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Biomedical subjects

M Carrabba

Publications and source records attributed to M Carrabba.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Efficacy and tolerability of galactosamino-glycuronoglycan-sulfate in osteoarthritis of the knee: an 11-month experience.

Chondroprotective agents represent a model for basic therapy of osteoarthritis (OA), thanks to their activity directed towards the protection and repair of articular cartilage. One of the most recent compounds capable of interfering with the pathogenic mechanisms of OA is galactosamino-glycuronoglycan-sulfate (GGGS), a highly depolymerized glycosaminoglycan with favourable chondroprotective and anti-inflammatory properties. The present paper describes the experience with GGGS given to a group of patients with symptomatic OA of the knee as compared to a parallel group treated with placebo. The drug (or placebo) was administered in two series of 25 intramuscular injections each over a period of 11 months, and four successive evaluations of treatment were made at various times during this period, and a fifth evaluation one month after the suspension of treatment to better evaluate the permanence of the therapeutic effect. The results obtained showed significant improvements on pain, algofunctional index and consumption of NSAIDs only in the group treated with GGGS. The drug was well tolerated and no reduction of dosage or drop-out from therapy were required. The favourable clinical effects and the patients' good compliance make GGGS a useful drug for successful chondroprotective treatment of OA.

Aged↗
PubMed1987

[Diacereine: an original approach in the treatment of degenerative and/or extra-articular rheumatism].

71 patients with variously located osteoarthrosis or primary fibromyalgic syndrome were treated with oral diacereine (DAR). The case series was accumulated in successive periods and may be divided into three groups. An "open" test on DAR (100 mg/die for 4 weeks) was conducted on the first group of 31 arthrosis patients. On the second group of 20 other arthrosis patients a "double-blind, cross-over" test was carried out using DAR (100 mg/die) and naproxene (500 mg/die) both for 2 weeks. The third group of 20 patients with fibromyalgia was treated with DAR alone: 100 mg/die 5 days a week for 12 weeks. The efficacy of the treatment was judged on the basis of the following parameters: rest pain, pressure pain, pain on active and passive movement, and functional limitation. In the first group a positive therapeutic effect was noted in 20 cases (68.9%). There were side effects (moderate diarrhea) in 3 patients 2 of whom suspended treatment. In the second group, DAR and naproxene had an almost identical effect. However 7 patients (36.8%) expressed a preference for DAR, 9 (47.4%) expressed no preference and only 3 (15.8%) preferred naproxene. Side effects were encountered in 3 patients treated with naproxene (2 cases of epigastralgia and pyrosis and 1 case of dyspnea so marked as to require suspension of treatment) and in 3 treated with DAR (modest diarrhea). In the third group, a positive therapeutic effect was noted in 68.4% of the patients with fibromyalgia with a 15% incidence of side effects consisting of slight abdominal pain (diarrhea caused suspension of treatment in 1 case only). Blood chemical parameters were studied in all three groups and no alterations attributable to the treatment were found. The obtained result suggests that the new drug is effective and well tolerated in the envisaged indications.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1987

The coexistence of rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus.

A 29-year-old white female with longstanding classical rheumatoid arthritis (RA) developed clinical and serological manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) with prominent signs of diffuse proliferative lupus nephritis. She fulfilled the ARA criteria for the classification of SLE as well as the ARA criteria for classical RA. The concomitant presence of these two affections in the same patient is rare and the discriminating features suggest that this coexistence may be coincidental. With respect to treatment, our patient had good relief of symptoms by a combined administration of methylprednisolone pulses and cyclophosphamide.

Adult↗
PubMed1987

Effectiveness and tolerability of ketoprofen lysine, once a day, in patients with rheumatic disorders.

Ketoprofen lysine (KL) at a dose of 160 mg b.i.d. has been shown to have favourable anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties in a large number of patients. In the present paper investigators describe their experience with a new therapeutic schedule of KL, 320 mg given once a day to patients with various rheumatic disorders. With this new schedule there was satisfactory clinical improvement of most of the clinical parameters and good tolerability, with a low incidence of gastric troubles. The favourable clinical effects and the patients' good compliance with once-a-day KL make it a useful drug for successful treatment of rheumatic disorders.

Drug Administration Schedule↗
PubMed1987

Effects of suprofen on renal function in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Suprofen is a new potent analgesic with antiinflammatory properties that appears to inhibit prostaglandin synthetase in a tissue-selective manner, having relatively little effect on the kidneys of experimental animals. The effects were studied of one week of treatment of rheumatoid arthritis patients with suprofen or ibuprofen on Na+ and K+ excretion, creatinine clearance, urinary enzymes that are markers for tubular damage, and urinary prostaglandins such as PGE2 and 6-keto PGF1 alpha (a stable metabolite of prostacyclin). Neither compound caused changes in renal function related to the week of treatment, but significant decreases in prostaglandins were observed: this change was fully reversible after discontinuation of the drug.

6-Ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha↗
PubMed1985

Abnormalities of sex hormones in men with systemic lupus erythematosus.

Sex hormone concentrations were studied in 10 men with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) before and after HCG stimulation and compared with those of 10 healthy volunteers. The SLE men had significantly lower testosterone/estradiol ratios (before HCG test) and significantly lower mean increases in testosterone after HCG stimulation than the normals. Our findings confirm that there are sexual hormone abnormalities in SLE and suggest that these abnormal patterns may be important in the modulation of immune responses in SLE.

Adult↗
PubMed1982

[Acupuncture in rheumatology. Case contribution].

Results obtained by acupuncture treatment of patients with rheumatic diseases were analysed. Clinical, serological and psychological parameters were evaluated at the beginning and end of treatment. Results showed variations in pain intensity, articular function, inflammation, anxiety and bodily condition. The results are accompanied by a description of the limits of the research conducted.

Acupuncture Therapy↗
PubMed1975

[Importance of enzymes in the synovial fluid. Progress report].

The significance and importance of investigation of the synovial fluid enzymes in the main arthropathies are explanined. Tables are given for the main enzymes studied, the cell compartments of origin, and data for their values in rheumatic diseases (as reported in the literature). Stress is laid on the importance of enzymes belonging to the lysosomial compartment, both in the pathogenesis of the underlying inflammation and in the relation to anatomopathological lesions in the joints. Attention is directed to the most widely accepted hypotheses. These ten to see enzymes increases in breakdown of condrocytes, as inflammatory arthritis attributable to synoviocytes and leukocytes. A personal opinion based on prior research is also presented. Further work in this sector is urged a mean of learning more about the pathology of rheumatic diseases.

Arthritis, Infectious↗