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Biomedical subjects

A Lassus

Publications and source records attributed to A Lassus.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Comparison of fleroxacin and penicillin G plus probenecid in the treatment of acute uncomplicated gonococcal infections.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the activity of fleroxacin in acute uncomplicated infections with N. gonorrhoeae in comparison with conventional penicillin G plus probenecid treatment. DESIGN: Multicentre open label randomised parallel group study. SUBJECTS: Male patients aged 18 years or over from university departments of urology, epidemiology and dermatology and a clinic for sexually transmitted diseases. INTERVENTIONS: Two hundred and sixty male patients were randomly assigned to treatment with either a single oral dose of fleroxacin 400 mg (130 patients) or a single intramuscular dose of penicillin G (2.4 or 5.0 mega units) plus a single oral dose of probenecid 1 gram (130 patients). Efficacy and safety assessments were undertaken at follow-up (3-14 days after treatment). Efficacy was assessed as bacteriological outcome of treatment. Safety was assessed by evaluation of adverse events, laboratory abnormalities and changes in vital signs. RESULTS: Two hundred and twenty four patients (114 in the fleroxacin group and 110 in the penicillin plus probenecid group) were evaluated for efficacy. Bacteriological cures were achieved in 100% of patients in the fleroxacin group and 97% of patients in the penicillin plus probenecid group. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in this respect (Fisher exact test, p = 0.25). Clinical cures were achieved in 100% of patients receiving fleroxacin and 95% of patients receiving penicillin plus probenecid. Safety analyses were undertaken on 255 patients (126 in the fleroxacin group and 129 in the penicillin plus probenecid group). No adverse events were reported for either treatment group, and no clinically relevant laboratory abnormalities were apparent. Thus, there appeared to be no difference in the efficacy or safety of these two treatments when used to treat acute, uncomplicated urethral gonorrhoea in males. CONCLUSIONS: In this study fleroxacin proved to be highly effective therapy for uncomplicated gonococcal urethritis in males and may provide a favourable alternative to standard treatment.

Acute Disease

The effect of Vivida cream as compared with placebo cream in the treatment of sun-damaged or age-damaged facial skin.

Vivida when used orally has been previously shown to be effective in treating degenerated skin of women. In the present study, 30 women with moderate to severe sun-damaged facial skin applied Vivida cream twice daily for 120 days on one side of the face and placebo to the other. Vivida was significantly (P < 0.001) more effective than placebo in improving wrinkles. The effects of Vivida cream on mottles and telangiectasis were also significantly (P < 0.01) greater than those of placebo. Scanner measurement showed that epidermal thickness increased from 0.13 mm to 0.29 mm and dermal thickness from 0.91 mm to 1.29 mm on the Vivida-treated side; only minimal changes were observed on the placebo-treated side. The elasticity index increased from about 50% to 69% on the Vivida-treated side and from 49% to 50% on the placebo-treated side.

Administration, Oral

A comparative study of a new food supplement, ViviScal, with fish extract for the treatment of hereditary androgenic alopecia in young males.

A controlled, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group study compared the effects of ViviScal (a new food supplement incorporating special marine extracts and a silica compound) with those of a fish extract in the treatment of young males with hereditary androgenic alopecia. The pretreatment histological diagnosis was alopecia with a mild to moderate perifollicular inflammation zone. The study consisted of 20 subjects who received two tablets of ViviScal once daily and 20 who received two tablets of fish extract once daily for 6 months. The mean patient age and mean duration and severity of baldness compared well between the two groups. Most patients had been treated with long-term topical 2% minoxidil for 1 year or more prior to the study. At baseline and after 6 months' treatment, a biopsy was taken for histological examination. A non-vellus hair count was performed at baseline and after 2, 4 and 6 months. In the fish extract treatment group three patients withdrew from the study before the fourth month due to lack of therapeutic effect. After 6 months' treatment, patients receiving ViviScal showed a mean increase in non-vellus hair of 38% compared with a 2% increase in the fish extract treatment group (P < 0.0001). In the ViviScal group, 19 (95%) subjects showed both clinical and histological cure, whereas none treated with fish extract showed any clinical or histological difference after 6 months' treatment (P < 0.0001). In both groups, a minimal decrease in the erythemal index was observed. In conclusion, ViviScal appears to be the first highly active treatment for androgenic alopecia in young males.

Administration, Oral

Comparative studies of azithromycin in skin and soft-tissue infections and sexually transmitted infections by Neisseria and Chlamydia species.

