Efficacy and Safety of Orally Administered Acotiamide Extended-Release Tablets Among Functional Dyspepsia-Postprandial Distress Syndrome Patients: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Multicenter Study

Background: Acotiamide, is the world's first-in-class, prokinetic drug and world’s first approved treatment for postprandial distress syndrome (PDS) symptoms of functional dyspepsia (FD). An extended-release (ER) formulation of this drug product, developed first-time in the world has been evaluated in phase 3, a comparative trial to explore the efficacy and safety in patients with FD-PDS.

Methods: In this study, 219 patients with FD-PDS aged 18-65 years were randomized (1:1) to receive either acotiamide ER 300 mg once daily or acotiamide 100 mg three times daily for four weeks. The primary efficacy endpoint was responder rates for the overall treatment effect (OTE) at end of week 4. Secondary efficacy endpoints included OTE at each week, elimination rate of postprandial fullness, upper abdominal bloating and early satiation, improvement of individual symptom scores, and quality of life (QoL). The safety endpoints included assessments of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs).

Results: The responder rate for OTE at the end of the four week period, in acotiamide ER 300 mg OD versus acotiamide 100 mg TID group was 92.66% and 94.39% (97.5% CI −8.3,4.8), respectively, in per-protocol (PP) population and 92.66% and 92.73% (97.5% CI −7.0,6.8), respectively, in intent to treat (ITT) population. All other secondary efficacy endpoints, including QoL, were significantly improved with acotiamide ER 300 mg. Both the formulations of acotiamide significantly improved symptom severity and eliminated meal-related symptoms in patients with FD. Adverse events were reported by 7.9% of patients in acotiamide ER 300 mg and 9.2% in acotiamide 100 mg patients; the most common adverse event reported was a headache.

Conclusions: The efficacy and safety of acotiamide ER 300 mg once daily were observed to be comparable to acotiamide immediate release 100 mg thrice daily. A significant improvement in QoL over a four-week treatment period in FD-PDS patients was observed.

Glycemic Status at the Time of Presentation in Acute Organophosphorous Poisoning and its Correlation with Severity and Clinical Outcome

BACKGROUND

Organophosphorus insecticides (OPI) are one of the most extensively used classes of insecticides. Huge scientific body of evidence suggests that OPI exposure is a major toxicological threat that may affect human and animal health because of their various toxicities such as neurotoxicity, endocrine toxicity, immunotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, genotoxicity and ability to induce organ damage, alterations in cellular oxidative balance and disrupt glucose homeostasis. Mortality among organophosphorous (OP) poisoning patients despite advancements in its management is of concern.Of the various contributing factors,extremes and fluctuation in the glycemic status is a well documented parameter affecting the outcomes in critical illness although studies with respect to OP poisoning are deficient. All varieties of glycemic changes from hypoglycemia to hyperglycemia and ketoacidosis in OP poisoning along with other toxicological effects are reported,studies corroborating these findings are only few. The present endeavor was undertaken to study various glycemic changes in acute OP poisoning and it's bearing on clinical severity and clinical outcome.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

1. To assess the glycemic status by estimating random blood glucose level at the time of admission in cases of acute organophosphorous poisoning 2. To assess severity of the poisoning with various poisoning scales(PSS and POP) and level of serum pseudocholinesterase. 3. To correlate the documented blood glucose level with the severity and clinical outcome.

METHOD

A prospective analytical study of 100 patients with diagnosed acute poisoning, above the age of 18 years, non diabetic, with no history of mixed poisoning or condition affecting blood glucose levels and fulfilling the inclusion and exclusion criterias was done over a period of one year. The glycemic status at the time of presentation was documented and the patients were grouped into hypoglycemics, euglycemics and hyperglycemics and the same was correlated with the severity and clinical outcome using descriptive statistics, association and test of significance using MedCalc.

RESULTS

A prospective analytical study of 100 patients of acute organophosphate poisoning was done and on the basis of blood glucose levels at the time of presentation were further categorised into hypoglycemics (37%), euglycemics (52%) hyperglycaemic (11%). The outcome in terms of mortality was 59.45%,9.6% and 63.63% in the respective groups. The ventilator requirements among the three groups were 94.59%,53.84% and 100% respectively. Chisquare test to study the association between the presentation Random Blood Glucose (RBG) and the established Peradeniya Organophosphorous Poisoning Scale (POP) (Table 1) and Poisoning Severity Scale (PSS) (Table 2) revealed the study to be statistically significant (p value= 0.001)indicating both the extremes of glycemic status are associated with higher clinical severity and poorer outcomes.

CONCLUSION

We conclude that the glycemic status at the time of presentation in acute organophosphate poisoning patients is a simple, cheap, reliable marker in guiding the clinical severity and outcome when considered with clinical severity scores and S.ChE in a resource limited country like India.

