MedWorm: Bipolar

Substance use triggers illness switch in depressed bipolar patients

MedWire News - Psychiatry — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 16:57:50 +0100

Bipolar disorder patients experiencing an episode of depression are more likely to switch into manic, mixed, or hypomanic states before recovery if they have a history of substance or alcohol use disorder, research shows. (Source: MedWire News - Psychiatry)

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The Bipolar Child 2006 Edition

About.com Bipolar Disorder — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

A few years ago, a ground-breaking book hit the shelves - “The Bipolar Child: The Definitive and Reassuring Guide to Childhood's Most Misunderstood Disorder” by Demitri Papolos, M.D. and Janice Papolos. Of this work I wrote, “This is an absolutely fantastic book for those who have a child with early onset bipolar disorder, who suspect it in their child, or who work with bipolar children.” I stand by this recommendation and I am very excited to say that a new edition has again been released. (Source: About.com Bipolar Disorder)

Novel mania scale allows diagnosis by non-professionals

MedWire News - Psychiatry — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:07:21 +0100

A novel mania rating scales allows non-professionals in regular contact with a patient to diagnose a manic/mixed episode, say researchers who suggest the scale will complement current rating scales. (Source: MedWire News - Psychiatry)

Parental bipolar disorder increases child’s psychopathology risk

MedWire News - Psychiatry — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The risk for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and subthreshold manic and depressive symptoms is increased in preschool children of parents with bipolar disorder, the results of a US study indicate. (Source: MedWire News - Psychiatry)

Gender-Specific Association of Galanin Polymorphisms with HPA-Axis Dysregulation, Symptom Severity, and Antidepressant Treatment Response

Neuropsychopharmacology — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Paul G Unschuld, Marcus Ising, Darina Roeske, Angelika Erhardt, Michael Specht, Stefan Kloiber, Manfred Uhr, Bertram Müller-Myhsok, Florian Holsboer & Elisabeth B Binder Keywords: Anxiety; association; Depression; Unipolar/Bipolar; estrogen; galanin; genetics; Mood/Anxiety/Stress Disorders; Neuroendocrinology; Pharmacogenetics/Pharmacogenomics; response (Source: Neuropsychopharmacology)

Reliability and Frequency Response of Excitatory Signals Transmitted to Different Types of Retinal Ganglion Cell

Journal of Neurophysiology — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:19:50 +0100

The same visual stimulus evokes a different pattern of neural signals each time the stimulus is presented. Because this unreliability reduces visual performance, it is important to understand how it arises from neural circuitry. We asked whether different types of ganglion cell receive excitatory signals with different reliability and frequency content and, if so, how retinal circuitry contributes to these differences. If transmitter release is governed by Poisson statistics, the SNR of the postsynaptic currents (ratio of signal power to noise power) should grow linearly with quantal rate (qr), a prediction that we confirmed experimentally. Yet ganglion cells of the same type receive quanta at different rates. Thus to obtain a measure of reliability independent of quantal rate, we calculat...

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Electrical Coupling and Passive Membrane Properties of AII Amacrine Cells

Journal of Neurophysiology — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 15:19:49 +0100

AII amacrine cells in the mammalian retina are connected via electrical synapses to on-cone bipolar cells and to other AII amacrine cells. To understand synaptic integration in these interneurons, we need information about the junctional conductance (gj), the membrane resistance (rm), the membrane capacitance (Cm), and the cytoplasmic resistivity (Ri). Due to the extensive electrical coupling, it is difficult to obtain estimates of rm, as well as the relative contribution of the junctional and nonjunctional conductances to the total input resistance of an AII amacrine cell. Here we used dual voltage-clamp recording of pairs of electrically coupled AII amacrine cells in an in vitro slice preparation from rat retina and applied meclofenamic acid (MFA) to block the electrical coupling and iso...

The effects of kappa-opioid receptor ligands on prepulse inhibition and CRF-induced prepulse inhibition deficits in the rat

Psychopharmacology — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 08:49:03 +0100

Conclusions Together, these results provide no evidence of a link between the dynorphin/KOR system and deficits in sensory gating processes. Additional studies, however, examining whether dysregulation of this opioid system contributes to cognitive deficits and other behavioral abnormalities associated with psychiatric disorders are warranted. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Original InvestigationDOI 10.1007/s00213-010-1799-6Authors Hugo A. Tejeda, National Institutes of Health Integrative Neuroscience Section, Integrative Neuroscience Branch, National Institute on Drug Abuse NIDA/IRP 333 Cassell Dr. Baltimore MD 21224 USAVladimir I. Chefer, National Institutes of Health Integrative Neuroscience Section, Integrative Neuroscience Branch, National Institute on Dr...

Guns and Mental Illness

About.com Bipolar Disorder — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The Virginia Tech shootings in April 2007 brought the issue of guns and mental illness very much in the public eye. The U.S. Congress, responding, passed a measure to strengthen existing laws regarding the purchase of firearms by some people with mental illnesses. Speaking about the House bill, National Rifle Association president Wayne LaPierre used language that anyone with any form of mental illness would find extremely offensive - mentally defective. (Source: About.com Bipolar Disorder)

Growing Trend to Prescribe Multiple Psych Meds

About.com Depression — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

More and more doctors are prescribing multiple psychiatric drugs to their patients, including combinations with unknown efficacy and side effects, according to a new study. Researchers from the department of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins University and New York State Psychiatric Institute studied physicians' prescribing patterns, beginning in 1996, looking at a range of medicines including antidepressants, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers and sedatives. The study authors found that antidepressants were the most commonly prescribed medications, while the most common combinations were antidepressants combined with either another antidepressant, a sedative or a mood stabilizer. During the study period, the number of office visits where two or more drugs were prescribed jumped from about 43% ...

She's "Terrified About Returning to Work"

About.com Bipolar Disorder — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

A forum member writes: I want to work, and be productive, and God knows my family needs the extra income, but it is not that simple when you mix work with bipolar disorder. I haven't worked since 2005. I have been too sick, and taking care of three young children as well; my husband has to be the breadwinner. Thank God he is in the military and he has a steady income for 14 years. My daughter will be in school full-time in September, and I will also start university full-time. Should I consider a part-time job? I don't know? I sometimes feel so lost. I have been sick for so long, it's like my life is slipping away...or I am sleeping my life away (lately). This illness is vicious! My feeling is that if she's already going to be a full-time student, adding a part-time job might well be to...

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Psychiatric disorders vary in underlying serotonin pathology

MedWire News - Bipolar Disorder — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:06:54 +0100

Patients with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia display a diminished loudness dependence of the auditory evoked potential relative to mentally healthy controls, study results show. (Source: MedWire News - Bipolar Disorder)

Psychiatric disorders vary in underlying serotonin pathology

MedWire News - Schizophrenia — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:06:54 +0100

Display of Solid-State Materials Using Bipolar Electrochemistry

Langmuir — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 14:00:33 +0100

Langmuir, Volume 0, Issue 0, Articles ASAP (As Soon As Publishable). (Source: Langmuir)

More People Self-Diagnosing Bipolar Disorder

About.com Bipolar Disorder — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 13:45:09 +0100

Two London doctors say that in the last three years, there has been a sharp increase in the number of people seeking help because they believe they have bipolar disorder. Drs. Diana Chan and Lester Sireling, writing in The Psychiatrist, say they believe this is because of "increased media coverage, coupled with the high social status associated with celebrities such as Stephen Fry talking about their own personal experiences of mental illness." In the United States, high-profile celebrities like Maurice Benard, Carrie Fisher and Linda Hamilton have also made an effort to educate the public about bipolar disorder by sharing their own stories. The writers say that Fry's efforts are reducing the stigma attached to bipolar disorder. I hope that's true, but it's a slow process. Other research...

Are working memory deficits in bipolar disorder markers for psychosis?

Neuropsychology — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100

Working memory deficits have been identified in bipolar disorder, but there is evidence suggesting that these deficits may be markers for psychosis rather than affective disorder. The current study examined this issue by comparing two groups of individuals with bipolar disorder, one with psychotic features and one without psychotic features, with a group of normal controls. Working memory was conceptualized as a multicomponent system that includes auditory and visuospatial short-term stores, executive control processes, and an episodic buffer that allows for communication between short- and long-term memory stores (Baddeley & Logie, 1999). Results indicated that only executive control processes significantly differentiated the psychotic and nonpsychotic bipolar groups, although visuospatia...

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Bipolar Disorder, Meds and Blood Sugar

About.com Bipolar Disorder — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

I gained 80 pounds on various psychiatric meds, and I know hundreds of our community members are in the same boat. And along with the weight gain came the usual problems - high blood pressure and high cholesterol, not to mention the misery of being fat for the first time in my life. And now there's another problem related to that weight gain: high blood sugar, or hyperglycemia. As we reported last year, there are many lawsuits claiming that Seroquel causes diabetes, but the courts haven't bought the argument yet. And although I'm now borderline diabetic, I can't claim that, either, since I have a strong family history of diabetes. Still, the fact remains that my blood sugar is now high enough that I have to take medication for it. And bipolar disorder itself has a possible connection to ...

