[An analysis of treatment of the Russian group of patients in the international observational study «Factors influencing response to botulinum toxin type A in patients with idiopathic cervical dystonia¼].

AIM: The analysis of the results of treatment of the Russian patient population in the frame of international, multicenter, non-interventional study of CD, the primary purpose of which was to determine the response rate to therapy with BTA at the peak of the effect: after one course of injections in settings of routine practice, as well as the results of application of modern definition for "response" to treatment with BTA. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In Russia 60 patients with idiopathic CD were included. Patients were classified as «responders¼ according to the following 4 criteria: effect size (improvement by ≥ 25% assessed by TWSTRS); effect duration: ≥ 12 weeks interval between the BTA injection and the day when the patient reported a decrease of clinical effect, indicating the need for repeated treatment; good tolerability of treatment (no treatment-related serious adverse events (AEs) during the study period); patient-reported Clinical Global Improvement (CGI) score is +2 («significant improvement¼) or +3 («very significant improvement¼) at the visits 2 or 3. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: In the Russian population, patients with a ≥ 25% improvement by TWSTRS scale at visit 2 (peak effect) accounted for 88.3%. Most of patients (81.6%) and physicians (81.7%) evaluated the efficacy of therapy as a «significant improvement¼ or «very significant improvement¼ by CGI. The criterion of the effect duration was achieved in 50% of cases. The BTA therapy was well tolerated (no severe AEs related to treatment) in 98.3% of patients. Overall, 40% of all patients met all the criteria for response to BTA treatment. According to the analysis of the general population, a high degree of response was observed for the effect size (73.6%), tolerability (97.5%) and patient-reported global clinical improvement (69.8%). Subjective assessment of the duration of the effect was achieved in 49.3% of patients, with 28.6% of patients considered as responders. Most patients met three of the four criteria. The proposed multifactorial definition of «response¼ may be of practical use for routine practice.

[The study of the efficacy of Botulinum toxin type A in patients with poststroke upper-limb spasticity ULIS-II: an analysis of Russian patients].

AIM: To assess the efficacy of Botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A) injections in routine practice. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An international, post-marketing, multi-center, observational, prospective, longitudinal study included patients ≥18 years with poststroke upper-limb spasticity in whom a decision to inject BoNT-A had already been made, and who had no previous treatment with BoNT-A or BoNT-B within the last 12 weeks. The responder rate was assessed by the patient-centered goal attainment scaling (GAS). RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The study included 7 Russian research centers (41 patients). Sixteen patients (39%) received BoNT-A injections prior to entering the study. During the treatment, 29 patients (70.7%) received dysport injections; 2 (4.9%) botox injections, 8 (19.5%) xeomin injections and 2 (4.9%) other BoNT-A agents. The primary treatment goals were successfully attained in 87.8%, secondary treatment goals in 88.3%. An improvement in passive function as primary goal and as secondary goal were achieved in 100%, in the range of movement in 94.9%, pain reduction in 82.4%, improvement in active function of the upper limb in 76.5%, reduction in involuntary movements (associated reactions) in 83.3% of cases. Investigators' global assessment of benefits revealed that 97.6% of patients showed positive effects from BoNT-A injections. Pateitnts' assessment of global benefits was slightly lower - 90,2% of patients reported positive treatment effects When assessed by patients, the rate of global benefits was 90.2%. Botulinum-toxin therapy is an effective treatment option. In the vast majority of patients, it allows both for reduction in muscle tone and functional benefits that could improve quality of life of the patients.

[A comparative efficiency of amitriptyline, fluoxetine and maprotiline in prevention of migraine in attack-free period]. / Sravnitel'naia éffektivnost' amitriptilina, fluoksetina i maprotilina pri lechenii migreni v mezhpristupnom periode.

