Mervin L. Clark

Effects of a single, large, intravenous iniection of dexamethasone

In a double‐blind study, 60 normal adult volunteers were infused with 2.0 mg. per kilogram of dexamethasone disodium phosphate or an equal amount of the diluent. The men and women receiving dexamethasone complained within 2 minutes of itching, burning, or tingling, all of which were most intense in the anogenital area, and which subsided within minutes. Prolonging the infusion time minimized or prevented this complaint.

Loxapine in Newly Admitted Chronic Schizophrenic Patients

The standard drug Stelazine (STEL), at a dose of 50 mg/day, exhibited therapeutic activity significantly different from placebo (PL) activity on several variables, most notably BPRS, attesting to the sensitivity of the experiment. On the other hand, the investigational drug, loxapine (LOX), in doses of 100 mg/day for four weeks, could be differentiated from PL as treatment in the described population on only one variable (NGI-Imp.) and one item of the BPRS. On several variables, positive trends were noted, but the differences from PL did not attain the critical values necessary for statistical significance at P smaller than 0.05. One might speculate that the relatively short duration of treatment in this study might account for the difference between these disappointing results and the more gratifying results of a previous loxapine study in chronic long-term institutionalized schizophrenics with the same oral dose.

Safety and efficacy of zinc sulfate in geriatric patients

Using a double‐blind design, 30 geriatric patients with the diagnosis of senile dementia were treated with zinc sulfate, 220 mg three times daily, or with an identical‐appearing placebo for 24 weeks. Diarrhea occurred in 6 of 16 zinc‐treated patients and in one of 14 placebo patients. In zinc‐treated patients, plasma zinc concentrations increased during the first 4 weeks of study and thereafter stabilized at approximately 150 µg/dl. Psychometric and behavioral evaluations did not demonstrate a statistically significant difference between placebo and zinc‐treated patients. Some behavioral tests did illdicate that zinc‐treated subjects deteriorated less rapidly thall concurrent placebo subjects.

Effects of mebutamate on the electroencephalographic sleep profile

This study evaluated the effect of mebutamate (600 mg) on the electroencephalographic sleep profile in 10 healthy, noninsomniac normal males. Placebo was administered on nights 1–4, mebutamate on nights 5–7, and placebo on nights 8 and 9. The results demonstrated that mebutamate significantly altered the electroencephalographic sleep profile. REM sleep was significantly depressed but was not associated with rebound. A low‐amplitude, high‐frequency (18–28 cps) beta rhythm emerged with the administration of mebutamate. There was a significant increase in stages 2 and 4 sleep patterns, the latter being in the range of 100%.