Acute catatonic syndromes occurring in the context of various medical and neuropsychiatric conditions, including schizophrenia, have been shown to respond well to benzodiazepines (BZD). However, there have been no studies specifically designed to address the BZD treatment response of persistent catatonic states. Eighteen patients with clinically stable chronic schizophrenia, who also displayed enduring catatonic features, underwent a 12-week long, random assignment, double-blind, placebo-controlled cross-over trial with lorazepam (6 mg/day). A comprehensive assessment, including the subjects' clinical and motor (catatonic as well as drug-induced movement disorders) condition, was performed at baseline and four weekly intervals thereafter. Pre-existing medication was kept constant throughout the study. Lorazepam had no effect on the subjects' catatonic signs and symptoms, suggesting that acute and chronic catatonic syndromes associated with schizophrenic illness might have a different neurobiological basis.
Background: The cytochrome P450 CYP2D6 enzyme debrisoquine 4-hydroxylase metabolizes many different classes of commonly used drugs, such as tricyclic antidepressants and neuroleptics. Genetic polymorphism of the CYP2D6 gene is responsible for pronounced interindividual and interracial differences in the metabolism of these drugs. The CYP2D6*10 allele and its variants are the most frequent alleles found in Orientals, and they are responsible for diminished debrisoquine 4-hydroxylase activity because of the presence of a C188→T mutation in exon 1.
Methods: One hundred nineteen Hong Kong Chinese subjects were genotyped by means of allele-specific PCR, PCR, and restriction enzyme analysis for 10 CYP2D6 alleles (CYP2D6*1, *2, *4D, *5, *8/*14, *10A, *10B, *15, *16, and J9).
Results: CYP2D6*10B was the most prevalent allele, and CYP2D6*10/CYP2D6*10 was the most frequent genotype, representing 46.22% of the population.
Conclusions: There was no significant difference in the prevalence of the alleles analyzed between our study and the Chinese populations genotyped previously. This is the largest study in terms of the number of CYP2D6 alleles analyzed in an Oriental population and the first one conducted in a Hong Kong Chinese population.
Abstract(:ross-sectioii.il surveys of prescription pitterns of psychotropic-drugs provide J quic-k, global cstimatioti of tlic 'iI7I7r('Pri'iteness of psycliopli~iriiiacotlier~i~~~~. Recurrent inadequacies in prescribing for psychiatric pcitients iiiclude 1701y~ili'iriii'icy, high do\es of mtipsychotics (APS), .the use of niultiple APS simultaneously, .ind the adniiiiistrntion of thew drugs in niultiplc divided doses. F'iulty prescribing patterns are diff~cult to anieiid.follow in^ 'I \ui-vcy in rehahilitation f'icility for chronic psychiatric p'iticnts, ' 1 sy\tematic education program . i n d other iiic'istirc\ were introduced to improve p r c x i b i n g h,ibits. Two year\ Liter tlie survey w a s repe~ted. Sigiiificant improvcmcnts were dctcc-tcd in tlic following 'irecis: rcductioiis in the doses of APS md ;rntiparkinsoni~iii (At') drugs, reductions in the nuiiihcr of patients placed on these drugs, and reduction5 in the percent'ige of p.itients receiving multiple sintipsychotics siiiiult'iiieously. Despite these reduc-tions in doses of p\ychotropic .igents, p~tients' rehabilitative po!cntial w i s not coniproiiiised.
A man with intellectual disability presented with schizophrenia, hypocalcaemia, facial dysmorphism and cleft soft palate. Velo-cardio-facial syndrome was diagnosed and deletion at 22q11 was confirmed by fluorescent in situ hybridization.
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