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Biomedical subjects

K O'Neil

Publications and source records attributed to K O'Neil.

14 recordsLinked to original sources

Phase II neoadjuvant trial of paclitaxel by 96-hour continuous infusion (CIVI) in combination with cisplatin followed by chest radiotherapy for patients with stage III non-small-cell lung cancer.

Sixteen patients with untreated locally advanced (n = 15) or recurrent (n = 1) non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were enrolled in this study between July 1996 and March 1999. Eight patients had stage IIIA NSCLC, seven had stage IIIB disease, and one had recurrent disease after prior resection of stage I disease. Patients were treated with paclitaxel 30 mg/m2/d for 4 days by continuous intravenous infusion followed by cisplatin 80 mg/m2 on day 5. Therapy was administered every 3 weeks until disease progression or a maximum of four cycles. Thoracic radiation was started within 3 to 4 weeks of day 1 of the last cycle of paclitaxel and cisplatin. Fourteen patients (87.5%) received all four cycles of chemotherapy and subsequent radiation therapy. Forty-four percent of patients achieved a partial response, and 1 patient complete response (overall response rate, 50%). The median progression-free survival was 8.8 months. At a median potential follow-up of 3.7 years, the median survival for all 16 enrolled patients was 13.2 months, and the actuarial 1-, 2-, and 3-year survivals were 62.5%, 43.8%, and 21.9%. In contrast to predictions from in vitro cytotoxicity models, the sequential use of prolonged infusional paclitaxel and bolus cisplatin followed by thoracic radiation does not appear to have a greater impact over shorter chemotherapy

Adult↗

Phase II trial of paclitaxel by 96-hour continuous infusion in combination with cisplatin for patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Our purpose was to determine the antitumor efficacy and safety profile of the combination of paclitaxel administered by 96-h continuous i.v. infusion followed by bolus cisplatin in patients with untreated advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Fifty-eight patients with untreated advanced or recurrent NSCLC were enrolled between October 1995 and December 1998. The median patient age was 60 years (age range, 34-75 years). Twenty-four patients were female. The majority of patients (n = 52) had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0/1. Twelve patients had stage IIIB NSCLC, 43 had stage IV disease, and 3 had recurrent disease after prior resection. Seven patients had received cranial irradiation for brain metastases, and 5 patients had received bone irradiation before enrollment. Patients were treated with paclitaxel (120 mg/m2/96 h) by continuous i.v. infusion followed by cisplatin (80 mg/m2) on day 5. Therapy was administered every 3 weeks as tolerated until disease progression or a maximum of six cycles. A total of 264 cycles of therapy were administered. Twenty-nine patients received all six cycles. Forty-six patients had measurable disease, with 20 patients achieving a partial response, and no complete responses were seen (overall response rate, 43%; 95% confidence interval, 29-60%). The median progression-free survival was 5.5 months. At a median potential follow-up of 27.2 months, the median survival for all 58 enrolled patients was 8.5 months, and the actuarial 1-year survival was 37% (95% confidence interval, 25.9-50.5%). This is the most extensive evaluation of prolonged continuous infusional paclitaxel in patients with advanced-stage cancer. In contrast to predictions from in vitro cytotoxicity models, the regimen does not appear to be obviously superior to shorter infusion times in the clinical setting. Additional trials of this regimen in patients with NSCLC are therefore of low priority.

Adult↗

Th1/Th2 cytokine profiles in the nasopharyngeal lymphoid tissues of children with recurrent otitis media.

The cytokine profile in adenoidal lymphoid tissue was studied in 22 patients. Lymphocytes from adenoid tissues and peripheral blood were submitted for cytokine assays using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit for interferon-gamma, interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-6, and IL-10. Adenoidal lymphocytes appear to produce significantly less Th1 cytokines (IL-2, interferon gamma) compared to the patient's peripheral blood lymphocytes, whereas IL-4 and IL-5 (Th2 cytokines) appear to be synthesized to the same extent as, if not slightly more than, in the homologous peripheral blood lymphocytes. Because the relationship between Th1 and Th2 cytokines is extremely important in modulating the immune response, it is advisable to determine the role of the cytokine profiles of T-lymphocytes in the nasopharynx and its relationship to the development of inflammation of the eustachian tube and middle ear.

