Despite preclinical studies suggesting that the effect of O3FA might be augmented with pyrimidines, add-on CYT did not substantially improve mood symptoms in BD. In addition, although a power analysis indicated that the sample size would be adequate to see beneficial effects similar to those previously reported, O3FA treatment by itself was not superior to placebo for BD.
ObjectiveTo evaluate the efficacy of orvepitant (10 or 30 mg given once daily, orally for 4 weeks), a neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist, compared with placebo in reducing the intensity of epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitor (EGFRI)-induced intense pruritus.DesignRandomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial.Setting15 hospitals in Italy and five hospitals in the UK.Participants44 patients aged ≥18 years receiving an EGFRI for a histologically confirmed malignant solid tumour and experiencing moderate or intense pruritus after EGFRI treatment.Intervention30 or 10 mg orvepitant or placebo tablets once daily for 4 weeks (randomised 1:1:1).Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe primary endpoint was change from baseline in mean patient-recorded numerical rating scale (NRS) score (over the last three recordings) at week 4. Secondary outcome measures were NRS score, verbal rating scale score, Skindex-16 and Leeds Sleep Evaluation Questionnaire at each study visit (baseline, weeks 1, 4, 8); rescue medication use; EGFRI dose reduction; and study withdrawal because of intense uncontrolled pruritus.ResultsThe trial was terminated early because of recruitment challenges; only 44 of the planned 90 patients were randomised. All patients were analysed for efficacy and safety. Mean NRS score change from baseline to week 4 was −2.78 (SD: 2.64) points in the 30 mg group, −3.04 (SD: 3.06) points in the 10 mg group and −3.21 (SD: 1.77) points in the placebo group; the difference between orvepitant and placebo was not statistically significant. No safety signal was detected. Adverse events related to orvepitant (asthenia, dizziness, dry mouth, hyperhidrosis) were all of mild or moderate severity.ConclusionsOrvepitant was safe and well tolerated. No difference in NRS score between the orvepitant and placebo groups was observed at the week 4 primary endpoint. A number of explanations for this outcome are possible.Trial registration numberEudraCT2013-002763-25.
Temporal processing by cochlear implant listeners is degraded and is affected by auditory deprivation. The fast-acting Kv3.1 potassium channel is important for sustained temporally accurate firing and is also susceptible to deprivation, the effects of which can be partially restored in animals by the molecule AUT00063. We report the results of a randomised placebo-controlled double-blind study on psychophysical tests of the effects of AUT00063 on temporal processing by CI listeners. The study measured the upper limit of temporal pitch, gap detection, and discrimination of low rates (centred on 120 pps) for monopolar pulse trains presented to an apical electrode. The upper limit was measured using the optimally efficient midpoint comparison (MPC) pitch-ranking procedure; thresholds were obtained for the other two measures using an adaptive procedure. Twelve CI users (MedEl and Cochlear) were tested before and after two periods of AUT00063 or placebo in a within-subject crossover study. No significant differences occurred between post-drug and post-placebo conditions. This absence of effect occurred despite high test-retest reliability for all three measures, obtained by comparing performance on the two baseline visits, and despite the demonstrated sensitivity of the measures to modest changes in temporal processing obtained in other studies from our laboratory. Hence, we have no evidence that AUT00063 improves temporal processing for the doses and patient population employed.
Studies attempting to delineate a therapeutic range of blood levels for neuroleptics have yielded conflicting results. The reasons for this are briefly reviewed and a study is described in which a correlation is sought between blood levels of thioridazine and clinical efficacy. The study employs the radioreceptor assay for neuroleptics to detect both parent drug and active metabolites in blood. The results of the study indicate that while dose is a poor predictor of blood levels of medication, blood levels of neuroleptic activity in patients on thioridazine may be very highly correlated with antipsychotic effect.
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