[Magnesium--a new therapeutic alternative in primary dysmenorrhea]. Short-term regular beta 2-adrenergic agonists treatment is safe in mild asthmatics taking low doses of inhaled steroids. Updating the clinical experience in endometriosis--the European perspective. beta(2)-adrenergic agonists and pelvic floor exercises for female stress incontinence. Effect of feedback letters to physicians and pharmacists on the appropriate use of medication in the treatment of asthma. The use of isoxsuprine in essential dysmenorrhea. A controlled clinical study. An attempt at real prophylaxis of primary dysmenorrhea: comparison between meclofenamate sodium and naproxen sodium. Effect of beta-adrenergic blockers on the peripheral circulation in patients with peripheral vascular disease. Betamethasone reduces postoperative pain and nausea after ambulatory surgery.
50 patients suffering from primary dysmenorrhoea were treated with Magnesium (Mg 5-longoral, Artesan GmbH) in a double-blind study. After a six-month period 21 out of 25 women showed a decline of symptoms, only 4 ones reported no therapeutical effect. For monitoring treatment results prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) was measured every second month. On Mg-therapy conditions we achieved a reduction of PGF2 alpha in menstrual blood to 45% of value before treatment started. As against that 90% of basic concentration were estimated from women who received a placebo. Probably, the specific therapeutical effect of Mg based on inhibition of biosynthesis of PGF2 alpha but also on its direct muscle relaxant and vasodilatory effect. Beside the PG-synthesis and ovulation inhibitors the use of Magnesium is a potential, natural opportunity to treat primary dysmenorrhoea, which is widely free of side effects. Regular treatment with beta 2-adrenergic agonists is controversial in bronchial asthma. To investigate whether beta 2-adrenergic agonists can be used safely if associated with low doses of inhaled steroids, for a short period, without a deterioration of asthma control, we have examined 24 mild asthmatics. In a parallel, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 1 week of run-in and run-out period framed 3 weeks of treatment. All patients received inhaled beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP 250 micrograms t.i.d.); after 1 week, 12 patients inhaled 400 micrograms of broxaterol and 12 patients received placebo t.i.d. FVC, FEV1, PD20-FEV1 methacholine, morning and evening PEF, and PEF amplitude % mean were measured before, during, and after treatment. No significant changes were noted in patients receiving inhaled broxaterol. There were no differences in symptoms and the use of rescue medication (salbutamol spray). We conclude that short-term regular treatment with beta 2-adrenergic agonists is not associated with a deterioration in asthma control in mild asthmatics inhaling low doses of steroids. In a large, double-blind, multicentre study, 269 patients with confirmed endometriosis were randomly allocated to receive either danazol (200 mg twice daily; n = 137) or gestrinone (2.5 mg twice weekly; n = 132) for 6 months. The two groups were comparable in terms of the staging of endometriosis by the American Fertility Society (1979) score. After the sixth month of treatment, repeat laparoscopy was performed. Clinical assessment, haematological and biochemical investigations were carried out during the 6 months of treatment and for a further 12 months' follow-up and are compared between the two groups. A total of 15 patients from the gestrinone group, including four patients with hirsutism, and 17 patients from the danazol group, including six patients with headache, withdrew because of adverse symptoms. An additional 22 patients, including 10 from the gestrinone group and 12 from the danazol group withdrew because of lack of efficacy, pregnancy, elevated hepatic function tests or for reasons unrelated to the trial. Total American Fertility Society scoring showed an improvement of 73.3% in 101 patients receiving gestrinone and 72.7% in 99 patients receiving danazol. The results showed a significant reduction in the severity of dysmenorrhoea by the third month in the danazol group and at 6 months in both groups. There was a significant (P < 0.001) increase in weight observed in both groups during treatment. Overall, the tolerability of danazol and gestrinone was good; however, significantly more patients with gestrinone complained of hirsutism while significantly more with danazol complained of leg cramps. During the 12 months of follow-up, mild, moderate or severe degrees of lower abdominal pain, dysmenorrhoea and deep dyspareunia all fluctuated, with no statistically significant increase in frequency in either group. We compared beta(2)-adrenergic agonist therapy with clenbuterol (DT) and physiological therapy (PT) in a randomized study to establish the first line therapy for stress incontinence (SI).
                The clinical efficacy of DT (group A), PT (group B), and a combination of DT and PT (group C) was investigated in 61 patients with SI by means of a 12-week randomized controlled study. The frequency and volume of SI and the patients' own impressions were used as the basis for the assessment of efficacy.
                The SI improvement rates in groups A, B, and C were 76.9, 52.6, and 89. 5%, respectively (P=0.0361). A significant therapeutic effect on the frequency of SI was observed in group B and group C at 2 weeks after the start of treatment (both P<0.05), and in all groups at 6 weeks (all P<0.01). The efficacy rates based on the patients' own impressions in groups A, B, and C were 84.6, 31.6, and 68.4%, respectively (P=0.0064).
                The beta(2)-adrenergic agonist appeared to be clinically useful as a drug of choice for SI. Suboptimal medication treatment of asthma has been reported. More specifically, short-acting beta 2-agonists are overused, while inhaled corticosteroids are underused. This can be related in part to poor adherence by patients to the prescribed regimen and to professionals' failure to comply with practice guidelines. Feedback seems to have an effect on professional practices related to medication use.
