Population Pharmacokinetics of Gemcitabine and dFdU in Pancreatic Cancer Patients Using an Optimal Design, Sparse Sampling Approach.

Background: Gemcitabine remains a pillar in pancreatic cancer treatment. However, toxicities are frequently observed. Dose adjustment based on therapeutic drug monitoring might help decrease the occurrence of toxicities.

FFCD-1004 Clinical Trial: Impact of Cytidine Deaminase Activity on Clinical Outcome in Gemcitabine-Monotherapy Treated Patients.

Purpose: Because cytidine deaminase (CDA) is the key enzyme in gemcitabine metabolism, numerous studies have attempted to investigate impact of CDA status (i.e. genotype or phenotype) on clinical outcome.

Differential expression and regulation of ADAM17 and TIMP3 in acute inflamed intestinal epithelia.

The acute phase of Crohn's disease (CD) is characterized by a large afflux of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNL) into the mucosa and by the release of TNF-alpha. Conversion of inactive TNF-alpha into an active form requires the cleavage of a transmembrane TNF-alpha precursor by the TNF-alpha-converting enzyme (ADAM17), a protease mainly regulated by the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 3 (TIMP3). The aim of the present study was to investigate in an in vitro model of PMNL transepithelial migration and in the intestinal mucosa of patients with CD the expression and regulation of ADAM17 and TIMP3 in intestinal epithelial cells (IEC).

Phase II study of paclitaxel combined with capecitabine as second-line treatment for advanced gastric carcinoma after failure of cisplatin-based regimens.

Purpose: To determine the safety and the efficacy of paclitaxel and capecitabine as second-line combination chemotherapy after failure of platinum regimens in advanced gastric cancer.

Methods: Patients with histologically proven gastric cancer and measurable metastatic disease received capecitabine 825 mg/m(2) twice daily (1,650 mg/m(2) per day) on days 1-14 and paclitaxel 175 mg/m(2) by intravenous infusion on day 1 every 3 weeks until disease progression or unacceptable toxicities.

Results: Between June 2003 and October 2005, 26 patients, of median age 59 years (range 41-84 years) were included in the study and were treated by paclitaxel/capecitabine combination.

Incidence of inflammatory bowel disease in Corsica from 2002 to 2003.

Objectives: The aim of this prospective epidemiological study was to determine the incidence of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) in Corsica using the same methodology as that of the EPIMAD registry.

Methods: Between January 1st, 2002 and December 31, 2003, all gastroenterologists in Corsica (N=19) enrolled patients consulting for the first time with clinical symptoms compatible with IBD. Each case was reviewed by another expert gastroenterologist to assign a diagnosis of definite, probable, possible Crohn's disease (CD), ulcerative colitis (UC) or unclassified/able chronic colitis.

[Cancer of an ectopic pancreas in the duodenal wall].

Ectopic pancreas is defined as pancreatic tissue outside the normal location of the pancreas. It can be affected by the same complications as the orthotopic pancreas, such as adenocarcinoma. This extremely rare complication (only 14 published cases) may have a better prognosis that adenocarcinoma of an orthotopic pancreas.

The severity of liver fibrosis is associated with high leptin levels in chronic hepatitis C.

Recent attention has focused on the liver profibrogenic role of leptin in animal models. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the role of leptin and TNF-alpha in the severity of liver fibrosis in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC). We used a radioimmunoassay to determine serum leptin concentrations in 77 consecutive patients with CHC and 22 healthy controls.