Pharmacotherapy of Personality Disorder

2018 ◽  
pp. 239-304
Author(s):  
Dragan M. Svrakic ◽  
Mirjana Divac-Jovanovic

Relevant neuroscience to guide pharmacotherapy of personality disorder is reviewed. Pharmacotherapy is either (a) mechanism based, aimed at correcting heritable neurobiological trait vulnerabilities that increase the risk of personality disorder, or (b) symptom domain based, aimed at correcting clinical symptoms of personality disorder arranged into four domains. The novel concept of harnessing the brain’s homeostatic functions in order to deliver treatment is introduced, drawing analogy from serotonergic antidepressants. The dynamics of homeostatic optimization is the conceptual basis of the mechanism-based pharmacotherapy. Pharmacological modulation of trait vulnerability associated with excessive Harm Avoidance, Novelty Seeking, Persistence, and low Reward Dependence is reviewed. Pharmacotherapy of impulsive-affective aggression, which is the default affect state of personality disorder, is discussed in detail. Symptom-domain pharmacotherapy, the current standard of care, targets four symptom domains: (a) mood dysregulation, (b) behavior dysregulation, (c) emotional detachment; and (d) cognitive dysregulation. Pharmacotherapy of each is discussed in detail.

Blood ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 124 (21) ◽  
pp. 3725-3725
Author(s):  
Amanda N Seddon ◽  
Angela G Michael ◽  
Nelly G. Adel ◽  
Martin S. Tallman ◽  
Oguz Akin ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: The current standard of care for the treatment of patients with newly diagnosed AML is an anthracycline plus cytarabine. Both anthracyclines and cytarabine have been associated with the development of typhlitis, a serious adverse event characterized by inflammation of the bowel wall in patients with profound neutropenia, diagnosed via abdominal CT imaging and clinical symptoms. Given the paucity of available data, the aim of our study was to determine the incidence of typhlitis among AML patients receiving induction with either idarubicin 12 mg/m2 (IDA), daunorubicin 60 mg/m2 (DNA60), or daunorubicin 90 mg/m2 (DNA90). Methods: Adult patients with AML or MDS receiving either daunorubicin or idarubicin along with cytarabine as part of their induction regimen between 1/1/2009 and 6/30/2013 were included. A definition of typhlitis required CT confirmation of inflammation of the cecum, according to CTCAE version 4.03 along with clinical symptoms. Two radiologists (OA, JC) blinded to the treatment and outcomes independently reviewed CT scans. Two additional definitions including inflammation of the ileocecal region only and enterocolitis were also evaluated. All statistical analyses were performed on SAS software version 9.3. P values were calculated using Fisher Exact and Wilcoxon tests. Inter-rater reliability was assessed with Cohen’s Kappa. Results: Baseline characteristics were similar among the 3 treatment groups with the exception of age. The median age was lower in the DNA90 arm (79 years, 74 years, and 49 years in the IDA group, DNA60 group, and DNA90 group, respectively). A pre-existing GI disorder was reported in 24.1% IDA, 25.7% DNA60, and 22.4% DNA90 patients. Of the 202 total patients, the two radiologists determined that 40 (20%) and 38 (19%) developed typhlitis, based on the predefined standard. Tables 1 and 2 illustrate the relationship between treatment arm and associated incidence of typhlitis. The incidence in each treatment group did not statistically differ (p=0.23 and p=0.29). When the definition was broadened to include ileocecal region and enterocolitis, the incidence increased (Tables 1 and 2). The inter-reliability ratings of the 2 radiologists’ evaluations for each definition indicated substantial agreement (0.803 cecum, 0.834 ileocecal region only, and 0.752 enterocolitis). Neither the anthracycline chosen, nor the dose had a statistically significant impact on the incidence of typhlitis. Of all patient and treatment specific risk factors assessed for association with development of typhlitis (pre-existing GI disorder, rheumatologic disorder or cancer, prior RT, stem cell transplant or anthracycline exposure, cytarabine regimen or AML risk group), none were found to be statistically significant. In patients that developed typhlitis, approximately 56% and 51% had a concurrent documented infection around the typhlitis episode (Tables 1-2). Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first study to compare the incidence of typhlitis in adult patients receiving idarubicin or daunorubicin for the treatment of AML. While the cumulative incidence of typhlitis was higher than in published literature, the incidence was similar irrespective of the anthracycline chosen or dose. Of the potential factors that may have contributed to the development of typhlitis, none were significantly associated with typhlitis. All patients were managed conservatively with broad-spectrum antibiotics. A more definitive definition of typhlitis may help clinicians identify affected patients sooner and choose appropriate targeted therapy. Abstract 3725. Table 1. Association of treatment to Radiologist 1-rated typhlitis Enterocolitis Ileocecal region only Cecum No Yes P No Yes P No Yes P Treatment 0.52 0.68 0.23 DNA60 58 (78%) 16 (22%) 58 (78%) 16 (22%) 61 (82%) 13 (18%) DNA90 34 (69%) 15 (31%) 35 (71%) 14 (29%) 35 (71%) 14 (29%) IDA 58 (73%) 21 (27%) 60 (76%) 19 (24%) 66 (84%) 13 (16%) Concomitant infection Yes 11 (26%) 32 (74%) 13 (30%) 30 (70%) 19 (44%) 24 (56%) Abstract 3725. Table 2. Association of treatment to Radiologist 2-rated typhlitis Enterocolitis Ileocecal region only Cecum No Yes P No Yes P No Yes P Treatment 0.86 0.98 0.29 DNA60 57 (77%) 17 (23%) 57 (77%) 17 (23%) 62 (84%) 12(16%) DNA90 36 (73%) 13 (27%) 37 (76%) 12 (24%) 36 (73%) 13 (27%) IDA 58 (73%) 21 (27%) 61 (77%) 18 (23%) 66 (84%) 13 (16%) Concomitant infection Yes 11 (26%) 32 (74%) 13 (30%) 30 (70%) 21 (49%) 22 (51%) Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-4
Author(s):  
Vamsi C. Gaddipati ◽  
Aarti A. Patel ◽  
Adam J. Cohen

