A double-blind vehicle-controlled study of R 68 151 in psoriasis: a topical 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor

Recently the pharmacologic role of leukotrienes (LTs), especially that of LTB4, has been intensively investigated in psoriasis. In vitro, R 68 151 is a potent 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor and consequently reduces LTB4 formation. Therefore the role of an in vitro 5-lipoxygenase inhibitor and its clinical use in psoriasis were evaluated with topical R 68 151 in a double-blind vehicle-controlled study. Eighty-eight patients with localized psoriatic lesions were treated twice daily with R 68 151 2% ointment (n = 44) or vehicle ointment (n = 44) during 4 weeks. Most patients (n = 73) had psoriasis vulgaris (n = 37, R 68 151; n = 36, vehicle). In 27% of the R 68 151-treated patients with psoriasis vulgaris, the lesions disappeared or showed marked improvement, compared with 8% in the vehicle group (X2, p = 0.06). The scores in global evaluation, however, were significantly different between both treatment groups (p less than 0.05, Mann-Whitney U test). The improvement of the mean symptom score with R 68 151 was 46% for scaling and 34% for erythema at the end of the study compared with an improvement of 6% and a deterioration of 3%, respectively, in the control group (p less than 0.05, p less than 0.01; Mann-Whitney U test). The global evaluation in the total group of patients with psoriasis (all different subtypes) was consistent with the response rate in the group of patients with psoriasis vulgaris: 30% in the test group versus 11% in the control group (X2, p less than 0.05).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Use of topical ketanserin in the treatment of skin ulcers: a double-blind study

The use of a 2% ointment formulation of ketanserin, an S2-serotoninergic blocking agent, was investigated in a randomized double-blind clinical trial for its effect on the healing of wounds of patients with decubitus, venous, and ischemic skin ulcers. The result demonstrates a significant difference in favor of the ketanserin-treated group (35 patients) versus the placebo-treated group (37 patients) on the basis of two factors: formation of granulation tissue and epithelialization. In addition, a significant difference of 150% in the initial velocity of wound closure was observed in favor of the patients treated with ketanserin. This effect was persistent during the entire study period.

Itraconazole in the treatment of human mycoses: review of three years of clinical experience

During the first three years of clinical investigation of itraconazole, more than 1,000 patients with mycoses were treated with the drug. Almost 50% were women with vaginal candidosis; a dosage of 200 mg per day for three days appeared to be optimal for their treatment. Several treatment regimens were tested for pityriasis versicolor; the minimum total dose necessary for optimal results was 1 g. A randomized comparison of 50-mg and 100-mg daily doses for the treatment of skin mycoses indicated that the optimal dosage is 100 mg. The results of short courses of treatment for superficial dermatophytoses suggest that such regimens may be effective, and the results of an ongoing double-blind comparison of itraconazole and griseofulvin suggest that itraconazole is superior in these infections. The outcome of treatment of systemic mycoses with itraconazole, especially sporotrichosis, chromomycosis, and aspergillosis, indicates that itraconazole may be useful in therapy for life-threatening fungal infections when standard therapy has failed.