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  • 2000-2004  (2)
  • 1990-1994  (5)
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  • 1
    ISSN: 1600-079X
    Source: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Topics: Medicine
    Notes: Abstract: It has been demonstrated that antitumor immune response is an IL-2-dependent phenomenon. Moreover, experimental results suggest the existence of interactions between IL-2 and the pineal gland, which also plays a role in the control of immunity and cancer growth.Alterations of both IL-2 and melatonin secretion have been reported in cancer patients. To further investigate pineal/IL-2 relationships in humans with cancer, we evaluated the melatonin rhythm in seven advanced small cell lung cancer patients, before and at weekly intervals during immunotherapy with IL-2, given subcutaneously at a daily dose of 3 × 106 IU/m2 twice daily for 5 days/week for 4 weeks. Before IL-2, no patient showed a light/dark rhythm of melatonin. IL-2 administration induced a normalization of the melatonin circadian rhythm, with the appearance of a night time peak in 4/7 patients. This effect, however, disappeared with IL-2 interruption in 3/4 patients. This preliminary study, by showing that IL-2 may restore a normal melatonin rhythm, suggests that the anomalous pineal function in cancer may depend at least in part on the altered endogenous IL-2 production.
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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  • 2
    Electronic Resource
    Electronic Resource
    Oxford, UK : Blackwell Publishing Ltd
    Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 741 (1994), S. 0 
    ISSN: 1749-6632
    Source: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Topics: Natural Sciences in General
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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  • 3
    ISSN: 1600-079X
    Source: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Topics: Medicine
    Notes: Recent studies have shown that the hematopoietic system is under neuroendocrine control. In particular, thrombopoiesis has been proven to be stimulated by melatonin, and the pineal indole has been shown to be effective in the treatment of thrombocytopenia resulting from different causes. At present, however, there are no data concerning the possible thrombopoietic activity of pineal indoles other than melatonin. The present study was carried out to evaluate the effect of a concomitant administration of the pineal indole 5-methoxytryptamine in patients with cancer-related thrombocytopenia who did not respond to melatonin alone. The present study included 30 patients, who were randomized to receive melatonin alone (20 mg/day orally in the evening) or melatonin plus 5-methoxytryptamine (1 mg/day orally in the early afternoon). A normalization of platelet count was achieved in 5/14 (36%) patients treated with melatonin plus 5-methoxytryptamine and in none of the patients treated with melatonin alone (P〈0.05). Moreover, mean platelet number significantly increased only in the patients treated with melatonin plus 5-methoxytryptamine. This preliminary clinical study would suggest that 5-methoxytryptamine, a pineal indole, may also exert thrombopoietic activity. Further studies, however, will be required to establish whether 5-methoxytryptamine may play a direct thrombopoietic activity, or whether it may act by improving melatonin's efficacy.
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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  • 4
    ISSN: 1600-079X
    Source: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Topics: Medicine
    Notes: Abstract: Numerous experimental data have documented the oncostatic properties of melatonin. In addition to its potential direct antitumor activity, melatonin has proved to modulate the effects of cancer chemotherapy, by enhancing its therapeutic efficacy and reducing its toxicity. The increase in chemotherapeutic efficacy by melatonin may depend on two main mechanisms, namely prevention of chemotherapy-induced lymphocyte damage and its antioxidant effect, which has been proved to amplify cytotoxic actions of the chemotherapeutic agents against cancer cells. However, the clinical results available at present with melatonin and chemotherapy in the treatment of human neoplasms are generally limited to the evaluation of 1-year survival in patients with very advanced disease. Thus, the present study was performed to assess the 5-year survival results in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer patients obtained with a chemotherapeutic regimen consisting of cisplatin and etoposide, with or without the concomitant administration of melatonin (20 mg/day orally in the evening). The study included 100 consecutive patients who were randomized to receive chemotherapy alone or chemotherapy and melatonin. Both the overall tumor regression rate and the 5-year survival results were significantly higher in patients concomitantly treated with melatonin. In particular, no patient treated with chemotherapy alone was alive after 2 years, whereas a 5-year survival was achieved in three of 49 (6%) patients treated with chemotherapy and melatonin. Moreover, chemotherapy was better tolerated in patients treated with melatonin. This study confirms, in a considerable number of patients and for a long follow-up period, the possibility to improve the efficacy of chemotherapy in terms of both survival and quality of life by a concomitant administration of melatonin. This suggests a new biochemotherapeutic strategy in the treatment of human neoplasms.
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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  • 5
    ISSN: 1600-079X
    Source: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Topics: Medicine
    Notes: It is known that the pineal hormone melatonin plays a role in the regulation of several biological functions. In an attempt to investigate interactions between the pineal and the cardiac endocrine activity, in this preliminary study we have evaluated the effect of melatonin on the secretion of the cardiac hormone, atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP). The study included five healthy volunteers, and melatonin was given orally at a dose of 30 mg at 17:00. The results of the study show that the administration of melatonin does not influence ANP plasma concentrations. Further studies will be required to better define the cardiac-pineal interaction.
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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  • 6
    ISSN: 1600-079X
    Source: Blackwell Publishing Journal Backfiles 1879-2005
    Topics: Medicine
    Notes: Experimental studies have suggested that the pineal hormone melatonin, in addition to its documented antineoplastic action, plays a role in the physiological regulation of blood cell proliferation. Based on these data, we evaluated the clinical effects of melatonin therapy in patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) secondary to cancer chemotherapy for primary neoplasms. The study was carried out on six patients, and melatonin was given orally at a dose of 20 mg/daily, following a schedule prepared to reproduce the circadian rhythm of the pineal hormone. A transient improvement in platelet and neutrophil count was achieved in two of five patients with thrombocytopenia and in two of four patients with neutropenia before therapy, respectively, while no effect was seen on hemoglobin concentration. Mean survival time was 12.5 months, and a long survival, greater than 30 months, was achieved in two of six patients. These preliminary results seem to suggest that melatonin may have a role in the treatment of MDS induced by previous cancer chemotherapy.
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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  • 7
    ISSN: 1433-7339
    Keywords: ARDS ; Quality of life ; Tumour necrosis factor ; Pentoxiphylline
    Source: Springer Online Journal Archives 1860-2000
    Topics: Medicine
    Notes: Abstract The inappropriate endogenous secretion of tumour necrosis factor (TNF) could play a role in the pathogenesis of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), one of the most frequent causes of death in cancer patients. Because of its capacity to inhibit TNF secretion in vitro, pentoxifylline (PTX) could be extremely useful in ARDS therapy. In this study 30 advanced cancer patients with ARDS were randomized to receive either the conventional care or conventional care plus PTX (100 mg i.v. twice a day for 7 days followed by an oral administration of 400 mg three times a day) to evaluate the efficacy of PTX in reducing TNF serum levels and in improving the symptoms of this syndrome. Serum levels of TNF were measured before and after 7 days of therapy. The percentage of patients alive at 7 days was significantly higher in the PTX-treated group than in the controls (12/15 versus 3/15; P〈0.001). The mean survival time was significantly higher in the PTX-treated group than in the controls. A clinical and/or radiological improvement was obtained in 11/15 patients treated with PTX and in only 2/15 patients in the conventional care group (P〈0.01). TNF mean levels significantly decrease in the PTX-treated group. These data confirm in vivo the capacity of PTX to inhibit TNF secretion in patients with ARDS. Moreover PTX therapy may improve the symptoms related to ARDS without particular toxic effects.
    Type of Medium: Electronic Resource
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