British journal of clinical pharmacology
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Br J Clin Pharmacol · Jul 2006
Retrospective analysis of opioid prescriptions in cancer patients in a northern Italian region.
We evaluated patterns of use of opioids in palliative care across one region in Italy by cross-referencing a cancer registry with unique patient identifiers, with prescription databases. There were 90 803 patients in the registry, of whom 39 597 died during the study period. ⋯ The reasons for this acceptance of transdermal fentanyl and reluctance to use oral morphine are unclear, but it seems that more effort in educating healthcare professionals and patients about the use of morphine would be useful. The use of more detailed prescribing data such as prescribed or received daily doses can add to our understanding of headline prescribing data.
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Br J Clin Pharmacol · Jul 2006
Meta AnalysisPopulation pharmacokinetics of tipifarnib in healthy subjects and adult cancer patients.
To characterize the population pharmacokinetics of tipifarnib. ⋯ A population PK approach has been used to integrate data gathered during clinical development and to characterize the pharmacokinetics of tipifarnib. Individualization of dose based on body weight or total bilirubin concentration in adult cancer patients is not warranted.
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Br J Clin Pharmacol · Apr 2006
Randomized Controlled TrialHyperalgesia induced by cutaneous freeze injury for testing analgesics in healthy volunteers.
The early phases of the clinical development of new analgesic agents are severely hindered by a lack of reliable sensitive tests based on experimental pain models. The aim of this study was to assess the ability of a localized hyperalgesia model induced by cutaneous freeze injury to evaluate the pharmacodynamic profile of weak analgesic agents in healthy volunteers. ⋯ Cutaneous freeze injury coupled with a von Frey electronic device to assess the mechanical pain threshold is a convenient model that causes no discomfort. The improved sensitivity and stability of this experimental model of hyperalgesia over three consecutive days make it a useful tool for evaluating the efficacy and detecting the potential sites of action of analgesic agents such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs in healthy human subjects.
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Br J Clin Pharmacol · Apr 2006
Randomized Controlled TrialPlethysmography and impulse oscillometry assessment of tiotropium and ipratropium bromide; a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over study in healthy subjects.
Spirometry, plethysmography and impulse oscillometry (IOS) measure different aspects of lung function. These methods have not been compared for their ability to assess long- and short-acting anticholinergic agents. We therefore performed a double-blind, placebo-controlled, four-way cross-over study in 30 healthy subjects. ⋯ In addition to spirometry, IOS resistance measurements and sGaw can distinguish between the effects of long- and shortacting anticholinergic effects in healthy subjects.