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Biomedical subjects

W R Yates

Publications and source records attributed to W R Yates.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1990

The effect of gender and subtype on platelet MAO in alcoholism.

Decreased platelet MAO activity has been identified in male alcoholics with suggestions that this is primarily true of Type 2 alcoholics as defined by criteria from the Stockholm Adoption Study. Little information has been available regarding platelet MAO activity in female alcoholics. This study evaluated a group of 71 alcoholics receiving inpatient treatment, including 16 female alcoholics, for platelet MAO activity compared to controls. Female alcoholic's platelet MAO was significantly lower than controls and not different from activity levels in male alcoholics. Among male alcoholics, both Type 1 and Type 2 subgroups were lower than controls and Type 2 levels did not differ from Type 1 levels. Thus, we were unable to replicate a gender and subgroup low platelet MAO specificity among alcoholics, but did find significant differences between alcoholics and controls.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Longitudinal characteristics of hospital use before and after alcoholism treatment.

The frequency of inpatient hospital care for three years before and three years after alcoholism treatment was evaluated for a group of 255 patients of predominantly lower socioeconomic status treated for alcoholism at a rural midwestern medical center in 1983. Subjects were interviewed while in treatment to obtain information regarding alcoholism history and demographics. Hospital care was ascertained from an electronic data file of discharges from 172 acute care hospitals throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. One-third of the sample was never hospitalized for an alcohol-related condition in the years prior to or after alcoholism treatment, and 23% of the sample experienced no hospitalizations at all other than the treatment episode when interviewed. The majority of hospital stays before and after treatment were attributed to alcohol abuse. The frequency and total hospital length of stay for alcohol-related admissions increased yearly before treatment, peaked in the year after treatment, and then declined, but not to earliest pretreatment levels. Subjects experienced significantly more hospitalizations and length of stay after alcoholism treatment than before when comparing both the two three-year periods and the immediate 12 months before and after treatment. More frequent hospital care was also significantly associated with higher levels of daily alcohol consumption and drinking duration but not with sociodemographic indicators.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Adult children of alcoholics. A valid diagnostic group?

"Adult children of alcoholics" (COAs) has become a popular diagnostic categorization denoting a group of adults sharing a common environmental background. These individuals are felt to share common familial effects of early development in an "alcoholic" home. The COA concept has gained significant acceptance in the popular press with many substance abuse treatment centers developing programmed treatment approaches for Adult COAs. However, little research evidence is available to validate this diagnosis. To evaluate the validity of the Adult COA concept among patients in treatment for substance abuse, we compared a series of patients for a variety of demographic, personality, psychiatric illness, and substance abuse phenomenology measures. The results of this comparison showed few distinctions in phenomenology between the two groups. The COA group reported more specific problem-drinking behaviors and medical problems related to alcohol as well as a higher total alcoholism severity score. This study finds only limited support for the validity of the diagnosis of Adult COA in a distinct inpatient substance abuse population.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

The initial presentation of depression in family practice and psychiatric outpatients.

Most reports characterizing the initial presentation of depression are based on patients seen in psychiatric settings. It is not clear whether the difficulty in identifying depression in medical clinic outpatients is due to physician unfamiliarity with the diagnostic criteria or because the psychiatric syndrome is not the same in early, mild cases that present with somatic symptoms. In this study, depressed patients choosing the medical clinic for care presented the same somatic symptoms as nondepressed medical patients. In comparison to depressed patients who presented to the psychiatric clinic, depressed medical patients' chief complaints were more somatic, obscure, and less psychologically focused. Depressed psychiatric patients had more symptoms on a medical review of systems checklist than did medical patients with an equivalent level of depression. When DSM-III criteria were applied, depressed patients from each clinic tended to fulfill the major and minor criteria in a similar pattern. However, the prevalence of depression in the medical setting was much lower and milder than was that presenting to the psychiatry clinic. Once present at a diagnosable stage, however, the syndrome appeared to be the same in both patient groups.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Personality risk factors for cocaine abuse.

To evaluate the role of personality in cocaine abuse, 59 adults meeting DSM-III criteria for cocaine abuse were compared to similar-aged non-cocaine alcohol abusers and community controls on a DSM-III measure of personality. Cocaine abusers were more likely than non-cocaine alcohol abusers to display narcissistic personality traits (Odds ratio 6.86, 95% CI = 4.52, 15.60). (Am J Public Health 1989; 79:891-892.

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Comorbidity of bulimia nervosa and personality disorder.

Thirty patients meeting DSM-III-R criteria for bulimia nervosa with at least three bingeing episodes a week were compared with 30 age- and sex-matched controls on DSM-III personality measures. The bulimic patients were more likely to display cluster B (histrionic, narcissistic, antisocial, and borderline) personality abnormalities (odds ratio 15.0) and cluster C (avoidant, dependent, compulsive, and passive-aggressive) personality abnormalities (odds ratio 4.3) than were the community controls. This study supports the finding that personality disorder is a possible risk factor for bulimia.

Borderline Personality Disorder↗
PubMed1988

CT abnormalities in tardive dyskinesia.

