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PubMed1976

[Urinary continence after radical prostatectomy: the urodynamic proof of an anatomical hypothesis (author's transl)].

Prostatic carcinoma can be cured by a radical operation. In radical prostatectomy the whole so-called internal sphincter is removed. It is generally accepted and often proved that the external sphincter which is mostly somatically innervated cannot resume the funciton of continence. The postoperative urinary incontinence after radical prostatectomy is frequent and therefore the radical prostatectomy is not performed in many places. The problem of postoperative continence as well as incontinence after enucleation of the adenoma will be briefly discussed. In 1966, HUTCH described the so-called 'baseplate'. It is a bundle of smooth muscle fibers, circulary arranged around the bladder neck, which are also responsible for passive continence. He proposed that a certain sphincter function can be achieved by a tubular anastomosis of this anatomical substratum with the distal urethral stump. We were able to prove this anatomical hypothesis urodynamically. A specially constructed double-lumen perfusion catheter enabled us to register the so-called functional urethra profile and simultaneously register a new sphincter pressure wave in the transformed 'baseplate' which was responsible for the continence. We could observe this new sphincter region in all continent patients after radical prostatectomy whereas in the incontinent patients it was absent. Since 1972 we have employed the procedure proposed by HUTCH and have performed 20 radical prostatectomies. All these patients have been postoperatively completely continent. We are of the opinion that undue restraint concerning radical prostatectomy is no more justified.

Humans↗
PubMed1977

A new operation for post-prostatectomy incontineance.

A new surgical treatment for post-prostatectomy incontinence is described. The intact urogenital diaphragm and a peripheral elastic resistance are the two most essential factors to assure continence. In addition to stabilizing the urogenital diaphragm, an elastic peripheral resistance is created by this technique. Contience is achieved by imbedding the urethra between the two corpora cavernosa and followed by median rotation and adaptation of the ischiocavernosi muscles. The proof of continence is given urodynamically by the function urethral profile.

Humans↗
PubMed2000

Orbital and dorsolateral frontal perfusion defect associated with behavioral response to cholinesterase inhibitor therapy in Alzheimer's disease.

The authors retrospectively explored the behavioral and functional imaging profile of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients who respond to cholinesterase inhibitor therapy by using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) and baseline [99mTc]HMPAO SPECT. Thirty AD patients were divided into three groups (Responders, Nonresponders, and Unchanged) based on their behavioral response to donepezil. Responders had significantly (P < or = 0.01) more pretreatment irritability, disinhibition (P < or = 0.05), and euphoria (P = 0.05) than Nonresponders and significantly lower lateral orbital frontal (P < 0.00001) and dorsolateral frontal (P < or = 0.0005) perfusion bilaterally. A pretreatment orbitofrontal syndrome may predict behavioral response to cholinesterase inhibitor therapy in AD.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Measuring autonomy in disabled people: Validation of a new scale in a UK population.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the validity and reliability of an English version of the Impact on Participation and Autonomy Questionnaire (IPA). The original Dutch IPA has been shown to load onto five factors. DESIGN: A validation study. SETTING: Outpatients clinics and people's homes. SUBJECTS: Two hundred and thirteen people with multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, spinal cord injury, and general practice attendees, stratified by level of disability (median age 54, 42% male, 58% female). INCLUSION CRITERIA: English as first language, aged 18-75, Mental Status Questionnaire score >6. INTERVENTIONS: Self- and interviewer-administered outcome measures. MAIN MEASURES: IPA, including one new item (66 participants completed the IPA on a second occasion). OTHER MEASURES: Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF-36), London Handicap Scale, three domains of the Functional Limitations Profile (FLP): household management, social integration, emotion. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the construct validity of the IPA (Normal Fit Index = 0.98, Comparative Fit Index = 0.99), indicating a good fit to the model. Convergent and discriminant validity were confirmed by the predicted associations, or lack of, with the exception of a poor association between the 'social life/relationships' IPA subscale and FLP-emotion. Internal reliability of the IPA was confirmed (Cronbach alphas >0.8; item-total correlations for all subscales >0.5). Test-retest reliability was confirmed for all items (weighted kappas >0.6) and subscales (intraclass correlation coefficients >0.90). CONCLUSIONS: The English IPA is a valid, reliable and acceptable measure of participation and autonomy in people with a range of conditions and can make a unique and fundamental contribution to outcome assessment. Further research is required to examine the responsiveness of the IPA to change over time, its clinical utility and suitability for use with people from ethnic minorities and with older people.

