摘要:

Breast cancer death certification rates in Italy showed a consistent geographic variation, with approximately a 2-fold ratio between the highest rates registered in Northern (and richer) regions, and the lowest ones in the South. This variation in breast cancer mortality was positively and strongly correlated with mean age at first birth (r = +0.73). This positive correlation could not be totally explained by several other economic or dietary variables considered, though some of them substantially reduced the strength of the association. Breast cancer mortality rates were found to be positively correlated with milk, meat and sugar consumption, and negatively with pasta, thus confirming previous studies on national or international scales. These correlation coefficients, however, were considerably reduced after controlling for mean age at first birth. Further, when allowance was made for economic variables and age at first birth, only the correlation coefficients for milk and cheese remained significantly positive. Thus, the evidence from this study suggests that the Italian geographical correlations between breast cancer mortality and dietary variables may be largely explained in terms of reproductive factors, though there may be some effect of dietary variables on breast cancer risk as well.

ISSN:0030-2414    

DOI:10.1159/000226094

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1986

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

European mistletoe (Viscum album L.) is a hemiparasitic plant growing on different host trees. According to host specifity three different races can be distinguished. The plant is dioecious with very reduced male and female flowers. The life cycle of V. album is described starting from seed germination to the development of the leaves. The parasitism affords special adaptation to mineral nutrition.

ISSN:0030-2414    

DOI:10.1159/000226413

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1986

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

The effect of tamoxifen (TAM) on the serum levels of sexual hormones and on the sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) was investigated in 30 postmenopausal patients with advanced breast cancer. To study the ‘prolactin reserve capacity’ of the pituitary gland, thyrotrophin-releasing hormone (TRH) and sulpiride-induced prolactin release were measured prior to TAM treatment, then in the 2nd and 8th week of the therapy. The TRH (400 μg i.v.)-induced prolactin secretion was significantly suppressed by TAM after an 8-week treatment, but only in responding cases. Maximal prolactin stimulation occurred at the 15th min after TRH injection, being equal to 5,600 ± 800 mlU/l in cancer patients, and decreasing to 2,400 ± 150 mlU/l after 8 weeks. TAM did not suppress the sulpiride-inducable prolactin release either in responders or in nonrespo

ISSN:0030-2414    

DOI:10.1159/000226095

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1986

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

Polysaccharides are possibly involved in the pharmacological effects of Viscum album (mistletoe) extracts, which are used in cancer therapy. Therefore the water-soluble polysaccharides of the fresh plant and the fermented proprietary preparation Iscador® were isolated and characterized inter alia by methylation analysis, partial hydrolysis and C-13-NMR spectroscopy. The main polysaccharide of the green parts of Viscum is a highly esterified galacturonan whereas in Viscum ‘berries’ a complex arabinogalactan is predominant. Both types of these constituents were found in Iscador but with definite changes in molecular weight and structure. An interaction between the arabinogalactan and the galactose-specific lectin (ML I) in Viscum could be demonstrated. In three immunological tests (granulocyte, chemiluminescence, carbon clearance test) the polysaccharides failed to increase phagocytic activity of granulocytes and macroph

ISSN:0030-2414    

DOI:10.1159/000226414

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1986

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

Thirty-six patients with advanced/recurrent epithelial ovarian carcinoma were treated with a combination of hexamethylmelamine, cyclophosphamide, adriamycin, and cis5 cm) disease prior to initiation of chemotherapy and remained disease-free at 22 and 50 months. One of the 6 patients relapsed 5 months after a negative second look. The other patients were alive and disease-free at 18, 46, and 51 months. Only 4 of 13 melphalan-resistant patients (31%) demonstrated an objective response to the 4-drug combination. The median survival was 13 mon

ISSN:0030-2414    

DOI:10.1159/000226096

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1986

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

The newly isolated phenylpropanoids syringin, syringenin-apiosylglucoside, eleutheroside E and the high molecular lectins and viscotoxins were selected for a standardization of mistletoe extracts and drug preparation. The phenylpropanoids found in all alcoholic and aqueous extracts were suitable for an HPLC fingerprint analysis, and for quantitative determination. The lectin content of the drug preparations was determined by single radial immunodiffusion. As shown by the isoelectric focussing method, Iscador® and fermented mistletoe extracts contain only the mistletoe lectins ML II/III, whereas the proteins of the ML I complex are missing. For identification and quantitative determination of viscotoxins, an HPLC method was designed

