The impact of substance abuse on osteoporosis screening and risk of osteoporosis in women with psychotic disorders.

UNLABELLED: Review of the 1-year prevalence of screening for osteoporosis and of osteoporosis or idiopathic fracture in Maryland Medicaid administrative records found that screening rates did not differ among women in the control population, women with psychosis, and women with major mood disorders, but were reduced compared to controls in women with substance use disorder, with or without psychosis. Prevalence of osteoporosis was increased compared to controls in women with major mood disorders or women over 55 dually diagnosed with psychosis and substance use disorder. INTRODUCTION: Osteoporosis is a major public health concern. Substance abuse and psychosis may be risk factors, however, frequency of screening and disease risk in women with psychotic disorders and substance use disorder (SUD) remains unknown. METHODS: This study examined rates (FY 2005) of osteoporosis screening and disease risk in Medicaid enrolled women aged 50 to 64 (N = 18,953). Four diagnostic groups were characterized: (1) psychosis, (2) SUD, (3) major mood disorder, and (4) controls. The interaction of psychosis and SUD on screening and disease prevalence of osteoporosis was tested. RESULTS: The prevalence of osteoporosis across the entire population was 6.7%. Four percent of those without an osteoporosis diagnosis received osteoporosis screening with no notable differences between psychosis and controls. Those with SUD, however, had a significant reduction in screening compared to controls (OR = 0.61, 95% CI = 0.40-0.91, p = 0.016). Women with a major mood disorder were more likely to have osteoporosis in their administrative record (OR = 1.32, 95% CI = 1.03-1.70, p = 0.028) compared to controls. Those who were dually diagnosed (SUD and psychosis) in the oldest ages (55-64 years) had a markedly higher prevalence of osteoporosis compared to controls (OR = 6.4 CI = 1.51-27.6, p = 0.012), whereas this interaction (SUD and psychosis) was not significant in the entire population over age 49. CONCLUSIONS: Osteoporosis screening in the Medicaid population is significantly lower for women with SUD, after adjusting for age, race, and Medicaid enrollment category. The prevalence of osteoporosis appears markedly elevated in those with major mood disorders and those over age 55 dually diagnosed with schizophrenia and SUD.

The clinical anatomy of the cephalic vein in the deltopectoral triangle.

Identification and recognition of the cephalic vein in the deltopectoral triangle is of critical importance when considering emergency catheterization procedures. The aim of our study was to conduct a cadaveric study to access data regarding the topography and the distribution patterns of the cephalic vein as it relates to the deltopectoral triangle. One hundred formalin fixed cadavers were examined. The cephalic vein was found in 95% (190 right and left) specimens, while in the remaining 5% (10) the cephalic vein was absent. In 80% (152) of cases the cephalic vein was found emerging superficially in the lateral portion of the deltopectoral triangle. In 30% (52) of these 152 cases the cephalic vein received one tributary within the deltopectoral triangle, while in 70% (100) of the specimens it received two. In the remaining 20% (38) of cases the cephalic vein was located deep to the deltopectoral fascia and fat and did not emerge through the deltopectoral triangle but was identified medially to the coracobrachialis and inferior to the medial border of the deltoid. In addition, in 4 (0.2%) of the specimens the cephalic vein, after crossing the deltopectoral triangle, ascended anterior and superior to the clavicle to drain into the subclavian vein. In these specimens a collateral branch was observed to communicate between the cephalic and external jugular veins. In 65.2% (124) of the cases the cephalic vein traveled with the deltoid branch of the thoracoacromial trunk. The length of the cephalic vein within the deltopectoral triangle ranged from 3.5 cm to 8.2 cm with a mean of 4.8+/-0.7 cm. The morphometric analysis revealed a mean cephalic vein diameter of 0.8+/-0.1 cm with a range of 0.1 cm to 1.2 cm. The cephalic vein is relatively large and constant, usually allowing for easy cannulation.

Neuropsychological dysfunction among affected heterozygous fragile X females.

