Mental Health Weekly Digest articles from July 2003

Mental Health Weekly Digest archives from July 2003

Alzheimer-type dementia may be due to amyloid plaque deposition.
July 7, 2003... 2003 JUL 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- There is a pattern of expression of amyloid plaque that may relate to Alzheimer-type dementia in Down Syndrome. "We immunohistochemically studied the expression of beta-amyloid precursor protein...

Patients with unipolar or bipolar depression share similar serotonin impairment.
July 7, 2003... 2003 JUL 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Patients with unipolar or bipolar depression share similar serotonin impairment. According to a study from the United States, "the hormonal response to the serotonin releasing agent/uptake inhibitor...

Eye movement abnormalities may signal mental illness.
July 7, 2003... 2003 JUL 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago are studying subtle abnormalities in eye movements that may one day be used to diagnose psychiatric disease. Irregularities in how the eyes track...

Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 protects brain cells from Tat-induced toxicity.
July 7, 2003... 2003 JUL 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 can protect brain cells from HIV-induced apoptosis. "Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-associated dementia is often characterized by chronic inflammation,...

Study reports some 32 million Americans had an episode in last 12 months.
July 7, 2003... 2003 JUL 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Approximately 16% of the U.S. adult population will have major depression at some time in their life, and about 32 million Americans had an episode of major depression in the last year, according to an...

Mental retardation models should foster therapeutic interventions.
July 7, 2003... 2003 JUL 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Mental retardation animal models should foster the development of therapeutic interventions. "About 2-3% of all children are affected by mental retardation, and genetic conditions rank among the...

Prevalence of problem gambling among youths focus of study.
July 7, 2003... 2003 JUL 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Although the recent proliferation of gambling opportunities in the U.S. has been intended for adults, existing research shows that adolescents and young adults are more likely to be classified as...

Inhibitors of the complement that binds beta-amyloid may stop Alzheimer disease.
July 7, 2003... 2003 JUL 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Pathology in Alzheimers may be stopped by compounds that inhibit complement C1q from binding beta-amyloid plaque. According to a study from the United States, "Activation of complement by...

Trial initiated for COGNIShunt system; patient enrollment begins.
July 7, 2003... 2003 JUL 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Eunoe, Inc., announced the initiation of a clinical trial at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland to investigate the use of its COGNIShunt System in Alzheimer disease patients. The...

Gene identified as causing manic depression in 10% of cases.
July 7, 2003... 2003 JUL 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine have identified a specific gene that causes bipolar disorder in a subset of patients who suffer from this debilitating...

Psychosocial interventions should be integrated into disease management programs.
July 7, 2003... 2003 JUL 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Psychosocial interventions should be integrated into disease management programs for breast cancer. According to published research from Germany, "Breast cancer patients are subject not only to...

Research collaboration focused on treatment for type of mental retardation.
July 7, 2003... 2003 JUL 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The Avicena Group, Inc., based in Palo Alto, California, and Cambridge, Massachusetts, has formed a collaboration with The University of Cincinnati Medical Center and the Cincinnati Children's Hospital...

Affected workers' lost production time costs U.S. employers billions.
July 7, 2003... 2003 JUL 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In the U.S., individuals with depression cost employers $44 billion per year in lost productive time compared with $13 billion among those without depression, reveal study results. Walter F....

Excessive worrying linked with longer time needed to improve psoriasis.
July 7, 2003... 2003 JUL 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Psychological distress appears to have a detrimental effect on the outcome of patients treated for psoriasis with ultraviolet (UV) light therapy, according to an article in the Archives of Dermatology....

EAE-associated behavioral syndrome occurs coincidentally with cytokine peaks.
July 7, 2003... 2003 JUL 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- EAE associated behavioral syndrome occurs coincidentally with peak cytokine expression. According to published research from Israel, "To elucidate the mechanisms underlying the EAE-associated...

