Panhypopituitarism as first manifestation of a lung cancer

Pituitary metastases of solid tumours are infrequent, specially as a first manifestation. When they happen, they are usually due to breast or lung cancer and are asymptomatic or produce diabetes insipidus. It is very strange that they produce hormonal deficiency. We present a case report of a bronchogenic adenocarcinoma in a 65-year-old man which began with panhypopituitarism, diabetes insipidus and visual alterations. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a large sellar mass, with clivus infiltration and invading the right cavernous sinus. The biopsy result was adenocarcinoma metastases from lung cancer.     

Do cancer patients fully understand clinical trial participation? A pilot study to assess informed consent and patient expectations

Background. Accepted practices of informed consent often result in suboptimal patient understanding of research studies.Methods. This pilot study aimed to assess trial-specific tailored materials, compared to a widely used generic booklet about clinical trials, randomly assigned to 118 candidates for cancer clinical trials. Study outcomes were: satisfaction with decision-making; satisfaction with materials; and subjective understanding of the clinical trial.Results. There were no major differences between groups. Participants rated tailored materials higher as a useful reference.Conclusions. Trial-specific materials hold utility for reference during clinical trials. Studies of informed consent are feasible, although important factors limit research.     

Chemical composition and cytotoxic activity of the leaf essential oil of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Eugenia zuchowskiae</Emphasis> from Monteverde,Costa Rica

The leaf essential oil of Eugenia zuchowskiae from Monteverde, Costa Rica, has been obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC–MS. The principal constituents of E. zuchowskiae leaf oil were α-pinene (28.3%), β-caryophyllene (13.2%), α-humulene (13.1%), and α-copaene (8.1%). The leaf essential oil of E. zuchowskiae showed pronounced in-vitro cytotoxic activity against MCF-7, MDA-MB-468, and UACC-257 human tumor cell lines. The major components showed cytotoxic activities comparable to doxorubicin (LC₅₀ 14–70 μg/ml).     

国产唑来膦酸治疗肿瘤高钙血症多中心Ⅱ期临床观察

Objective： To evaluate the effect and safety of clinical use of zoledronic acid in the treatment of malignant hypercalcemia. Methods： A multi-center, open phase II clinical trial was conducted in 15 cases with malignant hypercalcemia who received zoledronic acid intravenously for 15 min. The level of blood calcium and side effects were recorded regularly within 28 days after injection. Results： One case was dropped out due to bad compliance. The complete response rate （the corrected serum calcium was reduced to normal level） was 100.00% （14/14）. The medium time of complete response rate was 5.07 days. The medium maintain time was 22.30 days. Slight, or moderate fever was observed. Conclusion： Zoledronic acid can effectively reduce the malignant hypercalcemia. The use of zoledronic acid appears to be safety and convenient.     

Groove pancreatitis associated with true pancreatic cyst

We report a case of groove pancreatitis (GP) associated with a true pancreatic cyst. An 81-year-old man who had suffered epigastric pain for 4 months was referred to Saisekai Kure Hospital. Computed tomography and endoscopic retrograde pancreatography showed a cystic lesion in the groove area of the pancreas. Serum amylase elevation and imaging findings suggested GP due to the cyst. Six weeks of medical treatment did not improve the clinical symptoms. Therefore, pancreatoduodenectomy was performed. Histologic examination revealed a true cyst with intraluminal necrosis, which produced a protein plug that obstructed the Santorini duct. The parenchyma surrounding the groove area showed marked fibrosis and inflammatory cell infiltration. GP due to true pancreatic cyst was diagnosed. Although GP is usually caused by overconsumption of alcohol, which leads to changes in the pancreatic juice and the ultimate blockage of pancreatic outflow, the histologic features in our patient suggest that true pancreatic cyst stands as a secondary cause of GP.     

Moving beyond empiric continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) trials for central sleep apnea: a multi-modality titration study

There is no universally accepted method to determine effective therapy for central sleep apnea (CSA). Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) applied acutely most often does not eliminate apneas and hypopneas. We hypothesized that the application of two or more therapeutic modalities after the diagnostic phase of polysomnography, a multi-modality titration study (MMTS), would identify a successful CSA treatment more often than a standard split-night study (SNS) and obviate the need for additional polysomnograms to determine a successful therapy. We retrospectively analyzed polysomnograms of patients diagnosed with CSA at our Sleep Disorders Center. We defined a therapy trial that resulted in an apnea–hypopnea index < 10 with at least one treatment modality as a therapeutic success. One hundred fifteen patients with CSA were studied. Sixty-six patients (57.4%) underwent a SNS, and 49 patients (42.6%) underwent a MMTS. SNS yielded only 8/66 (12.1%) successes on the first night, whereas a MMTS yielded 19/49 (38.8%) successes (p = 0.001, two-tailed Fishers exact). Patients who underwent a SNS eventually had similar rate of success as patients studied with MMTS (60.6 vs 63.3%, NS), but required more testing. Adaptive servo-ventilation was the most successful modality tested, yielding 36/46 (78.3%) successes. Trials of additional modalities following a failed trial of CPAP often produce a successful option that may guide therapy in patients with CSA. This approach may lead to establishing the diagnosis and treatment plans faster, while reducing unnecessary testing.