Search

The incidence of osteoporosis and osteoporotic-related fractures continues to increase with the aging population. Early diagnosis of low bone mineral density with dual-energy absorptiometry (DXA) and appropriate treatment can prevent fractures. Accurate DXA imaging and patient education regarding the importance of DXA screening play a critical role in patient management. Recognition of osteoporotic fractures on X-ray at the time of an injury or incidentally during imaging for other indications can lead to early treatment and prevention of future fractures. Radiology nurses and other providers are strategically positioned to impact patient outcomes. An overview of osteoporosis, diagnosis, screening guidelines, and nuances of DXA imaging are provided. Case studies provide the clinician with a summary and application of content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Few studies have examined the relative efficacy and tolerability of antihypertensive drug classes in Chinese populations. OBJECTIVE: This study compared the efficacy, tolerability, and duration of antihypertensive effect of amlodipine besylate and enalapril in Chinese patients with hypertension, including elderly patients with isolated systolic hypertension. METHODS: This randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, parallel-group dose-titration study was conducted at the Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Chinese University of Hong Kong. Chinese patients aged 18 to 80 years with primary hypertension were enrolled. After a 4-week placebo run-in period, patients were randomly assigned to receive active oral, once-daily treatment with amlodipine (5 mg) or with enalapril (5 mg) for 14 weeks. Treatment doses were titrated at weeks 4 and 8 if necessary according to blood pressure (BP) response and if the dose had been tolerated. Patients also underwent 24-hour ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) at the end of the placebo run-in, after the first and last doses of active treatment, and 48 hours after discontinuation of treatment to determine the duration of drug action and to mimic the effect of 2 missed doses. RESULTS: Eighty patients were recruited for the study (26 men, 54 women; mean [SD] age, 60.5 [11.6] years) (40 patients per group). Thirty-seven patients in each group completed the active treatment phase. Baseline trough BPs were similar: 167.7 (15.0)/94.6 (9.7) mm Hg in the amlodipine group and 168.6 (11.9)/93.4 (9.5) mm Hg in the enalapril group. After 14 weeks of treatment, amlodipine (mean [SD] final dose, 6.3 [2.3] mg) produced greater reductions than enalapril (mean [SD] final dose, 13.3 [6.6] mg) in trough BP (-20.8 [13.2]/-9.2 [9.0] vs -5.5 [14.9]/-3.2 [10.6] mm Hg, respectively; P < or = 0.01). Most of the effect of amlodipine persisted for 72 hours after the last dose (-18.9 [14.6]/-11.1 [11.7] mm Hg), but enalapril had no significant antihypertensive effect at 72 hours (-1.3 [12.3]/-1.8 [9.1] mm Hg). Similar observations were found with ABPM recordings. Cough was reported in 5 patients (12.5%) and 13 patients (32.5%) in the amlodipine and enalapril groups, respectively, but was thought to be treatment related in only 6 patients (15.0%), all in the enalapril group. One of the patients in the enalapril group withdrew from the study because of cough, and 1 patient in the amlodipine group withdrew because of ankle edema. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Current drug therapies for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), including nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs, help control inflammation but can cause significant toxicity. Drugs are needed that are able to suppress inflammation and modify the underlying immune response with improved tolerability. Leflunomide is an agent that affects the inflammatory process, particularly in RA. OBJECTIVE: This paper reviews the pharmacology of leflunomide, its approved use in RA, and the results of major clinical trials, including adverse events. METHODS: Relevant trials were identified through a search of the English-language literature indexed on EMBASE, MEDLINE, Current Contents, and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register from January 1980 to November 2003. Search terms were limited to leflunomide. RESULTS: In 3 large Phase III clinical trials (US301, MN301, and MN302), leflunomide had equivalent clinical efficacy and tolerability to methotrexate and sulfasalazine and superior efficacy and tolerability compared with placebo. In US301 (N = 482), the ACR (American College of Rheumatology) 20 response rate (proportion of patients with > or =20% improvement from baseline in tender and swollen joint counts, patient's assessment of pain, patient's and physician's global assessment of disease activity, physical function, and acute-phase reactant value) at 1 year was similar with leflunomide and methotrexate and significantly greater with both active treatments