[Ethics Committee experience during COVID-19 emergency. A brief report.].

Objective: The health crisis caused by COVID-19 required the prompt launch of research in order to generate scientific evidence pertaining to the new disease oriented to control its devastating effects and continuous spread. Therefore, it was essential to adapt the work flow of Research Ethics Committees, to prioritize and to accelerate the evaluation of projects related to this disease.

Methods: This work analyses the evaluation conducted by our Regional Ethics Committees during the initial period of the health emergency (between 13th March and 28th May 2020).

Premedication with EMLA cream for ambultory surgery in children.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to confirm the ability of EMLA(R) cream (Eutectic Mixture of Local Anaesthetics, Astra, Sweden) to provide effective dermal analgesia after topical application on the skin of the dorsum of the hand 1 h before venous cannulation for anaesthetic induction. Material and Methods: Prospective, randomized, double blind study. We included 100 children, ASA I-III, distributed into three groups: Group EMLA (E, n=34), Placebo (P, n=33) and Control (C, n=33).

Effects of fluoxetine on the development of lung metastases induced by operative stress in rats.

Experiments were performed in order to evaluate the effects of fluoxetine, a selective inhibitor of neural serotonin transporter antidepressant, on the development lung metastases in rats subjected to laparotomy and injected (i.v.) with 10(4) Walker 256 (W-256) carcinosarcoma cells.

Effects of amphetamine on the development of Moloney sarcoma virus-induced tumors in mice.

Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of amphetamine (0. 4 mg/kg) on the development of autochthonous tumors induced by the Moloney sarcoma virus (MSV) in Balb/c female mice. Enhancement of MSV-induced tumor incidence and tumor growth was observed, together with a delay in the usual prompt regression of the tumors, when mice were daily injected with amphetamine for 3 days after MSV-inoculation.