Anorexia Nervosa is a psychophysiologic disorder of self-imposed starvation, which is accompanied... more Anorexia Nervosa is a psychophysiologic disorder of self-imposed starvation, which is accompanied by metabolic and endocrine alterations1,2. The underlying etiology of the disorder remains an enigma despite a large volume of clinical and laboratory data3. Further, some of the research findings concerning the anorectic state have been inconsistent4.
To validate the Greek version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) in a sample of cancer p... more To validate the Greek version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) in a sample of cancer patients. The scale was administered twice, with a 3-day interval, to 99 eligible patients with cancer. Together with the Greek version of STAI scale, the patients also completed the anxiety subscale from the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HAD). Factor analysis yielded a three-factor solution, explaining 47.143% of the variance. Cronbach alpha for three scales was between 0.729 and 0.852. Inter-scale correlations were moderate-to-high and ranged from 0.282 to 0.563 (p < 0.0005, p < 0.005). The assessment of the relationships among the Greek STAI scales and HAD-Anxiety showed statistically significant correlations between them (r ranged between 0.428 and 0.596, p < 0.0005). The test/retest reliability of scale (Pearson's 'r'), showed that the coefficient agreement ranged between 0.85 and 0.90 (p < 0.0005). Univariate analysis revealed significant correlations between female gender, metastasis, performance status, chemotherapy, mild opioids and low education level with increased anxiety. These results support that the Greek version of STAI is an instrument with satisfactory psychometric properties, and is a valid research tool for Greek cancer patients.
The aims of this study were to investigate the preparatory grief and traumatic distress in advanc... more The aims of this study were to investigate the preparatory grief and traumatic distress in advanced cancer patients in a palliative care unit. A total of 94 advanced cancer patients completed the Preparatory Grief in Advanced Cancer Patients (PGAC) scale and the Greek version of the Impact of Events Scale- Revised (IES-R-Gr). The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group was used to measure patients' performance status. Statistically significant associations were found between PGAC, patients' performance status, and all the IES-R-Gr scales (avoidance, intrusion, hyperarousal) and IES-R-Gr total score. The multiple regression analysis revealed that preparatory grief was predicted by patients' young age, poor performance status, as well as by their high levels of intrusion and hyperarousal, in a model explaining 51.5% of the total variance. Concluding, in advanced cancer patients, preparatory grief is significantly correlated with the impact of cancer and patients' physical condition, and seems to be influenced by components of the event impact, patients' age, and physical performance.
To investigate the effect of awareness of arterial hypertension on quality of life in hypertensiv... more To investigate the effect of awareness of arterial hypertension on quality of life in hypertensive patients in Greece. This was a prospective observational study that included 189 aware hypertensive patients on treatment with antihypertensive therapy. Patients were ambulatory men or women ≥18 years old, with diagnosed essential hypertension. The administration and fulfillment of the questionnaires was given at the outpatient hypertensive clinic starting with the SF-36 and continuing with the BDI-I test. The mean BDI score was 9.9 ± 6.9, and 58, 25, 8.9, and 7.3% were identified as without, with minimal, moderate, and 0.8% with severe depression, respectively. The mean score for physical component summary (PCS-36) was 48.9 ± 7.6, and the mean score for mental component summary (MCS-36) was 46.0 ± 10.6. The stage of hypertension was not an independent predictor for any of the SF-36 dimensions. Dippers had not different levels of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) as compared with ...
Background:Patients with chronic conditions like hypertension may experience many negative emotio... more Background:Patients with chronic conditions like hypertension may experience many negative emotions which increase their risk for poor quality of lifeas well as the development of anxiety and depression symptomatology. However little is known about hypertension accompanied by dyslipidaemia. Aim: This study aimed to investigate the possible differences between hypertensive patients with dyslipidaemia and hypertensive patients without dyslipidaemia on quality of life and mental health. Methods:One hundred and nineteen-seven patients with essential hypertension participated and classified into two groups― dyslipidemic and non dyslipidaemic ― based on the levels of hypertension and cholesterol after medical examination. Along with a questionnaire regarding demographics and clinical features the SF-36 Health Survey, the Symptom Checklist-90-R, and the Cardiac Anxiety Questionnaire were administered. Results: Lower levels of Physical Functioning (p=.001), Role –Physical (p=.046), Vitality...
La discinesia tardía (TD) es un trastorno del movimiento inducido por los neurolépticos, y se rec... more La discinesia tardía (TD) es un trastorno del movimiento inducido por los neurolépticos, y se reconoce como un efecto adverso tardío de estos fármacos. Comunicamos un caso de TD asociado con risperidona, un nuevo fármaco antipsicótico “atípico”. La risperidona tiene una elevada afinidad por los receptores de dopamina D2 y 5-HT2 [8]. Así, produce menos efectos secundarios extrapiramidales (EPS) que los neurolépticos clásicos. Se ha mostrado también que la risperidona tiene un efecto beneficioso sobre la TD [3, 7, 9]. Que sepamos, sólo se han comunicado cuatro casos acerca de la aparición de TD en relación con la administración de risperidona [1, 2, 5, 10].
