PubMed Health⌕ Search

PubMed · 10530677

Monotherapy trials with gabapentin for partial epilepsy.

Abstract

The efficacy and safety of gabapentin as monotherapy for treatment of partial onset seizures were evaluated in three large multicenter, double-blind, parallel-group, dose-controlled trials. In the first trial, 275 outpatients with refractory partial epilepsy maintained on stable doses of one or two antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) were switched to gabapentin (GBP) monotherapy at 600 mg, 1200 mg, or 2400 mg daily. Patients were required to exit the 26-week double-blind phase of the study if they experienced worsening of seizure frequency. With respect to time to exit, there was no statistically significant difference among the three groups; only 3% of patients withdrew from the trial because of adverse events. In the second study, 82 hospitalized patients with medically refractory epilepsy were tapered off baseline AEDs and randomly assigned to GBP monotherapy at 300 mg/day or 3600 mg/day. Patients remained in the trial for a maximum of 8 days but had to exit the trial if they experienced one or more exit events. Time to exit was significantly longer in patients in the 3600-mg group (151 h) compared with those in the 300-mg group (85 h) (p = 0.0001). None of the patients withdrew from the trial because of side effects. In the third study, 292 patients with newly diagnosed partial seizures were randomized to GBP 300, 900, or 1800 mg/day or to carbamazepine (CBZ) 600 mg/day. Patients remained in the trial for up to 6 months or until they experienced an exit event. Mean time to exit was significantly longer for patients who received GBP 900 mg/day (p = 0.02) or 1800 mg/day (p = 0.04) compared with those who received 300 mg/day. The completion rate for the CBZ group (37%) was similar to that of the GBP 900-mg (39%) and 1800-mg (38%) groups. Patients receiving CBZ had a higher withdrawal rate because of adverse events compared with the GBP 900-mg and 1800-mg groups. The results of these trials provide good evidence of the efficacy and safety of GBP as monotherapy for the treatment of partial-onset seizures.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

A Beydoun. 1999. Monotherapy trials with gabapentin for partial epilepsy.. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1528-1157.1999.tb00927.x

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related citations

Neural network prediction of thermophilic (65 degrees C) sulfidogenic fluidized-bed reactor performance for the treatment of metal-containing wastewater.

The performance of a fluidized-bed reactor (FBR) based sulfate reducing bioprocess was predicted using artificial neural network (ANN). The FBR was operated at high (65 degrees C) temperature and it was fed with iron (40-90 mg/L) and sulfate (1,000-1,500 mg/L) containing acidic (pH = 3.5-6) synthetic wastewater. Ethanol was supplemented as carbon and electron source for sulfate reducing bacteria (SRB). The wastewater pH of 4.3-4.4 was neutralized by the alkalinity produced in acetate oxidation and the average effluent pH was 7.8 +/- 0.8. The oxidation of acetate is the rate-limiting step in the sulfidogenic ethanol oxidation by thermophilic SRB, which resulted in acetate accumulation. Sulfate reduction and acetate oxidation rates showed variation depending on the operational conditions with the maximum rates of 1 g/L/d (0.2 g/g volatile solids (VS)/d) and 0.3 g/L/d (0.06 g/g VS/d), respectively. This study presents an ANN model predicting the performance of the reactor and determining the optimal architecture of this model; such as best back-propagation (BP) algorithm and neuron numbers. The Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm was selected as the best of 12 BP algorithms and optimal neuron number was determined as 20. The developed ANN model predicted acetate (R=0.91), sulfate (R=0.95), sulfide (R=0.97), and alkalinity (R=0.94) in the FBR effluent. Hence, the ANN based model can be used to predict the FBR performance, to control the operational conditions for improved process performance.

Acetates↗

Short-term temperature effects on the anaerobic metabolism of glycogen accumulating organisms.

Proliferation of glycogen accumulating organisms (GAO) has been identified as a potential cause of enhanced biological phosphorus removal (EBPR) failure in wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). GAO compete for substrate with polyphosphate accumulating organisms (PAO) that are the microorganisms responsible for the phosphorus removal process. In the present article, the effects of temperature on the anaerobic metabolism of GAO were studied in a broad temperature range (from 10 to 40 degrees C). Additionally, maximum acetate uptake rate of PAO, between 20 and 40 degrees C, was also evaluated. It was found that GAO had clear advantages over PAO for substrate uptake at temperatures higher than 20 degrees C. Below 20 degrees C, maximum acetate uptake rates of both microorganisms were similar. However, lower maintenance requirements at temperature lower than 30 degrees C give PAO metabolic advantages in the PAO-GAO competition. Consequently, PAO could be considered to be psychrophilic microorganisms while GAO appear to be mesophilic. These findings contribute to understand the observed stability of the EBPR process in WWTP operated under cold weather conditions. They may also explain the proliferation of GAO in WWTP and thus, EBPR instability, observed in hot climate regions or when treating warm industrial effluents. It is suggested to take into account the observed temperature dependencies of PAO and GAO in order to extend the applicability of current activated sludge models to a wider temperature range.

Acetates↗

Long-term performance of peat biofilters treating ethyl acetate, toluene, and its mixture in air.

Three laboratory-scale peat biofilters were operated at 90 s empty bed residence time (EBRT) for over a year. Biodegradation of ethyl acetate, toluene, or a 1:1 mixture were investigated. In first stage, inlet concentration was progressively increased from 0.4 to 4.5 g/m(3). The maximum elimination capacity (EC) found for ethyl acetate was 190 gC/m(3).h, and it was not affected by toluene. The maximum EC found for toluene as a sole contaminant was 150 gC/m(3).h, but the presence of ethyl acetate decreased the toluene maximum EC to 80 gC/m(3).h. From respirometry monitoring, values of 3.19 g CO(2)/gC and 3.06 g CO(2)/gC for pure ethyl acetate and pure toluene, respectively, were found, with overall yield coefficients of 0.13 g dry biomass produced per gram ethyl acetate consumed and 0.28 g dry biomass produced per gram toluene consumed. CO(2) production in the 1:1 mixture was successfully simulated. Dynamics of living and dead cells were monitored in four sections of the biofilters. Concentrations ranged between 2.6 x 10(9) and 3.0 x 10(10) cells per gram-dry peat for total bacteria, and 2.4 x 10(9)-1.9 x 10(10) cells per gram-dry peat for living bacteria. At high loads loss of bacterial density in the inlet zones, and increase in the dead cells percentages up to 60% was observed. In second stage, long-term performance at an inlet concentration of 1.5 g/m(3) was evaluated to show the process feasibility. Good agreement with previous data was obtained in terms of EC and CO(2) production. Restoration of living cells proportion was also observed.

Acetates↗