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Biomedical subjects

B Stacey

Publications and source records attributed to B Stacey.

16 recordsLinked to original sources

Efficacy of gabapentin in migraine prophylaxis.

OBJECTIVE: To compare gabapentin with placebo for use as a prophylactic agent in patients with migraine (with or without aura). STUDY DESIGN AND TREATMENT: After screening, a 4-week, single-blind, placebo baseline period was followed by a 12-week, double-blind, treatment period. The 12-week treatment period consisted of a 4-week titration phase and an 8-week stable-dosing phase. During the 4-week titration phase, patients were started on one 300-mg capsule of gabapentin or matching placebo. Patients were titrated weekly from 900 mg/day (end of week 1) to 2400 mg/day (end of week 4) and had to be receiving a stable dose of study medication by the end of the titration period. Study medication was to be given on a three-times-a-day dosing regimen. METHODS: The study hypothesis was defined a priori as a lower 4-week migraine rate during the second stabilization period for the gabapentin-treated patients as compared with the placebo-treated patients. The analyses were performed with the 4-week migraine rate at baseline as a covariate and center as a blocking factor. RESULTS: At seven participating centers, 143 patients with migraine were randomized in a 2:1 ratio and received either gabapentin (n = 98) or matching placebo (n = 45). Thirty-three patients (24.1%) discontinued prematurely from the study, including 24 (24.5%) of 98 gabapentin-treated patients and 9 (20.0%) of 45 placebo-treated patients; the majority of patients discontinued due to adverse events (16 [16.3%] of 98 gabapentin-treated patients; 4 [8.9%] of 45 placebo-treated patients). Patients included in the analysis were evenly balanced for age, sex, race, weight, and height. The majority of these patients were white (80 [92.0%] of 87) and women (72 [82.8%] of 87), with a mean age of approximately 39.4 years and a history of migraine episodes for a mean of about 21 years. At the end of the 12-week treatment phase, the median 4-week migraine rate was 2.7 for the gabapentin-treated patients maintained on a stable dose of 2400 mg/day and 3.5 for the placebo-treated patients (P =.006), compared with 4.2 and 4.1, respectively, during the baseline period. Additionally, 26 (46.4%) of 56 patients receiving a stable dose of 2400 mg/day gabapentin and 5 (16.1%) of 31 patients receiving placebo showed at least a 50% reduction in the 4-week migraine rate (P =.008). The average number of days per 4 weeks with migraine was also statistically significant and favored gabapentin (P =.006) during stabilization period 2. The median change in 4-week headache rate was statistically significant as well (P =.013). The most frequently reported adverse events for both treatment groups were asthenia, dizziness, somnolence, and infection. Adverse events determined by the investigator to be associated with study drug resulted in patient withdrawal in 13 (13.3%) of 98 gabapentin-treated patients and 3 (6.7%) of 45 placebo-treated patients. Somnolence and dizziness accounted for many of the premature withdrawals among those taking gabapentin. CONCLUSION: Gabapentin is an effective prophylactic agent for patients with migraine. In addition, gabapentin appears generally well tolerated with mild to moderate somnolence and dizziness.

Acetates↗

Gabapentin for the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia: a randomized controlled trial.

CONTEXT: Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a syndrome of often intractable neuropathic pain following herpes zoster (shingles) that eludes effective treatment in many patients. OBJECTIVE: To determine the efficacy and safety of the anticonvulsant drug gabapentin in reducing PHN pain. DESIGN: Multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel design, 8-week trial conducted from August 1996 through July 1997. SETTING: Sixteen US outpatient clinical centers. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 229 subjects were randomized. INTERVENTION: A 4-week titration period to a maximum dosage of 3600 mg/d of gabapentin or matching placebo. Treatment was maintained for another 4 weeks at the maximum tolerated dose. Concomitant tricyclic antidepressants and/or narcotics were continued if therapy was stabilized prior to study entry and remained constant throughout the study. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary efficacy measure was change in the average daily pain score based on an 11-point Likert scale (0, no pain; 10, worst possible pain) from baseline week to the final week of therapy. Secondary measures included average daily sleep scores, Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire (SF-MPQ), Subject Global Impression of Change and investigator-rated Clinical Global Impression of Change, Short Form-36 (SF-36) Quality of Life Questionnaire, and Profile of Mood States (POMS). Safety measures included the frequency and severity of adverse events. RESULTS: One hundred thirteen patients received gabapentin, and 89 (78.8%) completed the study; 116 received placebo, and 95 (81.9%) completed the study. By intent-to-treat analysis, subjects receiving gabapentin had a statistically significant reduction in average daily pain score from 6.3 to 4.2 points compared with a change from 6.5 to 6.0 points in subjects randomized to receive placebo (P<.001). Secondary measures of pain as well as changes in pain and sleep interference showed improvement with gabapentin (P<.001). Many measures within the SF-36 and POMS also significantly favored gabapentin (P< or =.01). Somnolence, dizziness, ataxia, peripheral edema, and infection were all more frequent in the gabapentin group, but withdrawals were comparable in the 2 groups (15 [13.3%] in the gabapentin group vs 11 [9.5%] in the placebo group). CONCLUSIONS: Gabapentin is effective in the treatment of pain and sleep interference associated with PHN. Mood and quality of life also improve with gabapentin therapy.