Gender and Depressive Symptoms in 711 Patients With Bipolar Disorder Evaluated Prospectively in the Stanley Foundation Bipolar Treatment Outcome Network.

The American Journal of Psychiatry — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions Bipolar patients spend a substantial proportion of their time ill. Significant gender differences exist, with women spending a greater proportion of their visits in the depressive pole. This finding appears to be related to the corresponding differences in rates of rapid cycling and anxiety disorders. PMID: 20231325 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: The American Journal of Psychiatry)

Concerns About Bi-Polar Tubal Coagulation and Reversal

Tubal Ligation Reversal News — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Women on the Tubal Reversal Message Board share their experiences with sterilization reversal following the bi-polar method of ligation. Most techniques of bipolar cautery or coagulation allow for successful reversal of tubal ligation. The reversal experts of Chapel Hill Tubal Reversal Center have considerable experience with reversal of burned tubes and, in their hands, the chance of pregnancy after reversal of burnt tubes is approximately 70%. (Source: Tubal Ligation Reversal News)

Psychiatric disorders vary in underlying serotonin pathology

MedWire News - Psychiatry — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:54:51 +0100

Unipolar and bipolar fatigue in antiferroelectric lead zirconate thin films and evidences for switching-induced charge injection inducing fatigue

Applied Physics Letters — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:29:10 +0100

X. J. Lou and J. Wang We show that unipolar fatigue does occur in antiferroelectric capacitors, confirming the predictions of a previous work [Appl. Phys. Lett. 94, 072901 (2009)]. We also show that unipolar fatigue in antiferroelectrics is less severe than bipolar fatigue if the driving field is of the same magnitude. T ... [Appl. Phys. Lett. 96, 102906 (2010)] published Thu Mar 11, 2010. (Source: Applied Physics Letters)

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Inequality in health care utilization in Germany? Theoretical and empirical evidence for specialist consultation

Journal of Public Health — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 06:51:23 +0100

Discussion The research results suggest the existence of relevant differences in the amount of specialist consultation according to health insurance and other socioeconomic features. Further research could concentrate on the question of whether these inequalities in utilization levels indicate overprovision or underprovision of ambulant health care. Moreover, we recommend longitudinal research that is particularly suited to detangle age and cohort effects. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Original ArticleDOI 10.1007/s10389-010-0321-2Authors Stefan Gruber, Institut für Arbeitsmarkt-und Berufsforschung Regensburger Str. 104, 90478 Nürnberg Nuremberg GermanyMarkus Kiesel, Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences, Wiener Straße/Celsiusstraße Post...

Low baseline startle and deficient affective startle modulation in remitted bipolar disorder patients and their unaffected siblings

Psychophysiology — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

We examined whether startle abnormalities are present in bipolar disorder (BD) patients and their unaffected siblings. Twenty-one remitted patients with BD, 19 unaffected siblings, and 42 controls were presented with 18 pleasant, 18 unpleasant, and 18 neutral pictures. Acoustic probes (104 dB) were presented during 12 of 18 pictures in each affective category at 300, 3000, and 4500 ms after picture onset, so that there were 4 pictures per valence per probe onset type. Baseline startle was assessed during blank screens and was found reduced in patients and sibling groups. We found startle inhibition with the 300 probes and a linear increase in amplitude with valence with the late probes in controls; these effects were absent in patients and their siblings. Low startle and blunted startle re...

Benztropine

About.com Bipolar Disorder — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

is a drug used to treat symptoms of Parkinson's disease and secondary parkinsonism. More... (Source: About.com Bipolar Disorder)

Parkinsonian Symptoms

About.com Bipolar Disorder — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Parkinsonian symptoms can sometimes occur as side effects of certain medications that may be prescribed for bipolar disorder. More ... (Source: About.com Bipolar Disorder)

Spalding Gray: Suicide

About.com Bipolar Disorder — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Author and Actor Spalding Gray disappeared January 10, 2004, and his body was pulled from the East River in New York on March 7, 2004. Suffering from bipolar disorder, Gray undoubtedly committed suicide. His family has gone through a waking nightmare. Don't put your own family through this kind of hell! (Source: About.com Bipolar Disorder)

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Resistive Switching Multistate Nonvolatile Memory Effects in a Single Cobalt Oxide Nanowire.

Nano Letters — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Nagashima K, Yanagida T, Oka K, Taniguchi M, Kawai T, Kim JS, Park BH A multistate nonvolatile memory operated at sublithographic scale has been strongly desired since other nonvolatile memories have confronted the fundamental size limits owing to their working principles. Resistive switching (RS) in metal-oxide-metal junctions, so-called ReRAM, is promising for next generation high-density nonvolatile memory. Self-assembled oxide nanowire-based RS offers an attractive solution not only to reduce the device size beyond the limitation of current lithographic length scales but also to extract the underlying nanoscale RS mechanisms. Here we demonstrate the multistate bipolar RS of a single Co(3)O(4) nanowire (10 nm scale) with the endurance up to 10(8). In addition, we succeeded ...

Variant serotonin receptor linked to alcohol abuse in bipolar disorder

MedWire News - Psychiatry — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Bipolar disorder patients with comorbid alcohol use disorder show a higher frequency of a serotonin transporter gene polymorphism than their peers with no alcohol comorbidity, research shows. (Source: MedWire News - Psychiatry)

Has number of previous episodes any effect on response to group psychoeducation in bipolar patients? A 5-year follow-up post hoc analysis

Acta Neuropsychiatrica — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: The number of previous episodes clearly worsens response to psychoeducation, perhaps in a more subtle way than that observed with other psychological therapies. Psychoeducation should be delivered as soon as possible in the illness course, supporting the idea of early intervention. (Source: Acta Neuropsychiatrica)

Emotional vulnerability and cognitive control in patients with bipolar disorder and their healthy siblings: a pilot study

Acta Neuropsychiatrica — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: The present study provides evidence for the clinical observation that patients with BD have shorter RTs when in a state of emotional arousal rather than in a relaxed state. Inhibitory deficits in these patients may be because of a too strong emotional arousal. The results show that in patients with BD, relaxation and emotional arousal are inversely associated with performance in a neuropsychological task. This is in contrast to findings in healthy individuals suggesting a dysbalance in emotional regulation in these patients. (Source: Acta Neuropsychiatrica)

Obesity is associated with previous suicide attempts in bipolar disorder

Acta Neuropsychiatrica — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: Our results emphasise the relevance of obesity as an associated factor of suicide attempts in bipolar disorder. Obesity may be seen as correlate of severity and as such, must be considered in the comprehensive management of bipolar patients. (Source: Acta Neuropsychiatrica)

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A Pilot, 15-month, randomised effectiveness trial of Risperidone long-acting injection (RLAI) versus oral atypical antipsychotic agents (AAP) in persons with bipolar disorder

Acta Neuropsychiatrica — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: RLAI-treated patients experienced significantly fewer negative clinical events. Further exploration should focus on which subtypes of BPD patients might benefit from RLAI treatment. Weight gain in BPD subjects requires clinical attention. Limitations include an open design, small sample size and the inability to conclude on whether this strategy is useful for depressive episodes. (Source: Acta Neuropsychiatrica)

Bipolar disorder and comorbid obsessive-compulsive disorder is associated with higher rates of anxiety and impulse control disorders

Acta Neuropsychiatrica — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusion: Female BD patients with OCD may represent a more severe form of disorder than those without OCD, having more depressive episodes and residual symptoms, and being at a higher risk for treatment-emergent mania, as well as presenting a greater anxiety and impulse control disorder burden. (Source: Acta Neuropsychiatrica)

Pharmacotherapy for co-occurring alcohol and drug disorders in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: where is the evidence?

Acta Neuropsychiatrica — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

(Source: Acta Neuropsychiatrica)

Validity of the Portuguese version of the Bipolar Depression Rating Scale

Acta Neuropsychiatrica — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

(Source: Acta Neuropsychiatrica)

Variant serotonin receptor linked to alcohol abuse in bipolar disorder

MedWire News - Bipolar Disorder — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

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Study replicates BRD1 gene link to schizophrenia, BD susceptibility

MedWire News - Psychiatry — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:24:44 +0100

The bromo-domain containing protein 1 gene is implicated in the susceptibility to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, confirm findings of an association study. (Source: MedWire News - Psychiatry)

Endoscopic Treatment for Lower Gastrointestinal Bleeding

Clinics in Colon and Rectal Surgery — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:13:26 +0100

Clinics in Colon and Rectal Surgery 2010; 23: 031-036DOI: 10.1055/s-0030-1247855ABSTRACTLower gastrointestinal bleeding is common and can result from several colonic causes including diverticulosis, arteriovenous malformations, ischemia, inflammatory bowel disease, infectious colitis, neoplasm, postpolypectomy, and anastomotic and radiation proctitis. Following resuscitation and evaluation, colonoscopy can be used for diagnosis and treatment. Most physicians prescribe a bowel preparation for their patients. Therapeutic options include injection, coagulation (monopolar or bipolar cautery, argon plasma coagulator), and mechanical (clips, bands, detachable loops) devices.[...]© Thieme Medical PublishersGet connected:Table of contents | Abstract | Full text (Source: Clinics in Col...

