Optimal intertemporal curative drug expenses: The case of hepatitis C in France.

We study intertemporal tradeoffs that health authorities face when considering the control of an epidemic using innovative curative medical treatments. We set up a dynamically controlled susceptible-infected-recovered (SIR) model for an epidemic in which patients can be asymptomatic, and we analyze the optimality conditions of the sequence of cure expenses decided by health authorities at the onset of the drug innovation process. We show that analytical conclusions are ambiguous because of their dependence on parameter values.

Echocardiographic Parameters Associated With Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Physical Activity in Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Survivors.

Background: Children's exposure to chemotherapeutic agents causes several long-term adverse effects but physical activity has been evidenced to be an effective strategy to improve cardiac function. This cross-sectional study aimed to explore the association between physical activity levels, cardiorespiratory fitness, and cardiac parameters measured by echocardiography.

Methods: Participants were 216n childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia survivors who underwent a maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test and self-reported their daily minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity.

Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Childhood Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Survivors.

Background: Childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia survivors' anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity could be prevented with good cardiorespiratory fitness levels and regular physical activity. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the association between cardiorespiratory fitness and physical activity with cardiac magnetic resonance parameters.

Methods: A total of 96 childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia survivors underwent a maximal cardiopulmonary exercise test and answered physical activity questionnaires.

Optimizing Initial Intrathecal Drug Ratio for Refractory Cancer-Related Pain for Early Pain Relief. A Retrospective Monocentric Study.

Objective: Intrathecal (IT) drug delivery has shown its efficiency in treating refractory cancer pain, but switching opioids from the systemic to the intrathecal route is a challenging phase. Moreover, associations are widely used and recommended. Few data deal with the initial dosage of each drug.

Prolonged perioperative thoracic epidural analgesia may improve survival after cytoreductive surgery with hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy for colorectal peritoneal metastases: A comparative study.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of prolonged perioperative thoracic epidural analgesia (PEA) on long term survival of patients who underwent a complete cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) for colorectal peritoneal metastases (CPM).

Background: Grade III-IV morbidity affects long term outcomes after CRS and HIPEC. As compared with opioid administered via patient-controlled analgesia (PCA), PEA reduces morbidity.

Rationale for Prospective Assays of Intrathecal Mixtures Including Morphine, Ropivacaine and Ziconotide: Prevention of Adverse Events and Feasibility in Clinical Practice.

Background: Use of intrathecal admixtures is widespread, but compounding these is sometimes challenging and may result in errors and complications causing super-potency or sub potency adverse events in patients or malfunctions in the pump itself.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the accuracy of compounding of intrathecal admixtures through a prospective, systematic quantitative analysis of each component of the mixture before delivery to patients.

Study Design: Observational follow up prospective study of intrathecal mixtures components concentrations before refills.

[Multicenter validation study of a questionnaire assessing patient satisfaction with and acceptance of totally-implanted central venous access devices].

Objective: Most cancer patients require a totally-implanted central venous access device (TIVAD) for their treatment. This was a prospective, multicenter, open study to: (i) develop and validate a French-language questionnaire dubbed QASICC (Questionnaire for Acceptance of and Satisfaction with Implanted Central Venous Catheter) assessing patient's satisfaction with and acceptance of their TIVAD; (ii) develop a mean score of patient's acceptance and satisfaction; (iii) look for correlation between QASICC score and TIVAD patient/tumor pathology/device characteristics.

Methods: From 2011 November to 2012 December, the first version of the QASICC questionnaire that included 27 questions assessing seven dimensions was re-tested among 998 cancer patients in eleven French cancer hospitals (eight cancer research institutes and three university/general hospitals).

SERS spectroscopic approach to study doxorubicin complexes with Fe(2+) ions and drug release from SPION-based nanocarriers.

The aim of this work is to present a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopic approach to study complexes of a frequently used antineoplastic agent, doxorubicin (DOX), with ferrous ions, at sub-micromolar concentrations in aqueous solution. The SERS bands of DOX were assigned according to critical analysis of literature. Prior to the complexation study, the spectral changes related to the drug orientation on the silver surface and to its protonation state were highlighted.

Magnetic nanocarriers of doxorubicin coated with poly(ethylene glycol) and folic acid: relation between coating structure, surface properties, colloidal stability, and cancer cell targeting.

