No abstract

Forty children with atopic eczema requiring topical steroids entered a double-blind group comparative study over 12 weeks and were randomized to either 4% sodium cromoglycate (SCG) in an oil-in-water cream or matching placebo cream. The eczema was evaluated on area charts for 20 parts of the body at five clinic visits. In addition, the families kept diaries on symptoms and treatment. After 3 weeks there were small but statistically significant decreases in severity scores recorded at the clinical visits in the SCG group compared with small increases in the placebo group. However, there were no statistically significant differences in the diary card data during the first 3 weeks of treatment or in any other period, nor were significant differences found in any efficacy data collected during the other 9 weeks of the trial. There were no marked differences in treatment opinions, unusual symptoms, skin infections, use of topical steroids or drugs, or acceptability data between the groups. Staphylococcus aureus was found once or twice in cultures from eczema lesions in 31 of 40 children with no marked group difference. The trial showed that there is great need for improved information, family support and topical as well as general treatment in childhood atopic eczema, but topical SCG did not relieve the patients' eczema.

A double-blind, randomized cross-over trial was carried out in 50 patients undergoing surgical removal of bilaterally impacted lower wisdom teeth. Surgery in each patient was performed twice and paracetamol 1000 mg was administered once preoperatively and once postoperatively. The time interval to additional analgesic intake and the pain intensity up to and at that time were assessed. There was no difference between the 2 treatments. It was concluded that preoperative paracetamol does not offer any clinical advantage in patients who undergo surgical removal of impacted lower wisdom teeth.

A double-blind, randomized analgesic trial was carried out in 150 patients undergoing surgical removal of their 2 impacted lower wisdom teeth. The analgesic efficacy of effervescent acetaminophen 500 or 1000 mg in a 2-dose regimen was compared with that of diflunisal 500 mg in a single dose. Each dose was taken when subjectively needed and the pain intensity was measured on a visual analog scale during the 10-hour period after first medication. The best pain reduction was achieved with diflunisal. The difference between diflunisal 500 mg and acetaminophen 1000 mg was significant, as was that between acetaminophen 1000 and 500 mg. The peak effect after the first dose occurred later but was greater with diflunisal than with acetaminophen. Patients needing analgesics at low pain intensities seemed to discriminate better between treatments, and the efficacy of acetaminophen was weakly dependent on the initial pain intensity. This intensity was difficult to predict, and only a poor correlation was found between the initial pain intensity and the patient's prior estimate of this.