Effectiveness of a family nurse-led programme on accuracy of blood pressure self-measurement: A randomised controlled trial.

Aims And Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP)-led programme on the degree of adherence of current recommendations on home blood pressure self-measurement (HBPM) as compared to routine care and management.

Background: HBPM plays an important role for monitoring hypertensive patients; however, patients' adherence to current guidelines is unsatisfactory. A nurse-led training programme in the community setting could be an effective strategy to achieve high level of patients' adherence to recommendations.

Evaluation of Omeprazole Limited Sampling Strategies to Estimate Constitutive Cytochrome P450 2C19 Activity in Healthy Adults.

Background: Limited sampling strategy (LSS) is a validated method to estimate pharmacokinetic (PK) parameters from a reduced number of samples. Omeprazole is used to phenotype in vivo cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2C19 activity. This study examined an LSS using 2 estimation methods to determine apparent oral clearance (CL/F) and thus CYP2C19 activity.

A randomized controlled trial comparing a xyloglucan-based nasal spray with saline in adults with symptoms of rhinosinusitis.

Background: This study assessed the efficacy, safety and tolerability of a xyloglucan-based nasal spray in the treatment of symptoms of rhinosinusitis.

Methodology: In this randomized, double-blind study, 40 patients with itching, nasal congestion or continuous sneezing and a Total Nasal Symptom Score (TNSS) of ≥8 were randomized to 2 weeks' treatment with a xyloglucan-based nasal spray ("xyloglucan") or a physiological saline nasal spray ("saline"). Assessments included the TNSS, rhinosinusitis severity index, nocturnal awakenings, use of rescue medication, safety and tolerability.

A New Approach to the Treatment of Uncomplicated Cystitis: Results of a Randomized Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial.

Objective: To assess the efficacy and safety of a new medical device (MD; a capsule whose main component is a cross-linked protein) in the prevention of uncomplicated cystitis recurrences.

Methods: Adult women with acute cystitis symptoms and a ciprofloxacin-susceptible isolate in urine culture were included in a randomized, double-blind clinical trial. Patients were treated with ciprofloxacin 500 mg/day and 1 capsule/day or matched placebo for 5 days, 1 capsule/day or placebo for 15 additional days, and 2 additional cycles of 1 capsule/day or placebo for 15 days on months 1 and 2 after initial treatment.

An observational study of family caregivers' quality of life caring for patients with a stoma.

The management of stomas following surgical resection often falls to family caregivers. The purpose of this observational survey was to investigate the family caregivers' quality of life caring for a patient with ostomy. Between August 2008 and July 2009, 144 eligible Italian family members caring for a patient with ostomy were evaluated using two questionnaires: the Caregiver Quality of Life Cancer survey and the Caregiver Burden Inventory.

Efficacy and safety of piroxicam patch versus piroxicam cream in patients with lumbar osteoarthritis. A randomized, placebo-controlled study.

Unlabelled: In order to assess the efficacy and safety of a new patch containing 14 mg of piroxicam (CAS 36322-90-4) 1%, applied once daily, in comparison with a reference marketed formulation, piroxicam 1% cream applied three times a day, placebo patch applied once daily, a randomized, placebo-controlled, parallel-group clinical trial was carried out by general practitioners in patients with lumbar osteoarthritis aged between 18 and 75 years. Pain during daily activities scored on a 100 mm visual analogue scale was the primary outcome measure. Other secondary outcome measures were pain on isometric contraction, on full passive motion, and on pressure, and functional disability.

Bioequivalence study of two tablet formulations of ramipril in healthy volunteers.

This study was conducted in order to assess the bioequivalence of a test and reference tablet formulation containing 10 mg of ramipril ((1S,5S,7S)-8-[(2S)-2-[[(1S)-1-ethoxycarbonyl-3-phenyl-propyl]amino]propanoyl]-8-azabicyclo[3.3.0] octane-7-carboxylic acid, CAS 87333-19-5).

Fast HPLC method for the determination of ketoprofen in human plasma using a monolithic column and its application to a comparative bioavailability study in man.

A fast, specific, accurate, precise and reproducible high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with diode-array detector (DAD) was developed and validated for the determination of ketoprofen (CAS 22071-15-4) in human plasma using flubiprofen (CAS 5104-49-4) as an internal standard. The chromatographic separation was achieved on an onyx monolithic C18 (100 x 4.6 mm) analytical column with an isocratic mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile/potassium dihydrogen phosphate (KH2PO4) 0.

Bioequivalence study of two capsule formulations of omeprazole in healthy volunteers.

The study was conducted in order to assess the bioequivalence of two capsule formulations (test and reference) containing 20 mg of omeprazole (5-methoxy-2-[[4-methoxy-3,5-dimethyl-2-pyridinyl) methyl]sulfinyl]-1H-benzimidazole, CAS 73590-58-6). Fifty healthy male and female volunteers were treated in a single-centre, randomised, repeated-dose (once daily for six consecutive days), open-label, two-way crossover study, with a washout period of at least 9 days between treatments. Plasma samples were collected up to 12 h post-dosing for the determination of omeprazole by HPLC with photodiode array detector (DAD).