Two open, randomized, single centre studies have investigated the efficacy and safety of azithromycin (CP-62,993) in the treatment of infections by azithromycin-sensitive pathogens: (A) acute bacterial infections of skin or soft tissue (compared with erythromycin; n = 82); and (B) urethritis and/or cervicitis caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae and/or Chlamydia trachomatis (compared with doxycycline; n = 108). In study A, azithromycin was administered to 42 patients for five days at a dosage of 250 mg bd on day 1 and 250 mg once daily on days 2-5; erythromycin was given to 40 patients for seven days at a dosage of 500 mg every 6 h. In study B, azithromycin was administered either as a single 1 g dose or as a single 500 mg dose on day 1 and 250 mg once daily on days 2 and 3; doxycycline was given at a dose of 100 mg every 12 h for seven days. In study A, 68 patients were clinically assessed: clinical cure or improvement in patients receiving azithromycin or erythromycin was achieved in 86% and 82%, respectively. The principal causative pathogen was Staphylococcus aureus; there was eradication of 15/25 pathogens (60%) with azithromycin and 13/23 (57%) with erythromycin. In study B, 94 and 93 patients were clinically assessed at weeks 1 and 2, respectively: clinical cure was achieved with all treatment regimens at week 1; at week 2 there was reappearance of symptoms in one patient with a mixed infection who had received 3-day azithromycin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent

Topical idoxuridine for treatment of genital warts in males. A double-blind comparative study of 0.25% and 0.5% cream.

Fifty heterosexual male patients with histologically verified genital warts of short duration (less than 3 months) were randomly allocated to treatment with either 0.25% or 0.5% idoxuridine cream. The application of the cream to the warts was performed twice daily for an initial period of 14 days, whereafter patients with partial improvement or no response were retreated in the same way for another period of 14 days. Patients not completely healed after 28 days were regarded as treatment failures and withdrawn from the study. After the initial treatment period of 14 days, 19 of 25 patients (76%) treated with 0.5% idoxuridine cream, and 9 of 25 patients (36%) treated with 0.25% idoxuridine cream were completely healed. This difference is significant (p less than 0.01). The corresponding figures at the second follow-up examination (28 days after start of the study) were 19 of 25 (76%) and 13 of 25 (52%), respectively. At the last follow-up examination three months after start of treatment, four patients treated with 0.5% idoxuridine cream and five patients treated with 0.25% idoxuridine cream had a relapse. Thus, the overall rate of complete healing was 15 of 25 (60%) for the patients treated with 0.5% idoxuridine cream and 8 of 25 (32%) for those treated with 0.25% idoxuridine cream. The difference is significant (p less than 0.01). No adverse reactions were observed or reported by the patients.

Administration, Topical

Genivir (DIP-253) 1% cream versus placebo cream in the treatment of recurrent genital herpes: a double-blind study.

A total of 100 heterosexual adults of either sex with frequent episodes of recurrent genital herpes were allocated to treatment with either Genivir (DIP-253) 1% cream or placebo cream. All patients had genital herpes previously verified by a positive viral culture. The study was carried out as a double-blind parallel group trial. Fifty patients were allocated to each of the two treatment groups. The treatment was initiated within 24 hours after the first sign of a recurrence, and at the pretreatment examination all patients had developed typical lesions with blisters and/or sores. At baseline a sample for herpes virus culture and typing was obtained. The creams were applied four times daily for five days. Follow-up examinations were carried out on days 1, 2, 4 and if needed on days 7, 10 and 14. The major factor used for assessment of efficacy was the time to complete healing of all lesions. Duration of pruritus and pain were also recorded. In the group of patients treated with Genivir cream the time to complete healing was 3.3 days and in the placebo group 6.1 days. The difference was statistically significant (P less than 0.001). The mean duration of pain was 1.3 days in the Genivir group and 2.5 days in the placebo group: this difference also reached significance (P less than 0.01). The duration of pruritus was about the same in both groups. The active agent in Genivir, DIP-253, is a heterocyclic aromatic complex with confirmed anti-herpetic activity and with evidence of a local immunomodulatory effect. It was concluded that the efficacy of topical application of DIP-253 may be due to combined antiviral and immunomodulatory activities.

Administration, Topical

Ciprofloxacin versus amoxycillin and probenecid in the treatment of uncomplicated gonorrhoea.

