Patient characteristics and refusal to participate in a head and neck cancer intervention trial: experience of two tertiary UK head and neck cancer centres.

Introduction: Randomised clinical trials are an essential component for robust clinical evaluation. They are expensive to deliver but can fail to achieve the required outcomes. This paper reports details of trial recruitment in a head and neck Patient Concerns Inventory intervention trial from two UK head and neck tertiary centres.

Improving quality of life through the routine use of the patient concerns inventory for head and neck cancer patients: main results of a cluster preference randomised controlled trial.

Purpose: The patient concerns inventory (PCI) is a prompt list allowing head and neck cancer (HNC) patients to discuss issues that otherwise might be overlooked. This trial evaluated the effectiveness of using the PCI at routine outpatient clinics for one year after treatment on health-related QOL (HRQOL).

Methods: A pragmatic cluster preference randomised control trial with 15 consultants, 8 'using' and 7 'not using' the PCI intervention.

Improving quality of life through the routine use of the patient concerns inventory for head and neck cancer patients: baseline results in a cluster preference randomised controlled trial.

Purpose: The main aim of this paper is to present baseline demographic and clinical characteristics and HRQOL in the two groups of the Patient Concerns Inventory (PCI) trial. The baseline PCI data will also be described.

Methods: This is a pragmatic cluster preference randomised control trial with 15 consultant clusters from two sites either 'using' (n = 8) or 'not using' (n = 7) the PCI at a clinic for all of their trial patients.

Pharmacokinetics of Oral Azithromycin in Serum, Urine, Polymorphonuclear Leucocytes and Inflammatory vs Non-Inflammatory Skin Blisters in Healthy Volunteers.

Two open-label studies were conducted to assess the serum, urine, polymorphonuclear (PMN) and red blood cell (RBC) pharmacokinetics of a 5-day course (1500mg total) of oral azithromycin. Inflammatory and non-inflammatory blisters were also induced to study the propensity of azithromycin to preferentially concentrate at a model infection site. 14 subjects participated in the two studies and tolerated azithromycin and the study methods well.

Antibiotic dosing issues in lower respiratory tract infection: population-derived area under inhibitory curve is predictive of efficacy.

Several lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) trials have documented a correlation between clinical response and area under the inhibitory curve (24 h AUC/MIC; AUIC). The AUIC values in these studies were based on measured MICs and measured serum concentrations. This study evaluates AUIC estimates made using population pharmacokinetic parameters, and MICs from an automated microbiological susceptibility testing system.