Antagonic-stress superiority versus meclofenoxate in gerontopsychiatry (alzheimer type dementia)

Nootropics as Cognitive Enhancers: Types, Dosage and Side Effects of Smart Drugs

Nootropics, also known as "smart drugs" are a diverse group of medicinal substances whose action improves human thinking, learning, and memory, especially in cases where these functions are impaired. This review provides an up-to-date overview of the potential effectiveness and importance of nootropics. Based on their nature and their effects, this heterogeneous group of drugs has been divided into four subgroups: classical nootropic compounds, substances increasing brain metabolism, cholinergic, and plants and their extracts with nootropic effects. Each subgroup of nootropics contains several main representatives, and for each one, its uses, indications, experimental treatments, dosage, and possible side effects and contraindications are discussed. For the nootropic plant extracts, there is also a brief description of each plant representative, its occurrence, history, and chemical composition of the medicinal part. Lastly, specific recommendations regarding the use of nootropics by both ill and healthy individuals are summarized.

Romanian psychiatric literature: analysis of accessibility and nature of Romanian psychiatric articles

BACKGROUND

Romania is a low-income country of 22 million people and, currently, information regarding mental health research is limited. Romania is one of the last countries in eastern Europe not to have its own bibliographic biomedical database.

AIM

To assess the content and quality of Romanian psychiatric research activity over time.

METHOD

EMBASE (1980 to April 2008), MEDLINE (1950 to April 2008) and PsycINFO (1806 to April 2008) were systematically searched for psychiatric articles originating from Romania. The sample from PsycINFO was described.

RESULTS

PsycINFO was by far the best source of Romanian mental health literature with a considerable increase in the publication activity since 2000 (PsycINFO identified 3236 hits, MEDLINE 549, EMBASE 139). Most papers are in English, but a sizeable minority are in Romanian (30%), French (4%) or Hungarian (4%). The main topics of interest are cognitive processes, creativity, schizophrenia and cognitive development and stress and are, according to PsycINFO's indexing, 'empirical studies'. Seventeen randomised trials were identified with all studies after 2000 being sponsored by industry.

CONCLUSIONS

Surprisingly, and not in keeping with other studies of the literature of neighbouring countries, PsycINFO is the major source of psychiatric bibliographic records of this region. There are signs of a resurgence of research activity in Romania and as the number of local mental health workers increases we can expect more output. Industry is now funding evaluative studies in Romania. As everywhere, but perhaps more acutely in situations of severely limited research support, there is a difficult balance to be struck between benefiting support and losing independence.

Resistance to neurodegenerative brain damage in August and Wistar rats

In Wistar and August rats characterized by different resistance to acute emotional stress we compared the resistance to neurodegenerative brain damage (model of Alzheimers disease) produced by administration of a neurotoxic peptide fragment (25-35) beta-amyloid into the brain. August rats were more resistant to acute stress and development of neurodegenerative disorders compared to Wistar rats. This conclusion was derived from studying animal behavior in conditioned passive avoidance task and open-field test that characterize cognitive function of the brain. Administration of beta-amyloid modulated the behavior of Wistar rats, which reflected the impairment of memory and orientation and exploratory activity in these animals. These disturbances in Wistar rats were accompanied by activation of lipid peroxidation in the hippocampus.

Prolongevity Medicine: Antagonic-Stress® Drug in Distress, Geriatrics, and Related Diseases. II. Clinical Review-2003

Distress and senescence, their reciprocal aggravating-quickening connections, and their related pathologies have a large worldwide impact on healthcare systems in this new millennium. For this reason, Antagonic-Stress (AS)--an advanced integrative therapy, with specific synergistic composition, and patented internationally--represents a significant strategy in health, aging, and longevity. Clinical research with AS proves the drug's efficacy in the management of distress (neurotic, stress-related, and affective disorders; behavioral syndromes associated with physiological disturbances and physical factors; mental and behavioral disorders due to psychoactive substance uses) and psychogeriatrics [organic, including symptomatic, mental disorders (OMD)]. Specific multiaxial psychopathological instruments and psychometric tests in multiple assessments used for gerontopsychiatry demonstrated strong improvements after AS administration in early-moderate stages of Alzheimer or vascular dementia, as well as in other OMD. In addition, comparative clinical studies evinced the superiority of AS (synergistic multitherapy) versus monotherapy [meclofenoxate (MF), piracetam (PA), pyritinol (PT), and nicergoline (NE), respectively]. These comparative clinical trials agreed closely with comparative preclinical research and confirmed AS synergistic homeostatic, adaptogenic, antioxidative, cerebrovascular, neurometabolic, and nootropic actions. Also, the AS protective actions against oxidative stress recommend this orthomolecular therapy in stress, aging, and free radical pathology.

