Amisulpride and symptomatic bradycardia: a case report.

Objective: Amisulpride is a second-generation antipsychotic agent indicated for the treatment of schizophrenia and other major psychotic illnesses. Amisulpride-induced bradycardia is a rare condition of unknown etiology and mechanism. Asymptomatic bradycardia has been associated with amisulpride in only two cases.

The Trend in Morning Levels of Salivary Cortisol in Children With ADHD During 6 Months of Methylphenidate Treatment.

Objective: To determine the trend in cortisol levels in children with ADHD treated with methylphenidate (MPH) and nontreated healthy controls over a 6-month period.

Method: The morning salivary cortisol levels of 50 patients with ADHD (40 boys and 10 girls, mean age = 7.6 years) and 50 age- and gender-matched healthy controls were measured at baseline and at 1, 3, and 6 months from baseline.

Adjunctive effects of aripiprazole on metabolic profiles: comparison of patients treated with olanzapine to patients treated with other atypical antipsychotic drugs.

Metabolic abnormalities are serious adverse effects of atypical antipsychotic treatment. This study aims to determine the effects of adjunctive aripiprazole on metabolic profiles among patients receiving treatment with atypical antipsychotics, and to examine whether these effects are different from that of pre-existing atypical antipsychotics. In the 8-week open-label trial, aripiprazole was added to patients who were receiving treatment with atypical antipsychotics and had experienced weight gain or dyslipidemia.

Low plasma DHEA-S increases mortality risk among male hemodialysis patients.

Objective: The incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is on the rise. CKD patients are at high risk of cardiovascular (CVD) and all-cause mortality. CKD patients have several endocrine disorders, including low levels of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S).

Elevated serum cholesterol levels in women with premenstrual dysphoric disorder.

Objectives: To study the association of premenstrual serum total cholesterol level (TC) with premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD).

Method: The premenstrual serum cholesterol levels of 34 patients with PMDD and 20 normal controls were measured, and the rates ofhypercholesterolemia in the 2 groups were compared.

Results: The mean of the premenstrual cholesterol level of the study group was 180.

Amisulpride and neuroleptic malignant syndrome.

Neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS) is a rare but lethal complication of neuroleptics. Its incidence ranges between 0.02% and 3%.

Rapid initiation of quetiapine well tolerated as compared with the conventional initiation regimen in patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorders.

A 2-week, randomized, parallel-group open trial was designed to evaluate the safety and tolerability of a rapid initiation regimen with a higher dose of quetiapine (up to 800 mg/d by Day 4) than that used in the conventional initiation regimen of quetiapine (up to 400mg/d by Day 5) in patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorders. Forty patients were recruited and randomly (3:1) assigned to either the group with rapid initiation of quetiapine or the group with conventional initiation. At the end of the investigation, the difference between the groups in the incidence of adverse events was not significant; a significant drop in the Barnes Akathisia Rating Scale and Simpson-Angus Scale scores was observed only in the group with the rapid initiation regimen.

Association of salivary dehydroepiandrosterone levels and symptoms in patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder during six months of treatment with methylphenidate.

This prospective study aimed to determine whether salivary levels of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) in patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) change significantly during 6 months of treatment with methylphenidate (MPH), and to investigate long-term relationship between these levels and ADHD symptoms. Fifty ADHD patients aged between 6 and 12 years, and 50 age- and gender-matched healthy subjects were recruited. ADHD patients were prescribed oral MPH with a dose range of 5-15 mg/day at the discretion of the psychiatrist.

Differential add-on effects of aripiprazole in resolving hyperprolactinemia induced by risperidone in comparison to benzamide antipsychotics.

Unlabelled: Hyperprolactinemia is associated with typical antipsychotic agents and atypical antipsychotics such as risperidone and amisulpride. This study investigates the effects of 8-week adjunctive treatment with aripiprazole in patients with hyperprolactinemia induced by risperidone in comparison to benzamide antipsychotics (amisulpride and sulpiride). Aripiprazole was administered to 24 patients with antipsychotic-induced hyperprolactinemia.

