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Biomedical subjects

G Beretta

Publications and source records attributed to G Beretta.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1982

Trial 6: randomized study of prolonged chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and chemoimmunotherapy as an adjuvant to surgery for stage I and II melanoma: a progress report.

WHO clinical trial 6 studies the effect of long-term adjuvant therapy (chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and chemoimmunotherapy) after radical surgery in malignant melanoma with high risk of recurrence. The randomized study has been running for 67 months with 845 patients. This intermediate report seems to indicate that, concerning the relapse-free period, adjuvant treatment appears superior to surgery alone. However, no significant difference in the duration of survival is evident among the four treatment groups.

Clinical Trials as Topic↗
PubMed1982

Anaerobic and aerobic bacteria in secretions of prostate and seminal vesicles of infertile men.

A cytological and bacteriological study was made of prostatic (EPS) and vesicular (EVS) secretions from 123 infertile men who were suspected of having chronic genital tract inflammation and from 31 men with premature ejaculation (1,12,16). In the microbiological investigations samples were inoculated within 10 min on various culture media and incubated under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. Bacterial loads of more than 10,000 colony-forming units of a single species or genus per milliliter of EPS or EVS were considered to be pathological. In the infertile subjects with proven inflammation of the seminal accessory glands, the EPS and the EVS that gave positive cultures and had bacterial loads defined as pathological contained large numbers of anaerobic or microaerophilic organisms (EPS: 51 of the 63 bacterial strains found, congruent to 81%; EVS: 19 of the 20 bacterial strains found, congruent to 95%).

Adult↗
PubMed1980

Human plasma prekallikrein. Studies of its activation by activated factor XII and of its inactivation by diisopropyl phosphofluoridate.

Human plasma prekallikrein was purified from normal plasma. The purified prekallikrein appeared homogeneous on polyacrylamide gels in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate and mercaptoethanol and gave two protein bands with approximate Mr 85 000. Proteolytic activation of prekallikrein by purified human beta-factor XIIa (Mr 28 000 form) resulted in the formation of kallikrein. The apparent molecular weight of kallikrein determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the absence of mercaptoethanol was identical with that of prekallikrein; reduction of kallikrein yielded a heavy chain of Mr 52 000 and two light chains of Mr 42 000 and 37 000. The appearance of kallikrein activity was directly correlated with the limited proteolysis due to beta-factor XIIa. Kinetic and immunologic studies demonstrated that plasma prekallikrein is a factor XII dependent plasminogen proactivator. The rate constant for the inactivation of prekallikrein by diisopropyl phosphofluoridate was similar to that previously reported for trypsinogen. This observation raises the possibility that low intrinsinc catalytic activity of prekallikrein may play a role in the initiation of the intrinsic blood coagulation pathway.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1980

Cardiac toxicity from antitumor therapy.

A review is made concerning cardiac toxicity from antitumor agents. The pattern, clinical course and fate of cardiac drug-related phenomena are considered. Special attention is drawn to new attempts to better understand, and possibly prevent, such a treatment limiting side-effect.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Medical treatment of malignant melanoma.

A review is made concerning the treatment of malignant melanoma. Medical therapies are at present applied with metastatic disease, and also in surgically operated cases with high risk of recurrence.

Drug Evaluation↗
PubMed1980

Chemotherapy of soft tissue sarcomas.

The medical treatment of advanced soft tissue sarcomas in adults is reviewed. Response rates of 40--50% are obtainable after various polychemotherapies, mainly containing doxorubicin and dacarbazine. Response to secondary treatment is very poor and indicates the need for further clinical research in these infrequent malignant tumors.

Antineoplastic Agents↗
PubMed1979

Evaluation of early doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity by means of systolic time intervals.

Systolic time intervals (PEP/LVET ratio) were used for detection of acute variations in myocardial contractility after a single dose of 30, 60, or 75 mg of doxorubicin/m2. This drug induces an acute impairment of left ventricular function (increase in the PEP/LVET ratio) detectable 1 h after doxorubicin injection. The phenomenon appears to be dose-related, with a threshold dose of 30-40 mg/m2. The decrease in myocardial contractility is fully reversible within 24 h, at least after the first dose. This kind of evaluation appears applicable to phase I studies of new anthracycline derivatives.

Dose-Response Relationship, Drug↗
PubMed1979

Adriamycin cardiotoxicity: a survey of 1273 patients.