than with placebo (52%, 46%, and 26%, respectively; both, P < 0.001). The efficacy of leflunomide was seen early (after 4 weeks of treatment) and was sustained throughout the study. There was less radiographic damage in both active-treatment groups compared with placebo (leflunomide, P < or = 0.001; methotrexate, P = 0.02). In MN301 (N = 358), the ACR20 response rate at 6 months was similar with leflunomide and sulfasalazine and significantly greater with both active treatments compared with placebo (55%, 56%, and 29%, respectively; both, P < 0.001). Radiographic progression was also similar with leflunomide and sulfasalazine, both of which were significantly superior to placebo (Larsen score, 0.42, 0.41, and 1.4; both, P < 0.001). An extension of this study revealed maintenance of efficacy at 12 and 24 months. In MN302 (intent-to-treat population, N = 999), 50.5% of patients in the leflunomide group were ACR20 responders at the end of 1 year, compared with 64.8% in the methotrexate group (P < 0.001 vs leflunomide). After 2 years, ACR20 response rates were similar with leflunomide and methotrexate (64.3% and 71.7%). The overall safety profile of leflunomide appears promising, although monitoring for elevations in liver enzymes and bone marrow suppression is recommended. The most common drug-related adverse events associated with leflunomide in these clinical trials were diarrhea, abnormalities in liver enzymes, rash, and hypertension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Context: Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) activity may influence the production of adrenal androgen precursors and testosterone. Use of ACE inhibitors may therefore have an influence on serum sex hormone concentrations in older men. Design and Methods: 1486 out of 2,000 community-dwelling Chinese men aged 65years who participated in a cohort study were randomly selected to have archived fasting morning serum analyzed for androgen precursors and sex hormones. DNA was extracted from whole blood and analyzed for ACE gene I/D polymorphism. Results: Subjects with the ACE gene D allele (higher ACE activity) had higher serum dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) sulphate and DHEA than those with I/I genotype (P=0.014 and 0.018 respectively, Mann Whitney test). These differences were not significant after Bonferroni correction. Among those with history of hypertension, but without diabetes mellitus or cardiac failure, users of ACE inhibitors had significantly lower serum DHEA (median 1.78 versus 1.49ng/ml in non-users, P=0.0074, Mann Whitney test) and also tended to have lower serum androstenedione and androst-5-ene-3β,17β-diol (0.68 versus 0.72ng/ml in non-users; 552.4 versus 624.1pg/ml respectively, both P values <0.05). Serum testosterone and estradiol were not significantly changed. Conclusions: ACE inhibitor use was associated with lower serum DHEA in older men. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

BACKGROUND: Stevioside, a natural glycoside isolated from the plant Stevia rebaudiana Bertoni, has been used as a commercial sweetening agent in Japan and Brazil for >20 years. Previous animal and human studies have indicated that stevioside has an antihypertensive effect. OBJECTIVES: This study was undertaken to investigate the long-term (2-year) efficacy and tolerability of stevioside in patients with mild essential hypertension. Secondary objectives were to determine the effects of stevioside on left ventricular mass index (LVMI) and quality of life (QOL). METHODS: This was a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in Chinese men and women aged between 20 and 75 years with mild essential hypertension (systolic blood pressure [SBP] 140-159 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure [DBP] 90-99 mm Hg). Patients took capsules containing 500 mg stevioside powder or placebo 3 times daily for 2 years. Blood pressure was measured at monthly clinic visits; patients were also encouraged to monitor blood pressure at home using an automated device. LVMI was determined by 2-dimensional echocardiography at baseline and after 1 and 2 years of treatment. QOL was assessed using the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey. Electrocardiographic, laboratory, and QOL parameters were assessed at the beginning of treatment, and at 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years. RESULTS: One hundred seventy-four patients (87 men, 87 women) were enrolled in the study, and 168 completed it: 82 (42 men, 40 women; mean [SD] age, 52 [7] years) in the stevioside group and 86 (44 women, 42 men; mean age, 53 [7] years) in the placebo group. After 2 years, the stevioside group had significant decreases in mean (SD) SBP and DBP compared with baseline (SBP, from 150 [7.3] to 140 [6.8] mm Hg; DBP, from 95 [4.2] to 89 [3.2] mm Hg; P < 0.05) and compared with placebo (P < 0.05). Based on patients' records of self-monitored blood pressure, these effects were noted