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Biomedical subjects

E Roca

Publications and source records attributed to E Roca.

31 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1992

[Endoscopic recanalization with alcohol in the treatment of dysphagia of neoplastic origin].

Nineteen patients with dysphagia were treated by endoscopic injection of ethanol, to induce tumoral necrosis. Dysphagia was present in patients with inoperable, unresectable or recurrent esophagogastric cancer. Prior treatment, patients had a mean dysphagia grade of 3.22. After the first session, they had a mean of 2.05. An optimum dysphagia grade mean was 1.47. The period intertreatment was X 45 days. There were no complications associated with the method. The results suggest this therapy is a good palliative procedure that, in a short time and with a low cost, can improve the life quality in selected patients.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1988

Phase II trial of 4'-epi-doxorubicin in locally advanced or metastatic gastric cancer.

Patients with locally advanced or metastatic gastric adenocarcinoma received an i.v. bolus of 4'-epi-doxorubicin, 75/mg/m2/cycle, every 21 days. Partial responses were observed in 5 of 23 evaluable patients (21.7%). Treatment was generally well tolerated and toxicity was mild. The response rate to epirubicin appears to be very similar to that reported for doxorubicin. Larger doses of epirubicin could be safely used in future studies, and further evaluation of epirubicin in phase III trials is indicated.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1986

Double-blind evaluation of the effects of mazindol on pain, depression, anxiety, appetite, and activity in terminal cancer patients.

In a double-blind, crossover study, mazindol (1 mg) at breakfast, lunch, and 4:00 PM was compared with a placebo to determine its efficacy for symptom control in 30 terminal cancer patients. In 26 evaluable patients, intensity of pain and analgesic consumption were significantly improved after mazindol, while anxiety, appetite, and food consumption were significantly worse. Activity and depression were not modified by mazindol. After the completion of the trial, mazindol was chosen as a more effective drug by the patients in ten cases (38%) and by the investigators in nine (35%); placebo was chosen by the patients in seven cases (27%) and by the investigators in 11 (42%). Two patients (7%) developed delirium that required discontinuation of treatment. At the present time, there are no clearcut indications for mazindol in terminal cancer patients.

Anxiety↗
PubMed1985

Vinca alkaloid-induced cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy.

To determine the incidence of vinca alkaloid (VA)-induced cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN), neoplastic patients were studied. Thirty-three of them were receiving chemotherapy regimens including VAs, and 30 were receiving chemotherapy without VA and were considered controls. Abnormal variation in blood pressure on standing, heart rate during deep breathing, and heart rate on standing was found in 27 (82%), 16 (48%), and 16 (48%) patients receiving VA versus nine (30%; P less than 0.01), three (10%; P less than 0.05), and one (P less than 0.001) controls, respectively. Of 198 tests performed, 100 were abnormal in patients receiving VA (51%) versus 33 of 180 tests in the controls (18%; P less than 0.001). Although abnormal clinical or electrocardiographic tests for CAN appeared significantly more frequently in patients who received high doses of VA (P less than 0.01), their incidence was not significantly different in patients greater than or equal to 60 years of age, in those who received doxorubicin, or in those who showed abnormal deep tendon reflexes. The consequences of VA-induced CAN might be especially important for potentially curable cancer patients.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMed1984

Association between malnutrition and caloric intake, emesis, psychological depression, glucose taste, and tumor mass.

A nutritional evaluation was performed in 72 patients with advanced solid tumors receiving chemotherapy: 35 patients (49%) were considered malnourished and 37 (51%) were considered normal. The malnourished group showed a significantly lower caloric intake than the normal group (1214 +/- 360 vs 2088 +/- 607; P less than 0.001) and a higher incidence of severe depression (16 of 27 patients [59%] vs six of 30 [20%]; P = 0.026). No significant difference was found between the normal and malnourished patients in reference to emesis, glucose tasting threshold, or tumor burden.

Adult↗
PubMed1983

Improved control of chemotherapy-induced emesis by the addition of dexamethasone to metoclopramide in patients resistant to metoclopramide.

One hundred and two patients with advanced solid tumors receiving chemotherapy were treated with metoclopramide (MCP; 100 mg) to prevent emesis. Twenty-six of 102 patients who had more than five episodes of vomiting were considered MCP-resistant and were randomized to receive MCP (100 mg) plus placebo versus MCP plus dexamethasone (DM; 48 mg) iv in a double-blind, crossover trial. The median number of vomiting episodes was 18 after MCP plus placebo and five after MCP plus DM (P less than 0.001). The median duration of vomiting episodes was 40 hours after MCP plus placebo and 10 hours after MCP plus DM. Immediate toxicity of the antiemetics was not enhanced by the addition of DM to MCP.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Population dynamics of a continuous fermentation of recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae using flow cytometry.

The plasmid instability of genetically modified microorganisms during prolonged bioreactor operations is one of the major problems to be overcome in the production of recombinant proteins. The use of flow cytometry to monitor a fermentation process with recombinant cells in a CSTR is reported here. This technique has been applied to determine the fraction of plasmid-bearing cells (P+) of a recombinant Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain harboring the EXG1 gene in a continuous stirred tank bioreactor with a working volume of 2 L. The different levels in the expression of the EXG1 gene, which encodes the enzyme exo-beta-glucanase, were used to determine the P+ fraction. Other parameters such as viability, cellular protein, cell size and structure were also monitored using flow cytometry. This technique has two main advantages over the conventional method of determining the P+ fraction (plating in selective and non-selective solid media): (a) it takes a very short period of time to obtain a measurement that provides multiple parametric information; and (b) it is more representative of the bioreactor cell population since it can analyze thousands of cells in the same sample. A continuous operation (432 h) with the recombinant strain in a CSTR was carried out to test the application of this technique. Measurements of cellular exo-beta-glucanase activity and cellular protein content closely correlates to the measured fraction of plasmid-containing cells in the population. Moreover, the standard deviation of the fraction of P+ cells determined using this technique was very low (about 2%). Recombinant protein production also increased the size of the yeast cells, whereas the recombinant cells also had a more complex internal structure than the non-recombinant host strain.

Bioreactors↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Action of oral methylprednisolone in terminal cancer patients: a prospective randomized double-blind study.

A 14-day, randomized, double-blind crossover trial was carried out comparing an oral glucocorticoid, methylprednisolone (MP), against placebo for the relief of pain and other symptoms in 40 terminally ill cancer patients. After the 14-day, double-blind phase was completed, all patients were given MP for 20 days. The daily dose of MP was 32 mg, and end points of the study were pain, psychiatric status, appetite, nutritional status, daily activity, and performance. Mean intensity of pain (visual analogue, 0-100 +/- SD) was 36.8 +/- 14 after MP treatment and 57.7 +/- 15 after placebo (P less than 0.01). Following the 14-day, double-blind phase, appetite and daily activity increased in 24 of 31 patients (77%) and in 21 of 31 patients (68%) with MP, respectively; depression and analgesic consumption decreased in 22 of 31 patients (71%) and in 16 of 28 patients (57%) with MP, respectively. MP was preferred over placebo by 23 of the 31 patients (74%), and, in 22 of the 31 cases (71%), the investigator chose MP over placebo. No serious toxicity was found at the dose of MP used. It is concluded that MP increases the comfort of terminally ill cancer patients.

Activities of Daily Living↗