                To assess the impact of feedback letters to physicians and pharmacists on their patients' appropriate use of asthma medication.
                Two randomized trials were set up in the province of Quebec, Canada: one with physicians and another with pharmacists. A sample of voluntary physicians and pharmacists was randomly assigned to either the experimental group or to the control group. Those in the experimental groups received three consecutive feedback letters over a 9-month period summarizing the asthma medications acquired by their patients over the preceding year. The feedback focused on short-acting beta 2-agonists, long-acting beta 2-agonists and antileukotrienes and provided information on compliance with five appropriate-use criteria. Pharmacists received aggregate profiles and individual profiles with patients' names, while most physicians received aggregate profiles for all their eligible patients. Each mailing also included a pamphlet that summarized practice guidelines on asthma treatment.
                Seventy-one physicians and 60 pharmacists participated in the study. Physicians who received the feedback letters did not differ from those in the control group in terms of their proportion of prescriptions compliant with the criteria, either before the feedback or after it (p > 0.05). The before-after difference was also similar between groups. The same was true for pharmacists. However, although the before-after difference for criteria 1 (frequency of use of short-acting beta 2-agonists) and 2 (frequency of use of long-acting beta 2-agonists) did not reach the usual statistical significance threshold of 0.05, the p value was under 0.10.
                As designed in this study, feedback provided to physicians did not improve the appropriate use of asthma medication. However, feedback to pharmacists is promising, especially when including patients' names so that pharmacists can intervene more specifically. The "uterus-specific" beta-adrenoceptor stimulator isoxsuprine was used for the treatment of primary dysmenorrhea in a double-blind controlled clinical study. No significant beneficial effect of the drug was evident. Dysmenorrhea is a widespread phenomenon, affecting mainly young nulliparous women, often inducing difficulties in study or in work. Its pathogenesis involves a release of local vasoconstrictors like Prostaglandins and Leukotrienes. Modern therapy is based firstly on the administration of prostaglandin-Synthetase Inhibitors or Contraceptive Pills, with the aim of reducing the menstrual excess of pain inducing substances. In order to achieve more efficacy, on the basis of the already proven effectiveness of the Non Steroid Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAID)s in this field, we recently set out to prevent dysmenorrhea in a double-blind randomized study with Meclofenamate Sorium and Naproxen Sodium. Through the observation of the drop in Basal Body Temperature which usually precedes menstrual flow, we were able to instruct our patients in the earlier recognition of impending menstrual onset, leading to earlier prevention of Prostaglandin and Leukotriene release. Meclofenamate Sodium in particular led to considerable pain reduction, with very good patient compliance and without significant complications, probably of its additional receptor effect. Beta-Adrenergic blockers have not been widely used in patients with peripheral vascular disease because these drugs have been reported to worsen the symptoms of intermittent claudication. To test this assumption we studied the effects of a beta 1-selective and a nonselective beta-adrenergic blocker on postexercise calf blood flow and symptoms of claudication in 19 patients with mild-to-moderate peripheral vascular disease. Subjects received placebo for 3 weeks, and then were randomized to 120 mg/day propranolol or 150 mg/day metoprolol with the use of a crossover design. Blood flow in the calf was measured by strain-gauge plethysmography at rest and immediately after exercise on a bicycle ergometer at a low and a high workload. The symptoms of claudication were monitored during bicycle exercise and by patient diaries maintained between visits. Maximal exercise heart rate was reduced an equivalent amount by metoprolol (19 beats/min) and propranolol (16 beats/min). Mean arterial pressure was reduced by propranolol at rest and by both drugs with exercise. Calf blood flow was not affected by either drug compared with placebo at rest or at either workload. In addition, the symptoms of claudication were not worsened by either drug. We conclude that despite evidence of beta 1-adrenergic blockade and a lowering of arterial pressure, neither beta-adrenergic blocker adversely affected the peripheral circulation. The aims of this study were to evaluate the effects of a single-dose glucocorticoid on the incidence and severity of pain and nausea and vomiting (PONV) after ambulatory surgery. Seventy-eight ASA physical status I-III patients scheduled for hemorrhoidectomy or hallux valgus correction were studied using a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled protocol. One group received 12 mg of betamethasone i.m. 30 min before the start of surgery (Group B), whereas the placebo group (Group P) received saline. General anesthesia was induced with propofol and fentanyl and maintained with isoflurane in both groups. Pain (measured using a visual analog scale, verbal score, and analgesic requirements), PONV, and other side effects were evaluated postoperatively. Patients in Group B experienced significantly less postoperative pain, less PONV, and better patient satisfaction during the first 24 h after surgery. In conclusion, a single dose of betamethasone (12 mg) seemed to produce analgesic and antiemetic effects after day-case surgery. Implications: In a placebo-controlled study, the use of corticosteroid prophylaxis (betamethasone) produced a significant reduction in both postoperative pain and nausea in outpatients who received the corticosteroid injection before ambulatory foot or hemorrhoid operations.
The evidence presented in this review was based on a few relatively small-sized studies that were categorised to have unclear to high risk of bias, which does not allow confident decision-making at present about the use of beta2-adrenoceptor agonists for dysmenorrhoea. The benefits as reported in one study should be balanced against the wide array of unacceptable side effects documented with this class of medication. We have emphasised the lack of precision and limitations in the reported data where appropriate.