Objectives.To perform a 6-week double-blind RCT in Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) comparing the plant extract St. John's Wort (SJW) to placebo. Methods. RP patients having at least 7 attacks per week were stratified by primary and secondary RP and within secondary by systemic sclerosis or other connective tissue disease. Subjects completed a daily standardized diary recording all RP attacks (frequen...

In 12 patients with severe Raynaud's phenomenon (RP: ischemic ulcers or intractable pain despite use of narcotic analgetics), we studied the acute and long-term hemodynamic effects of epoprostenol on systemic and finger skin circulation. Epoprostenol was infused intravenously (i.v., initial infusion rate of 2 ng/kg/min, with a subsequent increase of 2 ng/kg/min every 30 min to the individually ...

BACKGROUND Epinephrine has been shown to impair pulmonary excretion of CO2 during resuscitation. This phenomenon was investigated in a rodent model of cardiac arrest and conventional resuscitation. METHODS AND RESULTS The effects of racemic epinephrine were compared with the selective alpha 1-agonist methoxamine and with saline placebo during cardiac resuscitation in 15 Sprague-Dawley rats me...

BACKGROUND Reversibility after administration of an inhaled bronchodilator is not always demonstrable in patients with asthma. Bronchodilator aerosol-induced bronchoconstriction has also been reported to occur in some patients. METHODS Fifteen selected patients showing < 10% improvement in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) when tested with four doses of salbutamol (0.1 mg/dose) or...

OBJECTIVE Overgeneral autobiographical memory has become a well established phenomenon within major depressive disorder (MDD). Neuroendocrinologically, MDD is often characterized by a dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, i.e. hypercortisolemia and reduced feedback sensitivity. In healthy participants cortisol administration has been found to impair autobiographical me...

Although the great increase in interest in the placebo phenomenon was spurred by the clinical implications of its use, the progressive elucidation of the neurobiological and pharmacological mechanisms underlying the placebo effect also helps cast new light on the relationship between mind (and brain) and body, a topic of foremost philosophical importance but also a major medical issue in light ...

OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effect of sildenafil as add-on therapy on the microvascular blood flow in patients with Raynaud's phenomenon (RP) secondary to systemic sclerosis (SSc). METHODS In this double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 41 patients with RP secondary to SSc were randomly assigned to receive oral sildenafil 100 mg/day (21 patients, mean age 47.2 years) or placebo (20 patients, m...

BACKGROUND Executive dysfunction is common after stroke and may impair long-term outcome. Remedies for this condition are limited. AIMS To examine the effect of antidepressants on executive function after stroke. METHOD Forty-seven patients who had had a stroke during the prior 6 months received 12 weeks of antidepressant treatment in double-blind placebo-controlled fashion, followed by ass...

STUDY DESIGN Randomized clinical trial. PURPOSE Contribution of the posterior interosseous nerve (PIN) and surrounding skin envelope to wrist proprioception is a topic of debate and the primary focus of this research. METHODS We performed a double-blinded, placebo control study in which subjects underwent baseline multiplanar testing of wrist proprioception. They were randomized to receive ...