Many investigators have suspected neuropathology in tardive dyskinesia (TD) to center in the striatum. Previous computed tomographic (CT) studies of middle-aged and older subjects using linear measurements have reported primarily negative results. The present study attempts to identify neuropathological abnormalities in the periventricular region of young chronic schizophrenics using specific area measurements of in vivo brain imaging. A ratio of frontal horn area to maximal internal skull area (FHBR) was used in an effort to gain sensitivity and give a reliable measure of caudate atrophy. The ventricle-brain ratio (VBR) measurement and a cortical atrophy rating were also done. The TD and non-TD control groups did differ in the CT variables. Negative CT results do not rule out the possibility that more subtle neuropathological abnormalities may be present. Magnetic resonance imaging, with its superior gray/white matter differentiation and its ability to detect subtle differences in tissue, may discover abnormalities in TD.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Alcoholism in males with antisocial personality disorder.

Two hundred and sixty men entering an inpatient program for alcohol and drug treatment were interviewed and tested for cognitive disturbances and hepatic function. When the treatment group was separated by the presence or absence of antisocial personality disorder, the antisocial group was distinguished by several factors. Antisocial alcoholics were more likely to have an early onset of alcoholism and to be involved with other illicit drugs, and showed evidence of more problems with control of their drinking. They reported more alcohol-related problems as defined in DSM-III. Despite histories of a more severe form of alcoholism, the antisocials were no more likely to develop alcohol dependence or show signs of cognitive or hepatic toxicity.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Hyperactivity in children: changing diagnostic criteria.

Family physicians are frequently asked to discuss the probable course and outcome of hyperactivity in children. The literature is confusing with regard to the criteria used to define the hyperactivity syndrome. By using updated criteria, physicians can separate hyperactive children into two groups based on the presence or absence of coexisting conduct disorder. When these groups are considered separately, accurate predictions can be made about course and outcome.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗
PubMed1988

Family abuse of methylphenidate.

Methylphenidate is often the drug of choice for pharmacologic treatment of attention deficit disorder. Cases of parental abuse of the drug have been reported. The likelihood of antisocial personality disorder appears to be greater in families of children with attention deficit disorder, which emphasizes the need for strategies to reduce the abuse of prescription methylphenidate.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1987

Risk factors for alcohol hepatotoxicity among male alcoholics.

Alcoholic liver cirrhosis is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in alcohol dependence. A common precursor to cirrhosis is alcoholic hepatotoxicity evident clinically by elevated serum liver enzymes. In this study 50 male patients with significant (greater than two times upper limits of normal) elevation of liver enzymes attending a veterans inpatient alcohol treatment center were matched by age and time since last drink to 50 male veterans without elevated liver enzymes. Patients with elevated liver enzymes were found to be more likely to be daily drinkers, less likely to indulge in binge drinking patterns or have alcoholic blackouts, and showed a trend towards a less severe pattern of alcoholism. Significant gamma glutamyl transferase (GGT) elevations were found in patients consuming an average of 7 beers/day for 5 years, and significant aspartate aminotransferase (AST) elevations were found in patients consuming a threshold of 12 beers/day for 10 years. These findings are consistent with current research suggesting alcoholic cirrhosis is a result of a threshold exposure to alcohol in alcoholics with an additional environmental or genetic risk factor.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Cerebellar atrophy in schizophrenia and affective disorder.

The authors evaluated 108 patients with schizophrenia, 50 patients with affective disorder, and 74 age- and sex-matched control subjects by CAT scan for evidence of global cerebellar atrophy. No difference was found between control subjects and schizophrenic patients or between control subjects and patients with affective disorder. This study does not confirm previous reports linking cerebellar atrophy to schizophrenia.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

A family study of generalized anxiety disorder.

The frequency of generalized anxiety disorder was higher among first-degree relatives of probands with generalized anxiety (N = 20) than among the relatives of control subjects (N = 20), but it was not higher among relatives of probands with panic disorder (N = 40) or agoraphobia (N = 40). Also, the frequency of panic disorder was higher among relatives of probands with panic disorder than among control relatives but was not higher among relatives of generalized anxiety probands. Relatives of probands with generalized anxiety who had the same disorder had a mild, stress-related illness. The results confirm the separation between generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder but challenge the distinction between generalized anxiety and adjustment disorders.

Adjustment Disorders↗
PubMed1987

Factors associated with motor vehicle accidents among male alcoholics.

Male alcoholics (N = 260) presenting for inpatient treatment were given a structured psychiatric interview that included questions about previous motor vehicle accidents while intoxicated. The histories of 57 patients who reported personal injury accidents were compared with those of 131 patients who did not report accidents. Patients reporting accidents were more severely ill and had an earlier onset of heavy drinking. Also, more patients with accidents belonged to a subgroup of alcoholics with antisocial personality. The identification of high-risk alcoholics may contribute to motor vehicle accident prevention.

Accidents, Traffic↗
PubMed1987

Depression.

Depression is a prevalent and treatable psychiatric illness. Proper treatment requires accurate diagnosis, aggressive treatment, and longitudinal follow-up. The use of antidepressant medication, psychotherapy, and patient/family management techniques are discussed.

Adjustment Disorders↗
PubMed1987

Anorexia and bulimia.

Eating disorders are receiving increasing attention in the lay press and in psychiatric research. Young women are most often affected by eating disorders, frequently with additional psychiatric syndromes. This article focuses on accurate diagnosis, medical and psychiatric complications, and current management techniques.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Behavioral complications of alcoholism.

Behavioral complications of alcoholism are frequently found in young alcoholics before medical complications develop. The antisocial alcoholic is at high risk of behavioral complications, including aggressive, violent behavior and accidental injury. Because of the markedly increased risk of trauma in alcoholism, the family physician should investigate the possible role of alcohol or other drug use in any patient with an injury.

Accidents, Traffic↗