Widespread bullous fixed drug eruption

A 53-year-old man developed a widespread erythematous eruption which rapidly evolved into fluid-filled bulla mostly involving the distal areas of all four limbs and erosions on the oral as well as anogenital mucosa. Based on clinical presentation, chronology of drug exposure, past events and histopathology as diagnosis of widespread bullous fixed drug eruption was made over Steven Johnson-toxic epidermal necrolysis syndrome. Steroids were deferred and the lesions healed with minimal pigmentation within a week. Differentiating between the two entities has been historically difficult, and yet can have significant therapeutic and prognostic implications.

Diabetic ketoacidosis: an unusual presentation of acromegaly

Secondary diabetes mellitus is known to occur in acromegaly due to insulin resistance caused by growth hormone excess. However, diabetes in acromegaly usually does not lead to ketosis. We describe an unusual case of a patient that presented with diabetic ketoacidosis in the emergency room with thirst, polyuria and dyspnoea. The patient was subsequently diagnosed with a growth hormone-secreting pitutary macroadenoma as the underlying pathology; after initial stabilisation with insulin and fluids, the patient was successfully treated with trans-sphenoidal surgery.

A case report of Evans Syndrome

Evans Syndrome (ES) is the rare simultaneous or subsequent development of immune thrombocytopenia purpura (ITP) and autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA). It portends a poorer prognosis and a more aggressive line of management than either condition presenting alone. Here we report a case of a young female who presented with both bleeding and acute decompensated anemia. Although she was successfully treated, mystery still shrouds the etiology, pathophysiology, as well as line of management of this rare and enigmatic disease.

Gastric antral vascular ectasia with aortic stenosis: Heydes syndrome

Gastric antral vascular ectasia (GAVE) is a well-recognized albeit rare cause of gastro-intestinal (GI) bleeding. It classically presents in an elderly female as iron-deficiency anemia due to chronic blood loss. The association of GI blood loss with aortic stenosis (AS) has been popularized as Heydes syndrome (HS). We report a case of an elderly woman presenting as iron-deficiency anemia subsequently diagnosed with HS.

A fatal case of Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease

Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease is an extremely rare, benign, auto-immune, clinicopathological condition presenting with fever and lymphadenopathy. It has higher prevalance among Japanese and other Asiatic individuals. It is usually self-limiting with extremely rare mortality. A case of an adolescent girl who presented with fever and cervical lymphadenopathy, found to have Kikuchi's disease on histopathology of cervical lymph node is being reported. She eventually succumbed to the disease.

A rare case of plasma cell leukemia in a 35 year old

Plasma cell leukemia is a rare, aggressive form of multiple myeloma. A 35-year-old male presented with backache, generalized weakness, and facial puffiness. His complete blood count showed anemia and a high WBC count with atypical cells on peripheral smear. Bone marrow examination showed more than 90% of atypical plasma cells, confirming a diagnosis of plasma cell leukemia. Patient also had azotemia, hypercalcemia, and hyperuricemia. The patient was started on chemotherapy along with supportive care. Patient improved dramatically and he was discharged on regular follow-up.

A study on prevalence of thyroid auto-immunity in type 1 diabetes mellitus

Type 1 diabetes mellitus is an auto-immune disease. It is associated with other auto-immune endocrine disorders and auto-immune impairment of non-endocrine tissue. Auto-immune thyroid disease is one of the most frequent auto-immune diseases associated with it. Hypothyroidism can decrease insulin requirement in such patients and hyperthyroidism may cause glucose intolerance. This study attempts to review this concept and detect overt and subclinical forms of auto-immune thyroid disease in type 1 diabetics and to find its correlation with age, sex and duration of diabetes. Fifty type 1 diabetes mellitus patients were selected from SSG Hospital, Vadodara between April 2007 and September 2008. After detailed history and examination, haemogram, urine analysis, fasting and 2-hour postprandial blood glucose level, serum free T4, TSH and antithyroid peroxidase antibody level were performed. The prevalence of auto-immune thyroid disease in type 1 diabetics was 60% with 40% having thyroid disorders (24% overt hypothyroidism, 8% subclinical hypothyroidism and 8% hyperthyroidism). Patients who were females (70% versus 53% in males), older (53.3% in 15-20 years age group versus 71% in 25-30 years age group), had a longer duration of diabetes (25% in those with the disease for <2 years and 100% in those >6 years) were more likely to have auto-immune thyroid disease than their counterparts. Thyroid auto-immunity is frequently associated with type 1 diabetes mellitus and patients should undergo antibody screening to detect the same and to find out assosiated undiagnosed thyroid dysfunction.