Posttraumatic stress, depression, and health among older adults in primary care.

OBJECTIVE: The authors examined 1) rates of trauma and posttraumatic stress (PTS) in older adults in primary care; 2) factors related to more posttraumatic stress symptoms; and 3) the influence of posttraumatic stress and depression on health perceptions and negative health behaviors (i.e., suicidal ideation, smoking, and at-risk drinking). METHODS: As part of participation in a study at the Philadelphia VAMC and the University of Pennsylvania, a random subset (N = 2,718) of older adults (age > or = 65 years) with scheduled primary care visits were screened concerning demographics, the General Health Questionnaire-12, suicidal thoughts, alcohol consumption, cigarette smoking, perceived health status, PTS, and cognitive impairment. RESULTS: The rate of trauma in older adult primary care patients was high in both the VA (37%) and university-based clinics (24%). Many older adults reported interference from at least one of the three posttraumatic stress items assessed (VA, 18%; university-based primary care, 8%). In a model including demographic factors, higher PTS and depression were uniquely related to more negative health perceptions. In a model including demographic factors, both higher PTS and depression were uniquely related to higher likelihood of suicidal ideation. In contrast, PTS no longer contributed to a model of smoking once depression was included. Neither PTS nor depression significantly contributed to a model of at-risk drinking. CONCLUSIONS: Trauma and posttraumatic stress are frequent and significant problems for older adults in primary care. Both posttraumatic stress and depression are related to more negative health perceptions and higher likelihood of suicidal ideation.     

Quantifying drug-drug interactions in pharmaco-EEG.

A drug interaction refers to an event in which the usual pharmacological effect of a drug is modified by other factors, most frequently additional drugs. When two drugs are administered simultaneously, or within a short time of each other, an interaction can occur that may increase or decrease the intended magnitude or duration of the effect of one or both drugs. Drugs may interact on a pharmaceutical, pharmacokinetic or pharmacodynamic basis. Pharmacodynamic interactions arise when the alteration of the effects occurs at the site of action. This is a wide field where not only interactions between different drugs are considered but also drug and metabolites (midazolam/alpha-hydroxy-midazolam), enantiomers (ketamine), as well as phenomena such as tolerance (nordiazepam) and sensitization (diazepam). Pharmacodynamic interactions can result in antagonism or synergism and can originate at a receptor level (antagonism, partial agonism, down-regulation, up-regulation), at an intraneuronal level (transduction, uptake), or at an interneuronal level (physiological pathways). Alternatively, psychotropic drug interactions assessed through quantitative pharmaco-EEG can be viewed according to the broad underlying objective of the study: safety-oriented (ketoprofen/theophylline, lorazepam/diphenhydramine, granisetron/haloperidol), strictly pharmacologically-oriented (benzodiazepine receptors), or broadly neuro-physiologically-oriented (diazepam/buspirone). Methodological issues are stressed, particularly drug plasma concentrations, dose-response relationships and time-course of effects (fluoxetine/buspirone), and unsolved questions are addressed (yohimbine/caffeine, hydroxizyne/alcohol).     

Abnormal spinal interactions from hand afferents to forearm muscles in writer's cramp.

OBJECTIVE: Spinal reflexes from hand to wrist muscles were investigated in writer's cramp. METHODS: Stimulus-triggered rectified EMG averages after ulnar nerve and cutaneous stimulation, in wrist flexors and extensors during tonic contraction, were compared in 18 controls and 19 patients. RESULTS: On the patient dystonic side, ulnar-induced EMG suppression was decreased in wrist extensors, and facilitation in wrist flexors modified dependent on the dystonic wrist posture during writing. No change was found on the patient non-dystonic side. Cutaneous stimulation increased wrist flexor EMG on both sides of the patients with normal wrist posture during writing, but had no effect in controls and patients with abnormal wrist posture. CONCLUSIONS: Comparison between cutaneous and mixed nerve stimuli suggests that spindle afferents from intrinsic hand muscles may mediate patients' ulnar-induced EMG modulations. Abnormal proprioceptive control was only observed on dystonic side, while bilateral unusual cutaneous control was found in patients. Changes in spinal transmission were partly related to the dystonic wrist posture, suggesting that systems involved in sensory processing can be differentially altered in writer's cramp. SIGNIFICANCE: Changes in spinal transmission, probably related to peripheral and/or cortical inputs, might either take part in primary or adaptive mechanisms underlying writer's cramp.     

Comparison of parent and teacher reports of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms from two placebo-controlled studies of atomoxetine in children.

BACKGROUND: The validity of parent reports regarding children's attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms has been questioned. This study assessed whether parent reports were as sensitive as teacher reports to document change in ADHD symptoms during clinical trials with atomoxetine. METHODS: Data were compared from two randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials of atomoxetine using different versions (parent or teacher) of the same rating scale (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Rating Scale-IV [parent or teacher] Version: Investigator Administered and Scored - ADHD RS). Exclusion criteria included history of bipolar disorder, psychosis, seizures, alcohol abuse, or positive drug screen. Patients (6-16 years old) were treated with atomoxetine (titrated to a maximum dose of 1.8 mg/kg/day) administered once daily for up to 7 weeks. Parent and teacher ratings were compared using an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) model. RESULTS: The analysis (n = 318) showed that treatment effects (mean change, baseline to endpoint) were similar between parent and teacher ratings (total, p = .762; inattention, p = .519; hyperactive/impulsive, p = .955). Effect sizes also were similar based on total scores (parent ratings = .69; teacher ratings = .63). CONCLUSIONS: Parent reports are as sensitive as teacher reports in assessing the efficacy of long-acting pharmacologic treatment for ADHD in children during clinical trials using the nonstimulant atomoxetine.     

Psoriasis confined strictly to vitiligo areas – a Koebner‐like phenomenon?

Vitiligo and psoriasis are both common skin disorders. However, psoriasis strictly confined to pre-existing vitiligo areas is rare and suggests a causal relationship. We report here on two patients with a strict anatomical colocalization of vitiligo and psoriasis. The histopathological examinations showed typical changes for both diseases together with a dense infiltrate of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. By immunohistochemistry, intracytoplasmatic granzyme B and tumour necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) were detected within the T-cell population, suggesting the functional activity of these cells and the creation of a local T helper 1 (Th1)-cytokine milieu. Additionally, in one patient we could identify anti-melanocytic T cells by tetramer staining and enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) analysis. These skin-infiltrating lymphocytes might trigger, by the local production of Th-1 cytokines such as TNF-alpha and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), the eruption of psoriatic plaques in patients with a genetic predisposition for psoriasis.