Prostaglandins are infinitesimal, ephemeral lipid signalers in every cell in the body, and regulating every activity that takes place within a cell. As regulators of cellular activity, prostaglandins influence how cells are formed and what part of the body the cell will become. lithium are vital for cellular growth, health, and replication. Prostaglandins regulate the normal life cycle of a cell, knowing when each cell must be repaired and when each one is beyond repair and has reached the end of its cycle.
Laboratory animal experiments in the 1960s demonstrated a powerful influence of prostaglandins on the brains of the animals and birds. Subsequent experiments showed that lithium and every antidepressant tested inhibit prostaglandins. Excessive synthesis of prostaglandins activates a number of mechanisms that result in cancer. Cancer cells grow too fast and multiply too rapidly. They aren’t repaired and don’t die at the end of their cycle. Excessive synthesis of prostaglandins disrupts the signaling mechanisms in which cells communicate with each other. It hinders optimum performance of the immune system, weakening it and turning it against itself. The weakened immune system allows cancer cells to thrive. About 20% of cancers are caused by pathogenic, or disease-causing, microbes. By inhibiting prostaglandins, lithium and antidepressants stimulate immune function and defeat microbes.
READ MORE @ MED HEADLINES
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Monday, June 2, 2008
Drugs to Grow Your Brain - Compounds that trigger the growth of new brain cells might help treat depression.
Drugs that encourage the growth of new neurons in the brain are now headed for clinical trials. The drugs, which have already shown success in alleviating symptoms of depression and boosting memory in animal models, are being developed by BrainCells, a San Diego-based start-up that screens drugs for their brain-growing power. The company hopes the compounds will provide an alternative to existing antidepressants and says they may also prove effective in treating cognitive disorders, such as Alzheimer's.
"The fact that you might be able to take small molecules to stimulate specific cells to regenerate in the brain is paradigm-shifting," says Christopher Eckman, a neuroscientist at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL. "[This approach] takes advantage of the body's innate ability to correct itself when given appropriate cues." Eckman studies compounds that boost brain cell growth in models of neurodegenerative disease and is not involved with BrainCells.
READ MORE @ TECHNOLOGY REVIEW
"The fact that you might be able to take small molecules to stimulate specific cells to regenerate in the brain is paradigm-shifting," says Christopher Eckman, a neuroscientist at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, FL. "[This approach] takes advantage of the body's innate ability to correct itself when given appropriate cues." Eckman studies compounds that boost brain cell growth in models of neurodegenerative disease and is not involved with BrainCells.
READ MORE @ TECHNOLOGY REVIEW
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Brain pacemakers show promise against depression in 1st tests
Some worst-case patients - whose illness isn't relieved by medication, psychotherapy, shock treatment - get lasting relief
It's a new frontier for psychiatric illness: brain pacemakers that promise to act as antidepressants by changing how patients' nerve circuitry fires.
Scientists already know the power of these devices to block the tremors of Parkinson's disease and related illnesses; more than 40,000 such patients worldwide have the implants.
But psychiatric illnesses are much more complex, and the new experiments with deep brain stimulation, or DBS, are in their infancy. Only a few dozen patients with severe depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder so far have been treated in closely monitored studies.
Still, the early results are promising. Dramatic video shows one patient visibly brightening as doctors turn on her brain pacemaker and she says in surprise: "I'm starting to smile." And new reports this month show that some worst-case patients - whose depression wasn't relieved by medication, psychotherapy or even controversial shock treatment - are finding lasting relief.
READ MORE @ SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
It's a new frontier for psychiatric illness: brain pacemakers that promise to act as antidepressants by changing how patients' nerve circuitry fires.
Scientists already know the power of these devices to block the tremors of Parkinson's disease and related illnesses; more than 40,000 such patients worldwide have the implants.
But psychiatric illnesses are much more complex, and the new experiments with deep brain stimulation, or DBS, are in their infancy. Only a few dozen patients with severe depression or obsessive-compulsive disorder so far have been treated in closely monitored studies.
Still, the early results are promising. Dramatic video shows one patient visibly brightening as doctors turn on her brain pacemaker and she says in surprise: "I'm starting to smile." And new reports this month show that some worst-case patients - whose depression wasn't relieved by medication, psychotherapy or even controversial shock treatment - are finding lasting relief.
