Amiodarone ; therapeutic use ; Anti-Arrhythmia Agents ; classification ; therapeutic use ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; drug therapy ; Child ; Clinical Trials as Topic ; Humans ; Hydantoins ; Imidazoles ; therapeutic use ; Imidazolidines ; Phenethylamines ; therapeutic use ; Piperazines ; therapeutic use ; Sulfonamides ; therapeutic use

AIMTo evaluate the long-term effectiveness, side effects and compliance rates of two types of drugs (luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone [LHRH] agonist and antiandrogen) that were used individually to treat patients with localized prostate cancer (T1-2) at our institution.

METHODSNinety-seven patients who were diagnosed in the period from April 1997 to January 2000 as having clinically localized prostate cancer (T1-2) received either LHRH agonist (leuprolide acetate 7.5 mg/month) monotherapy (group 1, n = 62) or antiandrogen monotherapy (group 2, n = 35; 18 received bicalutamide 50 mg q.d., 13 received nilutamide 150 mg t.i.d. and 4 received flutamide 250 mg t.i.d.). The mean age in both groups was 76 years.

RESULTSThe mean follow-up time was (50.8 +/- 8.5) months in group 1 and (43.1 +/- 2.2) months in group 2. Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels rose in only 1 of the 62 patients (1.6%) in group 1, and in 20 of the 35 patients (57.1%) in group 2. In group 2, 10 of the 20 patients (50%) with increasing PSA levels were treated with LHRH salvage therapy, and eight (80%) responded. Hot flashes (54.8%) and lethargy (41.9%) were the most common side effects in group 1. In contrast, nipple-tenderness (40%) and light-dark adaptation (17.1%) were more often seen in group 2. Only 1 of the 62 patients (1.6%) in group 1 switched to another medication because of adverse side effects; whereas 8 of the 35 patients (22.9%) in group 2 did so.

CONCLUSIONUnlike antiandrogen monotherapy, LHRH agonist monotherapy provided long-term durable control of localized prostate cancer (T1-2). It can also be an effective treatment option for patients whose disease failed to respond to antiandrogen monotherapy. The limitations of our study are the lack of health outcomes analysis and a small sample size.

Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Androgen Antagonists ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Anilides ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Flutamide ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone ; agonists ; Humans ; Imidazolidines ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Leuprolide ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Male ; Nitriles ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use ; Prostate-Specific Antigen ; blood ; Prostatic Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; Retrospective Studies ; Tosyl Compounds ; adverse effects ; therapeutic use

Due to the complicated pathogenesis of cardiac arrhythmia, the safe and effective therapeutic strategies for cardiac arrhythmia remain an urgent medical problems in the recent years. In this paper, we introduced the research practice of anti-arrhythmic agents targeting on potassium ion channel. The research progress of anti-arrhythmic agents in up-to-date literatures were also reviewed and prospected.
Amiodarone ; analogs & derivatives ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Animals ; Anti-Arrhythmia Agents ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Arrhythmias, Cardiac ; drug therapy ; physiopathology ; Humans ; Hydantoins ; Imidazolidines ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Molecular Structure ; Piperazines ; chemistry ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Potassium Channel Blockers ; pharmacology ; therapeutic use ; Potassium Channels ; drug effects

PURPOSE: The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression of podocyte is one of the well-known major factors in development of diabetic nephropathy. In this study, we investigated the effects of aldose reductase inhibitor, fidarestat on diabetic nephropathy, and renal VEGF expression in a type 1 diabetic rat model. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty four Sprague-Dawley male rats which were performed intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin and normal six rats were divided into four groups including a normal control group, untreated diabetic control group, aldose reductase (AR) inhibitor (fidarestat, 16 mg.kg(-1).day(-1)) treated diabetic group, and angiotensin receptor blocker (losartan, 20 mg.kg(-1).day(-1)) treated diabetic group. We checked body weights and blood glucose levels monthly and measured urine albumin-creatinine ratio (ACR) at 8 and 32 weeks. We extracted the kidney to examine the renal morphology and VEGF expressions. RESULTS: The ACR decreased in fidarestat and losartan treated diabetic rat groups than in untreated diabetic group (24.79 +/- 11.12, 16.11 +/- 9.95, and 84.85 +/- 91.19, p < 0.05). The renal VEGF messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein expression were significantly decreased in the fidarestat and losartan treated diabetic rat groups than in the diabetic control group. CONCLUSION: We suggested that aldose reductase inhibitor may have preventive effect on diabetic nephropathy by reducing renal VEGF overexpression.
Aldehyde Reductase/*antagonists & inhibitors ; Animals ; Antihypertensive Agents/therapeutic use ; Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental/*drug therapy/*metabolism ; Diabetic Nephropathies/prevention & control ; Imidazolidines/*therapeutic use ; Kidney/*drug effects/*metabolism/pathology ; Losartan/therapeutic use ; Male ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, Angiotensin/*antagonists & inhibitors ; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A