Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0033774 (pruritus)
 14,546 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Incorrect treatment of chronic pain is common cause of patient's discontentment and suffering. The problem is mostly occurring because of inappropriate pain treatment. The WHO guidelines recommends declining of prejudices and using of strong opioids in therapy after the unsatisfactory treatment with weaker analgesics. Strong opioid analgesic fentanyl in transdermal system (Durogesic TTS) is introduced. In rheumatology, it is recommended for all conditions characterised by chronic pain with intensity 4 and more on the VAS scale (0-10). It is mostly used in rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, low back pain and neuropathic pain. Durogesic TTS provides continuous pain relief for 72 hours, with constant serum concentrations. It has to be gradually titrated and starting dose is 25 micrograms/h. Possible adverse events (nausea, vomiting, constipation, sedation, itching) are short termed, transitory and easily managed. Results of some clinical trials and personal experiences that are proving its efficacy and safety are presented.
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PMID:[Treatment of chronic pain--use of transdermal fentanyl (Durogesic TTS)]. 1247 59

An open-label, randomised, parallel-group, study was conducted in three study centres in women with premature labor and indication for a single agent intravenous tocolysis therapy with magnesium sulphate. The aim of this study was to examine the local and general tolerability and side-effects of magnesium sulphate for tocolysis. Furthermore, we tested the tolerability of a ready-for-use magnesium solution. No measurements of efficacy were performed during this study. Initially, patients received a loading dose of 4.0 g magnesium sulphate administered over 30 min. Thereafter, a continuous intravenous infusion of 1-2 g magnesium sulphate per hour up to 21 days was given. Venous score (Maddox), vital signs, adverse events as well as general tolerability (assessed by investigator and patients) and blood parameters were assessed. We showed good local and systemic tolerability of high dose magnesium sulphate for tocolysis. Only seven patients (15%) were withdrawn from the study prematurely due to minor adverse events. Potential serious complications of MgSO(4) such as respiratory arrest or clinically relevant respiratory depression were not observed. The most frequently reported local adverse events were injection site pain, itching, erythema, swelling, induration and palpable venous cord. The most common systemic adverse events considered to be possibly related to the study drugs involved the nervous system (dizziness) followed by the digestive system (nausea, constipation). Systolic and diastolic blood pressure changed only slightly during the treatment. Respiratory rate and body temperature remained stable also. Toxic magnesium levels (>2.5 mmol/l) were not observed. The assessment of the clinical investigators with regard to tolerability was very good or good in 72.5% of the patients. The introduction of the ready-to-use solution has the advantage of eliminating the need to mix the solution prior to administration. This means a lower risk of overdose and contamination.
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PMID:Local and systemic tolerability of magnesium sulphate for tocolysis. 1264 63

(1) For the treatment of cancer pain resistant to WHO step I and II analgesics, several oral morphine preparations are available, in immediate-release and sustained-release formulations. (2) A sustained-release form of oxycodone, an old opiate, was marketed in France in 2002 for oral treatment of cancer pain, in two daily doses. (3) The results of three comparative double-blind trials suggest that 1 mg oxycodone is similarly effective to 1.5 mg of morphine. According to another comparative double-blind trial, 1 mg oxycodone has about the same analgesic efficacy as 0.25 mg of hydromorphone. (4) Oxycodone has the usual opiate side effects including constipation, sedation, nausea and vomiting, and pruritus. (5) Oxycodone has not been tested in comparative trials in patients in whom morphine is ineffective or poorly tolerated. (6) The available product range of sustained-release oxycodone does not allow the dose to be adjusted rapidly at the outset of treatment, and is poorly suited to patients who have difficulty swallowing. (7) In practice, oral morphine remains the reference treatment for cancer pain resistant to WHO step I and II analgesics.
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PMID:Oral oxycodone: new preparation. No better than oral morphine. 1282 66

