BACKGROUND & AIMS Glucocorticoids, produced by the adrenal gland under control of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, exert their metabolic actions largely via activation of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR). Synthetic glucocorticoids are widely used as anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive drugs but their application is hampered by adverse metabolic effects. Recently, it has been shown t...

OBJECTIVE To compare the efficacy of 2 regimens of prednisolone versus prednisolone and acyclovir in the treatment of Bell`s palsy. METHODS A retrospective study was performed on 496 Bell`s palsy patients attending Yahyanejad Hospital, Babol, Iran from 1995 to 2004, divided in 2 groups. The first group was treated with regimen one (oral prednisolone), and the second group was treated with reg...

BACKGROUND Prednisolone and pentoxifylline (PTX) have been shown to be individually useful in severe alcoholic hepatitis with Maddrey discriminant function (MDF) score ≥32. Previous report suggests that PTX is probably superior to prednisolone alone. However the efficacy of PTX and prednisolone combination over PTX alone in the management of acute alcoholic hepatitis (MDF score ≥32) is yet unre...

PURPOSE Recurrent aphthous stomatitis (RAS) is one of the most common ulcers of the oral cavity with a reported prevalence of 5- 50%. There is still no definitive treatment for RAS; however, immunosuppressive and immunomodulant agents have been proposed. In this study, we compared the therapeutic effects of 5 mg/d prednisolone with 0.5 mg/d colchicine in the treatment of RAS. METHODS In a dou...

OBJECTIVE Prostacyclin (PGI2) has been shown to inhibit the expression of pro-inflammatory and pro-fibrotic mediators in pulmonary fibrosis. In this study, we aimed to test the preventive effects of intraperitoneally administered iloprost, a stable PGI2 analog, on bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis in rats and to compare the effects of iloprost with the effects of methyl-prednisolone, a tradi...

The knowledge on PK behavior of steroid drugs such as prednisolone or prednisone has indeed been expanding but at a rather slow pace. First, convenient, rapid, and specific determination of plasma levels of these steroids was largely indebted to the breakthrough of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Second, prednisolone is non-linearly protein-bound. Since unbound prednisolone is th...

RhoA plays an important role in Ca(2+) sensitization of bronchial smooth muscle in antigen-induced airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR). Glucocorticoids are now the most effective anti-inflammatory treatment for asthma, and inhaled corticosteroids are the most effective long-term control therapy for persistent asthma. To determine the mechanism of the inhibitory action of glucocorticoids on AHR in ...

Here, we describe the improved antiarthritic properties of a nitric oxide-releasing derivative of prednisolone that includes a sparing of the effects on bone. Glucocorticoids are widely used in the treatment of chronic inflammatory pathologies, but their use is often accompanied by side effects, including osteoporosis. Recently, a new steroid able to release low levels of nitric oxide showed po...

Rationale: Some studies have shown a beneficial effect of corticosteroids in patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP), possibly by diminishing local and systemic antiinflammatory host response. Objectives: To assess the efficacy of adjunctive prednisolone treatment in patients hospitalized with CAP. Methods: Hospitalized patients, clinically and radiologically diagnosedwithCAPusingstand...