READ MORE @ SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
Saturday, May 31, 2008
Study suggests antidepressants for stroke victims
Doctors may want to give stroke victims antidepressants right away instead of waiting until they develop depression, a common complication, new research suggests.
The findings may lead to an expanded use for antidepressants. Someday high-risk people like stroke patients might take the drugs before suffering depression — just as people now take cholesterol drugs to prevent heart attacks, the lead author said.
The researchers gave low doses of the antidepressant Lexapro to stroke patients. The patients on the drug were 4.5 times less likely to develop depression than patients taking a dummy pill.
More than 700,000 Americans suffer strokes each year and more than one-third will develop depression in the next two years. Stroke patients with depression recover more slowly and are more likely to die, according to previous research.
"We showed you could in fact prevent the development of depression after stroke," said Dr. Robert Robinson of the University of Iowa who led the study. "I hope I don't have a stroke, but if I do, I would certainly want to be placed on an antidepressant."
READ MORE @ ASSOCIATED PRESS
The findings may lead to an expanded use for antidepressants. Someday high-risk people like stroke patients might take the drugs before suffering depression — just as people now take cholesterol drugs to prevent heart attacks, the lead author said.
The researchers gave low doses of the antidepressant Lexapro to stroke patients. The patients on the drug were 4.5 times less likely to develop depression than patients taking a dummy pill.
More than 700,000 Americans suffer strokes each year and more than one-third will develop depression in the next two years. Stroke patients with depression recover more slowly and are more likely to die, according to previous research.
"We showed you could in fact prevent the development of depression after stroke," said Dr. Robert Robinson of the University of Iowa who led the study. "I hope I don't have a stroke, but if I do, I would certainly want to be placed on an antidepressant."
READ MORE @ ASSOCIATED PRESS
Friday, May 30, 2008
U.S. Army suicides rise 13 percent
The number of U.S. Army suicides increased again last year amid the most violent year yet in both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
An army official said Thursday that 115 troops committed suicide in 2007, an increase of almost 13 percent over the previous year's 102. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because a full report on the deaths was not being released until later.
About a quarter of the deaths occurred in Iraq.
The 115 confirmed deaths among active duty soldiers and National Guard and Reserve troops that had been activated was a lower number than previously feared. Preliminary figures released in January showed as many as 121 troops might have killed themselves, but some of the deaths were still under investigation then and have been attributed since to other causes, the officials said.
READ MORE @ INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE
An army official said Thursday that 115 troops committed suicide in 2007, an increase of almost 13 percent over the previous year's 102. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because a full report on the deaths was not being released until later.
About a quarter of the deaths occurred in Iraq.
The 115 confirmed deaths among active duty soldiers and National Guard and Reserve troops that had been activated was a lower number than previously feared. Preliminary figures released in January showed as many as 121 troops might have killed themselves, but some of the deaths were still under investigation then and have been attributed since to other causes, the officials said.
READ MORE @ INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Current Prescriptions Of Psychotropic Drugs Are Irrational For The Patients But Very Rational For The Big Pharma
UK psychiatrist David Healy has attacked current prescription habits of psychiatrists which are strongly influenced by the pharmaceutical propaganda in the fourth 2008 issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics.
Commenting on a paper by Harvard investigators on the psychology of risk and prescriptions of psychotropic drugs, Healy denounces a real crisis in psychiatry at present. In part this stems from the lack of independent studies. Allied to this is a lack of independent access to what data there are and an unsophisticated interpretation of the data that are available, based on conceptual models that seem increasingly inadequate. It is important that clinicians understand the dynamics that impinge on their judgment as it is almost certainly the case that pharmaceutical companies engineer clinical perceptions based on side effect profiles. The basic company position is that clinicians have no thoughts in their minds other than those put there by us or our competitors, and in order to plant a message or dislodge those of competitors companies employ all their sophisticated means.
