Clinical drug investigation
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Combined salmeterol/fluticasone propionate versus fluticasone propionate alone in mild asthma : a placebo-controlled comparison.
Combined therapy with inhaled corticosteroids (ICSs) and long-acting beta(2)-adrenoceptor agonists (LABAs) is the recommended approach for the treatment of patients with asthma that is uncontrolled on ICSs alone. Additional studies are needed to assess the safety and efficacy of combination treatment with ICSs and LABAs in patients with mild asthma. The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy and tolerability of once-daily salmeterol/fluticasone propionate combination (SFC) with once-daily fluticasone propionate (FP) over a 12-week treatment period in patients with mild persistent asthma. ⋯ Once-daily SFC 50 microg/100 microg provided significantly greater improvements in lung function and in asthma symptoms than once-daily FP 100 microg alone in patients with mild persistent asthma. However, twice-daily treatment with either SFC or ICSs plus short acting beta(2)-adrenoceptor agonists could be required to achieve guideline-defined asthma control in some patients.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Salmeterol/fluticasone propionate via Diskus once daily versus fluticasone propionate twice daily in patients with mild asthma not previously receiving maintenance corticosteroids.
The efficacy and safety of twice-daily inhaled salmeterol/fluticasone propionate combination (SFC) therapy have been well established in the treatment of adults and adolescents with asthma. Once-daily administration of SFC could also be appropriate in patients with mild persistent asthma. This study aimed to investigate whether once-daily SFC 50 microg/100 microg was at least as effective as fluticasone propionate (FP) 100 microg twice daily, and more effective than twice-daily placebo, over 52 weeks as initial maintenance therapy in patients with mild persistent asthma. ⋯ In patients with mild persistent asthma not previously receiving maintenance therapy, once-daily SFC 50 microg/100 microg is an effective treatment compared with placebo, and was non-inferior to twice-daily FP 100 microg with respect to mean morning PEF. However, in this study, once-daily SFC was not as efficacious as twice-daily FP in reducing asthma exacerbation rates. This study confirms the benefits of regular maintenance treatment in patients with mild persistent asthma.
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Multicenter Study
Prescriptions of NSAIDs to patients undergoing third molar surgery : an observational, prospective, multicentre survey.
Surgical extraction of an impacted third molar is generally followed by acute post-operative pain that has been shown to be primarily inflammatory. Thus, use of NSAIDs in this context is appropriate and has been shown to be effective. Several drugs are employed for this purpose, but no information exists on the reasons why preference is given to one rather than another. The principal objective of this study was to evaluate the pattern of administration of NSAIDs in patients undergoing surgery for impacted third molar extraction. The study also aimed to collect information on the efficacy, onset and duration of the analgesic effect of routinely prescribed NSAIDs and to assess the duration of treatment with these drugs and their tolerability. ⋯ These results confirm nimesulide as an effective reference drug for the treatment of post-operative dental pain and show that it has a positive benefit/risk profile in this setting.
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Multicenter Study
Dosing and Outcomes Study of Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Therapies (DOSE) : a registry for characterizing anaemia management and outcomes in oncology patients.
To report the design, methodology, implementation and initial results of the Dosing and Outcomes Study of Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Therapies (DOSE) Registry, the first US patient registry to collect and report on practice patterns and outcomes associated with erythropoiesis-stimulating therapy (EST) for anaemia management in oncology patients. ⋯ The DOSE Registry is a valuable source of data relating to anaemia management, practice patterns and outcomes in oncology patients from the perspective of actual clinical practice. Results from this registry should provide patients, clinicians and healthcare decision makers with a better understanding of the relationship between EST dosage and outcomes in the clinical setting.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Efficacy of levobupivacaine wound infiltration with and without intravenous lornoxicam for post-varicocoele analgesia: a randomized, double-blind study.
The oxicam NSAID lornoxicam is a potent analgesic with excellent anti-inflammatory properties in a range of painful and/or inflammatory conditions, including postoperative pain. Levobupivacaine, the S-(-)-isomer of bupivacaine, is a long-acting local anaesthetic that can be infiltrated into wounds for management of postoperative pain. We assessed the analgesic efficacy of lornoxicam when administered as an adjuvant to levobupivacaine wound infiltration after varicocoele operation. ⋯ In this study, levobupivacaine wound infiltration with adjuvant intravenous lornoxicam administration was associated with better postoperative analgesia during the early postoperative hours after varicocoele surgery than that induced by lornoxicam alone or levobupivacaine wound infiltration alone.