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Biomedical subjects

M Santos

Publications and source records attributed to M Santos.

291 records · Page 17Linked to original sources

Study on pharmacokinetics and nephrotoxicity of netilmicin in rabbits using a new dosage regimen.

The potential nephrotoxicity and pharmacokinetic parameters of netilmicin were investigated in rabbits after single and multiple dosage regimens (7 mg/kg/12 h) allometrically equivalent to a once-daily regimen of 5 mg/kg/24 h in man. Netilmicin was determined in plasma and renal tissue by a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique with fluorescence detection and precolumn derivatization. The renal toxicity was determined by electron microscopy. Statistical comparison between animals that received a single dose and those that received a multiple dosage regimen showed that the only parameter significantly different was the elimination constant K10. The histological study revealed a high interindividual variability in the nephrotoxicity induced by prolonged treatment with netilmicin: 50% of the animals experienced tubular necrosis and the remaining did not. Although plasma concentration time curves did not show significant differences between both groups of animals, the concentrations of netilmicin in renal cortex were higher in the group with tubular necrosis. In conclusion, even though netilmicin was administered in a dosage regimen equivalent to once-daily administration in man, it induced tubular necrosis which was probably related to the duration of treatment. The results also showed that there was no correlation between plasma concentrations of the drug and its potential nephrotoxicity.

Animals↗

Intraoperative radiotherapy. Literature updating with an overview of results presented at the 6th International Symposium of Intraoperative Radiation Therapy.

Intraoperative radiotherapy is a technique that can be integrated into multidisciplinary treatment strategies in oncology. A radiation boost delivered with high energy electron beams can intensify locoregional antitumor therapy in patients undergoing cancer surgery. Intraoperative radiotherapy can increase the therapeutic index of the conventional combination of surgery and radiotherapy by improving the precision of radiation dose location, while decreasing the normal tissue damage in mobile structures and enhancing the biological effect of radiation when combined with surgical debulking. Intraoperative radiotherapy has been extensively investigated in clinical oncology in the last 15 years. Commercially available linear accelerators require minimal changes to be suitable for intraoperative radiotherapy. Its successful implementation in clinical protocols depends on the support given by the single institutions and on a clinical research-oriented mentality. Tumors where intraoperative radiotherapy as a treatment component has shown promising rates of local control include locally advanced rectal, gastric and gynecologic cancer, bone and soft tissue sarcoma. Intraoperative radiotherapy can be applied to brain tumors, head and neck cancer, NSCLC and pancreatic carcinoma.

Combined Modality Therapy↗

Stereotactic radiosurgery with linear accelerator.

Stereotactic radiosurgery is a method that applies a radiation dose to a limited and well-defined volume while the irradiation of adjacent healthy tissues is minimized. It is most commonly used in the treatment of intracranial lesions because the skull hardness assures the stable location of its contents. Treatment of the rest of the body has recently been proposed and carried out, using original immobilization systems. Stereotactic radiosurgery was first described in 1951 by the Swedish neurosurgeon Lars Leksell who originally used X-rays and then high-energy protons as a source of radiation. In the '80s photons from linear accelerators were used as radiation source, with various stereotactic systems and computerized treatment planning. The method used with all radiosurgical systems, regardless of the source of irradiation, is similar. The lesion is detected with common diagnostic imaging and adequate location frames. At present, to prevent errors in location, MRI and CT data are matched using an Image Fusion computer program. The objective of stereotactic radiosurgery is to destroy tumor cells or to induce changes in tissues that, as in brain arteriovenous malformations lead to the occlusion of their abnormal vessels. Stereotactic radiosurgery is increasingly used today in the treatment of a variety of intracranial lesions to the patients' benefit.

Brain Neoplasms↗