Acetates↗

Cross-sectional age differences in the self-conceptions of adults.

105 young, 104 middle-aged, and 96 elderly adults were asked to supply 20 answers to the question "Who am I." This followed previous research which has shown the responses of children and adolescents display an age-related increase in the number of abstract ideas used to answer this question. Participants of all age groups also used a high number of abstract ideas to characterize themselves, but the nature of these abstractions showed maturation-related variations in openness, competence, and moral integrity. This pattern of results supports Erik Erikson's theory of identity development in adulthood.

Adult↗

Estimation of parental IQ.

217 undergraduates, their parents, and grandparents were asked to estimate the IQs of themselves as well as those of their parents. Previous research has shown the existence of a gender-related bias that affects the ability of younger adults to estimate the IQs of their parents. The results of this survey showed that, in contrast to young and middle-aged individuals, older adults estimated the IQs of their parents to be equal to their own.

Adolescent↗

Merkel cell carcinoma of the labial mucosa. An immunohistochemical and ultrastructural study with a review of the literature on oral Merkel cell carcinomas.

Merkel cell carcinoma is a rare cutaneous neuroendocrine tumor that occurs predominantly in the head and neck region of older patients. An 88-year-old white man had an erythematous, umbilicated tumor on his lower lip, which on histopathologic examination showed solid sheets of infiltrating basaloid round cells with a high mitotic index. Globular, paranuclear immunostaining for low-molecular-weight cytokeratins (Nos. 8, 18, and 19) and neurofilament was observed. On ultrastructural examination, the tumor cells demonstrated paranuclear whorls of intermediate filament aggregates and occasional electron-dense granules. This unique cytokeratin- and neurofilament-staining pattern with coexpression enabled the Merkel cell carcinoma to be differentiated from other small cell malignant tumors that included metastatic neuroendocrine carcinomas from other regions. The follow-up 1 year after surgery and radiation showed that the patient remained disease free. Review of the literature revealed 11 cases of oral Merkel cell carcinomas with a predilection for the labial mucosa of older men. The mode of treatment and the clinical course of these cases are also presented, with an update on therapeutic management of Merkel cell carcinomas.

Aged↗

Primary cytomegalovirus and opportunistic infections. Incidence in renal transplant recipients.

Thirty-five renal allograft recipients were studied concerning the relationship between cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simplex virus (HSV), and opportunistic bacterial and fungal infections. The incidence of opportunistic infections was determined for patients whose tests prior to transplantation were seronegative in complement fixation and indirect hemagglutination assays of CMV antibody and for those patients whose tests were seropositive. Among the six seronegative patients with seronegative tests, four (66%) experienced active CMV infection within two months, and four died of Candida or Aspergillus infection within six months after transplantation. Among the 22 patients with seropositive tests, only one (4%) had a fungal infection and it was nonfatal (P less than .05). The increased morbidity and mortality due to fungal and bacterial infections in transplant recipients with seronegative CMV tests appears, therefore, to be related to primary CMV infection rather than to generalized immunodeficiency.

Antibodies, Viral↗

Acetaminophen toxicity.

Acetaminophen is the most widely used and recommended nonprescription analgesic and antipyretic medication in the United States (Rose, 1994). Because acetaminophen is widely advertised and readily available over the counter, consumers as well as health care professionals perceive this medication to be nontoxic. Large or repeated doses of acetaminophen can produce hepatotoxicity, which can occur within 24 hours of an overdose. However, because the signs and symptoms of acetaminophen overdose mimic common illnesses, the real diagnosis may go undetected (Baer & Williams, 1996). Early detection and treatment of acetaminophen overdose is imperative to avoid hepatotoxicity. Nurses play a key role in early identification of both recommended dosages and the clinical features that are associated with acetaminophen toxicity.

Acetaminophen↗