Fragile X (or Martin-Bell) syndrome is an X-linked disorder that often produces mental retardation in males, but usually affects heterozygous females to a lesser degree. Here we report the results of a brief neuropsychological examination of 20 heterozygous fra(x) girls and women and two control groups of 20 individuals each. One control group was composed of fra(x)-negative mothers (obligate carriers) and sisters of male probands with fra(x) syndrome, whereas the other was composed of 14 head-injured and six learning disabled women and girls. In addition to general intellectual impairment, several specific cognitive deficits were consistently found in individuals with the Martin-Bell syndrome, suggesting focal neuropsychological dysfunction. Significant differences were noted between fra(x) individuals and controls on most cognitive and neuropsychological measures studied. Over one-third of the fra(x) individuals demonstrated neuropsychological symptoms characteristic of the full developmental Gerstmann syndrome, whereas another third had three or four of the five signs of possible parietal lobe dysfunction. In our sample, there was an association between improved performance and increasing age. Differences among heterozygous individuals in number of focal symptoms may reflect some variability in the penetrance of the fra(x) gene, as well as in the functional organization of the brain.

Preservation of erythrocytes using metabolic regulators and mutrients. V. Inosine and methylene blue.

Methylene blue and inosine have been shown to stimulate glycolytic metabolism in the erythrocytes, increasing the concentration of 2.3-diphosphoglycerate (2,3-DPG), which is necessary for hemoglobin function, by regulating oxidative metabolism and providing a five-carbon nutrient for glycolysis, respectively. However, a recent study suggested that the methylene blue effect was dependent on the presence of inosine. This study was designed to establish, if possible, the existence of a methylene blue effect and to confirm the usefulness of inosine. The optimal concentration of inosine for increasing 2,3-DPG synthesis in a CPD-adenine preservative is confirmed to be 10--15 mM. Concentrations of 2,3-DPG were maintained in the erythrocytes at normal or higher levels for 21 days of storage with 10 or 15 mM inosine, whether the methylene blue was present or not. However, when methylene blue was present, 2,3-DPG concentrations were significantly better maintained.

Uridine potentiates haloperidol's disruption of conditioned avoidance responding.

The pyrimidine nucleoside, uridine, has been proposed as a potential supplement in the treatment of psychosis based on its ability to reduce haloperidol-induced dopamine release. These experiments investigated the effect of uridine (32 mg/kg, i.p.) coadministered with the neuroleptic haloperidol, on rats engaged in one way conditioned avoidance responding. Uridine itself had no effect on animals' performance, while haloperidol (dose range 0.05-0.4 mg/kg, i.p., 90 min before test session) decreased number of avoidances and increased avoidance and escape latencies in a dose-dependent manner. When coadministered with haloperidol, uridine significantly potentiated the disruption of avoidance and avoidance latency induced by haloperidol. This potentiation was still evident after chronic (27 days) uridine treatment. Importantly, coadministration of uridine did not potentiate haloperidol-induced increase of escape latency. The potentiation of haloperidol-induced disruption of conditioned avoidance responding suggests that uridine coadministration might enhance the antipsychotic action of traditional neuroleptics. This would allow for a reduction in the therapeutic dose of the antipsychotic, thereby reducing side effect frequency.

Haloperidol downregulates phospholipase A(2) signaling in rat basal ganglia circuits.

Our laboratory has developed an in vivo method to quantitatively evaluate phospholipase A(2) (PLA(2))-mediated signal transduction in brain regions of rodents. In this method, quantitative autoradiography is used to identify brain uptake of intravenously injected, radiolabeled arachidonic acid ([3H]AA). Dopamine D(2) receptors are coupled to G-proteins that activate PLA(2), releasing AA from the stereospecifically numbered (sn) 2 position of phospholipids, and regional [3H]AA uptake is proportional to the rate of release. In the present experiment, the D(2) antagonist haloperidol (1.0 mg/kg i.p.) or the drug vehicle was administered to male adult rats for 21 days. Rats were infused 3 days later with 1.75 mCi/kg [3H]AA (i.v.), anesthetized and decapitated 20 min after infusion onset, and brains were processed for quantitative autoradiography. Chronic haloperidol significantly decreased [3H]AA incorporation in two primary dopaminergic basal ganglia-frontal cortex circuits, the mesocorticolimbic and nigrostriatal systems, while insignificant changes in AA incorporation were noted in other brain regions. These results suggest that one mechanism by which haloperidol exerts its effect is by downregulating D(2)-mediated PLA(2) signaling involving AA release in basal ganglia-frontal cortex circuitry.

Neurotoxic effects of amphetamine plus L-DOPA.

