Clinical therapeutics
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Clinical therapeutics · Jan 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical TrialAnalgesic efficacy and tolerability of transdermal buprenorphine in patients with inadequately controlled chronic pain related to cancer and other disorders: a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
Buprenorphine is a potent opioid analgesic that is available in sublingual and parenteral formulations. A new formulation, buprenorphine transdermal delivery system (TDS), has been developed. ⋯ Buprenorphine TDS was shown to be an effective analgesic against chronic, severe pain in this study population. Patients treated with this new formulation of buprenorphine showed improved duration of sleep and reduced need for additional oral analgesics.
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Clinical therapeutics · Jan 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical TrialEfficacy and safety profile of glimepiride in Mexican American Patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: a randomized, placebo-controlled study.
Mexican Americans, the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States, have a 2- to 3-fold higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus relative to the non-Hispanic white population. It is estimated that 10% of Mexican Americans >or=20 years of age have diabetes. ⋯ These results indicate that once-daily glimepiride plus diet/exercise was effective in Mexican Americans with type 2 diabetes whose disease was inadequately controlled with diet/exercise alone. It appeared to be well tolerated in the population studied. More weight gain was seen with glimepiride compared with placebo. Given the high prevalence of type 2 diabetes among Mexican Americans, further clinical studies of glimepiride and other glucose-lowering therapies are needed in this ethnic subset.
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Clinical therapeutics · Jan 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Clinical TrialCognitive improvement in mild to moderate Alzheimer's dementia after treatment with the acetylcholine precursor choline alfoscerate: a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial.
Parallel with the development of hypotheses regarding cholinergic involvement in geriatric memory dysfunction, the first attempts to treat patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) involved the cholinergic-precursor loading approach. Despite encouraging early results, well-controlled clinical trials did not confirm a clinical utility of cholinergic precursors such as choline and lecithin (phosphatidylcholine) in AD. ⋯ The results of this study suggest the clinical usefulness and tolerability of CA in the treatment of the cognitive symptoms of dementia disorders of the Alzheimer type.
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Clinical therapeutics · Jan 2003
ReviewGabapentin dosing for neuropathic pain: evidence from randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials.
Pain is one of the most common reasons for seeking medical attention, and neuropathic pain is among the most common types of pain. Despite its prevalence, neuropathic pain is often underrecognized and inadequately treated. Many cases are refractory to the medications traditionally used for pain, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. Tricyclic antidepressants are considered first-line agents for neuropathic pain, but their use is limited by unwanted side effects and a risk of cardiovascular mortality. ⋯ At doses of 1800 to 3600 mg/d, gabapentin was effective and well tolerated in the treatment of adults with neuropathic pain.
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Clinical therapeutics · Jan 2003
Clinical TrialQuality-of-life assessment in patients with hyperhidrosis before and after treatment with botulinum toxin: results of an open-label study.
Patients with hyperhidrosis, a disorder characterized by increased sweat production, experience substantial functional and emotional problems. Botulinum toxin type A (BTX-A) has been shown to be useful in the treatment of hyperhidrosis; however, few studies have considered the effects of treatment on patients' quality of life (QOL). ⋯ Further studies with a longer follow-up period are needed to assess the long-term effects of BTX-A; however, preliminary data from the present study suggest that BTX-A improves QOL in patients with focal hyperhidrosis, independent of the presenting clinical picture.