Rupatadine is a better choice for seasonal allergic rhinitis compared with levocetirizine because of its better efficacy and safety profile.

Objective:To compare the efficacy and safety of olopatadine and rupatadine in seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR).Materials and Methods:A 2-week, single-centered, randomized, open, parallel group comparative clinical study was conducted on patients with SAR. Following inclusion and exclusion criteria, 70 patients were recruited and were randomized to two treatment groups and received the respective drugs for 2 weeks. At follow-up, clinical improvement was assessed in terms of change in total and differential count of leucocytes, serum Immunoglobulin E (IgE) level, Total Nasal Symptom Score (TNSS) and Rhinoconjunctivitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (RQLQ) scoring.Results:Both the drugs significantly reduced the differential count (P<0.001) and absolute eosinophil count (P<0.001), but olopatadine was found to be superior. In olopatadine group, there was significantly higher reduction in serum IgE (P=0.01), TNSS (P<0.001) and RQLQ score (P=0.015) than that of rupatadine. Incidence of adverse effects was found to be less in olopatadine group when compared with rupatadine group.Conclusions:Olopatadine is a better choice in SAR in comparison to rupatadine due to its better efficacy and safety profile.

Background and Objective:The increased risk for coronary artery disease observed in postmenopausal (PoW) women is partly explained by a more atherogenic lipoprotein profile. Moreover, natural menopause has been associated with an altered postprandial lipid profile. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that young premenopausal (PrW) and PoW may be independently associated with postprandial lipemia and indirectly associated with atherosclerosis.Patients and Methods:A total of 46 healthy PrW and 44 healthy PoW participated in a 5-h intervention study. Blood samples were taken at the baseline and at 1, 2, 3, and 4 h after eating. Total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, fasting, and postprandial triglycerides (PPTG) were determined sequentially in blood samples.Results:PPTG presented significant higher values in PoW compared to PrW (P < 0.05), but other lipids did not significantly differ between groups. PPTG concentrations in PoW were significantly higher than in PrW (P < 0.05). There was a significant time influence (P < 0.05) in TG in PrW and PoW, while time to peak and peak concentration were significantly higher in PoW than PrW. Other lipids were also decreased more in PrW than PoW, but not significantly so. Cholesterol concentrations showed a significant reduction after 2 h, to reach values similar to the baseline after 4 h in PrW but not in PoW. HDL-cholesterol concentration was decreased more in PoW compared to PrW but it was not significant.Conclusions:Lipid postprandial response indicates a higher cardiovascular risk pattern in PoW compared to PrW.

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Background and Objective: In this review, we have mainly examined the effect of age, smoking and hypertension on post prandial triglycerides, since an exaggerated postprandial accumulation of triglyceride promotes the development of atherosclerosis. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that smoking and hypertension are independently associated with postprandial hypertriglyceridemia and indirectly associated with atherosclerosis.Materials and methods: Lipid profiles were studied in 52 hypertensives, 48 smokers and 52 age, sex and body mass index matched healthy controls. Four age groups were made between 31-70 years. Fasting and postprandial triglyceridemia were determined sequentially at fasting and at 1 hr, 2 hr, 3 hr, 4 hr, 5 hr and 6 hr post load in the blood sample.Results: The repeated-measures analysis of triglyceride levels showed a distinct behavior of the age groups throughout the 6 hours in both controls and cases. The differences in behavior were significant (p<0.05). Total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol and fasting triglycerides did not differ much significantly over time between the groups. However, the postprandial plasma triglyceride concentration (mg/dL) increased significantly in hypertensives (226.5±82.9) and smokers (210.6±71.8) compared to control group (152±56.9), p<0.05. Increase in postprandial triglycerides was found with age and a positive correlation was found between increase in fasting triglycerides and post prandial triglycerides.Conclusion: Aging, hypertension and smoking has a significant effect on postprandial lipemia in healthy, young individuals revealing a close link between aging, hypertension, smoking, post prandial triglycerides and atherosclerosis.