Efficacy and safety of herbal medicines for idiopathic Parkinson's disease: a systematic review.

The objective of this study is to assess the efficacy and safety of herbal medicines (HMs), as a monotherapy or adjunct therapy, compared to placebo or conventional approaches in the treatment of idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD). We conducted a systematic review of randomized controlled trials from both conventional and alternative medicine sources. Outcome measures were overall improvement, quality of life, reduction of levodopa dose, and adverse events. Nine studies were included, each testing a different HM. Six of the trials had limited internal validity due to major flaws in design, including the lack of proper randomization; insufficient blinding; unclear inclusive criteria in terms of diagnostic criteria, baseline staging, and duration of disease; lack of proper sample size calculation; and insufficient data analysis. Imbalances in gender and ethnicity among the patients in the included trials were observed. No major adverse events emerged, and no specific pattern was detected from the trials describing such data. In addition to major methodological defects, heterogeneity in (1) HM tested, (2) control treatment, and (3) outcome measure hindered in-depth data analysis and synthesis. Current evidence is insufficient to evaluate the efficacy and safety of various HMs. Further studies with improved trial design and reporting, with assessment on cost-effectiveness, quality of life, and qualitative data are warranted.     

Prostaglandin F2 alpha enhancement of capsaicin induced cough in man: modulation by beta 2 adrenergic and anticholinergic drugs.

The effect of inhaled prostaglandin (PG) F2 alpha on the response to the inhaled tussive agent capsaicin was investigated in normal subjects. Seven subjects inhaled three breaths of four doses of capsaicin (0.3, 0.6, 1.2, and 2.4 nmol) before and immediately after inhaling PGF2 alpha (0.1 mumol) or placebo (0.15M NaCl) on separate days. The numbers of capsaicin induced coughs were greater after PGF2 alpha (mean 42.3 coughs) than after 0.15M sodium chloride (30.1). Visual analogue scores (0-10 on a 10 cm continuous scale) showed that capsaicin was more irritant after PGF2 alpha than after saline. Total respiratory resistance (Rrs), measured by the forced oscillation technique, was unaltered throughout the study. A double blind, placebo controlled study of the effects of inhaled salbutamol (200 micrograms, 0.6 mumol) and ipratropium bromide (40 micrograms, 0.1 mumol) on cough induced by capsaicin (2.4 nmol) and by PGF2 alpha (0.1 mumol) and on PGF2 alpha augmented, capsaicin induced coughing was performed in seven subjects. Neither drug had any effect on capsaicin induced coughing. Salbutamol reduced coughing due to PGF2 alpha (mean 7.7 coughs after salbutamol, 9.3 after placebo) but ipratropium bromide did not (mean 6.9 coughs after ipratropium bromide, 6.6 after placebo). Salbutamol also inhibited the augmentation of the capsaicin induced cough that followed inhalation of PGF2 alpha (mean augmentation 1.9 coughs after salbutamol, 4.1 after placebo), whereas ipratropium bromide did not (augmentation 1.7 coughs after ipratropium bromide, 2.7 after placebo). No changes in Rrs were seen after PGF2 alpha or either drug. Thus salbutamol reduces PGF2 alpha induced cough and the augmentation of capsaicin induced cough that follows PGF2 alpha.     

New stand magnifiers do not meet rated levels of performance

A new range of stand magnifiers has been released by the COIL company in the United Kingdom. Examination of these magnifiers reveals that they fail to deliver the rated magnifications labelled prominently on the appliances, as a result of the manufacturer's conformance with the requirements of the German DIN standard and the use of back vertex power (F'_v) rather than equivalent dioptric power (F_m) of the magnifier. In this study we provide information on the optometric parameters of these new stand magnifiers that will assist the more accurate specification of improvements in vision expected from their use.     

Probable gas embolism during operative hysteroscopy caused by products of combustion

PURPOSE: Gas embolism is a rare but well documented entity during operative hysteroscopy, with an incidence of 10-50%. Catastrophic outcomes occur at a rate of three in 17,000 procedures. The purpose of this report is to present a non-fatal case of gas embolism probably caused by the gaseous products of combustion. CLINICAL FEATURES: A 50-yr-old woman with a history of menorrhagia was scheduled for hysteroscopy and endometrial ablation and polypectomy. Fifteen minutes into the procedure, with the patient in lithotomy position, 20 degree head down tilt, and breathing spontaneously, a sudden oxygen desaturation occurred from 97% to 87%. The patient's end-tidal carbon dioxide dropped from 46 mmHg to 27 mmHg. The patient's breathing pattern remained normal, respiratory rate remained 11-12 breaths x min(-1) but amplitude of the reservoir bag movement was increased. Cardiovascular variables remained stable. She responded rapidly to 100% oxygen and made an uneventful recovery. Having ruled out other possible causes, we concluded gas embolism was responsible for the fall in oxygen saturation and end-tidal CO(2). CONCLUSION: With all the precautions in place to minimize the likelihood of fluid overload and ambient air embolism occurring, we surmised that products of combustion were the cause of the gas embolism. During endometrial ablation, gaseous products of combustion, mainly carbon dioxide, accumulate. The gases may then contribute to the rise in uterine pressure that occurs as irrigation fluid enters the uterus and this rise in pressure in turn encourages passage of gas into the open venous sinuses.     

Dermal absorption of niclosamide in rats and minipigs

The dermal absorption of niclosamide, a drug shown to prevent Schistosomiasis by blocking the dermal penetration of cercariae, has been examined in Sinclair minipigs and rats. Radioactivity in the urine and feces collected daily for 7 days after application of 14C-niclosamide accounted for less than 2 per cent and 10 per cent of the labelled compound applied to pig and rat skin, respectively. Approximately 20 per cent of the radioactivity from the dose solution was recovered on the skin excised from the area of application in both minipigs and rats. No radioactivity was detected in organs removed from the pig 7 days after application of radiolabelled drug while less than 6 per cent of the dose could be accounted for in the rat organs/carcass. Radioactivity in swine blood, removed 0.5, 1, 2, 4 and at 24 h intervals after dosing, was at or below three times background in all of the samples. Total recovery of the applied radioactivity was 78 per cent in pigs and 57 per cent in rats. These studies indicate that niclosamide is very poorly absorbed after dermal application. The results are consistent with earlier comparative studies showing that dermal penetration of xenobiotics in rats is generally higher than in swine.     

Central venous catheter-related Rhodotorula rubra fungemia

With the increased use of indwelling central venous catheters, increasing numbers of cases of Rhodotorula fungemia have been observed in patients with neoplasia and neutropenia. In most patients with catheter-related Rhodotorula fungemia, the condition has been treated with broadspectrum antibiotics. We report two cases of central venous catheter-related Rhodotorula rubra fungemia that occurred in patients with acute myeloblastic leukemia. Both patients were in a state of neutropenia. One patient was treated with amphotericin B and his central venous catheter was removed, but he died of Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteremia. The other patient was treated with amphotericin B and discharged, with a central venous catheter, after recovery from neutropenia. Although the management of catheter-related Rhodotorula fungemia infections remains controversial, resolution of the underlying disease is more important than catheter removal for recovery from Rhodotorula rubra fungemia. Received: August 22, 2001 / Accepted: October 8, 2001