Proxy and patients ratings on quality of life in patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder in Korea

Quality of Life Research — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:08:02 +0100

Conclusion These findings suggest that family proxy rating of patients’ QoL can be used as a reasonable estimate of the patients’ QoL for stable schizophrenia and bipolar patients in Korea. Content Type Journal ArticleDOI 10.1007/s11136-010-9617-5Authors Eun Joo Kim, Yonsei University College of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine Seoul KoreaDong Ho Song, Yonsei University College of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine Seoul KoreaSe Joo Kim, Yonsei University College of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Institute of Behavioral Science in Medicine Seoul KoreaJin Young Park, Yonsei University College of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Institute of Behavioral Scienc...

Catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation with a novel, duty-cycled ablation system

Clinical Research in Cardiology Supplements — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 15:43:50 +0100

This study investigates whether a novel multielectrode catheter, delivering duty-cycled bipolar/unipolar RF energy, is feasible and safe. Therefore, 81 consecutive patients with paroxysmal or persistent AF has been analyzed. Pulmonary vein isolation with the pulmonary vein ablation catheter was safe with short fluoroscopy/procedural time and good clinical efficacy at 6 months (stable sinus rhythm in 78% of patients). Content Type Journal ArticleDOI 10.1007/s11789-010-0011-1Authors Stefan G. Spitzer, Akademische Lehrpraxisklinik der TU Dresden PRAXISKLINIK HERZ UND GEFÄSSE Forststraße 3 01099 Dresden GermanyLaszlo Karolyi, Akademische Lehrpraxisklinik der TU Dresden PRAXISKLINIK HERZ UND GEFÄSSE Forststraße 3 01099 Dresden Germany Journal Clinical Research in Cardi...

Atypical Antipsychotics for Acute Manic and Mixed Episodes in Children and Adolescents with Bipolar Disorder: Efficacy and Tolerability

Drugs — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:52:51 +0100

(Source: Drugs)

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Controversies concerning the diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder in children

BioMed Central — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This commentary grows out of an interdisciplinary workshop focused on controversies surrounding the diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder (BP) in children. Although debate about the occurrence and frequency of BP in children is more than 50 years old, it increased in the mid 1990s when researchers adapted the DSM account of bipolar symptoms to diagnose children. We offer a brief history of the debate from the mid 90s through the present, ending with current efforts to distinguish between a small number of children whose behaviors closely fit DSM criteria for BP, and a significantly larger number of children who have been receiving a BP diagnosis but whose behaviors do not closely fit those criteria. We emphasize one emerging approach, which gives part or all of that larger number of ...

Association between AKT1 but not AKTIP genetic variants and increased risk for suicidal behavior in bipolar patients

Genes, Brain and Behavior — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

We tested the hypothesis that the presence of AKT1 and AKTIP polymorphisms, target genes that encode key proteins in the signaling of dopaminergic and serotonergic systems, is associated with suicidal behavior in bipolar patients. The subjects were 273 patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder I or II (age = 41.4 ± 12.9). TaqMan single-nucleotide polymorphism genotyping assays (AKT1: rs2494731, rs3803304, rs3730358, rs10149779, rs2494746, rs1130214 and rs249878; AKTIP: rs9302648 and rs7189819) were used. We found that the AKT1 marker showed an association with suicide attempts (rs1130214, P < 0.05) and attempted violent attacks (rs2494746, P < 0.05). One out of the seven tested markers of AKT1 attained significant genotype association with violent attempt (rs2494731; P < 0.05). A significa...

Levels of phosphodiesterase 4A and 4B are altered by chronic treatment with psychotropic medications in rat frontal cortex

Synapse — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Our laboratory has recently demonstrated altered expression of phosphodiesterase (PDE) 4A and 4B in subjects with autism, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, suggesting disrupted cAMP signaling in these diagnostic groups. In the current study, we measured expression of PDEs in rat frontal cortex (FC) following chronic treatment with clozapine, fluoxetine, haloperidol, lithium, olanzapine, valproic acid (VPA), or sterile saline for 21 days. Western blotting experiments showed decreased expression of PDE4A subtypes in FC following treatment with clozapine, haloperidol, lithium, and VPA. PDE4B subtypes were similarly reduced in FC following treatment with clozapine, fluoxetine, and lithium. We also measured levels of nine PDE subtypes via qRT-PCR in FC and found significant upregulation of P...

Study replicates BRD1 gene link to schizophrenia, BD susceptibility

MedWire News - Schizophrenia — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The bromo-domain containing protein 1 gene is implicated in the susceptibility to schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, confirm findings of an association study. (Source: MedWire News - Schizophrenia)

Challenges for Caregivers of Bipolar Disorder

Psych Central — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:58:35 +0100

The objective burden on caregivers of patients with bipolar disorder is significantly higher than for those with unipolar [straightforward] depression.” Due to the cyclical nature of the illness and the stresses arising from manic and hypomanic episodes, it “causes uncertainty regarding how best to structure family interventions to optimally alleviate burden.” Studies on U.S. caregiver burden in bipolar disorder suggest that the burden is “high and largely neglected.” As well as depression, caregivers can experience poor physical health, low social support, disruption of household routine, financial strain, and can neglect their own health needs. According to Eduard Vieta, MD, and colleagues at the University of Barcelona, Spain, the most burdensome aspects f...

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Strong link exists between bipolar spectrum disorders, ADHD

MedWire News - Psychiatry — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:37:55 +0100

Researchers suggest that adults with bipolar spectrum disorder often present with co-morbid attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. (Source: MedWire News - Psychiatry)

Survey May Help Docs Diagnose Mood Disorders

MedlinePlus Health News — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:00:00 +0100

It identified anxiety, depression, PTSD, bipolar disorder in most cases, study finds Source: HealthDay Related MedlinePlus Pages: Anxiety, Bipolar Disorder, Depression (Source: MedlinePlus Health News)

Snake oil—or a breakthrough for bipolar disorder?

Alliance for Natural Health — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:36:32 +0100

The story of Truehope shows how one person’s persistence can help so many (Source: Alliance for Natural Health)

Bipolar being diagnosed younger

CNN.com - Health — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:50:03 +0100

This week, Dr. Charles Raison offers part two of his answer to the viewer question: Can a 9- or 10-year-old be bipolar? (Source: CNN.com - Health)

One-Page Questionnaire Is Effective Screening Tool For Common Psychiatric Disorders

Bipolar News From Medical News Today — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:00:00 +0100

A one-page, 27-item questionnaire that is available free online is a valid and effective tool to help primary care doctors screen patients for four common psychiatric illnesses, a study led by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers concludes. Results of the My Mood Monitor (M-3) checklist study are published in the March/April 2010 issue of Annals of Family Medicine... (Source: Bipolar News From Medical News Today)

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Distorted self-representation uncommon in euthymic BD patients

MedWire News - Psychiatry — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Previous observations of distorted self-representation in clinical samples of patients with bipolar disorder may represent a scar of previous depressive or manic episodes rather than act as a predisposing factor, say UK researchers who found no strong evidence of increased distorted self-representation in a sample of BD individuals. (Source: MedWire News - Psychiatry)

Symptomatic Bradycardia with Oral Aripiprazole and Oral Ziprasidone (April).

The Annals of Pharmacotherapy — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: Further studies are needed to better determine the relationship between antipsychotics and reflex bradycardia. Although bradycardia remains a relatively uncommon phenomenon seen with the use of these medications, the severity of this potential adverse effect warrants consideration when initiating antipsychotic therapy. PMID: 20215494 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: The Annals of Pharmacotherapy)

Strong link exists between bipolar spectrum disorders, ADHD

MedWire News - Bipolar Disorder — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Researchers suggest that adults with bipolar spectrum disorder often present with co-morbid attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. (Source: MedWire News - Bipolar Disorder)

Distorted self-representation uncommon in euthymic BD patients

MedWire News - Bipolar Disorder — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Behavioral addictions linked to bipolar disorder

MedWire News - Bipolar Disorder — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:19:12 +0100

Patients with bipolar disorder are at increased risk for behavioral addictions, researchers have found. (Source: MedWire News - Bipolar Disorder)

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47. Anxiety and epilepsy

Clinical Neurophysiology — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 18:13:09 +0100

Purpose: Quantitative analysis of anxiety level in patient groups with generalized and focal, temporal or extratemporal epilepsy. Material and method: Ninety patients (30 with generalized epilepsy, 30 with temporal and 30 with extratemporal epilepsy), and age-matched healthy control subjects were investigated. Anxiety level in all subjects was assessed with Beck Anxiety Inventory. Sheehan Disability Scale was used to determine the functional disability level. Patients with comorbid major depression, schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, progressive neurological disease, alcoholism, and epilepsy associated with mental retardation were excluded. (Source: Clinical Neurophysiology)

What Media Is Saying About Bipolar Pentagon Shooter

About.com Bipolar Disorder — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:26:30 +0100

John Patrick Bedell, who began shooting at Pentagon guards on Thursday and was killed by return fire, had bipolar disorder and had been in and out of treatment for years, according to his family. His mother had notified police in January that her son was mentally ill and had purchased a gun. Some of the news reports I found were careful to point out that people with bipolar disorder are no more likely than others to commit violent crimes, which is a good thing. Many others focus on Bedell's anti-government "rantings" on the internet, as well as the way conservatives and liberals are pointing fingers at each other over the incident. On the other hand, there are editorials like the Kansas City Star's Will 2010 Be Year of the 'Nut Job'?. This was published the day after the shootings, befor...