To reduce frequency and severity of the attacks, migraine was treated preventively between the attacks. The most effective drugs were beta-blockers and antidepressants. In a single-blind study we estimated comparative efficiency of amitriptiline (inhibitor of noradrenaline and serotonin reuptake and 5-HT2-receptor antagonist) 12.5-25 mg/daily, fluoxetine (a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor) 10-20 mg/daily, and maprotiline (a selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor) 10-25 mg/daily. The duration of the therapy of migraine between the attacks was 12 weeks. Each group included 20 patients. 46 patients completed the whole course of therapy: 14 patients received amitriptyline, 16 patients--fluoxetine, and 16 patients--maprotiline. Positive results of the treatment (a reduction of the frequency of the migraine attacks during a treatment by 50% as compared with the baseline period) were observed in 71% of the patients treated with amitriptyline, in 56% of the patients treated with fluoxetine, and in 38% of the patients treated with maprotiline. All the drugs were able to reduce both intensity and duration of a headache. Index of the Quality of Life in the patients with migraine was increased in the groups treated with either amitriptyline or fluoxetine, but not in a group treated with maprotiline. The results obtained agree with the notion about high efficiency of antidepressants given between migraine attacks. Amitriptyline and fluoxetine were more efficient in preventive therapy than maprotiline. These findings suggested indirectly, that the efficiency of antidepressants in treatment of migraine is explained by inhibition of serotonin reuptake and by 5-HT2-receptor antagonism, while influence on the inhibition of noradrenaline reuptake was not so significant.

[Differentiated therapy of migraine attack]. / Differentsirovannaia terapiia pristupov migreni.

91 patients with migraine were examined in terms of quantitative evaluation of the severity of the attacks. Efficiencies of application of step-by-step or stratification ways of therapy were compared. Indications for the administration of the drugs for "specific" therapy of the attacks of migraine were determined.

[Study of mechanisms of action of amitriptyline and acupuncture using nociceptive flexor reflex in patients with chronic forms of headache]. / Izuchenie mekhanizmov deistviia amitriptilina i akupunktury s pomoshch'iu notsitseptivnogo sgibatel'nogo refleksa u patsientov s khronicheskimi formami golovnykh bolei.

The nociceptive flexor reflex (NFR, R3) was tried for quantitative assessment of pain in patients with various forms of primary and secondary headaches. Amitriptyline and acupuncture elevated the threshold of R3-reflex emergence, though the threshold of subjective pain sensitivity increased only in response to amitriptyline. NFR is adequate for assessing anesthesia efficacy and investigating the mechanisms of action of analgesics in patients with headache.

[Enterosorption in the combined treatment of patients with multiple sclerosis]. / Enterosorbtsiia v kompleksnom lechenii bol'nykh rasseiannym sklerozom.

Fifty-nine patients exhibiting an exacerbation of multiple sclerosis were examined for efficacy of enterosorption with the fibrous coal sorbent vaulen. The solvent powder was administered 3 times a day in a dose of 50-60 mg/kg for 20 days between meals. The relief of neurological symptoms started on treatment days 3-4 with subsequent attenuation within the course of treatment. This agreed with discontinuation of liquor hypertension and recovery of normal immunological spectra of serum parameters. The method of enterosorption is simple, safe and readily arrests the disease exacerbation.

[Efferent methods of the treatment of cerebrospinal fluid hypertension in exacerbation of multiple sclerosis]. / Efferentnye metody lecheniia likvornoi gipertenzii pri ékzatserbatsii rasseiannogo skleroza.

Analysis is made of the efficacy of the treatment of CSF hypertension in 40 patients in the phase of exacerbation of multiple sclerosis. Use was made of sorption detoxication methods: hemoperfusion (the author's certificate No.1466754) and enterosorption (the priority certificate No.4465054/14 (115542) dated July 22, 1988). SKH-IK and SKH-2K sorbents were employed as hemoperfusion, using the venovenous scheme of perfusion, the volumetric rate of the blood flow being 100-120 ml/min during 2-3 hours. Altogether 2-3 sessions were carried out, with an interval of 5 to 7 days. For enterosorption, use was made of a crumbled up filamentous carbonic sorbent in a dose of 50-60 mg per kg bw 3 times a day for 20 days in 2 hourly intervals between food intake. Regression of the neurological symptoms began 2-3 hours after the first session of hemoperfusion and 5-6 days after the beginning of the intake of the filamentous carbonic sorbent, increasing throughout the whole treatment course. That coincided with the disappearance of CSF hypertension and normalization of the immunological spectrum of the blood serum. Sorption detoxication brought about no complications and is a method of choice in the treatment of CSF hypertension in patients in the phase of multiple sclerosis exacerbation.