Phase I investigation of recombinant anti-human vascular endothelial growth factor antibody in patients with advanced cancer.

We assessed the tolerability, safety, pharmacokinetics and dose-limiting toxicity (DLT) of the recombinant humanized IgG4 anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) monoclonal antibody, HuMV833, in patients with advanced cancer. Cohorts of patients with progressive solid tumours received escalating doses of HuMV833 as a 1-h intravenous (I.V.

Clinical use of injectable bovine collagen: a decade of experience.

Bovine collagen has long been recognized as a safe, highly biocompatible material. In 1981 and 1985, two injectable fibrillar suspensions of purified bovine dermal collagen, Zyderm and Zyplast collagen implant, were commercially launched in the USA for use in soft tissue contour irregularities. Since that time more than 750 000 patients have been treated with Zyderm and/or Zyplast collagen implants internationally.

Hematologic effects of nitrous oxide in surgical patients.

Nitrous oxide can cause hematologic abnormalities, including death, if it is administered for several days. However, the adverse hematologic effects of its use for surgical anesthesia are unclear. Accordingly, we have studied the hematologic responses of patients undergoing procedures involving hematologic stress or prolonged anesthesia with and without nitrous oxide.

Effect of nitrous oxide on folate and vitamin B12 metabolism in patients.

Exposure to nitrous oxide (N2O) markedly enhances excretion of formic acid and formiminoglutamic acid (FIGLU) in the urine of rats, suggesting a disruption in the normal pathways of folic acid metabolism secondary to an N2O-induced inactivation of methionine synthase. We tested whether surgical patients (23 having total hip replacements and 26 having resection of acoustic neuromas) exposed to isoflurane alone or combined with N2O responded similarly. We found no increase in urinary formic acid and FIGLU in patients exposed to N2O for hip replacement, but a small, transient increase in the FIGLU-to-creatinine ratio in those undergoing resection of acoustic neuromas (mean duration of anesthesia = 9.

Nitrous oxide does not impair hepatic function in young or old surgical patients.

We investigated whether anesthesia including nitrous oxide (N2O) caused hepatic injury, and whether any adverse effect of N2O was affected by patient age. One hundred patients having total hip replacements were randomly assigned to a regimen that included or excluded N2O (50%-60%) during regional anesthesia supplemented with isoflurane and intravenous adjuvants. Using postoperative plasma levels of alanine aminotransferase, bilirubin, and alkaline phosphatase 1 and 3 days after surgery as indicators of hepatic impairment, we found no evidence that N2O causes hepatic injury in either young or old patients.