The Observer-Rated Scale for Mania (ORSM): development, psychometric properties and utility

Journal of Affective Disorders — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:14:40 +0100

Conclusion: The ORSM is a useful instrument to help non-professionals who are in regular contact with the patient diagnosed a manic/mixed episode. It thus complements existing rating scales for mania, which are either designed for professionals or are self-rating instruments. (Source: Journal of Affective Disorders)

Response to intravenous antidepressant treatment by suicidal vs. nonsuicidal depressed patients

Journal of Affective Disorders — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:14:39 +0100

Conclusions: Being suicidal may limit response to treatment in depressed major affective disorder patients, independent of diagnosis or overall symptomatic severity. (Source: Journal of Affective Disorders)

The incidence of cardiovascular morbidity among patients with bipolar disorder: A population-based longitudinal study in Ontario, Canada

Journal of Affective Disorders — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:14:34 +0100

Abstract: Background: Despite the high rates of cardiovascular risk factors among people with bipolar disorder, little is known about the incidence of cardiovascular morbidity in this population.Methods: Based upon Ontario, Canada hospital discharge records from April 1, 2002 to March 31, 2006, we constructed a population-based cohort study to assess whether individuals diagnosed with bipolar disorder (n=5999) would have a significantly greater risk of subsequent readmission with a cardiovascular condition in comparison to a matched population-proxy group of individuals receiving an appendicitis primary diagnosis. A Cox regression procedure was used to estimate group differences in time-to-readmission with a cardiovascular-related diagnosis. Patients were followed for a period up to 4 yea...

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Asenapine in the treatment of acute mania in bipolar I disorder: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Journal of Affective Disorders — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:14:32 +0100

Abstract: Background: Asenapine is indicated in adults for acute treatment of manic or mixed episodes associated with bipolar I disorder with or without psychotic features. This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial assessed the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of asenapine in bipolar I disorder.Methods: Adults experiencing manic or mixed episodes were randomized to 3weeks of flexible-dose treatment with sublingual asenapine (day 1: 10mg BID, 5 or 10mg BID thereafter; n=185), placebo (n=98), or oral olanzapine (day 1: 15mg QD, 5–20mg QD thereafter; n=205). Primary efficacy, YMRS total score change from baseline to day 21, was assessed using ANCOVA with last observation carried forward.Results: Mean daily doses were 18.4mg asenapine and 15.9mg olanzapine. Least squares mean...

Efficacy of ziprasidone in dysphoric mania: Pooled analysis of two double-blind studies

Journal of Affective Disorders — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:14:32 +0100

Abstract: Background: Dysphoric mania is a common and often difficult to treat subset of bipolar mania that is associated with significant depressive symptoms.Objective: This post hoc analysis was designed to evaluate the efficacy of ziprasidone in the treatment of depressive and other symptoms in a cohort of patients with dysphoric mania.Methods: Pooled data were examined from two similarly designed, 3-week placebo-controlled trials in acute bipolar mania. Patients scoring ≥2 on at least two items of the extracted Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) met criteria for dysphoric mania and were included in the post hoc analysis. Changes from baseline in symptom scores were evaluated by a mixed-model analysis of covariance.Results: 179 patients with dysphoric mania were included in ...

Suicide attempt characteristics may orientate toward a bipolar disorder in attempters with recurrent depression

Journal of Affective Disorders — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:14:32 +0100

Conclusion: Serious suicide attempt and a familial history of completed suicide in patients with major depression seem to be a clinical marker of bipolarity. Facing suicide attempters with recurrent depression, clinician should be awareness to these characteristics to detect BPD. (Source: Journal of Affective Disorders)

Valproate for the treatment of acute bipolar depression: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Journal of Affective Disorders — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:14:31 +0100

Conclusions: Valproate is effective for the reduction of depressive symptoms of acute bipolar depression, and was well tolerated. (Source: Journal of Affective Disorders)

A genome-wide linkage study of bipolar disorder and co-morbid migraine: Replication of migraine linkage on chromosome 4q24, and suggestion of an overlapping susceptibility region for both disorders on chromosome 20p11

Journal of Affective Disorders — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:14:31 +0100

Abstract: Migraine and Bipolar Disorder (BPAD) are clinically heterogeneous disorders of the brain with a significant, but complex, genetic component. Epidemiological and clinical studies have demonstrated a high degree of co-morbidity between migraine and BPAD. Several genome-wide linkage studies in BPAD and migraine have shown overlapping regions of linkage on chromosomes, and two functionally similar voltage-dependent calcium channels CACNA1A and CACNA1C have been identified in familial hemiplegic migraine and recently implicated in two whole genome BPAD association studies, respectively. We hypothesized that using migraine co-morbidity to look at subsets of BPAD families in a genetic linkage analysis would prove useful in identifying genetic susceptibility regions in both of these diso...

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The early stages of bipolar disorder and recent developments in the understanding of its neurobiology

Future Neurology — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:49:27 +0100

Future Neurology , March 2010, Vol. 5, No. 2, Pages 317-323. (Source: Future Neurology)

Author index

Bipolar Disorders — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

(Source: Bipolar Disorders)

Have You Read "An Unquiet Mind"?

About.com Bipolar Disorder — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

If you haven't, you should. Everyone who experiences mania and depression will benefit from reading this book. Every doctor, judge, police officer and criminal or family attorney should be required to read it. And every family member and friend of someone diagnosed with manic depression, especially bipolar I and II disorders, or of someone exhibiting the symptoms, will gain from reading Kay Redfield Jamison's courageous autobiography. Attorney and author Melody Moezzi, on National Public Radio's You Must Read This, said "An Unquiet Mind is, without a doubt, the most brilliant and brutally honest book I've ever read about bipolar disorder (formerly known as manic-depression). I've read nothing else that has better captured the torment and elation of this strange illness, nor have I ever fe...

Transient release kinetics of rod bipolar cells revealed by capacitance measurement of exocytosis from axon terminals in rat retinal slices.

The Journal of Physiology — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Oltedal L, Hartveit E Presynaptic transmitter release has mostly been studied through measurements of postsynaptic responses, but a few synapses offer direct access to the presynaptic terminal, thereby allowing capacitance measurements of exocytosis. For mammalian rod bipolar cells, synaptic transmission has been investigated in great detail by recording postsynaptic currents in AII amacrine cells. Presynaptic measurements of the dynamics of vesicular cycling have so far been limited to isolated rod bipolar cells in dissociated preparations. Here, we first used computer simulations of compartmental models of morphologically reconstructed rod bipolar cells to adapt the "Sine+DC" technique for capacitance measurements of exocytosis at axon terminals of intact rod bipolar cells i...

Characterisation of bipolar cell synaptic transmission in goldfish retina using paired recordings.

The Journal of Physiology — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Palmer MJ Direct recordings from the large axon terminals of goldfish retinal bipolar cells (BCs) have revealed detailed information about the properties and regulation of exocytosis at this ribbon-type synapse. However, the relationship between BC exocytosis and evoked postsynaptic responses in amacrine and ganglion cells is not known. To address this, I have made paired recordings from BC terminals (BCTs) and neurons in the ganglion cell layer (GCL) in goldfish retinal slices. BCT depolarisation evoked short-latency, AMPA/kainate receptor-mediated EPSCs in connected GCL neurons. NMDA receptors contributed to the response at +40 mV but not at -60 mV. Evoked EPSCs contained multiple temporal components that differed in their relative amplitudes between pairs. Changing the dura...

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Electrical and Morphological Characteristics of Anteroventral Periventricular Nucleus Kisspeptin and Other Neurons in the Female Mouse.

Endocrinology — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Ducret E, Gaidamaka G, Herbison AE Neurons in the rodent anteroventral periventricular nucleus (AVPV) play a key role in integrating circadian and gonadal steroid hormone information in the control of fertility. In particular, estradiol-sensitive kisspeptin neurons located in the AVPV, and adjacent structures [together termed the rostral periventricular area of the third ventricle (RP3V)], are critical for puberty onset and the preovulatory LH surge. The present study aimed to establish the morphological and electrical firing characteristics of RP3V neurons, including kisspeptin neurons, in the adult female mouse. Cell-attached electrical recordings, followed by juxtacellular dye filling, of 129 RP3V neurons in the acute brain slice preparation revealed these cells to exhibit ...

TARPs differentially decorate AMPA receptors to specify neuropharmacology.

Trends in Neurosciences — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Kato AS, Gill MB, Yu H, Nisenbaum ES, Bredt DS Transmembrane AMPA receptor regulatory proteins (TARPs) are the first identified auxiliary subunits for a neurotransmitter-gated ion channel. Although initial studies found that stargazin, the prototypical TARP, principally chaperones AMPA receptors, subsequent research demonstrated that it also regulates AMPA receptor kinetics and synaptic waveforms. Recent studies have identified a diverse collection of TARP isoforms - types Ia, Ib II - that distinctly regulate AMPA receptor trafficking, gating and neuropharmacology. These TARP isoforms are heterogeneously expressed in specific neuronal populations and can differentially sculpt synaptic transmission and plasticity. Whole-genome analyses also link multiple TARP loci to childhood ...