Persons with Disabilities↗
PubMed2005

Methamphetamine use in nonurban and urban drug court clients.

Population-based surveys suggest that methamphetamine use and abuse may be rising in the United States. However, little is known about methamphetamine use in eastern sections of the United States, particularly nonurban areas. The purpose of the present study was (a) to explore reported methamphetamine use and its correlates among Kentucky drug court clients and(b) to determine whether differences exist between methamphetamine users by drug court location. Of the 500 drug court clients surveyed, approximately 32% n=161) reported lifetime methamphetamine use. Methamphetamine users and nonusers differed in their drug-use profiles, self-reported criminal history, and number of criminal offenses. Nonurban and urban methamphetamine users differed in their drug-use profiles, psychological functioning, self-reported criminal history, and number of criminal offenses. These results suggest that differences exist between these populations and clinicians, and criminal justice officials may need to consider these differences when planning treatment and rehabilitation strategies.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1996

Evaluation of a pharmaceutical care model on diabetes management.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of a pharmaceutical care model on the management of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) in urban African-American patients. DESIGN: Eligible patients were randomized to either a pharmacist intervention or control group and followed over a 4-month period. Patients in the intervention group received diabetes education, medication counseling, instructions on dietary regulation, exercise, and home blood glucose monitoring, and evaluation and adjustment of their hypoglycemic regimen. Patients in the control group continued to receive standard medical care provided by their physicians. SETTING: A university-affiliated internal medicine outpatient clinic. PARTICIPANTS: The study population consisted of urban African American patients with NIDDM currently attending the clinic. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcome measures included fasting plasma glucose and glycated hemoglobin concentrations. Secondary outcome endpoints included blood pressure, serum creatinine, creatinine clearance, microalbumin to creatinine ratio, total cholesterol, triglycerides, high-density lipoprotein, and low density lipoprotein concentrations. Quality-of-life assessments were performed in both groups at baseline and at the end of the study. RESULTS: Thirty-nine patients (17 intervention, 22 control) completed the study. The intervention group consisted of 12 women and 5 men with a mean +/- SD age of 59 +/- 12 years, total body weight (TBW) of 93 +/- 22 kg, body mass index (BMI) of 34 +/- 7 kg/m2, and duration of NIDDM 6.8 +/- 6.5 years. The control group consisted of 15 women and 7 men with a mean age of 65 +/- 12 years, TBW of 88 +/- 19 kg, BMI of 33 + 7 kg/m2, and a duration of NIDDM of 6.2 +/- 4.8 y. Significant improvement in glycated hemoglobin (p = 0.003) and fasting plasma glucose (p =0.015) was achieved in the intervention group. No change in glycemia was observed in the control subjects. Statistically significant differences in the final glycated hemoglobin (p = 0.003) and fasting plasma glucose (p = 0.022) concentrations were noted between groups. No significant changes in blood pressure control, lipid profile, renal function parameters, weight, or quality-of-life measures were noted within or between groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrate the effectiveness of pharmaceutical care in the reduction of hyperglycemia associated with NIDDM in a group of urban African-American patients.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

Improved alignment quality by combining evolutionary information, predicted secondary structure and self-organizing maps.

BACKGROUND: Protein sequence alignment is one of the basic tools in bioinformatics. Correct alignments are required for a range of tasks including the derivation of phylogenetic trees and protein structure prediction. Numerous studies have shown that the incorporation of predicted secondary structure information into alignment algorithms improves their performance. Secondary structure predictors have to be trained on a set of somewhat arbitrarily defined states (e.g. helix, strand, coil), and it has been shown that the choice of these states has some effect on alignment quality. However, it is not unlikely that prediction of other structural features also could provide an improvement. In this study we use an unsupervised clustering method, the self-organizing map, to assign sequence profile windows to "structural states" and assess their use in sequence alignment. RESULTS: The addition of self-organizing map locations as inputs to a profile-profile scoring function improves the alignment quality of distantly related proteins slightly. The improvement is slightly smaller than that gained from the inclusion of predicted secondary structure. However, the information seems to be complementary as the two prediction schemes can be combined to improve the alignment quality by a further small but significant amount. CONCLUSION: It has been observed in many studies that predicted secondary structure significantly improves the alignments. Here we have shown that the addition of self-organizing map locations can further improve the alignments as the self-organizing map locations seem to contain some information that is not captured by the predicted secondary structure.

