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T Prantera

Publications and source records attributed to T Prantera.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Retrospective analysis of adverse drug reactions induced by gemcitabine treatment in patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is the leading cause of cancer death in the world. Traditional chemotherapy for advanced NSCLC is often considered excessively toxic. Recent clinical trials documented that gemcitabine may represent a good therapeutical option in patients with NSCLC. Aim of our research was to retrospectively evaluate the adverse effects induced by gemcitabine in patients with NSCLC from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2002, in clinical records of Oncology Divisions of "S. Giovanni di Dio" Hospital of Crotone, "Ospedali Riuniti" Hospital of Reggio Calabria, Hospital of Paola, and in Pneumological Oncology Division of "Mariano Santo" Hospital of Cosenza, Italy. Clinical records of patients treated with gemcitabine (1000mgm(-2) on days 1 and 8) were reviewed and following data were obtained: sex and age of the patients, histologic diagnosis and disease stage, World Health Organisation (WHO) performance status and toxic effects induced by gemcitabine. We reported that 71.6% of NSCLC patients (age range 48-77 years; 135 males, 27 females; performance status 0=53, 1=109) were eligible for our study. Side effect of gemcitabine involved gastrointestinal system (nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea) and only in the last cycles (VIII-XI) emopoiethic system (leukopenia, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia and anemia). Grade IV vomiting occurred in three patients, thrombocytopenia in two. Grade III leukopenia was observed in three patients. Other toxicities were mild. None of the patients died during chemotherapy. In conclusion, these data showed that gemcitabine present a very good tolerability in patients with NSCLC. Therefore, it could be considered as a new therapeutic agents to use as first line therapy for this disease.

Aged↗

[Plasma amino acids in patients with liver cirrhosis treated with lactulose].

The altered plasma amino acid pattern (i.e. increased levels of aromatic amino acids and decreased levels of branched chain amino acids) is a characteristic feature of cirrhotic patients. Recently it has been proved that an increased net degradation of BCAA is positively correlated to the plasma NH3 level, strongly suggesting that these amino acids are molecularly involved in glutamine synthesis to detoxify ammonia in skeletal muscle. Lactulose, a synthetic, nonabsorbable disaccharide, is believed to actively promote excretion of ammonia from the body by causing it to be trapped in the acidified fecal stream and making it unavailable for absorption. Therefore therapy with lactulose could determine an increase of BCAA. The present study was undertaken to examine plasma amino acid pattern of ten patients with liver cirrhosis before and after lactulose therapy. No statistically significant changes of amino acids were observed.

Adult↗

Plasma free aminoacids pattern in progressive systemic sclerosis.

20 free aminoacids levels have been measured with a chromatographic method (Beckman 118 BL Aminoacid analyzer) in 9 patients affected by progressive systemic sclerosis and in 15 healthy subjects (control group). Both patients and control group were females, mean daily protein intake was between 1,2-1,5 gr/Kg in the two groups. No other pathological condition was found in each patient, none of them was receiving drug therapy at least from 2 months. No significant age different existed between the patients and the control group. Analysis of variance of the results showed significant decreases of proline, histidine, valine and methionine levels and significant increase of aspartic acid concentration in the plasma of PSS patients.

Adult↗

[Blood amino acids in chronic HBsAg positive liver disease].

Typical changes in blood aminoacid concentrations have been described in patients with severe liver disease. In this study we measured the serum amino acid levels, by Beckman Aminoacid Analyzer, in 11 healthy subjects and 24 HBsAg-positive patients with biopsy-proven liver disease (4 CPH, 10 CAH, 10 cirrhosis). A significant decrease in total aminoacids was observed in CAH and cirrhosis groups (-24% and -22% respectively). The three branched chain aminoacids (BCAA = val + leu + isoleu) were reduced by 24% (P less than 0.002) and 37% (P less than 0.001) in the CAH and cirrhosis groups respectively. Tyrosine was the only of the aromatic aminoacids (AAA) to increase in cirrhotics (+ 34%, P less than 0.02). The molar ratio BCAA/AAA was 3.6 in controls, 3.8 in CPH, 3.1 in CAH (P less than 0.025) and 1.9 in cirrhosis (P less than 0.001). A linear correlation was found between molar ratio BCAA/AAA and serum albumin in all patients (P less than 0.001). These results document the presence of specific quantitative changes in serum aminoacids of HBsAg positive patients, which appear related to severity of liver disease and comparable to the alterations described in non viral chronic liver disease.

Adolescent↗