Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0011570 (depression)
 172,036 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The interferons (IFN) act too slowly to arrest acute viral infections, but interferon-alpha (IFN alpha) preparations have proved useful in some chronic infections and will clearly be used increasingly in these in the future. In the preparations derived from human leucocytes or cultured B lymphoblastoid cells, which are in routine clinical use, mixtures of a number of distinct subtypes of human IFN alpha have been identified. There are also 3 slightly different versions of the same single subtype, IFN alpha-2, made by recombinant DNA procedures in bacteria. IFN alpha preparations are injected intramuscularly or subcutaneously. Dose-related side effects are common but usually tolerable, but prolonged treatment may cause increasing fatigue and depression. Some patients form neutralising antibodies which block the effects of the IFN; these appear to be relatively more common after recombinant IFN alpha-2 than after IFN derived from human cells. Given intranasally, IFN alpha can prevent a subsequent experimental rhinovirus infection, or the spread of natural colds within a family. Repeated administration progressively damages the nasal mucosa, so that long term prophylaxis is not possible. IFN alpha has proved useful in patients with papillomavirus warts of the larynx, ano-genital region (condyloma acuminata) and skin (common warts). Treatment regimens remain to be optimised and are likely to include surgery or other treatments. IFN alpha and zidovudine (azidothymidine) synergistically inhibit the growth of HIV in vitro, and combination are on trial in patients with early AIDS. Very large doses of IFN alpha are effective against Kaposi's sarcoma in some AIDS patients. In chronic hepatitis B, continuing virus replication may lead to cirrhosis or primary liver cancer. Earlier clinical trials with IFN alpha gave inconclusive results, but recent large studies have confirmed that 25 to 40% of patients obtain benefit; this probably results from both the antiviral and the immunomodulatory effects of IFN alpha. In patients with chronic hepatitis C, the biochemical markers usually improve rapidly during IFN alpha administration, but relapse if treatment is stopped after only a few months; to increase the chances of sustained cure, the treatment period is now being prolonged.
 ...
PMID:The use of interferon-alpha in virus infections. 172 72

Fourteen mongrel dogs were anesthetized and instrumented to measure arterial pressure (AP), left ventricular pressure (LVP), aortic blood flow, and heart rate (HR). Hydraulic occluders were placed around the left anterior descending (LAD, n = 9) and left circumflex (LCC, n = 14) coronary arteries. A bilateral carotid occlusion (BCO) was made before and during either anterior (LAD occlusion) or posterior (LCC occlusion) ischemia. Posterior ischemia significantly (P less than 0.01) reduced the BCO-induced increases in mean AP (by 44.3 +/- 7.3%), systolic LVP (by 65.5 +/- 6.9%), first derivative of LVP (dLVP/dt, by 95.7 +/- 44.3%), and aortic resistance (by 117.7 +/- 26.9%). In contrast, anterior ischemia failed to alter significantly the hemodynamic response to BCO. Bilateral vagotomy attenuated or eliminated many of the effects of posterior ischemia on the BCO response. In fact, the change in aortic resistance was no longer affected by the ischemia and increased to the same extent, as noted during the control BCO. However, mean AP (38.7 +/- 6.8%), systolic LVP (40.3 +/- 8.7%), and dLVP/dt (62.4 +/- 11.0%) remained significantly reduced when compared with the control (no coronary occlusion) response. These data suggest that 1) posterior ischemia elicits a greater reduction in the BCO response than anterior ischemia, and 2) vagal afferents as well as depression of contractile function may both contribute to the BCO response inhibition noted during posterior ischemia.
 ...
PMID:Effect of myocardial ischemia on hemodynamic response to carotid occlusion. 292 33

To study the effectiveness of CDDP for hepatic cancer, intra-hepato-arterial administration of CDDP (0.8-1.0 mg/kg/week) combined with 5-FU (250 mg/body/day) was performed for 10 patients with primary or metastatic hepatic cancer. As the results, partial response was obtained in 6 of 8 evaluable patients. However, the adverse effect was very high rate; leucopenia, thrombocytopenia and vomiting (nausea) were observed in 9, 6 and 6 of 10 patients respectively. The dose limiting factor of CDDP was not a nephrotoxicity but a bone marrow depression in this series. Though a noticeable antitumor effect of this modality was obtained, some improvements should be applied to it to decrease the adverse effect.
 ...
PMID:[Intra-hepato-arterial administration of cis-diammine-dichloroplatinum II (CDDP) for primary or metastatic hepatic cancer]. 643 66

