Evaluation of the copper(II) reduction assay using bathocuproinedisulfonic acid disodium salt for the total antioxidant capacity assessment: the CUPRAC-BCS assay.

There is heightened interest in determining antioxidant status of individuals in experimental and clinical studies investigating progression of diseases or diverse aspects of oxidative stress, among others. The aim of this study was to evaluate the copper(II) reduction assay with bathocuproinedisulfonic acid disodium salt as chelating agent (the CUPRAC-BCS assay) for the total antioxidant capacity (TAC) assessment in human plasma and urine. Samples from 20 individuals were determined with four spectrophotometric assays-CUPRAC-BCS, ferric reducing ability of plasma (FRAP), trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC), and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl assay (DPPH)-to compare these methods.

Relationship between oxidative and occupational stress and aging in nurses of an intensive care unit.

Stressful conditions lead to formation of excessive reactive oxygen species (ROS) and cause oxidative stress and aging. The aim of this study was to determine superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activity, and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in nurses of a hospital intensive care unit according to demographic and occupational parameters, and to analyse the relationship with aging. Thirty-two nurses working in an intensive care unit and 35 aged-matched healthy individuals of both sexes as a control group were surveyed.

Efficacy of sequential high-dose doxorubicin and ifosfamide compared with standard-dose doxorubicin in patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma: an open-label randomized phase II study of the Spanish group for research on sarcomas.

Purpose: To assess the progression-free survival (PFS) and antitumor response to standard-dose doxorubicin compared with sequential dose-dense doxorubicin and ifosfamide in first-line treatment of advanced soft tissue sarcoma.

Patients And Methods: Patients with measurable advanced soft tissue sarcoma, Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (PS) < 2, between the ages 18 and 65 years, and with adequate bone marrow, liver, and renal function were entered in the study. The stratifications were: ECOG PS (0 v 1), location of metastases, and potentially resectable disease.

Bevacizumab in combination with metronomic chemotherapy in patients with anthracycline- and taxane-refractory breast cancer.

A vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitor might enhance metronomic chemotherapy in previously treated metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients. Anthracycline and taxane refractory MBC patients were given cyclophosphamide 50 mg p.o.

A new approach to qualitative analysis of organophosphorus pesticide residues in cucumber using a double gas chromatographic system: GC-pulsed-flame photometry and retention time locking GC-mass spectrometry.

A qualitative method for the screening of organophosphorus pesticides (OPs) that could present in different types of vegetables has been established and validated. A typical multi-residue extraction procedure of OPs using ethyl acetate and sodium sulphate has been applied. No clean-up was required after extraction, and concentrated extracts were analysed by gas chromatography with pulsed-flame photometric detection (GC-PFPD).

Phase II Clinical Trial With Pegylated Liposomal Doxorubicin (CAELYX(R)/Doxil(R)) and Quality of Life Evaluation (EORTC QLQ-C30) in Adult Patients With Advanced Soft Tissue Sarcomas: A study of the Spanish Group for Research in Sarcomas (GEIS).

Background: Pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD), a formulation with pharmacokinetic differences with respect to doxorubicin (DXR), might benefit patients with advanced soft tissue sarcoma (STS) pretreated with DXR.

Patients And Methods: Patients with measurable and progressive STS received PLD at 35 mg/(2) every 3 weeks. Quality of life before and during treatment was assessed with EORTC QLQ-C30.

Primary neuroendocrine small cell undifferentiated carcinoma of the parotid gland.

Neuroendocrine small cell carcinoma is a malignant neoplasm that most frequently arises in the lung. Salivary gland involvement is rare, and the parotid is the main gland affected. We describe the fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology findings, the immunophenotypical study and the differential diagnosis of a small cell carcinoma that presented in the parotid of a 91-year-old man.

Measuring schizophrenia remission in clinical practice.

Objective: To evaluate reliability and validity of the short forms (SF) assessment of positive (SAPS) and negative (SANS) symptoms scales.

Methods: In 235 Spanish schizophrenia outpatients, accuracy of the SF for measuring clinical remission (for at least 6 months) was assessed in comparison with the standard forms.

Results: For the SF overall score, Cronbach's alpha was 0.

Serum amyloid A: a typical acute-phase reactant in rainbow trout?

Acute serum amyloid A (A-SAA) has been considered a major acute-phase reactant and an effector of innate immunity in all vertebrates. The work presented here shows that the expression of A-SAA is strongly induced in a wide variety of immune-relevant tissues in rainbow trout, either naturally infected with Flavobacterium psychrophilum or challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or CpG oligonucleotides (CpG ODN). Nevertheless, A-SAA was undetectable by Western blot either in the plasma or in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) of infected or challenged fish, using either an anti-mouse SAA1 IgG or an anti-trout A-SAA peptide serum, which recognise both the intact recombinant trout A-SAA and fragments derived from it.

Cost-effectiveness of citicoline versus conventional treatment in acute ischemic stroke.

In the framework of an integral assessment (effectiveness and cost) of the use of neuroprotection in stroke, a cost-effectiveness study was conducted to compare the potential advantages of citicoline with conventional therapy (without neuroprotection or placebo) in patients with acute ischemic stroke. The literature was searched for systematic reviews and meta-analyses evaluating the effectiveness of citicoline versus placebo in the hospital setting and during 12 weeks after discharge from hospital. Data on the use of resources were obtained from a panel of experts of four acute-care teaching hospitals in Spain.

[Development and validation of the Social Functioning Scale, short version, in schizophrenia for its use in the clinical practice].

