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Biomedical subjects

M George

Publications and source records attributed to M George.

At least 181 records · Page 10Linked to original sources

Carboplatin in combination therapy for ovarian cancer.

Cisplatin today is a cornerstone of combination chemotherapy for ovarian cancer. Carboplatin seems equal to cisplatin in antitumour activity, but has a different toxicity profile. After a feasibility study, a randomized phase III study in ovarian cancer stage II, III, and IV was undertaken, comparing carboplatin with cisplatin in combination with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin and hexamethylmelamine. Preliminary analysis of this study reveals no statistically significant difference in response rate. Notwithstanding equal haematological toxicity, the other side effects evoked by carboplatin in combination treatment are much milder than those evoked by cisplatin. Further analysis will be necessary to draw definite conclusions about the results obtained.

Adult↗

[CK-MB isoenzyme in the diagnosis of myocardial infarction after myocardial revascularization surgery].

The usefulness of measuring serum MB creatine kinase activity (CK-MB) for the diagnosis of per- and postoperative myocardial infarction (MI) was assessed in 104 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafts. In each patient, 15 samples were taken during the week which followed the surgical procedure. New Q waves were considered to be a criteria of MI. 19 patients developed new Q waves (MI group), whereas 57 had no significant ECG changes (control group); 13 showed only ST changes, whilst 15 had unassessable recordings. In the MI group, CK-MB was greater than in the control group, both at the first peak (8 to 10 h after induction of anaesthesia) and at the greater peak (13 to 21 h after induction) (p less than 0.05). Significant differences were also seen between both groups between 8 and 32 h after induction, but there was also a large overlap. An area under the curve (AUC) greater than 50,000 IU.l-1.min-1 had a positive predictive value of 0.64, and an AUC less than 50,000 IU.l-1.min-1 a negative predictive value of 0.89 if all the groups of patients were taken into account. An AUC greater than 65,000 IU.l-1.min-1 was always seen in MI patients, but only 25% of MI patients had a value greater than this threshold. There were no significant differences between the patient groups in the first peak time, nor in the CK-MB/total CK ratio. CK-MB appeared therefore as a less reliable criterium of per- and postoperative MI during coronary artery bypass operations than previously reported, especially when intermediate values are found.

Adult↗

[Vascular effects of nicergoline].

The vascular effects of nicergoline, a post-synaptic alpha receptor antagonist, were studied using a total haemodilution non pulsatile normothermic cardiopulmonary bypass with a bubble oxygenator during cardiac surgery. Anaesthesia was induced with fentanyl 30 micrograms.kg-1 and diazepam 0.25 mg.kg-1 and maintained with incremental doses of fentanyl. All the patients were intubated using pancuronium bromide (0.1 mg.kg-1) and artificially ventilated (FIO2 = 1). Nine patients randomly selected received 10 ml of saline (group 1) and 11 other 5 mg nicergoline (group 2) into the venous line of the extracorporeal circuit. Pump flow remained constant during 10 min. Arteriolar resistance was assessed by mean arterial pressure recording and venous capacitance by the level of venous reservoir. Statistical analysis was carried out using analysis of variance and the Newman-Keuls test. In group 1, arteriolar resistance increased by 17.0 +/- 21.8% at 10 min (not significant), whereas in group 2 it decreased by 22.8 +/- 8.1% at 2 min (p less than 0.05) and then increased slowly. It then remained 18% lower than in group 1 at 10 min. In group 1, venous capacitance decreased regularly by 1 ml.kg-1.min-1 during 10 min (-10.0 +/- 6.2 ml.kg-1 at 10 min), whereas in group 2 it decreased up to the 6th min (-4.2 +/- 3.3 ml.kg-1) and then remained stable, with a 5.4 ml.kg-1 difference with group 1 at 10 min (p less than 0.05). Therefore, nicergoline seemed to cause venoconstriction during cardiopulmonary bypass, possibly through a baroreflex mechanism.

Cardiac Surgical Procedures↗

Unruptured aneurysm of the sinus of Valsalva presenting with ventricular tachycardia.

We report a case of a large unruptured aneurysm of the right sinus of Valsalva which caused severe right ventricular outflow tract obstruction and presented dramatically with a life threatening ventricular tachycardia. Despite severe aortic incompetence prior to surgery it was possible to resect the aneurysm and repair the aortic root without resort to aortic valve replacement and thus return the anatomy to normal.

Aortic Aneurysm↗

Purification of serotype I antigen from nutritionally variant streptococci.

The nutritionally variant streptococci (NVS) are a fastidious group of bacteria first recognized in the early 1960s in the blood cultures of patients with subacute bacterial endocarditis. Since that time, the NVS have been implicated in 5 to 6% of all cases of human bacterial endocarditis. The NVS possess membrane-associated amphipathic molecules different from those described for other streptococci. Unitl recently, chemical characterization of these new amphipathic polymers was hampered by unsuccessful attempts at isolating large quantities of these molecules in a form free from other bacterial components. Presently, stationary-phase-culture supernatants provide an optimum source of crude material for amphiphile purification procedures. Hydrophobic-interaction chromatography in conjunction with immunoaffinity chromatography yields an NVS serotype I amphiphile preparation free of contaminants, as determined by immunoelectrophoretic and chemical analyses. Tandem crossed immunoelectrophoresis of the purified extracellular NVS amphiphile demonstrated that it is immunologically similar to the intracellular amphiphile. Finally, this amphiphile serves as the NVS serotype I antigen.

Antigens, Bacterial↗

Individualized stress vulnerabilities in manic depressive patients with repeated episodes.

