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

Interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) is the only effective treatment for chronic hepatitis B and C. Over 2/3 of methadone-substituted patients suffer from chronic hepatitis C but a history of psychiatric disorders or drug addiction is still seen as a contraindication for IFN-alpha because of a possible increased risk of severe psychiatric side effects such as depression, suicide attempts or psychotic episodes. We report on the case of a 33-year-old patient with chronic hepatitis C and a positive psychiatric history (drug abuse, borderline personality and four suicide attempts). After 4 months of therapy with IFN-alpha he developed a psychosis with persecution mania, complex thought disorder, disturbance of sexual identity, sleeplessness, anxiety, depression and increased irritability with suicidal thoughts. Symptoms did not disappear after discontinuation of interferon treatment. To our knowledge, there are no other reports of persistent psychosis with a possible association to interferon treatment. Development of psychosis and other psychiatric side-effects may be an indication of possible neuromodulatory effects of IFN-alpha with long-term treatment. On the other hand, the treatment for hepatitis C was successful. Ideas for safer treatment in methadone patients with psychiatric co-morbidity and chronic hepatitis C are needed.
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PMID:Psychosis in a methadone-substituted patient during interferon-alpha treatment of hepatitis C. 1096 74

The characteristics of cell-mediated and humoral immunity were studied in 611 patients with different etiological forms of acute virus hepatitides (HB, HC, HB + C, HC + HBsAg). As the result of the systematic abuse of psychoactive preparations, introduced by intravenous injection, in 166 patients (27.2%) drug addiction developed, ehile 445 (72.8%) patients had no addiction. The study revealed that in drug users with HB the secondary T-cell immunodeficiency of the hyposuppressor type in combination with depression in B-cell-mediated immunity (a decrease in the absolute number of B lymphocytes) could be registered, and in patients having no drug addiction the secondary T-cell immunodeficiency characterized by a decrease in the content of T helpers simultaneously with the increased content of T suppressors and B lymphocytes.
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PMID:[The immune response of viral hepatitis patients who use narcotic preparations]. 1099 8

The P300 wave is one of the cognitive components of the event-related potential (ERP) that is used to investigate the cognitive processes, and which can be used to study patient populations with a variety of psychiatric disorders. Its clinical utility has been increased by the identification of factors that contribute to the variability in its amplitude and latency. However, its value as a diagnostic index has not been entirely established. It can provide a useful recording of patients' information processing, and indicate the severity of the clinical state and its possible evolution. It can also assist in determining what therapeutic approach to adopt. In the present review, the findings in the literature concerning interindividual variation in the P300 wave are first described; several variables significantly influence the amplitude and latency of this wave, such as age, gender, intelligence and personality. Following this, the relevance of the data in the literature on the clinical applications of P300 in psychopathology is examined, including the studies undertaken to obtain an objective diagnostic index for mental disorders and also those carried out to assess the problems concerning the interpretation of information connected with the mental pathologies examined. P300-associated findings on dementia, schizophrenia, depression, alcoholism, drug addiction, anxiety disorders (panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress syndrome) and on personality disorders (schizoid, antisocial or borderline personality disorder) have been examined in detail.
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PMID:[The p300 cognitive event-related potential. II. Individual variability and clinical application in psychopathology]. 1101 95

Insomnia is a very frequent complaint /periodically or permanently it affects about 35% of the population/ and is a serious sociological problem. This term covers at least four types of sleep disorders: difficult falling asleep, frequent awakening, too early awakening and impairment of sleep quality--sleep quantitatively sufficient but failing to produce a feeling of rest. Insomnia may be sporadic, short-lasting and chronic. The last type requires particularly medical assistance since impairment of sleep quality can lead to drug dependence. In every case of insomnia it should be tried to explain its cause /neurosis, depression, somatic diseases with symptoms leading to sleep disturbances, toxic factors such as alcohol, drugs, inappropriate sleep hygiene etc./. In the treatment the basic role is played by removal of causes and better observation of sleep hygiene. Hypnotic drugs are indicated in sporadic and short-lasting insomnia, but in chronic insomnia they should be used cautiously and not continuously. Barbiturates have been abandoned recently and benzodiazepines have replaced them. They are, however, fraught with numerous faults. Cyclopyrolones /Zolpidem, Zopiklon/ are the new generation of hypnotic drugs in which the negative features of benzodiazepines have been partly excluded. Their half-life is short, they cause no rebound effect, adverse effects are better tolerated and are less frequent, drug dependence is not produced.
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PMID:[Insomnia and its treatment]. 1110 64

Despite advances in characterizing human genotypes, the complex process through which genes exert their influence limits the application of molecular genetics to human diseases. Substance use disorders are necessarily complicated by gene-environment interaction because exposure to an exogenous substance is required for their development. The methods of genetic epidemiology are specifically designed to identify sources of complexity that impede etiologic findings and prevention efforts. The goal of this paper is to illustrate the application of family study methods to identify risk factors for substance abuse and their implications for prevention. The Yale Family Study is a controlled family study of the comorbidity of substance and psychiatric disorders. The sample consists of 223 probands with substance use and/or an anxiety disorders and community controls, 1218 adult first degree relatives and spouses, and 203 offspring (ages 7-17) followed for 8 years. Results indicated familial aggregation of substance disorders in adults and children, independence of familial aggregation of alcoholism and drug dependence, and specificity of familial clustering of some drugs of abuse. Familial factors are more strongly associated with substance dependence than abuse, with an attributable risk of 55%. Premorbid psychiatric disorders--social phobia and bipolar affective disorder in adults, and depression, anxiety, conduct, and oppositional defiant disorders in children--were strongly associated with the subsequent development of substance dependence (attributable risks ranging from 44 to 86%). A family history of substance abuse and premorbid psychopathology are strongly associated with the development of substance use disorders. Implications for primary and secondary prevention are discussed. As specific genetic vulnerability markers for substance use disorders become identified, application of the tools of genetic epidemiology may be employed to identify specific environmental risk factors that may serve as targets for prevention.
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PMID:Implications of genetic epidemiology for the prevention of substance use disorders. 1112 72

