Second Week Of Treatment Research Articles

Management of a patient with severe erosive lichen planus in need of an immediate complete denture: A clinical report

This clinical report describes the treatment of a patient in need of an immediate complete denture who presented with severe erosive lichen planus. In conjunction with an immediate complete denture, tacrolimus (0.1%) ointment, an immunosuppressive agent, was applied topically over the lesions. There was a significant reduction in the size of the lesions at the second week of treatment, allowing the patient to tolerate the prosthesis without pain, thereby improving her quality of life.

Oxycodone hydrochloride controlled-release tablets (OxyContin®): post-marketing surveillance (PMS) study for relieving moderate to severe non-cancer pain

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of oxycodone hydrochloride controlled-release (CR) tablets (Oxycontin®, Mundipharma International Limited, Cambridge, UK), 5 mg, 10 mg, 20 mg, and 40 mg in relieving moderate to severe non-cancer pain. Method Two multi-center, open-label, prospective, self-controlled clinical trial, used identical protocols. All the subjects were patients with moderate to severe non-cancer pain. The clinical data were collected in the natural course of clinical treatment. Results Treatments with oxycodone CR tablets was associated with fast onset on pain relief; 85.2% of patients in study 1 and 91.8% of patients in study 2 achieved pain relief within 1 hour of drug administration. Clinical efficacy Both studies demonstrated that oxycodone CR tablets showed good clinical efficacy for relieving both moderate and severe non-cancer pain. Patients experienced sustained pain relief from the first week of treatment. Patients in both study 1 and study 2 experienced a dramatic pain score reduction (as assessed by VAS) after the first week of treatment. Safety profile During oxycodone CR treatment, use of concomitant medications decreased significantly. A few patients developed ADRs in the first week, which decreased significantly as the treatment continued. Constipation was the most common ADR in the first week, which decreased to 10% of patients from the second week of treatment. Conclusion Oxycodone CR tablets demonstrated fast onset of pain control and superior efficacy for relieving both moderate and severe non-cancer pain, as well as significant reductions in the number of concomitant medications, demonstrating a good safety profile.

Early effects of low versus high dose atorvastatin treatment on coagulation and inflammation parameters in patients with acute coronary syndromes

Aim To demonstrate the efficacy of low or high dose statin treatment on C-reactive protein (CRP), von Willebrand Factor (vWF) and Factor VII (FVII) during the first two weeks of acute coronary syndromes. Patients and methods Patients with acute coronary syndromes ( n = 60) were randomly and prospectively allocated in three different groups. They received 10 mg (low dose), 80 mg (high dose) of atorvastatin and placebo for two weeks. Plasma levels of CRP, vWF and FVII were compared at baseline, first and second weeks of treatment. Results Low dose therapy resulted in non-significant elevation of CRP at first week, although high dose therapy significantly lowered its level (7.75 ± 3.57 vs 7.13 ± 2.95; p = .04). Both low and high dose therapies effectively suppressed the production and elevation of vWF in contrast to placebo (121.15 ± 31.99 vs 139.7 ± 28.53; p = .04). Conclusions High dose atorvastatin significantly decreased CRP during the early days of acute coronary syndromes. Although vWF significantly increased in placebo group, both low and high dose atorvastatin treatments effectively suppressed its increased production.

The widely-used anti-viral drug interferon-alpha induces depressive- and anxiogenic-like effects in healthy rats

Interferon-alpha (IFN-α) is a naturally occurring human cytokine that is a key therapy in the treatment of several viral diseases and cancers. However, treatment can produce significant neuropsychiatric and neurotoxic adverse events, including depression and anxiety. Here we investigated the effects of a clinically-comparable treatment regime of IFN-α on depressive- and anxiety-like behaviour in rats; and also examined frontal-cortical and hippocampal BDNF levels. Rats treated with IFN-α for four weeks showed significant increases in depressive- and anxiety-like behaviour. Further experimental investigation revealed that hedonic dysregulation (stronger preference for a sweet solution) did not emerge until the second week of treatment, and became more persistent as treatment progressed. No significant IFN-α-induced changes in BDNF levels were found. These results indicate that the affective deficits seen in patients may be modelled in healthy animals. This model may represent a novel tool to investigate the extent of and mechanisms underlying the IFN-α psychiatric syndrome.

