Ciprofloxacin versus amoxycillin and probenecid in the treatment of uncomplicated gonorrhoea.

In a randomized study 100 patients, 78 males and 22 females, with uncomplicated gonorrhoea were treated with either a single oral dose of 250 mg of ciprofloxacin or a single oral dose of 3 g of amoxycillin and 1 g of probenecid. Three of the gonococcal strains produced penicillinase and, in addition, nine strains had MIC-values of amoxycillin ranging between 0.6 and 1.2 mg/l and five other strains MIC-values higher than 1.2 mg/l. Twenty-two patients had a concomitant infection due to Chlamydia trachomatis. All patients treated with ciprofloxacin were cured, while two patients treated with amoxycillin had treatment failures. Neither treatment regimen had any effect on the chlamydial infections. No adverse effects were observed. It was concluded that ciprofloxacin is the drug of choice in the treatment of uncomplicated infections due to Neisseria gonorrhoeae.

Epidermis is the origin of high creatine kinase levels in skin blister fluid.

Creatine kinase (CK) isoenzyme, CK-BB, known as the brain fraction, is not normally present in serum but predominates in several normal and malignant tissues and body fluids. We recently reported increased CK-BB levels in suction blister fluid. In the present study the cellular origin of the enzyme in skin was studied from homogenates of blister top epidermis and blister base dermis as well as from homogenates of split skin dermatome shavings and isolated keratinocytes. The CK-BB in human skin was derived almost exclusively from the epidermis. Enzyme determinations from various spontaneous bullae suggest that all types of skin blisters initially contain high CK-BB levels.

Ciprofloxacin versus doxycycline in the treatment of uncomplicated urogenital Chlamydia trachomatis infections. A double-blind comparative study.

Two-hundred patients with confirmed Chlamydia trachomatis infection of the urogenital region were treated with either ciprofloxacin 1.5 g/day or doxycycline 100 mg/day for seven days. One-hundred and fifty-seven patients were males and 43 females. C. trachomatis was isolated prior to treatment from urethra alone in 155 patients, from cervix alone in 27 and from both urethra and cervix in 15. The first re-examination was carried out at the end of treatment and the second one week later. Six patients in the ciprofloxacin group and three in the doxycycline group never returned for the first re-examination. At the second re-examination there were seven defaulters in the ciprofloxacin group and 11 in the doxycycline group. Altogether there were 12 bacteriological failures in both groups. Clinical failure despite bacteriological cure occurred in 20 patients in the ciprofloxacin group and eight in the doxycycline group. The total number of treatment failures was 32 in the ciprofloxacin group and 20 in the doxycycline group. The results suggested that neither treatment was efficient enough in the treatment of uncomplicated urogenital infections caused by C. trachomatis.

Treatment of severe psoriasis with etretin (RO 10-1670).

Eighty patients with severe psoriasis were treated in a double-blind fashion with either an initial dose of 10 mg, 25 mg or 50 mg of etretin daily or with placebo. Follow-up examinations were carried out monthly and the efficacy of treatment was evaluated by using the PASI score. Adverse effects of the treatment were recorded monthly; liver enzymes, cholesterol and triglycerides were measured. After 2 months of treatment the maintenance dose was reduced in some of the patients either because of complete remission or adverse effects. After 2 months treatment, groups receiving 25 mg/day and 50 mg/day showed significantly lower PASI scores than the placebo group. The 10 mg/day group showed a response intermediate between the 25 mg and 50 mg groups and the placebo group. Thus, the optimal initial dose seems to be approximately 25 mg/day and the maintenance dose somewhat lower. Six months after the start of treatment there were no significant differences between the four groups; the last follow-up examination took place during the summer and some of the patients probably experienced spontaneous improvement. Although clinical adverse effects were frequent in all groups, severe side effects, namely hair loss and paronychia, occurred frequently only among patients treated with an initial dose of 50 mg of etretin daily. The effect of treatment on liver enzymes, cholesterol and triglycerides was minimal.