Tamoxifen was administered in the diet (420 p.p.m.) to female F344 (Fischer), Wistar (LAC-P) and LEW (Lewis) rats to determine for each strain the early morphological and biochemical changes associated with the subsequent development of liver cancer. Hepatic DNA damage, as determined by 32P-postlabelling, showed a cumulative increase with time from 500 adducts/10(8) nucleotides at 30 days to almost 3000 adducts/10(8) nucleotides after 180 days, with little difference between strains at this time point. A significant strain difference was found in the number of adducts present in the Fischer rats at 90 days, compared to the Wistar and Lewis strains. There was a marked strain differences in the time to development of liver tumours. After 6 months treatment, both Wistar and Lewis rats had tumours while none were seen in the Fischer animals. After 11 months, all of the Wistar and Lewis rats had developed liver carcinoma, while the Fischer rats developed liver carcinoma by 20 months. Depression in cell proliferation, relative to age-matched controls, was seen in the livers of Fischer rats after six months of exposure to tamoxifen, in contrast to an increase in the Wistar and Lewis rats. This observation is consistent with the promotion of foci to tumours and the subsequent progression of tumours to carcinomas in the latter two strains. These data may assist in establishing the possible risk factors, such as extent of DNA damage and increased liver cell proliferation, to women with long-term prophylactic exposure to tamoxifen.
 ...
PMID:DNA damage as assessed by 32P-postlabelling in three rat strains exposed to dietary tamoxifen: the relationship between cell proliferation and liver tumour formation. 778 46

Alcohol and drug abuse are the two main addictions in the elderly subject. Prevalence of alcohol dependency is 14% in those over 65 years of age and 17% in elderly psychiatric patients. The distribution of alcoholism between the sexes becomes equal with age. After 65 years of age, the sex-ratio is 1 female to 1.3 male subjects. The elderly alcoholic population consists of both subjects having become alcoholics at a young age and those in whom alcoholic behaviour appeared at a late age. In one third of elderly alcoholics such dependency appeared after 60 years of age. The main risk factors for alcoholism in the elderly subject are lonliness, death of the spouse and the presence of an invalid or bedridden spouse. In the elderly, tolerance to and dependence on alcohol are rare and appear late. Somatic complications are particularly severe (cirrhosis, liver cancer, gastritis, acute pancreatitis and myocardial involvement). Psychiatric complications include anxiety, depression and especially suicide. Alcoholism is the third most frequent cause of organic cerebral dementia, following Alzheimer disease and vascular dementia. Drug dependency is very often linked to alcoholism and consists of tranquillizers and less often of antalgics.
 ...
PMID:[Addictive behavior in the elderly]. 793 9

In previous studies, we reported that fasting/refeeding has a role in sustaining the initiation of liver cancer by a subnecrogenic (noninitiating) dose of diethylnitrosamine (DENA). This research investigated whether the metabolic alterations imposed by fasting/refeeding provide an imbalance between the generation of carcinogenic molecules and the scavenger defense mechanisms in rat liver. Metabolism of DENA, levels of reduced glutathione (GSH) and GSH transferase (GST) activity, as well as basal and stimulated malondialdehyde (MDA) production, were examined. Rats fasted for 4 days showed a decrease in the liver levels of GSH, GST activity, monounsaturated fatty acids and % of labeled nuclei. After 1 day of refeeding, at which point DENA was administered, the levels of GSH recovered, GST activity remained below control values, basal and stimulated MDA production and content of total polyunsaturated fatty acids in liver phospholipids decreased. One day after DENA treatment, MDA production further decreased, although the % of labeled nuclei increased. No significant changes in the content of arachidonic acid, the main target of peroxidation, were observed at any time. The results indicated that the induction of the hepatocellular carcinoma was associated with a depression of GST activity and lipid peroxidation when rats were given 20 mg/kg of DENA after 1 day of refeeding after 4-day fasting.
 ...
PMID:Liver cancer is induced by a subnecrogenic dose of DENA when associated with fasting/refeeding: role of glutathione-transferase and lipid peroxidation. 1038 Dec 5

