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Biomedical subjects

G Ferrante

Publications and source records attributed to G Ferrante.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Epidermal growth factor receptor and lipid membrane components in human lung cancers.

The binding of 125I-epidermal growth factor (EGF) to the plasma membranes of 54 samples of human lung tumors was determined. These included 34 squamous cell carcinomas and 20 adenocarcinomas. Twenty samples of histologically normal lung excised surgically along with the tumors were used as controls. Most of the plasma membranes showed an EGF receptor level higher than that of normal tissue. A moderate increase in the amount of 125I-EGF bound (2-5 fold) was observed in the majority of the tumors. Only a few cases (5-10% of the total) showed a large increase (> than 10 fold). The binding of 125I-EGF was compared with clinical stages and grades of differentiation. No correlation between the stage of the tumor and 125I-EGF binding was observed. However, the highest levels of EGF receptor (EGF-R) were found in poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinomas. The total amount and the distribution pattern of gangliosides and phospholipids were analyzed in individual tumors. A decrease in GD1b, GD1a and sphingomyelin and an increase in GM1 and GM3 was observed. No correlation was detected when tumors with the highest or lowest levels of gangliosides or phospholipids were compared with tumors exhibiting the highest binding of 125I-EGF.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMed1992

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy with cisplatin, epirubicin and VP-16 for stage IIIA-IIIB non-small-cell lung cancer: a pilot study.

Twenty patients with stage IIIA-IIIB non-small-cell lung cancer were treated with cisplatin, epirubicin and VP-16 (PEV) neoadjuvant chemotherapy (CDDP, 70 mg/m2, i.v., d 1; EDX, 60 mg/m2, i.v., d 1; VP-16, 100 mg/m2, i.v., d 1-2-3; every 3 weeks). A partial response was obtained in 11 cases (55%), stable disease in 3 cases (15%), and progressive disease in 6 cases (30%). After chemotherapy, 8 (40%) patients, all achieving a partial response, were elegible for surgery: 5 (25%) had a complete resection (4 IIIA and 1 IIIB) and 3 (15%) an incomplete resection. The treatment was well tolerated. These data show that PEV is an active regimen for neoadjuvant chemotherapy in NSCLC and recommend this therapeutic approach for stage IIIA patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1992

Mediastinoscopy vs. anterior mediastinotomy in the diagnosis of mediastinal lymphoma: a randomized trial.

We selected 95 patients with mediastinal adenopathy and no signs of goiter, myasthenia gravis or mediastinal involvement by other disease. All patients underwent, for screening purposes, transthoracic fine needle aspiration biopsy based on chest x-ray and CT findings. Patients were then subdivided into 4 groups. One group of 22 patients with prevalent anterior mass localization underwent anterior mediastinotomy. One group of 19 patients with prevalent middle mediastinal mass localization underwent cervical mediastinoscopy. Two other groups of 27 patients each with both anterior and middle mediastinum localization randomly underwent anterior mediastinotomy or mediastinoscopy. Fifty-one Hodgkin's and 44 non-Hodgkin's lymphomas were diagnosed in total. In 11 cases (11.57%), median sternotomy (2) or thoracotomy (9) were necessary for establishing the final diagnosis. The overall diagnostic accuracy was 80.43% for cervical mediastinoscopy and 95.91% for anterior mediastinotomy. The statistical analysis performed on all patients showed a significant difference (chi 2 = 5.56, P less than 0.025, df = 1) between the two procedures.

Biomarkers, Tumor↗
PubMed1992

[Analgesia-sedation during extracorporeal lithotripsy (ESWL)].

Personal experience of analgesia-sedation in ESWL is reported, stress being laid on the importance of anxiety treatment by means of premedication with benzodiazepine. In personal experience, this preventive treatment proved very useful in reducing the consumption of opioids and thus in rendering the pain experience of patients undergoing treatment less unpleasant. At the same time it is reported that in some patients it was necessary to administer benzodiazepines with a more marked hypnotic effect. In these cases, the possibility of countering the hypnotic effect with a specific antagonist made it possible to resort to these drugs in patients who were subjected to ESWL in a day-hospital regime.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Salvage chemotherapy with CCNU and methotrexate for small cell lung cancer resistant to CAV/PE alternating chemotherapy.