beginning approximately 1 week after the start of treatment and persisted throughout the study. There were no significant changes in body mass index or blood biochemistry, and the results of laboratory tests were similar in the 2 groups throughout the study. No significant difference in the incidence of adverse effects was noted between groups, and QOL scores were significantly improved overall with stevioside compared with placebo (P < 0.001). Neither group had a significant change in mean LVMI. However, after 2 years, 6 of 52 patients (11.5%) in the stevioside group had left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), compared with 17 of 50 patients (34.0%) in the placebo group (P < 0.001). Of those who did not have LVH at baseline, 3 of 46 patients (6.5%) in the stevioside group had developed LVH after 2 years, compared with 9 of 37 patients (24.3%) in the placebo group (P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: In this 2-year study in Chinese patients with mild hypertension, oral stevioside significantly decreased SBP and DBP compared with placebo. QOL was improved, and no significant adverse effects were noted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Chronic obesity is associated with various cardiovascular disorders, including diabetes, dyslipidemia, and hypertension. Pharmacotherapy with antiobesity agents is an important management strategy in conjunction with lifestyle interventions. OBJECTIVE: This article describes the pharmacologic management of obesity, concentrating on orlistat and sibutramine. METHODS: Relevant articles were identified through a MEDLINE search (1966-February 2002) using the terms obesity, overweight, weight loss, antiobesity drugs, orlistat, and sibutramine. The search for efficacy trials was limited to randomized controlled studies of >6 months' duration. Also included in the review were relevant references cited in the bibliographies of identified articles, news reports, and the authors' own data. RESULTS: Orlistat reduces fat absorption by inhibiting gastrointestinal lipases. In randomized, controlled trials of up to 2 years' duration, orlistat plus a hypocaloric diet produced significantly greater weight loss than placebo (P < 0.001). In the maintenance phase, patients taking orlistat had less weight regain than did placebo recipients. The weight reduction with orlistat was also associated with a significant improvement in control of cardiovascular risk factors (P < 0.05). Unlike orlistat, sibutramine works by suppressing appetite; its efficacy, however, was similar to that of orlistat in the identified clinical trials. Orlistat was associated primarily with gastrointestinal side effects. Use of orlistat was associated with minimal drug interactions, except with cyclosporine, with which it should not be taken. Sibutramine was also well tolerated, although it may cause dry mouth, anorexia, and insomnia, and should be used with caution in patients at risk for cardiovascular disease. CONCLUSIONS: Orlistat and sibutramine demonstrated a favorable efficacy and safety profile in randomized controlled trials. Current evidence supports their use as adjuncts to lifestyle modifications in the treatment of obesity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Overswinging or CHAT (brief for Circadian Hyper-Amplitude-Tension), that is an excessive circadian variation in blood pressure (BP), has been associated with a large increase in cardiovascular disease risk, present even in the absence of an elevated BP itself. This usually asymptomatic condition is usually overlooked by current practice based on spot-checks, because to be diagnosed, measurements need to be taken around-the-clock, preferably for 7 days at the outset. Once diagnosed, however, a usual circadian BP pattern can be restored by means of certain non-pharmacologic or pharmacologic interventions timed appropriately. Thereby, it is possible to reduce the risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, cerebral ischemic events and nephropathy in particular. For the preparation of guidelines regarding the diagnosis of BP disorders and for the institution of primary as well as secondary preventive measures, it is important to know what the incidence of CHAT is on a global basis. We found 191 cases of CHAT among 1602 mostly 7-day/24-h BP profiles, obtained from several centers in different countries participating in an ongoing project on the BIOsphere and the COSmos (BIOCOS). CHAT incidence is about the same between men and women, but it is diagnosed more often among patients with borderline hypertension or with glucose intolerance. It is also more common among MESOR-hypertensive than among MESOR-normotensive individuals. Priority should be given to the development of an unobtrusive and affordable device to automatically monitor BP and to analyze the data as-one-goes, so that cardiovascular disease risk can be prevented. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]