Phase II trial of piroxantrone in patients with recurrent and metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck

Summary Twenty-two patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck were treated with piroxantrone 150 mg/m² intravenously every 21 days. There were no objective responses. The 95% upper confidence bound for response is 15%. Primary toxicity was hematologic.     

Stereoselectivity of idarubicin reduction in various animal species and humans

1. The (13S)-dihydro derivative of idarubicin, (13S)-idarubicinol, is the major urinary metabolite of idarubicin in humans. Idarubicinol epimers were quantified by h.p.l.c. in urine from rats, mice, rabbits, dogs and man after i.v. administration of idarubicin, and in man after oral dosing. The (13R)- and (13S)-epimers of idarubicinol were determined in rat bile. 2. After i.v. injection of idarubicin. (13R)-idarubicinol was not detectable in mice and rabbit urine and no more than 0.5% of the dose was present in the urine of other species. In man, the proportion of (13R)-idarubicinol in total idarubicinol was similar after i.v. (4.1%) and oral (3.8-5.0%) administration of idarubicin; the same applies to rat bile and urine. 3. Reduction of idarubicin in vivo is dependent upon ketone reductases, and proceeds more stereoselectively than that of most ketones giving rise to the (13S)-epimer almost exclusively. The high stereospecificity in idarubicin reduction might result from chiral induction due to the presence of asymmetric centres near to the carbonyl group in idarubicin.     

Synergistic antiproliferative activity of quercetin and cisplatin on ovarian cancer cell growth

It has been demonstrated that the flavonoid quercetin (3,3',4',5-7-pentahydroxyflavone) (Q) inhibits the growth of several cancer cell lines and that the antiproliferative activity of this substance is mediated by a so-called type II estrogen binding site (type II EBS). We investigated the effects of quercetin and cisplatin (CDDP) alone and in combination on the proliferation of the ovarian cancer cell line OVCA 433. Both drugs exhibited a dose-related growth inhibition in a range of concentrations between 0.01 and 2.5 microM and 0.01 and 2.5 micrograms/ml for Q and CDDP respectively. The combination of the two drugs resulted in a synergistic antiproliferative activity. Two other flavonoids tested, i.e., rutin (3-rhamnosylglucoside of quercetin) and hesperidin [7-b rutinoside of hesperetin (3'-5-3-hydroxy-4-methoxyflavone)] were ineffective both alone and in combination with CDDP. Since both rutin and hesperidin do not bind to type II EBS it can be hypothesized that Q synergizes with CDDP by acting through an interaction with these binding sites.     

A new shape for an old function: lasting effect of a physiologic surgical restoration of the left ventricle

Background  

Long-term morphofunctional outcome may vary widely in surgical anterior left ventricular wall restoration, suggesting variability in post-surgical remodeling similar to that observed following acute myocardial infarction. The aim of this pilot study was to demonstrate that surgical restoration obtained with a particular shape of endoventricular patch leads to steady morphofunctional ventricular improvement when geometry, volume and residual akinesia can be restored as normal as possible.     

Pharmacokinetics of reboxetine in healthy volunteers. Single oral doses,linearity and plasma protein binding

The pharmacokinetics of reboxetine, a new antidepressant agent, were found to be close to linear in a crossover study comparing administration of single 2, 3, 4 and 5 mg capsule doses in 15 healthy male volunteers, and in the same study the capsules were bioequivalent to the proposed therapeutic tablet formulation (4mg). Kinetic analysis was based on HPLC assay of reboxetine in plasma and urine collected up to 72 h after each administration. Plasma levels indicated a rapid absorption (t_max?2h) and an elimination half-life of about 13 h. Clearance and volume of distribution were modest (ratios to bioavailability: CL/F?29 mL min^?1; V_z/F?32L); urinary excretion was ～9% of dose, corresponding to a renal clearance of only 3 mL min^?1 (a value consistent with the rate of glomerular filtration of unbound drug). In vitro, binding to plasma proteins, estimated from radioactivity levels following dialysis of ¹⁴C-labelled reboxetine, appeared to be dominated by α₁-acid glycoprotein without marked saturation up to plasma concentrations of over 500 ng mL^?1 (2.8–3.1% unbound with human plasma from three additional volunteers; 1.8–2.0% for 2gL^?1 orosomucoid α₁-acid glycoprotein, and 46.4–47.4% for 40 gL^?1 albumin), whilst the mean C_max in the current study was much lower (164 ng mL^?1 after a 5 mg dose).     

Prospective clinical evaluation of an improved fluorescence polarization assay for predicting fetal lung maturity

We performed a prospective clinical evaluation of our newly developed fluorescence polarization procedure to predict fetal lung maturity (Clin Chem 1986;32:248-54). Net fluorescence polarization was measured at 34 degrees C after a 6.5-min incubation of amniotic fluid with fluorophore. For the 26 cases of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome encountered in 196 deliveries, the net polarization exceeded 0.287 for 22 (85%) of these, and exceeded 0.260 for all 26. The specificity of the polarization assay equaled or exceeded the specificity of the lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio for all sensitivities greater than 70%. Neither assay was a good predictor of the clinical severity of respiratory distress. For a separate group of 21 amniotic fluid specimens clinically contaminated with blood or meconium, the discriminatory power of the polarization assay was decreased, but six of seven respiratory-distress cases still had polarization values greater than 0.260. We conclude that this fluorescence polarization assay is a better overall predictor of fetal lung maturity than is the lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio, and that polarization values less than 0.260 are associated with little risk of respiratory distress.