This paper reports on an observation made in the course of the authors' investigations into the connection between life events and mania. Brief case summaries are given where repeated relapses in the same patient appeared to focus around a theme or meaning which is specific for each patient, yet quite different across patients. The therapeutic implications of such individualized vulnerabilities are discussed.

Adult↗

C-myc proto-oncogene expression and prognosis in early carcinoma of the uterine cervix.

Expression of the c-myc gene was studied by northern blot and slot blot hybridisation in 72 specimens of stage I or II squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix. In 25 of the 72 tumours c-myc proto-oncogene was overexpressed (ie, at levels 4-20 times higher than in normal tissues). Patients whose tumours showed c-myc overexpression had an eight-fold greater incidence of early relapse than the other patients (p = 0.001). The 18-month relapse-free survival rates were, respectively, 49% and 90% for these two groups of patients.

Adult↗

Elevation of CA 125 in patients with benign and malignant ascites.

The presence of CA 125, an ovarian cancer-associated antigen, was assessed in serum and ascites from patients with ovarian cancer (n = 47), hepatocellular carcinoma (n = 21), and liver cirrhosis (n = 40). Abnormal levels of serum CA 125 were observed in 49% of ovarian cancer patients, and in 89% of these same patients with ascites. In all cases of cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma with ascites, CA 125 levels were above 35 U/ml. The specificity and sensitivity of CA 125 measurement for detecting ascites in chronic liver diseases were 73% and 100%, respectively. Furthermore, the CA 125 level was always higher in ascites than in serum. The authors conclude that CA 125 is a nonspecific marker of ascites. This result must be considered in the interpretation of CA 125 elevation in patients with ovarian cancer. Moreover, CA 125 may be of value in the diagnosis and monitoring of peritoneal diseases.

Adult↗

Mitochondrial DNA of the extinct quagga: relatedness and extent of postmortem change.

Sequences are reported for portions of two mitochondrial genes from a domestic horse and a plains zebra and compared to those published for a quagga and a mountain zebra. The extinct quagga and plains zebra sequences are identical at all silent sites, whereas the horse sequence differs from both of them by 11 silent substitutions. Postmortem changes in quagga DNA may account for the two coding substitutions between the quagga and plains zebra sequences. The hypothesis that the closest relative of the quagga is the domestic horse receives no support from these data. From the extent of sequence divergence between horse and zebra mitochondrial DNAs (mtDNAs), as well as from information about the fossil record, we estimate that the mean rate of mtDNA divergence in Equus is similar to that in other mammals, i.e., roughly 2% per million years.

Animals↗

Phase II trial of anaxirone (1,2,4-triglycidylurazol, TGU) in patients with advanced ovarian carcinoma: an EORTC Gynecological Cancer Cooperative Group Study.

Sixteen patients with advanced ovarian carcinoma were treated with anaxirone (1,2,4-triglycidylurazol, TGU), 600 mg/m2 every 4 weeks. Anaxirone was the second or later line of therapy. All patients had evaluable tumors and evidence of failure of prior therapy. None of the patients responded. Two had stabilization of the disease for 4 months. In one patient WHO grade 4 leukopenia and grade 4 thrombocytopenia were observed after the second TGU cycle starting on day 41 and persisted until the patient died due to tumor progression (day 50). No patient experienced thrombophlebitis.

Adult↗

Do trophectoderm and inner cell mass cells in the mouse blastocyst maintain discrete lineages?

The extent to which trophectoderm (TE) and inner cell mass (ICM) lineages in the mouse blastocyst remain distinct during the period from the commencement of cavitation up until 48 h later in culture was investigated. Fluorescent latex microparticles were used to label exclusively all TE cells in nascent blastocysts and the position of labelled progeny in cultured blastocysts was examined by disaggregation, by serial sectioning and by whole-mount analyses. The results indicate that, in most blastocysts (80-90%), TE and ICM lineages are entirely separate during this period while in the remainder lineage crossing is limited usually to only one or two cells of either tissue.

Animals↗

["After-reintervention" in ovarian cancer].

Reoperation in ovarian cancer, following the initial surgery and the subsequent general chemotherapy, is currently agreed upon by most authors: it permits to evaluate the results of chemotherapy; when new lesions appear or lesions that have been left in place increase in size, re-operation enables excision of these lesions. But, after this surgical stage, opinions regarding treatment differ. In the case of complete remission, macroscopic and microscopic, it is possible to do nothing, to resume chemotherapy, to perform an abdomino-pelvic radiotherapy in limited doses. In the case of an incomplete microscopic remission and the persistence or aggravation of previous lesions, only a different type of chemotherapy is performed. Its chances of success are very remote. On the whole, chemotherapy is seldom used; chemotherapy may and must be used, especially in case of minor lesions. It must be emphasized that remission does not mean cure, and that incomplete remission does not obligatorily imply a poor prognosis.

Female↗

[Computed tomography of uterine and ovarian cancer].

The authors try to specify the place of Tomodensitometry in utero-ovarian cancers. The examination technique presents no particularities: at best, the interval and the depth of the cuts must be selected. In cervical cancers, the poor appreciation on TDM of adnexal and vaginal involvement renders this examination unsuitable for staging. On the contrary, it is absolutely necessary in order to make the diagnosis of recurrences. In cancers of the body of the uterus, almost always operated on, TDM presents very little interest for the initial work-up except for patients who are difficult to examine or are going to undergo irradiation. As for ovarian tumors, TDM may be useful to detect intra-hepatic metastases before the first operation, to monitor patients undergoing chemotherapy: peritoneal carcinosis is inconstantly detected and TDM cannot replace a second look.

Female↗