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Biomedical subjects

Rachel Manber

Publications and source records attributed to Rachel Manber.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Remission status in persistent depressive disorder following acute treatment with psychotherapy plus medication or medication alone: A 2-year naturalistic follow-up.

OBJECTIVE: Long-term benefits of acute-phase treatments for persistent depressive disorder (PDD) are unclear. Treatment guidelines disagree on the efficacy of cognitive behavioral analysis system of psychotherapy (CBASP). We examined whether acute CBASP protected against recurrence in PDD patients over two years of naturalistic follow-up. METHODS: An observational study evaluated major depressive episode (MDE) recurrences in patients completing the Research Evaluating the Value of Augmenting Medication with Psychotherapy (REVAMP) trial. Enrollees 18-75 years had PDD: current chronic MDE, recurrent MDEs with incomplete recovery, or double depression. All received open-label antidepressant medication (ADM) for 12 weeks. Non-remitters, continuing on ADM, were randomized (2:2:1) to 12 weeks of 1) CBASP, 2) brief supportive therapy (BSP), or 3) ADM alone (MEDS). Patients completing this 12-week randomized phase were offered two-year follow-up. Blinded raters assessed the primary outcome, remission status, using the Longitudinal Interval Follow-up Evaluation and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale at 3-month intervals. Analyses evaluated group differences and non-specific predictors of remission status. RESULTS: Of 323 participants entering follow-up, 203 (62.8%) met current MDE criteria during follow-up, without between-group differences: BSP: 83 (65.3%), CBASP: 85 (60.2%), MEDS: 35 (63.6%), Chi-square = 0.75; p = 0.69. Remission after acute treatment, lack of comorbid anxiety disorder, and female gender were significantly associated with lower recurrence risk. CONCLUSION: Similar to the acute phase outcomes, no group differences emerged over the 2-year follow-up, suggesting no long-term benefit of a 12-week CBASP treatment with ADM over other PDD treatments. Findings underscore the difficulty of PDD treatment and the importance of acute treatment remission. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00057551.

Antidepressant↗

Acupuncture for postmenopausal hot flashes.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether individually tailored acupuncture is an effective treatment option for reducing postmenopausal hot flashes and improving quality of life. METHODS: In a randomized, placebo-controlled pilot study, 29 postmenopausal participants averaging at least seven moderate to severe hot flashes per 24h, with a baseline estradiol concentration of less than 50 pg/mL and a normal TSH level, were randomized to receive 7 weeks (nine treatment sessions) of either active acupuncture or placebo acupuncture (placebo needles that did not penetrate the skin at sham acupuncture points). Participants recorded hot flashes in logs that were reported daily. Global indices of the severity and frequency of hot flashes were derived from the participants' daily logs. RESULTS: Participants receiving the active treatment had a greater reduction in hot flash severity (24.5+/-30.7%) compared to those receiving placebo (4.4+/-17.1%, P=0.042). Within group repeated measures analyses of variance revealed a significant reduction in hot flash severity in the active (P=0.042), but not in the placebo treatment group (P=0.15). Although there was no significant group difference in the reduction of hot flash frequency between the active (42.4+/-32.2%) and placebo groups (32.0+/-26.5%; P>or=0.352), within group repeated measures analyses of variance revealed that the reduction was statistically significant in both groups (P<or=0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Standardized, individually tailored acupuncture treatment was associated with significantly greater decrease in the severity, but not the frequency, of hot flashes, in symptomatic postmenopausal women when compared to placebo acupuncture of equal duration. Future, larger scale, studies are needed.

Acupuncture Therapy↗

Dropouts versus completers among chronically depressed outpatients.

BACKGROUND: Premature termination is common among patients treated for depression with either pharmacotherapy or psychotherapy. Yet little is known about factors associated with premature treatment termination among depressed patients. METHODS: This study examines predictors of, time to, and reasons for dropout from the 12-week acute phase treatment of nonpsychotic adult outpatients, age 18-75, with chronic major depression who were randomly assigned to nefazadone alone (MED), cognitive behavioral analysis system of psychotherapy alone (CBASP) or both treatments (COMB). RESULTS: Of 681 randomized study participants, 156 were defined as dropouts. Dropout rates were equivalent across the three treatments. Among dropouts, those in COMB remained in treatment (Mean=40 days) significantly longer than those in either MED (Mean=27 days) or CBASP (Mean=28 days). Dropouts attributed to medication side-effects were significantly lower in COMB than in MED, suggesting that the relationship with the psychotherapist may increase patient willingness to tolerate side-effects associated with antidepressant medications. Ethnic or racial minority status, younger age, lower income, and co-morbid anxiety disorders significantly predicted dropout in the full sample. Within treatments, differences between completers and dropouts in minority status and the prevalence of anxiety disorders were most pronounced in MED. Among those receiving CBASP, dropouts had significantly lower therapeutic alliance scores than completers. LIMITATIONS: The sample included only individuals with chronic depression. CONCLUSIONS: Predictors of dropout included baseline patient characteristics, but not early response to treatment. Ethnic and racial minorities and those with comorbid anxiety are at higher risk of premature termination, particularly in pharmacotherapy, and may require modified treatment strategies.

