Search results for " Combination"
showing 10 items of 923 documents
Postoperative pain therapy after lumbar disc surgery.
2000
Object. This study was undertaken to determine whether a special postoperative pain administration of tramadol and diclofenac provides any benefits in patients who underwent microsurgical lumbar discectomy. Methods. The study consisted of 60 patients undergoing microsurgical lumbar discectomy. Patients were randomly divided into two groups based on the postoperative pain management: 1) Group A (n=30): no standardized pain therapy; these patients received on demand different analgesics and at variable dosages which were selected by the neurosurgeons; 2) Group B (n=30): standardized pain therapy with specific dosages of tramadol and diclofenac in regular time intervals during the first 48 ho…
Liraglutide Reduces Oxidative Stress And Restores Heme Oxygenase-1 and Ghrelin Levels in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Prospective Pilot Study
2014
Abstract Context: Liraglutide is a glucagon-like peptide-1 analog and glucose-lowering agent whose effects on cardiovascular risk markers have not been fully elucidated. Objective: We evaluated the effect of liraglutide on markers of oxidative stress, heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), and plasma ghrelin levels in patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Design and Setting: A prospective pilot study of 2 months' duration has been performed at the Unit of Diabetes and Cardiovascular Prevention at University of Palermo, Italy. Patients and Intervention(s): Twenty subjects with T2DM (10 men and 10 women; mean age: 57 ± 13 y) were treated with liraglutide sc (0.6 mg/d for 2 wk, followed by 1.2 mg/d…
Interferon- and ribavirin-free therapy with new direct acting antivirals (DAA) for chronic hepatitis C improves vascular endothelial function.
2018
Abstract Introduction Chronic Hepatitis C virus infection (HCV) is associated with extrahepatic manifestations and an increased prevalence in cardiovascular disease. New direct acting antivirals (DAA) have revolutionized HCV treatment with high rates of sustained virological response (SVR). Recently it was demonstrated, that SVR reduces morbidity and overall mortality more than can be solely explained by hepatic effects, suggesting that treatment with DAA also affects cardiovascular disease. The aim of this pilot study was to identify possible underlying mechanisms behind the HCV-associated cardiovascular mortality reported by others. Methods and results 20 HCV patients (10 genotype GT1, 10…
The effects of telmisartan alone or in combination with hydrochlorothiazide on morning home blood pressure control: The SURGE 2 practice-based study
2013
SURGE 2, a large-scale, practice-based study in 10 countries, evaluated the effects of telmisartan alone or with hydrochlorothiazide (HCTZ) on morning (06:00 – 11:59) home blood pressure (HBP) control. Hypertensive patients (clinic blood pressure [BP] 140/90 mmHg) received telmisartan 40 or 80 mg either alone or in combination with HCTZ 12.5 mg for 8 weeks. Treatment could be adjusted if clinic BP remained 140/90 mmHg. Clinic BP was measured in the morning prior to medication, and seated HBP monitoring was performed, three times per day, 2 days per week. A total of 25,882 patients were included (71% were previously using antihypertensives). There was a statistically signifi cant (all p 0.00…
Ciclosporin and prednisone v. prednisone in treatment of Graves' ophthalmopathy: a controlled, randomized and prospective study.
1986
Forty patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy stages III-V were divided into two groups in a random manner according to their year of birth. Group I received prednisone in decreasing dosage. Group II received prednisone at a comparable dosage and ciclosporin. Steroids were discontinued after 10 weeks in the two groups. In the patients of group II, ciclosporin was continued over 12 months. The therapeutic effect was assessed by an activity score based on subjective and objective symptoms (computerized tomography and sonography of the orbit, Hertel values, clinical findings). All signs of endocrine ophthalmopathy improved significantly in both groups (P less than 0.01 in group I; P less than 0.0…
Non-fatal and fatal liver failure associated with valproic acid.
2012
Little is known about hepatotoxicity associated with valproic acid (VPA), a widely used substance in neuropsychiatry.All reported cases to the German Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices between 1993 and 2009 of VPA-induced serious hepatic side effects were evaluated.A total of 132 cases of serious VPA-associated liver failure were identified. Approximately one third (34.8%) occurred under VPA monotherapy, while the majority was seen with VPA plus co-medication, most frequently antiepileptics (34.8%) and benzodiazepines (16.7%). A subgroup of 34 cases (25.8%) had a fatal outcome, the largest number reported to date. Of these, 32.4% were under VPA monotherapy and 67.6% under VPA p…
Peginterferon alfa-2b plus ribavirin for naïve patients with genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C: a randomized controlled trial
2004
We assessed the effectiveness and safety of an induction dose of peginterferon alfa-2b (PEG-IFN) plus ribavirin for initial treatment of patients with genotype 1 chronic HCV infection in a randomized, controlled, multicenter trial.Three hundred and eleven naïve patients infected with genotype 1 and chronic hepatitis were randomly assigned to 48-week treatment with PEG-IFN once weekly (80-100 micrograms depending on body weight for 8 weeks, followed by 50 micrograms for the next 40 weeks), or standard interferon alfa-2b (IFN) 6 million units on alternate days, both in combination with ribavirin (1000-1200 mg/day).PEG-IFN plus ribavirin significantly increased sustained virological response (…
Combination therapy with amantadine and interferon in naı̈ve patients with chronic hepatitis C: meta-analysis of individual patient data from six cli…
2003
Abstract Background/Aims In chronic hepatitis C, clinical trials evaluating the efficacy of amantadine (AMA) and interferon (INF) compared to INF monotherapy, have produced conflicting results. We performed a meta-analysis of the individual patient's data from previous studies. Methods Nine hundred and seventy-two patients from six European centres were evaluated by means of individual patient meta-analysis, using mixed models with centres and the centre–treatment interaction fitted as random variables. Results At the end of therapy, virological responses were 38.5% (95% CI 34.1–42.8) after INF and AMA, and 29.5% (95% CI 25.5–33.6) after INF alone (P=0.003). Sustained response occurred in 1…
An open-safety study of dual antiviral therapy in real-world patients with chronic hepatitis C
2010
Purpose Treatment of patients with chronic hepatitis C with alpha-interferon and ribavirin usually produces adverse events within the first 3 months. We aimed to assess safety and predictors of discontinuation or dose modification of these drugs. Methods Observational study of 312 patients with predominantly genotype 1 chronic hepatitis C treated openly along 5 years in a clinical practice setting. Results Eighty-four percent of patients experienced at least one adverse event (853 events in total, 3.3 per patient on average). Incidence rate was higher during the first 90 days and decreased thereafter (<5%). Discontinuation rates at 30 and 90 days and at end of treatment were 2, 4 and 8%, re…
Individualized treatment duration for hepatitis C genotype 1 patients: a randomized controlled trial
2008
It was hypothesized that in hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 patients, variable treatment duration individualized by first undetectable HCV RNA is as effective as standard 48-week treatment. Patients (n_696) received peginterferon alfa-2a, 180 mg/week, or peginterferon alfa-2b, 1.5 mg/kg/week, plus ribavirin, 1000-1200 mg/day, for 48 weeks (standard, n _237) or for 24, 48, or 72 weeks if HCV-RNA–negative at weeks 4, 8, or 12, respectively (variable, n _ 459). Sustained virologic response (SVR) was achieved in 45.1% [95% confidence interval (CI) 38.8-51.4] of the patients in the standard group and in 48.8% (CI 44.2-53.3) of the patients in the variable group (P _ 0.37). The percentages of …