RETRACTED: Management of a patient with severe erosive lichen planus in need of an immediate complete denture: A clinical report

This clinical report describes the treatment of a patient in need of an immediate complete denture who presented with severe erosive lichen planus. In conjunction with an immediate complete denture, tacrolimus (0.1%) ointment, an immunosuppressive agent, was applied topically over the lesions. There was a significant reduction in the size of the lesions at the second week of treatment, allowing the patient to tolerate the prosthesis without pain, thereby improving her quality of life.

Reboxetine induced erectile dysfunction and spontaneous ejaculation during defecation and micturition

This is a case report of reboxetine induced erectile dysfunction, seminal emission and ejaculation during defecation and micturition. A 44 year old male who had been suffering from depression without any sexual dysfunction was put on venlafaxine XR treatment. Due to delayed ejaculation and occasional episodes of absence of ejaculation he was switched to reboxetine. At the second week of treatment he reported erectile dysfunction and premature ejaculation, and seminal emission and ejaculation during defecation and micturition occurred later at 8th week of treatment. After he was switched to sertraline 50 mg/day, his erectile dysfunction, premature and spontaneous ejaculation symptoms subsided in 2 weeks. Although reboxetine is reported to be free of sexual side effects, individual vulnerabilities to such unwanted effects should be considered, and sexual dysfunction should be assessed thoroughly during the treatment.

Levocetirizine in persistent allergic rhinitis and asthma: effects on symptoms, quality of life and inflammatory parameters

Background Levocetirizine (LCZ) has been shown to be effective in allergic rhinitis. We evaluated its clinical efficacy, antinflammatory actions and its effects on quality of life (QoL) with a specific instrument in the asthma-rhinitis comorbidity. Methods Fifty adult patients with persistent rhinitis with/without asthma were enrolled. After a 1-week run-in for baseline evaluation, they were randomized to LCZ or placebo for 8 weeks. Cromolyn and salbutamol were permitted on demand. Rhinoconjunctivitis and asthma symptoms were evaluated by diary cards. QoL was assessed by the specific Rhinasthma questionnaire and the generic SF-36 at different time-points. Nasal scrapings and lavages were also performed for inflammatory cell count and mediator assessment. Results Ten patients dropped out for unrelated reasons and the remaining completed the study with no side-effect. Symptoms began to decrease in the active group at the second week of treatment when the difference with the placebo group became significant (0.05) and so remained until the end of the trial. Starting from 2 weeks of therapy, there was a significant decrease vs. baseline in all the four components of the Rhinasthma questionnaire only in the active group. The intergroup comparison became significant (P<0.05) at 4 weeks. The SF-36 detected only sporadic differences between groups. Eosinophils and neutrophils in nasal scraping were significantly decreased in the LCZ group vs. baseline at all times. Nasal mediators were under the detection limits and no analysis could be performed. In the active group, only two patients used rescue medications compared with 13 patients in the placebo group. Conclusions LCZ is clinically effective and capable of improving the rhinitis-asthma-related QoL.

Tacrolimus powder in Orabase 0.1% for the treatment of oral lichen planus and oral lichenoid lesions: An open clinical trial

The aim of our study was to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety profile of a novel compound, Tacrolimus powder in Orabase 0.1% in patients with LP and LL. Seven patients with LP and 3 with LL were asked to participate. All patients received a 1 week treatment of Fluconazole, prior to entering the study, and on follow up visit were provided with a 15 g container of the study medication. Patients were asked to treat the most symptomatic site, three times a day for two weeks. Disease control (signs) was achieved in most patients by the end of two weeks (from 1.58 to 0.55); all patients experienced a high degree of discomfort (pain) at baseline, which dropped quickly by the end of the second week of treatment (from 1.95 to 0.45); none developed yeast during the course of treatment. Recurrent headaches were reported by one patient with erosive LP, and transient burning by a patient with reticular LP. Tacrolimus powder in Orabase 0.1% appears to have a relatively safe profile, and represents a likely alternative to topical steroids in the treatment of LP and LL, especially in those at risk for oral candidiasis.

