ABSTRACT
RESUMEN Objetivos: Identificar cambios de patrones prescriptivos en pacientes con hospitalización psiquiátrica de larga estancia entre los años 1995-2009. Material y métodos: Estudio comparativo transversal de dos censos diarios (15/06/1995 y 14/12/2009) en el Hospital Neuropsiquiátrico Alejandro Korn, Argentina. Se examinaron listas de agentes psicotrópicos prescritos a todos los pacientes de salas de larga estancia. Resultados: Disminución de 33% de admitidos en el censo de 1995 (n=1048) comparado con el de 2009 (n=698), aumento de pacientes varones (44% a 57%) y de internación de mayores de 20 años de duración (29% a 40%). El diagnóstico más prevalente continuó siendo esquizofrenia seguido de retardo mental: 45% y 27%, respectivamente, en 1995, 44% y 33% en 2009. La dosis media de antipsicóticos para esquizofrenia fue similar, alrededor de un equivalente de 760 mg/d de clorpromazina. Pacientes con dosis de antipsicóticos mayores (equivalente a 1200 mg/d de clorpromazina) disminuyeron de 28% a 23,9%. En pacientes con problemas de aprendizaje/retardo mental, cerca del 80% recibían antipsicóticos en ambos censos. La polifarmacia antipsicótica aumentó un 6,7% en esquizofrenia (61%), disminuyó 12,6% en retraso mental (45%) y 6,5% en todos los pacientes (49%). Haloperidol y levomepromazina continuaron siendo los antipsicóticos más usados, en tanto que el uso de anticolinérgicos disminuyó en un 21%. En cuanto a drogas sedantes, creció el uso de benzodiazepinas y prometazina (15% y 19% respectivamente), y alrededor del 35% continuó recibiendo levomepromazina. Discusión: La introducción de antipsicóticos atípicos no dio lugar a grandes mejorías en el uso racional de psicofármacos, excepto por la prescripción de menos fármacos antipsicóticos en pacientes con retardo mental, y de anticolinérgicos en la población general. Conclusión: El aumento de polifarmacia antipsicótica en esquizofrenia y del uso de benzodiacepinas subraya la necesidad de una práctica mejor basada en evidencias provenientes de la investigación clínica.
SUMMARY Objective : To identify changes of prescription patterns in long term psychiatric inpatients in 1995 and 2009. Material and Methods: Cross sectional comparative study of two one-day-census, (06/15/1995 and 12/14/2009) at the Hospital Neuropsiquiátrico Alejandro Korn, Argentina. Records of prescribed psychotropic agents to all patients in long stay wards were examined. Results: The number of hospitalized patients decreased 33% from 1995 (n=1048) to 2009 (n=698), with increases in male gender (44% a 57%) and hospitalizations lasting more than 20 years (29% a 40%). Schizophrenia remained as the most prevalent diagnosis followed by learning disabilities/mental retardation (45% and 27% in 1995, respectively, 44% and 33% in 2009). The average antipsychotic dosis in schizophrenia was almost the same, the equivalent of around 760 mg of chlorpromazine. Patients on antipsychotic doses above an equivalent of 1200 mg decreased from 28% to 23,9%. Around 80% of those with learning disabilities were prescribed antipsychotics on both census. Antipsychotic polypharmacy increased 6,7% in schizophrenia (61%) and decreased 12,6% in learning disabilities (45%), and 6,5% in all inpatients (49%). Haloperidol and levomepromazine were still the more frequently prescribed antipsychotics while the use of anticholinergic agents diminished in a 21%. Regarding sedatives, the use of benzodiazepines and promethazine increased (15% and 19% respectively), while around 35% in both census was still receiving levomepromazine. Discussion: The introduction of atypical antipsychotic was not followed by great improvements in the rational use of psychotropics drugs, except for less antipsychotic polypharmacy in learning disabilities and of anticholinergics in the general population. Conclusion: The increase in antipsychotic polypharmacy in schizophrenia and the continuous use of benzodiazepines highlight the need to bring the usual practice closer to the evidence provided by clinical research.
ABSTRACT
NGC 6791 is a well studied open cluster that it is so close to us that can be imaged down to very faint luminosities. The main-sequence turn-off age ( approximately 8 Gyr) and the age derived from the termination of the white dwarf cooling sequence ( approximately 6 Gyr) are very different. One possible explanation is that as white dwarfs cool, one of the ashes of helium burning, (22)Ne, sinks in the deep interior of these stars. At lower temperatures, white dwarfs are expected to crystallize and phase separation of the main constituents of the core of a typical white dwarf ((12)C and (16)O) is expected to occur. This sequence of events is expected to introduce long delays in the cooling times, but has not hitherto been proven. Here we report that, as theoretically anticipated, physical separation processes occur in the cores of white dwarfs, resolving the age discrepancy for NGC 6791.
ABSTRACT
Recent twin studies confirm that schizophrenia is highly heritable, but attempts to locate and identify genes have proved to be difficult. This is largely because major genes appear to be rare or nonexistent. Instead, genetic liability almost certainly results from the combined effects of multiple susceptibility loci and most studies have been under-equipped to detect such effects. Nevertheless, several regions of the genome have been implicated by more than one linkage study and chromosome 22q has been implicated by linkage and by studies of patients with microdeletions. Recent work attempting to refine regions of interest using linkage dysequilibrium mapping has identified four promising and novel "positional candidates;" they are neuregulin-1 on chromosome 8p-p21, G72 located at chromosome 13q34, dysbindin at 6p22.3, and proline dehydrogenase, which is a gene that maps to chromosome 22q11. In addition, there is renewed interest in a fifth gene, catechol-O-methyltransferase, also on chromosome 22q11.