Patients with moderate to severe pain were treated with buprenorphine patches in one of 3 concentrations: 35 micrograms/h, 52.5 micrograms/h and 70 micrograms/h (= 0.8 mg/d, 1.2 mg/d and 1.6 mg/d respectively). The aim of this review was to assess the efficacy and tolerability of this transdermal system (TDS) in patients with chronic pain. A total of 445 patients were included in 3 double-blinded studies. The dosage titration with buprenorphine patches followed pretreatment with buprenorphine sublingual tablets, higher doses of weak opioids (level 2 substances), low dose morphine (level 3) or other analgesics. Patients with chronic tumour or non-tumour pain were recruited for these studies and treated with buprenorphine patches or placebo for 6 to 15 days. All patients were offered, in addition, buprenorphine sublingual tablets to be taken as required for supplementary pain relief. Pain intensity, analgesia, consumption of buprenorphine sublingual tablets and sleep duration were all assessed. All patients in the double-blinded studies were between the ages of 22 and 88. 249 patients suffered from tumour pain and 196 patients suffered from non-tumour pain. To examine long-term efficacy and tolerability of the transdermal system, treatment was expanded, if the patients were interested in participating in an open-label-study. In all 3 studies, the number of patients with moderate, severe and very severe pain increased in the placebo-patch treated group, while the patients in the buprenorphine transdermal system treated group had a greater incidence of mild or no pain. A further benefit in the buprenorphine transdermal system treated group was evidenced by a great number of patients with a daily sleep duration of more than 6 hours compared to the placebo group--an indicator of greater well-being. The systemic side-effects were typically opioid in nature and rare and usually only mild. Of particular note was the very low incidence of constipation in only 5.3% of cases. Dermatological reactions to the patches were only rarely encountered. The dermatological reactions consisted mainly of erythema and pruritus with a mild to moderate extent. Half the cases of erythema and more than on third of the cases of pruritus were spontaneously reversible. More than half the patients (53.7%) in the double blind studies wished to continued treatment with buprenorphine transdermal system. These results demonstrate that buprenorphine patches achieved a very good analgesic effect in all 3 studies and that in particular with respect to the quality of life of the patient these patches offer an exceptional alternative to other conventional therapies.
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PMID:[Transdermal buprenorphine for treatment of chronic tumor and non-tumor pain]. 1292 8

The purpose of the present study was to determine the value of circular hemorrhoidectomy (procedure for prolapse and hemorrhoids [PPH]) on the basis of data collected prospectively during the initial experience of a group of Latin American surgeons. Between 2000 and 2001, PPH was performed using a circular stapler in 177 patients who had third- and fourth-degree hemorrhoidal disease. The average age of the patients was 47.7 years (range 26 to 85 years). Anal bleeding was the most common preoperative complaint (93.2%) followed by anal pain (60.2%), anal itching (43%), and constipation (41%). Hemorrhoids were classified as third degree in 132 patients (74%) and fourth degree in 45 patients (25.4%). Skin tags were detected in 86 patients (48.8%) and rectocele in 14 patients (7.9%). Data collected included patient demographics, type of anesthesia, and specific details of the surgery such as duration of the operation, distance from the staple line to the dentate line, need for complementary hemostasis, and any unexpected occurrences. Postoperative data collected included the degree of pain, which was evaluated on the basis of the type and dosage of analgesics required, laxative consumption, and the presence of bleeding, fever, urinary retention, or hematomas. Each patient completed a written questionnaire addressing these events. Patients returned for follow-up visits on days 7, 15, 30, and 90. Responses to pain, bleeding, fever, anal continence, recurrence of hemorrhoids, and level of satisfaction were compiled. The duration of the procedure ranged from 6 minutes to 2 hours (average 23 minutes), and most operations lasted no more than 20 minutes, with the exception of one that lasted 2 hours because of intraoperative bleeding. Intraoperative problems were minor. An additional one or a few sutures were required in 58.7% of patients to achieve perfect hemostasis. In 128 patients (72.3%) the hospital stay was less than 24 hours. Same-day surgery was chosen for 37 patients (20.9%). Pain was controlled with analgesia only using one to six doses of oral dipirona in 126 patients. Five patients were readmitted to the hospital: four for control of bleeding and one for conventional hemorrhoidectomy due to an acute episode of external hemorrhoidal thrombosis. At day 30, patients rated the efficacy of the procedure in alleviating preoperative symptoms as follows: 77.5% excellent; 16% good; 5.3% average, and 1.2% poor. At 3 months postoperatively no patient had had a recurrence of hemorrhoidal prolapse, and there were no instances of stenosis or anal incontinence. Surgeons also rated the efficacy of the procedure as excellent in 75%, good in 19.8%, average in 4.7%, and poor in 0.6%. With proper selection of patients and adequate stapling technique, stapled hemorrhoidectomy may be considered safe; it is easily learned, has a satisfactory degree of pain, and is well accepted by both patients and surgeons.
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PMID:Stapled hemorrhoidectomy: initial experience of a Latin American group. 1312 62

