Which therapy for which patient?

Neurological Sciences - Prophylactic treatment is mainly intended to reduce the frequency of migraine attacks, enhance response to acute medications, improve patient function and reduce disability....     

Changes in P-300 latency as a result of co-dergocrine mesylate therapy in patients with senile dementia

Most studies of the effects of drugs in senile dementia have used subjective rating scales to measure change in mental and cognitive function. Few have used objective measurement. The purpose of this study was to compare the latency of the P-300 component of the event-related auditory evoked potential before and after drug treatment. Twenty-one patients aged 74–93 with dementia defined by a score of>10 and <25 using the Mini-Mental Status Test of Folstein were treated with Hydergine 13.5 mg or placebo under double-blind randomized conditions for a period of six weeks. The mean P-300 latency in the active group showed a decrease of 60 ms whilst that of the placebo group was prolonged by 25 ms. The difference was statistically significant (p<0.5) in favour of the active drug. These data suggest that this method of assessment is sensitive to drug-induced changes in patients with senile dementia.     

An exploratory study of research utilization by nurses in general medical and surgical wards

An exploratory study into research utilization is described Firstly an agreed definition of research utilization was arrived at through consultation with a range of nurses in both academia and clinical practice Potential factors that may influence research utilization were identified through a review of current research on research utilization and through a period of fieldwork carried out on two hospital wards in Scotland The findings indicate that research utilization appears to be a complicated issue and cannot be decontextualized or fractionated in order to lead to an understanding but must address multiple factors simultaneously This paper refers to research that may be utilized in clinical nursing practice rather than in education or nursing management The impact of research in clinical practice on education and nursing management is not discounted but the focus of this study is on the influence that research may have on the actual delivery of patient care and in this sense, education and management developments are encompassed     

Non-viral risk factors for nasopharyngeal carcinoma in the philippines: Results from a case-control study

In a case-control study of NPC conducted in the Philippines, 104 predominantly non-Chinese (<10% ethnically Chinese) cases of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and 205 hospital and community controls were recruited. Risk factor information was obtained through personal interview. The occupational history of each subject was reviewed “blind” by an industrial hygienist to determine estimates of exposure to formaldehyde, solvents, dusts, exhaust and pesticides. After control for confounding, subjects who were first exposed to formaldehyde 25 or more years prior to diagnosis/interview or who were first exposed before the age of 25 were found, in relation to those never exposed, to be at a 4.0-fold excess risk of disease. Similarly, those first exposed to dust and/or exhaust 35 or more years prior to diagnosis/ interview were at a 4.4-fold excess risk of disease and those first exposed before the age of 20 were at a 3.5-fold excess risk of disease. Salted fish consumption was not associated with risk, while consumption of processed meats protected against NPC. Smoking was positively associated with NPC, but only when cases were compared to community controls. Relative to non-smokers, subjects reporting more than 30 years of smoking were at an adjusted 7.2-fold excess risk of disease. Herbal medicine use and burning of anti-mosquito coils were both independently associated with risk of NPC, with ever-users of herbal medicines being at a 2.5-fold excess risk of disease and those reporting daily use of anti-mosquito coils being at a 5.9-fold excess risk of disease relative to never users. Exposure to solvents, pesticides, or use of betel nuts were not associated with NPC risk.     

COMPARISON OF THE ATTENUATING EFFECTS OF FOUR β-ADRENOCEPTOR AGONISTS ON RAT ISOLATED UTERUS AND AORTA

1. The ability of four 8-adrenoceptor agonists to attenuate oxytocin (0.2,2 and 20 nmol/L) or KCI (20,40 and 80 mmol/L)-induced Contractions of the uterus (n= 5–8 for each agonist) and the KCI (18 mmol/L)-induced contractions of the aorta (n = 9 for each agonist) from rats, pretreated with oestradiol has been compared. 2. Isoprenaline, salbutamol, terbutaline and procaterol (0.1–10μmol/L) attenuated the contractions of the uterus and the aorta. All four agonists had similar attenuating potencies on the uterus. 3. Procaterol caused the same maximal attenuation (33%) on the aorta as the other β-adrenoceptor agonists and is thus acting as a full β₂-adrenoceptor agonist under these experimental conditions. Isoprenaline and procaterol were much more potent than salbutamol and terbutaline in attenuating the aorta responses. 4. This study showed that isoprenaline and procaterol were potent attenuants on both the uterus and aorta whereas salbutamol and terbutaline were potent uterine but only modest aorta attenuants. This preliminary study indicates that the responsiveness of uterine and vascular tissue to certain β₂-adrenoceptors differs.