Effects of barnidipine in comparison with hydrochlorothiazide on endothelial function, as assessed by flow mediated vasodilatation in hypertensive patients.

BACKGROUND. In hypertensive patients, endothelial dysfunction is associated with an increased incidence of cardiovascular events. Calcium-channel antagonists can reverse impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilation in different vascular districts, while conflicting results are found in the brachial artery.

Effects of barnidipine on blood pressure and left ventricular diastolic function in patients with hypertension and metabolic syndrome: A 12-week, open-label noncomparison study.

Background: Barnidipine is one of a new generation of dihydropyridine calcium-channel blockers. Despite evidence of favorable effects on blood pressure (BP) and insulin sensitivity, this drug has rarely been tested in hypertensive patients with metabolic syndrome (MS).

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of barnidipine on BP and left ventricular (LV) diastolic function in patients with hypertension and MS.

Subjective impact of osteoarthritis flare-ups on patients' quality of life.

Background: Clinical trials on osteoarthritis (OA) flare-ups treatment usually focus only on objective measures of health status, albeit recent literature suggestions on the importance of patients' subjectivity. Aim of the study was to evaluate the effects of OA and of its different types of medical treatment(s) on Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in terms of both subjective satisfaction and functional status.

Methods: An observational study on prospective data collected from the Evaluation of Quality of life in OA (EQuO) clinical trial (April 1999-November 2000) was conducted; outpatients from 70 participating centers (Orthopedy or Rheumatology Departments in Italy) with a diagnosis of OA of the hip or knee were consecutively enrolled.

The vascular effects of doxazosin in hypertension complicated by metabolic syndrome.

Aims: To evaluate the vascular effects of doxazosin, an alpha-1 antagonist, in hypertensive patients with metabolic syndrome in whom the drug has previously been shown to exert beneficial metabolic actions on lipids and insulin metabolism.

Experimental Protocol: Twelve untreated non-diabetic hypertensive patients with National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) ATP-III defined metabolic syndrome were assigned to three-months of treatment with doxazosin (5.5 +/- 1.

Iron plus folate is more effective than iron alone in the treatment of iron deficiency anaemia in pregnancy: a randomised, double blind clinical trial.

Objective: To evaluate whether folate supplementation to iron is able to accelerate solving of iron deficiency anaemia in pregnancy.

Design: Multicentre, double blind, randomised clinical trial.

Setting: Nine hospital gynaecologic units located in Mexico.

A randomized, double-blind, multicenter trial of nimesulide-beta-cyclodextrin versus naproxen in patients with osteoarthritis.

Background: Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs are the most widely used agents in the symptomatic treatment of osteoarthritis (OA). No data are presently available on the medium-term management of this disease with an on-demand treatment regimen, which nevertheless reflects medical practice.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare nimesulide-beta-cyclodextrin and naproxen in terms of short-term (2 weeks) pain control with scheduled dosing and medium-term (5.