An open-label randomized study of the relative absorption of gastro-resistant risedronate taken fasted or with food versus immediate-release risedronate.

Patients with osteoporosis often take oral bisphosphonates with food, rendering these medications ineffective. This study compared the relative absorption of four formulations of gastro-resistant (GR; formulations 1-4) risedronate 35 mg versus immediate-release (IR) risedronate 35 mg taken fasted. Secondarily, it compared the relative absorption of GR formulations administered fed and fasted, and determined the site of disintegration.

Pharmacokinetics of the Oral Selective CXCR2 Antagonist AZD5069: A Summary of Eight Phase I Studies in Healthy Volunteers.

Objective: The aim of this study was to summarise the pharmacokinetic findings from eight phase I studies in healthy volunteers given oral AZD5069, a selective small-molecule CXCR2 antagonist.

Methods: 240 healthy volunteers across eight phase I studies received single (0.1-200 mg) or multiple once- or twice-daily (10-120 mg) oral AZD5069 as solution, suspension, capsules or tablets.

The impact of loading approach and biological activity on NOM removal by ion exchange resins.

The present study investigated the impact of different loading approaches and microbial activity on the Natural Organic Matter (NOM) removal efficiency and capacity of ion exchange resins. Gaining further knowledge on the impact of loading approaches is of relevance because laboratory-scale multiple loading tests (MLTs) have been introduced as a simpler and faster alternative to column tests for predicting the performance of IEX, but only anecdotal evidence exists to support their ability to forecast contaminant removal and runtime until breakthrough of IEX systems. The overall trends observed for the removal and the time to breakthrough of organic material estimated using MLTs differed from those estimated using column tests.

Results from a drug utilization study of extended release quetiapine fumarate prescribed by psychiatrists as treatment for major depressive disorder in selected countries in the European Union.

This multicenter, observational drug utilization (DU) study (NCT01594996) investigated the profile of patients and specialist providers who prescribed extended release quetiapine fumarate (quetiapine XR) for treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD) across five European countries (Germany, Italy, Romania, Spain, and Sweden). A DU data abstraction form captured information on the characteristics of physicians, patients, and drugs utilized in the medical management of depressive episodes in MDD, where the therapeutic regimen included quetiapine XR. Data were reported descriptively.

Effectiveness of a risk-minimization activity involving physician education on metabolic monitoring of patients receiving quetiapine: results from two postauthorization safety studies.

Following Good Pharmacovigilance Practices Module XVI, two complementary studies were performed that included process and outcome measurements of the effectiveness of physician education on metabolic monitoring of patients receiving quetiapine. A multinational survey of 800 European Union physicians was utilized to assess the receipt of educational materials and also to assess the degree of monitoring as reported by physicians. Recall of receipt of educational materials ranged from 16.

A randomised, placebo-controlled study of the CXCR2 antagonist AZD5069 in bronchiectasis.

This randomised double-blind placebo-controlled parallel-group multicentre phase IIa study evaluated the effect of the CXCR2 antagonist AZD5069 on sputum neutrophil counts in adults with bronchiectasis.Patients were randomised 1:1 to receive AZD5069 80 mg or placebo orally twice daily for 28 days. Assessments included blood cell counts, inflammatory markers in blood, morning spontaneous sputum, lung function, safety and tolerability and patients completed daily BronkoTest diary cards.

The safety and tolerability of oral AZD5069, a selective CXCR2 antagonist, in patients with moderate-to-severe COPD.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by neutrophil-dominated airway mucosal inflammation and elevated neutrophil counts in sputum and lung tissue. CXC chemokine receptor 2 (CXCR2) is predominantly expressed on neutrophils and mediates the migration of neutrophils to inflammatory sites. AZD5069 is a small molecule CXCR2 antagonist with the potential to inhibit neutrophil migration into the airways in patients with COPD.

The effect of tumour necrosis factor-α and insulin on equine digital blood vessel function in vitro.

