Weight gain associated with increased food intake and low habitual activity levels in male adolescent schizophrenic inpatients treated with olanzapine

OBJECTIVE: The authors studied weight gain mechanisms and energy balance in patients treated with olanzapine. METHOD: The body mass index of male schizophrenic adolescent inpatients treated with olanzapine (N=10) and of 10 matched patients treated with haloperidol (N=10) were measured at baseline and after 4 weeks of treatment. For the patients treated with olanzapine, caloric intake, resting energy expenditure, and physical activity (determined through accelerometry and heart rate monitoring) were assessed at baseline and after 4 weeks of treatment. RESULTS: Body mass index significantly increased in those treated with olanzapine but not in those given haloperidol. The increase in body mass index was due to an increase in caloric intake without change in diet composition. Olanzapine had no significant effect on resting energy expenditure. Daily energy expenditure was very low before and after treatment. CONCLUSIONS: Olanzapine-induced weight gain is associated with a general increase in caloric intake.     

Unusual presentation of M?nckeberg’s sclerosis in the thyroid vessels of three female patients

Histopathological findings of Mönckeberg’s sclerosis in the thyroid vessels of three female patients are described. Two of the patients presented with papillary carcinoma and the third presented with two cystic adenomatous nodules. Lesions of chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis were observed in two of the cases. The presence of Mönckeberg’s sclerosis is an indication for further examination of patients’ vascular systems because of the high risk for cardiovascular events.     

Resting‐state glutamatergic neurotransmission is related to the peak latency of the auditory mismatch negativity (MMN) for duration deviants: An 1H‐MRS‐EEG study

Mismatch negativity (MMN), an ERP elicited by a deviant stimulus in a train of standard stimuli, has been suggested to be associated to glutamatergic neurotransmission, mediated by glutamatergic NMDA receptors. In this study, we examined the relationship between interindividual variation of ¹H‐MRS‐measured glutamate+glutamine (Glx) in the superior temporal gyrus and MMN for duration and frequency deviants in 19 healthy young adults (9 male). We found a significant relationship between the peak latency of the duration‐MMN peak and creatine‐scaled Glx (p = .0003, η² = .43), with increased Glx level being associated to earlier peak of the duration‐MMN (r = ?.63). In contrast, the amplitude of the duration‐MMN was not related to Glx. There was no significant relationship between Glx and the frequency‐MMN. The present study is the first to demonstrate that interindividual variation in the glutamatergic neurotransmission affects the MMN response in healthy individuals.     

Right colon and liver hemangiomatosis： A case report and a review of the literature

INTRODUCTION Hemangiomas constitute 7% of all benign vascular tumors and are characterized by increased numbers of normal or abnormal vessels filled with blood and are usually local- ized; however, when they involve a large number of organs in the body th…     

Do survivors respond differently when alcohol abuse complicates suicide? Findings from the psychological autopsy study in Estonia

BACKGROUND: When a person with alcohol use disorder commits suicide, do the immediate family members (parents, spouses, and children) react differently from the relatives of non-alcohol-related suicides? METHODS: From a series of 427 psychological autopsies conducted in Estonia we selected 261 cases of suicide where the key informants were close relatives. Of the 261 suicides, 148 met the DSM-IV criteria for alcohol use disorder (alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence), while 113 did not. Unconditional logistic regression was used to estimate the association in terms of emotions. RESULTS: The spouses of alcohol misusing suicides were significantly more likely to react with anger than those when alcohol did not complicate the picture (adjusted OR=3.8, 95% CI=1.4-0.4). The children of persons with alcohol use disorder, who committed suicide were less likely to feel guilty (adjusted OR=0.2, 95% CI=0.1-0.8) or abandoned (adjusted OR=0.2, 95% CI=0.1-0.7) than children of non-alcohol-related suicide victims. There were no statistically significant differences in surviving parents' emotions. CONCLUSIONS: Alcohol use disorder before suicide changes affective responses in spouses and children who are left behind. Bereavement counsellors should be alert for complex grief and mourning responses among this group of suicide survivors.