Brief alcohol intervention for general hospital inpatients: a randomized controlled trial.

Aim: To test the effectiveness of a brief alcohol intervention among non-dependent general hospital inpatients with alcohol problems, delivered by either a specialized liaison service or hospital physicians.

Method: All inpatients of 29 wards from four general hospitals of one region in Germany were screened for alcohol problems (n=14,332). Of those screening positive, 595 patients were included in a randomized controlled group design using a time-frame.

Psychometric properties of the 'Processes of Change' scale for alcohol misuse and its short form (POC-20).

Unlabelled: Regarding the processes of change, one of the core constructs of the transtheoretical model of intentional behavior change (TTM), extensive research has been done in the field of smoking. However, little is known about the processes of change for alcohol misuse and their measurement. This study's goals were to investigate the psychometric properties of the German Processes of Change (POC) scale and to refine a short version.

Salt sensitivity and insulin resistance in normotensives.

Among hypertensive patients salt sensitivity and insulin resistance are commonly observed together. We investigated if a causal relationship already exists in young normotensive adults. With a standardized dietary regimen we determined salt sensitivity in 35 male volunteers by measuring diastolic blood pressure (24-hours-RR-recording).

Effect of arterial chemoreceptor stimulation with almitrine bismesylate on plasma renin activity, aldosterone, ACTH and cortisol in anaesthetized, artificially ventilated cats.

1. Changes in plasma renin activity (PRA) and in the plasma concentration of aldosterone, adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) and cortisol in response to an intravenous infusion of the chemoreceptor stimulant almitrine bismesylate (0.2 mg/kg) were studied in two groups of anaesthetized, paralysed and constantly ventilated cats.