Adenoids↗

Phase I study of a five-day dose schedule of 4-Ipomeanol in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

The mammalian pulmonary toxin 4-ipomeanol (IPO) is activated by the cytochrome P450 system in bronchial Clara cells in animals. The resulting metabolites bind rapidly to macromolecules, producing localized cytotoxicity. IPO has in vitro and in vivo antitumor activity in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and thus was proposed as a lung cancer-specific antitumor agent. We have completed a directed Phase I trial in patients with NSCLC. Forty-four patients (34 men and 10 women) with NSCLC were treated with IPO. All but two patients had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 or 1. They received 91 courses of therapy with i.v. IPO; 82 courses were administered daily for five days, and 9 were single bolus doses. The dose-limiting toxicity of elevated serum transaminases was observed in three of seven patients at 922 mg/m2/day. The maximum tolerated dose was 693 mg/m2/day on 5 consecutive days every 3 weeks. One patient developed grade 4 pulmonary toxicity at 167 mg/m2/day. There was no significant hematological or renal toxicity. No objective antitumor responses were observed. Pharmacokinetic analysis of 39 patients from day 1 of IPO administration showed biexponential elimination with mean half-lives of 8.6 (alpha half-life) and 76 min (beta half-life). There was a linear relationship between the area under the plasma drug concentration-time curve and the dose of IPO. There was no significant difference between the pharmacokinetic parameters measured on day 1 and day 5. Using a 4-day in vitro cytotoxicity assay, two tumor cell lines established from patients treated at 693 mg/m2/day had IC50s of approximately 6 mM, a concentration more than 75-fold higher than the plasma levels measured in these patients. Thus, although the total amount of drug administered per cycle on a daily times five dose schedule is more than 2.5-fold higher than the recommended single daily dose, IPO is unlikely to be a useful drug for patients with lung cancer.

Adult↗

Design of two-stranded and three-stranded coiled-coil peptides.

The structural features required for the formation of two- versus three-stranded coiled coils have been explored using de novo protein design. Peptides with leucine at the 'a' and 'd' positions of a coiled-coil (general sequence: Leua Xaab Xaac Leud Glue Xaaf Lysg) exist in a non-cooperative equilibrium between unstructured monomers and helical dimers and helical trimers. Substituting valine into each 'a' position produces peptides which still form trimers at high concentrations, whereas substitution of a single asparagine at the 'a' position of the third heptad yields a dimer. During the course of this work, we also re-investigated a helical propensity scale derived using a series of coiled-coil peptides previously believed to exist in a monomer-dimer equilibrium (O'Neil & DeGrado 1990). Detailed analysis of the concentration dependence of ellipticity at 222 nm reveals that they exist in a non-cooperative monomer-dimer-trimer equilibrium. However, the concentration of trimer near the midpoint of the concentration-dependent transition is small, so the previously determined values of delta delta G alpha using the approximate monomer-dimer scheme are indistinguishable from the values obtained employing the complete monomer-dimer-trimer equilibrium.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

The cardiovascular, endocrine and renal response of tetraplegic and paraplegic subjects to dietary sodium restriction.

1. The effects of change from a high to low sodium diet upon renal sodium and water excretion and hormone responses were studied in patients with dissociated sympathetic control (DS, tetraplegic) and controls with sympathetic control largely intact (IS, paraplegic). 2. Total and fractional urinary sodium excretion fell in response to sodium restriction in both groups, but the fall in fractional sodium excretion was greater in the DS group compared with the IS group (DS, 1.34 +/- 0.12 to 0.42 +/- 0.05%; IS, 0.96 +/- 0.08 to 0.52 +/- 0.06%). 3. Supine mean arterial pressure fell during the low salt period in the DS group (80.2 +/- 2.7 to 74.4 +/- 2.3 mmHg) but was unaffected by salt restriction in the IS group (101 +/- 2.3 to 98.8 +/- 2.7 mmHg). In the DS group, creatinine clearance remained constant throughout the low salt period (103.7 +/- 7.9 to 98.3 +/- 9.7 ml min-1), but fell during salt restriction in the IS group (101.4 +/- 8.5 to 83.2 +/- 5 ml min-1). 4. Plasma renin activity was lower during salt loading in DS subjects but increased more rapidly and to higher levels in response to salt restriction (DS, 1021 +/- 142 to 4439 +/- 355; IS, 1765 +/- 269 to 3683 +/- 465 pg angiotensin I ml-1 h-1). Plasma atrial natriuretic peptide concentration was higher in the DS group during salt loading and salt restriction (DS, 37.6 +/- 5.6 to 22 +/- 3.8; IS, 20.2 +/- 2.3 to 11 +/- 1.6 pg ml-1).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗

Reproductive issues in HIV-seropositive women: a survey regarding counseling, contraception, safer sex, and pregnancy choices.

Sixty-nine HIV-seropositive women were surveyed with regard to the reproductive counseling they had received, contraception, safer sex practices, pregnancy histories, and pregnancy plans. Of the women surveyed, 84% and 90%, respectively, felt that they had access to the birth control and safer sex methods of their choice. Less than half felt that their physician had adequately counseled them about birth control. Women primarily cited social workers (46.4%) or nurses (34.8%) as the counseling source for birth control and safer sex. When informed about the reduced risk of vertical transmission with zidovudine (AZT), 33 women indicated that information regarding AZT would affect their future pregnancy decisions. Health care professionals need to be aware of this and counsel patients accordingly.

Adolescent↗