The objective of the study was to evaluate the efficacy of device-guided breathing to lower blood pressure (BP) in hypertensive type II diabetic patients. A randomized controlled trial was carried out in four urban family practice clinics in Israel. Non-insulin-dependent diabetic, hypertensive patients with uncontrolled BP, receiving antihypertensive therapy or those non-medicated were enrolled. Baseline characteristics of the 66 patients who completed the study (33 intervention and 33 control) were: 62% men, age 62±8 years (mean±s.d.); body mass index 29±5 kg/m 2 ; systolic BP 148±11 mm Hg and diastolic BP 81 ± 9 mm Hg. The intervention group used a device (RESPeRATE), which interactively guides the user towards slow and regular breathing by synchronizing respiration voluntarily to musical tones for 15 min daily for an 8-week period. The control group continued with their regular treatment. BP was measured in the clinic at baseline, after 4 weeks and at 8 weeks.Medication was unchanged for 4 weeks prior to and during the study period. The main outcome measure was the office BP change from baseline to the end of the 8-week period. BP was reduced in the treatment group (mean ± s.e.) systolic À10.0 ± 1.8 mm Hg and diastolic À3.6 ± 1.3 mm Hg (Po0.0001 and Po0.01), but not in the controls þ 1.6±2.1 and À1.0±1.4 mm Hg P40.4 and P40.4, respectively. Test for between group difference Po0.0001 and P ¼ 0.08. The subjects were highly compliant with the treatment, performing 75% of the requested exercise sessions. Greater BP reduction was observed with increased compliance with device usage (P ¼ 0.01 and P ¼ 0.001). It is concluded that self-treatment with device-guided breathing at home for 8 weeks by non-insulin-dependent diabetic patients was associated with a substantial reduction in office systolic BP.

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Allergic disorders including allergic dermatological diseases especially atopic dermatitis (AD), rhino-conjunctivitis, asthma, food, and drug allergies are common chronic morbidities in pediatric patients.The prevalence of allergic diseases is constantly increasing in the last decades, especially in high developed countries. 1 Though the exact pathogenesis of allergic disorders is not yet defined, it appears that genetic and environmental factors play a role in their development. 2 In addition to physical discomfort, chronic allergic disorders in early childhood may cause mental and behavioral problems. 3 Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurobehavioral

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Objective A 1-hour 50 g glucose challenge test (GCT) is generally used as a screening test for a 3-hour 100 g test. The future glycemic status of a pregnant woman with abnormal (high) GCT is widely discussed in the literature. On the other hand, future glycemic status of women with various glucose levels within the normal range on GCT has not yet been studied. To examine the hypothesis that lower glucose levels in GCT may result in a better glycemic status later in life, we compared the glucose levels in GCT with the glycemic status 9 years later in a large cohort in Israel. Study Design The study was performed at the Central District of Clalit Health Services, the largest health maintenance organization in Israel. From the computerized database, we gathered data on women who underwent GCT between August 2005 and August 2006.We evaluated the association between GCT results at entry and fasting glucose levels 9 years later. The study was approved by the institutional review board (IRB). We used analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by pairwise comparisons using Tukey's method (p = 0.05) and ordinal logistic regression tests for statistical analysis. Results A total of 6,929 women performed GCT at entry. Fasting glucose levels were available 9 years later for 4,247 women. GCT results at entry level were grouped and divided into the following groups: very low GCT (<100 mg%), low-normal (100–125 mg%), high-normal (126–140 mg%), and abnormal GCT (>140 mg%). Fasting glucose results, as well as impaired fasting glucose 9 years following normal GCT had a direct correlation with GCT results. Ten percent of women who performed GCT had a high-normal result of 126 to 140 mg%. This high-normal group had a significantly higher fasting glucose and impaired fasting glucose (>100 mg%) 9 years after performing the GCT as compared with the very low or normal GCT groups. Moreover, diabetes risk of this group was significantly higher than the lower groups. Conclusion Although GCT is only a screening test, it may serve as a practical predictor for further fasting glucose levels, impaired fasting glucose, and diabetes in a relatively short time (9 years). In this study, women with GCT levels up to 125 mg%, when tested 9 years later, had significantly lower fasting glucose and lower percentage of impaired fasting glucose and diabetes than those with GCT above 126 mg%. Women with “normal” GCT levels between 126 and 140 mg% should be closely monitored for their further glycemic status.