Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0917801 (insomnia)
 10,606 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

As the end of this century approaches, the pressure of migration is increasing. It is difficult to limit with restrictive measures the number of refugees and persons seeking asylum in Europe in each country, medical screening programs are organised for arriving refugees and asylum seekers. In Switzerland, they are screened for tuberculosis and hepatitis B. They are offered standard vaccinations and immunized for hepatitis B according to screening results. The prevalence of tuberculosis in asylum seekers is 414 per 100,000, 227 per 100,000 of bacteriologically active tuberculosis. Anti-HBc antibody is present in 22% of women and 39% of men. The frequency increases with age and varies greatly according to origin. Initially, refugees were screened for intestinal parasites. Over a quarter were carriers, a large majority asymptomatic. Increasing numbers of asylum seekers come from countries affected by war and insecurity. Systematic screening carried out in Geneva for previous exposure to violence revealed that 61% reported major trauma, 18% reported torture and 37% complained of symptoms such as nightmares, insomnia, flashbacks, etc. The authors discuss issues related to medical screening programs, and their relative usefulness in an increasingly mobile world where the distinction between travellers and migrants is not always clear.
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PMID:[The health of asylum seekers: from communicable disease screening to post-traumatic disorders]. 947 57

Previous studies in Caucasian patients showed treatment of chronic hepatitis C with pegylated interferon/ribavirin was well tolerated, and produced a higher response rate especially in genotype 1 infections. However, it is unknown whether this conclusion can be extrapolated to patients with Chinese ethnic origin. A total of 153 patients with biopsy-proven chronic hepatitis C were randomly assigned to receive either weekly injection of peginterferon alpha-2b 1.5 mcg/kg plus oral ribavirin (1000 or 1200 mg/day, depending on body weight) (PEG group, n = 76) or 3 MU of interferon alpha-2b t.i.w. plus ribavirin (IFN group, n = 77) for 24 weeks. Sustained virological response (SVR) was defined as the sustained disappearance of serum hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA at 24 weeks after the end of treatment by polymerase chain reaction assay. Baseline demographic, viral and histological characteristics were comparable between the two groups. Using an intent-to-treat analysis, HCV genotype 1 patients showed a significantly higher SVR in patients receiving PEG-IFN rather than IFN (65.8%vs 41.0%, P = 0.019), but no difference was found in genotype non-1 patients (PEG vs IFN: 68.4%vs 86.8%, P = 0.060). Genotype 1 patients (28.6%) in the PEG-IFN group relapsed, as compared with 52.9% in the IFN group (P = 0.040). Multivariate analyses showed early virological response at week 12 of therapy and genotype non-1 were significant predictors to SVR. As compared with the IFN group, patients receiving PEG-IFN had a significantly higher rate of discontinuation, dose reduction, fever, headache, insomnia, leucopenia and thrombocytopenia. In genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C Chinese patient, PEG-IFNalpha2b ribavirin had significantly better SVR and lower relapse rate when compared to IFN/ribavirin. Both regimens can be recommended for genotype non-1 chronic hepatitis C Chinese patients. However, a higher rate of adverse events and discontinuance of therapy were noted in patients treated with PEG-IFNalpha2b ribavirin.
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PMID:Comparison of a 6-month course peginterferon alpha-2b plus ribavirin and interferon alpha-2b plus ribavirin in treating Chinese patients with chronic hepatitis C in Taiwan. 1585 Apr 69

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved several new drugs in the past 2 years. This article provides an overview of some of the newer drugs that are likely to find wider use in the future. The drugs reviewed in this article can be used to treat cardiovascular system problems, diabetes mellitus, multiple sclerosis, hepatitis B infection, hyponatremia, Parkinson's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, pain, constipation, and insomnia. Another drug discussed can be used to help a patient stop smoking. The article also discusses Gardasil, the recombinant vaccine against human papilloma virus (types 6, 11, 16, and 18).
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PMID:What's new in clinical pharmacology and therapeutics. 1859 82