1. Male Swiss Webster mice were administered a series of amphetamine injections preceded by either saline or L-DOPA. 2. This injection regimen was performed for either one, two or three consecutive weeks and neurotoxic effects of the drugs were determined one week later. 3. Amphetamine treatment for two weeks produced a greater striata-dopaminergic lesion that treatment for only one week. Three weeks of treatment did not exacerbate the lesion, indicating that the damage had reached maximal levels. 4. L-DOPA pretreatment did not significantly alter any of the toxic effects of the amphetamine. Therefore, some dopaminergic neurons may be resistant to the toxic effects of amphetamine.

Uridine reduces rotation induced by L-dopa and methamphetamine in 6-OHDA-treated rats.

The pyrimidine nucleoside uridine may reduce side effects associated with antipsychotic medication by interacting with dopamine or GABA neurotransmission. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were used to investigate coadministration of uridine with agents that alter food intake (amphetamine, haloperidol, and chlordiazepoxide) and locomotor activity (methamphetamine and L-dopa). Results indicated that chronic uridine [32.0 mg/kg, intraperitoneally (IP)] alone did not alter milk intake or reduction of milk intake induced by amphetamine (dose range 0.5-2.0 mg/kg, IP) or haloperidol (0.125-1.0 mg/kg, IP), nor did it alter the biphasic response induced by chlordiazepoxide (5.0-40.0 mg/kg, IP). However, uridine-treated animals with unilateral striatal lesions exhibited no rotational behavior in the absence of drug challenge, but showed decreased rotation induced by the dopamine agonist, L-dopa (50.0-200.0 mg/kg, IP) compared with controls. In addition, uridine-treated rats exhibited reduced rotation after repeated injections of methamphetamine (4.0 mg/kg, IP) in contrast to increasingly greater rotation observed in control animals. These results are further evidence that chronic uridine may alter drug-induced dopaminergic activity without exerting effects itself.

Blood preservation. XXIX. Pyruvate maintains normal red cell 2,3-DPG for six weeks of storage in CPD-adenine.

Pyruvate was placed in experimental CPD-adenine (0.25 mM) blood preservative mixtures in four concentrations ranging from 40 to 320 mM. In the 320 mM pyruvate preservative, 2,3-DPG levels were elevated above normal for six weeks of whole blood storage at 4 C. The lower pyruvate concentrations maintained elevated or normal 2,3-DPG levels for less time: four weeks with 160 mM, two weeks with 80 mM, and one week or less with 40 mM or the control. ATP values were best maintained in the control. The higher pyruvate concentrations resulted in the most rapid decreases at ATP. However, even the 320 mM pyruvate did not cause ATP to fall below 2 microM/gm of Hb. The higher pyruvate concentrations produced and maintained a higher pH during storage. On the other hand, 2,3-DPG levels increased with pyruvate during the first week of storage when the pH was decreasing rapidly. This could be the result of its oxidation of NADH to NAD. The high pyruvate concentration which maintained elevated 2,3-DPG levels throughout the six weeks might be simulating the effect reported in pyruvate kinase-deficient red blood cells, in which blockage of glycolysis at that step is preventing 2,3-DPG catabolism.

Uridine and stimulant-induced motor activity.

Chronic administration of uridine alters dopaminergic activity and related behavior. The present study investigated this effect using amphetamine and cocaine-induced activity and rotation in rats with unilateral dopaminergic lesions. Adult, female Sprague-Dawley rats with free access to food and water received daily intraperitoneal uridine (16 mg/kg) or an equal volume of saline. Activity was assessed for 10 min in a photocell chamber 30 min after intraperitoneal amphetamine or cocaine and 4 hr after the uridine or saline. Additional rats with unilateral dopaminergic lesions were treated comparably and assessed for stimulant-induced rotation. Uridine exerted no effect on body weight, activity, or rotation under baseline conditions. At higher doses, amphetamine and cocaine decreased activity and caused a dose-dependent increase in rotations. In the activity test, uridine-treated rats exhibited a significant increase in sensitivity to amphetamine but not to cocaine. In the rotation test, uridine-treated rats showed increased sensitivity to both stimulants. Finally, neurochemical analysis of a third set of comparably treated rats revealed that uridine blunted the amphetamine-induced increase in striatal dopamine. These observations are interpreted as indicating that chronic uridine modulates the stimulant-induced release of dopamine and, therefore, may be of therapeutic interest.

L-DOPA exacerbates amphetamine-induced dopamine depletion.