Clinical Efficacy of foxed low-dose perindopril-indapamide combination in the elderly

The study addresses antihypertensive effects of fixed low-dose perindopril-indapamide combination therapy in the elderly hypertensive patients. Combinations with metoprolol were also studied. Is was shown that antihypertensive effect can be observed ay second week of treatment and is dose-dependent. Besides, additional administration of metoprolol 50 mg per day was not associated with further blood pressure decrease but resulted in significant heart rate reduction.

Quetiapine augmentation in treatment-resistant depression: a naturalistic study

Treatment-resistant depression (TRD) is a common clinical problem, often complicated with suicidal ideations and greater lifetime functional impairment, and represents a considerable challenge to management and treatment. The aim of a prospective, open-label, noncomparative, flexible-dosed 20-week study was to evaluate the effects of quetiapine, as an add-on therapy, in patients with TRD who were refractory to previous treatments. Eighteen patients with major depressive disorder (DSM-IV criteria) were treated for 20 weeks with quetiapine (mean dose 315+/-109 mg/day). Patients were evaluated at baseline, weekly from 1 to 9 weeks, and then after 12, 16, and 20 weeks of treatment, using Hamilton rating scale for depression-17 items (HAMD) scale. Fourteen patients with TRD completed the 20-week open trial with quetiapine. The augmentation with quetiapine significantly reduced total scores and scores listed in the anxiety subscale on the HAMD, and these effects were observed after the fourth week of treatment, while the depressed mood scores were significantly reduced after the fifth week of treatment. Quetiapine add-on treatment significantly decreased the scores listed in the insomnia subscale on the HAMD subscale after the second week of treatment. Our preliminary data indicate that quetiapine add-on therapy appears to have beneficial effects in the treatment of patients with TRD.

Effects of rhIL-7 administration in humans on in vivo expansion of naïve, memory and effector subsets of CD4+ &amp; CD8+ T-cells

2504 Background: IL-7 has a critical and non-redundant role in T-cell lymphopoiesis and peripheral T-cell homeostasis. IL-7 administration may prove clinically valuable in conditions of disease induced (HIV) or iatrogenic T-cell depletion and for modulation of vaccine immune responses. In the first phase I study in humans, recombinant human interleukin-7 (“CYT 99–007”, Cytheris Inc., Rockville, MD) was administered subcutaneously every other day for two weeks in adults with refractory malignancies at 3, 10, 30 and 60 μg/kg/dose. Biologic activity, defined as a 50% increase over baseline of peripheral blood CD3+ T-cells, was seen at and above the 10μg/kg/dose in all patients. The kinetics of proliferation and expansion of peripheral blood T-cell subsets were analyzed. Methods: Multicolor flow cytometry was performed at baseline, 1, 2 and 3 weeks. Among CD4+ cells, the most naïve were defined as CD45RA+ /CD31+. Among CD4+ &amp; CD8+ cells, the main naïve, memory and effector populations were defined respectively as CD45RA+/CD27+, CD45RA-/CD27+ and CD45RA-/CD27-. Within each subset, the number of cells in cycle was defined by Ki67 staining. Results: Following IL-7 therapy, there was marked proliferation of all T-cells subsets, peaking at week 1, most striking for the naive subsets with 30–70% of circulating cells induced to cycle. Proliferation rates were halved by week 2 despite continuation of treatment, coincident with the observed down-regulation of the IL-7 receptor. Cycling returned to baseline by week 3. Significant proliferation was also induced in effector and memory CD4+ and CD8+ T-cells but to a lesser magnitude, resulting in a greater net expansion of the naïve subsets, still ongoing one week after the end of treatment. Conclusions: IL-7 administration induces marked expansion of naïve, memory and effector CD4+ &amp; CD8+ T-cells in humans. Consistent with the known down-regulation of the IL-7 receptor upon IL-7 exposure, proliferation rates decrease during the second week of treatment. rhIL-7 induced T-cell expansion may prove clinically valuable in adoptive immunotherapy as an adjunct to tumor vaccination and / or immunorestorative agent. [Table: see text]

