Flonase
Effect of fluticasone propionate on soluble CD30 release in patients with severe allergic asthma.

Purello-D'Ambrosio F, Gangemi S, Ruello G, Marotta G, Merendino RA.

School of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, Policlinic G. Martino, University of Messina Medical School, Italy.

Previous studies have demonstrated improvements in health-related quality of life in asthmatic patients after treatment with fluticasone propionate. CD30 is a marker of Th2 lymphocytes, which are key cells in the pathogenesis of allergic inflammation. There is also a soluble form of CD30 (sCD30) released by CD30+ cells. Since serum sCD30 levels are high in allergic patients, in our study we examined the possible role of fluticasone propionate in modulating sCD30 release in patients with severe allergic asthma. In addition, we evaluated a possible correlation between sCD30 and FEV1 in these patients. To this end two groups of subjects were enrolled: 20 healthy nonatopic control subjects (group A) and 20 atopic patients with severe bronchial asthma receiving fluticasone propionate at the total dosage of 1 mg/day for 8 weeks (group B). Serum samples were examined before and after the treatment period. sCD30 serum levels were determined by the commercial ELISA-kit (Dako). The limit of detection of the assay was 1 U/ml. Our data show that sCD30 basal serum levels were significantly (p <0.05) higher in patients of group B respect to group A subjects (8.35+/-4.88 vs. <1 IU/ml, respectively). In addition, we found that sCD30 serum levels were undetectable in patients of group B after fluticasone propionate therapy. In group B a positive correlation between serum sCD30 levels and FEV1 values before fluticasone propionate treatment was noted (Rho = -0.644, p <0.005). The fluticasone propionate inhibition of sCD30 release may partly explain how fluticasone propionate exerts its antiinflammatory activity, through the modulation of Th2 cells.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11108439&dopt=Abstract fluticasone Flonase



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Retrospective study on fluticasone propionate aqueous nasal spray efficacy in patients with allergic rhinitis: evaluation of clinical and laboratory parameters.

Ventura MT, Piccinni T, Matino MG, Giuliano G, Di Corato R, Di Napoli P, Tursi A.

Department of Internal Medicine, Immunology, and Infectious Diseases, University of Bari Medical School, Policlinico, Italy.

BACKGROUND: In allergic rhinitis, allergenic stimulation causes the release of various mediators that induce symptoms and the development of chronic inflammation, which, in turn, is caused by cells involved in the late phase of inflammation, such as eosinophils. The eosinophils also cause damage at the mucosal level through the secretion of eosinophil cationic protein and other preformed factors contained in their granules. The objective was to verify the efficacy of fluticasone propionate aqueous nasal spray in patients with allergic rhinitis; in a retrospective study, we have evaluated mediators of inflammation, making correlations with the clinical symptoms score during and outside the pollen season. METHODS: Forty patients with allergic rhinitis and 15 normal controls were included in our study. Eosinophil cationic protein, eosinophil chemotactic activity, and blood and nasal lavage eosinophil count were evaluated as laboratory parameters. RESULTS: We found a significant increase in nasal lavage levels of eosinophil cationic protein in allergic patients, and this was strictly correlated with the clinical symptoms score. No differences were found in the eosinophil count of allergic patients and in the serum eosinophil cationic protein of patients sensitized to seasonal allergens in comparison with normal subjects. By contrast, an increase in serum eosinophil cationic protein level was found in patients sensitized to perennial allergens. After topical administration of fluticasone propionate aqueous nasal spray, a reduction in nasal lavage eosinophil cationic protein secretion was obtained with a reduction of eosinophil chemotactic activity at the local level. This reduction correlated with an improvement of clinical symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The clinical improvement and reduction in nasal lavage eosinophil cationic protein and eosinophil chemotactic activity after administration of fluticasone propionate aqueous nasal spray further confirms the role of this treatment in allergic rhinitis.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11167349&dopt=Abstract fluticasone Flonase



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New therapeutic approach to persistent asthma.

Sanguinetti CM.

Unita Operativa di Pneumologia, Ospedale SS. Benvenuto e Rocco, Via Leopardi 15, 60027 Osimo, Ancona, Italy.

