ABSTRACT
The influence of plasma and low and high molecular weight plasma fraction on MAO activity in platelets from controls were studied. Plasmas were obtained from patients with decreased platelet MAO activity and suffering from chronic schizophrenia of different syndrome subtypes, unipolar depressions, and alcoholism. Up to 50% inhibition and activation of MAO activity alterations were not different between the plasmas from schizophrenic, depressive, and alcoholic patients. Plasmas from schizophrenic patients without medication or on neuroleptics showed similar inhibition and/or activation of MAO activity in platelets from controls. The results indicate, in accordance with recent findings, that a number of low and high molecular weight substances can trigger platelet MAO activity changes. These plasma factors do not appear to be characteristic of schizophrenic patients with low platelet MAO activity.
Subject(s)
Alcoholism/blood , Blood Platelets/enzymology , Depressive Disorder/blood , Monoamine Oxidase/blood , Schizophrenia/blood , Adult , Enzyme Activation , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Molecular Weight , Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors/bloodABSTRACT
The change in paragraph 218 of the criminal code regarding abortion was responsible for new guidelines for the psychiatric evaluation regarding a therapeutic abortion is reported. The commonest indications were medical reasons such as exhaustion, and reactive depression. There was one case of schizophrenia, one case of affective psychosis, two attempted suicides, twenty reactive depressions, one character disorder, and one case of cerebral seizures. Five applications were approved. The follow-up evaluation of the women with the approved and dismissed applications for therapeutic abortions showed no physical or psychic abnormalities. A comparison with 88 German applicants showed similar results. The stringent evaluation of applications for therapeutic abortion is still necessary even after the change of the law.
Subject(s)
Abortion, Legal , Transients and Migrants , Adjustment Disorders/diagnosis , Adolescent , Adult , Depression/diagnosis , Epilepsy/diagnosis , Female , Germany, West , Humans , Middle Aged , Personality Disorders/diagnosis , Pregnancy , Pregnancy Complications/diagnosis , Schizophrenia/diagnosis , Suicide, AttemptedABSTRACT
Monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity has been measured in the platelets of controls (n = 42) and schizophrenic patients (n = 49) of three subtypes, using beta-phenylethylamine, p-tyramine, and tryptamine as substrates. Characteristic differences of MAO activity were observed between platelets of patients and controls; the differences were substrate-typic: decreased enzyme activity was found with all three substrates in platelets of the parnaoid subtype. With tryptamine, MAO activity was decreased in the platelets of all three sub-types of schizophrenia. With p-tyramine, MAO was low in patients with affective psychoses and paranoid schizophrenia. The value of MAO activity measurements as a means for distinguishing sub-types of schizophrenic disorders is improved by using two substrates; tryptamine and p-tyramine. Possible mechanisms of the substrate-typic changes of platelet MAO activity in schizophrenia are discussed.