Introduction: The Social Functioning Scale (SFS) was designed to evaluate social functioning essential to schizophrenic patients. Its length may be difficult to use in clinical practice. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a short version of the SFS.

Lipid peroxidation and antioxidant enzyme activities in vascular and Alzheimer dementias.

It has been reported that oxidative stress may play a role in the pathogenesis of dementia of the Alzheimer type (AD) and the cerebral ischemia which causes vascular dementia (VD). We measured malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx) and glutathione reductase (GR) activities in blood samples from patients with AD and VD and in healthy non-demented controls (CTR) which similar ages to the patients, in order to evaluate the degree of oxidative stress in patients with AD and VD. A sample of 150 subjects consisting of 50 patients with AD; 50 patients with VD and 50 CTR, aged from 65 to 85 years on, was analyzed.

Copper/zinc superoxide dismutase activity in newborns & young people in Spain.

Background & Objective: There is evidence that reactive oxygen species (ROS) plays an important role in the pathophysiology of many paediatric disorders. We carried out this study to see whether superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity was associated with age, sex and rural or urban status in three groups of Spanish people (newborns, children and young).

Methods: SOD activity was measured in red blood cells in newborns, children and young Spanish people (n=1212, divided in six groups) using the Minami and Yoshikawa method.

Apolipoprotein A-I, an antimicrobial protein in Oncorhynchus mykiss: evaluation of its expression in primary defence barriers and plasma levels in sick and healthy fish.

Antimicrobial proteins and peptides play an important role in the primary defence barriers in vertebrates and invertebrates. In a previous study it was shown that high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and its major apolipoproteins, ApoA-I and ApoA-II display antimicrobial activity in the carp (Cyprinus carpio L.).

Gemcitabine plus vinorelbine versus vinorelbine monotherapy in patients with metastatic breast cancer previously treated with anthracyclines and taxanes: final results of the phase III Spanish Breast Cancer Research Group (GEICAM) trial.

Background: We aimed to compare the additional benefit of gemcitabine when combined with vinorelbine above that of standard vinorelbine treatment in patients with metastatic breast cancer.

Methods: In this phase III, multicentre, open-label, randomised study, 252 women with locally recurrent and metastatic breast cancer who had been pretreated with anthracyclines and taxanes were randomly assigned single-agent vinorelbine (30 mg/m(2), days 1 and 8) or gemcitabine plus vinorelbine (1200/30 mg/m(2), days 1 and 8). Both study treatments were administered intravenously every 21 days until disease progression, unacceptable toxic effects, or stoppage at the request of investigator or patient.

Phase II Trial of Doxorubicin Plus Escalated High-Dose Ifosfamide in Patients With Advanced Soft Tissue Sarcomas of the Adult: A Study of the Spanish Group for Research on Sarcomas (GEIS).

Background. To explore the tolerance and the activity of high-dose ifosfamide (IFOS) combined with doxorubicin (DXR) at 50 mg/m(2) every 4 weeks in patients with soft tissue sarcomas. Methods.

Lipid peroxidation in Down syndrome caused by regular trisomy 21, trisomy 21 by Robertsonian translocation and mosaic trisomy 21.

Background: It has been suggested that an increase in oxidative stress in individuals with Down syndrome (DS) may cause adverse effects in the cell membranes through the oxidation of polyunsatured fatty acids.

Methods: We examined erythrocyte malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in 100 individuals of both sexes (34 males and 66 females) with DS, aged from newborn to 29 years. The cytogenetic analysis revealed 90 individuals with regular trisomy 21, four individuals with trisomy 21 by Robertsonian (Rb) translocation, and six individuals with mosaic trisomy 21.

Circulating tumoral cells lack circadian-rhythm in hospitalized metastasic breast cancer patients.

Background: The relationship between breast cancer and circadian rhythm variation has been extensively studied. Increased breast tumorigenesis has been reported in melatonin-suppressed experimental models and in observational studies.

Objectives: Circulating Tumor Cells (CTC) circadian- rhythm may optimize the timing of therapies.

Significance of the immunohistochemical detection of lymph node micrometastases in stage II colorectal carcinoma.

Background: Survival results of stage II colorectal cancer patients have led to major efforts to identify the subset of patients at risk for disease relapse and adjuvant therapies benefit. Immunohistochemistry is being explored to detect undetectable microscopic lymph node micrometastases.

Material And Methods: A retrospective analysis of a 105 consecutive stage II colorectal cancer patients was performed.

Phase I/II trial of doxorubicin and fixed dose-rate infusion gemcitabine in advanced soft tissue sarcomas: a GEIS study.

The aim of the study was to determine the dose-limiting toxicity and maximum tolerated dose of a first-line combination of doxorubicin and gemcitabine in adult patients with advanced soft tissue sarcomas and to explore its activity and toxicity, and the presence of possible interactions between these agents. Patients with measurable disease were initially treated with doxorubicin 60 mg m(-2) by i.v.

Lipid peroxidation, occupational stress and aging in workers of a prehospital emergency service.

Background: Stressful conditions lead to formation of excessive free radicals, and lipid peroxidation is one of the major outcomes of free radical-mediated injury that directly damages membranes and generates a number of secondary products.

Objectives: To determine the levels of malondialdehyde, an end product of lipid peroxidation, according to demographic and occupational variables in workers of a prehospital emergency service and to analyse the relationship between malondialdehyde levels and burnout.

Material And Methods: One hundred and eleven healthy workers of a prehospital emergency service and eighty aged-matched healthy individuals of both sexes as a control group were surveyed.