Law firm announces suit for victims of antidepressant's side effects.
July 7, 2003... 2003 JUL 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Law firm Parker & Waichman, LLP, announced that it has been consulting with numerous victims of the popular anti-depressant Paxil. The firm will soon file claims against GlaxoSmithKline PLC (NYSE:GSK)...

Data presented on new applications for antidepressant.
July 7, 2003... 2003 JUL 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- SkyePharma PLC (NASDAQ:SKYE) announced the recent publication of studies on three potential additional therapeutic applications for Paxil CR (paroxetine HCl). Data from double-blind placebo...

Psychiatric journal to publish issue on global mental health.
July 7, 2003... 2003 JUL 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Despite an increased prevalence of psychiatric conditions and a greater number of drugs available to treat them, mental health resources remain scarce in many parts of the world. For today's psychiatry...

Handheld computers record patients' psychological state several times daily.
July 7, 2003... 2003 JUL 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Supported by a grant through CEnIT, the Center for Entrepreneurship and Information Technology, researchers at Louisiana Tech University are testing handheld computers as a way to support and improve...

EAE-associated behavior may be treatable by anti-inflammatory agents.
July 7, 2003... 2003 JUL 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The EAE-associated behavioral syndrome in multiple sclerosis may be treatable by anti-inflammatory agents. According to a study from Israel, "EAE is associated with sickness behavior symptoms that...

Counseling after heart attack relieves depression, improves social functioning.
July 7, 2003... 2003 JUL 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) can help patients following myocardial infarction (heart attack) deal with depression and low perceived social support, but the intervention does not improve survival or...

Borna disease virus could be the causal agent of some neuropsychiatric diseases.
July 7, 2003... 2003 JUL 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Borna disease virus could be the causal agent of some neuropsychiatric diseases. According to recent research from the United States, "Borna disease virus, a negative-strand RNA virus, infects a...

Patients can survive, and IgG immunodeficiency isn't due to a B cell defect.
July 7, 2003... 2003 JUL 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Ritscher-Schinzel syndrome patients can survive a long time, and loss of IgG is not due to a B cell defect after all. "In 1987, Ritscher et al. described two sisters with brain malformations of the...

SNAP-25 reduction is found in the hippocampus, but is not involved in synapses.
July 7, 2003... 2003 JUL 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Schizophrenia patients have reduced SNAP-25, but not NMDA NR1, indicating presynaptic events as part of pathology. "In this study, the authors sought to replicate the findings of reduced...

SmartSite needle-free vial adapter supply agreement signed.
July 7, 2003... 2003 JUL 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Alaris Medical, Inc., (AMI) through its wholly owned subsidiary, Alaris Medical Systems, Inc., announced a worldwide agreement to supply a vial adapter with its proprietary SmartSite Needle-Free valve...

Newer antipsychotic medicines providing better results for patients.
July 7, 2003... 2003 JUL 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nearly 5 million people in the United States suffer from schizophrenia or manic depression, making antipsychotics the fourth-highest selling class of drugs. But how effectively do the most commonly...

Tacrolimus toxicity after transplant can involve mutism and behavioral change.
July 7, 2003... 2003 JUL 7 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- An excess of tacrolimus can bring about somewhat reversible adverse effects relating to speech and nervous behaviors. According to a study from the United States, "Tacrolimus (FK506), an...

123 Altropane SPECT shows potential as diagnostic tool for ADHD.
July 14, 2003... 2003 JUL 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- 123 Altropane single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) may have potential as diagnostic tool for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, nuclear medicine specialists say. Attention...

Apparent link found to imbalance in critical brain chemicals.
July 14, 2003... 2003 JUL 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Psychopathic behavior seems to be linked to an imbalance in critical brain chemicals, reveals a study of violent and sexual offenders reported in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery and Psychiatry....

Alcohol facilitates aggression among those who express anger outwardly.
July 14, 2003... 2003 JUL 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Drinking alcohol may place those individuals with a tendency toward anger at greater risk of becoming aggressive, study findings suggest. The relationship between alcohol and aggressive behavior is...

