Drugs under experimental and clinical research
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Topical treatment of partial thickness burns by silver sulfadiazine plus hyaluronic acid compared to silver sulfadiazine alone: a double-blind, clinical study.
Since its introduction into clinical practice in 1967 by Charles Fox Jr., silver sulfadiazine has been the gold standard for topical burn therapy. The addition to it of hyaluronic acid, which forms a substantial part of the human tissue intercellular matrix, is aimed at overcoming one of its very few disadvantages, i.e. prolongation of the wound re-epithelialization process. Since both hyaluronic acid and silver sulfadiazine have been used in therapy for decades and their efficacy is well documented, a topical treatment combining these two agents was formulated. ⋯ The findings of the study confirmed that the association of the two compounds in a new topical treatment significantly reduced the healing time and significantly accelerated the reduction of local edema occurring shortly after injury. Furthermore, this new hyaluronic acid and silver sulfadiazine formulation has proven to have favorable antibacterial, anti-edematous and local analgesic effects, together with a clear stimulatory activity on the re-epithelialization process. This product may, therefore, significantly enrich the assortment of topical medications available for the treatment of burns and skin defects of other origin.
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In view of the high concentration of resveratrol found in a new autochthonous wine (Uvalino) and the notable antioxidant activity of this substance, we decided to assess whether this wine could inhibit the production of free radicals. Nowadays, free radicals are considered to be the most noxious factors for tissues, triggering the development of many diseases. ⋯ The results show that Uvalino wine is able to eliminate ROS production almost completely. Consequently, it has beneficial effects on health in all the diseases in which ROS plays an important pathogenetic role.
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Advanced glycation end products (AGEs), the senescent macroprotein derivatives that form in increased amounts in diabetes, have been implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic vascular complications. Indeed, AGEs elicit oxidative stress generation in vascular wall cells through an interaction with their receptor (RAGE), thus playing an important role in vascular inflammation and altered gene expression of growth factors and cytokines. We have previously shown that nifedipine, one of the most popular dihydropyridine-based calcium antagonists, blocked tumor necrosis factor-alpha-induced monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 expression in endothelial cells (ECs) through its antioxidative properties. ⋯ Furthermore, nifedipine was found to prevent up-regulation of RAGE mRNA levels in AGE-exposed HUVEC. These results demonstrate that nifedipine can inhibit RAGE overexpression in AGE-exposed ECs by suppressing ROS generation. Our present study suggests that nifedipine may have therapeutic potential in the treatment of patients with AGE-related disorders such as diabetic vascular complications.