Pharmacodynamic studies of nasal tetracosactide with salivary glucocorticoids for a noninvasive Short Synacthen Test

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of Cosyntropin, published as a randomized controlled trial.

To develop a nasally administered SST, with salivary glucocorticoids measurement, to assess the adrenal response.

Why It Was Studied

The Short Synacthen Test (SST) is the gold standard for diagnosing adrenal insufficiency.

It requires invasive administration of Synacthen, venous sampling, and is resource-intensive.

Who Took Part

The abstract describes 24 children taking part.

By PubMed's age tags, the people studied were children, teenagers, adults and middle-aged adults, both men and women.

Adult and children's clinical research facilities.

A total of 36 healthy adult males and 24 healthy children.

How the Study Was Run

The design is described as randomized, open-label and crossover.

Random assignment meant chance, not the researchers, decided who got Cosyntropin and who got the comparison, which limits bias.

Everyone knew when Cosyntropin was being given (open label), which is simpler to run but leaves more room for expectations to affect what is reported.

Each person switched between Cosyntropin and the comparison at some point, usually with a gap in between.

The researchers administered all 6 nasal formulations using an European regulator endorsed atomization device.

What Was Measured

The Short Synacthen Test (SST) is the gold standard for diagnosing adrenal insufficiency.

PubMed files the paper under topics including Adrenal Cortex Function Tests, Adrenal Insufficiency, Chitosan, Cosyntropin, Glucocorticoids and Saliva.

The authors tagged it with the keywords salivary cortisol, salivary cortisone and short Synacthen test.

What This Means in Plain Language

The paper is a randomized, open-label and crossover study of Cosyntropin in 24 children.

With fewer than 40 people, it is a small study, so it is better read as an early signal for further research than as a settled answer.

The abstract goes on to report its results in about 7 sentences; this page does not restate them, so read the paper for the findings and their limits.

The publication is from 2020 (The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism), a journal based in United States.

More context: the Cosyntropin compound page, all human trials.