The somatostatin analog octreotide was recently found to ameliorate radiation-induced tissue injury in rat intestine. The present study addressed whether octreotide reduces chronic intestinal radiation fibrosis, whether enteroprotection is conferred by direct or indirect mechanisms, and whether the effects are dose-dependent. Using a rat model designed for fractionated irradiation, a segment of...

The first line of treatment for active acromegaly is still neurosurgery followed by radiotherapy. Octreotide (1), slow-release (SR) lanreotide (2) and octreotide LAR (3) are currently administered before surgery or in patients in whom surgery and/or radiotherapy have failed to restore normal growth hormone (GH)/insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) levels. Cozzi et al. (4) have recently shown th...

BACKGROUND Few studies have compared vasoactive drugs with endoscopic sclerotherapy in the control of acute variceal haemorrhage. Octreotide is widely used for this purpose, but its value remains undetermined. AIMS To compare octreotide with endoscopic sclerotherapy for acute variceal haemorrhage. PATIENTS Consecutive patients with acute variceal haemorrhage. METHODS Patients were randomi...

PURPOSE To report the anesthetic management of a patient with carcinoid tumour metastatic to the liver who presented for orthotopic liver transplantation. Anesthetic implications of metastatic carcinoid tumour on liver transplantation and the use of octreotide are discussed. CLINICAL FEATURES A 51-yr-old woman with intestinal carcinoid tumour metastatic to the liver presented for orthotopic l...

BACKGROUND Octreotide, a somatostatin analog, may be beneficial in the treatment of head and neck paragangliomas (HNPGLs). METHODS We conducted a nonblinded, prospective intervention study. During 1 year, patients received a monthly intramuscular injection of 30 mg octreotide. Pretreatment and posttreatment tumor volumes were assessed by MRI, urinary catecholamine secretion was measured, and ...

The effect of the somatostatin analogue octreotide on the secretion of progesterone and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 (IGFBP-1) from human granulosa-luteal cells was investigated. Octreotide (10(-11), 10(-10) and 10(-9) M) alone induced a significant decrease in progesterone secretion (maximum suppression 69 +/- 5% of control: P < 0.0001). In contrast, treatment with octreotide i...

Bleeding from oesophageal varices has a high death rate. Injection sclerotherapy is the most appropriate treatment but facilities for this are not always available. Balloon tamponade and vasoactive therapy may be used as stop gap measures. Somatostatin and octreotide are therapeutic candidates for the treatment of variceal bleeding and there are several trials that have compared somatostatin an...

PEGylation is a well-established technique utilized to overcome the problems related to the therapeutic applications of peptides and proteins. Reasons for the PEGylation of these biological macromolecules include reducing immunogenicity, proteolytic degradation and rapid clearance from blood circulation. Octreotide is an octapeptide analogue of naturally-occurred somatostatin. This peptide has ...

PEGylation is a well-established technique utilized to overcome the problems related to the therapeutic applications of peptides and proteins. Reasons for the PEGylation of these biological macromolecules include reducing immunogenicity, proteolytic degradation and rapid clearance from blood circulation. Octreotide is an octapeptide analogue of naturally-occurred somatostatin. This peptide has ...

Subcutaneous injection of 50 μg octreotide before a meal can almost totally prevent the increase in exocrine pancreatic secretions caused by the meal. Octreotide inhibits plasma amino acid uptake by pancreatic acinar cells, and thus synthesis of pancreatic enzymes. This effect has clinical potential. Lucio Gullo, MD, Department of Medicine and Gastroenterology, University of Bologna, St. Orsola...