Elevation of pulmonary artery pressure as a complication of nilotinib therapy for chronic myeloid leukemia

We present the case of a 72-year-old male with chronic phase myeloid leukemia. Elevation of the pulmonary artery pressure due to nilotinib therapy was noted. This effect on pulmonary artery pressure was nilotinib dose dependent.     

Bone graft incorporation after revision hip arthroplasty in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, seventy eight revisions using bone allografts with or without metal reinforcements

Purpose

The aim of the study was to assess bone graft incorporation after revision hip arthroplasty in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Methods

We report an acetabular reconstruction using impacted, morselized, frozen, radiation sterilized bone allografts in 71 patients suffering from RA. There were sixty-six women and five men at a mean age of 57.5 years. Reconstruction was performed in 78 revision total hip arthroplasties (THAs) for aseptic loosening of acetabular component. The mean follow-up was five years and four months. In 38 cases, a revision was done with use of reinforcement devices.

Results

In four revised hips (10 %) without reinforcement implants, resorption of the allografts was noticed. All Mueller rings and 50 % of unscrews cages (Link, Howmedica) were revised because of aseptic loosening and bone graft resorption. In all of 17 hips with the Burch-Schneider cage, no measurable migration or bone allografts resorption occurred. There were no major general complications.

Conclusions

Acetabular reconstruction with use of morselized, frozen, radiation sterilized bone allografts and the Burch-Schneider cage can be highly successful in managing massive deficiency of acetabular bone stock in revision hip arthroplasty in RA patients.     

Efficacy of concomitant and adjuvant temozolomide in glioblastoma treatment. A multicentre randomized study

Background and purposeThe common treatment in patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme is the ultimately radical surgical removal of the tumour combined with radiotherapy. This study compared safety and efficacy of radiotherapy alone with radiotherapy combined with temozolomide (TMZ) given before, during, and after radiotherapy.Material and methodsThe patients operated on for glioblastoma multiforme during the first 21 postoperative days were randomly assigned to the group treated with radiotherapy alone (involved-field radiotherapy in 2 Gy fractions daily five times a week up to the total of 60 Gy over 6 weeks of treatment) or to the group treated with radiotherapy and TMZ, initially in the dose of 200 mg/m² during 5 postoperative days and after 23 days followed by 75 mg/m² of body surface area daily, 7 days a week (from the first to the last day of radiotherapy). On completion of radiotherapy, five complementary courses of TMZ were introduced (150–200 mg/m² for 5 days, repeated every 28 days). The primary outcome measure was overall survival.ResultsFifty-eight patients from 3 centres were included in the study. The mean age of patients was 55 years and all the patients underwent a surgical procedure of glioblastoma removal. The mean overall survival in the group treated with TMZ was 16.0 months, whereas in the group with radiotherapy alone the overall survival reached 12.5 months. 24-month survival reached 23% in patients treated with TMZ and 6.7% in those who received radiotherapy only. Haematological complications of third or fourth degree were present in 10% of patients treated with radiotherapy and TMZ.ConclusionsThe introduction of TMZ before, during and after radiotherapy for newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme gives clinically and statistically significant improvement of survival with unremarkably increased toxicity of the treatment.     

Embryonal tumor with abundant neuropil and true rosettes: an autopsy case-based update and review of the literature

Introduction

Embryonal tumor with abundant neuropil and true rosettes (ETANTR) is a rare subtype of primitive neuroectodermal tumors first reported in 2000. It is rare among the group of embryonal central nervous system tumors with approximately 50 reported cases. ETANTR has been suggested to be a separate entity among this group of tumors.

Case report

Herein, we present only the second autopsy case of ETANTR, which occurred in a 17-month-old boy, and was located in the brainstem. The tumor was inoperable, and despite chemotherapy, the child died 3 months after initial hospitalization. A brain only autopsy was performed.

Discussion

Neuropathological and neuroimaging examinations suggest ETANTR grew by expansion rather than invasion distorting anatomical structures of the posterior fossa. We suggest that the characteristic histopathological picture of the tumor is the result of multifocal and dispersed germinative activity surrounded by mature neuropil-like areas.

Conclusion

ETANTR is a pediatric tumor occurring in children under 4 with a significantly poor prognosis with more cases and research required to characterize this rare embryonal tumor.     