Myocardial antioxidant enzyme activities and concentration and glutathione metabolism in experimental hyperthyroidism

Hyperthyroidism was induced in rats by l-thyroxine administration (12mg/L in drinking water, 4 weeks). Animals were assessed hemodynamically, and heart, lung, and liver morphometry were performed. Lipid peroxidation (LPO) and protein oxidation (carbonyls) were measured in heart homogenates. It was quantified glutathione (GSH) metabolism, and antioxidant enzyme activities its and protein expression (by Western blot). At the end of treatment, it was observed cardiac hypertrophy, elevation of left ventricular systolic and end diastolic pressures, lung and liver congestion. LPO and carbonyls were increased in the hyperthyroid group, and GSH was decreased by 46% in the fourth week. Myocardial oxidative stress time course analysis revealed that it was increased in the second week of treatment. Antioxidant enzyme activities elevation was accompanied by protein expression induction in the hyperthyroid group in the fourth week. These results imply that hyperthyroidism generates myocardial dysfunction associated with oxidative stress inducing antioxidant enzyme activities and protein expression.

Effects of Cyclic Versus Daily hPTH(1-34) Regimens on Bone Strength in Association With BMD, Biochemical Markers, and Bone Structure in Mice

We developed a cyclic PTH regimen with repeated cycles of 1-week on and off daily PTH injection and explored its effects on bone strength, BMD, bone markers, and bone structure in mice. Cyclic protocols produced 60-85% of the effects achieved by daily protocols with 57% of the total PTH given, indicating more economic use of PTH. The study supports further exploration of cyclic PTH regimens for the treatment of osteoporosis. To minimize the cost and the catabolic action of hPTH(1-34), a cyclic PTH regimen with repeated 3-month cycles of on-and-off daily injection of hPTH(1-34) was developed in humans and shown to be as effective as a daily regimen in increasing vertebral BMD. However, changes in BMD may not adequately predict changes in bone strength. A murine model was developed to explore the efficacy of a cyclic PTH regimen on bone strength in association with other bone variables. Twenty-week-old, intact, female C57BL/J6 mice (n = 7/group) were treated with (1) daily injection with vehicle for 7 weeks (control); (2) daily injection with hPTH(1-34) (40 microg/kg/day) for 7 weeks (daily PTH); and (3) daily injection with hPTH(1-34) and vehicle alternating weekly for 7 weeks (cyclic PTH). BMD was measured weekly by DXA, and serum bone markers, bone structure, and strength were measured at 7 weeks. Daily and cyclic PTH regimens increased BMD at all sites by 16-17% and 9-12%, respectively (all p < 0.01). The most dramatic effect of cyclic PTH occurred during the second week of treatment when PTH was off, with femoral and tibial BMD continuing to increase to the same extent as that produced by daily PTH. Both daily and cyclic PTH regimens significantly increased osteocalcin (daily, 330%; cyclic, 260%), mTRACP (daily, 145%; cyclic, 70%), femoral cortical width (daily, 23%; cyclic, 13%), periosteal circumference (daily, 5%; cyclic, 3.5%), and bone strength (max load: daily, 48%; cyclic, 28%; energy absorbed: daily, 103%; cyclic, 61%), respectively. Femoral bone strength was positively correlated with BMD, bone markers, and cortical structure. Neither regimen had an effect on vertebral bone strength. Although actual effects of cyclic PTH were 60-85% of those produced by daily PTH, the effects of cyclic PTH per unit amount administered were slightly greater than those of daily PTH for most measures. PTH-enhanced femoral bone strength is positively correlated with its effects on femoral BMD, bone markers, and bone structure. Cyclic PTH regimens represent a potential economic use of PTH and warrant further study.

