OBJECTIVE: To determine the therapeutic effects of two selective GABA-A agonists, zopiclone and eszopiclone, in the treatment of insomnia. METHODS: This study comprised a phase III, single-center, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, parallel-group, non-inferiority trial. Patients were randomized to receive zopiclone 7.5 mg or eszopiclone 3 mg, both orally, for four weeks. In total, 199 patients were evaluated during two visits and then followed for at least six weeks. The primary endpoint was the Insomnia Severity Index after four weeks of treatment. Secondary endpoints were obtained through polysomnography data, including total sleep time, sleep latency and sleep efficiency. The frequency of adverse events was also analyzed. ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01100164. RESULTS: The primary efficacy analysis demonstrated the non-inferiority of eszopiclone over zopiclone. Analysis of objective parameters assessed by polysomnography showed that eszopiclone increased total sleep time and also improved sleep efficiency. The safety profile of both study treatments was similar and the most common events reported in both groups were dysgeusia, headache, dizziness, irritability and nausea. Adverse events were observed in 223 patients, 109 (85.2%) in the eszopiclone group and 114 (87.7%) in the zopiclone group. CONCLUSION: Based on the Insomnia Severity Index at the end of four weeks of treatment, eszopiclone demonstrated efficacy comparable to that of zopiclone in the treatment of insomnia, increasing total sleep time as well as sleep efficiency according to polysomnography.

OBJETIVO: Determinar a taxa de mortalidade de pacientes com DPOC e avaliar o estado funcional dos sobreviventes dois anos após a alta da UTI. MÉTODOS: Estudo de coorte prospectiva realizada nas UTIs de dois hospitais na cidade de Porto Alegre (RS) com pacientes com exacerbação aguda de DPOC e internados em UTI entre julho de 2005 e julho de 2006. Dois anos após a alta, os sobreviventes foram entrevistados via telefone. Os dados obtidos foram utilizados na determinação dos escores da escala de Karnofsky e de uma escala de atividades de vida diária (AVD). RESULTADOS: Foram incluídos 231 pacientes. A mortalidade hospitalar foi de 37,7% e a mortalidade extra-hospitalar foi de 30,3%. Dos 74 sobreviventes, foram entrevistados 66 (89%). A média de idade dos pacientes no momento da internação na UTI era de 74 ± 10 anos e a do escore Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II era de 18 ± 7. Tinham duas ou mais comorbidades 87,8% dos pacientes. Dos 66 entrevistados, 57 (86,3%) viviam em suas casas, 58 (87,8%) eram capazes de realizar seu autocuidado, 12 (18,1%) utilizavam oxigenoterapia, e 4 (6,1%) necessitavam suporte ventilatório. Houve uma significante redução na qualidade de vida e na autonomia, segundo os escores da escala de Karnofsky (85 ± 9 vs. 79 ± 11; p = 0,03) e de AVD (29 ± 5 vs. 25 ± 7; p = 0,01), respectivamente. CONCLUSÕES: A mortalidade desta amostra de pacientes foi muito elevada nos primeiros dois anos. Embora houvesse evidente redução do estado funcional dos sobreviventes, os mesmos preservaram a capacidade de realizar seu autocuidado

OBJECTIVE: To assess ICU patients with COPD, in terms of in-hospital characteristics, two-year mortality and two-year functional status of survivors. METHODS: A prospective cohort study involving patients with acute exacerbation of COPD admitted to the ICUs of two hospitals in the city of Porto Alegre, Brazil, between July of 2005 and July of 2006. At two years after discharge, survivors were interviewed by telephone in order to determine Karnofsky scores and scores on a scale regarding activities of daily living (ADL). RESULTS: The sample comprised 231 patients. In-hospital mortality was 37.7%, and two-year post-discharge mortality was 30.3%. Of the 74 survivors, 66 were interviewed (89%). The mean age at ICU admission was 74 ± 10 years, and the mean Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation II score was 18 ± 7. Two or more comorbidities were present in 87.8% of the patients. Of the 66 interviewees, 57 (86.3%) lived at home, 58 (87.8%) were self-sufficient, 12 (18.1%) required oxygen therapy, and 4 (6.1%) still required ventilatory support. There was a significant reduction in the quality of life and autonomy of the survivors, as evidenced by the Karnofsky scores (85 ± 9 vs. 79 ± 11, p = 0.03) and ADL scale scores (29 ± 5 vs. 25 ± 7; p = 0.01), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: In this patient sample, two-year mortality was quite high. Although there was a noticeable reduction in the functional status of the survivors, they remained self-sufficient