Objective And Design: Insulin and inflammatory cytokines may be involved in equine laminitis, which might be associated with digital vascular dysfunction. This study determined the effects of TNF-α and insulin on the endothelial-dependent relaxant responses of equine digital blood vessels and on equine digital vein endothelial cell (EDVEC) cGMP production.

Material: Isolated rings of equine digital arteries (EDAs) and veins (EDVs) were obtained and EDVECs were cultured from horses euthanized at an abattoir.

The effect of exercise on plasma concentrations of inflammatory markers in normal and previously laminitic ponies.

Reasons For Performing Study: The mechanisms underlying predisposition to pasture-associated laminitis remain unclear; chronic inflammation is implicated, and this may be exacerbated by physical inactivity.

Objectives: To determine whether exercise affects the inflammatory profile of normal and previously laminitic ponies.

Study Design: Prospective case-control study.

Plasma concentrations of inflammatory markers in previously laminitic ponies.

Reasons For Performing Study: The mechanisms underlying individual animal predisposition to pasture-associated laminitis remain unclear; however, chronic inflammation is implicated.

Objectives: To identify differences in the inflammatory profile of a group of previously laminitic ponies compared with control animals at pasture in late spring and winter.

Methods: Previously laminitic (PL; n = 38 and 42) and nonlaminitic control ponies (NL; n = 41 and 39) were sampled in late spring and winter.

α6 Integrin and CD44 enrich for a primary keratinocyte population that displays resistance to UV-induced apoptosis.

Epidermal human keratinocytes are exposed to a wide range of environmental genotoxic insults, including the UV component of solar radiation. Epidermal homeostasis in response to cellular or tissue damage is maintained by a population of keratinocyte stem cells (KSC) that reside in the basal layer of the epithelium. Using cell sorting based on cell-surface markers, we have identified a novel α6 integrin(high+)/CD44(+) sub-population of basal keratinocytes.

Effects of an oral MMP-9 and -12 inhibitor, AZD1236, on biomarkers in moderate/severe COPD: a randomised controlled trial.

Background: There is a pressing need for new forms of treatment for COPD. Based on the known pathophysiology of COPD, inhibition of matrix metalloproteinases is a theoretically promising approach. This Phase IIa study evaluated the effects of AZD1236, a selective MMP-9 and MMP-12 inhibitor, on the biomarkers of inflammation and emphysematous lung tissue degradation in patients with moderate-to-severe COPD.

Safety and tolerability of an oral MMP-9 and -12 inhibitor, AZD1236, in patients with moderate-to-severe COPD: a randomised controlled 6-week trial.

Background: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). This phase IIa study investigated the safety and tolerability of oral AZD1236, an MMP-9 and MMP-12 inhibitor, in patients with COPD. Efficacy analyses were included on an exploratory basis.

Assessment of levetiracetam bioavailability from targeted sites in the human intestine using remotely activated capsules and gamma scintigraphy: Open-label, single-dose, randomized, four-way crossover study in healthy male volunteers.

Background: Levetiracetam is a broad-spectrum antiepileptic drug that binds to synaptic vesicle protein SV2A. Levetiracetam is indicated in the adjunctive treatment of partial-onset seizures, myoclonic seizures, and generalized tonic-clonic seizures. It is also approved in Europe as monotherapy for newly diagnosed partial-onset seizures.

The assessment of human regional drug absorption of free acid and sodium salt forms of acipimox, in healthy volunteers, to direct modified release formulation strategy.

Acipimox is an analog of nicotinic acid and is indicated for the treatment of dyslipidemia. It is also believed to improve glucose control by enhancing insulin sensitivity. The purpose of this study was to direct modified release (MR) formulation strategy by comparing the bioavailability of two forms of acipimox (free acid and sodium salt) from the distal small bowel (DSB) and colon with an immediate release formulation.

In vivo disintegration profiles of encapsulated and nonencapsulated sumatriptan: gamma scintigraphy in healthy volunteers.