Administration of L-DOPA to Parkinson patients has been suggested to exacerbate "functional denervation" of the nigrostriatal system. Therefore, experiments were conducted to determine if L-DOPA combined with the DOPA decarboxylase inhibitor, Ro4-4602 (benserazide hydrochloride) would potentiate amphetamine-induced neurotoxicity. Mice received two injections of saline or benserazide + L-DOPA (25.0 or 100.0 mg/kg) interspersed with four injections of amphetamine (15.0 mg/kg) at 2-h intervals. Significant depletion of striatal dopamine, DOPAC, and HVA was evident 1 wk following amphetamine administered with or without 25.0 mg/kg L-DOPA + benserazide, whereas 100.0 mg/kg L-DOPA + benserazide potentiated amphetamine-induced depletion of striatal dopamine (17 vs 28% of control values). This enhanced toxicity may be consequent to increased dopamine turnover following L-DOPA (360 vs 231%), a situation akin to that observed in compromised dopaminergic nigrostriatal systems of parkinsonian patients. Furthermore, striatal 5-HT was not altered by amphetamine alone, whereas concurrent administration of L-DOPA/ benserazide depleted 5-HT to 82% of control values. No changes were evident in the frontal cortex following amphetamine with or without concurrent L-DOPA/benserazide; however, L-DOPA/benserazide administered alone reduced 5-HT and 5-HT turnover to 58% of control values.

Blood preservation. XLIII. Studies on the ascorbate mechanisms of maintaining red cell 2,3-DPG.

Our previous experiments on the mechanisms of ascorbate's effect on the red blood cell failed to show an effect of iodoacetate (IA), a sulfydryl inhibitor. In this study, in contrast to the previous, iodoacetate (85 micromolar) was seen to prevent continued red blood cell metabolism. During the first weeks there was an absence of a continual fall in pH; ATP levels were depressed below half normal; and 2,3-DPG levels fell to very low values within the first week. ATP was best maintained in the control preservative and next best maintained, at adequate levels, with ascorbate, 5 mM, with and without glutathione, 5 mM. 2,3-DPG levels were well maintained with ascorbate and ascorbate with glutathione. Poor ATP maintenance and rapid decreases in 2,3-DPG were observed with iodoacetate, IA plus ascorbate, and IA plus ascorbate and glutathione.

Blood preservation XLIV. 2,3-DPG maintenance by dehydroascorbate better than D-ascorbic acid.

A study was designed to compare the effects of D-ascorbate and dehydroascorbate on red blood cell metabolism during blood storage. Dehydroascorbate increased red blood cell concentrations of 2,3-DPG such that the levels are above normal for four weeks and normal at six weeks of storage. In contrast, there is a gradual decrease in 2,3-DPG levels with D-ascorbate such that the levels are approximately 80 per cent of normal after six weeks. ATP levels were adversely effected such that the worst levels were produced by 10 and 5 mM dehydroascorbate, with 10 mM having a more adversive effect than 5 mM. Intermediate levels of ATP were produced by D-ascorbate, with the 10 mM concentration. The control CPD-adenine preservative maintained near normal ATP levels for the entire six-week storage period. pH values were initially slightly lower with dehydroascorbate compared to the other preservatives early in storage, the difference being slightly over 0.1 pH units.

Blood preservation. XXVIII. Galactose and maltose maintain red blood cell 2,3-DPG and ATP.

Because there may be inadequate dextrose in the newly licensed CPD-adenine for five or six weeks storage of high hematocrit red blood cells, this laboratory has examined some alternate sugars for their ability to maintain red blood cell metabolism during storage. In the current study, dextrose and fructose were studied as model or prototype nutrients. A third six carbon monosacharide, galactose, three dissacharides, lactose, maltose, and sucrose were studied in the same experiment. Of these, fructose best maintained ATP and 2,3-DPG during the fourth to sixth week of whole blood storage at 4 C. Dextrose was next best during this time and was nearly equivalent to fructose in the first three weeks of storage. Galactose and maltose both maintained ATP and 2,3-DPG, but not nearly so well as did fructose and dextrose. Sucrose and lactose were associated with the most rapid deterioration of ATP and DPG levels and they failed to maintain the progressive fall in pH which is usually associated with continuing, useful metabolism.

Blood preservation 35. Red cell 2,3-DPG and ATP maintained by DHA-ascorbate-phosphate.