Ghrelin plasma levels during psychopharmacological treatment

The mechanisms underlying weight gain induced by psychopharmacological agents are poorly understood. Because the recently discovered enteric hormone, ghrelin, stimulates food intake, we hypothesized that increases in circulating ghrelin levels might mediate the weight gain caused by certain antidepressants and atypical antipsychotic drugs. Fifty-two patients receiving psychopharmacological treatments were included in the study: 16 patients received antidepressants that are not known to induce weight gain, and 13 patients received mirtazapine or trimipramine, which are antidepressants known to lead to weight gain; 6 patients received clozapine and olanzapine, which have the highest liability among the antipsychotics to cause weight gain, and 17 patients received other antipsychotics. Fasting venous blood samples for the measurement of ghrelin were drawn in the morning between 06:00 and 08:00 a.m. in the second week of treatment. Although psychopharmacological treatment induced significant weight changes in the expected directions (most prominent in the clozapine or olanzapine treatment group), ghrelin levels did not differ significantly between groups. Psychotropic drugs with different propensities to induce body weight gain are associated with similar concentrations of plasma ghrelin in psychiatric patients after a short period of treatment.

Subchronic oral toxicity study with cyadox in Wistar rats

To investigate the potential subchronic toxicity of cyadox, groups of 15 male and 15 female Wistar rats were fed with diets containing cyadox (0, 50, 150 or 2500 mg/kg) or olaquindox (150 mg/kg), approximately equivalent to cyadox 5, 15, 250 or olaquindox 15 mg/kg b.w./day, for 13 weeks. Five rats/sex/group were sacrificed on days 30, 60 and 90. No test-material-related changes were seen in mortality, clinical signs, hematology, clinical chemistry, organ weight data and macroscopic examinations. Except that body weights of both sexes of the 2500 mg/kg cyadox group were significantly lower than controls beginning after the second week of treatment. Body weights of females of 150 mg/kg olaquindox group were significantly lower than those of the control group at weeks 3 and 4. Other groups were unaffected by treatments. Histopathological observations revealed that 2500 mg/kg cyadox or 150 mg/kg olaquindox induced swelling and fatty degeneration of the hepatocytes and proximal renal tubular epithelial cells. It was for the first time that changes were found in the liver and kidneys of rats fed 2500 mg/kg cyadox. The no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) of cyadox for rats was estimated to be 150 mg/kg dietary dose level.