Previous research indicates that the serotonergic neurons of the caudal dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) are activated to a greater degree by inescapable shock (IS) as compared to escapable shock (ES), causing a greater release of serotonin (5-HT) in the DRN and in target regions. This differential activation is necessary for the behavioral changes that occur after exposure to IS, but not to ES (i.e. learned helplessness/behavioral depression). Although the critical role of the DRN in learned helplessness is clear, the neural inputs to the caudal DRN which result in this selective activation are unknown. One structure that may be involved in the activation of the DRN and the induction of learned helplessness/behavioral depression is the habenular complex. In experiment 1, habenula lesions eliminated the differential rise in DRN extracellular 5-HT levels in response to IS and ES exposure by severely attenuating the rise in 5-HT for both groups. In experiment 2, sham operated and habenula lesioned rats were exposed to either ES, IS or no stress (home cage control; HCC). Twenty-four hours later, sham rats previously exposed to IS exhibited longer escape latencies as compared to both ES and HCC rats (i.e. learned helplessness). The habenular lesion eliminated the differences in escape latency between groups, thus eliminating the induction of learned helplessness/behavioral depression. These results suggest that the habenula is necessary for the differential activation of the DRN and the escape deficits produced by IS.
 ...
PMID:The role of the habenular complex in the elevation of dorsal raphe nucleus serotonin and the changes in the behavioral responses produced by uncontrollable stress. 1160 36

Protein-energy malnutrition (PEM) is a prevalent observation in cirrhotic patients. In advanced cirrhotic patients with hepatic encephalopathy, dietary protein should be restricted to the low level of 0.5 g/kg/day. In such a strictly protein restricted diet, branched amino acid-enriched nutritious products should be prescribed to improve PEM. Avoidance of day-time or nocturnal fasting by frequent meals and late evening snacks is another recommendation for prevention of PEM. The n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) modulate lymphocyte proliferation and eicosapetaenoic acid (EPA) up-regulates the metabolic action of insulin. The dietary n-6/n-3 PUFA ratio should be maintained between 2.8 and 3.2 in chronic liver disease. Oxidative stress is suggested as a trigger in the progression of chronic liver disease. Antioxidant vitamins; Vitamins A, E and C and carotenes may be useful to prevent the progression of chronic liver disease. Zinc depression occurs in advanced liver disease and it reduces taste and immune function. A goal of dietary management in chronic liver disease should be preventing PEM and blocking progression to hepatic cancer, and improving quality of life.
 ...
PMID:Chronic hepatic disease and dietary instruction. 1560 46

Liver cancer is a leading cancer in Taiwan, especially in males. Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) is a major treatment for these patients, but research examining their fatigue experiences is limited. The purposes of this longitudinal, correlational study were to identify (1) changes in fatigue, symptom distress, anxiety and depression in cancer patients across four time points during the first week of TACE treatment, and (2) factors predicting changes in fatigue across the four time points. Eligible male inpatients with liver cancer were recruited from a medical center in Taipei. Subjects (n=40) were assessed 1 day before (T1), and during days 2 (T2), 4 (T3) and 6 (T4) of TACE. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlations, repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the generalized estimating equation (GEE). Subjects had mild to moderate levels of fatigue that peaked at T2, and showed a decrease at T3 and T4 but were still slightly higher than at T1. The GEE analysis showed that greater symptom distress, anxiety and depression, higher Adriamycin dosage, longer duration of previous fatigue, and less education significantly predicted fatigue changes. The results indicate that the pattern of fatigue in TACE during the first week is similar to fatigue in patients receiving chemotherapy. The results also further indicate that fatigue is associated to several factors. The causal relationships between fatigue and these related factors should be examined. Interventions targeting these factors should also be tested in future studies.
 ...
PMID:Fatigue patterns and correlates in male liver cancer patients receiving transcatheter hepatic arterial chemoembolization. 1561 51

This investigation highlighted the risk of cancer in 8074 HIV-infected people and in 2875 transplant recipients in Italy and France. Observed and expected numbers of cancer were compared through sex- and age-standardised incidence ratios (SIRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). After 15 years of follow-up, the cumulative probability of cancer was 14.7% in transplant recipients and 13.3% in HIV-positives. The SIRs for all cancers were 9.8 in HIV-positives and 2.2 in transplants. Kaposi's sarcoma (SIR=451 in HIV-positives, 125 in transplants) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (SIR=62 and 11.1, respectively) were the most common cancers. A significantly increased SIR for liver cancer also emerged in both groups. The risk of lung cancer was significantly elevated in heart transplant recipients (SIR=2.8), and of borderline statistical significance in HIV-positive people (95% CI:0.9-2.8). Immune depression entails a two-fold increased overall risk of cancers, mainly related to cancers associated with a viral aetiology.
 ...
PMID:Risk of cancer following immunosuppression in organ transplant recipients and in HIV-positive individuals in southern Europe. 1776 27


1 2 3 Next >>