[Valproate induced hypoactive delirium in a bipolar disorder patient with psychotic features.]

Turkish Journal of Psychiatry — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 17:14:03 +0100

In conclusion, valproate can induce delirium at therapeutic blood levels in some patients via various mechanisms and this side effect has to be considered during valproate use. PMID: 20204907 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Turkish Journal of Psychiatry)

Defect annealing in neutron and ion damaged silicon: Influence of defect clusters and doping

Journal of Applied Physics — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 16:15:24 +0100

R. M. Fleming, C. H. Seager, E. Bielejec, G. Vizkelethy, D. V. Lang et al. We have explored defect annealing in radiation damaged silicon in a regime characterized by defect clusters and higher doping. Several types of pnp and npn Si bipolar transistors have been irradiated with ions and neutrons, then isochronally annealed from 300 to 600 K to study the evolution of deep ... [J. Appl. Phys. 107, 053712 (2010)] published Fri Mar 5, 2010. (Source: Journal of Applied Physics)

Is the drug-induced hypersensitivity syndrome (DIHS) due to human herpesvirus 6 infection or to allergy-mediated viral reactivation? Report of a case and literature review

BMC Infectious Diseases — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: The search for rare causes of fever led to complete resolution of a very difficult case. As DIHS is a rare disease the most relevant issue is to suspect and include it in differential diagnosis of fevers of unknown origin. Once diagnosed, the therapy is easy (steroidal administration) and often successful. However our case strongly confirms that attention should be paid on the steroidal tapering that should be very slow to avoid a relapse. (Source: BMC Infectious Diseases)

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A Bipolar Mom's Story

About.com Bipolar Disorder — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

During my first manic episode I hid with my daughter in the attic fearing Mafia hit men. During the second I conversed with God. All told I've been hospitalized four times for mania. My husband has been my rock throughout our lives together, even when we feared Lithium might cause our unborn child to have birth defects. (Source: About.com Bipolar Disorder)

Respiratory Failure Following Isolated Ziprasidone Ingestion in a Toddler.

Journal of Medical Toxicology — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

We report a case of respiratory failure requiring intubation following accidental ziprasidone ingestion with confirmatory serum levels. PMID: 20213216 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Journal of Medical Toxicology)

Mutant Mouse Models: Genotype-Phenotype Relationships to Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia Bulletin — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 19:18:35 +0100

Negative symptoms encompass diminution in emotional expression and motivation, some of which relate to human attributes that may not be accessible readily in animals. Additionally, their refractoriness to treatment precludes therapeutic validation of putative models. This review considers critically the application of mutant mouse models to the study of the pathobiology of negative symptoms. It focuses on 4 main approaches: genes related to the pathobiology of schizophrenia, genes associated with risk for schizophrenia, neurodevelopmental-synaptic genes, and variant approaches from other areas of neurobiology. Despite rapid advances over the past several years, it is clear that we continue to face substantive challenges in applying mutant models to better understand the pathobiology of neg...

Behavioral addictions linked to bipolar disorder

MedWire News - Psychiatry — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 16:49:10 +0100

Patients with bipolar disorder are at increased risk for behavioral addictions, researchers have found. (Source: MedWire News - Psychiatry)

[News Focus] Psychiatry: Anything But Child's Play

Science: Current Issue — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 16:02:10 +0100

An alternative to juvenile bipolar disorder and a reorganization of autism-related disorders are among the controversial changes proposed for the fifth editionof psychiatrists' bible, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.Author: Greg Miller (Source: Science: Current Issue)

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Non-visual Arrestins Are Constitutively Associated with the Centrosome and Regulate Centrosome Function [Signal Transduction]

Journal of Biological Chemistry — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:37:14 +0100

In addition to regulating receptor activity, non-visual arrestins function as scaffolds for numerous intracellular signaling cascades and as regulators of gene transcription. Here we report that the two non-visual arrestins, arrestin2 and arrestin3, localize to the centrosome, a key organelle involved in microtubule nucleation and bipolar mitotic spindle assembly. Both arrestins co-localized with the centrosomal marker -tubulin during interphase and mitosis and were found in purified centrosome preparations. In vitro binding assays demonstrated that both arrestins directly interact with -tubulin. Knockdown of either arrestin by RNA interference resulted in multinucleation, centrosome amplification, and mitotic defects, although only the loss of arrestin2 triggered aberrant microtubule nucl...

Asenapine induces differential regional effects on serotonin receptor subtypes

Journal of Psychopharmacology — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:53:19 +0100

We examined the long-term effects in rat brain of multiple doses of asenapine on representative serotonin receptor subtypes: 5-HT1A, 5-HT2A and 5-HT2C. Rats were given asenapine (0.03, 0.1 or 0.3 mg/kg) subcutaneously twice daily or vehicle for 4 weeks. Brain sections were collected from the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), dorsolateral frontal cortex (DFC), caudate putamen, nucleus accumbens, hippocampal CA 1 and CA3 regions, and entorhinal cortex and processed for in-vitro receptor autoradiography. Asenapine 0.1 and 0.3 mg/kg significantly increased 5-HT1A binding in mPFC (by 24% and 33%, respectively), DFC (27%, 31%) and hippocampal CA1 region (23%, 25%) (all P < 0.05). All three asenapine doses (0.03, 0.1 and 0.3 mg/kg) significantly decreased 5-HT2A binding by a similar degree in m...

Low-dose quetiapine for patients with dysregulation of hyperthymic and cyclothymic temperaments

Journal of Psychopharmacology — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:53:19 +0100

Patients with hyperthymic and cyclothymic temperaments often develop symptoms that fail to meet diagnostic criteria for bipolar disorders. These patients can be conceived as having bipolar disorder NOS (not otherwise specified), a bipolar spectrum disorder, cyclothymic disorder or cluster B personality traits. Here, we describe four of these patients with mild to moderate symptoms affecting mood, behaviour, emotional reactivity and sleep. Treatment with low-dose quetiapine (25—75 mg/day at night) lead to sustained symptom remission. Two of them were on quetiapine monotherapy. Such low doses occupy a minority of D2 and 5-HT2 receptors, which may nevertheless be of therapeutic value in mild cases. Alternatively, other mechanisms more likely to occur at low doses, such as antagonism of ...

Quetiapine Improves Sleep Disturbance in Acute Bipolar Disorder: A Case Series

Pharmacopsychiatry — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 07:54:04 +0100

PharmacopsychiatryDOI: 10.1055/s-0030-1248312© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New YorkGet connected:Table of contents | Full text (Source: Pharmacopsychiatry)

Aripiprazole for the maintenance treatment of bipolar I disorder: A review.

Clinical Therapeutics — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 04:06:03 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: The available evidence supports the efficacy and tolerability of aripiprazole in the maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder. The placebo-subtracted differences in body composition and metabolic parameters suggest utility for aripiprazole in the long-term treatment of bipolar disorder. PMID: 20152551 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Clinical Therapeutics)

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Electronic Medical Records as a Research Tool: Evaluating Topiramate Use at a Headache Center

Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions.[mdash] Findings from our study using EMR demonstrate that physicians use topiramate at many different doses and for many off-label indications. This analysis provided important insight into our patient populations and treatment patterns. (Headache 2010;[bull][bull]:[bull][bull]-[bull][bull]) (Source: Headache: The Journal of Head and Face Pain)

Ssri

About.com Bipolar Disorder — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor is a class of antidepressant medications. More ... (Source: About.com Bipolar Disorder)

Mental Illness Multiplied in Children

ScienceNOW — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 21:21:38 +0100

Offspring of schizophrenic or bipolar parents highly likely to be mentally ill themselves [Read more] (Source: ScienceNOW)

The madness of King George III: a psychiatric re-assessment

History of Psychiatry — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:52:06 +0100

This research, based on a study of King George III’s medical records and of contemporary diaries of his courtiers and equerries, further confirms the considerable doubt on the claim of Richard Hunter and Ida Macalpine that the King suffered from recurrent attacks of acute porphyria. The present study examines the above records from a psychiatric viewpoint, together with some additional reports, to re-assess the nature of the King’s maladies. It concludes that he suffered from recurrent mania (four episodes), with chronic mania and possibly a degree of fatuity during the last decade of his life. This is in agreement with previous reports that he suffered from manic-depressive psychosis. (Source: History of Psychiatry)

Wimmer's concept of psychogenic psychosis revisited

History of Psychiatry — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:52:06 +0100

In the early twentieth century the Danish psychiatrist August Wimmer (1872—1937) developed the concept of psychogenic psychosis (PP) as a category of mental disorders separate from schizophrenia and manic depression. It subsumed a variety of clinical conditions with affective, confusional and paranoid features typically triggered by a psychical trauma. Wimmer’s work has established itself as one of the classic texts in Scandinavian psychiatry but, for linguistic reasons, long remained almost unknown in other European countries. Translated into English in 2003, it is now available for historical and psychopathological analyses. This paper describes the original meaning of PP and sets it in context, then discusses the implications arising from the usage of the diagnostic categori...

