Efficacy and tolerability of a new antipsychotic compound (risperidone): results of a pilot study.

Risperidone is a new benzisoxazole derivative displaying a very potent serotonin antagonism and a potent dopamine antagonism in pharmacological studies. These properties suggest the hypothesis that risperidone may exert antipsychotic effects and be superior to classic neuroleptics in its beneficial effects on negative and affective symptoms and its low extrapyramidal side-effect propensity. In an open pilot study 13 patients suffering from acute schizophrenic psychosis were treated with risperidone within an individually adapted dose range from 1 to 10 mg per day. A good antipsychotic efficacy could be demonstrated in 6 of the 8 patients who completed the trial. Risperidone was very well tolerated. The substance possesses a low EPS-inducing profile. Future research has to test the suggested advantage of risperidone over other neuroleptic drugs and its performance in the treatment of chronic schizophrenic patients.     

Incidence of multiple sclerosis in Hordaland, western Norway: a fluctuating pattern

The incidence of multiple sclerosis (MS) was studied in the county of Hordaland, western Norway. A significant increase in incidence in the period 1958-1987, a decline followed by a gradual increase in mean age at onset, geographic differences in time trends and a biphasic pattern revealed by a birth cohort analysis support the theory of real time-space fluctuations in the incidence of MS over time.     

Early development of the olfactory and terminalis systems in baleen whales

The development of the olfactory and terminalis systems was studied in tissue from eight embryonic and early fetal specimens belonging to three species of baleen whales. In contrast to toothed whales, baleen whales, particularly in these ontogenetic stages, are much less specialized in nasal organ morphology. The nasal cavity and peripheral olfactory system are well developed and do not show signs of reduction. However, as in toothed whales, there is no trace of a vomeronasal organ or nerve. The terminalis neuroblasts can already be distinguished from the olfactory material in the embryonic period, and they form compact masses medial and caudal to the developing olfactory bulb. As in most prenatal toothed whales, there are two large intrameningeal terminalis ganglia. These are connected with the telencephalic wall by central rootlets and with the septal mucosa by fiber bundles running through the level of the future cribriform plate. Clusters of terminalis neuroblasts also lie near the septal mucosa and along the peripheral terminalis fiber bundles. The functional implications of the olfactory and terminalis systems in whales are discussed.     

Type 2 diabetes heredity and nutrient intake. A dietary history assessment in non-obese normoglycaemic men

The impact of type 2 diabetes heredity on nutrient intake was studied, by means of dietary histories, in 51 normoglycaemic, non-obese men, aged 54-59 years; 29 with familial aggregation of type 2 diabetes, and 22 with no such family history. The average daily intake of energy, macronutrients and minerals was almost identical in the two groups. Mean energy intake was approximately 2400 kcal/d, about 15 per cent of the energy deriving from protein, 35 per cent from fat, 45 per cent from carbohydrate and 5 per cent from alcohol. The average daily intake or dietary fibre was approximately 17 g, or 7 g/1000 kcal. Mean daily sodium and potassium intake, estimated from food sources, was about 3000 and 4000 mg, respectively. The findings provide no support for the existence of any relationship between type 2 diabetes heredity and dietary habits or nutrient intake.     

Inhibition of platelet aggregation following chronic in vivo treatment of rats with nicotine: prevention by simultaneous application of propranolol

Platelet aggregability is known to be enhanced and platelet-survival time shortened in smokers when compared with nonsmokers. Up to now it is unknown which of the substances in tobacco smoke are responsible for these effects. To evaluate a possible role of nicotine, rats were chronically treated with the alkaloid (10 mg/kg/day), continuously released from subcutaneously implanted osmotic minipumps. Surprisingly, after 8 weeks, platelet sensitivity toward the aggregating stimulus adenosine 5'-diphosphate (ADP) was markedly reduced. The mean ADP concentration required to induce half the maximum rate of aggregation (EC50) was 0.88 mumol/L in nicotine-treated animals, as compared with 0.67 mumol/L in controls (p less than 0.002). Platelet aggregability remained normal when the rats were treated simultaneously with nicotine and the beta blocker propranolol (3.5 mg/kg/day); for these animals, the mean EC50 for ADP was 0.73 mumol/L. These results are suggestive of a catecholamine-mediated action of nicotine. However, neither the basal levels of cAMP in platelet-rich plasma, nor the cAMP levels attained after stimulation of platelet adenylate cyclase with prostaglandin E1 (PGE1), were affected by 8 weeks of treatment with nicotine or nicotine plus propranolol. No effect on platelet aggregation was observed when the rats were treated with nicotine for only 2 weeks, or when nicotine or nicotine plus cotinine were added to platelet-rich plasma in vitro in concentrations equal to those attained in vivo after 8 weeks. Thus, prolonged application of nicotine in vivo caused an inhibition of ADP-induced rat platelet aggregation presumably mediated by beta-catecholaminergic stimulation of platelets.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

The balance of positive and negative affects in major depression: a further test of the States of Mind model.

The States of Mind (SOM) model provided a framework for assessing the balance between self-reported positive and negative affects in a sample of 39 outpatients with major depression and 43 healthy control subjects. The SOM model proposes that healthy functioning is characterized by an optimal balance of positive (P) and negative (N) cognitions or affects (P/(P + N) approximately 0.63), and that psychopathology is marked by deviations from the optimal balance. Research thus far has focused on the functional significance of cognitive rather than affective balance. Within this framework, we hypothesized that patients in untreated episodes of major depression would balance their positive and negative affects at the same level where depressed patients in other studies have balanced their positive and negative cognitions--namely, at P/(P + N) approximately 0.37. Points and confidence interval (CI) estimation procedures yielded results (mean = 0.35, 95% CI = 0.30 - 0.40) consistent with this hypothesis in a sample of 39 depressed male outpatients. Correlational analysis indicated that affect balance is inversely related to symptom severity as measured by self-report (Beck) and clinician-rating (Hamilton) scales.     

The ultrasonographic diagnosis of bleeding into a pancreatic pseudocyst

Bleeding into a pancreatic pseudocyst is a rare but life-threatening entity. Early diagnosis is crucial in its management. There are reports suggesting that computed tomography (CT), scintigraphy, endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), and angiography could be the diagnostic maneuvers. In this report, we present a case of arterial bleeding into a pancreatic pseudocyst, which was diagnosed by the turbulent echo-currents seen in real-time ultrasonography.