Peripartum cardiomyopathy is an uncommon, pregnancy-related form of dilated cardiomyopathy that is associated with development of new-onset left ventricular dysfunction. Its etiology is presently unknown, but current standard of care involves the use of typical drug therapy for the treatment of heart failure. Pregnancy-associated cardiomyopathy (PACM) is a similar condition that refers to patients who develop such symptoms prior to the last month of pregnancy. We report the case of a nulliparous Caucasian female who develops early, severe PACM during her first pregnancy with postpartum persistence of New York Heart Association class II-III symptoms despite medical therapy. The use of the novel heart failure agent, sacubitril/valsartan (Entresto), is initiated with near-complete resolution of her symptoms.


2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. ii91-ii91
Author(s):  
Brian Williams ◽  
Cory Zumbar ◽  
Muge Sak ◽  
Norman Lehman

Abstract Glioblastoma is the most common primary malignant brain tumor in adults and has a poor prognosis with current standard of care. The AURKA inhibitor alisertib exhibits antiproliferative activity against glioblastoma in vitro including our previous work. Unlike current clinically used taxane drugs, the novel taxane TPI 287 penetrates the CNS. In this study we stereotactically implanted human GB9 xenografts into nude mice brains and tested the activity of alisertib alone, TPI 287 alone and both together compared to control. Five days after implantation treatment was started using twice daily 20 mg/kg alisertib orally administered 5 days per week and/or 18 mg/kg TPI-287 administered intravenously every 4 days for a total of 3 treatments. Survival was assessed as well tumor volume using MR imaging at 2 weeks and 4 weeks after tumor implantation. Monotherapy with alisertib improved survival, which was further improved with the addition of TPI 287 (p=0.0058). TPI 287 alone did not significantly improve survival. Tumor volume was significantly decreased in all treatment groups at 2 weeks compared with control. At 4 weeks the alisertib and TPI 287 groups showed a trend toward decreased tumor volume with a significant decrease in the combination therapy group. This data supports the potential use of this combination therapy in human trials.


