Tuesday, April 13, 2004

Newer Drugs Appear to Stem Violent Behavior
Duke University Medical School press release - "Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have found that a new generation of medications called 'atypical antipsychotics' can significantly lower the risk of violent behavior in people with schizophrenia who are being treated in community-based centers. In a two-year study, the researchers found that patients who consistently took one of the newer medications had less than one-third the incidence of getting into fights or engaging in violent actions toward others, compared to subjects who consistently took one of the older antipsychotic medications. This study is the first to examine the long-term impact of treatment with the newer class of drugs on violent behavior measured directly in the community, under 'real world' conditions, the researchers said. Examples of drugs in this newer class include clozapine, risperidone and olanzapine..."  
  

Surprises found in gene variation associated with schizophrenia
University of Iowa press release - "Approximately 2 percent of Caucasians have a gene segment variation that can cause a certain form of schizophrenia. Most people with the variation, known as a polymorphism, do not have the disease. A University of Iowa Health Care study reveals a good prognosis for people who do have this form of schizophrenia. The team also found that this polymorphism is associated with overall benefits for human survival, and the initial mutation occurred in a single common ancestor about 100,000 years ago. The findings have implications for finding better ways to treat this particular type of schizophrenia and possibly augmenting the positive influences of the polymorphism on human survival. The findings also point the way for studying other gene defects. The UI Research Foundation and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) share a patent for this X-chromosome gene polymorphism, known as HOPA12pb. The study results appeared in the February 11 online issue of the American Journal of Medical Genetics."  
  

Cannabis Use Linked to Early-Onset Schizophrenia
Reuters Health story - "Among men suffering from schizophrenia, those who had used cannabis were much more likely to experience their first psychotic episode at an early age at, Dutch investigators report. Dr. Natalie D. Veen, from University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands, and colleagues looked at gender and cannabis use in 133 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. Seventy patients were cannabis users and 97 patients were male. Male patients were significantly younger than female patients when they first became impaired socially or occupationally, when they first exhibited psychosis, and when they first experienced negative symptoms of schizophrenia, the team reports in the American Journal of Psychiatry."  
  

Anxiety Symptoms and Treating Depression
An "Expert Column in Depression" from Medscape Psychiatry & Mental Health - "Over the past 10-15 years, the pharmacologic treatment of depression has been greatly advanced, with the introduction of many new medications that have achieved much wider use. However, a variety of problems continue to exist. Many patients do not respond to first-choice treatments, which are usually selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), and there are no clear guidelines as to what to do next for such patients. Further, substantial portions of the patients who do benefit from the SSRIs do not achieve full remission, and here also guidelines are lacking as to what to do next. Finally, many depressed patients manifest substantial anxiety symptoms as well; here again, guidelines are lacking as to how these anxiety features should influence treatment selection..." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Revised USPSTF Guidelines Support Screening for Alcohol Use in Adults
A new CME unit from Medscape - "Guidelines on screening for alcohol use in adults were revised by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and published in the April 6 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. These recommendations are in keeping with those of the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and other professional groups..." [Viewing Medscape resources requires registration, which is free].