Adrenal steroid levels in castrated men with prostatic carcinoma treated with aminoglutethimide plus hydrocortisone.

Monthly serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, androstenedione, testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, and free testosterone levels were measured in 94 of 129 patients with castration resistant prostatic carcinoma treated on a clinical protocol with aminoglutethimide (1000 mg/day) plus hydrocortisone (40 mg/day) Base-line steroid levels were not found to be age related. Therapy reduced the median levels of all monitored steroids but this suppression was not uniform. Although 87% of dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate levels were suppressed compared to base-line measurements, only 52% of androstenedione and 49% of testosterone levels were reduced. Androstenedione levels in 34% of patients actually rose to greater than twice base-line levels with similar but less frequent rises seen in testosterone, free testosterone, and dihydrotestosterone levels. The highest testosterone level measured was 190 ng/ml. Neither the cause, the deviation, nor the clinical significance of the androgen rise seen in these patients was established. Therapy with aminoglutethimide plus hydrocortisone as administered in this study may not uniformly achieve the objective of suppressing adrenal androgen production.

[Comparative therapeutic activity of pirprofen and acetylsalicylic acid in rheumatoid arthritis. A 12-month controlled multicenter study]. / Activité thérapeutique comparée du pirprofène et de l'acide acétylsalicylique dans le traitement de la polyarthrite rhumatoïde. Etude multicentrique contrôlée sur douze mois.

This double-blind cooperative study comparing pirprofen and acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis was conducted in 12 centres and involved 342 patients distributed throughout the United States. The patients were randomized to either pirprofen 200 mg four times a day or ASA 900 mg four times a day. The drugs were administered for 52 weeks. Nine standard clinical criteria were used for assessment of the therapeutic results by the investigators and by the patients themselves. Fifty-five % of the total patient population reported that they were highly satisfied with pirprofen, as against 47% with ASA. The investigators preferred pirprofen in 51% of the cases and ASA in 38% (p less than 0.05). Side effects (tinnitus, gastrointestinal disorders) were more frequent in the ASA group than in the pirprofen group. During the 52-week treatment-period, biological alterations were only observed in two patients (1 on pirprofen, 1 on ASA).