intravenous versus oral vinorelbine plus capecitabine as second line treatment in advanced breast cancer patients a retrospective comparison of two consecutive phase ii studies

Abstract Vinorelbine (i.v.) plus capecitabine (oral) combination therapy is active in anthracycline/taxane pretreated patients with metastatic breast cancer. Availability of oral vinorelbine provides this combination in an all-oral formulation. Two consecutive phase II trials differing only in vinorelbine administration routes evaluated their respective activities and tolerabilities in this population. In the i.v. group ( n = 38) disease control was 61% (37% PR, 24% SD), median TTP 6.8 months and median survival 11.3 months. In the oral group ( n = 38) disease control was 77% (5.4% CR, 34% PR, 38% SD), median TTP 7 months and median survival 10 months. G3–G4 neutropenia was more common in the oral group (

Novel Key Ingredients in Urinary Tract Health-The Role of D-mannose, Chondroitin Sulphate, Hyaluronic Acid, and N-acetylcysteine in Urinary Tract Infections (Uroial PLUS®)

: Urinary tract infections represent a common and significant health concern worldwide. The high rate of recurrence and the increasing antibiotic resistance of uropathogens are further worsening the current scenario. Nevertheless, novel key ingredients such as D-mannose, chondroitin sulphate, hyaluronic acid, and N-acetylcysteine could represent an important alternative or adjuvant to the prevention and treatment strategies of urinary tract infections. Several studies have indeed evaluated the efficacy and the potential use of these compounds in urinary tract health. In this review, we aimed to summarize the characteristics, the role, and the application of the previously reported compounds, alone and in combination, in urinary tract health, focusing on their potential role in urinary tract infections

Un contributo metodologico allo studio dei processi di trasformazione nelle aree rurali

Si tenta di interpretare i processi di trasformazione che hanno interessato il Mezzogiorno del dopoguerra impiegando il modello deterministico di Guttman

Gli archivi di dati e le tecniche di "data mining".

Rassegna delle varie tecniche di data mining. Accento posto sulla necessità di pervenire, nell'applicazione di tali tecniche, a un valore aggiunto, cioè a conoscenze che vadano al di là di quelle ottenibili dalla somma delle tecniche singolarmente considerat

Quante e quali categorie di risposta? Il contributo del modello di Rasch alla costruzione di un buon questionario.

Il modello di Rasch viene presentato nei suoi sviluppi più recenti e utilizzato per migliorare la costruzione dei questionari

Nuove prospettive nella rilevazione di atteggiamenti, opinioni e abilità: il formato di risposta come ipotesi sui dati

The paper starts from the assumption that response format is a hypothesis on the operation of categories, which can be «falsified» by the behaviour of subjects. By using Rasch model for ordered categories, and mainly the key concept of threshold as boundary between two contiguous categories, it is treated the case in which the difference between hypothesized, intended order and empirical order of categories can be attributed to a lack of discrimination of one or more thresholds. An example based on Rosenberg’s self-esteem scale shows the strategy to identify and to combine non discriminating categories. Two additional rules are then suggested to improve the strategy: the use of short Likert-type response formats, preferably with no more than five semantically anchored categories, and checks across groups