CCNU and methotrexate were employed as salvage treatment in 34 small cell lung cancer patients resistant to CAV/PE alternating induction chemotherapy. In the 33 evaluable patients we observed an objective response rate of 21.2% and 3% complete response; median survival was 4 months with 2 patients alive 18 months from starting salvages chemotherapy. The treatment was well tolerated. CCNU and methotrexate has shown to be a moderately active and tolerable salvage treatment for small cell lung cancer after CAV/PE alternating first-line chemotherapy.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Intensive alternating combination chemotherapy and high dose chest radiotherapy in small cell lung cancer.

Sixty-nine patients, 32 with limited and 37 with extensive small cell lung cancer (SCLC), were admitted to the present study. Patients with limited disease underwent alternating combination chemotherapy consisting of CAV (cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, vincristine) and PE (cisplatin and etoposide) regimens and concurrent high dose thoracic radiotherapy (6,000 cGy); prophylactic brain irradiation (3,000 cGy) was administered to complete responders. Patients with extensive disease received the same alternating chemotherapy but not radiotherapy. In the 25 evaluable patients with limited disease we obtained an objective response (OR) in 80% with a complete response (CR) in 54% and partial response (PR) in 24%, stable disease (SD) in 4% and progressive disease (PD) in 16%. Median duration of response was 9.5 months for CR and 8.5 months for PR. Median survival was 14 months for all patients with 12% long-term survivors. Toxicity was acceptable. In the 32 evaluable patients with extensive disease we observed 65.6% OR with 18.7% CR and 46.8% PR, 9.3% minimal response and 25% PD. Median duration of response was 7 months for CR and 8 months for PR. Median survival was 10 months for all patients. The treatment was well tolerated. Our study did not show a therapeutic advantage for alternating combination chemotherapy in SCLC and failed to show the use of high dose chest radiotherapy in combined modality for limited disease.

Adult↗
PubMed1990

Structures of polar lipids from the thermophilic, deep-sea archaeobacterium Methanococcus jannaschii.

Cells of Methanococcus jannaschii, grown at 65 degrees C in a defined medium, contained 7% of lipid composed of 87% polar and 13% neutral components. Within the polar fraction 16 lipids were resolved by thin-layer chromatography, 4 of which were present in trace amounts. Staining reactions demonstrated that the more abundant lipids were glycolipids, aminophospholipids, and an aminophosphoglycolipid. Most of the polar fraction (82%) consisted of five diether lipids, which were purified and their structures were resolved largely through nuclear magnetic resonance, mass spectrometry, and optical rotation methods. Macrocyclic diethers had the head groups phosphoethanolamine-(1----6)-beta-D-glucopyranose, beta-D-glucopyranose, and beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1----6)-beta-D-glucopyranose. Phosphoethanolamine was identified as a head group for both the noncyclized and macrocylic diether core lipids. The neutral lipids were mainly acyclic C30 isoprenoids, predominantly dihydro-, hexahydro, and octahydro-squalenes.

Carbohydrate Conformation↗
PubMed1989

Structures of minor ether lipids isolated from the aceticlastic methanogen, Methanothrix concilii GP6.

Structures were determined for two phospholipids and three glycolipids purified from chloroform-methanol extracts of Methanothrix concilii GP6. Together they accounted for 14% of the total lipid and were based on a C20,20-diether core structure consisting of either 2,3-di-O-phytanyl-sn-glycerol or its 3'-hydroxy analog, namely, 2-O-[3,7,11,15-tetramethylhexadecyl]-3-O-[3'- hydroxy-3',7',11',15'-tetramethylhexadecyl]-sn-glycerol. These two core lipids formed phosphodiester bonds to ethanolamine and glycosidic bonds to beta-D-galactopyranose. A third glycolipid consisted of the triglycosyl head group beta-D-galactopyranosyl-(1----6)-[beta-D-glucopyranosyl-(1----3)]-beta-D - galactopyranose in glycosidic linkage to the 3'-hydroxydiether core lipid.

Chemical Phenomena↗