Mnlticentre evaluation of azithromycin in comparison with co-amoxiclav for the treatment of acute otitis media in children

A total of 389 children (age 0.6-10.2 years) with typical signs and symptoms of acute otitis media were randomized (1:1) to treatment with either azithromycin or co-amoxiclav. The dosage schedule for azithromycin was 10 mg/kg/day, in a single daily dose, administered for three days. Co-amoxiclav was given at a dose of 13.3 mg/kg (amoxycillin equivalent) tid for ten days. Patients were evaluated 4-6 days and 12-16 days after the start of therapy. A satisfactory clinical response was reported for 93.2% of the 192 evaluable azithromycin-treated patients (144 cured, 35 improved), and for 97.3% of the 189 evaluable co-amoxiclav-treated patients (148 cured, 36 improved). Six (3.0%) relapses occurred in the azithromycin group, and four (21%) in the co-amoxiclav treatment group, respectively. Side-effects were recorded in a significantly fewer number of the azithromycin patients (23 of 197; 11.7%) compared with the co-amoxiclav patients (43 of 192; 22.4%, P < 0.02). Adverse events were mainly gastrointestinal in nature, with diarrhoea the most frequent complaint (32 cases with co-amoxiclav; five with azithromycin; P < 0.001). One patient from each group discontinued therapy because of treatment-related adverse events. Laboratory analyses (mainly haematologjcal in nature) showed abnormalities in six of 100 azithromycin patients and ten of 101 co-amoxiclav patients. It was concluded that three-day, single-dose azithromycin and ten-day tid co-amoxiclav therapy have comparable clinical efficacy in paediatric patients with acute otitis media; however, there was a lower incidence of side effects in the azithromycin grou

Single-Dose Pharmacokinetics of Intravenous Sulbactam in Pediatric Patients

The pharmacokinetics of intravenously administered sulbactam were studied in 17 pediatric patients two to 14 years of age. Single doses of 12.5 or 25 mg/kg were infused over 3 min, and in previously healthy children, mean peak plasma concentrations 5 min after dosing were 71 and 163 µg/ml, respectively. Noncompartmental and compartmental calculations resulted in similar pharmacokinetic parameters. Linear pharmacokinetics were found in the concentration range studied. The mean terminal-phase half-life was 1.75hr, the mean total plasma clearance was 180 ml/min per 1.73 m2, and the mean apparent volume of distribution was 340 ml/kg. Approximately 70%-80% of an intravenous dose was excreted unchanged in the urine. In children with cystic fibrosis, both total plasma clearance and apparent volume of distribution weresignificantly increased. The data support the intravenous administration of 12.5-25 mg of sulbactam/kg every 6 to 8 hr for assessing the adequacy of this drug as an adjunct to β-lactam therapy for various bacterial infections in childre

Qualitative features of periodic solutions of KdV

In this paper we prove new qualitative features of solutions of KdV on the circle. The first result says that the Fourier coefficients of a solution of KdV in Sobolev space $H^N,\, N\geq 0$, admit a WKB type expansion up to first order with strongly oscillating phase factors defined in terms of the KdV frequencies. The second result provides estimates for the approximation of such a solution by trigonometric polynomials of sufficiently large degree

Sequential intravenous-oral amoxycillin/clavulanate (Augmentin) therapy in paediatric hospital practice

The efficacy and safety of intravenous and sequential intravenous-oral clavulanate-potentiated amoxycillin therapy was evaluated in 71 hospitalized paediatric patients, one month to 16 years of age. The infections treated included peritonsillar abscess (2 patients), purulent tracheitis (1), acute epiglottitis (24), pneumonia (31), pansinusitis (4), mastoiditis (1), cellulitis (4), lymphadenitis (2) and pyelonephritis (2). The severity of disease was rated as moderate in 31 patients (44%), and as severe in 40 (56%). Bacterial pathogens could be cultured in 26 cases (37%). The response to therapy was prompt and followed by clinical cure in each patient. Adverse drug effects included phlebitis (in 6%), mild gastrointestinal complaints (6%), rash (4%) and transient neutropenia and elevation of transaminases (one case each). It is concluded that amoxycillin/clavulanate is effective and safe treatment for bacterial infections of the respiratory tract, urinary tract, skin or soft tissues in childre