Antipyretic effect of ketoprofen.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy and side effect profile of ketoprofen as well as compliance with respect to the taste of the drug and compare these parameters with those of acetaminophen and ibuprofen. METHODS: A total of 301 patients between 1-14 years of age who applied to emergency rooms of three medical centers with the complaint of fever that required antipyretic therapy were included in the study. Fever was measured with the aid of a tympanic thermometer (Braun Kronberg 6014) and followed for 4-6 hours. The measurement was repeated at 30, 60, 120 minutes, and again 4-6 hours after the initial assessment. RESULTS: The mean age of the patients was 47.8+/-41.1 months. The patients randomly received 15 mg/kg/dose of acetaminophen (n=112 group 1), 0.5 mg/kg/dose of ketoprofen (n=105, group 2), or 10 mg/kg/dose of ibuprofen (n=84, group 3). Fever was 38.4+/-0.7 degrees C, 38.4+/-0.7 degrees C, and 38.5+/-0.5 degrees C at 30 minutes; 38.0+/-0.7 degrees C, 37.9+/-0.7 degrees C, and 38.0+/-0.6 degrees C at 60 minutes (p>0.05), 37.7+/-0.6 degrees C, 37.6+/-0.7 degrees C, and 37.7+/-0.5 degrees C at 120 minutes (p>0.05); 37.5+/-0.7 degrees C, 37.3+/-0.6 degrees C, and 37.4+/-0.6 degrees C at 4-6 hours after admission (p>0.05). The fever was significantly lower at 30, 60, and 120 minutes in all group s (p<0.05). Early vomiting after medication (<6 hours) was observed in 3.8%, 13.5%, and 9.6% whereas late vomiting (6-48 hours) occurred in 1.3%, 2.7%, and 5.8% respectively (p>0.05). Bad taste was expressed by 5.1%, 12.2%, and 5.8% early (<6 hours), and 3.9%, 8.1%, and 3.8% late (6-48 hours) (p>0.05). There were no differences between age groups for antipyretic effect, taste and adverse effect in three drugs (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: All three drugs were similar in terms of efficacy, adverse effects, and compliance within 48 hours of therapy. These results suggest that ketoprofen may be used for antipyresis as an alternative to acetaminophen and ibuprofen.

Neurological soft signs in obsessive-compulsive disorder.

BACKGROUND: Neurological soft signs (NSSs) are defined as abnormal motor or sensory findings, including involuntary movements, a variety of dispraxia, difficulties in performing rapid alternating movements, difficulties in two-point discrimination, and graphesthesia in a person without a neurological disorder which can be determined as its focus. AIMS: to investigate the relationship of NSSs with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This study was designed in the Psychiatry Polyclinic of Ondokuz Mayis University Hospital. After signing an informed consent form, all the subjects were divided into 2 groups: (1) the patient group and (2) the control group. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Thirty consecutive patients presenting with DSM-IV OCD were included in this study. The control group consisted of 30 healthy subjects without a psychiatric/neurological disorder. All subjects underwent a physical and neurological examination for soft signs (PANESS). STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: The Mann-Whitney U test was used for statistical analysis of data. RESULTS: It was seen that graphesthesia, two-point discrimination, and total PANESS scores were significantly higher in the group with OCD than the control group. In other NSSs, there was no significant difference between the patient and control groups. CONCLUSIONS: Unlike some studies, in the present study, the difference between the groups in graphesthesia compared to other NSSs was significant. The results of this preliminary study suggest that there is a relationship between NSSs and OCD. We think that NSSs may point to a structural brain abnormality in patients with OCD.