A Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial of Intranasal Capsaicin for Cluster Headache

Cephalalgia ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 114-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
David R Marks ◽  
Alan Rapoport ◽  
Dennis Padla ◽  
Randall Weeks ◽  
Robert Rosum ◽  
...  

It has been suggested that treatment of cluster headache (CH) patients with topical capsaicin may desensitize sensory neurons by depleting the nerve terminals of substance P. We attempted to determine whether capsaicin is effective in aborting CH attacks. Patients in acute cluster were randomized to receive either capsaicin or placebo in the ipsilateral nostril for 7 days. Patients recorded the severity of each headache for 15 days. Headaches on days 8–15 of the study were significantly less severe in the capsaicin group vs the placebo group. There was also a significant decrease in headache severity in the capsaicin group on days 8–15 compared to days 1–7, but not in the placebo group. Episodic CH patients appeared to benefit more than chronic CH patients. These results indicate that intranasal capsaicin may provide a new therapeutic option for the treatment of this disease.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan Manuel Figueroa ◽  
Monica Lombardo ◽  
Ariel Dogliotti ◽  
Luis Flynn ◽  
Robert P. Giugliano ◽  
...  

Background Iota-Carrageenan (I-C) is a sulfate polysaccharide synthesized by red algae, with demonstrated antiviral activity and clinical efficacy as nasal spray in the treatment of common cold. In vitro, I-C inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection in cell culture. Methods This is a pragmatic multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial assessing the use of a nasal spray containing I-C in the prophylaxis of COVID-19 in hospital personnel dedicated to care of COVID-19 patients. Clinically healthy physicians, nurses, kinesiologists and others medical providers were assigned in a 1:1 ratio to receive four daily doses of I-C spray or placebo for 21 days. The primary end point was clinical COVID-19, as confirmed by reverse-transcriptase-polymerase-chain-reaction testing, over a period of 21 days. The trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04521322). Findings A total of 394 individuals were randomly assigned to receive I-C or placebo. Both treatment groups had similar baseline characteristics. The incidence of COVID-19 was significantly lower in the I-C group compared to placebo (1.0% vs 5.0%) (Odds Ratio 0.19 (95% confidence interval 0.05 to 0.77; p= 0.03). Workday loss in placebo group compared to I-C were 1.6% days / person (95% CI, 1.0 to 2.2); p <0.0001 There were no differences in the incidence of adverse events across the two groups (17.3% in the I-C group and 15.2% in the placebo group, p= 0.5). Interpretation I-C showed significant efficacy in preventing SARS-CoV-2 infection in hospital personnel dedicated to care patients with COVID-19 disease.


2007 ◽  
Vol 21 (11) ◽  
pp. 732-736 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mélanie Beausoleil ◽  
Nadia Fortier ◽  
Stéphanie Guénette ◽  
Amélie L’Ecuyer ◽  
Michel Savoie ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: Antibiotic-associated diarrhea is an important problem in hospitalized patients. The use of probiotics is gaining interest in the scientific community as a potential measure to prevent this complication. The main objective of the present study was to assess the efficacy and safety of a fermented milk combiningLactobacillus acidophilusandLactobacillus caseithat is widely available in Canada, in the prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhea.METHODS: In this double-blind, randomized study, hospitalized patients were randomly assigned to receive either a lactobacilli-fermented milk or a placebo on a daily basis.RESULTS: Among 89 randomized patients, antibiotic-associated diarrhea occurred in seven of 44 patients (15.9%) in the lactobacilli group and in 16 of 45 patients (35.6%) in the placebo group (OR 0.34, 95% CI 0.125 to 0.944; P=0.05). The median hospitalization duration was eight days in the lactobacilli group, compared with 10 days in the placebo group (P=0.09). Overall, the lactobacilli-fermented milk was well tolerated.CONCLUSION: The daily administration of a lactobacilli-fermented milk was safe and effective in the prevention of antibiotic-associated diarrhea in hospitalized patients.


