Regulation of G proteins by chronic antidepressant drug treatment in rat brain: tricyclics but not clorgyline increase Go alpha subunits.

The effect of long-term (3-week) administration of various antidepressant drugs on the steady-state concentrations of G protein alpha subunits, Gs alpha, Gi alpha, and Go alpha, has been investigated in rat brain using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Tricyclic antidepressants and clorgyline decreased Gs alpha and, to a lesser extent, Gi alpha in several brain regions, while Go alpha was increased by tricyclics but not clorgyline. We conclude that long-term treatment with antidepressant drugs exerts differential effects on G protein alpha subunits, and that antidepressant efficacy may potentially be based on functional modifications of signal transduction.     

Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid in the treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome in patients admitted to hospital

Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid is a gamma-aminobutyric acid analogue which can be found in the human brain and is believed to be a neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. In animal experiments as well as in humans gamma-hydroxybutyric acid has been shown to alleviate the symptoms of the alcohol withdrawal syndrome. 299 patients, who were admitted to hospital for reasons primarily unrelated to their alcohol dependence, were treated with gamma-hydroxybutyric acid when symptoms of the alcohol withdrawal syndrome occurred. Gamma-hydroxybutyric acid was usually given at a daily dose of 50 mg/kg in 3 divided doses, the clinical course of the patients was followed for 7 days or until discharge from hospital. Patients were 214 men and 82 women aged 18-87 years. The reasons for admission to hospital were frequently internal diseases, neurological/psychiatric problems, trauma or surgery. At the start of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid treatment, tremor was present in 81% of patients, sweating in 76% and unrest in 92%. Symptoms occurred 1-72 hours after admission. The efficacy of gamma-hydroxybutyric acid to ameliorate or suppress the symptoms of the alcohol withdrawal syndrome was judged to be excellent in 57%, good in 34%, fair in 18%, insufficient in 3% of patients. Drug tolerance was judged to be excellent in 79%, good in 17%, fair in 2% and poor only in 1% of patients. Adverse events were rare and mild. It is concluded that gamma-hydroxybutyric acid is an attractive alternative to tranquilizers in the management of the alcohol withdrawal syndrome in hospital.     

Abnormal responsiveness of growth hormone to human corticotropin-releasing hormone in major depressive disorder

Plasma growth hormone (GH) release after injection of 100 micrograms synthetic human corticotropin-releasing hormone (hCRH) was investigated in 11 patients with major depressive disorder and normal controls matched for gender, age, body weight and ovarian status. In contrast to controls, who exhibited no significant GH response to CRH, depressed patients showed a significant net increase in GH secretion following CRH administration. The abnormal GH response to CRH was not correlated with baseline corticotropin (ACTH) and cortisol nor with CRH-induced ACTH and cortisol response. The implications of these findings are discussed with reference to such factors as alpha-adrenergic hyperactivity, hypothalamic-pituitary system dysregulation, drug interference, non-specific stress responses and abnormal neuroendocrine circadian rhythms in major depression.     

Males' use of alcoholic beverages: a study of contexts

This paper explores the efficacy of lifestyle and demographic profiles constructed from a large, national consumer database as explanatory variables for variations in alcoholic beverage consumption and related behavior by American males across three different usage contexts. The authors conclude that such predictors do serve to account for consumption variability, and that user profiles differ by consumption context. The findings may be useful to policymakers and others who wish to efficiently target their communications efforts.