Med Check

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Med CheckFull AccessMed CheckJim RosackJim RosackSearch for more papers by this authorPublished Online:1 Jul 2005https://doi.org/10.1176/pn.40.13.00400025Memantine consistently benefits memory in patients with mild to severe Alzheimer's disease and improves language function in those with moderate to severe Alzheimer's, reported Elaine Peskind, M.D., of the University of Washington and colleagues in the Memantine Study Group. The group presented an exploratory analysis of the efficacy of memantine for cognitive deficits from one trial in patients with mild to moderate disease and a second trial in patients with moderate to severe disease. The two trials, involving a total of nearly 800 patients, were 24 weeks long, double blind, and placebo controlled. The mild to moderate trial compared memantine with placebo, while the moderate to severe trial involved patients who were already taking donepezil and then had either memantine or placebo added. The findings suggest that memantine's effects in patients with mild to moderate disease are less robust than in patients with more severe disease and that the drug may provide cognitive benefit through effects on both memory and language.APA 2005: NR 741; Funding: Forest LabsSwitching patients on donepezil to rivastigmine may significantly improve treatment outcomes, reported Gary Figiel, M.D., of Southeastern Geriatric Healthcare Group in Snellville, Ga., and colleagues. A 26-week switch study involving 270 patients assessed the safety and efficacy of rivastigmine in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's who were not responding to donepezil therapy. Seventy percent of patients experienced improvement, or no further decline, in scores on the Clinical Global Impression–Change scale at week 26. Adverse events reported included those already known to be associated with rivastigmine, including nausea, vomiting, anorexia, weight loss, and dizziness.APA 2005: NR 887; Funding: NovartisAripiprazole appears to be qualitatively similar in safety compared with other antipsychotics used to treat psychosis associated with Alzheimer's, reported William Carson, M.D., and colleagues at Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) and Otsuka America Pharmaceuticals. A company meta-analysis of three placebo-controlled trials involved pooled safety data from 938 patients. Overall, 15.8 percent of those treated with aripiprazole discontinued the study due to an adverse event, compared with 10.2 percent of those on placebo. The most frequent adverse events seen with aripiprazole were accidental injury, urinary-tract infection, somnolence, asthenia, vomiting, pain in extremities, peripheral edema, diarrhea, and urinary incontinence. Only somnolence occurred statistically significantly more often in those on aripiprazole. Similar to other second-generation antipsychotics used in this population, aripiprazole was associated with increased mortality overall (3.9 percent) compared with placebo (1.7 percent) and an increase in cerebrovascular events (1.3 percent) compared with placebo (0.6 percent).A separate analysis, led by BMS researcher Dusan Kostic, Ph.D., pooled efficacy data from two trials in institutionalized patients with Alzheimer's-related psychosis. In this analysis, which included 246 patients, aripiprazole was particularly effective at reducing agitation, compared with placebo. Significant reductions were also seen in measures of tension, hostility, uncooperativeness, and excitement.APA 2005: NR 268 and NR 742; Funding: BMS/OtsukaRisperidone is significantly superior to placebo in reducing psychotic symptoms in patients with psychosis related to Alzheimer's, reported Jacobo Mintzer, M.D., of the Medical University of South Carolina and colleagues. In a meta-analysis of four controlled trials involving 895 patients, risperidone statistically significantly reduced psychotic symptoms as early as the second week of treatment, and beneficial effects were sustained throughout the 16-week trials. The most commonly reported adverse events associated with risperidone were injury, somnolence, urinary-tract infection, rash, cough, and peripheral edema. In these trials, incidence of mortality was 3.1 percent for those on risperidone compared with 1.8 percent for those taking placebo. Cerebrovascular adverse events occurred in 1.6 percent of those taking risperidone compared with 0.8 percent of those taking placebo.APA 2005: NR 738; Funding: JanssenOlanzapine and quetiapine show concentration-dependent anticholinergic activity at doses commonly prescribed to elderly patients for control of psychosis associated with Alzheimer's, reported Benoit Mulsant, M.D., of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and colleagues. However, aripiprazole, risperidone, and haloperidol showed no detectable anticholinergic activity at therapeutic doses. Anticholinergic activity is thought to be of concern in elderly patients due to its linear association with cognitive decline. It is particularly important in patients with dementia who already have a cholinergic deficit. Differences in assayed anticholinergic activity may be associated with some of the differences in adverse-effect profiles of the drugs studied, including decreased cognitive function, increased risk of falls, and gastrointestinal adverse effects.APA 2005: NR 730; Funding: Janssen ▪ ISSUES NewArchived

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) in the treatment of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) and Tourette's syndrome (TS)

There is evidence that motor and premotor cortex are hyperexcitable in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and Tourette's syndrome (TS). We tested whether low-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) could normalize overactive motor cortical regions and thereby improve symptoms. Subjects with OCD or TS were treated with active rTMS to the supplementary motor area (SMA) for 10 daily sessions at 1 Hz, 100% of motor threshold, 1200 stimuli/day. Suggestions of clinical improvement were apparent as early as the first week of rTMS. At the second week of treatment, statistically significant reductions were seen in the YBOCS, YGTSS, CGI, HARS, HDRS, SAD, BDI, SCL-90, and SASS. Symptoms improvement was correlated with a significant increase of the right resting motor threshold and was stable at 3 months follow-up. Slow rTMS to SMA resulted in a significant clinical improvement and a normalization of the right hemisphere hyperexcitability, thereby restoring hemispheric symmetry in motor threshold.