DHA (dihydroxyacetone, 60 mM) with ascorbic acid (d-ascorbate, 10 mM) kept 2,3-DPG concentrations above normal for six weeks. Levels of 2,3-DPG were below normal after four weeks with DHA alone and after two weeks with DHA-ascorbate-phosphate. As in previous studies, high phosphate concentrations decreased 2,3-DPG maintenance. ATP maintenance was best achieved with the following (in order of performance): DHA-phosphate (20 mM); DHA-phosphate (10 mM); the control, CPD-adenine preservative; Phosphate 20 mM; and DHA. DHA with ascorbate provides normal 2,3-DPG for six weeks. The adverse effects of DHA and DHA with ascorbate on ATP levels are modified by 10 mM phosphate.

Nutritional deprivation of alpha-linolenic acid decreases but does not abolish turnover and availability of unacylated docosahexaenoic acid and docosahexaenoyl-CoA in rat brain.

We applied our in vivo fatty acid method to examine concentrations, incorporation, and turnover rates of docosahexaenoic acid (22:6 n-3) in brains of rats subject to a dietary deficiency of alpha-linolenic acid (18:3 n-3) for three generations. Adult deficient and adequate rats of the F3 generation were infused intravenously with [4, 5-(3)H]docosahexaenoic acid over 5 min, after which brain uptake and distribution of tracer were measured. Before infusion, the plasma 22:6 n-3 level was 0.2 nmol ml(-1) in 18:3 n-3-deficient compared with 10.6 nmol ml(-1) in control rats. Brain unesterified 22:6 n-3 was not detectable, whereas docosahexaenoyl-CoA content was reduced by 95%, and 22:6 n-3 content in different phospholipid classes was reduced by 83-88% in deficient rats. Neither plasma or brain arachidonic acid (20:4 n-6) level was significantly changed with diet. Docosapentaenoic acid (22:5 n-6) reciprocally replaced 22:6 n-3 in brain phospholipids. Calculations using operational equations from our model indicated that 22:6 n-3 incorporation from plasma into brain was reduced 40-fold by 18:3 n-3 deficiency. Recycling of 22:6 n-3 due to deacylation-reacylation within phospholipids was reduced by 30-70% with the deficient diet, but animals nevertheless continued to produce 22:6 n-3 and docosahexaenoyl-CoA for brain function. We propose that functional brain effects of n-3 deficiency reflect altered ratios of n-6 to n-3 fatty acids.

Blood preservation. XXXIV. DHA maintains 2,3-DPG and its adverse effect on ATP is reversed with extra phosphate.

We have found that the addition of 10 mM inorganic phosphate to DHA in CPD-adenine maintains ATP levels at normal or higher than normal values for six weeks of storage. 2,3-DPG values are slightly lowered by the extra phosphate, but are still maintained at approximately half normal for four weeks by the DHA. The addition of a higher phosphate concentration, 20 mM, to DHA produced lower levels of ATP and 2,3-DPG than those observed with 10 mM phosphate, although both levels were better than in the CPD-adenine control. pH values in this experiment were lowest in the three preservatives containing DHA, probably indicating increased lactate production due to metabolism of this triose sugar, in addition to dextrose present in CPD.

Chronic nutritional deprivation of n-3 alpha-linolenic acid does not affect n-6 arachidonic acid recycling within brain phospholipids of awake rats.

Using an in vivo fatty acid model and operational equations, we reported that esterified and unesterified concentrations of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22 : 6 n-3) were markedly reduced in brains of third-generation (F3) rats nutritionally deprived of alpha-linolenic acid (18 : 3 n-3), and that DHA turnover within phospholipids was reduced as well. The concentration of docosapentaenoic acid (DPA, 22 : 5 n-6), an arachidonic acid (AA, 20 : 4 n-6) elongation/desaturation product, was barely detectable in control rats but was elevated in the deprived rats. In the present study, we used the same in vivo model, involving the intravenous infusion of radiolabeled AA to demonstrate that concentrations of unesterified and esterified AA, and turnover of AA within phospholipids, were not altered in brains of awake F3-generation n-3-deficient rats, compared with control concentrations. Brain DPA-CoA could be measured in the deprived but not control rats, and AA-CoA was elevated in the deprived animals. These results indicated that AA and DHA are recycled within brain phospholipids independently of each other, suggesting that recycling is regulated independently by AA- and DHA-selective enzymes, respectively. Competition among n-3 and n-6 fatty acids within brain probably does not occur at the level of recycling, but at levels of elongation and desaturation (hence greater production of DPA during n-3 deprivation), or conversion to bioactive eicosanoids and other metabolites.