Imaging study increases awareness of brain changes leading to vulnerability.
July 14, 2003... 2003 JUL 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new study has given neuroscientists one more link in the chain to more fully understand, and effectively target, the changes in the brain that are responsible for vulnerability to depression. ...

New treatment recommendations offered for anxiety accompanying first onset.
July 14, 2003... 2003 JUL 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The medical community has been long aware of the close relationship of dizziness, vertigo, and psychiatric disturbances. Panic disorder, generalized anxiety states, depressive states, and psychological...

Amyloid precursor protein-processing products activate mononuclear phagocytes.
July 14, 2003... 2003 JUL 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Amyloid precursor protein generation can activate mononuclear phagocytes and induce neurotoxicity without the addition of cytokines. "Increasing evidence strongly supports the role of glial...

Strattera most promoted prescription drug to managed care pharmacy executives.
July 14, 2003... 2003 JUL 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Eli Lilly & Co.'s new attention deficient hyperactivity disorder medication was the prescription drug most heavily promoted to managed care pharmacy directors during the first quarter, according to...

Methylphenidate plus behavioral stimulus boost extracellular dopamine levels.
July 14, 2003... 2003 JUL 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Methylphenidate plus behavioral stimulus boost extracellular dopamine levels in patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, study results show. An estimated 5% of elementary school-aged...

Study finds employee depression costs $44B in lost productive time.
July 14, 2003... 2003 JUL 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A study by AdvancePCS (ADVP) reveals that U.S. workers with depressive disorders cost employers $44 billion in lost productive time, compared to $13 billion for those without depression. The...

Technique may enable screening for early signs of cognitive impairment.
July 14, 2003... 2003 JUL 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A new study using a cutting edge research technique called "proteomics protein fingerprinting" shows that HIV patients with dementia have distinct protein patterns in their blood, setting them apart...

GSK responds to FDA talk paper on pediatric data on Paxil.
July 14, 2003... 2003 JUL 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has responded to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) talk paper recommending that Paxil (paroxetine hydrochloride) - which is not approved for pediatric use - should not be...

Olanzapine therapy increases the amount of CD8 positive T cells.
July 14, 2003... 2003 JUL 14 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Olanzapine appears to produce a decrease in the CD4/CD8 ratio by virtue of an increase in CD8 positive cells. According to recent research published in the journal Progress in...

Behavioral health services offers opens access to outpatients.
July 21, 2003... 2003 JUL 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- CIGNA Behavioral Health (CBH) announced that all 14 million consumers it serves have open access to their outpatient benefits, effective July 1. They will no longer need to call CBH to get "prior...

Long-term stress appears to damage caregivers' immune systems.
July 21, 2003... 2003 JUL 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Taking care of chronically ill loved ones over long periods stresses caregivers, as everyone knows, but a new study provides strong new evidence that such continuing stress boosts the risk of...

Psychotherapy, medication most effective to fight minority women's depression.
July 21, 2003... 2003 JUL 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Psychotherapy and drug treatments for depression work much better for low-income, young, minority women than referrals to community mental health services, according to a recently published report. ...

Adult ADHD often undiagnosed.
July 21, 2003... 2003 JUL 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Inadequate clinical training, inexperience, and the lack of a well-validated screening tool are major barriers prohibiting primary care physicians from diagnosing Attention Deficit Hyperactivity...

Expert says eating disorders are potentially life threatening.
July 21, 2003... 2003 JUL 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- There is a growing misconception that eating disorders are simply a fad. Nothing could be further from the truth according to Joel Jahraus, director of primary care medicine at Remuda Ranch...

Approvable letter issued for Wellbutrin XL.
July 21, 2003... 2003 JUL 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Biovail Corporation (BVF, BVF) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued an Approvable Letter for the once-daily antidepressant Wellbutrin XL (bupropion hydrochloride...

Genes for depression play role in mood disorders, shorter lifespan.
July 21, 2003... 2003 JUL 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have completed the first survey of the entire human genome for genes that affect the susceptibility of individuals to developing clinical depression. ...

