Efficacy of lumiracoxib in relieving pain associated with knee osteoarthritis: a 6‐week,randomized, double‐blind,parallel‐group study

Aim: The aim of the current study was to assess the efficacy, safety, and tolerability of lumiracoxib 200 mg once daily (o.d.) in relieving osteoarthritis (OA) knee pain in patients in China, Taiwan, and South Korea. Methods: Patients of either sex (aged ≥ 18 years) with symptomatic, primary OA of the knee for ≥ 3 months were eligible for inclusion if they had OA pain intensity of ≥ 40 mm (100 mm visual analogue scale [VAS]) in the target knee joint during the previous 24 h. Patients were required to undergo regular non‐steroidal anti‐inflammatory drug therapy for ≥ 6 weeks. After 3–7 days of screening, patients were randomized (1 : 1) to receive either lumiracoxib 200 mg o.d. or celecoxib 200 mg o.d. The primary efficacy comparison between the study groups was overall OA pain intensity (VAS) in the target knee after 6 weeks of treatment. Results: The mean overall OA pain intensity (VAS) in the target knee after 6 weeks decreased from 60.6 mm to 35.7 mm and 60.5 mm to 36.1 mm in the lumiracoxib and celecoxib groups, respectively. Both study groups showed similar results in terms of improvement in both patient's and physician's global assessment of disease activity and functional health status. The percentage of adverse events (AEs) in the lumiracoxib and celecoxib groups (40.3% and 37.9%, respectively) was similar, as was the proportion of treatment‐related AEs (21.0% and 18.2%, respectively). Conclusions: Lumiracoxib 200 mg o.d. provided effective and well‐tolerated pain relief similar to that achieved with celecoxib 200 mg o.d. in knee OA patients.     

A case of Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in a patient with Crohn's disease]

Although adenocarcinoma is a well known complication of chronic inflammatory bowel disease, primary gastrointestinal lymphoma occurring in Crohn's disease is rare. A 40-year-old man with 10 year-history of Crohn's disease had multiple longitudinal ulcerative lesions on descending colon in follow-up colonoscopic examination. Microscopic examination of proximal descending colon revealed peripheral T cell lymphoma and other site of the descending colon was consistent with Crohn's disease. The patient reached complete remission of malignant lymphoma after three cycles of combined chemotherapy. He has been well for 10 months with sulfasalazine maintenance therapy but was admitted to the hospital due to spontaneous bowel perforation of ascending colon. Right hemicolectomy was done, but the patient died of post-surgical recurrent mesenteric abscess and sepsis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma complicating Crohn's disease in Korea which was confirmed by immunohistochemical studies.     

Performance measurement of the microPET focus 120 scanner.

The microPET Focus 120 scanner is a third-generation animal PET scanner dedicated to rodent imaging. Here, we report the results of scanner performance testing. METHODS: A (68)Ge point source was used to measure energy resolution, which was determined for each crystal and averaged. Spatial resolution was measured using a (22)Na point source with a nominal size of 0.25 mm at the system center and various off-center positions. Absolute sensitivity without attenuation was determined by extrapolating the data measured using an (18)F line source and multiple layers of absorbers. Scatter fraction and counting rate performance were measured using 2 different cylindric phantoms simulating rat and mouse bodies. Sensitivity, scatter fraction, and noise equivalent counting rate (NECR) experiments were repeated under 4 different conditions (energy window, 250 approximately 750 keV or 350 approximately 650 keV; coincidence window, 6 or 10 ns). A performance phantom with hot-rod inserts of various sizes was scanned, and several animal studies were also performed. RESULTS: Energy resolution at a 511-keV photopeak was 18.3% on average. Radial, tangential, and axial resolution of images reconstructed with the Fourier rebinning (FORE) and filtered backprojection (FBP) algorithms were 1.18 (radial), 1.13 (tangential), and 1.45 mm full width at half maximum (FWHM) (axial) at center and 2.35 (radial), 1.66 (tangential), and 2.00 mm FWHM (axial) at a radial offset of 2 cm. Absolute sensitivities at transaxial and axial centers were 7.0% (250 approximately 750 keV, 10 ns), 6.7% (250 approximately 750 keV, 6 ns), 4.0% (350 approximately 650 keV, 10 ns), and 3.8% (350 approximately 650 keV, 6 ns). Scatter fractions were 15.9% (mouse phantom) and 35.0% (rat phantom) for 250 approximately 750 keV and 6 ns. Peak NECR was 869 kcps at 3,242 kBq/mL (mouse phantom) and 228 kcps at 290 kBq/mL (rat phantom) at 250 approximately 750 keV and 6 ns. Hot-rod inserts of 1.6-mm diameter were clearly identified, and animal studies illustrated the feasibility of this system for studies of whole rodents and mid-sized animal brains. CONCLUSION: The results of this independent field test showed the improved physical characteristics of the F120 scanner over the previous microPET series systems. This system will be useful for imaging studies on small rodents and brains of larger animals.     

Extensive Aberrant Mongolian Spot

A 9-month-old male infant had generalized diffuse blue-gray pigmentation over most of his body, sparing the scalp, face, neck, palms, soles, periumbilical area, genital area, and nipples. Within the lesion, there were several conspicuous macules of considerably darker hue. Histologic examination revealed numerous dermal melanocytes. By 16 months of age, the child's blue-gray pigmentation had decreased substantially.     

Modulation of transglutaminase expression in rat skeletal muscle by induction of atrophy and endurance training.

The persistence of muscle fiber number regardless of size reduction in muscle atrophy has not yet been fully explained. For the mechanism inherent in skeletal muscle tissues for preventing cellular death, the protective function of muscle tissue through transglutaminases has been tested, since the enzyme is responsible for structural stabilization and participates in signal transduction. In the present experiment, hindlimb suspension for two weeks caused a marked muscle atrophy in Wistar female rats. Comparison of muscle weight and histological analysis showed that suspension-induced atrophy in the hindlimb was more prominent in the soleus muscle, comprised mainly of type I fiber than that in the plantaris muscle of type II fibers. The immunohistochemical analysis with antitransglutaminase C antibody (anti TGase C Ab) showed that some atrophic bundles of soleus muscle were positively reacted with the antibody. The anti-TGase C Ab-reactive substances were observed to disappear significantly after endurance exercise, indicating their characteristic atrophy-dependency. The enzymatic analysis of transglutaminase showed the increase in activity in the atrophic soleus muscle tissue, compared with that in the normal or exercise-trained muscle tissues. From these results, the expression of TGase in the atrophic muscle is suggested to be the possible marker for muscle atrophy and its expression is probably related with the protective mechanism of the muscle tissue to prevent further cellular damage in the atrophic process.     

Correlation between the presence of anti HPV33 VLP antibodies and HPV DNA in cervical neoplasia patients

Summary. The L1 capsid proteins derived from human papillomavirus (HPV) type 33 were expressed in a recombinant baculovirus system using Sf9 insect cells. Selected sera originating in women from case-control study carried out in Spain and Colombia found negative and positive for HPV16, 18, 31, 33 and 35 DNA were tested in ELISA for the presence of IgG antibodies to purified virus-like particles (VLP). The reactivity was type-restricted with the possible exception of HPV31. Received July 4, 1996 Accepted September 17, 1996