An antistress and antiaging neurometabolic therapy. Accelerated lipofuscinolysis and stimulated anabolic regeneration by the antagonic-stress synergistic formula

In both stress and aging, an etiopathogenic analysis demonstrates in the brain some common mechanisms and reciprocal accelerating relationships: hypoanabolism (decrease of RNA and protein synthesis), coupled with hypercatabolism (increase of oxidative stress-lipid peroxidation, with waste product accumulation: lipofuscinage pigment and water-insoluble proteins). For therapeutical intervention in these antihomeostatic processes, we successively (1972-1992) developed a neurometabolic antioxidative therapy--finally represented by a specific antistress and antiaging synergistic formula, Antagonic-Stress. Its homeostatic actions have been demonstrated in the stressed aging brains by reestablishing the anabolism/catabolism balance: anabolic regeneration by increasing total RNA, total proteins and water-soluble proteins, coupled with catabolic regulation by accelerated lipofuscinolysis and age pigment elimination (neuronal-->glial-->capillary route) and decreasing of water-insoluble proteins. Specific, synergistic, and superior actions of Antagonic-Stress multiple formula vs. antistress and antiaging monotherapy have been demonstrated by preclinical and clinical studies, confirming our results.

Antagonic-stress. A new treatment in gerontopsychiatry and for a healthy productive life

A complex antiaging formula--Antagonic-Stress--was investigated vs. placebo (PL), meclofenoxate (MF)--neurometabolic nootropic and vs. nicergoline (NE)--cerebral vasodilator by comparative multiple trials (double-blind, randomized, and parallel) in gerontopsychiatry (DSM-III-R, 1987 and ICD-10, 1992 criteria). AS vs. PL studies in organic mental disorders--amnestic, depressive, anxiety, associated with axis III physical disorders or conditions, and in multiinfarct dementia were followed by AS vs. MF or NE investigations in senile dementia of Alzheimer's type. A total of 343 old people, distributed in 4 PL groups, 1 MF group, 1 NE group, and 5 AS groups were studied. Multiple investigations, before and after three-month treatments were made: psychometric evaluation by Sandoz Clinical Assessment-Geriatric, Self-Assessment Scale-Geriatric and their 5 subscales; psychopathological rating by Hamilton Depression and Anxiety Scales; as well as psychometric testing by digit symbol of WAIS, Wechsler Memory Scale and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS). Except PL, prolonged and large dose treatments with these cerebral activators (MF, NE and especially AS) reduced the psychogeriatric-psychopathological scores and the deterioration index, and improved cognitive performance. The therapeutical effectiveness of AS multiple formula in gerontopsychiatry and its superiority vs. monotherapy (MF or NE) are discussed in connection with its complex neurometabolic and synergetic composition, multiple antioxidative combinations, free radical scavengers, lipofuscinolytic agents, the antiischemic action of antioxidants, multivitamin and multimineral supplementation, and with the better efficacy of multitherapy vs. monotherapy in geriatrics.

Superiority of antagonic-stress composition versus nicergoline in gerontopsychiatry

Nicergoline (NE)--a cerebral vasodilator with nicotinic acid esterified in its molecule--and Antagonic-Stress (AS) composition--a neurometabolic nootropic, also containing nicotinic acid but with fast and prolonged release--were evaluated in senile dementia of Alzheimer's type (SDAT), mild to moderate intensity (DSM-IV Options Book, 1991 and ICD-10, 1990 criteria). A double-blind, randomized, comparative, and parallel clinical trial was performed on 62 old people divided into 2 groups and exclusively treated with NE or AS. Psychogeriatric evaluations (Sandoz Clinical Assessment-Geriatric scale, Self-Assessment Scale-Geriatric and their subscales) and psychometric tests (digit symbol of WAIS, Wechsler Memory Scale, and Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-WAIS) were made before and after 3 months of treatment. Prolonged and large dose treatments with NE and AS significantly decreased the psychogeriatric scores, diminished the deterioration index, and improved cognitive performances (ANOVA). Therapeutical effects of AS were significantly higher than those of NE (ANCOVA). The better actions of AS in senile dementia and for improving cognitive function and behavior are discussed in connection with its multiple neurometabolic composition, the synergism of components, the antiischemic action of its antioxidants, its anti-free radical complementary action (deceleration of the aging rate, brain and erythrocyte lipofuscinolysis, complex antioxidative and scavenger formula), the multivitamin and multimineral supplementation and, finally, with the superiority of multitherapy vs. monotherapy.