READ MORE @ MEDICAL NEWS TODAY
Commenting on a paper by Harvard investigators on the psychology of risk and prescriptions of psychotropic drugs, Healy denounces a real crisis in psychiatry at present. In part this stems from the lack of independent studies. Allied to this is a lack of independent access to what data there are and an unsophisticated interpretation of the data that are available, based on conceptual models that seem increasingly inadequate. It is important that clinicians understand the dynamics that impinge on their judgment as it is almost certainly the case that pharmaceutical companies engineer clinical perceptions based on side effect profiles. The basic company position is that clinicians have no thoughts in their minds other than those put there by us or our competitors, and in order to plant a message or dislodge those of competitors companies employ all their sophisticated means.
READ MORE @ MEDICAL NEWS TODAY
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Pentagon Totals Rise for Stress Disorder
Nearly 40,000 military personnel have been given diagnoses of post-traumatic stress disorder since 2003, Pentagon records show.
Officials say they believe that many other cases exist and have been encouraging service members to obtain help, even if they go to private therapists and do not report it to the military. The 40,000 cases are those tracked by the military.
Officials have also estimated that half the military personnel with mental problems do not receive treatment because they are embarrassed or fear that it might hurt their careers.
A report on diagnosed cases released on Tuesday by the Army surgeon general, Lt. Gen. Eric B. Schoomaker, showed that the hardest-hit services last year were the Marines and Army, the two forces bearing the brunt of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Army reported more than 10,000 new cases last year, up from more than 6,800 the previous year. More than 28,000 soldiers have been diagnosed with the disorder over the last five years.
READ MORE @ NY TIMES
Officials say they believe that many other cases exist and have been encouraging service members to obtain help, even if they go to private therapists and do not report it to the military. The 40,000 cases are those tracked by the military.
Officials have also estimated that half the military personnel with mental problems do not receive treatment because they are embarrassed or fear that it might hurt their careers.
A report on diagnosed cases released on Tuesday by the Army surgeon general, Lt. Gen. Eric B. Schoomaker, showed that the hardest-hit services last year were the Marines and Army, the two forces bearing the brunt of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The Army reported more than 10,000 new cases last year, up from more than 6,800 the previous year. More than 28,000 soldiers have been diagnosed with the disorder over the last five years.
READ MORE @ NY TIMES
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Short-term use of antipsychotics in older adults with dementia linked to serious adverse events
Older adults with dementia who receive short-term courses of antipsychotic medications are more likely to be hospitalized or die than those who do not take the drugs, according to a report in the May 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals.
“Newer antipsychotic drugs (olanzapine, quetiapine fumarate and risperidone) have been on the market for more than a decade and are commonly used to treat the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia,” the authors write as background information in the article. “Antipsychotic drugs are often used for short periods to treat agitation in clinical practice. They are frequently prescribed around the time of nursing home admission.” About 17 percent of individuals admitted to nursing homes are starting on antipsychotic medication within 100 days, and 10 percent receive only a single prescription. Given the widespread use of short-term prescriptions, it is important to evaluate their safety, the authors note.
READ MORE @ EUREKALERT
“Newer antipsychotic drugs (olanzapine, quetiapine fumarate and risperidone) have been on the market for more than a decade and are commonly used to treat the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia,” the authors write as background information in the article. “Antipsychotic drugs are often used for short periods to treat agitation in clinical practice. They are frequently prescribed around the time of nursing home admission.” About 17 percent of individuals admitted to nursing homes are starting on antipsychotic medication within 100 days, and 10 percent receive only a single prescription. Given the widespread use of short-term prescriptions, it is important to evaluate their safety, the authors note.
READ MORE @ EUREKALERT
Monday, May 26, 2008
Pharmaceutical Payola-Drug Marketing to Doctors
Last week, a Congressional committee properly raked Big Pharma over the coals for misleading advertising of pharmaceuticals.
A hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee's oversight subcommittee focused on advertising campaigns for three drugs, including the remarkable case of Robert Jarvik. Jarvik is featured in endlessly re-run ads for Pfizer's blockbuster cholesterol drug Lipitor. Known as the inventor of the Jarvik artificial heart, he is not a cardiologist, not a licensed medical doctor and not authorized to prescribe pharmaceuticals. He's shown in the ads engaged in vigorous rowing activity, but in fact he doesn't row. Pfizer pulled the ads in February after controversy started brewing.
Among industrialized countries, only the United States and New Zealand permit drug companies to market directly to consumers. It's a bad idea, it drives bad medicine, and it should be banned.
