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J Serrano

Publications and source records attributed to J Serrano.

224 records · Page 13Linked to original sources

[Chorionic gonadotropin (beta-HCG) in the amniotic fluid in normal pregnant women].

Human chorionic gonadotropin beta subunit (beta-HCG) was measured in amniotic fluid and radioimmunoassay levels compared with those obtained in plasma from normal pregnant women. Amniotic beta-HCG exhibited a secretory pattern similar to that seen in the plasma compartment. Nonetheless amniotic beta-HCG had an elevation peak later than its plasma counterpart, with a progressive decrease that persisted throughout gestation without reaching a nadir as it occurred in plasma. Such a pattern of HCG production contained in the amnion is compatible with an HCG conformation released by the syncytiotrophoblast.

Amniotic Fluid↗

Oral chemotherapy for poor risk small-cell lung cancer patients with combined idarubicin and etoposide.

Sixteen patients with previously untreated small-cell lung cancer, unsuitable for standard aggressive intravenous chemotherapy due to advanced age or poor performance status or very advanced disease including brain metastases or either extensive liver or marrow involvement with impaired organ function, were treated with combined oral chemotherapy including 4-demethoxydaunorubicin (IMI30, idarubicin) 30 mg/sm on day 1 and etoposide (VP16) 150 mg/sm on days 2,3,4 every 4 weeks. Out of 13 evaluable patients 1 had a complete response and 2 had a partial response with an overall objective response rate of 23% (95% confidence-limits 5-53.8%). Toxicity was generally very mild. Although the compliance of this regimen is excellent, its antitumor activity seems unsatisfactory even in this category of poor-risk small-cell lung cancer patients.

Administration, Oral↗

[Facial hemiatrophy].

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Facial Hemiatrophy↗

[Enteral nutrition in ICU patients on a high-protein diet].

BASIS: The need for nutritional support is at present beyond question, while the use of early enteral nutrition in critical patients admitted to Intensive Care Units is increasingly common and would appear to offer a set of advantages as nutritional support. PATIENTS: Of a total of 26 consecutive enteral nutrition patients, 22 were studied prospectively (84.6%), and, through a nasal-gastric probe, were administered early high protein enteral polymeric diet with 25% of total calorific value from proteins, for an average of 10 days. The other four (15.4%) did not enter the study, according to the exclusion criteria established, and so were not taken into account in the statistics. METHOD: A design was followed in which the diet was administered progressively until reaching 30 ml/kg/day, in a maximum of three days, during which aspects were analyzed dealing with tolerance and ease of use, on the one hand, and other metabolic and nutritional aspects on the other. Analytical controls were carried out on days 0, 4, 8 and 12. Tolerance and adverse effects were monitored continuously. RESULTS: During the study, one of the twenty-two patients died (4.54%): the other 21 remained alive. In analysis of the metabolic and nutritional parameters, improvement was obtained in all those expected to reach normal levels, with p < 0.001 (glucose, prealbumin, TF, RBP, Zn, Mg and P). Of particular note was the evolution of the nitrogen balance (p < 0.001 and r = 0.77). As to tolerance, diarrhea appeared in two patients (9.09%), ileus in one (4.5%): no cases were detected of abdominal distension, nausea or vomiting. In no case was diet suspended for causes attributable to the enteral nutrition, nor was any therapeutic manipulation required. CONCLUSIONS: Excellent tolerance of enteral nutrition was obtained, with almost no complications associated with its use, despite the gravity of the patients (APACHE 14). On the other hand, an improvement was obtained in metabolic and nutritional parameters, with the particular significance of the nitrogen balance.

Adult↗

Chimerism analysis in long-term survivor patients after bone marrow transplantation for severe aplastic anemia.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Allogeneic bone marrow transplantation (BMT) is the most common treatment for young patients with severe aplastic anemia (SAA). Late graft failure represents one of the possible unfavorable outcomes in this setting. Mixed chimerism might represent a risk factor for late graft failure. We examined this relationship by studying chimerism in long-term survivor SAA patients after allogeneic BMT. METHODS: We analyzed long-term hematopoietic chimerism in 15 patients who received BMTs for SAA: 9 with an irradiation-based conditioning regimen and 6 with ATG. We used a PCR method targeting VNTR loci. Sensitivity of the technique ranged between 0.5 and 1.5%. RESULTS: All patients conditioned with radiation-based schemes showed complete donor chimerism. Conversely, out of six patients who received cyclophosphamide and ATG as a conditioning regimen, only one of them had late graft failure (day +168). In this patient, durable mixed chimera status was first detected two months after BMT. INTERPRETATION AND CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that in long-term survivors of SAA after BMT there is almost always complete donor chimerism in both irradiated and ATG-conditioned recipients. Mixed chimerism might predict graft failure in these patients.

Adolescent↗