No-medication Group Research Articles

Association of hypoadiponectinemia with impaired vasoreactivity.

Endothelial dysfunction is a crucial feature in the evolution of atherosclerosis. Adiponectin is an adipocyte-specific plasma protein with antiatherogenic and antidiabetic properties. In the present study, we investigated the relation between adiponectin and endothelium-dependent vasodilation. We analyzed endothelial function in 202 hypertensive patients, including those who were not taking any medication. Forearm blood flow was measured by strain-gauge plethysmography. Plasma adiponectin level was highly correlated with the vasodilator response to reactive hyperemia in the total (r=0.257, P<0.001) and no-medication (r=0.296, P=0.026) groups but not with nitroglycerin-induced hyperemia, indicating that adiponectin affected endothelium-dependent vasodilation. Multiple regression analysis of data from all hypertensive patients revealed that plasma adiponectin level was independently correlated with the vasodilator response to reactive hyperemia. Vascular reactivity was also analyzed in aortic rings from adiponectin-knockout (KO) and wild-type (WT) mice. Adiponectin-KO mice showed obesity, hyperglycemia, and hypertension compared with WT mice after 4 weeks on an atherogenic diet. Endothelium-dependent vasodilation in response to acetylcholine was significantly reduced in adiponectin-KO mice compared with WT mice, although no significant difference was observed in endothelium-independent vasodilation in response to sodium nitroprusside. Our observations suggest that hypoadiponectinemia is associated with impaired endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation and that the measurement of plasma adiponectin level might be helpful as a marker of endothelial dysfunction.

The impact of allergies and allergy treatment on worker productivity.

Allergic disorders are a chronic and highly prevalent condition in the general population and the workforce. Their effect on workers and corporate costs go beyond the direct cost of treatment, as the condition can lower a worker's productivity. Previous research includes estimates of the decrease in productivity associated with allergic disorders. None of these studies, however, offered an objective measure of how worker productivity is affected by allergic disorders. In the present study, the productivity of telephone customer service representatives suffering from allergic disorders is examined before, during, and after the ragweed pollen season. In addition, these workers were surveyed as to the type of medication they used in response to their condition. A significant correlation was observed between an increase in pollen counts and a decrease in productivity for workers with allergies. Compared with workers without allergies, employees with allergies who reported using no medication showed a 10% decrease in productivity. No differences were observed among workers with allergies using different types of medications, although the medication groups had significantly higher productivity than the no-medication group. The expected lowered productivity of those workers with allergies who used sedating antihistamines may have been offset by their relatively lower level of symptom severity and by the nature of the job and the productivity measures used.

A Comparison of Pergolide and Bromocriptine in the Initial Rehabilitation of Cocaine Dependence

Numerous pharmacologic agents have been used in an attempt to improve treatment outcome for cocaine‐dependent individuals. In this study, 41 men and women newly admitted to a 30‐day inpatient treatment program for cocaine dependence were randomized to open treatment with pergolide or bromocriptine (two dopamine agonists) or a no‐medication group. Treatment groups were compared for mean length of stay in the hospital (MLS), number of discharges against medical advice (AMA), and on a self‐report visual analog craving scale prior to treatment and again between Day 7 and Day 10. The pergolide and bromocriptine groups both had an MLS of 25 days, with one AMA discharge (6%). The no‐medication treatment group had an MLS of 16.2 days and four (36%) AMA discharges. Mean decrease in the craving scores in the pergolide group was 31.8, in the bromocriptine group, 24.0, and in the no‐medication group, 7.9.

A comparison of no medication versus methyldopa or labetalol in chronic hypertension during pregnancy

Three hundred women with mild chronic hypertension at 6 to 13 weeks' gestation were randomly allocated to receive either methyldopa or labetalol or be in the control group. Thirty-seven women (12%) were excluded for various reasons. Of the remaining 263 patients, 90 received no drug, 87 received methyldopa, and 86 received labetalol. All 263 were followed throughout pregnancy with serial renal function tests and serial assessment of fetal status. There were no differences among the three groups in mean systolic or diastolic blood pressures, mean gestational age, or initial laboratory findings at time of entry. Patients treated with medications had significantly lower (p less than 0.0001) systolic and diastolic blood pressures throughout gestation compared with the no-medication group. Among the control group there was a spontaneously significant lowering (p less than 0.0001) of both systolic and diastolic blood pressures at 14 to 26 weeks' gestation. However, there were no differences among the three groups regarding the incidences of either superimposed preeclampsia (15.6%, 18.4%, and 16.3%, respectively), abruptio placentae (2.2%, 1.1%, and 2.3%, respectively), or preterm delivery (10%, 12.5%, and 11.6%, respectively). In addition, there were no differences among the groups regarding gestational age at delivery, birth weight, incidence of fetal growth retardation, or neonatal head circumference. There was one midtrimester loss in the methyldopa group and one stillbirth in each of the other groups. We conclude that treatment of maternal blood pressure in mild chronic hypertension during pregnancy did not improve perinatal outcome.

Obstetrical medication and the human newborn: the influence of alphaprodine hydrochloride on visual behaviour.

The visual habituation of two groups of newborn infants was tested at a mean age of 2.9 days with large achromatic squares of varying luminance. Mothers of the infants in one group received no medication during labour; mothers in the second group received a single dose of the synthetic narcotic alphaprodine hydrochloride. The two groups did not differ in the number of trials to reach the criterion, but newborns in the no-medication group fixated the stimuli for much longer periods than did infants in the alphaprodine group. First-fixation times of babies in the alphaprodine group were shorter when drug-to-delivery intervals were longer. These results, although tentative, imply that babies of medicated and unmedicated mothers differ in the manner in which they respond to visual stimuli.

Psychotherapeutic drug recommendations based on the Mini-Mult.

Psychotherapeutic drug recommendations based on Mini-Mult profile signs were compared with prescriptions written by psychiatrists for 32 male and 40 female clients at a community mental health center. There was an over-all 86% agreement across major drug groups and a similar correspondence for specific categories of drugs including antipsychotic, antidepressant, anti-anxiety, and a no-medication group. These results suggest that the Mini-Mult can be used as a screening device to identify those clients in need of a formal evaluation for medication. The potential applicability and cost effectiveness of this method are discussed.