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Biomedical subjects

F Pisani

Publications and source records attributed to F Pisani.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Effect of phenobarbital on the pharmacokinetics of carbamazepine-10,11-epoxide, an active metabolite of carbamazepine.

The single oral dose kinetics of carbamazepine-10,11-epoxide (CBZ-E), the active metabolite of carbamazepine, were studied in six epileptic patients, stabilized on phenobarbital (PB) monotherapy, and in six drug-free health volunteers. The epoxide metabolite was administered as an enteric-coated tablet at the dose of 200 mg to the patients and at the dose of 100 mg to the volunteers. Patients had a significantly higher plasma clearance of CBZ-E than the control group (mean values +/- SD = 220.2 +/- 63.5 versus 112.5 +/- 46.0 ml/h/kg, p less than 0.007) and a significantly shorter plasma half-life (mean values +/- SD = 4.3 +/- 1.0 versus 6.7 +/- 0.8 h, p less than 0.0015). These results suggest that PB induces CBZ-E metabolism.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Low responsiveness to Candida antigens in kidney transplant recipients.

Infections caused by commensal microorganisms, such as Candida albicans often represent a severe complication in pharmacologically immunosuppressed kidney transplanted patients. A mannoprotein (MP) antigenic preparation derived from the C. albicans cell wall was used to measure the specific immune responsiveness in 44 kidney transplanted patients and matched healthy controls. Patients immune responses were analyzed considering the transplant age. In group I, patients transplanted from greater than 1 month to less than 12 months were considered, whereas in groups II and III patients had been transplanted 1 to 3 years or 4 to 6 years earlier. A statistically significant low responsiveness to MP was recorded in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) from patients belonging to groups II and III. Addition of exogenous IL-2 to PBMC cultures restored MP-induced proliferation in about 50% of patients studied. Responsiveness to mitogenic stimulation (PHA and SEB) was in the normal range in all transplanted patients. No correlation could be detected between hyporesponsiveness to MP and C. albicans infections.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Pharmacokinetics of a valpromide isomer, valnoctamide, in healthy subjects.

The pharmacokinetics of a single 400 mg oral dose of valnoctamide (VCD) has been investigated in seven healthy, adult, male volunteers. VCD was not biotransformed rapidly to its corresponding acid valnoctic acid (VCA), unlike its isomer valpromide (VPD). It had a mean residence time of 13.2 h and a terminal half-life of 9.3 h. Throughout the study, only low plasma levels of VCA could be detected. Thus, unlike VPD, which is a pro-drug of the corresponding acid, (valproic acid, VPA). VCD appears to act as a drug in its own right, and it does not undergo similar hydrolysis. The pharmacokinetic difference may account for the different pharmacological activities of the two isomers.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

No effect of thioridazine on plasma concentrations of carbamazepine and its active metabolite carbamazepine-10,11-epoxide.

The effect of an oral treatment with thioridazine (100 or 200 mg daily) on plasma concentrations of carbamazepine (CBZ) and its active metabolite carbamazepine-10,11-epoxide (CBZ-E) was studied in eight epileptic patients stabilized on CBZ therapy. No significant changes in steady-state plasma levels of CBZ and CBZ-E occurred, suggesting that CBZ metabolism is not apparently affected by thioridazine.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Conventional vs controlled-release carbamazepine: a multicentre, double-blind, cross-over study.