Mood and affect during detoxification of opiate addicts: a comparison of buprenorphine versus methadone

Twenty-six in-patients with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual version IV (DSM-IV) criteria for opioid dependence were selected at random to receive either a combination of an 11-day low-dose buprenorphine and a 14-day carbamazepine regimen (n = 14) or a combination of an 11-day methadone and a 14-day carbamazepine regimen (n = 12) in a double-blind, randomized 14-day in-patient detoxification treatment. Patients with buprenorphine and carbamazepine showed a significantly better psychological state after the first and second weeks of treatment. Above all, the buprenorphine-treated patients demonstrated a less marked tiredness, sensitiveness and depressive state as well as a more prominent elevated mood during the detoxification process. Seven non-completers (after 7 days: four of 12 = 33.3%; after 14 days: seven of 12 = 58.3%) were treated with methadone and carbamazepine and five non-completers (after 7 days: two of 14 = 14.3%; after 14 days: five of 14 = 35.7%) received buprenorphine and carbamazepine. The difference in the overall dropout rate after day 14 was not significant. The present study supports the hypothesis that the combination of buprenorphine and carbamazepine leads to a better clinical outcome than does a combination of methadone and carbamazepine in the detoxification of opioid addicts with additional multiple drug abuse. The buprenorphine and carbamazepine-regimen provides a more effective short-term relief of affective disturbances than does methadone and carbamazepine. No severe side effects occurred during the treatment period in both groups.

Ghrelin Plasma Levels during Psychopharmacological Treatment

The mechanisms underlying weight gain induced by psychopharmacological agents are poorly understood. Because the recently discovered enteric hormone, ghrelin, stimulates food intake, we hypothesized that increases in circulating ghrelin levels might mediate the weight gain caused by certain antidepressants and atypical antipsychotic drugs. Fifty-two patients receiving psychopharmacological treatments were included in the study: 16 patients received antidepressants that are not known to induce weight gain, and 13 patients received mirtazapine or trimipramine, which are antidepressants known to lead to weight gain; 6 patients received clozapine and olanzapine, which have the highest liability among the antipsychotics to cause weight gain, and 17 patients received other antipsychotics. Fasting venous blood samples for the measurement of ghrelin were drawn in the morning between 06:00 and 08:00 a.m. in the second week of treatment. Although psychopharmacological treatment induced significant weight changes in the expected directions (most prominent in the clozapine or olanzapine treatment group), ghrelin levels did not differ significantly between groups. Psychotropic drugs with different propensities to induce body weight gain are associated with similar concentrations of plasma ghrelin in psychiatric patients after a short period of treatment.

Disorders of Transmission via a Peripheral Nerve Related to Experimental Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy in Rats: Possibilities for Pharmacological Correction

We measured the conduction velocity (CV) of an excitation volley via the caudal nerve in intact rats and rats with streptozotocin-induced experimental diabetic polyneuropathy (ED PNP). We also tested the influence of four pharmacological agents (lipoic acid, NG-nitro-L-arginine, alprostan, and pentoxifylline) on the CV via the above nerve under conditions of ED PNP. We found that the development of ED PNP in rats was accompanied by a considerable drop in the CV (to 50–40% of that in the control). Introduction of the above pharmacological agents exerted noticeable normalizing effects on the parameter under study; these effects were observed from the second week of treatment and lasted up to the end of the tests. Considering the mechanisms governing the effects of the above drugs, we discuss the role of disturbances in the systems of endogenous nitric oxide and prostaglandins in the development of experimental diabetes and ED PNP.