Valuable information was collected on the medical history and clinical course of 1273 patients entered in clinical trials with Adriamycin (ADR) carried out in 12 European cancer centers. A coded patient form was used for the data collection carried out in each center by a qualified physician following a guideline which was discussed and accepted by all of the participants. The aim of the study was to define the incidence, characteristics, and possible co-factors of the cardiomyopathy (CMP) in patients treated with combination chemotherapy regimens including ADR. The mean total dose of ADR was 268 mg/m2 (range, 15--1251 mg/m2), and 5.1% of the patients received a total dose of greater than 550 mg/m2. A "definite" ADR-related CMP was observed in 1.7% of the cases; another 3% of the cases were reported as "possible" ADR-CMP since the role played by the drug could not be clearly defined. "Definite" ADR-CMP was fatal in eight patients (0.6%) while "possible" ADR-CMP was fatal in 13 patients (1.0%). Among the possible co-factors examined, the following ones were found to be significantly associated with the occurrence of a "definite" ADR-CMP: (a) total dose of ADR; (b) vincristine when given both before and concomitantly with ADR; (c) bleomycin when given before ADR; and (d) radiotherapy to the mediastinum when given concomitantly with ADR. Furthermore, none of 182 patients receiving ADR by slow infusion developed a "definite" ADR-CMP, while 2% of the patients treated by bolus injection did so. The occurrence of a "possible" ADR-CMP was found to be significantly associated with two pre-existing pathologic conditions (electrocardiogram [ECG] abnormalities and hypertension) but not with the treatment-related co-factors for the "definite" ADR-CMP mentioned above. Other variables examined, such as sex, age, cancer type, baseline liver function, and cyclophosphamide treatment, did not seem to influence the risk of ADR-CMP. Data on ECG changes occurring during ADR treatment were also reported and their incidence was found to be strictly related to the frequency of the ECG monitoring.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1979

Molecular mechanisms of surface-dependent activation of Hageman factor (Factor XII).

Based on studies using 3H-DFP as an active site titrant, it is suggested that surface binding in itself does not result in the formation of new active sites in the Hageman factor molecule. Moreover, it was found that surface-binding of human and bovine Hageman factor renders these molecules 100 to 1000 times more susceptible to proteolytic activation by kallikrein, plasmin, or other proteases. Initiation of contact activation may involve proteolytic activation of surface-bound Hageman factor by a number of different proteases. Both Hageman factor and prekallikrein react with DFP like weakly active zymogens. Initiation of contact activation may also involve the expression of low intrinsic catalytic activity of these zymogens.

Animals↗
PubMed1978

Teichomycins, new antibiotics from Actinoplanes teichomyceticus Nov. Sp. I. Description of the producer strain, fermentation studies and biological properties.

A soil isolate of Actinoplanes that produces the chemically unrelated new antibiotics teichomycins A1 and A2 has been proposed as a new species named Actinoplanes teichomyceticus nov. sp. (ATCC 31121). Studies of medium and fermentation conditions indicated that the highest antibiotic titers, ca 900 u/ml, are obtained in a medium containing 1% (w/v) glucose, 1% cotton seed meal, 1% malt extract, and 0.4% yeast extract. Both teichomycin A1 and teichomycin A2 are highly active against gram-positive bacteria. Teichomycin A1 shows some activity against gram-negative bacteria. Both antibiotics cured mice experimentally infected with sensitive bacteria and showed low acute toxicity. Of the two antibiotics teichomycin A2 is the more active.

Actinomycetales↗
PubMed1976

Gardimycin, a new antibiotic from Actinoplanes. I. Description of the producer strain and fermentation studies.

Two strains of Actinoplanes have been isolated that produce a new peptide antibiotic named gardimycin. A detailed taxonomical study of such strains indicates that they differ between themselves and from all the described species of Actinoplanes. For this reason they are considered to be new species; for which the names A. garbadinensis nov. sp. and A. liguriae nov. sp. are proposed. The type strain of A. garbadinensis is A/10889(=ATCC 31049), the type strain of A. liguriae is A/6353 (=ATCC 31048). Studies on the medium and fermentation conditions are reported.

Actinomycetales↗
PubMed1976

Comparative evaluation of three combination regimens for advanced malignant melanoma: results of an international cooperative study.

The therapeutic results of a controlled study with three multiple-drug regimens (regimen A: DTIC, vincristine, BCNU; regimen B: DTIC, vincristine, hydroxyurea; and regimen C: DTIC, actinomycin D, BCNU) in a total of 274 evaluable patients with advanced malignant melanoma are reported. CRs were significantly more frequent (P less than 0.01) in regimens A (9.3%) and C (16.4%) compared with regimen B (1.1%). No significant difference in terms of CR plus PR was detected among the three regimens. In all regimens a higher number of CRs plus PRs was seen in patients with soft tissue metastases only, compared with those who had visceral involvement. In all three regimens patients achieving CR showed a longer duration of response and survival in comparison with patients achieving PR. The incidence of brain metastases was neither lowered nor delayed by the presence of BCNU in regimens A and C.

Adolescent↗