Efficacy and tolerability of switching to ziprasidone from olanzapine, risperidone or haloperidol: an international, multicenter study.

To compare the effectiveness of a switch from haloperidol (N=99), olanzapine (N=82), or risperidone (N=104) to 12 weeks of treatment with 80-160 mg/day ziprasidone in patients with stable schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Stable outpatients with persistent symptoms or troublesome side effects were switched using one of three 1-week taper/switch strategies as determined by the investigator. Efficacy was assessed using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale score, Clinical Global Impression, Positive and Negative Symptom Scale, Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale, and the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale, and tolerability by using standard measures of weight change, extrapyramidal symptoms, and laboratory findings.

Pregabalin add-on therapy using a flexible, optimized dose schedule in refractory partial epilepsies: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial.

Purpose: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of pregabalin (PGB) as adjunctive therapy, using a flexible-dosing schedule in Korean patients with refractory partial-onset seizures.

Methods: This randomized, double-blind (DB), placebo-controlled trial consists of a 6-week baseline, a 12-week DB treatment, and a 1-week taper phase. Patients having recurrent partial seizures (>or=4 seizures during baseline phase) under adequate pharmacotherapy were recruited to be randomized to PGB or placebo (PLC) in a 2 to 1 ratio.

Atorvastatin does not induce glomerular or tubular dysfunction even at high doses.

The current analyses evaluated the effect of atorvastatin on biomarkers of renal function. Serum creatinine level and markers of tubular and glomerular function, including cystatin C, urine N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase, urine and serum beta2-microglobulin, and urine albumin, were assessed in osteopenic postmenopausal women with mild dyslipidemia who received atorvastatin 20 mg, atorvastatin 80 mg, or placebo for 1 year. During the study, changes in serum creatinine levels were the same in all 3 treatment groups.

Effects of atorvastatin on bone in postmenopausal women with dyslipidemia: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, dose-ranging trial.

Context: In preclinical models, inhibitors of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase have been shown to positively affect bone remodeling balance. Observational studies and secondary analyses from lipid-lowering trials have yielded inconsistent results regarding the effect of these agents on bone mineral density and fracture risk.

Objective: Our objective was to determine whether clinically significant skeletal benefits result from hydroxymethylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibition in postmenopausal women.

Quinapril for treatment of hypertension in Turkey: dose titration and diuretic combination treatment strategies.

Background And Objective: Recently the PatenT (Prevalence, awareness, treatment and control of hypertension in Turkey) study showed that while the prevalence of hypertension in Turkey is high, effective control of BP is infrequently achieved. This study investigated the efficacy and safety of quinapril (as monotherapy or in combination with hydrochlorothiazide [HCTZ]) for achieving BP control (target <140/90 mm Hg) in Turkish subjects with mild to moderate hypertension.

Methods: Two-hundred male and female outpatients aged 19-65 years with mild to moderate hypertension (stage I or II, Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure 7 guidelines) entered this 12-week, open-label study.