Current medical research and opinion
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Efficacy and safety of diclofenac sodium 2% topical solution for osteoarthritis of the knee: a randomized, double-blind, vehicle-controlled, 4 week study.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are standard therapy for osteoarthritis (OA). Topically applied NSAIDs reduce systemic exposure compared with oral NSAIDS, and European guidelines recommend their use. The NSAID diclofenac is available in a range of topical formulations. Diclofenac 1% gel and 1.5% four times daily and 2% twice daily (BID) solutions are approved to reduce pain from OA of the knee(s). The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy and safety of diclofenac sodium 2% topical solution BID versus vehicle control solution for treating pain associated with OA of the knee. ⋯ Administration of diclofenac sodium 2% topical solution BID resulted in significantly greater improvement in pain reduction in patients with OA of the knee versus vehicle control and was generally well tolerated.
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Multicenter Study
Impact of patient attitudes and beliefs to insulin therapy upon initiation, and their attitudinal changes after initiation: the DAWN Japan study.
Objective As a part of the Diabetes Attitudes, Wishes and Needs (DAWN) Japan study, a multi-center, questionnaire-based survey conducted between 2004 and 2005, this analysis aimed to (1) explore patients' attitudes and beliefs contributing to their decision to start insulin therapy, and (2) assess the changes in their attitudes and beliefs after actual initiation. Methods Insulin-naive patients with type 2 diabetes who were recommended to start insulin therapy (n = 149) were invited to answer a 21-item questionnaire consisting of five clusters assessing their attitudes and beliefs toward insulin therapy. The questionnaire was administered twice: first upon insulin recommendation, and then 1 month after insulin initiation for those who started and 4 months after for those who did not. ⋯ Starting insulin therapy did not deteriorate the patient's overall impression of therapy. The key limitation is the relatively small sample size (n = 130). The results suggest that education about the benefits of insulin therapy may help patients who are not ready to initiate insulin overcome their barrier to early insulin initiation and practical support may help those who have already started therapy to maintain its use.
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Comparative Study
Comparative effectiveness of everolimus and axitinib as second targeted therapies for metastatic renal cell carcinoma in the US: a retrospective chart review.
Background Second targeted therapies for metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) include mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitors (mTORis) and tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). This observational study compares overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) of patients treated with everolimus (an mTORi) and axitinib (a TKI) following first TKI, and assesses the impact of type and duration of first TKI on the relative effectiveness of these second targeted therapies. Methods Retrospective reviews of medical records were conducted by medical oncologists or hematologists/oncologists recruited from a nationwide panel. ⋯ Limitations Important limitations include potential missing or inaccurate data in medical charts, and confounding due to unobserved factors. Conclusions In this retrospective chart review, no significant differences were detected in OS or PFS between axitinib and everolimus as second targeted therapy. Longer duration of first TKI was not associated with increased effectiveness of subsequent axitinib compared to everolimus.
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Editorial Comment
Why is residual neuromuscular blockade a universal issue?
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To assess adherence to the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines for initiating and continuing glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). ⋯ Adherence to NICE guidance for initiating and continuing GLP-1 receptor agonists is low. However, lack of data on ethnicity (for assessing NICE's BMI criteria) and on contraindications and/or hypersensitivity to other diabetes medication in the treatment pathway have limited our ability to fully assess adherence to GLP-1 prescribing. Further research is warranted to better understand general practitioners' prescribing decisions given the cost of prescribing GLP-1 receptor agonists.