The goal of this exploratory pilot study was to use gamma scintigraphy to evaluate, under physiological conditions, disintegration profiles of encapsulated and nonencapsulated formulations of 100 mg sumatriptan. Using a crossover design, healthy volunteers (n = 10) ingested 100-mg doses of sumatriptan tablets radiolabeled with 111Indium, as well as encapsulated sumatriptan tablets that were prepared similarly, then placed within a gelatin capsule and backfilled with an excipient blend radiolabeled with 99mTechnetium. A gamma camera recorded scintigraphic images until 5 hours postdose.

Pharmacoscintigraphic comparison of HMR 1031, a VLA-4 antagonist, in healthy volunteers following delivery via a nebulizer and a dry powder inhaler.

A pharmacoscintigraphic study was conducted to compare the dose deposition of HMR 1031 from the existing nebulizer formulation and the new Ultrahaler device to help determine the doses for future phase 2 trials. This was a single-dose, open-label, randomized, two-way crossover study in which HMR 1031 (3 mg) was delivered by the Ultrahaler and the Pari LC Star nebulizer to 12 healthy male subjects. For both treatments, the formulations were radiolabeled with technetium-99m pertechnetate such that a maximum of 10 MBq was delivered on each study day.

Combined scintigraphic and pharmacokinetic investigation of enteric-coated mesalazine micropellets in healthy subjects.

Background: There is a growing clinical trend to increase the daily dose of mesalazine, which leads to significant compliance issues associated with multiple dosings of current preparations.

Aim: To examine the gastrointestinal performance and systemic exposure of a 1.5 g sachet (micropellets) mesalazine formulation, compared with three enteric-coated tablets (500 mg each, Claversal).

Pharmacoscintigraphic assessment of the regional drug absorption of the dual angiotensin-converting enzyme/neutral endopeptidase inhibitor, M100240, in healthy volunteers.

M100240 is the thioester of MDL 100,173, a dual angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)/neutral endopeptidase (NEP) inhibitor currently in phase II development. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relative bioavaibility of M100240 in various regions of the gastrointestinal tract using the Enterion capsule, a noninvasive radiocontrolled device providing targeted drug delivery, to explore the absorption characteristics of M100240 in healthy volunteers. In addition, the absolute bioavailability of an immediate-release formulation of M100240 was assessed.

A scintigraphic study to investigate the potential for altered gut distribution of loperamide from a loperamide-simethicone formulation in man.

A loperamide simethicone combination formulation has recently been demonstrated to have significant clinical advantages compared to loperamide alone in the relief of diarrhoea and related symptoms. The product visualisation technique of gamma scintigraphy has been used to investigate the interaction of the formulation with the heterogenous environment of the human gut in a group of 12 healthy volunteers. The results suggest that changes in the intestinal kinetics of loperamide from the combination product, e.

Adrenal insufficiency in a man with non-classical 21-hydroxylase deficiency: consequence or coincidence?

Deficiency of the adrenal enzyme 21-hydroxylase, which is required for cortisol synthesis, appears in two forms: a rare classical variant with severe enzyme deficiency, usually presenting in neonates with ambiguous genitalia (from androgen overproduction) or adrenal crisis (from glucocorticoid and mineralocorticoid underproduction), and a common (1% of the general population) non-classical variant with mild enzyme deficiency, usually presenting in young adults with findings of androgen excess but without clinical evidence of decreased steroid hormone production. We describe a 22-year-old man who had clinical and biochemical findings consistent with adrenal insufficiency, including a favorable response to hydrocortisone replacement, in whom elevated serum levels of the cortisol precursor 17-hydroxyprogesterone were diagnostic of non-classical 21-hydroxylase deficiency and in whom no other cause of adrenal insufficiency could be identified. These findings raise the possibility that non-classical 21-hydroxylase deficiency, an extremely frequent disorder which is generally thought to be without significant morbidity, might cause or contribute to adrenal insufficiency in adults.