Efficacy of weekly low-dose chemotherapy in elderly women with advanced ovarian cancer: is there an antiangiogenic effect?

13133 Background: In elderly patients decreased functionality of multiple organ systems may affect pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of drugs. For this reason elderly cancer patients experience enhanced susceptibility to common chemotherapy-related adverse events. A way to prevent these effects could be metronomic chemotherapy, which is a variation of dose-dense therapy, with a cumulative dose significantly lower than maximum tolerated dose. Methods: 27 advanced ovarian cancer patients, median age 67 (range 60–86), received low dose weekly continuous chemotherapy until disease progression. All patients were treated with CBDCA AUC 2 mg/ml/min and Docetaxel 35 mg/sqm (adjusted according …

Safety and efficacy of two different schedules of capecitabine combined with oxaliplatin in the treatment of colon cancer in the elderly

Comparison between gemcitabine-based combination (G) and single-agent chemotherapy (S) for elderly patients (EP) with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC): A literature-based meta-analysis

19586 Background: It was estimated that a quarter of all patients who have a diagnosis of NSCLC worldwide are more than 70 years old. This meta-analysis tries to shed light on the controversial results of phase III trials evaluating in NSCLC EP doublets against third generation S. Methods: We performed a literature search using MEDLINE and Cochrane Library. We selected only clinical trials responding to the question of our meta-analysis. Outcomes recorded were 1-year survival rate (1-y SR), overall response rate (ORR) and haematological toxicity (HT). Fixed-effects and random-effects models were used to calculate pooled odds ratios (OR). An OR greater than 1 indicates that doublet is more …

Influence of processing conditions on some properties of anionically synthesized polycaprolactam in presence of lithium chloride

Nylon 6–LiCl systems of various concentrations were prepared by anionic polymerization of caprolactam in the presence of salt. A depression of both crystallization rate and melting temperature was evidenced through x-ray, density, and DSC analyses. Such a preliminary characterization allowed for choosing the proper conditions in order to obtain amorphous fibers from a spinning operation which was performed at a temperature lower than the pure polymer melting point. These results are of technological relevance, especially in view of obtaining, as in similar cases, large amorphous orientations through a spinning–drawing process and high-modulus fibers after subsequent crystallization. Also, t…

Impact of the new 5-HT3 receptor antagonist palonosetron (P) in chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) control in elderly advanced breast cancer (EABC) patients: Comparison with the classic antiemetic agent ondansetron (O).

Temozolomide (TMZ) in radio-chemotherapy combined schedule for treatment of newly-diagnosed high-grade gliomas (HGG)

1578 Background: Temozolomide (TMZ) is an oral alkylating agent known to cross the blood-brain barrier with efficacy against HGG and a favourable safety profile compared to conventional chemotherap...

Capecitabine (XEL) + Oxaliplatin (OX) in elderly people (EP) with Colorectal Cancer (CRC): Comparison of safety (S) and feasibility (F) of two different schedules. Preliminary findings

Rilevazione nazionale in tema di formazione specifica di medicina generale in Italia

Physicians have to get a “specific” diploma attending a threeyear training course provided by each regional health service in order to practice as General Practitioners in Italy. In the last years, there has been an ongoing debate about the need to evolve the specific regional courses into integrated specialization training courses, organized and managed by universities with the contribution of regional health services. The Italian Junior Doctors Association and the Giotto Movement carried out a national survey with the aim to identify strengths and weaknesses of the specific regional training courses. Three-hundred-two junior General Practitioners in training (61,2% females) answered to a …

Recommendations for a nomenclature system for reporting methylation aberrations in imprinted domains

The analysis of DNA methylation has become routine in the pipeline for diagnosis of imprinting disorders, with many publications reporting aberrant methylation associated with imprinted differentially methylated regions (DMRs). However, comparisons between these studies are routinely hampered by the lack of consistency in reporting sites of methylation evaluated. To avoid confusion surrounding nomenclature, special care is needed to communicate results accurately, especially between scientists and other health care professionals. Within the European Network for Human Congenital Imprinting Disorders we have discussed these issues and designed a nomenclature for naming imprinted DMRs as well …

Analisi di sicurezza nella procedura di protonterapia oculare applicata presso i Laboratori del Sud dell’INFN di Catania

A partire dal 2002, l’Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria “Policlinico Vittorio Emanuele” di Catania ha effettuato il trattamento di circa 350 pazienti affetti da neoplasie oculari mediante fasci di protoni prodotti con il ciclotrone disponibile presso i Laboratori nazionali del Sud (LNS). Tale impianto viene utilizzato per attività di ricerca nell’ambito della fisica sperimentale, per cui è stato necessario modificare le caratteristiche del fascio, rendendolo idoneo alle applicazioni cliniche. Il lavoro di ricerca ha riguardato lo svolgimento della analisi del rischio volto ad individuare possibili fallimenti nelle procedure adottate per il trattamento del paziente sottoposto a cicli di prot…

Symbolic threat fosters right-wing authoritarianism only among low authoritarians

In a sample of 95 U.S. undergraduates (49.5% women, Mage = 20.99 years, SD = 3.48), we analyzed the effects of symbolic threat on right-wing authoritarianism (RWA). We used data from an experimental study in which negative political attacks on one's own favorite candidate were considered as symbolic threats. A hierarchic moderated regression showed that, as with societal threat, symbolic threat fostered an increase in RWA only among participants with low initial scores on RWA. This increase did not depend on the persuasive effect of being exposed to negative campaigning. The implications, limitations, and possible developments of the research are discussed. © 2014 Cises.

Rheological characterization of polycaprolactam anionically synthesized in the presence of lithium chloride

Melt viscosity and dynamic-mechanical data are reported for samples obtained by anionic polymerization of caprolactam, in the presence of LiCl. The full body of results is essentially in line with those previously reported relative to mixtures of inorganic salts and commercial nylon 6, In particular a drastic-decrease of the melting point and of the rate of crystallization is confirmed as well as an increase of the glass transition temperature and of the melt viscosity. Some quantitative differences exist, which may be attributed to the different molecular weight distribution in the polymers employed in the present work.

Societal Threat to Safety, Compensatory Control, and Right-Wing Authoritarianism

We analyzed directly and indirectly the relationships between societal threat to safety, perceived control, and the increase in right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) in two studies. In Study 1 (national sample of the Italian population, N=1,169), we performed a longitudinal analysis structured into three waves (January 2003, September 2004, and January 2005). A moderated regression analysis showed that RWA increased from 2003 to 2005 as a function of perceived societal threat to safety more among low- than among high RWA scorers. In experimental Study 2 (Italian university students, N=131) a moderated mediation model showed loss of perceived control to mediate the relation between societal thre…