The goal of asthma treatment has moved from achieving symptom relief alone to overall disease control. The latest guidelines propose that first-line treatment of mild persistent asthma requires the introduction of anti-inflammatory agents, preferably inhaled corticosteroids at low dose. In patients in whom control of disease is not achieved with this treatment, it was demonstrated that addition of a long-acting beta 2-agonist is more effective than increasing the dose of inhaled corticosteroid. Addition of a long-acting beta 2-agonist to an inhaled corticosteroid not only improves symptoms and lung function but also reduces the risk of asthma exacerbations, suggesting complementary therapeutic activity. Therefore, use of long-acting bronchodilators with inhaled corticosteroids is a prerequisite for optimal management of the disease. For this reason, the logical development in asthma management would be a combination of these two classes of drug in a single inhaled formulation. Fixed combinations of the long-acting beta 2-agonist salmeterol and the inhaled corticosteroid fluticasone propionate were launched recently. Results from recent clinical trials have demonstrated that the combination of salmeterol and fluticasone propionate improves control of asthma in the majority of patients with moderate-to-severe asthma and enhances compliance by virtue of both drugs being in the one inhaler. The possibility to treat asthma of differing severity is provided by the flexibility to choose between three different doses of fluticasone propionate in the fixed combination devices. Another obvious advantage of the combination is cost savings, as the fixed combination inhaler is cheaper than giving the two drugs separately. The introduction of combination preparations is an important step forward in asthma management, which is expected to be a popular choice with both patients and physicians.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11213376&dopt=Abstract fluticasone Flonase



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Treatment of rhinitis medicamentosa with fluticasone propionate--an experimental study.

Elwany S, Abdel-Salaam S.

Department of Otolaryngology, Alexandria Medical School, Alexandria, Egypt. elwany emirates.net.ae

The efficacy of fluticasone propionate aqueous nasal spray (0.05% w/w) in the treatment of rhinitis medicamentosa has been studied in an animal model (guinea pig). Rhinitis medicamentosa was induced through the instillation of 0.05% naphthazoline nitrate (Privine) for 8 weeks. Fluticasone propionate nasal spray was then administered to the animals for 2 weeks. The spray successfully cleared the interstitial edema which is the pathologic hallmark of rhinitis medicamentosa. The study suggests that fluticasone propionate nasal spray can be beneficial in the treatment of patients with rhinitis medicamentosa.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11374251&dopt=Abstract fluticasone Flonase



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Use of changes in symptoms to predict changes in lung function in assessing the response to asthma therapy.

Dorinsky PM, Edwards LD, Yancey SW, Rickard KA.

Glaxo Wellcome, Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709-3398, USA. pmd99753 glaxowellcome.com

BACKGROUND: The majority of adult patients with asthma are managed by primary care providers. Although there is no generally accepted gold standard for the assessment of asthma severity in general practice, treatment decisions and modifications to therapy are strongly influenced by patients' symptoms and history of asthma medication use. OBJECTIVES: The primary goal of this study was to determine whether there is a correlation between changes in asthma symptoms during treatment and changes in lung function, as measured by peak expiratory flow (PEF). A secondary goal was to compare the relative efficacy (in terms of improvement in asthma symptoms and lung function) of 3 commonly used asthma treatments: inhaled fluticasone propionate, inhaled salmeterol xinafoate, and oral zafirlukast. METHODS: This was a retrospective comparison employing regression analyses of asthma symptom and lung function data from 2890 male and female adolescent and adult patients with persistent asthma who were enrolled in 8 randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, parallel-group studies. Data on patients' self-rated symptoms, PEF, supplemental albuterol use, nighttime awakenings, and frequency of asthma exacerbations were used to ascertain whether there was a correlation between changes in asthma symptoms and changes in pulmonary function, and to compare treatment effects. RESULTS: Changes in patients' ratings of asthma symptoms after treatment with study medications showed a strong correlation with changes in lung function. Similarly, changes in lung function were strongly correlated with changes in supplemental beta-agonist use and quality of life. In addition, fluticasone or salmeterol treatment resulted in significantly greater increases in mean morning PEF (P < 0.001), significantly greater decreases in symptom scores (P < or = 0.004), significantly fewer nights with awakenings due to symptoms (P < or = 0.017), and significantly greater reductions in supplemental beta-agonist use (P < 0.001) compared with zafirlukast treatment or placebo. Patients treated with fluticasone or salmeterol also experienced significantly lower rates of asthma exacerbation (3%) during treatment than did those receiving zafirlukast (7%) or placebo (12%) (P < 0.001 and P = 0.015, fluticasone and salmeterol, respectively). CONCLUSION: These findings support the validity of primary care practitioners' basing asthma-management decisions on patients' symptoms.

Online source: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11394729&dopt=Abstract fluticasone Flonase