Heart disease patients should be monitored for mental illness.
July 21, 2003... 2003 JUL 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Depressive symptoms are strongly associated with how patients with coronary disease perceive their overall health, according to a new study. "In patients with coronary disease, cardiovascular...

Standard treatments are effective for low-income minority women.
July 21, 2003... 2003 JUL 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Neuropsychiatric Institute and Georgetown University Medical Center report that the standard short-term therapies for major depression...

Study challenges bipolar treatment guidelines.
July 21, 2003... 2003 JUL 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A study led by a UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute researcher challenges standard treatment guidelines for bipolar depression that recommend discontinuing antidepressants within the first 6 months after...

Association works to stamp out meth abuse epidemic in Phoenix.
July 21, 2003... 2003 JUL 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- For the second time, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) has waged war against the illicit use of methamphetamine, which has increasingly been the dangerous drug of choice for many...

Sisters of boys with X linked disease need counseling on carrier assessment.
July 21, 2003... 2003 JUL 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Teenage sisters of boys with X linked chronic granulomatous disease are aware of their reproductive risk, but are less eager than parents to be tested. "Although recent research has investigated...

Astrocytes may play key role in pathogenesis.
July 21, 2003... 2003 JUL 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Astrocytes may play a key role in the development of HIV-associated dementia. These neural cells "may be infected with the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) or exposed to the HIV protein...

Optimal conditions for harvesting autopsy brain specimens determined.
July 21, 2003... 2003 JUL 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The optimal conditions for harvesting brain specimens from deceased HIV-related dementia patients have been described. "Microglia are the main source of productive infection by human...

Viral Tat activates NMDA receptor at allosteric zinc-sensitive site.
July 21, 2003... 2003 JUL 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- The HIV Tat protein activates NMDA receptors in the brain at an allosteric zinc-sensitive site. HIV Tat "is neurotoxic and may be involved in the neuropathogenesis of HIV-1 dementia, in part via...

Chronic opioid use lowers cdk5, p35; increases neurofilament phosphorylation.
July 21, 2003... 2003 JUL 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Chronic opioid use produces downregulation of cdk5 and p35, as well as increased neurofilament phosphorylation in the addict's brain, thus affecting the cytoskeleton. "Neuronal cyclin-dependent...

Exercise imagery often involves physical appearance improvement.
July 21, 2003... 2003 JUL 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Exercisers often engage in exercise imagery involving physical appearance improvement. According to researchers in the United States, "This study sought to determine the content and function that...

Rutgers receives $22.6 million to investigate genetics of mental disorders.
July 21, 2003... 2003 JUL 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, has been awarded a $22.6 million, 5-year grant by the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to establish the Center for Collaborative Genetic...

NicAlert used as official test agent in alliance's programs.
July 21, 2003... 2003 JUL 21 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Nymox Pharmaceutical Corporation (NYMX) and the American Respiratory Alliance jointly announced that NicAlert will be used as the official test agent in several smoking cessation programs to be offered...

Babies exposed to SSRIs in late pregnancy may have neurological symptoms.
July 28, 2003... 2003 JUL 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Infants whose mothers took selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs, drugs used to treat some psychiatric disorders) during late pregnancy are at an increased risk for having neurologic adverse...

Research may lead to better drugs.
July 28, 2003... 2003 JUL 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- MIT researchers have created a schizophrenic mouse that pinpoints a gene variation predisposing people to schizophrenia. The study, reported the week of July 1, 2003 in the early online edition of...

Quick return to normal routine could help avoid symptoms.
July 28, 2003... 2003 JUL 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- When they were fighting Saddam Hussein's army in the Iraqi desert earlier this year, American troops probably weren't thinking about their long-term health - or anything but their immediate military...

Viral Tat regulates MCP-1 transcription through TGFbeta-1 pathway.
July 28, 2003... 2003 JUL 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- HIV Tat regulates MCP-1 transcription through the TGFbeta-1 pathway. "Expression of several cytokines involved in signal transduction such as TGFbeta-1 and the inflammatory chemokines including...

