Defining tranquilizers operationally by non additive effect in experimental stress situations.

Clinically and theoretically, a tranquilizer should be more effective under stress than under non stress conditions. By transformation into a statistical non additivity equivalent, a 2 X 3 factorial design was derived with a drug factor (Cloxazolam as a tranquilizer) and a social stress factor. The results in healthy young subjects show a significant drug- x -stress interaction, indicating the non additivity of both treatments. Psychological interpretations, according to Yerkes-Dodson law, and therapeutic and experimental conclusions are added.

Differential improvements from haloperidol in two types of schizophrenics.

Two types of schizophrenic patients, 27 with a high and 21 with a low energetic level, were treated for 3 weeks under double blind conditions with 16 (24 patients) or 80 mg (24 patients) haloperidol orally per day. The patients were rated by the ward psychiatrist as markedly or not markedly improved. Evaluation made by odds ratio comparison showed that (1) patients with a high energetic level (plus-type patients) improved with low doses whereas (2) patients with a low energetic level (minus-type patients) improved with high doses of haloperidol.

[Syndrome assessment using a generalized interaction structure analysis]. / Syndromaufklärung mittels generalisierter Interaktionsstrukturanalyse.

The concept of conventional interaction-structure-analysis (ISA) consists of comparing and analyzing two groups of variables. In the present paper this concept is thus generalized that more than two groups of variables can be analyzed. Data from depression research are analyzed by forming three groups of symptoms. The discussion expounds on strategies of data analysis with generalized ISA (GISA).

[Efficacy and pattern-valence of psychoergic drug / A new method of comparing drugs applied to identical patients in randomized order (author's transl)]. / Wirksamkeit und Wertigkeit von Psychoenergetika. Eine neue Methode des Vergleichs von Arzneimitteln, die denselben Patienten in Zufallsfolge verabreicht wurden.

Psychoergic drugs are defined as equally effective if they produce equal proportions of positive reactions in a sample of N individuals where each individual is treated, in random sequence, with each of m drugs. Equally effective drugs are defined as equally valent if they exert equal effects (1) in the subsample of N1 individuals reacting on just 1 drug out of m(2) equally effective inthe subsample of N2 individuals reacting on 2 out of m drugs etc to the subsample of Nm-1 individuals reacting on m-1 out of m drugs. Indices of effectivity and of potency are proposed and tested for differences by suitable tests. Numerical procedure is illustrated by comparing 3 stimulants in N = 40 volunteers.

[Configuration frequency analysis. XI. Strategies of symptom configuration comparison before and after therapy]. / Die Konfigurationsfrequenzanalyse. XI. Strategien des Symptom-Konfigurations-Vergleichs vor und nach einer Therapie.

Four strategies are proposed for comparing patterns of yes-no-symptoms before and after therapy (or time elapsed) in a sample of N patients: 1) a test for change of (mean) symptom score, 2) a test for (proportional) change of a specified symptom, 3) a test for (proportional) change of a specified symptom pattern and 4) a test for specified change or persistence of a selected symptom pattern. All strategies are exemplified by N = 75 schizophrenics observed as to 3 main symptoms (emotional withdrawal, thinking disturbances, and hallucinations) before and after a neuroleptic treatment.

[Comparison of k therapies after determination of success and failure]. / Vergleich von k Behandlungen nach Erfolgs-und Misserfolgseurteilung.

To compare k therapeutic methods, N patients are suggested to be assigned to k therapies at random. The effect of each therapy is rated to be present or absent. The resulting k x 2 contingency table is evaluated according to one of the following questions: 1) Do the k therapies differ in their effects? 2) Is a given therapy more effective than the k-1 remaining therapies? 3) Is a given therapy more effective than a competitive therapy? The methods are exemplified by a numerical example from treatments of schizophrenics.

[Determining the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions in a time series of examination plans]. / Beurteilung der Wirkung von Behandlungsinterventionen in Zeitreihen-Untersuchungsplänen.

Some typical effects of therapeutic intervention in time series designs are considered and suggested for heuristic evaluation by Kendall-tests. The pre-intervention phase is assumed to be stationary as to an indicator variable and the post intervention phase is assumed to change in level or direction. According to the effects assumed, anchor series of ranks are constructed and compared to rank-transformed time series observations. Large Kendall-scores indicate agreement between assumed and observed series of ranks, i. e. either change in level and/or in direction.

[Configural frequency analysis. X. Therapy outcome assessment using prediction configural frequency analysis]. / Die Konfigurationsfrequenzanalyse. X. Therapiewirkungsbeurteilung mittels Prdiktions-KFA.

Starting from falsely equal and falsely unequal rates of successive psychotherapies, the prediction configural frequency analysis is introduced for evaluating psychotherapeutic effects by stratifying patients. As stratificator variables, intelligence quotients and sex of patients are used paradigmatically to predict strata-specific therapeutic effects and to compare different therapies conclusively even if patients cannot be assigned randomly to therapies. Prediction types of success are defined by those stratification patterns which favour therapeutic success.