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Book Review: David Healy, Mania: A Short History of Bipolar Disorder, Johns Hopkins University Press: Baltimore, 2008; xxiii + 296 pp.: 9780801888229, {pound}16.50

History of Psychiatry — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:52:06 +0100

(Source: History of Psychiatry)

Children of Psychiatrically Ill Parents at Risk for Mental Disorders

Medscape Today Headlines — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:36:33 +0100

Having 2 parents with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder put offspring at increased risk for these and other mental disorders, report researchers. Medscape Medical News (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)

Two sides of the same coin: caring for a person with bipolar disorder

Journal of Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Bipolar disorder is a severe and chronic psychiatric disorder that can cause significant functional impairment for patients and burden for their informal caregivers. The experiences of informal caregivers described both positive and negative aspects of their experiences. Mental health nurses could take a collaborative approach with informal caregivers to support their role. The aim of this paper was to gain an in-depth understanding of the way the lives of individuals supporting someone diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is a severe, recurrent and chronic mental disorder that has a significant impact on the lives of those who experience it and the people supporting them. It is often the subsyndromal symptoms that cause major impairment in functioning and can have financial, ...

Overactive bladder and caffeine: comparing women with and without mental health diagnoses

International Journal of Urological Nursing — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Caffeine is a stimulant thought to activate the pleasure centre in the brain, commonly used in the general public for purposeful attempt to alter mood, and also commonly perceived to be a bladder irritant with associated urgency and frequency symptoms. Mental health diagnosis, such as depression, is also associated with overactive bladder. Taken together, it is plausible that women with overactive bladder symptoms along with comorbid mental health symptoms may also show higher caffeine intake but no data exist. This pilot study's purpose was to determine in women with overactive bladder, if those with a mental health diagnosis (we included anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and bipolar diagnosis) consume a significantly higher amount of caffeine than those without any of t...

Childhood adversities have additive effect on psychiatric disorder onset

MedWire News - Bipolar Disorder — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Childhood adversities have significant subadditive associations with the onset of psychiatric disorders throughout the life course, a US study has found. (Source: MedWire News - Bipolar Disorder)

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BD depression linked to abnormal amygdala functional connectivity to emotional stimuli

MedWire News - Psychiatry — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:08:21 +0100

US researchers suggest that abnormally elevated right amygdala-orbitofrontal cortical functional connectivity to sad stimuli reflects a predisposition to depression in individuals with bipolar disorder. (Source: MedWire News - Psychiatry)

Divalproex ER Improves Manic Symptoms in Bipolar Disorder, but Evidence Is Weak

Medscape Today Headlines — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 16:56:49 +0100

The mood-stabilizing drug divalproex ER (extended-release) offset mild mania and hypomania in outpatients with bipolar spectrum disorder, a new study found. Reuters Health Information (Source: Medscape Today Headlines)

Has Exercise Treatment A Role In Improving Mood Swings?

Health News from Medical News Today — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:00:00 +0100

A paper that is published in the current issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics analyzes the role of exercise treatment in mood swings. Outcomes are frequently suboptimal for patients with bipolar disorder who are treated with pharmacotherapy alone. Adjunct exercise has the potential to substantially improve acute and long-term outcomes, although how exercise would improve the course of bipolar disorder needs to be elucidated. The Authors of this study propose that exercise may improve mood and functioning by increasing neurogenesis and reducing allostatic load... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

Has Exercise Treatment A Role In Improving Mood Swings?

Sports Medicine / Fitness News From Medical News Today — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 11:00:00 +0100

Screening for bipolar disorder during pregnancy and the postpartum period

Archives of Women's Mental Health — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 08:51:23 +0100

Abstract Bipolar disorder is a significant mental health problem among perinatal women; however, little attention has been devoted to methods of screening for bipolar disorder during this phase of women’s life cycle. There is a need for reliable and valid screening instruments for perinatal women. This paper presents a review of 11 self-report measures used to screen bipolar disorder in the general population and discusses their applicability to screening among perinatal women. Published psychometric data, including reliability, sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive value of each self-report instrument, is presented and critiqued. We make recommendations for screening in clinical practice and highlights priorities for future research. The need for more resear...

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Same morphology of ventricular premature complexes triggering repeated ventricular fibrillation

Journal of Interventional Cardiac Electrophysiology — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 08:09:29 +0100

Conclusion VPCs triggering VF that occur at different times in the same patient have similar morphologies suggesting similar sites of origin for the initial VPC of VF in each patient. Content Type Journal ArticleDOI 10.1007/s10840-010-9471-yAuthors Juan José Sánchez-Muñoz, University Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca, Murcia Arrhythmia Unit Ctra. Madrid-Cartagena 30120 El Palmar Murcia SpainArcadio García-Alberola, University Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca, Murcia Arrhythmia Unit Ctra. Madrid-Cartagena 30120 El Palmar Murcia SpainJuan Martínez-Sánchez, University Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca, Murcia Arrhythmia Unit Ctra. Madrid-Cartagena 30120 El Palmar Murcia SpainPablo Peñafiel-Verdú, University Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca, Murcia Arrhythmia Unit Ctra. Ma...

Offspring of two psychiatric patients have increased risk of developing mental disorders

ScienceDaily Headlines — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 01:00:00 +0100

Diabetes and cardiovascular risk in severe mental illness: a missed opportunity and challenge for the future

Practical Diabetes International — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Schizophrenia and bipolar illness are severe mental illnesses that affect around 1-2% of the population. They are associated with premature mortality with a reduced life-expectancy of 10-20 years. Although suicide and trauma contribute the highest relative risk of mortality, physical illness accounts for around three-quarters of all deaths, with cardiovascular disease being the most common cause of death. Traditional cardiovascular risk factors including diabetes, dyslipidaemia, obesity and smoking are all more common in people with severe mental illness (SMI).Although there has been an increasing awareness of physical health issues in people with SMI, the level of screening for and management of cardiovascular risk factors has remained low. A number of national and international bodies ha...

Evidence of Altered Polyamine Concentrations in Cerebral Cortex of Suicide Completers

Neuropsychopharmacology — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Gary Gang Chen, Laura M Fiori, Luc Moquin, Alain Gratton, Orval Mamer, Naguib Mechawar & Gustavo Turecki Keywords: Biological Psychiatry; Depression; Unipolar/Bipolar; Neurochemistry; Neurotransmitters; polyamines; putrescine; putrescine-D4; spermidine; suicide (Source: Neuropsychopharmacology)

Identification of a new mechanism for targeting myosin II heavy chain phosphorylation by Dictyostelium myosin heavy chain kinase B

BMC Research Notes — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions: The results presented here demonstrate that an intrinsically unstructured, and asparagine-rich, region of a MHCK-B can mediate specific targeting of the kinase to phosphorylate myosin II heavy chain. This targeting involves a direct binding interaction with myosin II filaments. In terms of regulating myosin bipolar filament assembly, our results suggest that factors affecting the activity of this unique region of MHCK-B could allow for regulation of MHCK-B in a manner that is distinct from the other MHCKs in Dictyostelium. (Source: BMC Research Notes)

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BD depression linked to abnormal amygdala functional connectivity to emotional stimuli

MedWire News - Bipolar Disorder — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Differentiation of Primate ES Cells into Retinal Cells Induced by ES Cell-Derived Pigmented Cells.

Biochemical and Biophysical Research communications — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSION: These results indicate that coculturing ESCs with ESC-derived RPE cells is a useful and efficient method for inducing photoreceptors and providing an insight into the use of ESCs for retina regeneration. PMID: 20206598 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Biochemical and Biophysical Research communications)

Identification of a new mechanism for targeting myosin II heavy chain phosphorylation by Dictyostelium myosin heavy chain kinase B

BMC Research Notes — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The benefits of "Snowpocalypse"

Psychology Today Relationships Center — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 22:18:20 +0100

The second "snowpocalypse" that hit the East Coast last week spawned so much media racket that it seems bizarre to associate that storm in any way with silence.Yet once the strong winds died down and the tree branches stopped snapping, the blizzard did bring silence, or rather, a variety of quiet that we have lost contact with in our manic, noisy lives.I was not in New York when that city got blitzed, but friends there say that in the deep of the night, with the snow falling hard and while the plows were elsewhere, the city was as silent as they'd ever known it to be.And I remember, as a young boy, struggling down the middle of Madison Avenue on a Sunday morning when fourteen inches of snow had fallen on Manhattan. The avenue was an eiderdown of snow, as pure and white as the Yukon.It was ...

