Depression

BALTIMORE -- Forty years after the psychedelic drug culture proclaimed that psilocybin induces a profound mystical and spiritual experience, investigators at Johns Hopkins have agreed.

GAINSEVILLE, Fla. -- Apathy independent of depression may be a feature of Parkinson's disease for some patients, researchers here have found.

ADANA, Turkey - Illicit anabolic steroids may pump up athletes' gums as well as their muscles, according to periodontists here.

ASPEN, Colo. - Cardiologists suggested today that the sudden death here of Enron founder Kenneth Lay, 64, is a textbook example of catastrophic stress that can increase the risk of cardiac events.

Depression and obesity are often partners in pathology, according to investigators here.

abstract: There is increasing evidence that close monitoring and early intervention lead to better outcomes in patients with cystic fibrosis. At each office visit, spirometry should be performed and sputum culture specimens should be obtained; if the patient cannot produce sputum, a throat culture can be done instead. New respiratory symptoms or other evidence of worsening lung disease should prompt antibiotic therapy, increased airway clearance, and adjunctive anti-inflammatory medication as appropriate. Close attention should be paid to the patient's diet, appetite, stooling pattern, and growth measurements. Adolescents should be given additional information about their medications and adjunctive therapies to encourage them to take on a larger role in their own care. (J Respir Dis.2006;27(7):298-305)

A 68-year-old woman presents with recurrent nausea, vomiting, left upper quadrant pain, decreased appetite, and a 2.3-kg (5-lb) weight loss 1 month after she underwent selective splenic artery embolization for refractory thrombocytopenia secondary to hypersplenism.

Although the relationship is not completely understood, it is clear that anxiety and depression can adversely affect the course of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

ST. LOUIS PARK, Minn. - Constipation can trigger physical aggression in a nursing home resident with dementia, researchers here reported.

PRAGUE ? The evidence that led the FDA to warn that Paxil (paroxetine) taken during the first weeks of pregnancy increases the risk of birth defects, including serious heart defects, was disputed by German researchers today.

HOUSTON - Two drugs are waiting in the wings if Gleevec (imatinib) fails or is too toxic for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML).

WASHINGTON - Lorcaserin, an investigational drug for the treatment of obesity, was successful at producing weight loss ranging between four and 7.9 pounds (1.8 to 3.6 kg) in a 12-week study, reported investigators here.

ROCKVILLE, Md. - The FDA today approved Wellbutrin XL (bupropion extended release) for prevention of major depressive episodes in patients with a history of seasonal affective disorder (SAD). It is the first drug approved for SAD.

WASHINGTON ? Antidepressant medications appears to further increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes in those with impaired glucose tolerance, researchers reported here.

ATLANTA ? Evista (raloxifene) may be a better choice than tamoxifen for preventing breast cancer in a high-risk post-menopausal woman if she has a uterus?and isn't sexually active.

ATLANTA ? Women who take yoga classes for two hours a week may feel healthier while undergoing radiation treatment for breast cancer researchers reported here.

ROTTERDAM, The Netherlands ? Liver transplant recipients report being physically fatigued even 15 years after receiving a new organ, according to researchers here.

Patients with psychiatric disordersoften present a diagnostic challenge-even for psychiatrists. Their demeanormay not readily reveal the nature orseverity of the problem. Nevertheless,there are clues that can help you sortthrough the differential and arrive atthe correct diagnosis.

A description of the characteristics that distinguish adult ADHD from bipolar disorder.

A woman has white, numb, cold hands after vigorous exercise, emotional stress, and exposure to cold. Is this caused by Buerger disease (thromboangiitis obliterans), acute arterial occlusion, Raynaud disease, or acrocyanosis?

A review of visual field defects including optic atrophy from temporal arteritis, homonymous hemianopic quadrantopsia, and normotensive glaucoma.

A 79-year-old woman with a 37-year history of type 2 diabetes mellitus complains of head pain that began more thana month ago and is localized to the left frontotemporal region. She characterizes the pain as constant and burning, with minimalfluctuations in intensity. The pain does not increase with any particular activity but is quite disabling; it has causedemotional lability and insomnia. She denies nausea, visual disturbances, weakness of the extremities, dizziness, or tinnitus.Her appetite is depressed; she has experienced some weight loss.

The line on the gums of this 30-year-old man indicates lead poisoning. The patient had been employed for 8 months at a lead smelting plant in which no occupational safety precautions had been enforced. He was admitted to the hospital with the classic symptoms and signs of lead poisoning--pain in the nape of the neck that radiated down the spine, posterior thighs, and calves to the plantar aspect of the feet; colicky panabdominal pain; anorexia; weight loss; nausea; vomiting; constipation; bone and muscle tenderness; hyperesthesia of all extremities; insomnia; irritability; generalized weakness; malaise; and dizziness.

A 59-year-old man has had chest discomfort for several months. He firstnoticed the symptoms when he was doing heavy lifting and moving at work.The discomfort starts in the midsternal region and radiates to the left shoulderand arm. It is often accompanied by diaphoresis, but there is no dizziness ordyspnea. The discomfort always subsides a few minutes after the patientstops the activity that brought it on. More recently, he has experienced similarsymptoms while walking up steep hills on the golf course and dancing at awedding.

Infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) was recently diagnosedin a 45-year-old man when a positive enzyme-linked immunosorbentassay was followed by a polymerase chain reaction assaythat showed a viral load of 835,000 copies/mL. The patient probablyacquired the infection when he was using intravenous heroin, a practice he quit 10 yearsago. The patient is immune to both hepatitis A and hepatitis B viruses, and there is no coinfectionwith HIV. Liver biopsy shows moderate cellular inflammation (grade 3) and bridging fibrosis(stage 3) but no evidence of cirrhosis. Iron staining shows no abnormal iron deposition in theliver. The HCV genotype is 1A.