Computational Biology↗
PubMed2004

No evidence for involvement of SDHD in neuroblastoma pathogenesis.

BACKGROUND: Deletions in the long arm of chromosome 11 are observed in a subgroup of advanced stage neuroblastomas with poor outcome. The deleted region harbours the tumour suppressor gene SDHD that is frequently mutated in paraganglioma and pheochromocytoma, which are, like neuroblastoma, tumours originating from the neural crest. In this study, we sought for evidence for involvement of SDHD in neuroblastoma. METHODS: SDHD was investigated on the genome, transcriptome and proteome level using mutation screening, methylation specific PCR, real-time quantitative PCR based homozygous deletion screening and mRNA expression profiling, immunoblotting, functional protein analysis and ultrastructural imaging of the mitochondria. RESULTS: Analysis at the genomic level of 67 tumour samples and 37 cell lines revealed at least 2 bona-fide mutations in cell lines without allelic loss at 11q23: a 4bp-deletion causing skip of exon 3 resulting in a premature stop codon in cell line N206, and a Y93C mutation in cell line NMB located in a region affected by germline SDHD mutations causing hereditary paraganglioma. No evidence for hypermethylation of the SDHD promotor region was observed, nor could we detect homozygous deletions. Interestingly, SDHD mRNA expression was significantly reduced in SDHD mutated cell lines and cell lines with 11q allelic loss as compared to both cell lines without 11q allelic loss and normal foetal neuroblast cells. However, protein analyses and assessment of mitochondrial morphology presently do not provide clues as to the possible effect of reduced SDHD expression on the neuroblastoma tumour phenotype. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides no indications for 2-hit involvement of SDHD in the pathogenesis of neuroblastoma. Also, although a haplo-insufficient mechanism for SDHD involvement in advanced stage neuroblastoma could be considered, the present data do not provide consistent evidence for this hypothesis.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed2024

Major depletion of insulin sensitivity-associated taxa in the gut microbiome of persons living with HIV controlled by antiretroviral drugs.

BACKGROUND: Persons living with HIV (PWH) harbor an altered gut microbiome (higher abundance of Prevotella and lower abundance of Bacillota and Ruminococcus lineages) compared to non-infected individuals. Some of these alterations are linked to sexual preference and others to the HIV infection. The relationship between these lineages and metabolic alterations, often present in aging PWH, has been poorly investigated. METHODS: In this study, we compared fecal metagenomes of 25 antiretroviral-treatment (ART)-controlled PWH to three independent control groups of 25 non-infected matched individuals by means of univariate analyses and machine learning methods. Moreover, we used two external datasets to validate predictive models of PWH classification. Next, we searched for associations between clinical and biological metabolic parameters with taxonomic and functional microbiome profiles. Finally, we compare the gut microbiome in 7 PWH after a 17-week ART switch to raltegravir/maraviroc. RESULTS: Three major enterotypes (Prevotella, Bacteroides and Ruminococcaceae) were present in all groups. The first Prevotella enterotype was enriched in PWH, with several of characteristic lineages associated with poor metabolic profiles (low HDL and adiponectin, high insulin resistance (HOMA-IR)). Conversely butyrate-producing lineages were markedly depleted in PWH independently of sexual preference and were associated with a better metabolic profile (higher HDL and adiponectin and lower HOMA-IR). Accordingly with the worst metabolic status of PWH, butyrate production and amino-acid degradation modules were associated with high HDL and adiponectin and low HOMA-IR. Random Forest models trained to classify PWH vs. control on taxonomic abundances displayed high generalization performance on two external holdout datasets (ROC AUC of 80-82%). Finally, no significant alterations in microbiome composition were observed after switching to raltegravir/maraviroc. CONCLUSION: High resolution metagenomic analyses revealed major differences in the gut microbiome of ART-controlled PWH when compared with three independent matched cohorts of controls. The observed marked insulin resistance could result both from enrichment in Prevotella lineages, and from the depletion in species producing butyrate and involved into amino-acid degradation, which depletion is linked with the HIV infection.