2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 608-613
Author(s):  
Dr. Swapna Lingaldinna,Dr. Himabindu Singh,Mona Sharma*

Objective: To measure the accuracy of a novel device in detecting Bradycardia andDesaturation (B&D) events and to determine its efficacy in resolving apneas innewborns with comparison to standard monitor (which only detects B&D eventsand alerts).Design: This was a prospective observational study.Setting: Sick Newborn Care Unit of a large tertiary referral hospital in Hyderabad,India.Methods: 31 newborns were provided with a novel device, which monitored oxygensaturation and pulse rate and alarmed when values dropped below a set thresholdwhich is referred as an event, henceforth. The novel device also provided footstimulation in response to above-mentioned events. When the monitor alarmed, anurse attended to the baby to confirm whether the baby was breathing and whetherthe event had been resolved by the device. If the event had not resolved, appropriateaction as per the standard-of-care was performed.Results: The novel device “ApneBootTM” positively detected B&D events 94.03% oftimes as compared to the standard reference monitor. 56 of 67 observed B&D eventswere visually confirmed to be apneas, indicating that 83.6% of B&D eventscoincided with apneas. Of the 56 apneic events, 50 were central apneas, of which 35were resolved by the novel device, making the device’s efficacy of apnea resolution70%.Conclusion: The results of the study indicate that this novel device “ApneBootTM”is very effective in detecting and alarming B&D events, which coincides with theapnea, and resolving it by providing foot stimulation.Keywords: Novel Device, Neonatal Apnea, Low Birth Weight, Body Temperature,Kangaroo Mother Care, Community Health,


2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chelsea Sleep ◽  
Josh Miller ◽  
Donald Lynam ◽  
William Keith Campbell

Clinical theory is skeptical of individuals’ ability to recognize the presence, severity, and impact of clinical symptoms and pathological traits (Oltmanns & Powers, 2012); however, empirical work has found moderate self-other convergence for reports of pathological traits and for Antagonism-related personality disorder (PD) constructs (i.e., psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism), which are characterized by low insight. Nevertheless, empirical examinations of insight into perceptions of impairment is scant. Thus, the present study sought to examine individuals’ insight regarding pathological traits and related impairment in two samples. In Sample 1, more psychopathic, narcissistic, and Machiavellian individuals reported higher levels of pathological traits and were aware of related impairment. In Sample 2, individuals reported higher levels of pathological traits and, albeit to a lesser degree, more Antagonism-related impairment. Thus, more psychopathic, narcissistic, and Machiavellian individuals possess a reasonable degree of insight into their trait levels and associated impairment.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (28) ◽  
pp. 3468-3496
Author(s):  
Emilio Rodrigo ◽  
Marcio F. Chedid ◽  
David San Segundo ◽  
Juan C.R. San Millán ◽  
Marcos López-Hoyos

: Although acute renal graft rejection rate has declined in the last years, and because an adequate therapy can improve graft outcome, its therapy remains as one of the most significant challenges for pharmacists and physicians taking care of transplant patients. Due to the lack of evidence highlighted by the available metaanalyses, we performed a narrative review focused on the basic mechanisms and current and future therapies of acute rejection in kidney transplantation. : According to Kidney Disease/Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) guidelines, both clinical and subclinical acute rejection episodes should be treated. Usually, high dose steroids and basal immunosuppression optimization are the first line of therapy in treating acute cellular rejection. Rabbit antithymocytic polyclonal globulins are used as rescue therapy for recurrent or steroid-resistant cellular rejection episodes. Current standard-of-care (SOC) therapy for acute antibody-mediated rejection (AbMR) is the combination of plasma exchange with intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG). Since a significant rate of AbMR does not respond to SOC, different studies have analyzed the role of new drugs such as Rituximab, Bortezomib, Eculizumab and C1 inhibitors. Lack of randomized controlled trials and heterogenicity among performed studies limit obtaining definite conclusions. Data about new direct and indirect B cell and plasma cell depleting agents, proximal and terminal complement blockers, IL-6/IL-6R pathway inhibitors and antibody removal agents, among other promising drugs, are reviewed.


Biomolecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 864
Author(s):  
Christopher L. Cioffi

Among the myriad of cellular and molecular processes identified as contributing to pathological pain, disinhibition of spinal cord nociceptive signaling to higher cortical centers plays a critical role. Importantly, evidence suggests that impaired glycinergic neurotransmission develops in the dorsal horn of the spinal cord in inflammatory and neuropathic pain models and is a key maladaptive mechanism causing mechanical hyperalgesia and allodynia. Thus, it has been hypothesized that pharmacological agents capable of augmenting glycinergic tone within the dorsal horn may be able to blunt or block aberrant nociceptor signaling to the brain and serve as a novel class of analgesics for various pathological pain states. Indeed, drugs that enhance dysfunctional glycinergic transmission, and in particular inhibitors of the glycine transporters (GlyT1 and GlyT2), are generating widespread interest as a potential class of novel analgesics. The GlyTs are Na+/Cl−-dependent transporters of the solute carrier 6 (SLC6) family and it has been proposed that the inhibition of them presents a possible mechanism by which to increase spinal extracellular glycine concentrations and enhance GlyR-mediated inhibitory neurotransmission in the dorsal horn. Various inhibitors of both GlyT1 and GlyT2 have demonstrated broad analgesic efficacy in several preclinical models of acute and chronic pain, providing promise for the approach to deliver a first-in-class non-opioid analgesic with a mechanism of action differentiated from current standard of care. This review will highlight the therapeutic potential of GlyT inhibitors as a novel class of analgesics, present recent advances reported for the field, and discuss the key challenges associated with the development of a GlyT inhibitor into a safe and effective agent to treat pain.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 587
Author(s):  
Alexandru Oprita ◽  
Stefania-Carina Baloi ◽  
Georgiana-Adeline Staicu ◽  
Oana Alexandru ◽  
Daniela Elise Tache ◽  
...  

Nowadays, due to recent advances in molecular biology, the pathogenesis of glioblastoma is better understood. For the newly diagnosed, the current standard of care is represented by resection followed by radiotherapy and temozolomide administration, but because median overall survival remains poor, new diagnosis and treatment strategies are needed. Due to the quick progression, even with aggressive multimodal treatment, glioblastoma remains almost incurable. It is known that epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) amplification is a characteristic of the classical subtype of glioma. However, targeted therapies against this type of receptor have not yet shown a clear clinical benefit. Many factors contribute to resistance, such as ineffective blood–brain barrier penetration, heterogeneity, mutations, as well as compensatory signaling pathways. A better understanding of the EGFR signaling network, and its interrelations with other pathways, are essential to clarify the mechanisms of resistance and create better therapeutic agents.


Trials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Iwein Gyselinck ◽  
◽  
Laurens Liesenborghs ◽  
Ewout Landeloos ◽  
Ann Belmans ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The rapid emergence and the high disease burden of the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 have created a medical need for readily available drugs that can decrease viral replication or blunt the hyperinflammatory state leading to severe COVID-19 disease. Azithromycin is a macrolide antibiotic, known for its immunomodulatory properties. It has shown antiviral effect specifically against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro and acts on cytokine signaling pathways that have been implicated in COVID-19. Methods DAWn-AZITHRO is a randomized, open-label, phase 2 proof-of-concept, multicenter clinical trial, evaluating the safety and efficacy of azithromycin for treating hospitalized patients with COVID-19. It is part of a series of trials testing promising interventions for COVID-19, running in parallel and grouped under the name DAWn-studies. Patients hospitalized on dedicated COVID wards are eligible for study inclusion when they are symptomatic (i.e., clinical or radiological signs) and have been diagnosed with COVID-19 within the last 72 h through PCR (nasopharyngeal swab or bronchoalveolar lavage) or chest CT scan showing typical features of COVID-19 and without alternate diagnosis. Patients are block-randomized (9 patients) with a 2:1 allocation to receive azithromycin plus standard of care versus standard of care alone. Standard of care is mostly supportive, but may comprise hydroxychloroquine, up to the treating physician’s discretion and depending on local policy and national health regulations. The treatment group receives azithromycin qd 500 mg during the first 5 consecutive days after inclusion. The trial will include 284 patients and recruits from 15 centers across Belgium. The primary outcome is time from admission (day 0) to life discharge or to sustained clinical improvement, defined as an improvement of two points on the WHO 7-category ordinal scale sustained for at least 3 days. Discussion The trial investigates the urgent and still unmet global need for drugs that may impact the disease course of COVID-19. It will either provide support or else justify the discouragement of the current widespread, uncontrolled use of azithromycin in patients with COVID-19. The analogous design of other parallel trials of the DAWN consortium will amplify the chance of identifying successful treatment strategies and allow comparison of treatment effects within an identical clinical context. Trial registration EU Clinical trials register EudraCT Nb 2020-001614-38. Registered on 22 April 2020


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