Publications by authors named "Martino R"

Background And Objective: The combination of high or intermediate-dose cyclophosphamide (CY) plus granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) is useful to mobilize hematopoietic progenitor cells to peripheral blood, but the patients require hospitalization. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of low-dose CY plus G-CSF (5 ug/kg/day s.c.

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The use of fluorinated quinolones for prophylaxis of infections in neutropenic cancer patients has led to a reduction of infections with gram-negative enteric bacilli, but there is concern about the emergence of antibiotic-resistant entero-bacterial infections and a rise of gram-positive bacteremias. Due to these concerns, in mid-1995 the use of prophylactic norfloxacin was discontinued in our unit. In order to evaluate the impact of this measure on the infectious morbidity in our unit, 91 severe neutropenic episodes in 58 patients with hematologic malignancies who did not receive norfloxacin prophylaxis (NO group) were closely matched to 91 episodes in 60 patients who received norfloxacin prophylaxis (NORFLO group).

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Phosphorus-31 NMR spectroscopy was used to analyze urine samples from patients treated with cyclophosphamide (CP) on 2 consecutive days. CP and all of its known phosphorylated metabolites except the tautomeric pair 4-hydroxycyclophosphamide/aldophosphamide, i.e.

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Over a 9-year period 37 consecutive adults with primary refractory (n = 13) or first relapse of ALL (n = 24) received an intensive salvage chemotherapy regimen with the final intention of undergoing stem cell transplantation (SCT). Twenty-nine patients who achieved complete remission (CR) were assigned to receive autologous SCT (autoSCT) or allogeneic SCT (alloSCT) based on age and availability of a histocompatible sibling. Of the 19 patients assigned to autoSCT, 10 did not reach the transplant due to early relapse (n = 9) or fungal infection (n = 1), and nine were transplanted a median of 2.

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We report nine cases of Achromobacter xylosoxidans bacteremia diagnosed in patients with hematologic malignancies. There was not an obvious epidemiologic link between cases and the organism was not isolated from any source. Outcome was cure in all nine cases.

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Infections by Aeromonas spp. are a rare cause of systemic infection in normal and immunocompromised hosts. We report the cases of two patients with acute non-lymphoblastic leukemia who developed septic shock by Aeromonas species with unusual soft-tissue complications.

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Electron microscopy can be used to establish diagnoses in some otherwise difficult cases of neoplasia, but it is not generally regarded as important in the diagnosis of lymphoma. However, in some cases of anaplastic tumors not initially recognized as lymphomas, electron microscopy can prove quite valuable. Two cases are reported in which lymphoma was not suspected on the basis of the histologic findings, but was diagnosed by electron microscopy.

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A 40-year-old woman with acute myeloid leukemia in first remission developed pure red cell aplasia after a T cell-depleted ABO-incompatible bone marrow transplant from her HLA-identical sister. She remained transfusion-dependent for 11 months despite conversion of the ABO blood group to donor type, and titers of anti-donor isohemagglutinin being undetectable. Treatment with erythropoietin resulted in rapid improvement of the anemia with no further need for transfusions up to 21 months post-transplant.

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We report the first demonstration of the biotransformation of the anti-cancer drug 5-fluorouracil (FU) into two new metabolites, alpha-fluoro-beta-hydroxypropionic acid (FHPA) and fluoroacetate (FAC), in the isolated perfused rat liver (IPRL) and in the rat in vivo. IPRL was perfused with solutions of pure FU at two doses, 15 or 45 mg kg(-1) body weight, and rats were injected i.p.

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The serum alpha-tocopherol levels were determined in a group of 182 patients with hematological neoplasms: 87 lymphoid or myeloid leukemias, 65 lymphomas and 30 myelomas. The levels did not differ from those of controls, when compared either globally or for diagnosis. Low alpha-tocopherol serum levels were observed in 6 patients (3.

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Based on previous experiences in animals and humans, low doses of CD8+ lymphocytes infused together with the marrow graft seem to enhance engraftment after allogeneic T cell-depleted marrow transplantation. From April 1994 to February 1997, 12 patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia in first chronic phase receiving a bone marrow transplant (BMT) from an HLA-identical sibling were included in a pilot study of T cell subset depletion. Total depletion of CD4+ cells of the marrow graft and partial depletion of CD8+ cells was performed by immunomagnetic separation.

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We compared the use of low-dose G-CSF (50 microg/m2/day), following salvage chemotherapy, for mobilization of PBSC with the results obtained in a comparable historical control group who received a standard dose of G-CSF (5 microg/kg/day, approximately 200 microg/m2/day). Thirty adult patients with relapsed or refractory lymphoma were treated with ifosfamide, VP-16, intermediate-dose Ara-C, methylprednisolone (IAPVP-16) and G-CSF 5 microg/kg/day (group A, n = 15) or 50 microg/m2/day (group B, n = 15) from day 6 until the end of leukaphereses. The duration of neutropenia and thrombocytopenia were equal in both groups.

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This study is a reply to a paper in this journal reporting on the chemical instability of ifosfamide (IF) (Drug Metab. Dispos. 23, 433-437, 1995).

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Background: Patients with hematologic malignancies and a history of an invasive fungal infection are considered to be at high risk of suffering reactivation of the infection during subsequent intensive chemotherapy.

Patients And Methods: From January 1993 to September 1996, nine patients with a hematologic malignancy and previous invasive pulmonary aspergillosis (IPA) or Pseudallescheria boydii pneumonia and five with invasive candidiasis received further intensive chemotherapy (n = 3) or a bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell transplant (n = 11) four days to 13 months (median three months) from the start of therapy for the fungal infection. Five patients with IPA and all five with invasive candidiasis showed complete or good partial radiologic resolution of the infection with the primary antifungal therapy given, which was continued before, during and after the period(s) of subsequent neutropenia.

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We studied the effects of 5-ethynyluracil (GW776), a potent inactivator of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase, on the metabolism of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), in particular with respect to formation of the toxic compounds fluoroacetate (FAC) and 2-fluoro-3-hydroxypropionic acid (FHPA), using fluorine-19 nuclear magnetic resonance and the isolated perfused rat liver model. Livers were perfused with 5-FU alone at a dose of 15 mg kg(-1) body weight or with 5-FU + GW776 at doses of 15 mg 5-FU kg(-1) body weight and 0.5 mg GW776 kg(-1) body weight injected 1 h before 5-FU.

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Phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy was used to evaluate the stability of carboxycyclophosphamide (CXCP) and carboxyifosfamide (CXIF) in human urine at pH 7.0 and 5.5 at 25 degrees, 8 degrees, -20 degrees, and -80 degrees C.

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The authors report their experience in the treatment of 179 cases of colonic neoplasm between January 1985 and August 1992. Particularly, they emphasize the advantages of one-stage colectomy with anastomosis because of an obstructing carcinoma of the left colon, used on 41 cases. This treatment can be practicable by using the intraoperative "wash-out" technique.

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Over a 6 year period we have seen two cases of tuberculosis among 118 allogeneic and 237 autologous bone marrow (BMT) or peripheral blood transplants. Both patients had received an HLA-identical related allogeneic BMT. The first case suffered from extensive chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and developed pulmonary tuberculosis 19 months after BMT.

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