ResumenComunicamos el caso de una paciente con una historia de dependencia de zolpidem. Esta muje... more ResumenComunicamos el caso de una paciente con una historia de dependencia de zolpidem. Esta mujer desarrolló rápidamente tolerancia y dependencia, tomando 50-100 mg, y a veces hasta 300 mg, de zolpidem diariamente. Nuestra paciente sufrió también episodios de alteración de la conciencia, acompañados por alucinaciones visuales.
Journal of B.U.ON. : official journal of the Balkan Union of Oncology
The purpose of the current study was to investigate the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disord... more The purpose of the current study was to investigate the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its association with sociodemographic variables and preparatory grief in patients with advanced cancer. 195 advanced cancer patients participated in the study. Out of them, 170 had PTSD and 25 had other anxiety disorders. The diagnoses were made in strict accordance with Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I disorders (SCID-I)-Clinician version. Patients completed also the Preparatory Grief in Advanced Cancer Patients (PGAC) scale. Patients with PTSD were younger (63.54 ± 12.07 years) than those without PTSD (70.36 ± 13.03 years, p=0.010). Patients with PTSD revealed more preparatory grief (37.69 ± 12.11) than those without PTSD (29.58 ± 14.04, p= 0.003). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that preparatory grief (p=0.012), and metastatic disease (p=0.009) remained in the model whereas age showed a trend for independent significance (p=0.067). In advanced...
We performed a case-controlled analysis on the effectiveness of dantrolene and certain dopamine a... more We performed a case-controlled analysis on the effectiveness of dantrolene and certain dopamine agonists--bromocriptine, amantadine 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, (DOPA)--for the neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS). This was based on a review of all known published studies using as controls those cases not treated with these drugs and/or electroconvulsive therapy. In this control group, the NMS-related death rate was 21 percent. Dantrolene alone reduced the death rate to 8.6 percent, bromocriptine alone to 7.8 percent, and amantadine alone to 5.9 percent. We also stratified patients into five levels of severity based on state of consciousness and temperature and showed that the relative reduction in death rate held up at all levels. The dopamine agonists and dantrolene have a therapeutic effect independent of each other.
Anorexia Nervosa is a psychophysiologic disorder of self-imposed starvation, which is accompanied... more Anorexia Nervosa is a psychophysiologic disorder of self-imposed starvation, which is accompanied by metabolic and endocrine alterations1,2. The underlying etiology of the disorder remains an enigma despite a large volume of clinical and laboratory data3. Further, some of the research findings concerning the anorectic state have been inconsistent4.
To validate the Greek version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) in a sample of cancer p... more To validate the Greek version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) in a sample of cancer patients. The scale was administered twice, with a 3-day interval, to 99 eligible patients with cancer. Together with the Greek version of STAI scale, the patients also completed the anxiety subscale from the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HAD). Factor analysis yielded a three-factor solution, explaining 47.143% of the variance. Cronbach alpha for three scales was between 0.729 and 0.852. Inter-scale correlations were moderate-to-high and ranged from 0.282 to 0.563 (p < 0.0005, p < 0.005). The assessment of the relationships among the Greek STAI scales and HAD-Anxiety showed statistically significant correlations between them (r ranged between 0.428 and 0.596, p < 0.0005). The test/retest reliability of scale (Pearson's 'r'), showed that the coefficient agreement ranged between 0.85 and 0.90 (p < 0.0005). Univariate analysis revealed significant correlations between female gender, metastasis, performance status, chemotherapy, mild opioids and low education level with increased anxiety. These results support that the Greek version of STAI is an instrument with satisfactory psychometric properties, and is a valid research tool for Greek cancer patients.
The aims of this study were to investigate the preparatory grief and traumatic distress in advanc... more The aims of this study were to investigate the preparatory grief and traumatic distress in advanced cancer patients in a palliative care unit. A total of 94 advanced cancer patients completed the Preparatory Grief in Advanced Cancer Patients (PGAC) scale and the Greek version of the Impact of Events Scale- Revised (IES-R-Gr). The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group was used to measure patients' performance status. Statistically significant associations were found between PGAC, patients' performance status, and all the IES-R-Gr scales (avoidance, intrusion, hyperarousal) and IES-R-Gr total score. The multiple regression analysis revealed that preparatory grief was predicted by patients' young age, poor performance status, as well as by their high levels of intrusion and hyperarousal, in a model explaining 51.5% of the total variance. Concluding, in advanced cancer patients, preparatory grief is significantly correlated with the impact of cancer and patients' physical condition, and seems to be influenced by components of the event impact, patients' age, and physical performance.
