Effects of a yeast-based dietary supplementation on premenstrual syndrome. A double-blind placebo-controlled study.

A dietary approach has proven to be effective in alleviating symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. In our previous studies, magnesium improved premenstrual irritability and mood scoings. In this double-blind, placebo-controlled study, we evaluated the effects of a new dietetic preparation (Sillix Donna, Giuliani) in 40 patients affected by mild to moderate premenstrual syndrome. Premenstrual symptoms were scored in both follicular and luteal phases, at baseline, at 2nd, 4th and 6th month of treatment by using the Menstrual Distress Questionnaire (MDQ). Twenty patients were randomised to receive the active preparation and 20 placebo. MDQ scores at baseline were similar in the two groups. Five patients of the placebo group dropped out because of treatment failure. No side effects were observed. Both treatments reduced symptoms already in the 2nd month, but the active preparation was more effective at all time controls (p < 0.05); at the 6th month it significantly reduced premenstrual MDQ scores to 18% of baseline values, placebo only to 73%. These data demonstrate that Sillix Donna is effective in reducing premenstrual distress.

Parenteral calcitonin for metabolic bone disease associated with primary biliary cirrhosis.

No satisfactory treatment is available for metabolic bone disease associated with primary biliary cirrhosis. On the basis of the similarities to postmenopausal osteoporosis, the rationale exists for calcitonin to be tested in clinical studies in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis-associated osteoporosis. We evaluated the effect of calcitonin on bone metabolism and mineral density in 25 women with primary biliary cirrhosis and severe osteopenia. After 6 mo of observation, patients received a synthetic calcitonin or a control treatment consisting of less than one hundredth of the recommended dose of porcine calcitonin. The two treatments were administered in sequence to each patient for two 6-mo periods, with a 3-mo washout between them, according to a crossover design. After the observation period, oral calcium supplementation was started. Bone mineral density was measured by dual-photon absorptiometry of the lumbar spine at study entry and at the beginning and the end of each treatment period. During the observation period bone mineral density fell by 3.5% whereas during the following 6 mo it increased in both the patients who received calcitonin (4.3%) and those who received the control treatment (4.9%). Conversely, after the crossover, bone mineral density decreased during both calcitonin (-2.7%) and control treatment (-2.9%). A significant difference was observed between the two periods but not between the two treatments or between the two sequences of treatment administration. In conclusion, our findings indicate that parenterally administered calcitonin for 6 mo is ineffective in halting bone loss in patients with primary biliary cirrhosis-associated metabolic bone disease, whereas calcium supplementation may have a transient beneficial effect.