1999 ◽  
Vol 174 (3) ◽  
pp. 238-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Poyurovsky ◽  
Marina Shardorodsky ◽  
Camil Fuchs ◽  
Michael Schneidman ◽  
Abraham Weizman

BackgroundSerotonin (5-HT): dopamine imbalance may underlie neuroleptic-induced akathisia.AimTo evaluate the efficacy of the 5-HT2 antagonist, mianserin in neuroleptic-induced akathisia.MethodsThirty neuroleptic-treated patients with schizophrenia were randomly allocated in a double-blind design to receive either mianserin (15 mg/day) or placebo for five days. Patients were assessed at baseline and on Days 3 and 5 by the Barnes Akathisia Scale (BARS), as well as by other relevant clinical rating scales.ResultsCompared with the placebo group, the mianserin-treated patients showed a significant reduction in all four BARS subscales by Day 5, with mean reductions in the BARS global score of 9.9% and 52.2%, respectively (P=0.006). Response to treatment (a reduction of at least two points on the BARS global subscale), was noted in six patients (40%) in the mianserin group and only one patient (9.1%) in the placebo group (P=0.04, log odds ratio 2.23).ConclusionsMianserin at a low dose may be a promising therapeutic option for patients with acute neuroleptic-induced akathisia.


1987 ◽  
Vol 114 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-106
Author(s):  
J. H. Lazarus ◽  
J. C. Kingswood ◽  
R. John

Abstract. Twenty hyperthyroid patients were randomly assigned in a double-blind fashion to receive either nadolol 80 mg/day or placebo for 2 weeks; all patients then took carbimazole as well from 2–6 weeks. Twenty-four hour Holter ECG recordings at 0, 2 and 6 weeks showed that nadolol reduced the mean maximum heart rate by 19.9% (P < 0.0005) at 2 weeks and by 30.3% (P < 0.0005) at 6 weeks compared to 5.2% (ns) and 18.3% (P < 0.0005) in patients taking placebo. There was no alteration of the normal circadian variation of heart rate by nadolol. The minimum heart rate before therapy was significantly correlated with FT4 (r = 0.52) and with FT3 (r = 0.44). The percentage of time per hour during which the heart rate was greater than 100 was reduced by 79% at week 2 by nadolol compared to 22% in the placebo group. At the 6 week point the placebo group still had a tachycardia (mean maximum heart rate 101.6 beats/min ± 15.2 sd) compared to the nadolol group (80.4 ± 7.7). Nadolol did not cause excessive bradycardia. It is effective in the early management of hyperthyroidism and should be given for at least the first 4–6 weeks.


Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (20) ◽  
pp. 1890-1900 ◽  
Author(s):  
David C. Tong ◽  
Stephen Quinn ◽  
Arthur Nasis ◽  
Chin Hiew ◽  
Philip Roberts-Thomson ◽  
...  

Background: Inflammation plays a crucial role in clinical manifestations and complications of acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Colchicine, a commonly used treatment for gout, has recently emerged as a novel therapeutic option in cardiovascular medicine owing to its anti-inflammatory properties. We sought to determine the potential usefulness of colchicine treatment in patients with ACS. Methods: This was a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 17 hospitals in Australia that provide acute cardiac care service. Eligible participants were adults (18–85 years) who presented with ACS and had evidence of coronary artery disease on coronary angiography managed with either percutaneous coronary intervention or medical therapy. Patients were assigned to receive either colchicine (0.5 mg twice daily for the first month, then 0.5 mg daily for 11 months) or placebo, in addition to standard secondary prevention pharmacotherapy, and were followed up for a minimum of 12 months. The primary outcome was a composite of all-cause mortality, ACS, ischemia-driven (unplanned) urgent revascularization, and noncardioembolic ischemic stroke in a time to event analysis. Results: A total of 795 patients were recruited between December 2015 and September 2018 (mean age, 59.8±10.3 years; 21% female), with 396 assigned to the colchicine group and 399 to the placebo group. Over the 12-month follow-up, there were 24 events in the colchicine group compared with 38 events in the placebo group ( P =0.09, log-rank). There was a higher rate of total death (8 versus 1; P =0.017, log-rank) and, in particular, noncardiovascular death in the colchicine group (5 versus 0; P =0.024, log-rank). The rates of reported adverse effects were not different (colchicine 23.0% versus placebo 24.3%), and they were predominantly gastrointestinal symptoms (colchicine, 23.0% versus placebo, 20.8%). Conclusions: The addition of colchicine to standard medical therapy did not significantly affect cardiovascular outcomes at 12 months in patients with ACS and was associated with a higher rate of mortality. Registration: URL: https://www.anzctr.org.au ; Unique identifier: ACTRN12615000861550.


1984 ◽  
Vol 51 (01) ◽  
pp. 071-074 ◽  
Author(s):  
S L Blarney ◽  
B M McArdle ◽  
P Burns ◽  
D C Carter ◽  
G D O Lowe ◽  
...  

