International journal of tissue reactions
-
Case Reports
Treatment of an extensive superficial basal cell carcinoma of the face with imiquimod 5% cream.
The efficacy and safety of imiquimod, an immune-response modifier approved for the treatment of anogenital warts that has antiviral and antitumor activity, in the management of an extensive superficial basal cell carcinoma (sBCC) of the face as an alternative to surgical treatment was evaluated in a 75-year-old male with a 4-year history of a progressively enlarging lesion located on the right temporal region. Imiquimod 5% cream was applied daily until clinical resolution. Histopathological confirmation of clinical diagnosis and of tumor clearance were performed before starting treatment and at the end of treatment, respectively. ⋯ Imiquimod 5% cream applied daily for 5 months produced complete clinical and histological clearance. No adverse events but considerable irritation were reported during treatment and no relapses were clinically observed at the 6-month follow-up visit. Our findings confirm current reports from the literature showing imiquimod 5% cream to be an effective treatment for sBCC that is especially valuable in avoiding disfigurement in cases of single large lesions located on the face or in those patients who may not be surgical candidates.
-
To reduce surgical stress, fentanyl is frequently used for neurosurgical procedures in which focal and/or global ischemia may occur. However, the effect of fentanyl on cytokine levels during ischemia/reperfusion is still uncertain. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of fentanyl infusion on levels of the proinflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and interleukin (IL)-1beta, during global cerebral ischemia/reperfusion in rats using the intracerebral microdialysis technique. ⋯ After 2 h of stabilization, the microdialysate was collected 10 times every 17 min, just before ischemia (control), after ischemia (I) and after reperfusion (R1-R8), and stored at -80 degrees C until analysis using high-performance liquid chromatography During global ischemia/reperfusion, TNF-alpha and IL-1beta significantly increased at reperfusion (R5) compared with the control value (p < 0.05). However, in both cases of fentanyl infusion, TNF-alpha and IL-1beta showed no increase compared with the control value. Fentanyl inhibited an increase of the proinflammatory cytokines, TNF-alpha and IL-1beta levels, during global cerebral ischemia/reperfusion in rats.
-
Clinical Trial
Early-morning administration of dexketoprofen-trometamol in morning stiffness induced by nodal osteoarthritis of the hands.
Morning stiffness in osteoarthritis (OA) of the hands is a troublesome symptom that deserves attention in many OA patients. The aim of this research was to verify the action of oral dexketoprofen-trometamol (50 mg) administered early in the morning on morning stiffness in hand OA. ⋯ The degree of morning stiffness, evaluated by means of the WOMAC scale for OA stiffness, was significantly diminished 40 min after drug administration in treated patients but not in controls. This drug acted rapidly and was effective in reducing morning stiffness in OA of the hands.
-
In the present study we evaluated the 3-month follow-up of 14 subjects with phenobarbital-induced shoulder-hand syndrome after discontinuation of their previous pharmacological treatment (group 1: gabapentin 100 mg/day; group 2: acetaminophen 3 g/day for 3 months). The aim of this study was to evaluate pain and joint function in each group after cessation of treatment and to compare the results in the two groups. The result for pain and joint function was better in the seven patients previously treated with gabapentin.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Intraarticular injection of sodium hyaluronate plus steroid versus steroid in adhesive capsulitis of the shoulder.
To determine the efficacy of a combined treatment--namely hyaluronan and corticosteroid injection plus physical exercises in the management of established idiopathic capsulitis of the shoulder--30 consecutive subjects with adhesive capsulitis were selected for the study. The diagnosis of adhesive capsulitis was established on the basis of a clinical history of spontaneous shoulder pain, shoulder examination showing passive limitation in conformity with capsular pattern, cervical examination excluding significant dysfunction of this area, plain radiographs excluding other significant shoulder diseases, or sonographic examination showing capsule shrinkage in affected joint. The patients were randomly allocated to receive intraarticular injections of sodium hyaluronate (20 mg) plus steroid (20 mg triamcinolone acetonide) and physiotherapy or intraarticular injections of steroid (20 mg triamcinolone acetonide) alone and physiotherapy. ⋯ The results indicate an improvement of pain and joint motion after 6 months in all patients, especially in the patients treated with sodium hyaluronate. Intraarticular hyaluronan combined with triamcinolone acetonide and shoulder exercises may improve adhesive capsulitis. This drug possibly acts on shoulder tissue retraction by means of its influence on osmotic pressure and synovial fluid volume control.