ISSN:0030-2414    

DOI:10.1159/000226416

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1986

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

Twenty-one patients with previously untreated acute leukemia were treated with a combination chemotherapy of 120–200 mg/m2 of aclacinomycin A (ACM-A) in five divided daily doses and behenoyl-arabinofuranosylcytosine (BH-AC) 200–250 mg/m2 for 7 days at Saitama Cancer Center between April 1980 and July 1983. Complete remission was obtained in 12 of 21 patients (57.1%; M1 0/1, M2 10/10, M3 0/2, M4 1/3, leukemic transformation from sideroblastic anemia 0/1, refractory anemia with excess of blasts in transformation 1/2, chronic myelomonocytic leukemia 0/1). Seven of 9 patients who failed to have complete remission were crossed over to a combination chemotherapy of daunorubicin (DNR) plus BH-AC or cytosine arabinoside (ara-C), or single DNR for patients with M3, yielding complete remission in 5 patients. Seven patients received a total cumulative dose of more than 600 mg/m2 of ACM-A. The maximum dose given was 2,000 mg/m2. No congestive heart failure has yet been experienced. The median survival time was 12 months. These results have demonstrated that a combination of ACM-A and BH-AC shows almost equivalent activity with that of a standard induction therapy consisting of DNR plus ara-C. In addition, it was suggested that ACM-A plus BH-AC could be incorporated into reinforcement therapy because of supposedly less cardiac toxic

ISSN:0030-2414    

DOI:10.1159/000226097

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1986

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

Antitumor immune response to colorectal cancer extract was tested by the tube leukocyte adherence inhibition (LAI) assay. Of 70 colorectal cancer patients, 38 (54%) were LAI-positive. In contrast, 15 of 159 (9%) healthy individuals and 2 of 28 (7%) patients with nonmalignant diseases were positive. The LAI activity disappeared a few months after surgery and remained negative in patients with no evidence of disease as well as in patients with disseminated progressed disease. A change of LAI from negative to positive during the follow up period correlated in some cases with the recurrence of the disease, but was observed also in cases with no clinical evidence of disease.

ISSN:0030-2414    

DOI:10.1159/000226098

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1986

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

The antiemetic effect of graded, single high-dose intravenous dexamethasone was studied in 27 patients receiving combination chemotherapy with either doxorubicin (50 mg/m2) or cis-platinum (100 mg/m2). A total of 57 cycles were individually evaluated, utilizing a detailed rating system. Nausea and vomiting did not occur in 20 of 57 cycles; in 17, the chemotherapy was doxorubicin-based, and in 3 it was cis-platinum-based. Of the 37 cycles associated with nausea and vomiting, 32 contained Cis-platinum and 5 doxorubicin. The average dexamethasone dosages for doxorubicin and platinum-containing combinations were 40 and 95 mg/m2, respectively. Side effects included a dose-dependent sensation of perineal pruritis (11 patients, 17 cycles) lasting for serveral minutes, and subjective feelings of increased appetite and well-being. Dexamethasone administered intravenously 15 min prior to chemotherapy in a dose of 40 mg/m2 apparently provides highly effective antiemetic protection for patients receiving treatment cycles containing doxorubicin; however, for patients receiving regimens containing cis-platinum, the antiemetic effect of dexamethasone as a single agent is limited.

ISSN:0030-2414    

DOI:10.1159/000226099

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1986

数据来源: Karger

摘要:

We evaluated changes in serum albumin concentrations in 15 patients with advanced malignancy who were also receiving cisplatin. All 15 patients had serial measurements of serum albumin. The decrease in serum albumin from the time of the first dose of cisplatin to death correlated with liver platinum levels at autopsy (r = 0.46, p 1.5 μg/g was 1.0 + 0.45 g/dl (range 0.5–1.9; p < 0.02). The decrease in serum albumin may be secondary to a hepatotoxic effect of ci

ISSN:0030-2414    

DOI:10.1159/000226100

出版商:S. Karger AG    

年代:1986

数据来源: Karger