But although it has the highest profile, direct-to-consumer advertising is a small part of Pharma's marketing machine.
READ MORE @ CORP WATCH
A hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee's oversight subcommittee focused on advertising campaigns for three drugs, including the remarkable case of Robert Jarvik. Jarvik is featured in endlessly re-run ads for Pfizer's blockbuster cholesterol drug Lipitor. Known as the inventor of the Jarvik artificial heart, he is not a cardiologist, not a licensed medical doctor and not authorized to prescribe pharmaceuticals. He's shown in the ads engaged in vigorous rowing activity, but in fact he doesn't row. Pfizer pulled the ads in February after controversy started brewing.
Among industrialized countries, only the United States and New Zealand permit drug companies to market directly to consumers. It's a bad idea, it drives bad medicine, and it should be banned.
But although it has the highest profile, direct-to-consumer advertising is a small part of Pharma's marketing machine.
READ MORE @ CORP WATCH
Sunday, May 25, 2008
No Link Found Between Antidepressants And Birth Defects, According To New Study
Expectant mothers can safely use prescribed antidepressants during their first trimester, according to a new study from the Université de Montréal and Ste. Justine Hospital published in the May edition of the British Journal of Psychiatry.
Dr. Anick Bérard and her team found that antidepressants have no effect on foetal development. "This is the first study to investigate the impact of antidepressant use during the first trimester of pregnancy in mothers with psychiatric disorders," she said. "In terms of birth malformations in this population, we found no difference between women who used antidepressants and those who did not use antidepressants during their first trimester.
READ MORE @ SCIENCE DAILY
Dr. Anick Bérard and her team found that antidepressants have no effect on foetal development. "This is the first study to investigate the impact of antidepressant use during the first trimester of pregnancy in mothers with psychiatric disorders," she said. "In terms of birth malformations in this population, we found no difference between women who used antidepressants and those who did not use antidepressants during their first trimester.
READ MORE @ SCIENCE DAILY
Friday, May 23, 2008
ECT: DoctorsECT: Doctors don't know how it works, so why use it? don't know how it works, so why use it?
Using electroconvulsive therapy for depression remains controversial. Dr Max Pemberton examines the evidence
Depression kills. Suicide in the UK constitutes nearly one per cent of deaths from all causes every year.
It is the single biggest killer of young men after road traffic accidents, and the 2001 Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths found that suicide was the leading cause of maternal mortality in the UK.
Depression also destroys lives insidiously, dismantling them piece by piece until little remains. With around a quarter of us experiencing depression in our lifetimes, and between five and 10 per cent suffering from it at any one time, it represents a significant public health issue.
But depression is treatable. The development of talking and pharmaceutical therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy and antidepressants has meant that the lives of millions of people have been transformed.
READ MORE @ TELEGRAPH
Depression kills. Suicide in the UK constitutes nearly one per cent of deaths from all causes every year.
It is the single biggest killer of young men after road traffic accidents, and the 2001 Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths found that suicide was the leading cause of maternal mortality in the UK.
Depression also destroys lives insidiously, dismantling them piece by piece until little remains. With around a quarter of us experiencing depression in our lifetimes, and between five and 10 per cent suffering from it at any one time, it represents a significant public health issue.
But depression is treatable. The development of talking and pharmaceutical therapies such as cognitive behavioural therapy and antidepressants has meant that the lives of millions of people have been transformed.
READ MORE @ TELEGRAPH
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Medication May Prevent Depression In Patients With Head And Neck Cancer
Taking the antidepressant citalopram before beginning treatment for head and neck cancer may help prevent depression during therapy, according to results of a pilot study.
"Treatment for head and neck cancer can be arduous and debilitating," the authors write as background information in the article. "Psychiatric morbidity in these patients is frequent and underdiagnosed. Major depressive disorder has been reported in up to 40 percent of patients with head and neck cancer, typically within the first three months of diagnosis."
READ MORE @ SCIENCE DAILY
"Treatment for head and neck cancer can be arduous and debilitating," the authors write as background information in the article. "Psychiatric morbidity in these patients is frequent and underdiagnosed. Major depressive disorder has been reported in up to 40 percent of patients with head and neck cancer, typically within the first three months of diagnosis."