Humans↗
PubMed2004

New insights into the molecular mechanism of interleukin-10-mediated immunosuppression.

Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is an important immunomodulatory cytokine, which has attracted much attention because of its anti-inflammatory properties. It reduces antigen presentation and inhibits T cell activation. IL-10-treated myeloid cells lose their ability to respond toward the endotoxin lipopolysaccharide (LPS) with the production of several proinflammatory mediators. Thereby, IL-10 limits excessive inflammatory reactions in response to endotoxin as it occurs in colitis or endotoxin shock. Mice can be tolerized toward endotoxin shock when pretreated with a sublethal dose of LPS. This can be mimicked in vitro as LPS desensitization, resulting in a similar LPS hyporesponsiveness as observed with IL-10 pretreatment. However, an early block in LPS signaling characterizes LPS desensitization, whereas IL-10 seems to target late events. Controversial reports have been published where IL-10 would interfere with the induction of proinflammatory mediators, and little is known about the molecular mechanisms behind the anti-inflammatory activities of IL-10. Some recent publications have tried to gain more insight into the molecular mechanism of IL-10 by gene-expression profiling and functional studies in myeloid-derived cells. These results are reviewed here and compared with the progress that has been made to understand the induction of endotoxin tolerance by LPS itself.

Animals↗
PubMed2002

A comprehensive endocrine description of Kennedy's disease revealing androgen insensitivity linked to CAG repeat length.

Our study aims to provide a comprehensive view of the endocrine features in Kennedy's disease (KD). Twenty-two men with KD underwent detailed endocrine investigations. Clinical signs of partial androgen resistance were present in more than 80% of the patients, with gynecomastia being the most prominent. Gynecomastia was postpubertal but appeared before muscular weakness in most cases. Thirteen patients had alteration of testicular exocrine function. Hormonal profile of partial androgen resistance was present in 86% of the patients, with an elevated testosterone level in 68%. Androgen insensitivity seems to appear later in life in KD, similar to the development of neurological signs. Although we confirm the previously reported correlation between the CAG repeat length and the early onset of the neurological disease, we describe a significant correlation between repeat length and the age of onset of gynecomastia as well as biological indexes of androgen insensitivity. This is supported by numerous in vitro data correlating variations in the CAG tract with androgen receptor activity; the longer the CAG repeats, the weaker the receptor transactivation. Ours is the first study to show such a clear and prominent pattern of androgen insensitivity in KD. In clinical practice, KD patients are often misdiagnosed as having amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Careful examination of the endocrine component could avoid such a deleterious misdiagnosis.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Synaptic transmission onto hippocampal glial cells with hGFAP promoter activity.

Glial cells increasingly gain importance as part of the brain's communication network. Using transgenic mice expressing green fluorescent protein (EGFP) under the control of the human GFAP promoter, we tested for synaptic input to identified glial cells in the hippocampus. Electron microscopic inspection identified synapse-like structures with EGFP-positive postsynaptic compartments. Sub-threshold stimulation to Schaffer collaterals resulted in stimulus-correlated, postsynaptic responses in a subpopulation of EGFP-positive cells studied with the patch-clamp technique in acute slices. This cell population can be recognized by its distinct morphology and has been termed GluR cells in a preceding study. These cells are distinct from the classical astrocytes due to their antigen profile and functional properties, but also lack characteristic features of oligodendrocytes or neurons. GluR cells also received spontaneous synaptic input. Stimulus-correlated and spontaneous responses were quantitatively analysed by ascertaining amplitude distributions, failure rates, kinetics as well as pharmacological properties. The data demonstrate that GABAergic and glutamatergic neurons directly synapse onto GluR cells and suggest a low number of neuronal release sites. These data demonstrate that a distinct type of glial cells is integrated into the synaptic circuit of the hippocampus, extending the finding that synapse-based brain information processing is not a property exclusive to neurons.