SummaryFibrinolytic shutdown may be important in the development of postoperative deep vein thrombosis (DVT). We have previously shown that stanozolol 50 mg, given intramuscularly 24 hr before surgery, prevents the decrease in plasminogen activator activity (PA) seen on the first postoperative day in patients at high risk of DVT. To investigate the role of fibrinolytic shutdown in causation of DVT, sixty patients were randomised in a double-blind controlled trial to receive stanozolol or placebo intramuscularly, and DVT was detected by leg scanning and confirmed by venography. Scan positive DVT occurred in IT of 31 placebo patients (35%) and 12 of 29 who received stanozolol (41%). A significant decrease in PA was confirmed in the placebo group, while stanozolol caused a significant increase in PA on the first postoperative day. Patients in either group who did not develop DVT showed minimal changes in PA. We conclude that prevention of fibrinolytic shutdown by this regimen of stanozolol does not prevent postoperative DVT, and that further studies are required to clarify the relationships of postoperative fibrinolysis and DVT.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Srinivas Shenoy ◽  
Sagar Munjal ◽  
Sarah Al Youha ◽  
Mohammad Alghounaim ◽  
Sulaiman Almazeedi ◽  
...  

Aim: To assess the efficacy and safety of favipiravir in adults with moderate to severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods: In this randomized, double-blind, multicenter, phase 3 trial, adults (21 80 years) with real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) confirmed SARS CoV 2 infection and presenting with moderate to severe COVID-19 and requiring hospitalization were randomized 1:1 to oral favipiravir (day 1: 1800 mg BID and days 2-10: 800 mg BID) (FPV) plus standard supportive care (SoC) versus placebo plus SoC (placebo). The primary endpoint was time to resolution of hypoxia. Results: In total, 353 patients were randomized to receive either FPV or placebo (175 and 178 in the FPV and placebo groups, respectively). Overall, 76% of the patients (240/315, 78% in FPV vs. 75% in placebo group) reached resolution of hypoxia on or before day 28. The median time to resolution of hypoxia was 7 days in the FPV group and 8 days in the placebo group. Treatment effect was not significant [Hazard ratio (HR) (95% CI): 0.991 (0.767, 1.280) (p=0.94)]. Patients in the lower NEWS-2 clinical risk subgroup were more likely to achieve shorter time to resolution of hypoxia with the median time to resolution of hypoxia of 6 days in FPV and 7 days in placebo group [HR (95% CI): 1.21 (0.847, 1.731) (p=0.29)]; shorter time to hospital discharge with a median time to discharge of 8 and 10 days in the FPV and placebo group, respectively [HR (95% CI): 1.47 (1.081, 1.997) (p=0.014)]; and shorter time to improvement by 1-point improvement over baseline in WHO 10-point clinical status score with the median time to improvement by 1-point from baseline of 6 and 7 days in the FPV and placebo group, respectively [HR (95% CI): 1.16 (0.830, 1.624) (p=0.38)] than higher NEWS-2 clinical risk subgroup. Treatment emergent adverse event (TEAEs) were experienced by 62/334 (19%) patients [35/168 (21%) patients in FPV and 27/166 (16%) in placebo group]. Hyperuricaemia/increased blood uric acid was reported in 9 (3%)/2 (1%) patients [8 (5%)/1(1%) patients in FPV and 1 (1%)/1(1%) in placebo group] ,which were of mild intensity and transient. Overall, 36 serious adverse events (SAEs) were reported, 20 in FPV and 16 in placebo group. Conclusion: The trial did not find favipiravir to be effective in moderate to severe, hospitalized COVID-19 patients; favourable clinical trends were observed in patients with lower NEWS-2 risk when early administration of favipiravir could be achieved.