READ MORE @ SCIENCE DAILY
Wednesday, May 21, 2008
No link between treatment with antidepressants and risk of cancer in people with HIV
Treatment with antidepressants does not increase the risk of any kind of cancer in people with HIV, according to a UK study published in the May 10th edition of the Journal of Clinical Oncology. The researchers looked at the use of both older tricyclic antidepressants and more modern SSRI antidepressants, such as fluoxetine, by people with HIV in both the period before and after effective anti-HIV treatment became available. No link between the use of antidepressants was found in any time period.
There is conflicting information about the link between use of both tricyclic and SSRI antidepressants and the risk of cancer. Some studies have suggested a link between their use and the risk of some cancers, but others have not. By contrast, some research has suggested that treatment with SSRI antidepressants could have an anti-cancer effect in patients with Burkitt lymphoma.
No study has looked at the link between treatment with tricyclic or SSRI antidepressants and the risk of cancer in people with HIV in either the period before or after effective anti-HIV treatment became available. Nor has any study previously looked for a possible link between cancer and treatment with antidepressants and the individual classes of antiretroviral drugs.
READ MORE @ AIDSMAP
There is conflicting information about the link between use of both tricyclic and SSRI antidepressants and the risk of cancer. Some studies have suggested a link between their use and the risk of some cancers, but others have not. By contrast, some research has suggested that treatment with SSRI antidepressants could have an anti-cancer effect in patients with Burkitt lymphoma.
No study has looked at the link between treatment with tricyclic or SSRI antidepressants and the risk of cancer in people with HIV in either the period before or after effective anti-HIV treatment became available. Nor has any study previously looked for a possible link between cancer and treatment with antidepressants and the individual classes of antiretroviral drugs.
READ MORE @ AIDSMAP
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
No sleep 'renders brain erratic'
Scientists have shown relying on the sleep deprived-brain to perform well is potentially fraught with danger.
They found that even after sleep deprivation, people have periods of near normal brain function in which they can finish tasks quickly.
However, this is mixed with periods of slow response and severe drops in visual processing and attention.
The study, by Duke University and the National University of Singapore, appears in the Journal of Neuroscience.
The researchers said the findings had implications for people who have to struggle through night work, from long distance lorry drivers to on-call doctors.
Lead researcher Professor Michael Chee said: "The periods of apparently normal functioning could give a false sense of competency and security when, in fact, the brain's inconsistency could have dire consequences.
READ MORE @ BBC
They found that even after sleep deprivation, people have periods of near normal brain function in which they can finish tasks quickly.
However, this is mixed with periods of slow response and severe drops in visual processing and attention.
The study, by Duke University and the National University of Singapore, appears in the Journal of Neuroscience.
The researchers said the findings had implications for people who have to struggle through night work, from long distance lorry drivers to on-call doctors.
Lead researcher Professor Michael Chee said: "The periods of apparently normal functioning could give a false sense of competency and security when, in fact, the brain's inconsistency could have dire consequences.
READ MORE @ BBC
Monday, May 19, 2008
Antipsychotics Found to Have Different Ethnic and Metabolic Profiles: Presented at APA
Antipsychotic medications have different effects depending on the patient's specific metabolism and ethnicity, according to a post-hoc analysis of a randomized trial that compared aripiprazole and olanzapine reported here at the 161st Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Associations (APA).
The study compared the metabolic and racial and/or ethnic effects of 2 antipsychotic medications -- olanzapine and aripiprazole -- that are both approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for treatment of schizophrenia.
In the 26-week, double-blind, randomized, controlled trial, the effects of aripiprazole and olanzapine were compared in patients who had been grouped according to their ethnicity -- "White/Other" (n = 67); "Black" (n = 86); "Hispanic" (n = 51)
READ MORE @ DOCTOR'S GUIDE
The study compared the metabolic and racial and/or ethnic effects of 2 antipsychotic medications -- olanzapine and aripiprazole -- that are both approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for treatment of schizophrenia.
