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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Christmas gingerbread (Lebkuchen) and Christmas cheer--review of the potential role of mood elevating amphetamine-like compounds formed in vivo and in furno.

The typical spices used in winter include nutmeg, cinnamon, clove and anise. These spices contain two groups of chemicals, the allylbenzenes and their isomers, the propenylbenzenes. It was suggested 40 years ago by Alexander Shulgin that these substances act as metabolic precursors of amphetamines. The biotransformation of these precursors to nitrogen-containing metabolites is reviewed. These reactions have not been reported in humans. Whether or not the pharmacology and toxicology of spices such as nutmeg can be explained on the basis of their allylbenzene or propenylbenzene content is speculative. Humans may be exposed to amphetamines derived from these precursors in forno, the formation during baking and cooking, for example in the preparation of Lebkuchen, or Christmas gingerbread. It is possible that this may be responsible, in part, for uplifting our mood in winter. However, the role of these aromatic substances, acting simply as odours, evoking old memories of winters past, cannot be ignored. Whether spices have a true pharmacological effect or they act as aromatherapy remains to be elucidated through clinical and laboratory studies.

Affect↗
PubMed1999

The carvedilol hibernation reversible ischaemia trial; marker of success (CHRISTMAS). The CHRISTMAS Study Steering Committee and Investigators.

BACKGROUND: Carvedilol improves left ventricular (LV) function when heart failure is due to LV systolic dysfunction, but the magnitude of the response is heterogeneous among patients with coronary disease, possibly reflecting the presence or volume of hibernating myocardium. AIMS: The primary objective of the study is to determine whether the presence of hibernating myocardium predicts the magnitude of improvement in LV ejection fraction in response to carvedilol among patients with heart failure and LV systolic dysfunction due to coronary disease. METHODS: The study is a prospective, randomised, parallel-group, double-blind, multi-centre study comparing carvedilol and placebo over a period of approximately 6 months in the above patient population. The primary end-point is the comparison of the mean change, from baseline to the final visit, in radionuclide-determined LV ejection fraction among patients on placebo with those on carvedilol stratified according to the presence of hibernating myocardium. Hibernating status will be determined by a combination of echocardiographic and myocardial perfusion (technetium-99m sestamibi) imaging. RESULTS: 255 patients have undergone screening tests of which 207 have been randomised so far. The study intends to randomise 400 patients and the first report of results is expected in 2000. CONCLUSIONS: As far as we are aware this is the first randomised controlled trial to investigate the effects of treatment in patients stratified according to the presence of hibernating myocardium. The study will provide insights into the prevalence of myocardial hibernation, its natural history, and its influence on prognosis as well as the interaction between the presence of hibernating myocardium and the effects of treatment with carvedilol.

Adrenergic beta-Antagonists↗