Duration of response after treatment of mild to moderate depression with Hypericum extract STW 3-VI, citalopram and placebo: a reanalysis of data from a controlled clinical trial.

St. John's Wort (Hypericum perforatum L.) is a useful medication in the treatment of mild to moderate depression. By reanalysis of the data obtained from a total of 154 patients, who responded in a randomised, multicentric, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, to 6 weeks of treatment for an episode of moderate depression with either 20 mg citalopram or 900 mg Hypericum extract STW 3-VI, the duration of response and occurrence of relapse/recurrence were evaluated. Duration of response and occurrence of relapse/recurrence was measured by re-evaluating the responders in a controlled-clinical trial (final score of ≤10 according to HAMD at the end of the clinical trial) according to the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD). In total, 30 (19.5%) of the 154 responders were diagnosed with a relapse. The numbers of patients with relapses were highest in the citalopram group (14 of 54), whereas patients who were treated with Hypericum extract STW 3-VI showed the lowest relapse rate (8/54); patients from the placebo group showed a relapse rate of 8/46. No difference in the severity of relapse could be observed. The duration of response was longest for the Hypericum group (1817 days), intermediate for the citalopram group (1755 days) and shortest for the placebo group (802 days). Hypericum extract STW 3-VI is more efficient in lowering the relapse and recurrence rates of responders, when compared to citalopram and placebo. In addition, duration of response was increased in the group treated with Hypericum extract STW 3-VI.

[Improvement in quality of life in the elderly. Results of a placebo-controlled study on the efficacy and tolerability of lecithin fluid in patients with impaired cognitive functions]. / Verbesserung der Lebensqualität im Alter. Ergebnisse einer plazebokontrollierten Studie zur Wirksamkeit und Verträglichkeit von Lecithin in flüssiger Darreichungsform bei Patienten mit Beeinträchtigung der kognitiven Funktionen.

Lecithin, a precursor of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, has a positive effect on brain and memory functions. In a prospective, randomized, double-blind study, the effect of buerlecithin fluid (BLF) was investigated in comparison with placebo in patients with mild cognitive disorders. A total of 96 ambulatory patients (> 55 years) were admitted to the study. Treatment duration was 84 days. In both treatment groups, a clear improvement in all the cognitive parameters tested was seen. The main target measure, the overall Sandoz Clinical Assessment Geriatric (SCAG) score improved by 18.7 (test substance) and 16.4 (placebo) points (p = 0.1620). A statistically relevant improvement of the secondary target parameter, response in the SCAG score, was achieved with BLF (85.4%) in comparison with placebo (62.5%) (p = 0.018). Furthermore, BLF demonstrated significant superiority in a number of the other target measures. The study also confirmed the very good tolerability of BLF.

A comparative study of oral acetylsalicyclic acid and metoprolol for the prophylactic treatment of migraine. A randomized, controlled, double-blind, parallel group phase III study.

This study was a multinational, multicentre, double-blind, active controlled phase III trial designed to investigate efficacy and safety of 300 mg acetylsalicyclic acid (ASA) (n = 135) vs. 200 mg metoprolol (n = 135) in the prophylaxis of migraine. In total 270 (51 male and 219 female) patients, aged 18-65 years, suffering between two and six migraine attacks per month were recruited. The main objective was to show equivalence with respect to efficacy, defined as a 50% reduction in the rate of migraine attacks. A run-in phase was carried out with placebo for 4 weeks, followed by a 16-week drug phase. In both treatment groups the median frequency of migraine attacks improved during the study period, from three to two in the ASA group and from three to one in the metoprolol group; 45.2% of all metoprolol patients were responders compared with 29.6% with ASA. Medication-related adverse events were less frequent in the ASA group (37) than in the metoprolol group (73). The findings from this trial show that metoprolol is superior to ASA for migraine prophylaxis but has more side-effects. Acetylsalicylic acid is better tolerated than metoprolol. Using a strict responder criterion ASA showed a responder rate comparable with the placebo rate in the literature.

Loudness dependence of auditory evoked potentials in obsessive-compulsive disorder: a pilot study.

In recent years it has been suggested that a serotonergic dysfunction is involved in the pathogenesis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The loudness dependence of auditory evoked potentials (AEPs) is one of the best validated indicators of the activity of the serotonin system in humans. To explore the validity of the hypothesis of a serotonergic dysfunction in OCD, the loudness dependence of AEPs of 22 medication-free OCD patients were compared with those of 22 age- and gender-matched healthy subjects. Auditory evoked N1/P2 activity to tones of increasing intensity was studied using dipole source analysis. Contrary to the hypothesis, OCD patients and healthy controls did not differ in their LDAEPs of the tangential dipole in particular, located in the primary auditory cortex and closely related to central serotonergic activity. Furthermore, no significant correlation was found between the severity of obsessive-compulsive or depressive symptoms and the loudness dependence of AEPs. These findings do not support the hypothesis of a serotonergic dysfunction in OCD patients.

[Microbial sensitivity spectrum of framycetin. Comparison with the 1972 to 1993 resistance status]. / Untersuchungen zum Empfindlichkeitsspektrum von Framycetin. Vergleich der Resistenzsituation von 1972 bis 1993.

Framycetin was tested against a variety of isolates of grampositive and gramnegative bacteria. The in-vitro activity of Framycetin against Staphylococcus aureus, Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa as well as Pseudomonas fluorescens is today still favourable.