In the 26-week, double-blind, randomized, controlled trial, the effects of aripiprazole and olanzapine were compared in patients who had been grouped according to their ethnicity -- "White/Other" (n = 67); "Black" (n = 86); "Hispanic" (n = 51)
READ MORE @ DOCTOR'S GUIDE
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Obesity tied to risk of psychiatric disorders
Obesity is a well known risk factor for certain physical health problems, but a new study suggests that heavy adults also have higher rates of psychiatric disorders.
Using data from a national health survey of more than 40,000 Americans, researchers found that obese adults were up to twice as likely to suffer from depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions as normal-weight adults.
In addition, even moderately overweight people had elevated rates of anxiety disorders, the study found.
Whether excess pounds somehow lead to mental health problems is not clear, according to the researchers. But the findings do indicate that a range of psychiatric disorders are more common among overweight people.
READ MORE @ REUTERS
Using data from a national health survey of more than 40,000 Americans, researchers found that obese adults were up to twice as likely to suffer from depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions as normal-weight adults.
In addition, even moderately overweight people had elevated rates of anxiety disorders, the study found.
Whether excess pounds somehow lead to mental health problems is not clear, according to the researchers. But the findings do indicate that a range of psychiatric disorders are more common among overweight people.
READ MORE @ REUTERS
Saturday, May 17, 2008
AstraZeneca's Seroquel Cleared for Bipolar Disorder (Update2)
AstraZeneca Plc, the U.K.'s second-largest drugmaker, won U.S. approval to widen the use of its Seroquel antipsychotic medicine to treat bipolar disorder, pitting the treatment against Eli Lilly & Co.'s top-selling Zyprexa and Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.'s Abilify.
Patients may take the therapy as an adjunct to the standard treatments lithium or divalproex, London-based AstraZeneca said today in a statement.
Seroquel brought in $4.03 billion last year, making it AstraZeneca's second-best-selling product after Nexium for ulcers. AstraZeneca is trying to broaden the medicine's use to protect sales under threat from generic copies. The drugmaker this month asked the Food and Drug Administration to approve the therapy to treat generalized anxiety disorder.
``Seroquel is increasingly being rolled out for additional indications and may, in due course, become the go-to product for depressive disorders,'' Charles Stanley analyst Jeremy Batstone-Carr said in an e-mail.
READ MORE @ BLOOMBERG
Patients may take the therapy as an adjunct to the standard treatments lithium or divalproex, London-based AstraZeneca said today in a statement.
Seroquel brought in $4.03 billion last year, making it AstraZeneca's second-best-selling product after Nexium for ulcers. AstraZeneca is trying to broaden the medicine's use to protect sales under threat from generic copies. The drugmaker this month asked the Food and Drug Administration to approve the therapy to treat generalized anxiety disorder.
``Seroquel is increasingly being rolled out for additional indications and may, in due course, become the go-to product for depressive disorders,'' Charles Stanley analyst Jeremy Batstone-Carr said in an e-mail.
READ MORE @ BLOOMBERG
Friday, May 16, 2008
APA: Drug Interactions a Common Risk for Schizophrenic Patients
One-fifth of patients with schizophrenia receive prescriptions for drugs that can cause dangerous interactions when taken in combination, a researcher said here.
Significant adverse effects were rare, but between 18% and 22% of Ohio Medicaid patients under treatment for schizophrenia were given prescriptions for an antipsychotic and one or more other drugs with well-known interaction potential by the same physician or pharmacy, reported Jeff Guo, Ph.D., of the University of Cincinnati.
What's more, 11% to 12% of patients received prescriptions for such dangerous drug combinations from the same provider on the same day, Dr. Guo told attendees at the American Psychiatric Association meeting.
READ MORE @ MEDPAGE TODAY
Significant adverse effects were rare, but between 18% and 22% of Ohio Medicaid patients under treatment for schizophrenia were given prescriptions for an antipsychotic and one or more other drugs with well-known interaction potential by the same physician or pharmacy, reported Jeff Guo, Ph.D., of the University of Cincinnati.
What's more, 11% to 12% of patients received prescriptions for such dangerous drug combinations from the same provider on the same day, Dr. Guo told attendees at the American Psychiatric Association meeting.
READ MORE @ MEDPAGE TODAY
Thursday, May 15, 2008
Do antidepressants enhance immune function? - Ex vivo results from HIV positive individuals with and without depression
Infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which leads to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), is an epidemic of global concern. According to the most recent estimates, released in November 2007, by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 33.2 million worldwide are living with HIV infection currently. Although the rates of infection appear to be decreasing, there are obviously immense implications for achieving improvements in HIV/AIDS treatment.