Side effects can limit opioid dosage and reduce quality of life. The purpose of this systematic review was to assess the management of opioid side effects in the context of cancer pain management or, in the event that no evidence was available for cancer pain, for chronic noncancer pain. The side effects studied were constipation, pruritus, nausea and vomiting, myoclonus, sedation, respiratory depression, and delirium. Opioid rotation to manage side effects was also studied. For each side effect, we searched MEDLINE and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register and identified 657 possible titles for inclusion. Of these, 67 studies met inclusion criteria for analysis. The lack of well-designed, randomized controlled trials and the heterogeneity of populations and study designs made the drawing of firm conclusions difficult and precluded performance of meta-analysis. The type, strength, and consistency of evidence for available interventions to manage opioid side effects vary from strong (eg, on the use of naloxone to reverse respiratory depression or constipation) to weak (eg, changing from the oral to epidural route of morphine administration to manage sedation). Well-designed trials in the specified populations are required to furnish clinicians with secure evidence on managing opioid side effects successfully.
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PMID:Management of opioid side effects in cancer-related and chronic noncancer pain: a systematic review. 1462 94

AE-941 (Neovastat), an antiangiogenic component extracted from cartilage, selectively competes for the binding of vascular endothelial growth factor to its receptor, inhibits matrix metalloproteinases, stimulates tissue plasminogen activator enzymatic activities, and induces apoptotic activities in endothelial cells. A phase I/II study was conducted to obtain information on its safety and efficacy in patients with advanced cancer refractory to treatment or for which no standard treatments were available. Eighty patients with histologically confirmed lung cancer were enrolled in a multicenter, open-label, dose-escalation study of AE-941 (30, 60, 120, or 240 mL/day) administered orally b.i.d. as monotherapy. No dose-limiting toxicity was reported. The most frequent adverse events were nausea (9%), pruritus (5%), anorexia (4%), and vomiting (4%). All adverse events were grade 1/2 except grade 3 constipation (n = 1). A survival analysis was conducted in the 48 patients with unresectable stage IIIA, IIIB, or IV non-small-cell lung cancer. A significant survival advantage was observed for patients receiving doses > 2.6 mL/kg/day (which correspond to approximately 180 mL/day in a 70-kg patient) compared to patients receiving lower doses (median, 6.1 months vs. 4.6 months; P = 0.026). No tumor responses were observed. On the other hand, 26% of the patients in the high-dose group had stable disease compared to 14% in the low-dose group. AE-941 is well tolerated in patients with advanced lung cancer. The higher dose of AE-941 explored in this phase I/II trial may confer a survival benefit.
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PMID:Phase I/II trial of the safety and efficacy of AE-941 (Neovastat) in the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer. 1462 12

