Clinical therapeutics
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Clinical therapeutics · May 2008
Review Case ReportsAcute generalized exanthematous pustulosis induced by hydroxychloroquine: three cases and a review of the literature.
Acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis (AGEP) is a clinical reaction pattern that is principally drug induced and is characterized by acute, extensive formation of nonfollicular sterile pustules on an erythematous and edematous substrate. Hydroxychloroquine (HHCQ), an antimalarial drug widely used to treat rheumatic and dermatologic diseases, has been described as an uncommon cause of AGEP. ⋯ This article reports 3 cases of AGEP related to administration of HCQ. HCQ-induced AGEP is a rare but severe, extensive, and acute reaction. No specific therapy is available, and correct diagnosis generally leads to spontaneous resolution once the causative drug has been withdrawn.
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Clinical therapeutics · May 2008
ReviewA review of the efficacy of smoking-cessation pharmacotherapies in nonwhite populations.
Cigarette smoking continues to be the leading cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in the United States. Research suggests that behavioral support strategies and pharmacotherapy can improve abstinence rates. However, both approaches, especially pharmacotherapy, have been understudied in nonwhite US populations. ⋯ Data from the studies in this review support the use of smoking-cessation pharmacotherapy (nicotine patch and bupropion SR) in nonwhite patients. Black patients, who smoked within 30 minutes of awakening, smoked mentholated cigarettes, and had high salivary cotinine levels may have difficulty quitting regardless of the number of cigarettes smoked per day; therefore, determining the type of cigarettes smoked (mentholated vs nonmentholated) and salivary cotinine levels may be helpful in assessing the severity of smoking addiction and guide pharmacotherapy (eg, starting at higher doses of nicotine-replacement therapy in a light smoker). Other than smoking-cessation behavioral studies, there is a lack of congruent smoking-cessation pharmacotherapy studies in American Indian/Alaska Native, Hispanic, and other ethnic populations.
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Clinical therapeutics · May 2008
ReviewRole of corticosteroids in the management of acute respiratory distress syndrome.
Evidence exploring the use of corticosteroids for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has targeted various stages of disease progression, from preventing ARDS in high-risk patients to halting disease evolution once ARDS has developed. ⋯ Data from clinical trials did not support the use of short-course, high-dose corticosteroids for preventing ARDS or for the treatment of early ARDS. Longer-course corticosteroids have not conclusively been associated with improved survival in the treatment of late-phase ARDS but have provided some benefits in other markers of disease severity in this setting and in early phase ARDS. Published trials support the administration of low- to moderate-dose corticosteroids in the treatment of early (<7 days) and late-phase (days 7\2-14) ARDS, but this evidence is controversial.
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Clinical therapeutics · May 2008
ReviewRotigotine transdermal system for the treatment of Parkinson's disease.
Levodopa has been the cornerstone of the treatment of Parkinson's disease (PD) for >30 years, but long-term levodopa therapy is associated with development of such motor complications as motor fluctuations, dyskinesias, and drug-induced involuntary movements. Rotigotine is a dopamine agonist with high affinity for the D(2) receptor. Rotigotine transdermal system, the first such system approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the management of PD, has been formulated to deliver a consistent concentration of drug to the bloodstream with the goal of minimizing the complications associated with pulsatile dosing. ⋯ The available evidence suggests that rotigotine transdermal system was effective compared with placebo in decreasing morbidity in patients with early and advanced PD. The most commonly reported adverse events associated with rotigotine transdermal system were application-site reaction, nausea, and somnolence. Additional clinical trials are needed to determine the long-term tolerability profile of rotigotine transdermal system and its clinical efficacy and tolerability compared with oral dopamine agonists.