Diabetic patients have a high susceptibility to microvascular complications, atherosclerosis and thrombosis. Platelet hyperreactivity possibly related to an imbalance in arachidonic acid metabolism may be involved. Aortic rings or renal cortex produced a potent inhibitor of platelet aggregation, identified as prostacyclin (PGI2). Release of PGI2 by tissues from streptozotocin -- diabetic rats (aorta: 0.07 +/ 0.1 ng/mg wet weight; renal cortex 0.004 +/- 0.001 ng/mg wet weight) was significantly depressed when compared with controls (aorta: 0.26 +/- 0.07 ng/mg wet weight; renal cortex: 0.009 +/- 0.001 ng/mg wet weight). Treatment of diabetic animals with insulin for 8 days restored PGI2 production to normal. The finding that PGI2 is depressed in the aorta and in the kidney, tissues which develop angiopathy, and that this is normalised by insulin, suggests that impaired PGI2 production, perhaps associated with platelet hyperreactivity may play a role in the vascular complications of diabetes.
Children with acute otitis media (AOM), aged 2-12 years, were randomised to 10 days treatment with amoxycillin/clavulanate (A/C) 70/10 mg/kg/day given b.i.d. (231 patients) or to A/C 60/15 mg/kg/day given t.i.d. (232 patients). Clinical success rates at end of therapy (10-17 days) were 91.8% for the b.i.d. group and 90.5% for the t.i.d. group and at follow-up (28-42 days) were 80.1% for the b.i.d. group and 77.6% for the t.i.d. group, indicating that the b.i.d. regimen was as effective as the t.i.d. regimen. There was no statistically significant difference in incidence of adverse experiences between the two groups. The overall incidence of protocol defined diarrhoea assessed from diary booklets was low, with a lower incidence in the b.i.d. group (6.7%) than in the t.i.d. group (10.3%). Significantly more patients in the b.i.d. group (83.1%) than in the t.i.d. group (72.8%) had at least 80% compliance over a 7-10 day treatment period. A/C given twice or three-times daily was highly effective in the treatment of AOM in children. The two regimens showed equivalent clinical efficacy, both were well tolerated, and there was evidence of improved compliance with the b.i.d. regimen.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.