Prophylactic use of alfacalcidol in corticosteroid-induced osteoporosis.

One hundred and forty-five patients suffering from diseases requiring long-term treatment with high doses of corticosteroids (30 mg/day or greater of prednisolone) were recruited to the study. Patients had to be steroid naive on entry to the study (not more than 15 days of treatment with a corticosteroid within the previous 24 months). Patients were randomized to receive either 1 microgram/day alfacalcidol or placebo capsules for 12 months.

Floctafenin versus acetaminophen for pain control in patients with osteoarthritis in the lower limbs. Franco-Belgian Task Force.

A multicenter, double-blind, cross-over, random-order study compared the efficacy of floctafenin, 800 mg/day and acetaminophen, 3000 mg/day, in providing pain relief to 192 patients with chronic pain due to osteoarthritis in the lower limbs. Each drug was given for 12 days and the interval between the two treatment periods was two days. The primary evaluation criterion was pain relief as assessed using the visual analog scale developed by Huskisson (mean baseline score, 62.

A double-blind comparison of the gastroduodenal safety and efficacy of diclofenac and a fixed dose combination of diclofenac and misoprostol in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.

This double-blind, parallel group study was conducted to evaluate the gastroduodenal safety and antiarthritic efficacy of a fixed combination of diclofenac sodium 50 mg and misoprostol 200 mcg, compared with a combination of diclofenac 50 mg and placebo. Three hundred and thirty-nine patients with rheumatoid arthritis and no significant gastric or duodenal mucosal damage were enrolled and received study medication (diclofenac/misoprostol, 164; diclofenac/placebo, 175) BID or TID for 12 weeks. Posttreatment gastroduodenal endoscopic examinations revealed ulcers in 11% of the diclofenac/placebo group, compared with only 4% of the diclofenac/misoprostol group (p = 0.

Immunomodulatory effects of treatment with naproxen in patients with rheumatic disease.

We evaluated the effects of a nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug, naproxen, on phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-induced lymphocyte proliferation. When added in vitro to cultures of peripheral blood mononuclear cells, naproxen enhanced the proliferative response toward PHA of lymphocytes from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients but not from healthy volunteers, and it reduced prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) synthesis in the cultures. Oral treatment for 7 days with naproxen also resulted in a significant enhancement of the in vitro PHA-induced proliferation of lymphocytes from RA patients and from age-matched control patients with noninflammatory rheumatic diseases, but not from young healthy controls.

A systematic survey of HLA-A,B,C and D antigens and drug toxicity in rheumatoid arthritis.

One hundred sixty-two consecutive patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) were studied for possible association between HLA antigens, particularly DR antigens, and disease characteristics and adverse reactions to gold or D-penicillamine treatment. The frequency of HLA-DR4 was significantly increased: 62% in RA compared to 23% in controls. An association of HLA-DR4 with a positive family history for RA was also found.