The development of a protocol for the use of 5-HT3 antagonists in chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of three 5-HT3 antagonists in routine clinical practice. The ultimate aim was to develop an antiemetic protocol, selecting a single 5-HT3 antagonist. Each of the drugs was studied for a 4-month period and data was collected from patients on nausea, vomiting (both acute and delayed) and side-effects by means of a diary card.

Intense p53 staining is a valuable prognostic indicator for poor prognosis in medulloblastoma/central nervous system primitive neuroectodermal tumors.

Unlabelled: Intense p53 immunostaining may predict for a poor prognosis in central nervous system primitive neuroectodermal tumor of childhood.

Background: Medulloblastoma is a common childhood primary brain tumor. Potential prognostic indicators for patients with local disease are age, extent of resection, and gender.

Evaluation of beta-endorphin/beta-lipotropin immunoreactivity content in the CSF of patients affected by deafferentation pain syndromes.

Beta-endorphin/beta-lipotropin immunoreactivity (BE/BLPH-IR) content was evaluated in the CSF of patients suffering by deafferentation pain syndromes. BE/BLPH-IR CSF concentrations of these patients were compared with those obtained in a group of patients affected by low back pain and in a control group without pain problems. No statistically significant variation in BE/BLPH-IR levels were found between controls and subjects with different types of chronic pain.

Calcium antagonists inhibit met-enkephalin immunoreactive material release: in vitro and ex vivo experiments.

Depolarizing stimuli increase the release of neurotransmitter met-enkephalin from rat striatal slices. Bay K8644, a calcium agonist, significantly enhances the submaximal release of this peptide. Several organic calcium antagonists, including nimodipine, nifedipine, nicardipine, gallopamil and flunarizine, are able to inhibit the potassium-evoked met-enkephalin release both in vitro and ex vivo.