty-four patients met DSM-III criteria for major depression at some time during the study (18 in the acute stage, 6 during follow-up). There were two patients with minor depression (dysthymia) at intake and six developed minor depression during the follow-up period. The median duration of major depression was 4.5 months. Patients with depression at intake had greater impairment in activities of daily living than non-depressed patients. Depressions lasting more than six months were more likely to be anxious depressions than those lasting less than six months. After the acute MI period, there was a consistent relationship between the existence of depression and impaired social functioning. CONCLUSIONS: This is a pilot study and needs further replication due to the low rate of follow-up participation. However, these data suggest that there may be two types of depression following MI: an acute depression associated with greater functional impairment, and a prolonged depression that may be associated with inadequate social support.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed1980

Compliance with therapeutic regimens in pediatrics: a review of implications for social work practice.

This paper proposes that medical social workers can have an important role in helping pediatric patients and their families comply with therapeutic regimens. The theoretical and empirical literature regarding compliance is reviewed and the Health Belief Model is considered as a useful conceptual framework. Implications of this literature for social work practice and programs are discussed and recommendations are made which link compliance concepts and research to social work practice.

Child↗
PubMed1974

Characterization of three plasmid deoxyribonucleic acid molecules in a strain of Streptococcus faecalis: identification of a plasmid determining erythromycin resistance.

Three plasmids designated alpha, beta, and gamma, distinguishable by their molecular weights (6, 17, and 34 million, respectively) were isolated from Streptococcus faecalis strain DS-5 (ATCC 14508). Derivatives of this strain "cured" for erythromycin resistance lacked the beta-plasmid. In the parent strain the beta-plasmid was estimated to be present to the extent of one to two copies per chromosomal genome equivalent whereas the alpha- and gamma-plasmids were about nine and five copies, respectively.

Acridines↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Social environment and longevity in schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE: The role of social support as a predictor of long-term survival among patients with schizophrenia was examined. METHODS: Social histories were abstracted from the medical records of a cohort of 133 deceased schizophrenic patients admitted for inpatient treatment between 1934 and 1944. Two independent raters assessed the quantity and quality of support available in each patient's social environment. RESULTS: Cox regression analysis revealed that higher quantity of social support was significantly related to survival time (p<.05) after controlling for marital status and quality of support. The Cox model indicated that a 1-point increase in the support quantity rating was associated with a proportional 25% decrease in the hazard rate. CONCLUSIONS: The present findings suggest that social environment, specifically the quantity of social support available to the patient, may impact longevity in psychiatric populations.

Cohort Studies↗