See also Cytotoxic and immunosuppressant drugs General information Although the main platinum-containing cytotoxic drugs, cisplatin, carboplatin, and oxaliplatin, share some structural similarities, there are marked differences between them in therapeutic uses, pharmacokinetics, and adverse effects profiles [ ]. Compared with cisplatin, carboplatin has inferior efficacy in germ-cell tumors, head and neck cancers, and bladder and esophageal carcinomas, whereas the two drugs appear to have comparable efficacy…

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General information Plasma products are used to substitute plasma proteins and in plasma exchange. Fresh frozen plasma is used as a source of coagulation factors in deficiency, if no purified factors are available. Intensive plasma exchange has been studied in the treatment of numerous diseases, above all in Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia, hypercholesterolemia, hyperviscosity syndrome, thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, systemic lupus erythematosus, myasthenia gravis, hemolytic–uremic syndrome, Goodpasture’s syndrome, Guillain–Barré…

General information The family of Plantaginaceae contains two genera: 1. Littorella (littorella) 2. Plantago (plantain) You’re Reading a Preview Become a Clinical Tree membership for Full access and enjoy Unlimited articles Become membership If you are a member. Log in here

General information Plague vaccine is a suspension of the formaldehyde-killed encapsulated form of Yersinia pestis . Primary immunization involves three doses given intramuscularly. The Working Group on Civilian Biodefense has developed consensus-based recommendations for measures to be taken by medical and public health professionals following the use of plague as a biological weapon against a civilian population [ ]. They concluded that an aerosolized plague weapon…

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See also Antihistamines General information Pizotifen is a 5HT receptor antagonist chemically related to the tricyclic antidepressants, with a five-membered third ring containing a sulfur atom. It has been suggested that adverse reactions to pizotifen resemble those of amitriptyline [ ]. However, it is pharmacologically similar to the antihistamine cyproheptadine and shares its adverse reactions, including drowsiness and increased appetite. When used in migraine it causes…

See also Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) General information Pirprofen is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, a phenylpropionic acid derivative. It has been used to treat rheumatoid arthritis [ ], osteoarthritis [ ], and ankylosing spondylitis [ , ], and as an analgesic in other conditions [ , ]. Drug studies You’re Reading a Preview Become a Clinical Tree membership for Full access and enjoy Unlimited articles Become…

General information Piroxicam was the first of the oxicam compounds, and is by far the most widely used. It is an inhibitor of prostaglandin synthesis and platelet aggregation. Its long half-life (36–48 hours) allows it to be given in a single daily dose. Adverse reactions data from 46 trials in 3827 patients, 2716 on short-term treatment (less than 12 weeks), have been reviewed [ ]. In…

General information Piritrexim is a lipid-soluble analogue of methotrexate that has been used to treat methotrexate-resistant tumors [ ], including recurrent and metastatic head and neck cancers [ ], soft-tissue sarcomas [ ], non-small cell lung cancers [ ], metastatic melanoma [ ], urothelial cancers [ ], breast cancer [ ], gliomas [ ], and mycosis fungoides [ ]. It has also been used in psoriasis…

General information Piridoxilate, an equimolar mixture of glyoxylic acid and pyridoxine, is marketed in a few countries (for example France) for peripheral arterial occlusive disease and functional venous disorders [ ], including vascular ulcers [ , ]. The supposed rationale is that glyoxylate has a membrane protective action and pyridoxine should prevent oxidation of glyoxylic acid to oxalic acid (but see below under Urinary tract ).…

General information Piribedil is a piperazine derivative, a non-ergot dopamine receptor agonist, whose pharmacology is unusual, in that it is an agonist at D 2 and D 3 receptors and an α 2 -adrenoceptor agonist. It has been used for about 40 years in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, including drug-induced parkinsonism [ ], but has received comparatively little attention. It has also been recommended for…

General information Piretanide is structurally related to furosemide, with diuretic and kinetic properties very similar to those of furosemide and bumetanide [ ]. Its potency lies somewhere between the two. As with some other diuretics, attempts have been made to show specific advantages for piretanide, for example that it is a “potassium-stable” diuretic [ ]. However, there is no good evidence that it has such advantages…

General information Pirenzepine is an anticholinergic drug with selective effects on muscarinic M 1 receptors, although there is also evidence that it can be an antagonist at M 2 receptors as well. It inhibits gastric acid secretion in the stomach, and when it was introduced for the treatment of peptic ulceration [ ], it was thought that in the doses necessary to affect acid secretion it…

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General information Piracetam is a so-called “nootropic” drug, one of a class of drugs that affect mental function [ ]. In healthy volunteers it improves the higher functions of the brain involved in cognitive processes, such as learning and memory. Its mechanisms of action are not known but may include increased cholinergic neurotransmission. It has been used to improve cognitive function in a variety of circumstances,…

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General information Piperazine is an antihelminthic drug that selectively blocks the neuromuscular cholinergic receptors of worms. It is readily absorbed, but has a highly variable half-life. The adult oral dose of 4 g of piperazine hydrate has been used extensively in the treatment of ascariasis. It has been abandoned in most developed countries, primarily because of concerns about possible carcinogenicity and electroencephalographic changes [ ]. General…

General information Piperaquine is a synthetic 4-aminoquinoline with high blood schizonticidal activity, similar to that of chloroquine [ ]. It was developed in the 1960s by Shanghai Pharmaceutical Industry Research (China) and Rhone Poulenc (France) and has been combined with dihydroartemisinin (as Artekin™) to provide a cheap and reasonably well-tolerated, short-course treatment for P. falciparum , with a high cure rate against drug-resistant parasites. Artekin™ has…

General information The family of Piperaceae contains three genera: 1. Lepianthes (lepianthes) 2. Peperomia (peperomia) 3. Piper (pepper) Piper methysticum Kava or awa ( Piper methysticum ) is a plant that grows in the South Pacific Islands. Eight species have been identified by the local cultivators on the basis of its habitat, such as mountainous versus lowland, in shade versus in full sun. In the Pacific…