Inhalation aromatherapy during radiotherapy: results of a placebo-controlled double-blind randomized trial.

PURPOSE: To determine whether the inhalation of aromatherapy during radiotherapy reduces anxiety. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Three hundred thirteen patients undergoing radiotherapy were randomly assigned to receive either carrier oil with fractionated oils, carrier oil only, or pure essential oils of lavender, bergamot, and cedarwood administered by inhalation concurrently with radiation treatment. Patients underwent assessment by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the Somatic and Psychological Health Report (SPHERE) at baseline and at treatment completion. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in HADS depression or SPHERE scores between the randomly assigned groups. However, HADS anxiety scores were significantly lower at treatment completion in the carrier oil only group compared with either of the fragrant arms (P =.04). CONCLUSION: Aromatherapy, as administered in this study, is not beneficial.

The role of cortical Na,K-ATPase in distal nephron potassium secretion by the immature canine kidney.

Amiloride-sensitive potassium secretion in response to acute potassium loading is lower in the newborn than in the adult. Potassium secretion is a function of late distal tubule and cortical collecting tubule Na,K-ATPase activity. Na,K-ATPase activity in vivo is determined by enzyme abundance and catalytic turnover. Chronic potassium supplementation increases potassium secretory capacity in the adult by increasing enzyme abundance in the late distal and cortical collecting tubules. We hypothesized that the lower potassium secretory capacity of the newborn was the result of lower late distal and cortical collecting tubule Na,K-ATPase activity and could be similarly enhanced. To test this hypothesis, newborn dogs were supplemented with 6 mmol KCl.d-1.kg-1 for 1 wk; age-matched litter mate controls were not (n = 8 pairs). Potassium supplementation resulted in a mean increase in Vmax Na,K-ATPase activity in vitro (proportional to pump abundance) of 70 +/- 42%. Mean Na,K-ATPase activities +/- SEM were 279 +/- 58 versus 198 +/- 44 nmol inorganic P. h-1.microgram DNA-1, p = 0.05. However, amiloride-sensitive potassium secretion after an acute potassium load of 20 mumol.min-1.kg-1 over 150 min was not enhanced (9.6 +/- 1.8 versus 8.9 +/- 0.8 mumol.min-1.kg-1, potassium-supplemented versus control animals). We conclude that lower enzyme abundance is not primarily responsible for the newborn's lower potassium secretory capacity. We speculate that the factor that limits secretion in the newborn during acute potassium loading does so by restricting catalytic turnover of the enzyme in vivo.

Chronic potassium supplementation of newborn dogs increases cortical Na,K-ATPase but not urinary potassium excretion.

The distal nephron of the newborn dog cannot secrete an acute potassium load as efficiently as can that of the adult dog. Distal nephron potassium secretion is dependent upon basolateral Na,K-ATPase activity. Because Na,K-ATPase activity is lower in the immature than the mature distal nephron, it was hypothesized that lower Na,K-ATPase activity may be responsible for the lower potassium secretory capacity of the immature nephron. In the adult, chronic high dietary potassium intake increases renal tubular potassium secretory capacity by increasing Na/K pump abundance in distal nephron segments responsible for potassium secretion. Therefore, in order to test the above hypothesis, renal cortical and outer medullary Na,K-ATPase activity under Vmax conditions (a measure of pump abundance) and urinary potassium excretion during acute potassium loading were determined in 7 age-matched, litter mate pairs (chronically potassium supplemented versus control) newborn dogs. The potassium supplemented member of each pair received 6 mmol.day-1.kg-1 of KCl as a 150 mM solution for 7-21 days after birth and the control member received an equal volume of water for the same period of time. This protocol resulted in a doubling of renal cortical Vmax Na,K-ATPase activity in the potassium supplemented animals (from 369 +/- 186 to 718 +/- 286 nmol Pi liberated.h-1.micrograms DNA-1, P = 0.025). There was no significant change in outer medullary enzyme activity. Contrary to the above hypothesis, this increase in cortical enzyme activity was not associated with increased potassium excretion at baseline or during acute potassium loading.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)