Search results for "pharmacotherapy"

Rituximab in refractory pemphigus vulgaris

2008

Pemphigus vulgaris (PV) is a severe chronic autoimmune blistering disease of skin and mucous membranes. The use of systemic corticosteroids in pemphigus has dramatically reduced its mortality rate, but the long-term use of steroids leads to severe side effects, many of which are serious. For this reason it is often necessary to add immunosuppressive agents to the regimen. However, there are occasional refractory cases in which therapy with conventionally accepted modalities is either not efficacious or not possible on account of side effects. Rituximab is a therapeutic monoclonal antibody targeting CD20, an integral membrane protein highly expressed on the surface of pre-B lymphocytes and a…

Topical Issues in Venous Thromboembolism

2010

Despite clear guidelines and the availability of effective treatments, venous thromboembolism (VTE) remains relatively common, particularly in the hospital setting. This paper reviews topical issues in VTE, in terms of treatments, data and guidelines. Existing anticoagulants have several limitations. Bleeding risk is a concern with all anticoagulants. Vitamin K antagonists are the mainstay of oral anticoagulant therapy, but they are limited by the need for frequent monitoring. Unfractionated heparin (UFH) is limited by an inconvenient route of administration (continuous intravenous infusion) and a higher risk of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia and bleeding compared with low molecular weigh…

The Treatment of Mild and Moderate Asthma in Adults

2020

BACKGROUND: Asthma is a chronic inflammatory airway disease that usually causes variable airway obstruction. It affects 5–10% of the German population. METHODS: This review is based on relevant publications retrieved by a selective search, as well as on national and international guidelines on the treatment of mild and moderate asthma in adults. RESULTS: The goal of treatment is to attain optimal asthma control with a minimal risk of exacerbations and mortality, loss of pulmonary function, and drug side effects. This can be achieved with a combination of pharmacotherapy and non-drug treatment including patient education, exercise, smoking cessation, and rehabilitation. Pharmacohterapy is ba…

Intermittent intramuscular clodronate therapy: a valuable option for older osteoporotic women

2005

Efficacy and safety of allergen immunotherapy in patients with allergy to molds: A systematic review

2018

BACKGROUND Allergen immunotherapy (AIT) with mould extracts has been performed for many years but the final demonstration of its clinical efficacy is still missing, due to the small number of studies and their inconsistent results. OBJECTIVE To systematically review efficacy and safety of AIT for the treatment of respiratory allergies to moulds. DESIGN The primary outcomes were safety and reduction of symptoms (Symptom Score, SS) and medication use (Medication Score, MS) in patients treated with AIT compared to controls. The strength of the evidence was graded based on the risk of bias, consistency and magnitude of effect, according to the GRADE Working Group's guide. DATA SOURCES Medline, …

The effect of allergen immunotherapy in the onset of new sensitizations: a meta-analysis

2017

Background Although the preventive efficacy of allergen immunotherapy (AIT) in the onset of new allergen sensitizations has been asserted by many reviews, position papers, and consensus conferences, the evidence available is from only 3 studies. The objective of this work was a systematic review to evaluate the preventive efficacy of AIT in the onset of new allergen sensitizations. The end-point was the risk difference (RD) in the onset of new allergen sensitizations between patients treated with AIT and pharmacotherapy. Methods Computerized bibliographic searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library (until November 30th, 2016) were done. Random-effects and fixed-effects model meta-…

Immunogenicity of Semisynthetic Penicillins

1969

Allergic reactions following drug therapy with penicillin are a well known, unpleasant, rather frequent and occasionally dangerous phenomenon. The immunological processes leading to sensitization against Penicillin G (PG) and the factors operative in the elicitation of hypersensitivity reactions against the drug have mainly been elucidated by the extensive work of Eisen, Parker [25–27], DeWeck [41–45] and B. Levine [16–23]. Antibodies with penicilloyl specificity have been demonstrated in the serum of animals experimentally immunized with PG and more important in the majority of human beings suffering from allergy against penicillin. In vivo allergic reactions could be elicited with penicil…

Prevalence of 'borderline' values of cardiovascular risk factors in the clinical practice of general medicine in Italy: results of the BORDERLINE stu…

2011

Introduction: The prevalence of patients with 'borderline' levels of cardiovascular risk factors has been rarely investigated, being often reported in studies evaluating abnormal values of these parameters. The BORDERLINE study represents a pilot experience to primarily identify the prevalence of 'high-normal' conditions, such as pre-hypertension, lipid and glucose levels in the upper range of normality in the setting of general practice in Italy. Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of patients with 'borderline' values of cardiovascular risk factors in Italy. Methods: Involved physicians were asked to evaluate the first 20 outpatients, consecutively seen in June 2009. …

Predictors of early discontinuation of dapagliflozin versus other glucose-lowering medications: a retrospective multicenter real-world study

2020

Background and aims: In routine clinical practice, early discontinuation of newly initiated glucose-lowering medications (GLM) is relatively common. We herein evaluated if the clinical characteristics associated with early discontinuation of dapagliflozin were different from those associated with early discontinuation of other GLM. Methods: The DARWIN-T2D was a multicenter retrospective study conducted at diabetes specialist outpatient clinics in Italy. We included 2484 patients who were initiated on dapagliflozin in 2015–2016 and 14,801 patients who were initiated on other GLM (DPP-4 inhibitors, GLP-1 receptor agonists, or gliclazide) in the same period. After excluding patients who had no…

Effects of the dual sodium-glucose linked transporter inhibitor, licogliflozinvsplacebo or empagliflozin in patients with type 2 diabetes and heart f…

2020

Aims Explore the efficacy, safety and tolerability of the dual sodium-glucose cotransporter (SGLT) 1 and 2 inhibitor, licogliflozin in patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and heart failure. Methods This multicentre, parallel-group phase IIA study randomized 125 patients with T2DM and heart failure (New York Heart Association II-IV; plasma N-terminal pro b-type natriuretic peptide [NT-proBNP] >300 pg/mL) to licogliflozin (2.5 mg, 10 mg, 50 mg) taken at bedtime, empagliflozin (25 mg) or placebo (44 patients completed the study). The primary endpoint was change from baseline in NT-proBNP after 12 weeks. Secondary endpoints included change from baseline in glycated haemoglobin, fas…