Adolescent↗

A randomized controlled pilot study of acupuncture for postmenopausal hot flashes: effect on nocturnal hot flashes and sleep quality.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effectiveness of acupuncture on postmenopausal nocturnal hot flashes and sleep. DESIGN: Prospective randomized placebo-controlled study. SETTING: Stanford University School of Medicine and private acupuncture offices. INTERVENTION(S): Active or placebo acupuncture was administered for nine sessions over seven weeks. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Severity and frequency of nocturnal hot flashes from daily diaries and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). PATIENT(S): Twenty-nine postmenopausal women experiencing at least seven moderate to severe hot flashes daily, with E(2) <18 pg/mL and FSH 30.0-110.0 IU/L. RESULT(S): Nocturnal hot-flash severity significantly decreased in the active acupuncture group (28%) compared with the placebo group (6%), P=.017. The frequency of nocturnal hot flashes also decreased in the active group (47%, P=.001), though it was not significantly different from the placebo group (24%, P=.170; effect size = 0.65). Treatment did not differentially influence sleep; however, correlations between improvements in PSQI and reductions in nocturnal hot flash severity and frequency were significant (P<.026). CONCLUSION(S): Acupuncture significantly reduced the severity of nocturnal hot flashes compared with placebo. Given the strength of correlations between improvements in sleep and reductions in nocturnal hot flashes, further exploration is merited.

Acupuncture Therapy↗

Acupuncture for depression: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy of acupuncture as an intervention for major depressive disorder (MDD). METHOD: Acupuncture was examined in 151 patients with MDD (DSM-IV) who were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 groups in a double-blind randomized controlled trial. The specific intervention involved Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)-style acupuncture with manual stimulation for depression; the control conditions consisted of (1) a nonspecific intervention using a comparable number of legitimate acupuncture points not specifically targeted to depressive symptoms and (2) a waitlist condition, which involved waiting without intervention for 8 weeks. After 8 weeks, all patients received the depression-specific acupuncture. Each 8-week intervention regimen consisted of 12 acupuncture sessions delivered in an acupuncturist's office in the community. The primary outcome measure was the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression. The study was conducted from February 1998 to April 2002. RESULTS: Twenty patients terminated treatment before the completion of the 8-week intervention (13%) but not differentially by study group. Random regression models of the intent-to-treat sample revealed that although patients receiving acupuncture improved more than those awaiting intervention, no evidence of differential efficacy of the depression-specific over nonspecific intervention was found. Response rates in acupuncture-treated patients were relatively low after 8 weeks (22% and 39% for specific and nonspecific intervention groups, respectively), with the response rate after the entire 16-week trial reaching 50%. CONCLUSION: Although TCM manual acupuncture is a well-tolerated intervention, results fail to support its efficacy as a monotherapy for MDD. It can't be ruled out that factors unique to the implementation of acupuncture in this research study may have limited the efficacy of interventions compared to those provided in naturalistic settings. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT00010517.

Acupuncture↗

Assessing insomnia severity in depression: comparison of depression rating scales and sleep diaries.

