M e t h o d s Data sources: MEDLINE, EMBASE/Excerpta Medica, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and PsycLIT (1966 to 2003); bibliographies of published reviews; and 3 manufacturers of sedative–hypnotics (unpublished studies). Study selection and assessment: English-language randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared treatment with sedative–hypnotics (prescription or over-the...

The aim of the current national survey of all general practitioners (GPs) practising in Norway was to explore assessment, treatment practice and perceived efficacy of treatment of sleep problems in general practice. A short questionnaire, including self-report measures of the frequency and routines of treatment and assessment of sleep problems, was sent to all 4049 GPs in Norway, of whom 1465 (...

Driving under the influence of prescribed or illegal drugs increases the risk of having road accidents, just like driving under the influence of alcohol. In forensic toxicology, an increasing number of blood samples must be analyzed for drugs. Immunoassays tailored for a limited number of drugs (of abuse) are usually applied as prescreening tests at the roadside and/or in the laboratory. Howeve...

Due to growing interest in management of central airway obstruction, rigid bronchoscopy is undergoing a resurgence in popularity among pulmonologists. Performing rigid bronchoscopy requires use of deep sedation or general anesthesia to achieve adequate patient comfort, whereas maintaining oxygenation and ventilation via an uncuffed and often open rigid bronchoscope requires use of ventilation s...

Sleep disorders are not uncommon and have been widely reported throughout the world. They have a profound impact on industrialized 24-h societies. Consequences of these problems include impaired social and recreational activities, increased human errors, loss of productivity, and elevated risk of accidents. Conditions such as acute and chronic insomnia, sleep loss, excessive sleepiness, shift-w...

BACKGROUND The rate of severe cutaneous adverse drug reactions is low, and these reactions can result in death or disability. An evidence-based epidemiological study of severe cutaneous adverse drug reactions in China has not been reported. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to analyze epidemiology and characteristics of severe cutaneous adverse drug reactions of Chinese inpatients during th...

Many years ago now the benzodiaze-pines began to replace the barbiturates, but, when we think about this change and remember that the barbiturates were probably being used in unnecessarily high doses, the therapeutic advantage of the benzodiaze-pines may not have been so great as it appeared at the time. The major advance was that of increased safety in overdosage. Initially, the benzodiazepine...