Reviews on Recent Clinical Trials - Volume 3, Issue 2, 2008

End stage kidney disease (ESKD) is associated with a 10- to 20-fold increased risk of cardiovascular mortality compared with age- and sex-matched controls without CKD. In spite of this marked increase in risk, the vast majority of cardiovascular intervention clinical trials to date have specifically excluded subjects with CKD. The aim of this paper is to critically review the recently published clinical trial evidence that cardiac outcom Read More

Widespread reliance on animal models during preclinical research and toxicity testing assumes their reasonable predictivity for human outcomes. However, of 20 published systematic reviews examining human clinical utility, located during a comprehensive literature search, animal models demonstrated significant potential to contribute toward the development of clinical interventions in only two cases, one of which was co Read More

Objectives: To address the rationale for anti-angiogenic targeted therapies in advanced RCC. Methods: We reviewed the international recent literature, using Pubmed search. Results: RCC is genetically linked to factors regulating angiogenesis, in particular vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF). Sunitinib is a multitarget receptor tyrosine-kinase (TK) inhibitor, acting on VEGF receptor (VEGFR) and platelet-derived gro Read More

In recent years, the success of human oocyte cryopreservation has improved dramatically. Currently, there are a couple hundred babies born worldwide with the use of cryopreserved oocytes. The oocyte survival after freezing/thawing process is in the range of 70-95%, comparable to embryo cryopreservation, depending on techniques used. With the change of cryopreservation media to cholinebase, the outcome of o Read More

Despite improvements in survival after the introduction of chemo-radiotherapy (CRT) in the treatment of patients with cervical cancer, loco-regional control of this disease continues to be a major problem. The present article reviews current and emerging therapeutic strategies combining CRT with novel molecular agents that specifically target the abnormal tumor microenvironment, with the aim of improving lo Read More

Patients with carcinoma of the exocrine pancreas have especially poor prognosis with a five-year survival rate of <1% and a median survival of 4-6 months. Pancreatic carcinoma is a systemic disease, insensitive to radiotherapy and mostly to chemotherapy. Accordingly, new treatment modalities are worth being investigated. One of the promising approaches is immunotherapy. Several phase I/II trials that have been pu Read More

Objectives- The aim of our study was to test the effect of a more viscous compound than existent hyaluronic acid formulation in helping to restore a defective glycosaminoglycan layer, and therefore in improving Interstitial Cystitis/Painful Bladder Syndrome (IC/PBS) symptoms when administered intravesically in IC/PBS patients. Methods- A total of 23 female patients completed the study. Patients received endovesical Read More

Allogeneic haemopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is a potentially curative option for a wide range of haematological diseases. Graft versus Host Disease (GVHD) is an inflammatory disorder in the recipient, which accounts for significant morbidity and mortality after allogeneic HSCT and directly limits the success of this procedure. Current treatment options for GVHD include intense immunosuppression, which in turn has Read More

Ibandronate is a potent bisphosphonate which has been most thoroughly assessed in benign bone disease for use in the management of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Its use in corticosteroid-induced osteoporosis, Paget's disease and uncommon benign bone conditions such as localised transient osteoporosis (or bone marrow oedema syndrome) and sternocostoclavicular hyperostosis has also been explored. Re Read More

Small cell lung carcinoma comprises approximately 10-20% of all lung cancers. At the time of diagnosis, 20-30% of patients have what is considered limited stage disease. Historically, chemotherapy has been the mainstay of treatment for small cell lung cancer, but more recent evidence from large meta-analyses have established the local control and overall survival advantages conferred by the addition of exter Read More