Frontotemporal dementia neurons have positive p62 and ubiquitin inclusions.
July 28, 2003... 2003 JUL 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Frontotemporal dementia may be immunohistochemically characterized by neurons reactive to ubiquitin and p62. "We examined the immunoreactivity of p62 in 5 cases of frontotemporal dementia (FTD)...

Compounds reverse age-related learning deficits in mice.
July 28, 2003... 2003 JUL 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Eukarion, Inc., announced the publication of preclinical data showing that its synthetic catalytic scavenger (SCS) compounds reverse age-related learning deficits in mice. The data were published...

Once-daily Adderall XR provides all-day symptom control for children.
July 28, 2003... 2003 JUL 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A study published in the Journal of the Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (JAACAP) shows that children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) experienced significant control of...

Niemann-Pick and Alzheimer disease have tangled neurons with high cholesterol.
July 28, 2003... 2003 JUL 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- In Niemann-Pick type C disease and in Alzheimer disease, tangled neurons are associated with cholesterol accumulation, thus these phenomena may be related. "Niemann-Pick type C disease is an...

Higher education or larger brain size may protect against dementia later in life.
July 28, 2003... 2003 JUL 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Higher education or a larger brain may protect against dementia, according to new findings by researchers from the University of South Florida and the University of Kentucky. The study, published...

Lewy bodies are frequently found in familial Alzheimer disease.
July 28, 2003... 2003 JUL 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Families with familial Alzheimer disease have some individuals with dementia with Lewy bodies. "Our institution is currently engaged in ongoing genetic studies of familial Alzheimer disease (AD),...

Pittsburgh researchers single out genes for major depression.
July 28, 2003... 2003 JUL 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have completed the first survey of the entire human genome for genes that affect the susceptibility of individuals to developing clinical depression. ...

Researchers find bizarre eating behaviors among binge eaters.
July 28, 2003... 2003 JUL 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- A recently published study finds that some people who suffer from what is known as binge-eating disorder (BED) engage in chaotic or bizarre eating behaviors such as gorging on food straight out of...

CE Mark approval granted to market VNS therapy system.
July 28, 2003... 2003 JUL 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cyberonics, Inc., (CYBX) announced that it has received CE Mark approval from KEMA Quality B.V., an official European Notified Body, to market the VNS Therapy Model 102 System and the Model 102R...

Alzheimer disease device company closes $40M private placement.
July 28, 2003... 2003 JUL 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Eunoe, Inc., the developer of the COGNIShunt System currently being investigated in a phase III clinical study for the treatment of Alzheimer disease, announced it has completed the initial closing of...

Report says proposals pose threat to mental health safety net.
July 28, 2003... 2003 JUL 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Proposed changes in the federal Medicaid program "could have immediate and devastating consequences for Medicaid recipients with mental illnesses," according to a new report by the Bazelon Center for...

Psychiatric hospital acquires new facilities, completes private offering.
July 28, 2003... 2003 JUL 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Psychiatric Solutions, Inc., (PSYS) announced that it has completed a private offering of $150 million and the acquisition of Ramsay Youth Services, Inc., (RYOU), in a transaction valued at...

More postmortem cerebrovascular lesions appear unrelated to cognitive impairment.
July 28, 2003... 2003 JUL 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Cerebrovascular lesions on Parkinson disease brains show more lesions but lower stroke risk; cognitive impairment does not appear to be related to most lesions. "Data on the relationship between...

Chill out: Anger can give you a headache.
July 28, 2003... 2003 JUL 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Miffed that your daughter neglected to take out the trash - again? Annoyed that a stranger cut you off in traffic? Ticked because your boss tagged you to work on a holiday? Here's something else...

Magnesium supplementation may help reduce stress.
July 28, 2003... 2003 JUL 28 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- If patients are looking for ways to deal with stress without having to move to a deserted island, change their diet, run five miles a day, get a new spouse, think positive thoughts, or get a new job,...