Atopic conditions include allergic rhinitis, atopic eczema, allergic conjunctivitis and asthma. Doctors and patients can choose from a variety of antiallergy medications, testifying that no one medication will suffice to treat all symptoms and that each has a different side-effect profile. Antiallergy medications target histamine receptors, as histamine release contributes to the unpleasant symptoms of itching, tearing, runny nose and skin urticaria. The ideal antihistamine would control the symptoms of atopic disease but cause very few side effects. Traditionally, unwanted effects include drowsiness and somnolence due to CNS depression, and digestive tract problems such as loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting and constipation or diarrhea. Some antihistamines also have anticholinergic effects that are mediated by muscarinic receptors. These atropine-like actions, which can affect the cardiovascular system, are sufficiently prominent in some drugs to be manifest during clinical usage. Epinastine hydrochloride minimally penetrates the blood/brain barrier and has almost no effect on the muscarinic receptors. This drug is marketed as having very few CNS-depressant side effects, few drug interactions and gastrointestinal side effects, and a low risk of cardiotoxicity.
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PMID:Epinastine hydrochloride for atopic disease. 1551 Feb 39

At present, no universally-accepted effective treatment for cutaneous gnathostomiasis is available. At the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Mahidol University, albendazole 400 mg twice a day for 14 days is commonly prescribed for patients diagnosed with cutaneous gnathostomiasis. The efficacy of albendazole to induce outward migration of the parasite was less than or around 20% in 2 studies. Research for alternative, more efficacious treatment, is needed. In this prospective open-labeled study, we assessed the safety of ivermectin in 20 Thai patients diagnosed with cutaneous gnathostomiasis. Ivermectin, one time only, at dosages of 50, 100, 150, or 200 microg/kg bodyweight, was given orally to 4 groups of patients, 5 patients each group. Adverse events were recorded and laboratory tests were obtained before and after treatment. No serious adverse events occurred in this study. Forty adverse events were possibly related to ivermectin. The adverse events were malaise (35%), myalgia (30%), drowsiness (30%), pruritus (20%), nausea/vomiting (20%), dizziness (15%), diarrhea (15%), feeling of shortness of breath (10%), feeling of palpitations (10%), constipation (5%), anorexia (5%), and headache (5%). These adverse events were self-limited and not dose-related. Laboratory abnormalities were found in 3 patients (15%). Transient microscopic hematuria, pyuria, and mildly elevated liver enzymes were found in 1 patient each. Ivermectin single dose, of 50,100, 150, and 200 microg/kg bodyweight, is considered safe in Thai patients. Future trials of ivermectin on human gnathostomiasis may be performed using dosages up to 200 microg/kg bodyweight.
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PMID:Tolerability of ivermectin in gnathostomiasis. 1612 31

Prescribing of injectable diacetylmorphine (DAM) for heroin dependence has raised concerns about its safety. In light of various reports by heroin-maintained patients of DAM-related adverse events, and previously established unwanted effects of opioids in pain management, we undertook a survey in February 2001 of a random sample of 132 (127 participated) of 1061 patients prescribed DAM in Switzerland at that time. The purpose was to document the prevalence rates of a list of unintended symptoms experienced and attributed to DAM by patients. To assess symptom complaints and other data, staff administered a six-page self-report questionnaire. The patients ascribed numerous symptoms to DAM, with the best-known being the most frequently reported (e.g. skin itching, sweating, constipation). Among potentially more problematic complaints ranged irregular menses, cognitive deficits, muscle twitches, labored breathing, pains in the cardiac region, and temporary paralysis of limbs. In the absence of a control group, however, these may also be due to other factors, such as expectation, co-medication, concomitant substance use or co-morbidity. This pilot study emphasizes the necessity of rigorous assessment of the true rates, types, severity and preventability of such complications, especially given the current efforts to establish heroin maintenance as an optional treatment for heroin dependence.
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PMID:Complaints of heroin-maintained patients: A survey of symptoms ascribed to diacetylmorphine. 1613 1


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