Quality of life in women with breast cancer undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy: comparison between PICC and PICC-port.

Background: Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) and new type of arm-port, the PICC-port, are currently used for neoadjuvant chemotherapy treatment in patients with breast cancer. We aimed to compare Quality of Life (QoL) of patients receiving one of these two devices investigating overall satisfaction, psychological impact, as well as the impact on professional, social and sport activities, and local discomfort.

Methods: We did a prospective observational before-after study of PICCs versus PICC-ports.

Intravenous administration to rabbits of non-stealth and stealth doxorubicin-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles at increasing concentrations of stealth agent: pharmacokinetics and distribution of doxorubicin in brain and other tissues.

The pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of doxorubicin incorporated in non-stealth solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) and in stealth solid lipid nanoparticles (SSLN) (three formulations at increasing concentrations of stearic acid-PEG 2000 as stealth agent) after intravenous administration to conscious rabbits have been studied. The control was the commercial doxorubicin solution. The experiments lasted 6 h and blood samples were collected at fixed times after the injections.

Pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution of idarubicin-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles after duodenal administration to rats.

Idarubicin-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (IDA-SLN) and idarubicin in solution were prepared and the two formulations were administered to rats, either by the duodenal route or intravenously (iv). The aim of this research was to study whether the bioavailability of idarubicin can be improved by administering IDA-SLN duodenally to rats. Idarubicin and its main metabolite idarubicinol were determined in plasma and tissues by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography.

Transmucosal transport of tobramycin incorporated in solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) after duodenal administration to rats. Part II--tissue distribution.

Tobramycin-loaded solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) were prepared and administered by duodenal and intravenous (i.v.) routes to rats and the tissue distributions were determined successively at fixed times (30 min, 4 h and 24 h) and compared to those of the tobramycin solution after i.

Transmucosal transport of tobramycin incorporated in SLN after duodenal administration to rats. Part I--a pharmacokinetic study.

Tobramycin-loaded solid lipid nanospheres (SLN) were prepared and administered to rats into the duodenum; their behaviour was compared to that of tobramycin-loaded SLN administered intravenously (i.v.).