Prophylactic medicines

Research with electronic inhalers has examined both prophylactic and bronchodilator use. In one study of prophylactic medicine use (23), only 50% of patients complied as defined by within 10% of recommended twice daily dosing, 50% underused and 10% overused. Electronic monitoring of inhaler use has documented widespread underuse of anti-inflammatory medications in both children and adults. Mawhinney et al. reported that patients used their medication as prescribed on average for 37% of the days in the 3 to 4 weeks monitoring period (24). Underuse was observed for over 38% of the monitored days. Coutts et al. monitored school-age children and observed underuse of the inhaled steroids was observed on 55% of the study days (16). Similar results on the underuse of anti-inflammatory medications have been reported elsewhere (25-27). 

Management of symptomatically controlling patients depends crucially on outcome. A patient who employs symptomatic use of prophylactic medicine but has repeated hospital visits needs different management from one who uses this technique effectively. In the former case, it is a good strategy to explain the clinical disadvantages of, for example, repeated courses of oral steroids in contrast to a higher maintenance level of inhaled steroids. 

In the United States, 100 times more bacitracin by weight is used as a feed additive than for human medicine. Most of this is BMD but some is the zinc salt. BMD can be used in subtherapeutic nutritional dosages for increase in feed efficiency and for growth promotion in poultry, swine, and feedlot cattie at concentrations of 2.6—33 g/t of feed (78,81,82). Prophylactic or therapeutic medicinal dosing at higher concentrations is used for necrotic enteritis in chickens, transmissable enteritis in turkeys, ulcerative enteritis in quail, dysentery in swine, and Hver abcess in cattie (see Feeds and feed additives). 

Though dental afflictions constitute a very significant disease entity, these have received relatively little attention from medicinal chemists. (The fluoride toothpastes may form an important exception.) This therapeutic target Is, however, sufficiently Important to be the focus of at least some research. A highly functionalized piperazine derivative that has come out of such work shows prophylactic activity against dental caries. Condensation of the enol ether 1 of thiourea with ji-pentylisocyanate gives the addition product 1J. Reaction of this with diamine 78, derived from piperazine, leads to substitution of the methylthio moiety by the primary amine, in all likelihood by an addition-elimination sequence. There is thus obtained ipexidine (79). ... 

The purported prophylactic use of Japanese herbal medicines to combat neuronal ageing has been related to their free-radical scavenging activity (Hiramatsu a al., 1992). Inhibition of the pro-inflammatory effects of cytokine interleukin-1 by recombinant endogenous interleukin-1 receptor antagonist in experimental rats is associated with alleviation of excitotoxic neuronal damage, an action which has also been related to the antiinflammatory effect of lipocortin 1 (Relton and Roth well, 1992). 

Mason, H.S., Warzecha, H., Mor, T., and Arntzen, C.J. 2002. Edible plant vaccines applications for prophylactic and therapeutic molecular medicine. Trends in Molecular Medicine 8(7), 324-329. 

The application of vaccine technology forms a core element of modern medicinal endeavour. It plays a central role in both human and veterinary medicine and represents the only commonly employed prophylactic (i.e. preventative) approach undertaken to control many infectious diseases. The current (annual) global vaccine market stands at in excess of US 3 billion. Immunization programmes, particularly those undertaken on a multinational scale, have served to reduce dramatically the incidence of many killer/disabling diseases, such as smallpox, polio and tuberculosis. 

Schultz, J. 1945. The prophylactic action of hexamethylenetetramine in phosgene poisoning. In Fasciculus on chemical warfare medicine v. II, Respiratory tract. Washington, DC National Research Council, Committee on Treatment of Gas Casualties pp. 691-712. 

Poberezhnik O, Osolodchenko T, Kutneevich Ya, et al. (1997) Use of immobilized medicinal preparations in combined therapy of patients with eczema. In Biosorption methods and preparations in prophylactic and therapeutic practice. First Conference, Kyiv (In Ukrainian), pp 59-60... 

In the European Union, the medicinal products incorporated into feeding stuffs for prophylactic, coccidiostatic, and growth-promotion purposes are not subject to the above-mentioned authorization procedures for establishing MRLs. Being regulated under Directive 70/524/EEC (45) and its major amendments, especially 84/587/EEC (46) and 96/51/EEC (47), these products do follow, however, a centralized procedure through an EU system. Although no formal MRLs have been yet established for these products, the types of toxicity and residues data mentioned above are also required (48). 

ABSTRACT Panax ginseng is one of the most investigated medicinal plants. In the Eastern world it has been used for more than 2000 years as a tonic and prophylactic to increase nonspecific resistance against a variety of stress agents. The plant contains more than 200 identified chemical compounds and among them the ginsenosides are considered the most important constituents. Consistent efficacy and safety require constantly uniform composition, a condition which the raw material (roots) can scarcely fulfill. 

The use of lithium in medicine has been the subject of recent reviews by Birch,81 Birch and Sadler29 and references therein, and Tosteson.82 Historically, the use of lithium in medicine began with the treatment of gout and rheumatics in 1859. For the following 90 years, lithium was proposed for a variety of disorders and then discarded for example, lithium bromide was considered to be an effective sedative. In 1949 lithium was introduced into psychiatric practice and lithium carbonate, LijCOj, became the first of the modern psychotropic drugs. In a review of double-blind trials Schou and Thomsen (1975) support the prophylactic use of this drug in bipolar (manic-depressive) illness. 

Because of their chemical inertness, low surface tension and antisurfactant activity polyorganosiloxane (silicone) oils have found varied applications in medicine. These have included use as an artificial lubricant for arthritic joints191, as a means of soft tissue augmentation, and as an additive in creams and oils for burn treatment. Di-methylpolysiloxane fluids have been injected as replacement for aqueous and vitreous humour in eyes. Reactive organosilicon compounds comprise a new class of potential prophylactic and therapeutic agents192. Protection against atherosclerosis... 

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