Animals↗
PubMedDate not supplied

National Service Framework for Older People: stroke coordinators.

The National Service Framework (NSF) for Older People aims to develop integrated stroke services with specialized treatment, carer involvement, secondary prevention and rehabilitation. There is an emphasis upon the role of stroke coordinators. The aim of this study was to examine the relationships between stroke coordinators and other agencies involved in stroke care, and to describe stroke coordinators' current roles. Interviews with 11 stroke coordinators across the West Midlands region took place and were evaluated using a grounded theory approach. The roles of stroke coordinators and the perceived levels of integration among stroke services varied between localities. In a few areas, a number of 'adhesive' factors helped bond the coordinator role to successful integration, while in most areas the absence of all or some of these factors made the role less effective. To meet the demands of the NSF, a stroke coordinator's role needs to be a high profile, corporate function, requiring a higher level of autonomy, accountability and responsibility, and demanding creativity and innovation from post holders.

Aged↗
PubMed2002

Monozygotic and dizygotic twins' retrospective and current bereavement-related behaviors: an evolutionary perspective.

The present study compared bereavement responses of 325 monozygotic (MZ) and 176 dizygotic (DZ) adolescent and adult twins following the loss of their co-twins. A subset of twins completed the Grief Experience Inventory using a retrospective time frame, while a second subset completed it using a current time frame. It was hypothesized that MZ twins (in both retrospective and current groups) would report higher levels of grief-related behavior than DZ twins, consistent with Hamilton's (1964) concept of inclusive fitness. Discriminant function and profile analyses yielded supportive findings, but only for the retrospective MZ and DZ twin comparisons. Females in both groups expressed higher levels of bereavement-related behavior than males. Findings are discussed with reference to theoretical aspects of grief and mourning.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Effects of atorvastatin on inflammatory and fibrinolytic parameters in patients with chronic kidney disease.

Although substantial evidence suggests that treatment of dyslipidemia with statins reduces mortality and morbidity that are associated with cardiovascular disease, only a few studies have examined the efficacy of statins on inflammatory and fibrinolytic status in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). A 6-mo, prospective, randomized study was designed to assess the efficacy of atorvastatin in reducing circulating inflammatory and fibrinolytic parameters in patients with CKD. Sixty-six patients with CKD (stages 2, 3, and 4) and LDL cholesterol levels > or =100 mg/dl were randomly assigned (2:1) to receive 20 mg/d atorvastatin (n = 44) or nonatorvastatin therapy (n = 22). Lipid profile, renal function, fibrinolytic balance (tissue plasminogen activator [t-PA] and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1), and inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein [CRP], IL-1 beta, IL-6, and TNF-alpha) were measured before and 6 mo after atorvastatin was added to the treatment. Twenty-five age-matched individuals with normal renal function (estimated GFR >90 ml/min) were used as healthy control subjects. Patients with CKD had higher CRP, IL-1 beta, TNF-alpha, and IL-6 levels than age-matched population with normal renal function. t-PA concentration was higher in patients with CKD (P = 0.000). Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 values were comparable in all patients. Total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol were significantly reduced only in patients who received atorvastatin. In addition to the hypolipidemic effect, atorvastatin treatment significantly reduced inflammatory parameters: CRP (median 4.1 to 2.9; P = 0.015), TNF-alpha (6.0 +/- 2.7 to 4.7 +/- 2.4; P = 0.046), and IL-1 beta levels (1.9 +/- 0.7 to 1.2 +/- 0.7; P = 0.001). These parameters remained unchanged in patients who were not treated with atorvastatin. Fibrinolytic parameters were not modified by atorvastatin treatment. Patients with CKD showed higher levels of inflammatory parameters and t-PA levels than age-matched healthy control subjects. Atorvastatin treatment, in addition to its beneficial effect on cholesterol levels, improved the inflammatory state of these patients without modifying fibrinolytic balance.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Role of simvastatin as an immunomodulator in type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that simvastatin reduces the levels of circulating immune complexes (ICs) containing modified lipoproteins (mLDLs; mLDL-ICs), which may represent an additional mechanism for the reduced incidence of cardiovascular events in patients treated with simvastatin. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A total of 26 patients with type 2 diabetes and triglyceride levels <400 mg/dl who were not receiving lipid-lowering medications or CYP 3A4 inhibitors were enrolled in the study. After 2 weeks on a lipid-lowering diet and exercise, the patients were started on simvastatin 20 mg/day. The dose of simvastatin was adjusted until the levels of LDL cholesterol were < or =100 mg/dl. Blood was collected at baseline, 3 and 6 months after LDL cholesterol levels reached target, and 3 months after stopping simvastatin to measure advanced glycation end product LDL and oxidized LDL antibodies, mLDL-IC, intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), E-selectin, metalloproteinase-1 (MMP-1), lipid profile, liver function tests, creatinine kinase, glucose, and HbA(1c). RESULTS: Twenty-one patients completed the study. Their HbA(1c) remained within 1% of baseline levels. There was a highly significant decrease in mLDL-IC levels after 3 and 6 months of treatment with simvastatin, with a return to near baseline levels after discontinuation. CONCLUSIONS: Simvastatin significantly reduced the concentration of mLDL-IC, probably as a consequence of both a decrease in the formation of mLDL and to a reduction in the titers of mLDL antibodies. This effect is likely to have a beneficial impact in the inflammatory reaction associated with atherosclerosis.