In a randomized study 100 patients, 78 males and 22 females, with uncomplicated gonorrhoea were treated with either a single oral dose of 250 mg of ciprofloxacin or a single oral dose of 3 g of amoxycillin and 1 g of probenecid. Three of the gonococcal strains produced penicillinase and, in addition, nine strains had MIC-values of amoxycillin ranging between 0.6 and 1.2 mg/l and five other strains MIC-values higher than 1.2 mg/l. Twenty-two patients had a concomitant infection due to Chlamydia trachomatis. All patients treated with ciprofloxacin were cured, while two patients treated with amoxycillin had treatment failures. Neither treatment regimen had any effect on the chlamydial infections. No adverse effects were observed. It was concluded that ciprofloxacin is the drug of choice in the treatment of uncomplicated infections due to Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

Adolescent

Oral acyclovir suppression of recurrent genital herpes: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study.

A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study was conducted in 31 male patients with a history of frequently recurrent genital herpes who received consecutively 200 mg acyclovir and matching placebo by mouth four times a day for 12 weeks each. During acyclovir therapy recurrences were completely prevented in 24 (77%) and were reduced in both frequency and duration in the remainder compared with those occurring during treatment with placebo. The incidence and nature of adverse events reported during each treatment period was virtually identical. No long-term effects on recurrence rates were discernible but chronic suppressive therapy can be considered to offer the means of controlling the severe forms of disease experienced by some patients.

Acyclovir

Theoretical considerations on HLA-associated illness-susceptibility genes in dermatitis herpetiformis and psoriasis.

The frequency of an HLA-associated illness-susceptibility (Is) gene can be estimated by a simple equation: the frequency of the Is gene is equal to the prevalence of the disease in the population divided by the penetrance of the illness in first-degree relatives with the HLA marker antigen, with the quotient further divided by two. This equation is valid if the gene is dominant and its gene frequency is low. An analysis of HLA data of 61 patients with dermatitis herpetiformis (DH) showed that the HLA-associated DH susceptibility gene is obviously dominant. The frequency of this DH susceptibility gene was estimated to be at least 0.0005 and the frequency of psoriasis susceptibility gene about 0.02 in Finland.

Dermatitis Herpetiformis

Short-term treatment of gonorrhoea with intramuscular and oral forms of trimethoprim-sulphamethoxazole.

Fifty-nine male patients and 41 female patients with uncomplicated gonorrhoea were treated with an intramuscular dose of 1600 mg sulphamethoxazole plus 320 mg trimethoprim followed by an oral dose of 2400 mg sulphamethoxazole plus 480 mg trimethoprim 12 hours later. Forty-nine out of 52 male patients and 37 out of 38 female patients who were re-examined were cured. One of the men probably had a reinfection.

Administration, Oral

Mezlocillin in the treatment of gonorrhoea.

A single, intramuscular dose of 2 g of mezlocillin was used for the treatment of 158 patients with gonorrhoea. In only three out of 144 patients with urogential gonorrhoea who were re-examined did the treatment fail. Of 12 patients with pharyngeal gonorrhoea who were examined after treatment 10 were treated successfully with the same dose. The sensitivities of the gonococci to mezlocillin and penicillin G correlated well, although mezlocillin seemed to be active at lower concentrations on both highly sensitive and less sensitive isolates.

Female

Clobetasone butyrate and hydrocortisone butyrate in the treatment of eczema: a double-blind comparison.

Forty patients with symmetrical eczematous lesions on their extremities were treated in a double-blind fashion with 0.05% clobetasone butyrate and 0.1% hydrocortisone butyrate in cream bases. After 2 weeks of treatment, a preference for clobetasone butyrate was observed in 7 cases, for hydrocortisone butyrate in 9 cases and in 24 cases both sides responded equally. The lesions on both sides improved steadily throughout the study in all cases. When completing the trial after 2-weeks' treatment, the clobetasone butyrate-treated lesions had healed in 8 cases and the hydrocortisone butyrate-treated lesions in 10 cases. No local side-effects were observed.

Administration, Topical

Erythromycin and lymecycline treatment in chlamydia-positive and Chlamydia-negative non-gonococcal urethritis--a partner-controlled study.

A group of 213 men with non-gonococcal urethritis and their sexual partners were treated either with erythromycin stearate 500 mgx2 for 15 days or with lymecycline 300 mgx2 for 10 or 20 days. Chlamydia trachomatis was isolated from 40% of the men, from 26% of their female partners and from 56% of the partners of men with chlamydia-positive urethritis. One hundred and eighty-one men were available for evaluation of therapy. There were no significant differences between the treatment schedules. The cure rate was 86-90% in men with chlamydia-positive and 89-100% in men with chlamydia-negative urethritis. Four of the 17 chlamydia-positive females treated with erythromycin and 2 of the 20 chlamydia-positive females treated with lymecycline for 10 days still had chlamydia at re-examination.

Chlamydia Infections