Evaluation of CHIP (iproplatin) in recurrent pediatric malignant solid tumors

CHIP (325 mg/M²), a second generation cisplatin derivative, was administered intravenously every 3 weeks to 85 pediatric patients with recurrent sarcomas (19), osteosarcomas (20), neuroblastoma (23), germ cell tumors (10), and other malignant tumors (7). Thirty-eight of them had been previously exposed to cisplatin. Partial remissions were only observed in 3 of 23 (13% SE=7%) patients having neuroblastoma. Severe thrombocytopenia (65%) and neutropenia (35%) were the dose limiting factors.     

T3期胃癌CD34与新生血管形成及淋巴结转移的关系

目的研究T3期胃癌CD34与胃癌新生血管形成及淋巴结转移的关系.方法随机选取胃癌手术标本41例,其中T3N0M020例,T3N1M021例,分别进行特异性抗体免疫组化染色,并采用Image Pro Plus 5.0图像软件分析数据,计算胃癌组织CD34微血管密度(MVD)和其他相关抗体(CD44、Ⅳ型胶原、层黏蛋白)的表达,并进行统计学分析.结果CD34 MVD计数(CD34表达强度),在T3N0M0和T3N1 M0肿瘤组分别为43.10±18.22和56.24±28.36,两组比较有显著差异(P＜0.05);CD44、Ⅳ型胶原、层黏连蛋白的表达强度,T3N0M0和T3N1M0肿瘤组比较无显著差异(P＞0.05).结论CD34与T3期胃癌组织新生血管形成及淋巴结转移的关系密切,可作为诊断T3期胃癌淋巴结转移的参考指标.     

An alkylpolyglucoside surfactant as a prospective pharmaceutical excipient for topical formulations: The influence of oil polarity on the colloidal structure and hydrocortisone in vitro/in vivo permeation

There is a growing need for research into new skin- and environment-friendly surfactants. This paper focuses on a natural surfactant of an alkylpolyglucoside type, which can form both thermotropic and lyotropic liquid-crystalline phases. The aim of this study was to relate some physicochemical properties (characterised by polarisation and transmission electron microscopy, thermal analysis and rheology) of the three formulations based on cetearyl glucoside and cetearyl alcohol, to the results of in vitro and in vivo bioavailability of hydrocortisone (HC). The three formulations contained oils of different polarity (medium chain triglycerides: MG, isopropyl myristate: IPM and light liquid paraffin: LP), respectively. In vitro permeation was followed through the artificial skin constructs (ASC), while the parameters measured in vivo were erythema index: EI (using instrumental human skin blanching assay), transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and stratum corneum hydration (SCH). The vehicles based on cetearyl glucoside and cetearyl alcohol showed a complex colloidal structure of lamellar liquid-crystalline and lamellar gel-crystalline type, depending on oil polarity. Rheological profile of the vehicle was directly related to the in vitro profile of the HC permeation. In vivo results suggested that the vehicle with MG retarded the HC permeation, whereas less polar IPM and non-polar LP enhanced it. It is suggested that the enhancement is achieved either by a direct interaction with lipid lamellae of the SC or indirectly by improving skin hydration.

There were no adverse effects during in vivo study, which indicates a good safety profile of this alkylpolyglucoside surfactant.     

国产注射用盐酸瑞芬太尼有效性和安全性的评价

目的 采用随机、对照、双盲、多中心的Ⅱ期临床试验,评价国产注射用盐酸瑞芬太尼的有效性和安全性。方法201名受试者分成两组:对照组使用静脉芬太尼(2.5μkg诱导,0.03μg·kg-1·min-1维持)复合吸入66％氧化亚氮麻醉,试验组使用静脉瑞芬太尼(2μg/kg诱导,0.2μ·kg-1·min-1维持)复合吸入66％氧化亚氮麻醉。药物有效性的观察指标有:手术刺激时的应激反应,如血压、心率、流泪、麻醉质量。安全性的观察指标有:血压和心率、麻黄碱、阿托品、纳洛酮、乌拉地尔的使用量、手术失血量、心电图变化、术前和术后48 h内血中ALT、AST、肌酐、尿素氮、停止麻醉到可以拔除气管导管的时间、拔除气管导管前的PETCO2或PaCO2、停止麻醉(关闭氧化亚氮)后呼唤名字可以睁眼时间、术后送往麻醉恢复室或ICU情况以及不良事件。结果 瑞芬太尼与芬太尼在本试验剂量下,药效作用相似,但镇痛作用瑞芬太尼强于芬太尼,停止输注后其作用消退快于芬太尼。结论 国产瑞芬太尼用于全麻可产生良好的镇痛作用,且具有与芬太尼相同的安全性。     

Magnetic resonance elastography of the lung: technical feasibility.

Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) is a phase-contrast technique that can spatially map shear stiffness within tissue-like materials. To date, however, MRE of the lung has been too technically challenging-primarily because of signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) limitations and phase instability. We describe an approach in which shear wave propagation is not encoded into the phase of the MR signal of a material, but rather from the signal arising from a polarized noble gas encapsulated within. To determine the feasibility of the approach, three experiments were performed. First, to establish whether shear wave propagation within lung parenchyma can be visualized with phase-contrast MR techniques, MRE was performed on excised porcine lungs inflated with room air. Second, a phantom consisting of open-cell foam filled with thermally polarized (3)He gas was imaged with MRE to determine whether shear wave propagation can be encoded by the gas. Third, preliminary evidence of the feasibility of MRE in vivo was obtained by using a longitudinal driver on the chest of a normal volunteer to generate shear waves in the lung. The results suggest that MRE in combination with hyperpolarized noble gases is potentially useful for noninvasively assessing the regional elastic properties of lung parenchyma, and merits further investigation.     