Depressive episodes in BD linked to BDNF polymorphism, stressful live events

MedWire News - Psychiatry — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:12:44 +0100

Researchers have found an association between the worst depressive, but not manic, episode of bipolar disorder and both the brain-derived neurotrophic factor Val66Met polymorphism and stressful life events . (Source: MedWire News - Psychiatry)

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Celebrities help bipolar diagnosis

Nursing in Practice — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:30:09 +0100

Experts claim increasing numbers of people are diagnosing themselves with bipolar disorder due to celebrities speaking out about the condition (Source: Nursing in Practice)

Bipolar sufferers 'self-diagnosed'

Nursing Times Breaking News — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 13:11:00 +0100

Famous bipolar disorder sufferers like Stephen Fry who talk openly about their condition have prompted more people to diagnose themselves as having the illness, say researchers. (Source: Nursing Times Breaking News)

Perceived Treatment Effectiveness, Medication Compliance, and Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Among Veterans with Bipolar Disorder

The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:43:36 +0100

The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine Mar 2010, Vol. 16, No. 3: 251-255. (Source: The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine)

New psychiatric disorders flag normal human behaviors as "diseases"

NaturalNews.com — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 07:00:00 +0100

(NaturalNews) The Disease Mongering Engine, which I invented a couple of years ago and posted on NaturalNews, was initially created as a joke to demonstrate the ridiculousness of the fictitious diseases that are constantly created by the psychiatric industry. This hilarious online disease generator (http://www.naturalnews.com/disease-mongering-engine.asp) allows you to instantly create your own fictitious diseases and disorders such as:• Repetitive Dysmorphic Nose Picking Disorder With Itching (RDNPDWI) • Oppositional Disorganized Speaking Disorder With Indigestion (ODSDWI) • Chronic Bipolar Anticipation Dysfunction With Smelly Feet (CBADWSF)... and so on.Here's the bizarre part: All of a sudden, the new psychiatric diagnostic manual (DSM-V) appears to have adopted as medica...

Rise in self-diagnosis of bipolar disorder 'down to celebrities'

Scotsman.com News - Health — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

THE willingness of high-profile sufferers of bipolar disorder, such as Stephen Fry, to talk about their condition has led to more people diagnosing themselves with the illness (Source: Scotsman.com News - Health)

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Risk of Mental Illness Higher If Both Parents Mentally Ill

Modern Medicine — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

People whose parents are both diagnosed with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder are at much higher risk of developing these and other psychiatric disorders, according to a study in the March issue of the Archives of General Psychiatry. (Source: Modern Medicine)

Parkinsonian Symptoms May Be Side Effect of Some BP Meds

About.com Bipolar Disorder — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

What are parkinsonian symptoms? They include tremor and slowing of movement, among others. When they are caused by a medication, the condition is called secondary parkinsonism. The condition is treatable, but of course, medications to treat parkinsonism have their own side effects, too. Have you experienced secondary parkinsonism? The most common culprit in causing this is any antipsychotic medication. If you've had parkinsonian symptoms, leave a comment telling about it. ~Marcia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Learn more or join the conversation! NEWSLETTER | FORUM | BIO | FACEBOOK | TWITTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Parkinsonian Symptoms May Be Side Effect of Some BP Me...

Four exons of the serotonin receptor 4 gene are associated with multiple distant branch points.

RNA — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Hallegger M, Sobala A, Smith CW Splicing of vertebrate introns involves recognition of three consensus elements at the 3' end. The branch point (BP) and polypyrimidine tract (PPT) are usually located within 40 nucleotides (nt) of the 3' splice site (3' ss), AG, but can be much more distant. A characteristic of the region between distant BPs (dBPs) and the 3' ss is the absence of intervening AG dinucleotides, leading to its designation as the "AG exclusion zone" (AGEZ). The human HTR4 gene, which encodes serotonin receptor 4 and has been associated with schizophrenia, bipolar disease, and gastrointestinal disorders, has four exons with extensive AGEZs. We have mapped the BPs for HTR4 exons 3, 4, 5, and g generated by in vitro splicing, and validated them by mutagenesis in exon-...

Depressive episodes in BD linked to BDNF polymorphism, stressful live events

MedWire News - Bipolar Disorder — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Offspring Of Parent Couples Who Both Have Psychiatric Illness Have Increased Risk Of Developing Mental Disorders

Health News from Medical News Today — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Offspring of two parents with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder appear more likely to develop the same illness or another psychiatric condition than those with only one parent with psychiatric illness, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. The offspring of two parents with psychiatric illness represent an extremely high-risk group, according to background information in the article... (Source: Health News from Medical News Today)

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Offspring Of Parent Couples Who Both Have Psychiatric Illness Have Increased Risk Of Developing Mental Disorders

Pediatrics News From Medical News Today — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 23:00:00 +0100

Offspring of two parents with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder appear more likely to develop the same illness or another psychiatric condition than those with only one parent with psychiatric illness, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals... (Source: Pediatrics News From Medical News Today)

Impact of Substance Use Disorders on Recovery From Episodes of Depression in Bipolar Disorder Patients: Prospective Data From the Systematic Treatment Enhancement Program for Bipolar Disorder (STEP-BD) [Articles]

Am J Psychiatry — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 22:05:44 +0100

Conclusions Current or past substance use disorders were not associated with longer time to recovery from depression but may contribute to greater risk of switch into manic, mixed, or hypomanic states. The mechanism conferring this increased risk merits further study. (Source: Am J Psychiatry)

Psychiatric Disorders in Preschool Offspring of Parents With Bipolar Disorder: The Pittsburgh Bipolar Offspring Study (BIOS) [Articles]

Am J Psychiatry — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 22:05:44 +0100

Conclusions Preschool offspring of parents with bipolar disorder have an elevated risk for ADHD and have greater levels of subthreshold manic and depressive symptoms than children of comparison parents. Longitudinal follow-up is warranted to evaluate whether these children are at high risk for developing mood and other psychiatric disorders. (Source: Am J Psychiatry)

Severe Mental Disorders in Offspring With 2 Psychiatrically Ill Parents [Original Article]

Archives of General Psychiatry — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 20:50:45 +0100

Conclusions Derived risks may be informative for counseling. Patterns of transmission may support evolving assumptions about genetic overlap for traditional categories. (Source: Archives of General Psychiatry)

Welcome to the new blog "Stop Walking on Eggshells"

Psychology Today Personality Center — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:51:13 +0100

Do you feel like you're walking on eggshells around someone important in your life? Does this phrase immediately strike not just a chord but a whole piano concerto? If so, someone in your life may have either borderline personality disorder (BPD) or borderline traits. Take a look at the following questions. If you answer "yes" to most of them, your loved one might have BPD: • Does she see you in one of two modes: either a hateful person who never loved her or a source of blessed, unconditional love? • Does he continually put you in no-win situations? When you try to explain that his position is the opposite of what he said earlier, does it bring on more criticism? • Is everything always your fault? Are you the target of constant criticism? • Are there times when everything seems no...

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Thelonious Monk---Bebop Pioneer, and Bipolar? My Interview with Professor Robin D. G. Kelley, author of Thelonious Monk, The Life and Times of an American Original

Psychology Today Personality Center — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:49:04 +0100

Robin D.G. Kelley is Professor of History and American Studies at the University of Southern California. His Monk biography was published by Free Press in November 2009.LS: Most people are surprised to hear that Monk had bipolar disorder---perhaps they remember that he was thought to be "Mad Monk", but they don't associate the bipolar diagnosis with him or his life. Why do you think this is?RK: The media portrayals of Monk we've inherited from critics and fans have a lot to do with the particular way he's been remembered as "mad" or "crazy." Of course, Monk himself contributed to this image with his performance style - both on and off stage. He liked to entertain, to clown, to do the unusual, and he was often quite conscious and deliberate. But his illness had different manifestations and...

Internal Screw Fixation Compared with Bipolar Hemiarthroplasty for Treatment of Displaced Femoral Neck Fractures in Elderly Patients

JBJS [Am] — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:30:26 +0100

Conclusions: Displaced femoral neck fractures in the elderly should be treated with hemiarthroplasty. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence. (Source: JBJS [Am])

What Are Your Wishes for About Bipolar Disorder?

About.com Bipolar Disorder — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:13:42 +0100

(Source: About.com Bipolar Disorder)

Sleep efficiency and variability important bipolar treatment targets

MedWire News - Bipolar Disorder — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:48:56 +0100

Sleep disturbance between episodes of bipolar disorder can affect illness course and may therefore be an important intervention target, say researchers. (Source: MedWire News - Bipolar Disorder)

Rapid-cycling bipolar disorder: cross-national community study [PAPERS]

The British Journal of Psychiatry — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:01:19 +0100

Conclusions The community epidemiological profile of rapid-cycling bipolar disorder confirms most but not all current clinically based knowledge about the illness. (Source: The British Journal of Psychiatry)

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Bifrontal, bitemporal and right unilateral electrode placement in ECT: randomised trial [PAPERS]

The British Journal of Psychiatry — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:01:19 +0100

Conclusions Each electrode placement is a very effective antidepressant treatment when given with appropriate electrical dosing. Bitemporal leads to more rapid symptom reduction and should be considered the preferred placement for urgent clinical situations. The cognitive profile of bifrontal is not substantially different from that of bitemporal. (Source: The British Journal of Psychiatry)

Structural brain abnormalities in bipolar disorder: what meta-analyses tell us [Correspondence]

The British Journal of Psychiatry — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:01:19 +0100

(Source: The British Journal of Psychiatry)

Depression. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy with Children and Young People * Bipolar Disorder in Young People. A Psychological Intervention Manual * Who Is It That Can Tell Me Who I Am? [Book reviews]

