13 research outputs found
An ab initio and AIM investigation into the hydration of 2-thioxanthine
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Hydration is a universal phenomenon in nature. The interactions between biomolecules and water of hydration play a pivotal role in molecular biology. 2-Thioxanthine (2TX), a thio-modified nucleic acid base, is of significant interest as a DNA inhibitor yet its interactions with hydration water have not been investigated either computationally or experimentally. Here in, we reported an <it>ab initio </it>study of the hydration of 2TX, revealing water can form seven hydrated complexes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Hydrogen-bond (H-bond) interactions in 1:1 complexes of 2TX with water are studied at the MP2/6-311G(d, p) and B3LYP/6-311G(d, p) levels. Seven 2TX<sup>...</sup>H<sub>2</sub>O hydrogen bonded complexes have been theoretically identified and reported for the first time. The proton affinities (PAs) of the O, S, and N atoms and deprotonantion enthalpies (DPEs) of different N-H bonds in 2TX are calculated, factors surrounding why the seven complexes have different hydrogen bond energies are discussed. The theoretical infrared and NMR spectra of hydrated 2TX complexes are reported to probe the characteristics of the proposed H-bonds. An improper blue-shifting H-bond with a shortened C-H bond was found in one case. NBO and AIM analysis were carried out to explain the formation of improper blue-shifting H-bonds, and the H-bonding characteristics are discussed.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>2TX can interact with water by five different H-bonding regimes, N-H<sup>...</sup>O, O-H<sup>...</sup>N, O-H<sup>...</sup>O, O-H<sup>...</sup>S and C-H<sup>...</sup>O, all of which are medium strength hydrogen bonds. The most stable H-bond complex has a closed structure with two hydrogen bonds (N(7)-H<sup>...</sup>O and O-H<sup>...</sup>O), whereas the least stable one has an open structure with one H-bond. The interaction energies of the studied complexes are correlated to the PA and DPE involved in H-bond formation. After formation of H-bonds, the calculated IR and NMR spectra of the 2TX-water complexes change greatly, which serves to identify the hydration of 2TX.</p
Placebos, placebo effect, and the response to the healing situation: The evolution of a concept
In spite of its impressive progress, medicine has been strongly
criticized for relying on its modern biomedical tradition to the neglect
of the psychosocial aspects of health. This neglect may account for
patients’ dissatisfaction and eventual use of alternative health
approaches. The concept of placebo has sustained dramatic ‘’protean”
metamorphoses through the ages. For centuries, placebos have been
regarded as powerful deceptive therapies. From the middle of the
twentieth century, however, conventional medicine has used placebos as
methodologic tools to distinguish the specific from the nonspecific
ingredients in treatments. In modern medical research, the double-blind,
placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial has been established as
the gold standard for the assessment of any new treatment. Recently a
new trend regarding placebos seems to have emerged. The placebo and
other nonspecific effects elicited by the “healing situation” have
been independently subjected to scientific study. Progress in this area
may promote useful clinical applications, enabling physicians to broaden
their perspectives on the healing process. We present the historical
changes of the concept of placebo and the ethical issues raised by their
use
Non-pharmacological prophylaxis of affective disorders: A current view with clinical observations in case series of depressed patients
Object: Pharmacotherapy oftentimes proves inadequate in providing
satisfactory prophylaxis for affective disorders; thus the need for
alternative interventions is obvious. In this observational study, the
effectiveness of three non-pharmacological methods employed in patients
with recurrent affective illness for prophylaxis in a case series of
depressed patients is reported.
Method: (a) Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) was administered twice and
later once a month for a period of 2-35 months in nine ECT-recovered
depressed patients. (b) Sleep deprivation (SD) was applied once a week
for 9-12 months in six SD-recovered depressed patients. W Cognitive
therapy (CT)-recovered depressed patients (n=10) received additional CT
“booster sessions” every 4 weeks, for 6-8 months.
Results: Eight patients in the ECT study and four in the SD study
remained in remission during the period of the prophylactic
intervention. No significant side-effects for the two methods were
observed. Regarding CT, eight patients were not reported as depressed at
the 24-month follow-up period.
Conclusion: These clinical observations support the current view about
the utility of the three non-pharmacological interventions in the
prophylaxis of affective disorders, since all methods displayed a
satisfactory clinical profile
A survey of the attitudes of Greek medical students toward electroconvulsive therapy
Data on attitudes toward electroconvulsive therapy have been reported
from various countries; no information, however, is available from
Greece. In this survey, we report the results of a questionnaire
reflecting the general attitude of Greek medical students toward ECT. A
total of 161 sixth (final)-year medical students who had no previous
exposure to a formal didactic experience on ECT, were asked to complete
a questionnaire before attending a scheduled 90-minute lecture on ECT,
as part of their regular curriculum. Questions in the questionnaire
could be grouped to indicate a positive, a reserved, or a negative
attitude toward ECT Overall, before the lecture, 50.3% held a positive
attitude toward ECT, 43.5% were reserved, and 6.2% held a negative
attitude. A subgroup of these students (n = 137) were asked again to
score the same questionnaire immediately following the lecture to rate
the impact of the didactic seminar. The proportion of students with a
positive attitude after the lecture was increased to 78.1%, (P <
0.001), while the proportion of students with reserved and negative
attitudes were reduced to 20.4% (P < 0.001) and 1.5%, respectively.