Site-specific biotinylation

We have developed an expeditious method for the incorporation of the biotinylaminocaproyl moiety on the ε-amino group of a lysine residue within a peptide chain in a site-specific manner. Using t-Boc chemistry for the solid phase synthesis approach and a base labile, acid stable protecting group (Fmoc-) for the ε-amino group of the target lysine, we prepared fully protected resin bound peptides which are site-specifically biotinylated. Following HF cleavage, the uniquely biotinylated peptides were obtained in a high degree of purity. Using this approach, a number of biotinylaminocaproyllysyl derivatives of a monocyclic Endothelin-1 analog were prepared. Synthesis of selected bicyclic analogs of high affinity monocycles led to the preparation of the bicyclic [Nle⁷]ET-1 analog containing ε-biotinylaminocaproyllysine at position-9. This peptide, with K_d= 0.08 nM, has 1000-fold higher affinity for the ET_A receptor than the commercially available N_α-biotinylated Endothelin-1. The general utility of this biotinylation methodology was demonstrated by the synthesis of a site-specifically biotinylated PTH analog which contained several side chain functionalized amino acid residues in its sequence. The synthetic method reported here is convergent in that it allows the facile variation of the length of the spacer and also offers the potential to introduce in a site specific manner other groups such as affinity labels and fluorescent tags.     

Menogaril in the treatment of malignant mesothelioma: A phase II study

Summary Menogaril is a new semisynthetic anthracycline agent derived from the antitumor antibiotic Nogalomycin. Compared to doxorubicin it has similar or improved activity in anti-tumor cell line screening; human tumor cloning assays suggest modest anti-tumor activity as well. Menogaril is much less cardiotoxic than doxorubicin. We performed a phase II trial of this agent in 22 patients with advanced malignant mesothelioma. At a dose of 200 mg/m² iv every 4 weeks (160 mg/m² in previously radiated patients) only 1 of 22 (5%) evaluable patients had a partial remission lasting 4 months. (95% confidence limits 0.1–23%). The major toxic effects included pain at the site of infusion and granulocytopenia. While well tolerated, Menogaril has minimal activity in malignant mesothelioma. We do not plan further studies with Menogaril in this disease.     

Sustained low-grade pro-inflammatory state in unmedicated, remitted women with major depressive disorder as evidenced by elevated serum levels of the acute phase proteins C-reactive protein and serum amyloid A.

BACKGROUND: Major depressive disorder (MDD) shows increased coronary artery disease (CAD) risk of unknown mechanism(s). MDD is more common in women than men; CAD diagnosis can be difficult in women. Elevations of the inflammatory markers C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum amyloid A (SAA) predict increased CAD risk in populations; few data on these markers exist in MDD, particularly in remitted patients. METHODS: We measured fasting am serum CRP (high sensitivity, CRP(hs)) and SAA in 18 unmedicated, remitted women with MDD (mean age 41 +/- (SD)12, body mass index (BMI) 25.2 +/- 4.1 kg/m(2)) and 18 BMI-matched healthy control subjects (age 36 +/- 10, BMI 25.3 +/- 3.8 kg/m(2)) on 2 separate occasions, > or = 6 days apart. RESULTS: Repeat SAA and CRP(hs) measurements strongly correlated across study days (SAA: r = .83, p < .001; CRP(hs): r = .94, p < .001). Both SAA (5.30 +/- 3.39 vs. 2.84 +/- 1.87 mg/L, p < .005) and CRP(hs) (3.23 +/- 3.17 vs. 1.12 +/- 1.45 mg/L; p < .01) were significantly elevated in MDD women versus controls. CONCLUSIONS: Elevated SAA and CRP(hs) in remitted, unmedicated women with MDD indicate a pro-inflammatory state unrelated to current depressive symptoms or pharmacotherapy. These findings suggest that inflammatory mechanisms may in part underlie findings of increased CAD risk in MDD.     

Adaptive group sequential design for phase II clinical trials: A Bayesian decision theoretic approach

Bayesian decision theoretic approaches (BDTAs) have been widely studied in the literature as tools for designing and conducting phase II clinical trials. However, full Bayesian approaches that consider multiple endpoints are lacking. Since the monitoring of toxicity is a major goal of phase II trials, we propose an adaptive group sequential design using a BDTA, which characterizes efficacy and toxicity as correlated bivariate binary endpoints. We allow trade‐off between the two endpoints. Interim evaluations are conducted group sequentially, but the number of interim looks and the size of each group are chosen adaptively based on current observations. We utilize a loss function consisting of two components: the loss associated with accruing, treating, and monitoring patients, and the loss associated with making incorrect decisions. The performance of our Bayesian modeling, and the operating characteristics of decision rules under a wide range of loss function parameters are evaluated using seven scenarios in a simulation study. Our method is illustrated in the context of a single‐arm phase II trial of bevacizumab, gemcitabine, and oxaliplatin in patients with metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.