We report the efficient one-step synthesis and detailed physicochemical evaluation of novel biocompatible nanosystems useful for cancer therapeutics and diagnostics (theranostics). These systems are the superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) carrying the anticancer drug doxorubicin and coated with the covalently bonded biocompatible polymer poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), native and modified with the biological cancer targeting ligand folic acid (PEG-FA). These multifunctional nanoparticles (SPION-DOX-PEG-FA) are designed to rationally combine multilevel mechanisms of cancer cell targeting (magnetic and biological), bimodal cancer cell imaging (by means of MRI and fluorescence), and bimodal cancer treatment (by targeted drug delivery and by hyperthermia effect).

Poly(ethylene glycol)-stabilized silver nanoparticles for bioanalytical applications of SERS spectroscopy.

The present work depicts the efficient one-step synthesis and detailed evaluation of stable aqueous colloids of silver nanoparticles (NPs) coated with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) covalently attached to their surface. Due to steric repulsion between polymer-modified surfaces, the stability of the nanoparticle suspension was preserved even at high ionic strength (0.1 M NaCl).

Intracellular applications of analytical SERS spectroscopy and multispectral imaging.

The aim of this tutorial review is to give an overview of the state of the art of intracellular applications of analytical SERS spectroscopy. We pay particular attention to nanoparticle-based SERS spectroscopy since this currently dominates the published literature on non-disturbing analysis of live cells. We describe recent advances in this domain due to the development of multispectral imaging and to the combined use of SERRS (surface-enhanced resonance Raman scattering) and fluorescence spectroscopy.

Nanovectors for anticancer agents based on superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles.

During the last decade, the application of nanotechnologies for anticancer drug delivery has been extensively explored, hoping to improve the efficacy and to reduce side effects of chemotherapy. The present review is dedicated to a certain kind of anticancer drug nanovectors developed to target tumors with the help of an external magnetic field. More particularly, this work treats anticancer drug nanoformulations based on superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles coated with biocompatible polymers.

On the interaction of doxorubicin with oleate ions: fluorescence spectroscopy and liquid-liquid extraction study.

Increase of lipophilicity of cationic doxorubicin (DOX) by its association with a fatty acid ion is of interest for pharmaceutical formulations and could have an impact on the drug delivery into cancer cells. On the basis of spectroscopic analysis of intrinsic DOX fluorescence, this study provides an experimental evidence of DOX-oleate interactions as function of ion/drug molar ratio (R) and pH. An electrostatic attraction to oleates is dominant for the cationic form of DOX (pH 6.

Differential subcellular distribution of mitoxantrone in relation to chemosensitization in two human breast cancer cell lines.

The present work investigates the relationship between cancer cell chemosensitivity and subcellular distribution, molecular interaction, and metabolism of an anticancer drug. To get insights into this relationship, we took advantage of the differential sensitivity of two breast cancer cell lines, MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7, to anthracyclines, along with the property of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6n-3), to differentially enhance their cytotoxic activity. The fluorescent drug mitoxantrone (MTX) was used because of the possibility to study its subcellular accumulation by confocal spectral imaging (CSI).

Optimization of iron oxide nanoparticles encapsulation within poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide) sub-micron particles.

This work describes a method for preparation of sub-micron poly(d,l-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) particles loaded with magnetite/maghemite nanoparticles to be used as magnetically-controlled drug delivery systems. The methodology of simple emulsion/evaporation technique has been optimized to provide greater iron oxide loading rates. The surface of iron oxide nanoparticles was coated with oleic acid (OA) for better compatibility with organic phase containing the polymer.

Conformational modifications of alpha gliadin and globulin proteins upon complex coacervates formation with gum Arabic as studied by Raman microspectroscopy.

As a molecular model of gelatin-free coacervates, complexes of pea globulin and alpha gliadin proteins with gum arabic prepared at different acidic pH values are studied using Raman microspectrometry. Raman spectra confirm higher content of beta-sheets and random coils in pea globulin and dominating alpha-helical structures in alpha gliadin. For protein-gum arabic complexes, Raman data support the existence of specific pH conditions for optimal complex coacervation (pH 2.

Molecular composition of iron oxide nanoparticles, precursors for magnetic drug targeting, as characterized by confocal Raman microspectroscopy.

The chemical and structural properties of ferrite-based nanoparticles, precursors for magnetic drug targeting, have been studied by Raman confocal multispectral imaging. The nanoparticles were synthesised as aqueous magnetic fluids by co-precipitation of ferrous and ferric salts. Dehydrated particles corresponding to co-precipitation (CP) and oxidation (OX) steps of the magnetic fluid preparation have been compared in order to establish oxidation-related Raman features.