To investigate the effect of awareness of arterial hypertension on quality of life in hypertensiv... more To investigate the effect of awareness of arterial hypertension on quality of life in hypertensive patients in Greece. This was a prospective observational study that included 189 aware hypertensive patients on treatment with antihypertensive therapy. Patients were ambulatory men or women ≥18 years old, with diagnosed essential hypertension. The administration and fulfillment of the questionnaires was given at the outpatient hypertensive clinic starting with the SF-36 and continuing with the BDI-I test. The mean BDI score was 9.9 ± 6.9, and 58, 25, 8.9, and 7.3% were identified as without, with minimal, moderate, and 0.8% with severe depression, respectively. The mean score for physical component summary (PCS-36) was 48.9 ± 7.6, and the mean score for mental component summary (MCS-36) was 46.0 ± 10.6. The stage of hypertension was not an independent predictor for any of the SF-36 dimensions. Dippers had not different levels of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) as compared with ...
Background:Patients with chronic conditions like hypertension may experience many negative emotio... more Background:Patients with chronic conditions like hypertension may experience many negative emotions which increase their risk for poor quality of lifeas well as the development of anxiety and depression symptomatology. However little is known about hypertension accompanied by dyslipidaemia. Aim: This study aimed to investigate the possible differences between hypertensive patients with dyslipidaemia and hypertensive patients without dyslipidaemia on quality of life and mental health. Methods:One hundred and nineteen-seven patients with essential hypertension participated and classified into two groups― dyslipidemic and non dyslipidaemic ― based on the levels of hypertension and cholesterol after medical examination. Along with a questionnaire regarding demographics and clinical features the SF-36 Health Survey, the Symptom Checklist-90-R, and the Cardiac Anxiety Questionnaire were administered. Results: Lower levels of Physical Functioning (p=.001), Role –Physical (p=.046), Vitality...
La discinesia tardía (TD) es un trastorno del movimiento inducido por los neurolépticos, y se rec... more La discinesia tardía (TD) es un trastorno del movimiento inducido por los neurolépticos, y se reconoce como un efecto adverso tardío de estos fármacos. Comunicamos un caso de TD asociado con risperidona, un nuevo fármaco antipsicótico “atípico”. La risperidona tiene una elevada afinidad por los receptores de dopamina D2 y 5-HT2 [8]. Así, produce menos efectos secundarios extrapiramidales (EPS) que los neurolépticos clásicos. Se ha mostrado también que la risperidona tiene un efecto beneficioso sobre la TD [3, 7, 9]. Que sepamos, sólo se han comunicado cuatro casos acerca de la aparición de TD en relación con la administración de risperidona [1, 2, 5, 10].
ResumenComunicamos el caso de una paciente con una historia de dependencia de zolpidem. Esta muje... more ResumenComunicamos el caso de una paciente con una historia de dependencia de zolpidem. Esta mujer desarrolló rápidamente tolerancia y dependencia, tomando 50-100 mg, y a veces hasta 300 mg, de zolpidem diariamente. Nuestra paciente sufrió también episodios de alteración de la conciencia, acompañados por alucinaciones visuales.
Journal of B.U.ON. : official journal of the Balkan Union of Oncology
The purpose of the current study was to investigate the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disord... more The purpose of the current study was to investigate the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its association with sociodemographic variables and preparatory grief in patients with advanced cancer. 195 advanced cancer patients participated in the study. Out of them, 170 had PTSD and 25 had other anxiety disorders. The diagnoses were made in strict accordance with Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I disorders (SCID-I)-Clinician version. Patients completed also the Preparatory Grief in Advanced Cancer Patients (PGAC) scale. Patients with PTSD were younger (63.54 ± 12.07 years) than those without PTSD (70.36 ± 13.03 years, p=0.010). Patients with PTSD revealed more preparatory grief (37.69 ± 12.11) than those without PTSD (29.58 ± 14.04, p= 0.003). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that preparatory grief (p=0.012), and metastatic disease (p=0.009) remained in the model whereas age showed a trend for independent significance (p=0.067). In advanced...
We performed a case-controlled analysis on the effectiveness of dantrolene and certain dopamine a... more We performed a case-controlled analysis on the effectiveness of dantrolene and certain dopamine agonists--bromocriptine, amantadine 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, (DOPA)--for the neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS). This was based on a review of all known published studies using as controls those cases not treated with these drugs and/or electroconvulsive therapy. In this control group, the NMS-related death rate was 21 percent. Dantrolene alone reduced the death rate to 8.6 percent, bromocriptine alone to 7.8 percent, and amantadine alone to 5.9 percent. We also stratified patients into five levels of severity based on state of consciousness and temperature and showed that the relative reduction in death rate held up at all levels. The dopamine agonists and dantrolene have a therapeutic effect independent of each other.
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