Double-blind,double-dummy comparison of azithromycin and cephalexin in the treatment of skin and skin structure infections

In this double-blind, randomised trial conducted in 22 centres in the USA, azithromycin given over five days, as a once-a-day regimen, (500 mg on day 1, 250 mg on days 2–5) was compared with cephalexin (500 mg b.i.d.) given for ten days in the treatment of patients with skin and skin structure infections. A total of 366 patients entered the study and 179 of these were eligible for the efficacy analysis. The overall clinical response to azithromycin was 94.0 %, compared with 95.8 % for cephalexin. The clinical cure rates were 53.0 % for azithromycin and 59.4 % for cephalexin; the respective improvement rates were 41.0 % and 36.5 %. Distribution of response (cured, improved, failed) was similar in each group (p=0.37). The bacteriological eradication rate for azithromycin-treated patients was 94.2 % and for cephalexin-treated patients was 90.3 % (p=0.34). Clinical and bacteriological response was similar in each group for all primary diagnoses. The two antibiotics were well tolerated, the overall incidence of side effects being 13.7 % with approximately 60 % due to gastrointestinal disturbances. In all but one case (cephalexin) the severity of the reported side effects was mild or moderate. Six patients withdrew from the study due to treatment-related events; five had been treated with azithromycin and one with cephalexin. In summary, a five-day, once-daily regimen of azithromycin was as effective as a ten-day, twice-daily regimen of cephalexin in the treatment of patients with skin and skin structure infections.     

Women’s Self-Care in the Reproductive Age: An Essential Agenda

Archives of Sexual Behavior -     

Comparison of silver nylon wound dressing and silver sulfadiazine in partial burn wound therapy

The study aims to perform a comparative assessment of two types of burn wound treatment. To do the assessment, patients with partial thickness burn wounds with total body surface area <40% were simple randomised to treat with nanocrystalline silver nylon wound dressing or silver sulfadiazine cream. Efficacy of treatment, use of analgesics, number of wound dressing change, wound infection and final hospitalisation cost were evaluated. The study showed silver nylon wound dressing significantly reduced length of hospital stay, analgesic use, wound infection and inflammation compared with silver sulfadiazine.     

Multifidus muscle size in adolescents with and without back pain using ultrasonography

Objective

The purposes of this study were; a) to compare multifidus muscle cross sectional area (CSA) in male adolescents suffering from low back pain (LBP) with healthy male adolescents using ultrasonography (US), and b) to assess the correlation between multifidus muscle size and demographic variables.