This paper considers an index to assess the success of blinding with application to a clinical trial of disulfiram. The index increases as the success of blinding increases, accounts for uncertain responses, and is scaled to an interval of 0.0 to 1.0, 0.0 being complete lack of blinding and 1.0 being complete blinding.
The authors evaluated whether self-hypnotic relaxation can reduce the need for intravenous conscious sedation during interventional radiological procedures. Sixteen patients were randomized to a test group, and 14 patients were randomized to a control group. All had patient-controlled analgesia. Test patients additionally had self-hypnotic relaxation and underwent a Hypnotic Induction Profile test. Compared to controls, test patients used less drugs (0.28 vs. 2.01 drug units; p < .01) and reported less pain (median pain rating 2 vs. 5 on a 0-10 scale; p < .01). Significantly more control patients exhibited oxygen desaturation and/or needed interruptions of their procedures for hemodynamic instability. Benefit did not correlate with hypnotizability. Self-hypnotic relaxation can reduce drug use and improve procedural safety.
This study investigated the prevalence of gingival hyperplasia in subjects who were undergoing treatment with a calcium channel blocker, nifedipine, in dentate and edentulous subjects. In addition, the relationship between gingival hyperplasia and 5 other variables (duration of nifedipine intake, dose, age, oral hygiene index, and number of teeth) was investigated. Results of statistical analyses showed overwhelming evidence that the percent of nifedipine subjects with gingival hyperplasia was greater than that of the control subjects (P < 0.05) and that, across treatment group, the percent of dentate subjects with hyperplasia was significantly higher than that for edentulous subjects (P < 0.05). The χ2 test showed a strong univariate relationship between gingival hyperplasia and, separately, oral hygiene and number of teeth. For 24% of the subjects with gingival hyperplasia index (GHI) values of 2 or 3, gingivectomy was performed, and the tissues were prepared for histological examination. Microscopic examination of the biopsy material showed findings similar to those from previously reported cases of nifedipine‐ or phenytoin‐induced hyperplasia. J Periodontol 1995;66:572–578.
The validity of self-report in alcoholism treatment research is controversial. Our recently completed Veterans Administration Cooperative Study evaluating the efficacy of disulfiram treatment for alcoholism provided an opportunity to assess the validity of self-report. To assess treatment response, patients and household contacts were interviewed at seven scheduled points during the 1 year of follow-up. Blood specimens also were obtained from the patients at these times and were analyzed for ethanol. Eighty-eight percent of the patient and/or collateral interviews were obtained at 6 months and 90% at 1 year. The mean number of blood and urine specimens collected per patient was 4.3 and 14.4, respectively. Outcome criteria included continuous abstinence during the year and total number of drinking days. Continuous abstinence: If we had had only the patients' self reports, we would have significantly underestimated the percentage of men who drank. By self-report 58.7% (355/605) relapsed whereas the combination of self report, collaterals' reports, and laboratory tests indicated that 72.4% (438/605) drank (p less than 0.001). Using Bayes' theorem, the conditional probability that a patient is continuously abstinent for 1 year when he so claims is 65%. Total drinking days: Of the 213 patient-collateral pairs each of whom provided all seven scheduled interviews, 46.9% (100/213) agreed on the total number of drinking days during the year.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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