CSF metabolites in borderline personality disorder compared with normal controls.

Cerebrospinal metabolites were measured in 17 patients with borderline personality disorder and 17 normal controls. There were no significant differences between the two groups in levels of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), homovanillic acid (HVA), or 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG). Within the borderline group, lower levels of CSF 5-HIAA were significantly associated with a history of genuine suicide attempts, but were not associated with violence, self-mutilation, or with the presence of major depression. Thus, CSF 5-HIAA levels are not distinctively low in a diagnostic group characterized by impulsivity and suicidal behavior, but within that group may be associated with genuine suicide attempts.

Effects of the acute administration of caffeine in patients with schizophrenia.

Caffeine, 10 mg/kg, was administered to 13 schizophrenic patients in a double-blind placebo-controlled study of its behavioral effects. Some measures of psychopathology were significantly increased: Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) total, BPRS subscales thought disorder, unusual thought content, and euphoria-activation, and several individual BPRS items. Nurses' Bunney-Hamberg ratings of psychosis and mania, comparing the day before with the day after pharmacological challenge, increased significantly. Compared to placebo, caffeine also produced significant increases of diastolic blood pressure and cortisol. Thus, these findings indicate that caffeine increases arousal and has a psychotogenic effect when administered to schizophrenic patients. The possible roles of various neurotransmitters is discussed with special emphasis on caffeine's actions on dopaminergic and adenosinergic systems.

Dysphoria associated with methylphenidate infusion in borderline personality disorder.

Two patients with borderline personality disorder experienced dramatic dysphoric episodes after acute administration of intravenous methylphenidate in a double-blind manner. These dysphoric episodes were similar to those which occurred spontaneously under conditions of psychological stress. Case histories and the behavioral and cardiovascular effects of the infusions are described. The pharmacology of methylphenidate is discussed in order to elucidate possible mechanisms mediating the observed responses to this drug.

Continuous or modulation expression of hematopoietic cell antigens in sublines of the leukemia cell line, K-562.

K-562 is described as a pluripotent leukemic cell line which expresses a diversity of hematopoietic cell differentiation antigens. With the use of monoclonal antibodies (MoAb), we show that the expression of these antigens is either "modulated", i.e. they are not expressed in early logarithmic growth but are expressed in late logarithmic growth, or "continuous", i.e. they are not affected by proliferation and phase of culture growth. Whether an antigen is modulated or continuously expressed appears to be an inherent property of the subline, since the expression of myeloid antigen binding the MoAb, PM81, was modulated on cells from a clone, whereas, the expression of this antigen was continuous by the parent subline and an independent subline F-1. Continuously expressed antigens appear to be an integral component of the K-562 cell surface matrix, while modulated antigen expression appears to be influenced by culture growth conditions.

Cerebral structure in borderline personality disorder.

Computed tomographic (CT) scans of brains of patients with borderline personality disorder and normal volunteers were analyzed for ventricle-brain ratios, third ventricular size, and evidence of frontal lobe atrophy. There were no significant differences between the two groups on any of these measures except for a narrower third ventricle in borderline patients, which could be accounted for by the narrower third ventricle observed in female subjects overall. While borderline patients may show signs of subtle neurological dysfunction, they do not show evidence of structural brain pathology.

Effects of X-rays on vascular function in transplanted tumours and normal tissues in the mouse.

The effects of X-radiation on the Nembutal-induced redistribution of the cardiac output in two types of transplanted mouse tumours and some normal mouse tissues have been investigated, using rubidium-86 and 125I-human serum albumin. Irradiation causes an increase in 86Rb uptake (relative blood perfusion) by the tumours of anaesthetized mice, but has little or no effect in non-anaesthetized mice. The increase is dose- and time-dependent. Tumour plasma space is not significantly affected by radiation and Nembutal. Muscle blood perfusion is severely decreased in anaesthetized mice and is not affected by radiation, at least within the time limits of the experiments. This means that radiation-induced functional vascular changes in normal and neoplastic tissues follow different time courses. On the basis of the present results, and of the results of other authors, it is argued that irradiation damages the vasculature of tumours in such a way that it becomes more sensitive to changes in systemic blood pressure.

Soft sign neurological abnormalities in borderline personality disorder and normal control subjects.

Patients with borderline personality disorder were found to have a significantly greater number of soft sign neurological abnormalities when compared with a group of normal control subjects. Sensitivity analysis revealed that the presence of two or more soft signs differentiated the two groups statistically. The authors speculate that nonfocal soft sign neurological abnormalities may reflect underlying central nervous system dysfunction, which may in turn be associated with the development of borderline personality disorders.

The effect of anaesthetics on blood perfusion in transplanted mouse tumours.

Rubidium-86, 125I-human serum albumin and 51Cr-labelled red cells have been used to investigate the effects of the anaesthetics Nembutal (pentobarbitone sodium) and urethane on blood perfusion, blood volume and albumin leakage in 5 types of transplanted mouse tumour and in normal organs. Nembutal was found to increase the relative blood perfusion by a factor of 1-3 to 2-0 in tumours and by a factor of 1-7 to 3-0 in kidneys but muscle perfusion fell to 0-3-0-5 that of controls. The effects of urethane were found to be dose dependent, generally in the same direction as for Nembutal, and smaller. Both anaesthetics reduced the blood volume of tumours (except for the C3H mammary carcinoma) and of kidneys by factors of 0-2 to 0-8. The duration of anaesthesia had no effect on the plateau values of relative blood perfusion and blood volume in either tumours or normal organs, but Nembutal delayed slightly the 86Rb uptake and decreased the rate of albumin leakage.

Predictors of placebo response: a retrospective analysis.

This retrospective evaluation involved 197 patients from independent clinical investigations of four antidepressant medications. Six variables were analyzed for their discriminative utility in predicting placebo response rates: gender; marital status; age; education; duration of illness; and severity of depressive symptomatology, as measured by Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D or HDRS) scores. Men were slightly more responsive to placebo than were women (29.8%, n = 94 vs. 24.3%, n = 103). Married patients demonstrated the highest probability of a positive placebo response (38.15%, n = 76), as compared with widowed/separated/divorced (21.9%, n = 73) or single (16.7%, n = 48) patients. A trend toward an increased probability of placebo response was detected for patients aged 60 and above (35.7%, n = 14). Educational level achieved and duration of illness were not predictive. Severity of illness proved most noteworthy, with the placebo response rate higher in the more mild patients (40.8%, n = 27 vs. 23.4%, n = 77).

Interferon-gamma-induced expression of class I HLA antigens on K-562 cells grown in serum-free medium.

Human interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma), encoded in Escherichia coli by recombinant human DNA, induces the expression of HLA antigens in the pluripotent hematopoietic stem cell line K-562 grown in serum-free growth medium. Expression was noted in 90% of the cells within 4 days and there was a high density of expression per cell, as determined by cytofluorography. Upon subculture, the cells rapidly lose their ability to express HLA, indicating that the continued presence of IFN-gamma is necessary for the expression. Reinduction of expression with IFN-gamma occurs in a high percentage of cells (up to 90%), which is comparable to the induction in freshly treated control cells.