Search results for " efficacy"

Efficacy of pneumatic dilatation for the treatment of idiopatic achalasia: a single-center experience

2015

Pneumatic dilatation (PD) and Surgical Miotomy (SM) are presently the best treatments for untreated achalasia, with similar efficacy. There is no information on the relative efficacy of PD in younger compared to older patients. Aim of our study was to compare success rate and safety of PD in patients under fifty years old and in those over fifty years old affected by achalasia. Twenty consecutive symptomatic patients were treated in our Unit with graded PD under fluoroscopic view. Five male and 15 female with a median age of 47 years were treated. Twelve patients were less than fifty years old (group I) while 8 were older (group II). Median dysphagia questionnaire score was 14 and13 ingroup…

Optimization of electrospun polylactide-based ultrathin fibers for osteoconductive bone scaffolds

2011

Bone tissue interfacial scaffolds, which encourage cell growth, are critical determinants for clinical success after implant surgery. Over the years, a number of resorbable configurations have emerged for bone cell support and growth, but only a few have demonstrated clinical efficacy. Polymer coatings produced by electrospinning are regarded as very promising bone interfaces because of the ultrathin-scaled dimensions of its physical structure. In this study, the morphology, composition, thermal properties, and cell growth viability of a number of polylactide-based systems containing different binary and ternary formulations of this biomaterial with collagen and commercial hydroxyapatite na…

Comparative effects of carrier proteins on vaccine-induced immune response

2011

The efficacy of vaccines against major encapsulated bacterial pathogens -Neisseria meningitidis, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) - has been significantly enhanced by conjugating the respective polysaccharides with different carrier proteins: diphtheria toxoid; non-toxic cross-reactive material of diphtheria toxin(197), tetanus toxoid, N. meningitidis outer membrane protein, and non-typeable H. influenzae-derived protein D. Hib, meningococcal, and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines have shown good safety and immunogenicity profiles regardless of the carrier protein used, although data are conflicting as to which carrier protein is the most immunogenic. Coadmini…

Flexible mats as promising antimicrobial systems via integration of Thymus capitatus (L.) essential oil into PLA

2020

Aim: To develop electrospun mats loaded with Thymus capitatus (L.) essential oil ( ThymEO) and to study their morpho-mechanical and antimicrobial properties. Materials & methods: Poly(lactic acid) (PLA) mats containing ThymEO were prepared by electrospinning. The effect of ThymEO on the morpho-mechanical properties of fibers was assayed by scanning electron microscopy and dynamometer measurements. The antimicrobial activity of ThymEO delivered either in liquid or vapor phase was assessed through killing curves and invert Petri dishes method. The cytotoxicity was also investigated. Results: The mechanical properties were enhanced by integrating ThymEO into PLA. Both liquid and vapors of…

Health literacy and Infectious Diseases : Why does it matter?

2016

Objectives: Multifactorial interventions are crucial to arrest the threat posed by infectious diseases. Public involvement requires adequate information, but determinants such as health literacy can impact on the effective use of such knowledge. The influence of health literacy on infectious diseases is examined in this paper. Methods: Databases were searched from January 1999 through July 2015 seeking studies reporting on health literacy and infections such tuberculosis, malaria, and influenza, and infection-related behaviours such as vaccination and hand hygiene. HIV was excluded, as comprehensive reviews have already been published. Results: Studies were found on antibiotic knowledge and…

Reveglucosidase alfa (BMN 701), a GILT-tagged recombinant human acid alpha glucosidase (rhGAA), evaluation in late-onset Pompe disease: Preliminary c…

2015

A prospective randomised, open-labeled, trial comparing sirolimus-containing versus mTOR-inhibitor-free immunosuppression in patients undergoing live…

2010

Abstract Background The potential anti-cancer effects of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitors are being intensively studied. To date, however, few randomised clinical trials (RCT) have been performed to demonstrate anti-neoplastic effects in the pure oncology setting, and at present, no oncology endpoint-directed RCT has been reported in the high-malignancy risk population of immunosuppressed transplant recipients. Interestingly, since mTOR inhibitors have both immunosuppressive and anti-cancer effects, they have the potential to simultaneously protect against immunologic graft loss and tumour development. Therefore, we designed a prospective RCT to determine if the mTOR inhibito…

Analysis of treatment efficacy in the GEM-CESAR trial for high-risk smoldering multiple myeloma patients: Comparison between the standard and IMWG MR…

2020

8512 Background: The GEM-CESAR trial is a potentially curative strategy for high-risk smoldering multiple myeloma (HRsMM) patients (pts) in which the primary endpoint is the achievement of sustained minimal residual disease (MRD) negativity in the bone marrow (BM) by next generation flow (NGF). The value of BM MRD assessment in MM is proven, but alternative, non-invasive methods, accurately reflecting disease burden are needed. Methods: Pts received six 4-week cycles of KRd as induction (K:36mg/m2 twice weekly, R: lenalidomide 25mg po od days 1-21 and d:dexamethasone 40mg po weekly) followed by melphalan 200mg/m2, two further cycles of KRd as consolidation and up to 2 years of Rd (R:10mg/d…

Abstract CT201: The Mutanome Engineered RNA Immuno-Therapy (MERIT) project

2015

Abstract The Mutanome Engineered RNA Immuno-Therapy (MERIT) consortium will clinically and industrially validate a pioneering RNA-based immunotherapy concept that targets individual tumor antigens and tumor-specific mutations in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients. This biomarker-guided, personalized therapy is a collaborative effort of five partners from academia and industry and is funded by the European Commission's FP7 and led by BioNTech AG. TNBC is an aggressive, molecularly heterogeneous cancer that accounts for 20% of all breast cancer patients. The 5-year survival rate is less than 80%. The molecular heterogeneity across TNBCs results in a lack of common targetable molecu…

Rituximab in primary Sjögren's syndrome: a ten-year journey

2014

Primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) is an autoimmune disorder affecting exocrine glands and characterized in most cases by a rather mild clinical picture. However, a subgroup of pSS patients experience systemic extraglandular involvement leading to a worsening of disease prognosis. Current therapeutic options for the treatment of pSS are mainly empirical, often translated by other autoimmune diseases, and recent systematic reviews have highlighted the lack of evidence-based recommendations for most of the drugs commonly employed in the spectrum of extraglandular involvement. Because of the well-established role of B-lymphocytes in the pathogenesis of pSS, a B-cell targeting therapy may repres…