2021 ◽  
Vol 24 (5) ◽  
pp. E893-E897
Author(s):  
Yicheng Shi

Background: Experimental evidence has indicated the benefits of melatonin (Mel) for the treatment of delirium. Clinical trials had no definite conclusions concerning Mel on delirium after percutaneous transluminal coronary intervention (PCI) in elderly patients. The present study explored whether acute Mel treatment could reduce the incidence of delirium. Methods: This trial enrolled patients over the age of 60, who were admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) after PCI. A computer-generated randomization sequence (in a 1:1 ratio) was used to randomly assign patients to receive Mel (3 mg/day) or placebo once daily for up to 7 days. The primary endpoint was the incidence of delirium, assessed twice daily with the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM) during the first 7 postoperative days. Analyses were performed using intention-to-treat and safety populations. Results: A total of 297 patients randomly were assigned to receive either placebo (N = 149) or Mel (N = 148). The incidence of postoperative delirium was significantly lower in the Mel group than in the placebo group (27.0% vs. 39.6%, respectively, P = 0.02). There was no significant difference between 30-day all-cause mortality (12.2% vs. 14.1%, P = 0.62) and drug reactions (0 vs. 2.0%, P = 0.25). The length of stay and hospitalization costs in the Mel group were significantly decreased compared with those in the placebo group (P > 0.05). Conclusion: The current study suggests that Mel is safe and effective in the treatment of delirium after PCI. Further investigation is necessary to fully understand the potential usefulness of Mel in older patients via larger randomized, multicenter, double-blind, and placebo-controlled trials.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 858
Author(s):  
Dominique S. M. ten Haaf ◽  
Martin A. Flipsen ◽  
Astrid M. H. Horstman ◽  
Hans Timmerman ◽  
Monique A. H. Steegers ◽  
...  

We assessed whether a protein supplementation protocol could attenuate running-induced muscle soreness and other muscle damage markers compared to iso-caloric placebo supplementation. A double-blind randomized controlled trial was performed among 323 recreational runners (age 44 ± 11 years, 56% men) participating in a 15-km road race. Participants received milk protein or carbohydrate supplementation, for three consecutive days post-race. Habitual protein intake was assessed using 24 h recalls. Race characteristics were determined and muscle soreness was assessed with the Brief Pain Inventory at baseline and 1–3 days post-race. In a subgroup (n = 149) muscle soreness was measured with a strain gauge algometer and creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) concentrations were measured. At baseline, no group-differences were observed for habitual protein intake (protein group: 79.9 ± 26.5 g/d versus placebo group: 82.0 ± 26.8 g/d, p = 0.49) and muscle soreness (protein: 0.45 ± 1.08 versus placebo: 0.44 ± 1.14, p = 0.96). Subjects completed the race with a running speed of 12 ± 2 km/h. With the Intention-to-Treat analysis no between-group differences were observed in reported muscle soreness. With the per-protocol analysis, however, the protein group reported higher muscle soreness 24 h post-race compared to the placebo group (2.96 ± 2.27 versus 2.46 ± 2.38, p = 0.039) and a lower pressure muscle pain threshold in the protein group compared to the placebo group (71.8 ± 30.0 N versus 83.9 ± 27.9 N, p = 0.019). No differences were found in concentrations of CK and LDH post-race between groups. Post-exercise protein supplementation is not more preferable than carbohydrate supplementation to reduce muscle soreness or other damage markers in recreational athletes with mostly a sufficient baseline protein intake running a 15-km road race.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Maximilian Jorczyk

<b>Introduction:</b> Macrolides have anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties that give this class of antibiotics a role that differs from its classical use as an antibiotic, which opens new therapeutic possibilities. <b>Objective:</b> The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of azithromycin in preventing mechanical ventilation (MV)-induced lung injury in very-low-birth-weight preterm neonates. <b>Methods:</b> This is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of preterm neonates who received invasive MV within 72 h of birth. Patients were randomized to receive intravenous azithromycin (at a dose of 10/mg/kg/day for 5 days) or placebo (0.9% saline) within 12 h of the start of MV. Two blood samples were collected (before and after intervention) for measurement of interleukins (ILs) and PCR for <i>Ureaplasma</i>. Patients were followed up throughout the hospital stay for the outcomes of death and bronchopulmonary dysplasia defined as need for oxygen for a period of ≥28 days of life (registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, No. NCT03485703). <b>Results:</b> Forty patients were analyzed in the azithromycin group and 40 in the placebo group. Five days after the last dose, serum IL-2 and IL-8 levels dropped significantly in the azithromycin group. There was a significant reduction in the incidence of death and O<sub>2</sub> dependency at 28 days/death in azithromycin-treated patients regardless of the detection of <i>Ureaplasma</i> in blood. <b>Conclusions:</b> Azithromycin has anti-inflammatory effects, with a decrease in cytokines after 5 days of use and a reduction in death and O<sub>2</sub> dependency at 28 days/death in mechanically ventilated preterm neonates.


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