INTRODUÇÃO: No século XX, as mulheres vivenciaram inúmeras transformações e alcançaram uma participação mais ativa na sociedade.O estudo visa descrever o perfil da clientela feminina, admitida em um serviço de internação psiquiátrica com as transformações históricas, sociais e demográficas.Oferece um retrato comparativo das condições epidemológicas existentes no decorrer da série histórica e os aspectos do meio da condição sociocultural das mulheres do estado. MATERIAIS E MÉTODOS: Estudo epidemiológico descritivo, longitudinal, tipo série histórica de dados, baseado na coleta de dados efetuada no serviço de arquivo médico e de estatísticas de um hospital. Foram analisadas as seguintes variáveis: idade, estado civil, cor, setor profissional, ocupação, classe social e diagnóstico psiquiátrico, todos padronizados conforme os critérios da Classificação Internacional de Doenças, edições 9 e 10. Para identificação dos casos, utilizaram-se todas as primeiras internações de mulheres. RESULTADOS: No decorrer de 70 anos, obteve-se um total de 9.629 indivíduos/casos. Observou-se o predomínio de mulheres na faixa etária de 26 a 45 anos (47,9%), brancas (91,3%), pertencentes ao subproletariado (86,8%), fora da população economicamente ativa (96,7%) e com diagnóstico de transtornos afetivos (28,6%) e psicoses esquizofrênicas (25,2%). Quanto ao estado civil, verificou-se maior presença de mulheres casadas (44,9%). Todavia, na década de 90, as mulheres solteiras representaram 54,4%, enquanto que as casadas perfizeram 39,7% das pacientes. CONCLUSÃO: Foram detectadas mudanças significativas nos motivos para admissão de mulheres nos últimos anos. Sugere-se que as variações tenham sido influenciadas pelos determinantes biológicos das doenças mentais graves e, também de maneira significativa, pelas pressões sociais advindas do novo papel da mulher na sociedade.

INTRODUCTION: Along the 20th century, women underwent numerous changes and reached a more active participation in society. This study aims at describing the profile of the female patients admitted to a service of psychiatric hospitalization from May 1931 to December 2000. In addition, it relates the profile of psychiatric morbidity with the historical, social and demographic changes. It also offers a comparison between the epidemiological conditions throughout the historical series and the aspects regarding the environment and the sociocultural status of women from a Southern Brazilian state. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Descriptive, longitudinal, epidemiological study including historical data and based on data collected from the medical files and statistics of a hospital. The following variables were assessed: age, marital status, race, professional area, occupation, social class and psychiatric diagnosis, all standardized according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9 and ICD-10) criteria. To identify the cases, all first hospitalizations of women were used. RESULTS: Along 70 years, a total of 9,629 individuals/cases was obtained. There was a predominance of women in the age group between 26-45 years (47.9%), white (91.3%), belonging to the subproletariat (86.8%), not belonging to the economically active part of the population (96.7%) and with diagnosis of affective disorders (28.6%) and schizophrenic psychoses (25.2%). With regard to marital status, married women were prevalent (44.9%). However, in the 1990's, single women represented 54.4%, whereas married women accounted for 39.7% of the patients. CONCLUSION: Significant changes were detected in the reasons for admitting women to psychiatric services over the past years. It is suggested that the variations might have been influenced by biological determinants of severe mental diseases, and especially by the social pressure resulting from the new role of women in society.