Adjuvants, Immunologic↗
PubMed1996

Biological monitoring of occupational exposure to contraceptive drugs.

The present study was carried out for screening some biochemical changes due to occupational exposure to contraceptive drugs. It included 18 male workers and 22 female workers involved in the manufacture of contraceptive pills and 34 female workers manufacturing contraceptive ampoules. The levels of some sex hormones and gonadotropins were evaluated. Some parameters of blood picture, blood coagulation, liver and kidney functions, lipid profile and trace elements metabolism were assessed. Results were compared with those of a control group composed of 19 males and 27 females. Increased levels of estrogen among exposed workers was the main finding. It has been attributed to liver rather than pituitary dysfunction. A less atherogenic lipid profile has also been found. Referral to preventive measures has been recommended.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Experimental models of schizophrenia.

The Kraepelinian subtypes, developed early in the century, recognize the heterogeneity of schizophrenia but do not reliably predict differences in response to classical neuroleptics. The newer distinction of positive and negative syndromes in schizophrenia carry promise as an approach to identifying meaningful clinical and neurobiological dimensions. The present review summarizes the supportive evidence from a series of investigations using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), and a hypothesis on the pathophysiology of negative and positive symptoms is advanced. Our data suggest that: (a) positive and negative syndromes in schizophrenia represent stable, independent dimensions and not co-exclusive subtypes; (b) both are unrelated to the progression of illness; (c) they are differentially related to fundamental aspects of schizophrenia, including premorbid adjustment, cognitive development, family psychiatric history, the cognitive and neuropsychiatric profiles, dopaminergic functions, drug response, and subsequent course; (d) together with depression and excitement, they comprise the fundamental symptomatic components of schizophrenia, which, in their interaction, can account for the specific Kraepelinian subtypes. We have proposed that negative symptoms represent the core pathology in schizophrenia and may be understood as a variant of parkinsonism, hence characterized by dopaminergic deficiency and increased cholinergic activity. This view is supported by the striking overlap with Parkinsonism in regard to clinical features, neurochemistry, pharmacology, neuropathology, and neuroradiology. Positive symptoms are thought to reflect increased dopaminergic activity, which may arise as a compensatory adaptive mechanism to overcome the progressive dopamine loss in the maturing brain. The early onset of schizophrenia by comparison to Parkinson's disease may explain why schizophrenia entails more pronounced positive symptoms, development deficits, and cognitive, social, and emotional impairments. We describe evidence that pineal calcification, which may reflect disturbance of melatonin functions, appears to be a nongenetic factor in schizophrenia associated with perinatal injury. This may in part underlie the negative syndrome and its response to antipsychotic compounds with serotonergic (5-HT) antagonism.

Humans↗