Lack of association between plasma dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S) levels and depression in hemodialysis patients: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: Depression is common in hemodialysis patients. Reduced DHEA-S levels have been shown to be associated with depression in general population. Abnormalities in hormone production and metabolism are found in hemodialysis patients.

Positive correlation between anxiety severity and plasma levels of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate in medication-free patients experiencing a major episode of depression.

Although numerous studies have identified a correlation between dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS) levels and anxiety or depression, those findings remain controversial. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether a correlation exists between depression severity and anxiety severity and serum DHEAS concentrations in medication-free patients experiencing a major depressive episode. Twenty-eight medication-free major depressive outpatients (Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression 17 [HAM-D 17] score >or=17) were enrolled consecutively.

Difference in pre- and post-treatment plasma DHEA levels were significantly and positively correlated with difference in pre- and post-treatment Hamilton depression scores following successful therapy for major depression.

Objective: Clinical studies of endogenous concentrations of dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) and its relation to depression are limited. This study examined whether pre- and post-treatment changes in plasma DHEA levels are correlated with pre- and post-treatment differences in Hamilton depression scores following successful antidepressant therapy for major depression with venlafaxine XR.

Method: Thirty-four medication-free major depressive outpatients (Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression 17, HAM-D 17 score > or = 17) were treated with antidepressants.

No correlation of depression and anxiety to plasma estrogen and progesterone levels in patients with premenstrual dysphoric disorder.

A number of studies have demonstrated the correlation of depression and anxiety to estrogen and progesterone in premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), but the findings are still controversial. The purpose of this study was to determine the correlation of depression and anxiety to estrogen and progesterone concentrations in blood plasma in Taiwanese women with PMDD. A total of 43 women who met the 4th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual diagnostic criteria for PMDD were enrolled in this study.

Obesity in schizophrenic outpatients receiving antipsychotics in Taiwan.

This investigation estimates and compares, for the first time, the distribution of body mass index (BMI: kg/m(2)) and the prevalence of obesity among Chinese outpatients with schizophrenia treated with antipsychotics. The BMI of 201 outpatients with schizophrenia-spectrum disorders was studied via a cross-sectional naturalistic study. This investigation also compared the BMI of the subjects with a Taiwanese reference population.

Psychiatric comorbidity and gender differences of persons incarcerated for methamphetamine abuse in Taiwan.

Methamphetamine (MAP) abuse has been common in Taiwan for the past decade. The purpose of the present study was to investigate MAP abuse in Taiwan, with specific attention to psychiatric comorbidity and gender differences. A total of 325 MAP abuse subjects (180 male, 145 female) from a detention center in Taipei were assessed with the Diagnostic Interview for Genetic Studies.

Premenstrual symptoms and premenstrual exacerbation in patients with psychiatric disorders.

The aim of the present study was to examine the frequencies of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and premenstrual exacerbation (PME) of a number of psychiatric disorders in Chinese subjects. Premenstrual syndrome was assessed using a symptom checklist based on International Classification of Diseases (10th revision; ICD-10) criteria. Premenstrual exacerbation was defined as premenstrual worsening of pre-existing generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), major depressive disorder or dysthymic disorder (depressive disorders, DD), panic disorder (PD), or schizophrenia (SCH).

A double-blind, randomized, group-comparative study of the tolerability and efficacy of 6 weeks' treatment with mirtazapine or fluoxetine in depressed Chinese patients.

Aim: To compare the efficacy and tolerability of mirtazapine and fluoxetine treatment in a sample population consisting of Chinese patients suffering moderate-to-severe depression.

Method: 133 patients with a diagnosis of major depressive episode (DSM-IV) and scoring 15 or more on the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) were randomly assigned to receive 6 weeks of treatment with either mirtazapine (15-45 mg/day) or fluoxetine (20-40 mg/day). Efficacy was assessed using the HAM-D and Clinical Global Impressions scale, with analyses performed on the intent-to-treat sample using the last-observation-carried-forward method.