The British Journal of Psychiatry — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:01:19 +0100

(Source: The British Journal of Psychiatry)

Psychoeducation for bipolar disorder [Articles]

Advances in Psychiatric Treatment — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:00:48 +0100

Bipolar disorder is a complex disorder of mood and behaviour that requires a multimodal treatment approach. In the past 10 years there has been growing interest in psychoeducational interventions delivered as adjuncts to conventional management. Several studies have tested the effectiveness of psychoeducational treatments delivered in a variety of formats. In this article we assess the evidence for the efficacy of these interventions and consider the likely future role of structured psychoeducational treatments in clinical practice. (Source: Advances in Psychiatric Treatment)

'I want to be bipolar'... a new phenomenon [Special articles]

Psychiatric Bulletin — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:00:44 +0100

There has been renewed interest in the concept and diagnosis of bipolar affective disorder in recent years. Previous epidemiological studies have reported the prevalence of the disorder in the USA at 1-2% but further studies have shown that the disorder is underdiagnosed and the true prevalence may be as high as 11%. Despite the stigma attached to mental illness, we have noticed in our clinical practice a new and unusual phenomenon, where patients present to psychiatrists with self-diagnosed bipolar disorder. Here, we explore the background to this phenomenon, the diagnostic challenges and the implications for our patients and practice. (Source: Psychiatric Bulletin)

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Offspring of 2 psychiatric patients have increased risk of developing mental disorders

EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100

(JAMA and Archives Journals) Offspring of two parents with schizophrenia or bipolar disorder appear more likely to develop the same illness or another psychiatric condition than those with only one parent with psychiatric illness, according to a report in the March issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. (Source: EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science)

Recalls and Safety Alerts: Valproate Sodium and Birth Defects

Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA): Patient Safety News — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0100

FDA is reminding healthcare professionals and patients about an increased risk of birth defects in infants whose mothers took valproate sodium and related products during pregnancy. These drugs, which are used to treat epilepsy, bipolar disorder and... (Source: Food and Drug Adminstration (FDA): Patient Safety News)

Tryptophan for refractory bipolar spectrum disorder and sleep-phase delay.

J Psychiatry Neurosc... — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Cooke RG, Levitan RD PMID: 20184811 [PubMed - in process] (Source: J Psychiatry Neurosc...)

Femoral Neck Fractures: In the Bucket or on Top of the Neck?

Seminars in Arthroplasty — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Much controversy surrounds decision-making regarding hip arthroplasty for the treatment of acute displaced femoral neck fractures. These controversies include the decision on when prosthetic replacement is appropriate; when an attempt at open reduction and internal fixation is appropriate; which type of prosthesis to chose: monopolar, bipolar, or total hip arthroplasty; and the method of prosthetic fixation, cemented or uncemented. Generally, younger patients are treated with anatomic reduction and internal fixation, and older patients are treated with arthroplasty. Implant decisions regarding hemiarthroplasty or total hip arthroplasty, and component fixation strategy are based on activity and bone quality. Attention to detail is important to minimize complications, notably, dislocation. (...

Myoelectric activity of the ileum, cecum, proximal loop of the ascending colon, and spiral colon in cows with naturally occurring cecal dilatation-dislocation.

American Journal of Veterinary Research — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance-After surgery for CDD, normal myoelectric patterns were disrupted in the large intestine of cows, especially in the spiral colon. Clinical recovery with effective transit of ingesta occurred before normalization of myoelectric activity in the large intestine. Therapeutic protocols for restoration or normalization of spiral colon motility should be developed for treatment of CDD-affected cattle. PMID: 20187832 [PubMed - in process] (Source: American Journal of Veterinary Research)

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Aripiprazole as adjunct to a mood stabilizer and citalopram in bipolar depression: a randomized placebo-controlled pilot study

Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

The use of atypical antipsychotics (AAPs) for the treatment of unipolar and bipolar depression has been more and more frequently evaluated, and aripiprazole showed positive effects in the treatment of unipolar depression. However, no placebo-controlled studies of adjunctive aripiprazole for the treatment of bipolar depression have been performed yet.In this prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial, 23 inpatients with bipolar depression according to DSM-IV criteria were included. Before randomization, patients had to be on a constant mood stabilizer treatment with lithium or valproate for at least 1 week. After inclusion, all patients were openly treated with additional citalopram and with additional aripiprazole or placebo for 6 weeks. The primary outcome parameter w...

Ultrasonically determined thyroid volume and thyroid functions in lithium-naïve and lithium-treated patients with bipolar disorder: a cross-sectional and longitudinal study

Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This study investigated thyroid volume, hormone levels and antibodies in long-term lithium-treated and lithium-naïve bipolar patients, some of whom underwent prospective follow-up evaluations.Fourteen lithium-naïve patients, 13 long-term lithium-treated patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder and 12 healthy controls were included. Seven lithium-naïve patients were followed-up during their lithium receiving period (range 6-9 months). Thyroid volume and serum levels of thyroid hormones and antibodies were measured once in the long-term lithium-treated patients and controls, and twice in the lithium-naïve patients, i.e. before and after lithium treatment.Mean thyroid volumes in the lithium-naïve patients were significantly higher than those in the controls. Long-term lithium-treated pat...

Changes in medication practices for hospitalized psychiatric patients: 2009 versus 2004

Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

We tested the hypothesis that combinations and total daily doses of psychotropics for hospitalized patients diagnosed with major psychiatric disorders are rising.We evaluated McLean Hospital records of 481 consecutive inpatients with DSM-IV schizophrenia, schizoaffective, or bipolar disorders in 2004 (n = 278) or 2009 (n = 203) to compare characteristics and treatments.In 2009, Clinical Global Impression (CGI)-severity scores were 6% lower at intake and improved 1.7 times more than in 2004, as hospitalization-length decreased by 12%. Polytherapy ([ge] 2 psychotropics) increased in 2009 (affective or schizoaffective disorders > schizophrenia). Total psychotropics/patient (3.1-3.2) remained stable but mood-stabilizers/patient increased markedly and antipsychotics/patient decreased somewhat i...

Erratum: Lesley Berk, Karen T. Hallam, Francesc Colom, et al. 2010. Enhancing medication adherence in patients with bipolar disorder. Hum Psychopharmacol Clin Exp 25: 1-16. DOI: 10.1002/hup.1081

Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

No Abstract. (Source: Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental)

Share Your Story: What Led to Your Bipolar Diagnosis?

About.com Bipolar Disorder — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Share with others the events and symptoms that led to your bipolar diagnosis. Some people are diagnosed after episodes of mania or hypomania. Others (like me) are initially diagnosed with depression and later receive a diagnosis of bipolar disorder when manic or hypomanic symptoms appear. The defining event may be something that leads to arrest and/or hospitalization. What led up to your bipolar diagnosis? ~Marcia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Learn more or join the conversation! NEWSLETTER | FORUM | BIO | FACEBOOK | TWITTER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Share Your Story: What Led to Your Bipolar Diagnosis? originally appeared on About.com Bipolar Disorder on Tuesday, March ...

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Internal Screw Fixation Compared with Bipolar Hemiarthroplasty for Treatment of Displaced Femoral Neck Fractures in Elderly Patients.

The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. American volume — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

CONCLUSIONS: Displaced femoral neck fractures in the elderly should be treated with hemiarthroplasty. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence. PMID: 20194320 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. American volume)

TRPC Channels and their Implication in Neurological Diseases.

CNS and Neurological Disorders Drug Targets — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

Authors: Selvaraj S, Sun Y, Singh BB Calcium is an essential intracellular messenger and serves critical cellular functions in both excitable and non-excitable cells. Most of the physiological functions in these cells are uniquely regulated by changes in cytosolic Ca(2+) levels ([Ca(2+)](i)), which are achieved via various mechanisms. One of these mechanism(s) is activated by the release of Ca(2+) from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), followed by Ca(2+) influx across the plasma membrane (PM). Activation of PM Ca(2+) channel is essential for not only refilling of the ER Ca(2+) stores, but is also critical for maintaining [Ca(2+)](i) that regulates biological functions, such as neurosecretion, sensation, long term potentiation, synaptic plasticity, gene regulation, as well as cellular gro...

Aripiprazole: a drug with a novel mechanism of action and possible efficacy for alcohol dependence.

CNS and Neurological Disorders Drug Targets — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

This article proposes a potential role for aripiprazole in alcoholism treatment, and suggests that more randomized controlled trials should be designed at appropriate doses to better understand aripiprazole's potential role as a treatment option. More options are needed to treat alcoholics that fall into different subgroups (e.g., those with impulsive disorders), or non-responsive to available treatments. Early results with aripiprazole are promising and warrant further exploration. PMID: 20201815 [PubMed - in process] (Source: CNS and Neurological Disorders Drug Targets)

Physicians Are Reticent About Taking On Bipolar Depression

Internal Medicine News — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:00:00 +0100

MONTREAL — Primary care physicians are not confident when it comes to diagnosing and managing patients with bipolar depression, according to a cross-sectional survey of providers participating in a national electronic health record database. (Source: Internal Medicine News)