Combinad therapy with cyclobenzaprina and ipuprofen in primary fibromialgia sindrome

Non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs are not very effective, even if commonly used, in primary fibromyalgia syndrome (PFS), whereas cyclobenzaprine (C) has proved to be quite useful. The aim of this open randomized study was to compare low-dose C alone or in combination with ibuprofen (I) in 32 female patients suffering from PFS. Fifteen patients were given C 10 mg, and 17 patients C 10 mg plus I 600 mg. All patients received the drugs orally at night and were evaluated at baseline and at days 5 and 10. Assessment of efficacy included the number of tender points (max. = 16), muscle tightness (score 1-5), sleep difficulty (score 1-10), pain intensity (visual analogue scale 0-10) and duration of morning stiffness (min). At the end of the study all symptoms were found to be improved to the same extent in both treatment groups. An exception was morning stiffness, which became significantly more reduced in the patients taking C plus I. No patient discontinued the trial owing to adverse side-effects. In conclusion, C and I given concomitantly at night proved to be safe and advantageous in relieving the discomfort of PFS in the short ter

Clinical differences between ANA/anti-ENA positive or negative primary Sj\uf6gren's syndrome

Fifty female patients with primary Sj\uf6gren's syndrome diagnosed according to the Copenhagen criteria were evaluated for both glandular and extraglandular involvement. They were divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of antinuclear and anti-ENA antibodies (ANA/anti-ENA). ANA/anti-ENA negative patients presented with milder and later glandular and extraglandular disease and required less frequent corticosteroid treatment. No significant differences were noted in extraglandular manifestations with the exception of leukopenia which was noted only in ANA/anti-ENA positive cases

Treatment of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies with cyclophosphamide pulses: clinical experience and a review of the literature

Short-term cyclophosphamide pulse therapy was administered to five patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) which were refractory to corticosteroids and, in two cases, to other aggressive therapies. Both disease remission and a reduction in corticosteroid dosage were obtained in four patients. Three of them have been in remission over since, taking only minimal doses of steroids during the subsequent two years. In the fourth patient a less intensive, maintenance pulse therapy could not be continued due to unacceptable side effects. On the basis of these results and of data from the literature, herein reviewed, cyclophosphamide pulse therapy may be recommended for adult patients with IIM who do not respond to or who do not tolerate conventional corticosteroid treatment, as well as when a steroid-sparing effect is desire

Eosinophilic acquired Pelger-Huet anomaly in acute myeloblastic leukemia. A cytochemical study

Decreased nuclear segmentation and coarse chromatin only in mature eosinophils was seen in a patient with acute myeloblastic leukemia. These eosinophils were considered to have acquired Pelger-Huet anomaly. On cytochemical study they displayed a strong PAS-positive reaction