Heroin is an illicit, highly addictive drug. It is either the most abused or the most rapidly acting member of opioids. Abusers describe a feeling of a surge of pleasurable sensation, named as "rush" or "high". Repeated administration of high doses of heroin results in the induction of physical dependence. Physical dependence refers to an altered physiological state produced by chronic administration of heroin which necessitates the continued administration of the drug to prevent the appearance of a characteristic syndrome, the opioid withdrawal or abstinence syndrome. Withdrawal symptoms may occur within a few hours after the last administration of heroin. Symptoms of the withdrawal include restlessness, insomnia, drug craving, diarrhea, muscle and bone pain, cold flashes with goose bumps, and leg movements. Major withdrawal symptoms peak between 48 and 72 hours after the last dose of heroin and subside after about a week. At this time, weakness and depression are pronounced and nausea and vomiting are common. Nevertheless, some chronic addicts have shown persistent withdrawal signs for many months or even years. Heroin addiction is considered as a behavioural state of compulsive drug use and a high tendency to relapse after periods of abstinence. It is generally accepted that compulsive use and relapse are typically associated with the status of heroin craving or heroin hunger that are difficult to define but appear to be powerful motivational significance in the addiction process. The route of administering heroin varies largely and may indicate the degree of seriousness of the individual's addiction. Intravenous administration seems to be the predominant method of heroin use, but recently a shift in heroin use pattern has been found, i.e. from injection to sniffing and smoking. Frequent injections coupled with widespread sharing of syringes increase the risk of contracting HIV, hepatitis B, C and other blood-borne infectious diseases. Long-term use of heroin has also severe medical consequences such as scarred veins, bacterial infections of blood vessels, liver and kidney diseases, and lung complications.
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PMID:[Heroin addiction]. 2232 4

A 27-year-old male patient who presented to the emergency room with complaints of sweating, palpitations, heat intolerance, insomnia and weight loss for the last 3 months. His medical history was significant for hypertension. On examination, he was tachycardic, hypertensive, had tremors of the upper extremities and a smooth goitre with a thyroid bruit. Laboratory assessment revealed a suppressed thyroid-stimulating hormone, high free thyroxine and positive thyroid receptor antibodies. Complete blood count showed pancytopenia. As part of the work-up for pancytopenia, haptoglobin, ferritin, Coombs test, reticulocyte count hepatitis B and C antibodies were done, all of which were normal. Patient was started on methimazole, propranolol and hydrocortisone. His symptoms improved through the hospital course and he was subsequently discharged. Thyroidectomy was done once the patient's hyperthyroidism was controlled. Levothyroxine was started for the control of postsurgical hypothyroidism. Six months after thyroidectomy, the patient was euthyroid and the pancytopenia resolved.
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PMID:Pancytopenia: a rare complication of Graves' disease. 2952 60

BACKGROUND Depression and insomnia in chronic hepatitis B (CHB) patients affect the quality of life, disease diagnosis, and mortality. CHB patients are more likely to have psychological disorders, but the underlying mechanisms have not been elucidated. This study investigated the incidence of depression in patients with CHB and sought to identify risk factors for depression and insomnia in these patients, focusing on changes in liver function and thyroid hormone levels. MATERIAL AND METHODS This cross-sectional cohort study used the Hamilton Depression Scale and Athens Insomnia Scale to assess the depressive and insomnia states, respectively, of 209 CHB patients. Liver function, thyroid hormone levels, hepatitis B surface antigen, hepatitis B e-antigen, and hepatitis B virus-deoxyribonucleic acid load were evaluated. Liver cirrhosis was assessed by imaging (color Doppler ultrasound and computed tomography). A multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the correlation among various factors and depression and insomnia. RESULTS Subclinical and clinical depressive states were found in 23.9% and 5.3% and subclinical and clinical insomnia in 11% and 35.4% of patients, respectively. Depression and insomnia severity were significantly correlated with low FT3 (<3.5 mol/L). The odds ratios of low FT3 for subclinical and clinical depression and clinical insomnia were 3.07 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.248-7.568), 7.85 (95% CI, 1.839-33.547), and 3.91 (95% CI, 1.417-10.789), respectively. CONCLUSIONS CHB patients are prone to depression and insomnia. FT3 reduction may be a risk factor for depression and insomnia. In clinical settings, more attention needs to be paid to the mental state of patients with FT3 reduction.
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PMID:Depression and Insomnia Are Closely Associated with Thyroid Hormone Levels in Chronic Hepatitis B. 3097 43