Injecting drug users (IDUs) seeking treatment for drug dependence were selected in two groups according to their HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) status. Thirty HIV-positive and 30 HIV-negative patients were submitted to a structured interview to assess psychiatric disorders. Initially, depressive disorders, suicide attempts and disorders related to substance use were analyzed. The results showed that the diagnosis of cocaine dependence was more frequent among HIV-infected patients than in the non-infected. Being HIV-positive was not associated with higher prevalence of depression. Suicide attempts were frequent in this sample, but the frequencies were equal in both groups. Concluding, the results did not show any association between the HIV-positive serology and depressive disorders and suicide attempts when IDUs are compared to the control group, also IDUs but HIV-negative.
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PMID:Depressive disorders and suicide attempts in injecting drug users with and without HIV infection. 1117 71

Drug addiction and multiple chemical intolerance (abdiction) appear to be polar opposites--the former characterized by craving and dependency, the latter by aversion. However, when the two are viewed in juxtaposition similarities emerge, revealing a common underlying dynamic, one which appears to be a new paradigm of disease. TILT, or toxicant-induced loss of tolerance, bridges the gap between addiction and abduction and has the potential to explain a variety of illnesses, including certain cases of asthma, migraine headaches and depression, as well as chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and "Gulf War syndrome". This paper argues that both addiction and chemical intolerance involve a fundamental breakdown in innate tolerance, resulting in an amplification of various biological effects, particularly withdrawal symptoms. While addicts seek further exposures so as to avoid unpleasant withdrawal symptoms, chemically intolerant individuals shun their problem exposures, but for the same reason--to avoid unpleasant withdrawal symptoms. These observations raise critical questions: do addictive drugs and environmental pollutants initiate an identical disease process? Once this process begins, can both addictants and pollutants trigger symptoms and cravings? TILT opens a new window between the fields of addiction and environmental medicine, one that has the potential to transform neighboring realms of medicine, psychology, psychiatry and toxicology.
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PMID:Toxicant-induced loss of tolerance. 1117 24

Bicuculline-insensitive receptors for the inhibitory neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), GABAB receptors, are a distinct subclass of receptors that mediate depression of synaptic transmission and contribute to neuronal inhibition. When activated, these receptors reduce transmission at excitatory and inhibitory synapses, as a result of an increase in K+ conductance, or a decrease in voltage-dependent Ca2+ currents. They are also linked to G-proteins, or intracellular effector systems in a very complex manner. The recent development of highly specific and potent agonists and antagonists for these receptors has led to a much better understanding of their physiology and pharmacology, including their heterogeneity, as well as their molecular biology. Over the past year, expression and cloning studies have contributed to major advances in characterizing GABAB receptor structure, with the discovery of the amino acid sequences of GABABR1a/R1b splice variants and GABABR2 receptors. These isoforms are widely distributed throughout the nervous system, and can be functionally expressed. Importantly, GABABR2 receptors can form a heteromeric assembly with GABABR1 proteins to operate as a heterodimer that displays robust coupling to inward-rectifying K+ channels, as well as inhibition of forskolin-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity. Further insights underlying the mechanisms of GABAB receptor functions can now be gained, leading ultimately to the therapeutic potential of drugs acting at these sites. It is increasingly clear that new information on GABAB receptor molecular structure will provide a plethora of targets for pharmaceutical intervention in areas such as drug addiction, nociception and absence seizures. This review summarizes the renewed efforts, and highlights the recent advances emerging in this field.
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PMID:Recent advances in GABAB receptors: from pharmacology to molecular biology. 1126 57

Substantial evidence suggests that the functional status of the mesocorticolimbic dopamine (DA) system originating in the ventral tegmental area is under a phasic and tonic inhibitory control by the 5-HT system that acts by stimulating 5-HT(2C) receptor subtypes. Indeed, electrophysiological and biochemical data demonstrate that 5-HT(2C) receptor agonists decrease, whereas 5-HT(2C) receptor antagonists enhance, mesocorticolimbic DA function. However, 5-HT(2C) receptors do not appear to play a relevant role in the control of the nigrostriatal DA system originating in the substantia nigra pars compacta. In this article, the role of 5-HT(2C) receptors in the control of brain DA function will be reviewed, and the search for new therapies for neuropsychiatric disorders, such as depression, schizophrenia and drug addiction, based on these findings will be discussed.
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PMID:Role of 5-HT(2C) receptors in the control of central dopamine function. 1133 73

Acupuncture, a therapeutic Chinese practice, may reduce fever, activate the immune system, and stimulate white blood cells. Scientists feel acupuncture encourages the production of natural hormones, called endorphins, which reduce pain, promote sleep and regulate body systems. Endorphins can be produced by massages, acupuncture and the body's natural activity. Medicinal plants, herbs, vitamins and minerals help the body maintain a healthy balance. Acupuncture is done with tiny sterile needles, placed painlessly in the skin and left there from several seconds to almost an hour. AIDS patients who experience pain, coughing, weight loss, or gland inflammation respond well to acupuncture and herbal medications. The Chinese believe that people with sleeping problems or depression have a lack of equilibrium of the heart. An acupuncturist would treat the heart with points near the wrist and ear. This treatment also assists alcohol and drug addiction, improving health and reducing the desire for the drug.
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PMID:[Chinese medicine and acupuncture in the treatment of AIDS]. 1136 71


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