Advances in therapy
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Advances in therapy · Sep 2012
Randomized Controlled TrialSWAAT study: extracorporeal shock wave therapy and arginine supplementation and other nutraceuticals for insertional Achilles tendinopathy.
Extracorporeal shockwave therapy (ESWT) produces good results in the treatment of insertional Achilles tendinopathy. The efficacy of combined administration of dietary supplements with ESWT has not yet been studied. ⋯ On the basis of the results obtained in this study, the authors conclude that in the treatment of insertional Achilles tendinopathy, ESWT induces a hemodynamic re-equilibrium with an amelioration in tendon trophism [corrected]. The addition of specific dietary supplements could improve the therapeutic response.
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Advances in therapy · Aug 2012
ReviewUlipristal acetate: a novel option for the medical management of symptomatic uterine fibroids.
Fibroids, the most common tumor in women of reproductive age, impact negatively on women's health and quality of life, and have significant cost implications for their management. The current mainstay treatments are surgical (myomectomy and hysterectomy) and more recently radiological (UAE and focused ultrasound surgery). Hysterectomy is curative but precludes future fertility, whereas the impact of the other treatments on reproduction is uncertain. ⋯ Research to date has tended to be industry led, and therefore, there is a need for researcher/clinician-led studies to address the wider issues concerning SPRMs. UA may not turn out to be the "Holy Grail" of medical therapy in the treatment of symptomatic uterine fibroids, but it has rightly given cause for a huge optimism. Further laboratory and clinical research into PRMs and related compounds will no doubt lead to more refined medications.
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Advances in therapy · Jul 2012
Meta AnalysisCost per responder associated with biologic therapies for Crohn's disease, psoriasis, and rheumatoid arthritis.
Biologic therapies have demonstrated efficacy and safety in several chronic systemic disorders. The authors indirectly compared response rates and costs per responder associated with biologic treatments for moderate-to-severe Crohn's disease (CD), psoriasis (Ps), and/or rheumatoid arthritis (RA). ⋯ Meta-analyses of clinical trials found considerable variation in cost-effectiveness of biologic therapies for CD, Ps, and RA. These results may help determine biologic utilization in these chronic diseases.
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Advances in therapy · Jun 2012
ReviewNovel oral anticoagulants for stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation: focus on apixaban.
Stroke prevention in atrial fibrillation (AF) has been challenging over decades, mostly due to a number of difficulties associated with oral vitamin K antagonists (VKAs), which have been the most effective stroke prevention treatment for a long time. The oral direct thrombin inhibitors (e.g., dabigatran) and oral direct inhibitors of factor Xa (e.g., rivaroxaban, apixaban) have emerged recently as an alternative to VKAs for stroke prevention in AF. These drugs act rapidly, and have a predictable and stable dose-related anticoagulant effect with a few clinically relevant drug-drug interactions. ⋯ In the ARISTOTLE trial, apixaban was superior to warfarin in the reduction of stroke or systemic embolism, major bleeding, intracranial hemorrhage, and all-cause mortality, with a similar reduction in the rate of ischemic stroke and better tolerability. When compared with aspirin in the AVERROES trial, apixaban was associated with more effective reduction of stroke, a similar risk of major bleeding, and better tolerability. In this review article, the authors summarize the current knowledge on novel oral anticoagulants and discuss the clinical aspects of their use for stroke prevention in AF, with particular emphasis on apixaban.
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Advances in therapy · May 2012
ReviewGuanfacine extended release as adjunctive therapy to psychostimulants in children and adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurobehavioral disorder associated with a wide range of impairments. Psychostimulants are generally first-line pharmacotherapy, but symptom improvement is suboptimal in some patients. In these patients, clinicians frequently use a combination of psychostimulants and nonscheduled medications to manage ADHD, although published evidence supporting this practice was relatively scarce until recently. ⋯ In a subsequent 9-week, randomized, double-blind, placebocontrolled study of subjects aged 6-17 years with suboptimal response to a long-acting, extendedrelease, oral psychostimulant, adjunctive GXR (administered in the morning or evening) was associated with significantly greater symptom reduction than placebo and psychostimulant (ADHD Rating Scale IV [ADHD-RS-IV] total score, placebo-adjusted least squares mean reductions: GXR AM, -4.5, P = 0.002; GXR PM, -5.3, P < 0.001, based on Dunnett's test). Across multiple studies, the safety and tolerability profile of GXR administered adjunctively to psychostimulants has been consistent with the known profiles of each medication. Additional studies should further explore the role of adjunctive GXR in clinical practice to help identify those patients most likely to benefit from such therapy.