Depression and sleep researchers typically assess insomnia severity differently. Whereas depression researchers usually assess insomnia with items on depression symptom inventories, sleep researchers usually assess the subjective experience of insomnia with sleep diaries. The present manuscript utilizes baseline data from 397 participants in a large multi-site chronic depression study to assess agreement between these two methodologies. The results indicate that the early, middle, and late insomnia items of the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD(24)) and the Inventory of Depression Symptoms - Self Report (IDS-SR(30)) are highly correlated with the weekly mean values of time to sleep onset, time awake after sleep onset, and time awake prior to the planned wake-up obtained from prospective sleep diaries. Results also reveal significant correspondence between the weekly-mean of daily sleep efficiency, an accepted measure of sleep continuity (the ratio between reported time asleep and time in bed), and the insomnia scale scores of the HRSD(24) and the IDS-SR(30) (the mean score on the three insomnia items of each depression measure). Unit increments in HRSD(24) scores for early, middle and late insomnia were associated with significant increases in unwanted minutes awake for corresponding periods on sleep diaries. Similar relationships were found for early insomnia on the IDS-SR(30) but not for middle and late insomnia. Overall, with few exceptions, findings revealed substantial agreement between the HRSD(24), IDS-SR(30) and prospective sleep diary data. The study supports the validity of the sleep items and sleep subscales of the HRSD(24) and the IDS-SR(30) as global measures of insomnia severity in depression. Conventional sleep assessment procedures can complement depression scales by providing additional information about specific aspects of sleep in depression.

Adult↗

Chronic depression: medication (nefazodone) or psychotherapy (CBASP) is effective when the other is not.

CONTEXT: Although various strategies are available to manage nonresponders to an initial treatment for depression, no controlled trials address the utility of switching from an antidepressant medication to psychotherapy or vice versa. OBJECTIVE: To compare the responses of chronically depressed nonresponders to 12 weeks of treatment with either nefazodone or cognitive behavioral analysis system of psychotherapy (CBASP) who were crossed over to the alternate treatment (nefazodone, n = 79; CBASP, n = 61). DESIGN: Crossover trial. SETTING: Twelve academic outpatient psychiatric centers. PATIENTS: There were 140 outpatients with chronic major depressive disorder; 92 (65.7%) were female, 126 (90.0%) were white, and the mean age was 43.1 years. Thirty participants dropped out of the study prematurely, 22 in the nefazodone group and 8 in the CBASP group. INTERVENTIONS: Treatment lasted 12 weeks. The dosage of nefazodone was 100 to 600 mg/d; CBASP was provided twice weekly during weeks 1 through 4 and weekly thereafter. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The 24-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, administered by raters blinded to treatment, the Clinician Global Impressions-Severity scale, and the 30-item Inventory for Depressive Symptomatology-Self-Report. RESULTS: Analysis of the intent-to-treat sample revealed that both the switch from nefazodone to CBASP and the switch from from CBASP to nefazodone resulted in clinically and statistically significant improvements in symptoms. Neither the rates of response nor the rates of remission were significantly different when the groups of completers were compared. However, the switch to CBASP following nefazodone therapy was associated with significantly less attrition due to adverse events, which may explain the higher intent-to-treat response rate among those crossed over to CBASP (57% vs 42%). CONCLUSIONS: Among chronically depressed individuals, CBASP appears to be efficacious for nonresponders to nefazodone, and nefazodone appears to be effective for CBASP nonresponders. A switch from an antidepressant medication to psychotherapy or vice versa appears to be useful for nonresponders to the initial treatment.

Adult↗

Cognitive behavior therapy for chronic insomnia occurring within the context of medical and psychiatric disorders.

Insomnia is a pervasive problem for many patients suffering from medical and psychiatric conditions. Even when the comorbid disorders are successfully treated, insomnia often fails to remit. In addition to compromising quality of life, untreated insomnia may also aggravate and complicate recovery from the comorbid disease. Cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) has an established efficacy for primary insomnia, but less is known about its efficacy for insomnia occurring in the context of medical and psychiatric conditions. The purpose of this article is to present a rationale for using CBT-I in medical and psychiatric disorders, review the extant outcome literature, highlight considerations for adapting CBT-I procedures in specific populations, and suggest directions for future research. Outcome studies were identified for CBT-I in mixed medical and psychiatric conditions, cancer, chronic pain, HIV, depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and alcoholism. Other disorders discussed include: bipolar disorder, eating disorders, generalized anxiety, and obsessive compulsive disorder. The available data demonstrate moderate to large treatment effects (Cohen's d, range=0.35-2.2) and indicate that CBT-I is a promising treatment for individuals with medical and psychiatric comorbidity. Although the literature reviewed here is limited by a paucity of randomized, controlled studies, the available data suggest that by improving sleep, CBT-I might also indirectly improve medical and psychological endpoints. This review underscores the need for future research to test the efficacy of adaptations of CBT-I to disease specific conditions and symptoms.

Chronic Disease↗

Self-reported depressive symptom measures: sensitivity to detecting change in a randomized, controlled trial of chronically depressed, nonpsychotic outpatients.