These encouraging findings reflect, however, only the immediate effects
of the lecture and do not guarantee persistence of this change in
attitudes over time
EFFECTS OF METHYSERGIDE AND RITANSERIN ON THE PROLACTIN AND THYROTROPIN RESPONSES TO TRH IN DEPRESSED-PATIENTS
Despite extensive study of the effects of various pharmacological agents
on the thyrotropin (TSH) and prolactin (PRL) responses to TRH challenge,
the effect of serotoninergic agents remains inconclusive. We studied the
effect of the serotonin antagonists methysergide (non-selective
5-HT1/5-HT2 blocker with dopaminergic properties) and ritanserin
(selective 5-HT2 blocker) on the TSH and PRL responses to TRH
stimulation in two groups of medication-free female depressed patients
in a double-blind, within-subject design. Methysergide was found to
decrease significantly the PRL response to TRH, while ritanserin had no
effect. Neither compound influenced the TSH response. Results suggest
that 5-HT2 mechanisms do not mediate the PRL and TSH responses to TRH
challenge in depression. The reduction in PRL observed after
methysergide is probably due to either 5-HT1 or dopaminergic mechanisms
Thyrotropin-releasing hormone administration does not affect seizure threshold during electroconvulsive therapy
Despite the fact that a role for thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) in
seizure modulation has been consistently hypothesized, the exact nature
of this role remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects
of TRH administration on seizure threshold and seizure duration in 13
depressed inpatients undergoing electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). In a
balanced order crossover design, an intravenous bolus of 0.4 mg TRH or
placebo was administered immediately before anesthesia, during the first
two sessions, in a series of bilateral ECT. In both of these sessions, a
threshold titration procedure was applied by using gradual increments of
the electrical charge delivered until seizure elicitation, a procedure
that has been safely used in the past. Seizure threshold was defined as
the lowest energy level required for induction of a grand mal seizure,
by use of this titration procedure. Seizure duration was estimated both
by simultaneous EEG recording and by the cuff method. Results showed
that neither seizure threshold, nor seizure duration (either by cuff or
by EEG) differed between the TRH and the placebo conditions, regardless
of the order in which TRH or placebo were administered in the two ECT
sessions. This was the case regardless of whether the patients had at
baseline a blunted TSH response to TRH or not. Our findings do not
support a role for TRH on seizure modulation, at least when TRH is
administered exogenously. Such an effect, if it exists, could be
obscured, however, by several factors, including pharmacokinetics
Administration of citalopram before ECT: Seizure duration and hormone responses
From theoretical and clinical perspectives, it is important to know if
selected serotonin-reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), often administered
concurrently with electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), modify seizure
duration. In a study with a double-blind, cross-over design, the authors
evaluated the effect of citalopram, the most selective SSRI available,
on the length of electrically induced seizures and on hormone secretion
during ECT. Ten depressed women were given either 20 mg citalopram or
placebo orally 2 hours before the third and fourth ECT sessions. Seizure
duration was assessed by the cuff technique and from
electroencephalographic recordings, whereas blood for prolactin,
thyrotropin, and cortisol assessment was sampled before ECT and 5, 10,
20, 30, 40, and 60 minutes after ECT. No adverse effects after the
administration of citalopram were recorded. The length of seizures was
not statistically different in the citalopram (29.3 +/- 8.4 seconds) and
placebo sessions (28.2 +/- 9.4 seconds). Neither pre-ECT plasma hormone
levels measured 2 hours after citalopram or placebo administration nor
the patterns of ECT-induced hormone secretions differed between the two
drug and placebo conditions. The lack of effect of citalopram on
hormones in this study may be a result of possible deficiencies of the
monoaminergic (i.e., serotoninergic) systems in depression. Although
safety and efficacy issues were not fully addressed by coadministering
citalopram for the long term and throughout the course of ECT, these
findings support the view that challenges the typical clinical practice
of discontinuing SSRIs before ECT
Blunted TSH response to TRH and seizure duration in ECT
The relationship between the thyrotropin (TSH) response to
thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) and the duration of seizures induced
by electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in depressed patients was
investigated. In a balanced-order cross-over design, 16 depressed women
were given 0.4 mg TRH or placebo intravenously, 20 min before ECT in the
first two sessions, In the third ECT session TRH was given just Frier to
ECT. Thyrotropin (TSH) levels at various sampling times, as well as the
duration of seizures, were measured. There was a significant inverse
correlation between plasma TSH concentrations 20 min after TRH
administration (Delta TSH) and seizure duration. Furthermore, when
patients were categorized according to their TSH response to TRH, the
group with blunted responses (Delta TSH < 6 mu IU/mL, n=7) had a longer
seizure time during ECT than the group with non-blunted responses (Delta
TSH > 6 mu IU/mL, n = 9), Finally, the seizure duration in the group
with blunted TSH responses was reduced significantly when TRW. was
co-administered, while it remained unchanged in the group with
non-blunted TSH responses. It is concluded that a blunted TSH response
to TRH might indicate a seizure susceptibility as measured by the
duration of seizures induced by ECT. The fact that TRH
pre-administration had a reducing effect suggests that this substance
might be involved in the pathophysiology of ECT-induced seizures