The aim of this study was to evaluate the activity and tolerability of docetaxel in patients with hormone-resistant prostate cancer previously exposed to chemotherapy.
We enrolled 27 patients with ...hormone-resistant prostatic cancer that had progressed during first-line chemotherapy. The primary end-point was palliative response defined as a 2-point reduction in the 6-point present pain intensity scale, and an improvement in Karnofsky performance status of one 10-point category. The treatment consisted of weekly docetaxel 25 mg/m(2) body surface area administered by means of a 1-hour intravenous infusion with corticosteroid premedication.
The primary criterion of palliative response was met in 13 patients (48%) after eight treatment cycles; its median duration was 6 months (range 1-8). Mean global quality of life improved in 8 and 10 patients after respectively four and eight treatment cycles. After a median follow-up of 8 months, 21 patients had died: the median survival was 9+ months (range 2-18). Weekly docetaxel was very well tolerated: grade 3 neutropenia occurred in 1 patient and grade 3 anemia in 2.
Weekly low-dose docetaxel is an effective and well-tolerated treatment for patients with hormone-resistant prostate cancer previously exposed to chemotherapy.
With the introduction of elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor (ETI), more women with cystic fibrosis (CF) are likely to grow families. Hence, an understanding long-term safety and effects of CFTR ...modulators on fertile women and children while monitoring their concentrations is crucial. Here, we report on the development of an improved LC-MS/MS methodology to measure ETI concentrations in maternal and child blood and breastmilk, applied in one case of successful pregnancy of a 30-year-old woman with CF (F508del/R334W). We observed that ETI remains stable in breastmilk, is absorbed by the infant and can be detected in child plasma. Our results confirm accumulating evidence of a successful pregnancy in women treated with CFTR modulators without significant side effects on the child and provide valuable analytical procedures suitable for the post-marketing evaluation of CFTR modulators in pregnant and lactating women, as well as in their infants.
Celiac disease (CD) and selective IgA deficiency (IgAD) are frequently associated, and share the same genetic background. The aim of the present study was to evaluate both Type 1 and 2 plasma ...cytokine levels in CD and in CD‐IgAD. IL‐2, TNF‐α, IL‐10, IL‐4 and IL‐13 plasma levels were measured both at diagnosis and after a gluten‐free diet (GFD) in 32 CD patients, in 27 CD‐IgAD patients and in 30 healthy controls. IFN‐γ levels were significantly higher in CD and CD‐IgAD than in controls, TNF‐α displayed significantly higher levels in CD‐IgAD when compared both with controls and with CD, and IL‐2 was in CD‐IgAD significantly increased respect to controls. Kinetics of the Type 1 cytokine plasma levels did not show a clear relationship with the GFD in both groups of CD patients, and particularly in those with IgAD. IL‐4 and IL‐13, both at diagnosis and after a GFD, were not significantly different in controls and in celiac patients (with and without IgAD). IL‐10, whose production is stimulated by the TNF‐α, had significantly higher plasma levels in CD‐IgAD, but not in CD patients, with a significant decrease after a GFD. CD and especially CD‐IgAD patients display persistently higher pro‐inflammatory cytokine levels, suggesting a persistent state of activation of pro‐phlogistic signals in CD, particularly when IgAD coexists. Serial measurement of serum IL‐10 may be an adjunctive evaluating criterion in the follow‐up of CD‐IgAD patients.
We fabricate back-gated field effect transistors using Niobium electrodes on mechanically exfoliated monolayer graphene and perform electrical characterization in the pressure range from atmospheric ...down to 10-4 mbar. We study the effect of room temperature vacuum degassing and report asymmetric transfer characteristics with a resistance plateau in the n-branch. We show that weakly chemisorbed Nb acts as p-dopant on graphene and explain the transistor characteristics by Nb/graphene interaction with unpinned Fermi level at the interface.
Advances in intraoperative imaging and neuronavigation techniques have positively affected glioma surgery. The desire to reduce brain-shift-related problems while achieving the real-time ...identification of lesions and residual and anatomical relationships has strongly supported the introduction of intraoperative ultrasound (ioUS) in neuro-oncological surgery. This paper presents tips based on our experience with ioUS in neurosurgery.
We retrospectively analyzed 264 patients who underwent high-grade glioma (HGG) resection at the University of Turin and 60 patients who were treated at the University of Rome.
The main issues are the correct choice of the probe and how to evaluate the anatomy to understand how the information from the three common US planes (axial, sagittal and coronal plane) can be used in each case. It is also important to correctly identify anatomical structures in ioUS imaging. In a normal brain, the sulci, sickle, tentorium, choroid plexus, ependyma and the walls of the vessels are all hyperechoic. In addition, some structures are hypoechoic with a homogeneous acoustic gradient: ventricles, cysts and everything that contains liquor. Tumors are usually hyperechoic in ioUS because of their higher cellularity. Conversely, acute edema that contains fluid is hypoechoic, while chronic edema is hyperechoic.
IoUS is a real-time, accurate and inexpensive imaging method. The difficulties of interpretation can be overcome by experience in US imaging and a better understanding of the interaction between navigation and imaging fusion techniques. Training on a large number of cases is important for the correct assessment of ioUS information to obtain valuable, real-time information during HGG surgery.
