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Diarrhea is a well-recognized side effect of chemotherapy and can result in chemotherapy delay and/or dose reduction, potentially reducing the therapeutic benefit of treatment. Octreotide has been shown to be effective in controlling chemotherapy-induced diarrhea (CID). In this open-label, randomized, multicenter study, designed to asses the effects of two dose levels of octreotide long-acting release (LAR), patients with active or prior CID and scheduled for chemotherapy were randomized to receive up to six doses of either 30 or 40 mg of octreotide LAR. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients experiencing severe diarrhea during the trial. Secondary endpoints included the proportion of patients requiring IV fluids due to diarrhea, unscheduled visits to healthcare professionals due to diarrhea, and changes in primary therapy, as well as treatment satisfaction and quality of life. In total, 147 patients were randomized and received at least 1 dose; 124 patients were efficacy-evaluable. Baseline characters were balanced in the 30-mg and 40-mg groups with the exception of gender. Fewer patients in the 40-mg group compared with those in the 30-mg group experienced severe diarrhea (61.7% vs 48.4%; P = 0.14), required IV fluid (31.7% vs 18.8%; P = 0.10), and had diarrhea-related unscheduled healthcare visits (41.7% vs. 28.1 %; P = 0.11); however, these differences were not statistically significant. No significant differences were observed between the treatment groups in either measured quality of life or treatment satisfaction. Adverse events were balanced between the two groups. No specific recommendations can be made from this trial regarding the use of 30 mg versus 40 mg of octreotide LAR for CID.

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the effects of bicycle mass, speed, and grade on oxygen consumption (VO2), heart rate (HR), and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) during a simulated off-road riding paradigm. Nine adult subjects with mean +/- SD age, mass, and VO2 max of 26.1 +/- 5.6 years, 71.7 +/- 7.5 kg, 56.6 +/- 5.2 ml x kg(-1) x min(-1) respectively, were trained to ride a fully suspended Trek Y-22 mountain bike on a treadmill with a 3.8 cm bump affixed to the belt. Riders completed a maximum of nine separate trials encompassing three different bike masses (11.6, 12.6 and 13.6 kg), 3 speeds (2.7, 3.6 and 4.5 m x s(-1)), and 3 grades (0, 2.5, and 5%). Throughout a trial, bike mass and speed remained constant while riding grade was increased every 5 min. During simulated off-road riding on a fully suspended mountain bike, increases in speed and grade significantly increased VO2, heart rate, and RPE. Increases in bike mass had no significant effects on VO2, heart rate or RPE. In addition, speed and grade changes interacted to differentially affect VO2, heart rate, and RPE at all speeds and grades.