Fatigue in patients undergoing radiation therapy: an observational study.

AIM: Fatigue can be defined as an unpleasant feeling of tiredness, weakness and lack of energy. It is found in about 80% of the patients receiving radiation therapy and has a significant impact on quality of life. The aim of this paper was to assess the frequency, severity and changes of fatigue before, during and after administration of a nutraceutical (mixture of whey protein with an high biological value, with an high content in native cysteine, albumin and lactoferrin in patients undergoing treatment for breast and prostate cancer. METHODS: Thirty patients (20 breast and 10 prostate ones) were enrolled in our test and they received a questionnaire about Fatigue developed by the University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1999. The patients who achieved a score between 4 and 6 were administered the nutraceutical (Prother) at a dose of 20 g / day for the first 10 days of radiation treatment and then 10 g/day for the following 20 days without considering the terms of the radiation oncology treatment [corrected]. Each patient was reassessed using the same Fatigue test after 10 and 30 days from the start of the administration of nutraceutical. We enrolled 30 control patients who did not receive Prother. RESULTS: The results showed the effectiveness of Prother in all patients with moderate-to-mild fatigue. CONCLUSION: The administration of Prother has therefore been effective in terms of both improving the compliance of the radiation treatment and the quality of life.

Automatic tuning of myoelectric prostheses.

This paper is concerned with the development of a software package for the automatic tuning of myoelectric prostheses. The package core consists of Fuzzy Logic Expert Systems (FLES) that embody skilled operator heuristics in the tuning of prosthesis control parameters. The prosthesis system is an artificial arm-hand system developed at the National Institute of Accidents at Work (INAIL) laboratories. The prosthesis is powered by an electric motor that is controlled by a microprocessor using myoelectric signals acquired from skin-surface electrodes placed on a muscle in the residual limb of the subject. The software package, Microprocessor Controlled Arm (MCA) Auto Tuning, is a tool for aiding both INAIL expert operators and unskilled persons in the controller parameter tuning procedure. Prosthesis control parameter setup and subsequent recurrent adjustments are fundamental for the correct working of the prosthesis, especially when we consider that myoelectric parameters may vary greatly with environmental modifications. The parameter adjustment requires the end-user to go to the manufacturer's laboratory for the control parameters setup because, generally, he/she does not have the necessary knowledge and instruments to do this at home. However, this procedure is not very practical and involves a waste of time for the technicians and uneasiness for the clients. The idea behind the MCA Auto Tuning package consists in translating technician expertise into an FLES knowledge database. The software interacts through a user-friendly graphic interface with an unskilled user, who is guided through a step-by-step procedure in the prosthesis parameter tuning that emulates the traditional expert-aided procedure. The adoption of this program on a large scale may yield considerable economic benefits and improve the service quality supplied to the users of prostheses. In fact, the time required to set the prosthesis parameters are remarkably reduced, as is the technician's working time. This is interpreted as minor costs for prostheses manufacturers and suppliers.

[Morphometric analysis of mammographic images in clinical oncology]. / L'elaborazione morfometrica di immagini mammografiche nella oncologia clinica.

The three standard projections relative to mammographies of 40 patients with breast cancer pre-operatively classified as T1-T2 were analyzed by computerized morphometric elaborations. This method si able to better define view of images, permetting pre-operative connection of staging, with an increment of 30% if confronted with histologic TNM (pTNM). The utilization of method is discussed to evaluate the best way for the local definition of tumor extension, permitting to use a correctly conservative surgery (quadrantectomy, tumorectomy) in a greater number of patients.

[Intestinal carcinoids. Clinical consideration on four cases]. / I carcinoidi intestinali. Considerazioni cliniche su quattro casi.

Four cases of intestinal carcinoids are described. Authors remake considerations about diagnosis and treatment in this field.

[New drugs in the treatment of childhood epilepsy: vigabatrin (study of 61 subjects)]. / Nuovi farmaci nella terapia dell'epilessia dell'infanzia: vigabatrin (studio di 61 soggetti).

This study was conducted to determine the efficacy of vigabatrin in children with epilepsy. Sixty-one children with various types of severe epilepsy were studied. In 12 children vigabatrin was introduced as monotherapy, while in 49 it was added to other antiepileptic drugs. Following the introduction of vigabatrin, 17 patients became seizure free, and 19 responded with a greater than 50% reduction in seizure frequency. The following types of epilepsy responded favorably to treatment (in order of decreasing efficacy): West syndrome, especially if secondary to Tuberous Sclerosis; cryptogenic and symptomatic partial epilepsy; Lennox-Gastaut syndrome, and other symptomatic generalized epilepsy. Optimal responses were found with vigabatrin doses of 30 to 50 mg/kg/day. Forty-one responders continued on vigabatrin, with generally good efficacy. Vigabatrin tolerability was good; in only 6 children was treatment discontinued because of side-effects such as somnolence, irritability, weight gain, and cutaneous rash. This study shows that vigabatrin is effective in the treatment of refractory epilepsy, especially in West syndrome secondary to Tuberous Sclerosis, partial epilepsy, and Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. Further studies are needed to analyze the increased frequency of seizures and the appearance of new seizure types associated with vigabatrin treatment.

Complete resolution of breast cancer bone metastasis through the use of beta-interferon and tamoxifen.

A case report is described referring to a patient affected by single bone metastasis to the cranium from breast cancer. A traditional pharmacological approach was tried but proved clinically disappointing, though radiological and scintigraphic investigation confirmed a complete regression of the metastasis following a combined therapy with beta-interferon and tamoxifen for six months. Results suggest that beta-interferon and tamoxifen may offer an alternative effective approach in treating metastatic breast cancer.

[Second line chemotherapy of carcinoma of the ovary. Current approaches]. / Chemioterapia di seconda linea del carcinoma ovarico. Orientamenti attuali.

In the present work, on the basis of the most recent knowledges, the Authors analyse and discuss the pharmacological and clinical aspects of the different types of second-line chemotherapeutical treatment for refractory ovarian cancer (standard single agent chemotherapy in high-dose schedules, new investigational anticancer agents, multidrugs chemotherapy, intraperitoneal chemotherapy).

[Chemotherapy of carcinoma of the endometrium. Current approaches]. / Chemioterapia del carcinoma dell'endometrio. Attuali orientamenti.

In the present work, on the basis of the most current knowledges, the Authors analyse and discuss the pharmacological and clinical aspects of the different types of chemotherapeutic treatment (single agent chemotherapy, multidrug chemotherapy, combined cytotoxic and hormonal chemotherapy) tested on patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial carcinoma.