This study evaluated and compared the performance of three self-report measures: (1) 30-item Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self-Report (IDS-SR30); (2) 16-item Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self-Report (QIDS-SR16); and (3) Patient Global Impression-Improvement (PGI-I) in assessing clinical outcomes in depressed patients during a 12-week, acute phase, randomized, controlled trial comparing nefazodone, cognitive-behavioral analysis system of psychotherapy (CBASP), and the combination in the treatment of chronic depression. The IDS-SR30, QIDS-SR16, PGI-I, and the 24-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS24) ratings were collected at baseline and at weeks 1-4, 6, 8, 10, and 12. Response was defined a priori as a > or =50% reduction in baseline total score for the IDS-SR30 or for the QIDS-SR16 or as a PGI-I score of 1 or 2 at exit. Overall response rates (LOCF) to nefazodone were 41% (IDS-SR30), 45% (QIDS-SR16), 53% (PCI-I), and 47% (HDRS17). For CBASP, response rates were 41% (IDS-SR30), 45% (QIDS-SR16), 48% (PGI-I), and 46% (HDRS17). For the combination, response rates were 68% (IDS-SR30 and QIDS-SR16), 73% (PGI-I), and 76% (HDRS17). Similarly, remission rates were comparable for nefazodone (IDS-SR30=32%, QIDS-SR16=28%, PGI-I=22%, HDRS17=30%), for CBASP (IDS-SR30=32%, QIDS-SR16=30%, PGI-I=21%, HDRS17=32%), and for the combination (IDS-SR30=52%, QIDS-SR16=50%, PGI-I=25%, HDRS17=49%). Both the IDS-SR30 and QIDS-SR16 closely mirrored and confirmed findings based on the HDRS24. These findings raise the possibility that these two self-reports could provide cost- and time-efficient substitutes for clinician ratings in treatment trials of outpatients with nonpsychotic MDD without cognitive impairment. Global patient ratings such as the PGI-I, as opposed to specific item-based ratings, provide less valid findings.

Adolescent↗

Acupuncture: a promising treatment for depression during pregnancy.

BACKGROUND: Few medically acceptable treatments for depression during pregnancy are available. The aim of this randomized controlled pilot study was to determine whether acupuncture holds promise as a treatment for depression during pregnancy. METHODS: Sixty-one pregnant women with major depressive disorder and a 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD17) score >or=14 were randomly assigned to one of three treatments, delivered over 8 weeks: an active acupuncture (SPEC, N=20), an active control acupuncture (NSPEC, N=21), and massage (MSSG, N=20). Acupuncture treatments were standardized, but individually tailored, and were provided in a double-blind fashion. Responders to acute phase treatment (HRSD17 score<14 and >or=50% reduction from baseline) continued the treatment they were initially randomized to until 10 weeks postpartum. RESULTS: Response rates at the end of the acute phase were statistically significantly higher for SPEC (69%) than for MSSG (32%), with an intermediate NSPEC response rate (47%). The SPEC group also exhibited a significantly higher average rate of reduction in BDI scores from baseline to the end of the first month of treatment than the MSSG group. Responders to the acute phase of all treatments combined had significantly lower depression scores at 10 weeks postpartum than nonresponders. LIMITATIONS: Generalizability is limited by the small sample and its relative homogeneity. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture holds promise for the treatment of depression during pregnancy.

Acupuncture Therapy↗

Cognitive-behavioral analysis system of psychotherapy as a maintenance treatment for chronic depression.

Although the efficacy of maintenance pharmacotherapy for the prevention of recurrence in major depressive disorder (MDD) is well documented, few studies have tested the efficacy of psychotherapy as a maintenance treatment. The authors examined the efficacy of the cognitive-behavioral analysis system of psychotherapy (CBASP) as a maintenance treatment for chronic forms of MDD. Eighty-two patients who had responded to acute and continuation phase CBASP were randomized to monthly CBASP or assessment only for 1 year. Significantly fewer patients in the CBASP than assessment only condition experienced a recurrence. The 2 conditions also differed significantly on change in depressive symptoms over time. These findings support the use of CBASP as a maintenance treatment for chronic forms of MDD.

Adolescent↗

Management of bipolar disorder during pregnancy and the postpartum period.

