Clinical drug investigation
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Overactive bladder (OAB) is characterized by the symptoms of urinary urgency or urge incontinence, which appear without a local pathological or metabolic explanation. OAB is defined by symptoms and the evaluation of treatment effectiveness should be based upon patient perceptions. The Overactive Bladder Questionnaire-Short Form (OAB-q SF) is a brief, self-administered patient-reported outcomes tool with two scales assessing symptom bother and health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) in patients with OAB. ⋯ The Spanish version of the OAB-q SF demonstrated sufficiently strong psychometric properties of reliability, validity and responsiveness to be used in the measurement of OAB symptom severity and HR-QOL.
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Intravenous dexmedetomidine (Precedex(®)) provides both effective sedation in mechanically ventilated patients in an intensive care setting and effective procedural sedation. In these patient populations, it reduces the need for rescue sedation with intravenous propofol or intravenous midazolam and reduces opioid requirements. ⋯ Intravenous dexmedetomidine is generally well tolerated and is not associated with respiratory depression. Although the utilization of dexmedetomidine is associated with hypotension and bradycardia, both usually resolve without intervention.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Budesonide/formoterol maintenance and reliever therapy in Asian patients (aged ≥16 years) with asthma: a sub-analysis of the COSMOS study.
The combination of an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS), budesonide, and a rapid long-acting β(2)-agonist (LABA), formoterol, in a single inhaler for use as maintenance and reliever therapy (Symbicort Turbuhaler SMART™) effectively achieves a high level of asthma control and reduces exacerbations and asthma-related hospitalizations. The COSMOS study, a multinational, 12-month study (N = 2143), compared budesonide/formoterol maintenance and reliever therapy with salmeterol/fluticasone propionate plus as-needed salbutamol, allowing physicians to modify maintenance doses of both combinations according to routine clinical practice. ⋯ In patients (aged ≥16 years) enrolled from Asian countries as part of the COSMOS study, the budesonide/formoterol maintenance and reliever regimen was associated with a lower future risk of exacerbations versus the physicians' free choice of salmeterol/fluticasone propionate dose plus salbutamol. Single inhaler combination treatment with maintenance plus as-needed budesonide/formoterol was also at least as efficacious as salmeterol/fluticasone propionate dose plus salbutamol in improving current asthma control.
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Controlled Clinical Trial
Safety and clinical pharmacokinetics of nemonoxacin, a novel non-fluorinated quinolone, in healthy Chinese volunteers following single and multiple oral doses.
Nemonoxacin, a novel C-8-methoxy non-fluorinated quinolone, is currently being developed in oral and intravenous formulations. It exhibits potent antibacterial activities against Gram-positive, Gram-negative and atypical pathogens, especially methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. The first-in-human study of a nemonoxacin capsule was conducted in a Western population. This current study was the first investigation on the clinical pharmacokinetics (PK) of nemonoxacin in a Chinese population, and was designed to determine PK data in a Chinese population and investigate the dose regimen for future clinical use. ⋯ Nemonoxacin exhibited a linear PK profile in the 250-750 mg dose range with moderate food effects. There was no accumulation following consecutive administration for 10 days. The PK and safety profiles of nemonoxacin in Chinese subjects support evaluation of once-daily dosing in the future development of this agent.
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The dosing of opioid receptor agonist medications adequately and on an individual basis is crucial in the pharmacotherapy of opioid dependence. Clinical tools that are able to measure dose appropriateness are sorely needed. The recently developed and validated Opiate Dosage Adequacy Scale (ODAS) comprehensively evaluates the main outcomes relevant for methadone dose optimization, namely relapse, cross-tolerance, objective and subjective withdrawal symptoms, craving and overdose. Based on the ODAS, we developed a new assessment tool (BUprenorphine-naloxone Dosage Adequacy eVAluation [BUDAVA]) for evaluating dosage adequacy in patients in treatment with buprenorphine-naloxone. ⋯ These preliminary results suggest that the BUDAVA questionnaire may be useful for guiding buprenorphine-naloxone maintenance dose adjustments in heroin-dependent patients.