Under-reporting of harm in clinical trials.

Appropriate safety evaluations of anticancer drugs are crucial to assess their benefit-risk ratio. Substantial evidence shows that clinicians under-report harm in clinical trials, and at least three factors contribute to this problem: assessment of harm by clinicians might not represent the experience of patients; harm might be detected within trials, but is not reported appropriately by investigators or reporting is influenced by sponsors; and short-term follow-up might not detect long-term and potentially serious toxicities. Additionally, because of the selection of patients with good functional status in clinical trials, study results might not apply to patients treated in everyday clinical practice.

Secure patient positioning using Badillo/Trendelenburg restraint strap during robotic surgery.

Steep Trendelenburg position is routine during robotic urologic and gynecologic surgery in order to optimize exposure of the pelvis. This position requires that the patient be properly secured as to avoid any movement during the procedure. We analyzed the safety and tolerability of a reusable strap with disposable cushions used during robotic assisted radical prostatectomy.

Antihypertensive activity of Salvia elegans Vahl. (Lamiaceae): ACE inhibition and angiotensin II antagonism.

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Salvia elegans Vahl. (Lamiaceae), recognized with the popular name of "mirto" is widely used in Mexico for healing purposes, and also them as antihypertensive treatment.

Aim Of The Study: The high prevalence of this illness and the side effects of antihypertensive drugs conducted us to the evaluation of the Salvia elegans extract on angiotensin II action.

Helminth communities of loggerhead turtles (Caretta caretta) from Central and Western Mediterranean Sea: the importance of host's ontogeny.

We investigated the factors providing structure to the helminth communities of 182 loggerhead sea turtles, Caretta caretta, collected in 6 localities from Central and Western Mediterranean. Fifteen helminth taxa (10 digeneans, 4 nematodes and 1 acanthocephalan) were identified, of which 12 were specialist to marine turtles; very low numbers of immature individuals of 3 species typical from fish or cetaceans were also found. These observations confirm the hypothesis that phylogenetic factors restrict community composition to helminth species specific to marine turtles.

Balaenophilus manatorum (Ortíz, Lalana and Torres, 1992) (Copepoda: Harpacticoida) from loggerhead sea turtles, Caretta caretta, from Japan and the western Mediterranean: amended description and geographical comparison.

The ectoparasitic harpacticoid copepod, Balaenophilus manatorum (Ortíz, Lalana and Torres, 1992) (syn. Balaenophilus umigamecolus Ogawa, Matsuzaki and Misaki, 1997), has been reported on 3 species of marine turtles from the Pacific and the Mediterranean and from the West Indian manatee off Cuba in the Caribbean. The 3 available descriptions of this species were made using light microscopy.