OBJECTIVE: Bipolar disorder affects 0.5%-1.5% of individuals in the United States. The typical age at onset is late adolescence or early adulthood, placing women at risk for episodes throughout their reproductive years. General guidelines for the treatment of bipolar disorder are available from the American Psychiatric Association, but additional issues arise when these guidelines are applied in the treatment of peripartum women. The authors summarize knowledge regarding the management of bipolar disorder during pregnancy and the postpartum period, with a focus on managing mania, hypomania, and the psychotic components of the illness. METHOD: An expert panel reviewed articles that address the management of bipolar disorder and the consequences of the use of mood stabilizers during pregnancy, and a consensus document was generated. RESULTS: The treatment of bipolar disorder in pregnant women involves significant challenges. Some mood stabilizers, e.g., sodium valproate and carbamazepine, are human teratogens. On the other hand, the teratogenicity associated with lithium may have been overestimated in the past. CONCLUSIONS: Since treatment can be managed most effectively if pregnancy is planned, clinicians should discuss the issue of pregnancy and its management with every bipolar disorder patient who has childbearing potential, regardless of future reproductive plans. Additional research should address the risks of disturbed sleep to pregnant and postpartum women with bipolar disorder, as well as structural and behavioral consequences to offspring when mood stabilizers are used during pregnancy. Longitudinal and cohort studies can promote these efforts. Given the rate of bipolar disorder in the general population, research efforts will need to be broad based and include multiple collaborating centers.

Adolescent↗

Randomized, placebo-controlled trial of nefazodone maintenance treatment in preventing recurrence in chronic depression.

BACKGROUND: Maintenance treatment to prevent recurrences is recommended for chronic forms of major depressive disorder (MDD), but few studies have examined maintenance efficacy of antidepressants with chronic MDD. This randomized, placebo-controlled study of the efficacy and safety of nefazodone in preventing recurrence was conducted for patients with chronic MDD. METHODS: A total of 165 outpatients with chronic, nonpsychotic MDD, MDD plus dysthymic disorder ("double-depression"), or recurrent MDD with incomplete inter-episode recovery, who achieved and maintained a clinical response during acute and continuation treatment with either nefazodone alone or nefazodone combined with psychotherapy, were randomized to 52 weeks of double-blind nefazodone (maximum dose 600 mg/day) or placebo. The occurrence of major depressive episodes during maintenance treatment was assessed with the 24-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, a DSM-IV MDD checklist, and a blinded review of symptom exacerbations by a consensus committee of research clinicians. RESULTS: Application of a competing-risk model that estimated the conditional probability of recurrence among those patients remaining on active therapy revealed a significant (p =.043) difference between nefazodone (n = 76) and placebo (n = 74) when the latter part of the 1-year maintenance period was emphasized. At the end of 1 year, the conditional probability of recurrence was 30.3% for nefazodone-treated patients, compared with 47.5% for placebo-treated patients. Prior concomitant psychotherapy during acute/continuation treatment, although enhancing the initial response, was not associated with lower recurrence rates. Discontinuations due to adverse events were relatively low for both nefazodone (5.3%) and placebo (4.8%). Somnolence was significantly greater among the patients taking active medication (15.4%), compared with placebo (4.6%). CONCLUSIONS: Nefazodone is well-tolerated and is an effective maintenance therapy for chronic forms of MDD.

Acute Disease↗

The 16-Item Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS), clinician rating (QIDS-C), and self-report (QIDS-SR): a psychometric evaluation in patients with chronic major depression.

The 16-item Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS), a new measure of depressive symptom severity derived from the 30-item Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (IDS), is available in both self-report (QIDS-SR(16)) and clinician-rated (QIDS-C(16)) formats. This report evaluates and compares the psychometric properties of the QIDS-SR(16) in relation to the IDS-SR(30) and the 24-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D(24)) in 596 adult outpatients treated for chronic nonpsychotic, major depressive disorder. Internal consistency was high for the QIDS-SR(16) (Cronbach's alpha =.86), the IDS-SR(30) (Cronbach's alpha =.92), and the HAM-D(24) (Cronbach's alpha =.88). QIDS-SR(16) total scores were highly correlated with IDS-SR(30) (.96) and HAM-D(24) (.86) total scores. Item-total correlations revealed that several similar items were highly correlated with both QIDS-SR(16) and IDS-SR(30) total scores. Roughly 1.3 times the QIDS-SR(16) total score is predictive of the HAM-D(17) (17-item version of the HAM-D) total score. The QIDS-SR(16) was as sensitive to symptom change as the IDS-SR(30) and HAM-D(24), indicating high concurrent validity for all three scales. The QIDS-SR(16) has highly acceptable psychometric properties, which supports the usefulness of this brief rating of depressive symptom severity in both clinical and research settings.

