objective: to evaluate the safety and efficacy of isosorbide mononitrate (imn) as a cervical ripening agent prior to induction of labour in term pregnant women. materials and methods: a randomized placebo-controlled study was conducted on 100 term singleton pregnancies planned for induction of labour. the participants were randomly assigned to two groups. one group received 40 mg imn and the ot...

Placebo treatments and healing rituals have been used to treat pain throughout history. The present within-subject crossover study examines the variability in individual responses to placebo treatment with verbal suggestion and visual cue conditioning by investigating whether responses to different types of placebo treatment, as well as conditioning responses, correlate with one another. Second...

BACKGROUND Recent studies show that placebo response has grown significantly over time in clinical trials for antidepressants, ADHD medications, antiepileptics, and antidiabetics. Contrary to expectations, trial outcome measures and success rates have not been impacted. This study aimed to see if this trend of increasing placebo response and stable efficacy outcome measures is unique to the con...

Many historians have used the placebo effect, alongside remission and self-limiting ailments, as a catch-all explanation for apparent cures in the past, whether at the hands of doctors or saints, but they have rarely exhibited much awareness of its ubiquity and potential scale or considered what behaviour and beliefs promote it. Since the business of historians lies mainly with beliefs and the ...

Background and aim: Psoriasis is one of the most common papulosquamous diseases that often requires long-term maintenance therapy. Long-term use of topical corticosteroids on the face and intertriginous areas will increase the risk of steroids side effects such as striae and atrophy development. A safe, effective and inexpensive modality in topical therapy of inverse psoriasis is required...

T he placebo effect is a fascinating yet puzzling phenomenon, which has challenged investigators over the past 50 years. Recently, it has been defi ned as the " positive physiological or psychological changes associated with the use of inert medications, sham procedures, or therapeutic symbols within a healthcare encounter " [1]. Increasing scientifi c inquiry has been aimed at elucidating the ...

Epidemiologic studies, animal models, and preliminary clinical trials in children implicate uric acid in the development of essential hypertension. Controversy remains as to whether the observations indicate a general mechanism or a surrogate phenomenon. We sought to determine whether uric acid is a causative mediator of increased blood pressure (BP) and impaired vascular compliance. We report ...