Serum concentrations of psychotropic drugs in neonates as a PROgnOstic Factor for admission to the neonatology ward and withdrawal symptoms: PROOF-1.

The aim is to determine whether serum drug concentrations obtained from the neonate's umbilical cord can be used as a prognostic factor for admission to the neonatology ward and the occurrence of withdrawal symptoms. A retrospective observational monocenter cohort study was carried out among pregnant women using psychotropic drugs and their baby. Binary logistic regression was used for the multivariate analysis.

Catalepsy, Fos protein, and dopamine receptor occupancy after long-term haloperidol treatment.

During 12-week haloperidol treatment of rats, the cataleptic effect of an additional challenge dose becomes gradually weaker. We studied whether such a tolerance phenomenon is related to receptor supersensitivity--thus leaving more spare receptors--to a shift in affinity of the receptors towards agonist binding or to an attenuation of a postsynaptic response to dopamine (D2-type) receptor blockade in the rat basal ganglia. Receptor occupancy was studied with the radioactive agonist [3H]N-propylapomorphine (NPA) and antagonist [3H]N-methylspiperone (MSPIP) to label free dopamine D2 receptors in vivo.

High central D2-dopamine receptor occupancy as assessed with positron emission tomography in medicated but therapy-resistant schizophrenic patients.

We investigated whether the lack of therapeutic response to long-term and adequate neuroleptic treatment was due to a failure to achieve a blockade of cerebral dopamine receptors. Six chronic schizophrenic and medicated patients (DSM-III-R diagnosis, paranoid or disorganized type) were assessed with the Present State Examination and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale. According to the Chouinard Rating Scale there were little extrapyramidal symptoms, although no anticholinergic drugs were given.

Pharmacokinetics of oxiracetam in patients with renal impairment after a 800 mg single oral dose.

The pharmacokinetics of oxiracetam in patients with renal impairment were investigated after administration of a 800 mg single oral dose of oxiracetam. The renal insufficiency was estimated on the basis of the creatinine clearance (CLcr) which ranged from 9 to 95 ml/min among the 20 patients. In plasma, the terminal elimination half-life (T1/2) ranged from 10.