Open prospective study of ziprasidone in patients with schizophrenia with depressive symptoms: a multicenter study.

AIMS: The goal of this study was to examine the efficacy and safety of ziprasidone to treat depressive symptoms in Korean patients with schizophrenia who showed stable symptoms. METHODS: In this 8-week, open-label, prospective, non-randomized, multicenter study, 34 patients with schizophrenia who showed a stable response to previous medications, maintained a stable dose, and who had depressive symptoms, were recruited. Ziprasidone was the only antipsychotic agent allowed for 8 weeks after a 2-7-week washout period. RESULTS: Steady decreases were observed on the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale, the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, and the Clinical Global Impression-Severity Scale scores. The Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale score was 20.26 ± 4.77 at baseline and 12.21 ± 7.94 at the end-point (P < 0.01). The Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia score was 9.76 ± 4.11 at baseline and 5.00 ± 3.94 at the end-point (P < 0.01). The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale total score was 75.24 ± 22.63 at baseline and 66.53 ± 24.28 at the end-point (P < 0.01). The Clinical Global Impression-Severity Scale score was 3.44 ± 0.66 at baseline and 3.15 ± 0.86 at the end-point (P < 0.05). No significant differences were observed for total scores on the Simpson and Angus Rating Scale, the Barnes Akathisia Rating Scale, or the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale between the baseline and end-point. CONCLUSIONS: Ziprasidone was effective for improving depressive symptom scores and was well tolerated. Switching to ziprasidone is a good strategy in patients with schizophrenia who are experiencing depressive symptoms.

Effects of CYP2D6 and CYP3A5 genotypes on the plasma concentrations of risperidone and 9-hydroxyrisperidone in Korean schizophrenic patients.

This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of the CYP2D6 and CYP3A5 genotypes on the steady-state plasma levels of risperidone (RIS), 9-hydroxyrisperidone (9-OH-RIS), and the active moiety (RIS plus 9-OH-RIS) in Korean schizophrenic patients. Sixty-four Korean schizophrenic patients were enrolled. CYP2D6 and CYP3A5 genotypes were determined, and the plasma levels of RIS and 9-OH-RIS were measured using high-performance liquid chromatography. The dose-normalized plasma concentrations of RIS, 9-OH-RIS, and the active moiety were compared according to the CYP2D6 and CYP3A5 genotypes. Among the patients, 57 were CYP2D6 extensive metabolizers (EMs; CYP2D6*1/*1, *1/*10, and *10/*10) and 7 were CYP2D6 poor metabolizers (PMs; CYP2D6*1/*5 and *10/*5). For the CYP3A5 genotype, 30 patients were CYP3A5*1 expressors (*1/*1 [n = 1] and *1/*3 [n = 29]) and 34 patients were CYP3A5 nonexpressors (*3/*3). The plasma levels of RIS (2.03 ng/mL per milligram for EMs vs 5.57 ng/mL per milligram for PMs, P < 0.001) and 9-OH-RIS (5.06 ng/mL per milligram for EMs vs 0.22 ng/mL per milligram for PMs, P < 0.001) were significantly different among CYP2D6 genotype groups, but the CYP2D6 EMs (7.09 ng/mL per milligram) and PMs (5.79 ng/mL per milligram) did not show no difference in the levels of the active moiety (P = 0.470). CYP3A5 nonexpressors exhibited higher plasma concentrations of both RIS and 9-OH-RIS than its expressors. In the case of 9-OH-RIS, CYP3A5 nonexpressors exhibited significantly higher concentrations than CYP3A5 expressors (5.42 vs 3.51 ng/mL per milligram, P = 0.022). In addition, concentrations of the active moiety were also significantly different between the CYP3A5 nonexpressors (8.39 ng/mL per milligram) and expressors (5.30 ng/mL per milligram, P = 0.005). In conclusion, both CYP2D6 and CYP3A5 genotypes affected plasma levels of RIS and 9-OH-RIS, whereas the active moiety levels were influenced only by the CYP3A5 genotype but not by the CYP2D6 genotype.

[A case of common bile duct stone formed around a surgical clip after laparoscopic cholecystectomy].

Laparoscopic cholecystectomy has now rapidly replaced open cholecystectomy. Rarely a calculus may arise from a metallic surgical clip migrated into the common bile duct (CBD) after this surgical procedure was performed. We report a 50-year-old man with CBD stone formed around a surgical clip, who had undergone a laparoscopic cholecystectomy because of acute calculous cholecystitis 14 months before. Abdominal CT revealed a single stone in mildly dilated CBD. A high density core within the CBD stone, was suspected to be a surgical clip. The stone was removed using a retrieval balloon catheter and basket after endoscopic sphincterotomy.