The functioning of natural killer (NK) cells, which are a major element of the innate immunity system and are involved in the body’s first line of defense against infections such as HIV, is decreased in both HIV and depression. A group of researchers who have previously found that stress and depression impair NK cell function and accelerate the course of HIV/AIDS are now publishing a new report in the May 1st issue of Biological Psychiatry.
In this study, they recruited both depressed and non-depressed HIV-infected women and studied the ex vivo effects of three drugs, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), a substance P antagonist, and a glucocorticoid antagonist, on their NK cell activity. These drugs were selected because, as the authors state, each “affect[s] underlying regulatory systems that have been extensively investigated in both stress and depression research as well as immune and viral research.” The scientists found that the SSRI citalopram, and the substance P antagonist CP 96,345, but not the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist RU486, increased NK cell activity. According to Dr. Dwight Evans, corresponding author of the article: “The present findings provide evidence that natural killer cell function in HIV infection may be enhanced by selective serotonin reuptake inhibition and also by substance P antagonism in both depressed and non-depressed individuals.”
READ MORE @ EUREKALERT
The functioning of natural killer (NK) cells, which are a major element of the innate immunity system and are involved in the body’s first line of defense against infections such as HIV, is decreased in both HIV and depression. A group of researchers who have previously found that stress and depression impair NK cell function and accelerate the course of HIV/AIDS are now publishing a new report in the May 1st issue of Biological Psychiatry.
In this study, they recruited both depressed and non-depressed HIV-infected women and studied the ex vivo effects of three drugs, a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), a substance P antagonist, and a glucocorticoid antagonist, on their NK cell activity. These drugs were selected because, as the authors state, each “affect[s] underlying regulatory systems that have been extensively investigated in both stress and depression research as well as immune and viral research.” The scientists found that the SSRI citalopram, and the substance P antagonist CP 96,345, but not the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist RU486, increased NK cell activity. According to Dr. Dwight Evans, corresponding author of the article: “The present findings provide evidence that natural killer cell function in HIV infection may be enhanced by selective serotonin reuptake inhibition and also by substance P antagonism in both depressed and non-depressed individuals.”
READ MORE @ EUREKALERT
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
APA: Antipsychotic Side Effects More Common in Patients with Bipolar Disorder
Patients with bipolar disorder were roughly twice as likely to suffer movement-related side effects from antipsychotic drugs as those with schizophrenia, a researcher said here.
That was the result of a meta-analysis looking at the frequency of extrapyramidal symptoms with haloperidol (Haldol) and five atypical antipsychotics reported by Keming Gao, M.D., of Case Western University in Cleveland, at the American Psychiatric Association meeting and in the April issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology.
Only olanzapine (Zyprexa) was no different from placebo in causing extrapyramidal symptoms in either bipolar or schizophrenic patients, Dr. Gao said.
The researchers pooled data from 24 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, monotherapy trials of various antipsychotic agents in bipolar disorder, mania, and schizophrenia.
They calculated risks as the number of patients needed to treat to cause harm (NNTH) to one patient. Thus, an NNTH value of 10 indicates that for every 10 patients treated, one would develop extrapyramidal symptoms.
READ MORE @ MEDPAGE TODAY
That was the result of a meta-analysis looking at the frequency of extrapyramidal symptoms with haloperidol (Haldol) and five atypical antipsychotics reported by Keming Gao, M.D., of Case Western University in Cleveland, at the American Psychiatric Association meeting and in the April issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology.
Only olanzapine (Zyprexa) was no different from placebo in causing extrapyramidal symptoms in either bipolar or schizophrenic patients, Dr. Gao said.
The researchers pooled data from 24 randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, monotherapy trials of various antipsychotic agents in bipolar disorder, mania, and schizophrenia.
They calculated risks as the number of patients needed to treat to cause harm (NNTH) to one patient. Thus, an NNTH value of 10 indicates that for every 10 patients treated, one would develop extrapyramidal symptoms.
READ MORE @ MEDPAGE TODAY
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