The tolerability and pharmacokinetics of a new controlled-release (CR) formulation of carbamazepine (CBZ), were assessed in a multicentre, double-blind, cross-over trial, carried out in 48 epileptic patients (21 men, 27 women; mean age 34.2 years) on conventional CBZ monotherapy, but without complete seizure control (n = 22) or with intermittent side effects (n = 4), or with both (n = 22). Eligible patients were randomized to conventional CBZ or CR CBZ, each given in sequence at individualized daily doses, subdivided into the lowest number of administrations. Each period of the cross-over consisted of a first phase of optimal dose finding (lasting up to two months) and a second one of maintenance (lasting one month) used for evaluation. At the end of each period, a 10-h plasma CBZ and CBZ-epoxide concentration profile, as well as the tolerability and the efficacy of the drugs, were evaluated. The mean CBZ daily dose increased by 16% during the administration of the CR formulation. Fluctuations of total CBZ and 10, 11-epoxide plasma level daily profiles at steady-state were significantly (p less than 0.001) lower during CR CBZ treatment, leading to a significant (p less than 0.001) decrease in intermittent side effects (6 patients on CR CBZ vs 26 on conventional CBZ). Finally, 38 patients on CR CBZ (vs 15 patients on conventional CBZ) were treated with a b.i.d. regimen.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Interferon alpha-2a in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma.

23 newly diagnosed patients affected by cutaneous T-cell lymphoma were treated with sub-cutaneous interferon alpha-2a to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy and the toxicity of this agent. IFN was administered daily with dose escalation from 3 to 18 million units for 12 weeks; thereafter, patients induced into complete (CR) or partial (PR) remission were given IFN at maximal tolerated dose 3 times weekly for 6 or 9 months. The objective tumor response was observed in 17 patients (74%): 8 (35%) were CR and 9 (39%) were PR. A 74-yr-old patient died because of neutropenia and sepsis at the end of induction phase, while receiving IFN at dose of 18 million units. Disease stage is the initial feature predictive of response to IFN therapy. The dose schedule of this study was well tolerated: only 3 patients developed liver toxicity, while leukopenia was evident in 6 patients. Only 2 CR patients have relapsed, 18 and 24 months from response; the remaining 6 CR patients are in continuous complete remission with a median follow-up of 41.8 months. 6 PR patients have progressed from 8 to 17 months after response, and in the 3 PR patients not yet progressed the response duration ranges from 20 to 24 months. In conclusion, interferon alpha-2a is a very effective agent in therapy of untreated cutaneous T-cell lymphoma with an overall response rate of 74%.

Adult↗
PubMed1988

Evaluation of tricyclic antidepressant plasma levels by an automated enzyme immunoassay (EMIT) in comparison to a high-performance liquid chromatographic method.

A new homogeneous enzyme immunoassay technique (EMIT) for the measurement of plasma levels of amitriptyline, nortriptyline, imipramine, and desipramine was used with an automated procedure and the results were compared to those of a high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method. Precision of the EMIT test was similar to that of the HPLC method with within-day coefficients of variation in the range of 3.9-10.9% (EMIT) and 3.9-9.6% (HPLC). The day-to-day coefficients of variation ranged from 4.4 to 11.7% for EMIT and from 6.1 to 8.4% for HPLC. Samples from 124 patients were analyzed by both methods and a good correlation was observed for all the four drugs. A paired t test indicated no significant difference for the EMIT and HPLC values. No significant interferences were observed between the tricyclics tested and other commonly associated drugs, such as benzodiazepines and neuroleptics. The new EMIT assay proved to be rapid and easy to perform and showed sufficient reliability and reproducibility to be used for either emergency or routine analysis.

Antidepressive Agents, Tricyclic↗
PubMed1988

Effect of valpromide on the pharmacokinetics of carbamazepine-10, 11-epoxide.

The single oral dose pharmacokinetics of carbamazepine-10, 11-epoxide (CBZ-E) were investigated in six normal volunteers during a control session and during concurrent treatment with valpromide (VPM) (300 mg twice daily for 8 days). VPM caused a prolongation of the CBZ-E half-life from 6.4 +/- 1.4 to 20.5 +/- 6.3 h and decreased CBZ-E clearance from 73.5 +/- 20.0 to 23.5 +/- 4.0 ml h-1 kg-1 (P less than 0.01). These results suggest that the elevation of plasma CBZ-E levels in patients receiving carbamazepine and VPM in combination is due to inhibition of epoxide hydrolase in the liver.

Adolescent↗