Adolescent↗

The effects of psychotherapy, nefazodone, and their combination on subjective assessment of disturbed sleep in chronic depression.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the study was to compare the effects of psychotherapy, nefazodone, and their combination on subjective measures of sleep in patients with chronic forms of major depression. DESIGN: Participants were randomized to receive 12 weeks of treatment with one of the three interventions. SETTING: The study was conducted in parallel at 12 academic institutions and was approved by the Human Subjects Committee at each site. PARTICIPANTS: 484 adult outpatients (65.29% female) who met DSM-IV criteria for one of three chronic forms of major depression. INTERVENTIONS: Psychotherapy (16-20 sessions) was provided by certified therapists following a standardized treatment manual for Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy (CBASP), a variant of cognitive psychotherapy developed for chronic depression. Pharmacotherapy consisted of open-label nefazodone, 300-600 mg per day in two divided doses prescribed by psychiatrists. The clinical management visits were limited to 15-20 minutes and followed a standardized protocol. Combination treatment consisted of both therapies. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Depression outcome was determined by the 24-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and the 30-item Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology-Self Rating. Sleep outcome was measured prospectively with daily sleep diaries that were completed a week prior to HRSD assessments at baseline and after 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, and 12 weeks of treatment. Although nefazodone alone and CBASP alone had comparable impact on global measures of depression outcome, only monotherapy with nefazodone improved early morning awakening and total sleep time. Significant improvements in sleep quality, time awake after sleep onset, latency to sleep onset, and sleep efficiency were present in each of the three treatment groups. These improvements, however, occurred earlier in the course of treatment for participants receiving nefazodone, alone or in combination with CBASP. CONCLUSIONS: Nefazodone therapy may have a direct impact on disturbed sleep associated with depression beyond what would be expected if the improvements were all a consequence of improved depression.

Adolescent↗

The effects of hormone replacement therapy on sleep-disordered breathing in postmenopausal women: a pilot study.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of estrogen and estrogen plus progesterone hormone-replacement therapy (HRT) on mild-to-moderate sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in postmenopausal women. DESIGN AND SETTING: Within-subjects, progesterone placebo-controlled prospective HRT trial in a clinical laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: Six postmenopausal women, diagnosed with mild-moderate SDB. INTERVENTION: Transdermal estradiol and oral micronized progesterone. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Subjects underwent polysomnography (PSG) on four occasions: a screening/adaptation night; a baseline night on no HRT; and two nights on HRT: one night after 7 to 12 days on estrogen plus placebo followed by a second night after 7-13 days on estrogen plus progesterone. The PSG was performed with a Sandman computerized PSG system using a standard clinical montage. Modified sleep diaries were used in the baseline week and throughout the study period. Mood was measured with the 20-item version of the Positive and Negalive Affect Schedule (PANAS). Estrogen monotherapy was associated with a significant reduction in the overall apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) (from a mean of 22.7 events per hour at baseline to a mean of 12.2 events per hour), but the AHI reduction on estradiol plus progesterone relative to baseline was not statistically significant (AHI=16.2 events per hour). Similar results were found for the percentages of total sleep time and of total non-rapid eye movement sleep time with oxygen saturation less than 90%. Estrogen, neither alone nor in combination with progesterone, significantly altered PSG- or diary-based measures of total sleep time, time to sleep onset, or time awake after sleep onset. CONCLUSIONS: While the data are preliminary and based on a small number of subjects, estrogen appeared to have a substantial beneficial effect on measures of SDB in postmenopausal women. Overall, no additional benefit was seen with the addition of progesterone. In fact, progesterone attenuated the beneficial effects of estrogen in 4 out of the 6 participants.

Administration, Oral↗

Therapeutic reactance as a predictor of outcome in the treatment of chronic depression.

This study examined whether reactance would negatively influence treatment outcome in 347 patients diagnosed with chronic forms of depression and treated at 9 sites with either Nefazodone, cognitive-behavioral analysis system of psychotherapy (CBASP), or combination therapy. Contrary to our hypotheses, reactance positively predicted treatment outcome in CBASP on 2 of 4 scales. These effects were independent of the therapeutic alliance, which also positively predicted outcome. Reactance did not predict outcome in the groups receiving medication alone or in combination with CBASP. The findings suggest that reactance may be an asset in psychotherapy among chronically depressed individuals and that reactant patients can benefit from directive psychotherapy when therapists flexibly respond to perturbations in the therapeutic relationship. Results support the importance of Aptitude * Treatment interactions in psychotherapy outcome. The direction and significance of such interactions may vary with different forms of psychopathology.

Adult↗