Optimisation of Shrinkage and Strength on Thick Plate Part Using Recycled LDPE Materials

Achieving good quality of products from plastic injection moulding processes is very challenging, since the process comprises many affecting parameters. Common defects such as warpage are hard to avoid, and the defective parts will eventually go to waste, leading to unnecessary costs to the manufacturer. The use of recycled material from postindustrial waste has been studied by a few researchers. However, the application of an optimisation method by which to optimise processing parameters to mould parts using recycled materials remains lacking. In this study, Response Surface Methodology (RSM) and Particle Swarm Optimisation (PSO) methods were conducted on thick plate parts moulded using virgin and recycled low-density polyethylene (LDPE) materials (100:0, 70:30, 60:40 and 50:50; virgin to recycle material ratios) to find the optimal input parameters for each of the material ratios. Shrinkage in the x and y directions increased in correlation with the recycled ratio, compared to virgin material. Meanwhile, the tensile strength of the thick plate part continued to decrease when the recycled ratio increased. R30 (70:30) had the optimum shrinkage in the x direction with respect to R0 (100:0) material where the shrinkage increased by 24.49% (RSM) and 33.20% (PSO). On the other hand, the shrinkage in the y direction for R30 material increased by 4.48% (RSM) and decreased by 2.67% (PSO), while the tensile strength of R30 (70:30) material decreased by 0.51% (RSM) and 2.68% (PSO) as compared to R0 (100:0) material. Validation tests indicated that the optimal setting of processing parameter suggested by PSO and RSM for R0 (100:0), R30 (70:30), R40 (60:40) and R50 (50:50) was less than 10%.     

Repair of a Cracked Historic Maryan Bell by Gas Welding

In this article, the range of works connected with the repair of a historical Maryan bell from 1639 are presented. The first attempts to repair damaged bells occurred in the 1930s in Poland. However, this process was stopped because of extensive technological difficulties. Welding and soldering-welding were the basic methods. There is one difference between these two methods—connecting surfaces are melted during the welding process but only heated until the melting temperature of the material added to the connection (that is the solder) during the soldering-welding process. It was important to heat the bell to the proper temperature during welding. Uneven heating causes the enlargement of existing cracks or the appearance of new ones, or even the complete destruction of the bell. Nowadays, a method of even heating using a special heating mat has been devised. Thanks to this method it is possible to control the heating and cooling process. The most important task during the whole operation of bell welding was obtaining the original sound. During this research, the chemical composition was examined to prepare a welding rod with a suitable chemical composition. After the repair process, an analysis of the sound of the bell was conducted. It was shown that the repair of bells is possible when correct thermal parameters are used. The most highly recommended technique for repairing bells is gas welding.     

Fly-Ash-Based Geopolymers Reinforced by Melamine Fibers

This paper presents the results of research on geopolymer composites based on fly ash with the addition of melamine fibers in amounts of 0.5%, 1% and 2% by weight and, for comparison, without the addition of fibers. The melamine fibers used in the tests retain their melamine resin properties by 100% and are characterized by excellent acoustic and thermal insulation as well as excellent filtration. In addition, these fibers are nonflammable, resistant to chemicals, resistant to UV radiation, characterized by high temperature resistance and, most importantly, do not show thermal-related shrinking, melting and dripping. This paper presents the results of density measurements, compressive and flexural strength as well as the results of the measurement of thermal radiation changes in samples subjected to a temperature of 600 °C. The results indicate that melamine fibers can be used as geopolymer reinforcement. The best result was achieved for 0.5% by weight amount of reinforcement, approximately 53 MPa, compared to 41 MPa for a pure matrix. In the case of flexural strength, the best results were obtained for the samples made of unreinforced geopolymer and samples with the addition of 0.5% by weight of melamine fibers, which were characterized by bending strength values above 9 MPa, amounting to 10.7 MPa and 9.3 MPa, respectively. The thermal radiation measurements and fire-jet test did not confirm the increasing thermal and fire resistance of the composites reinforced by melamine fiber.     

Influence of Modified Epoxy Resins on Peroxide Curing,Mechanical Properties and Adhesion of SBR,NBR and XNBR to Silver Wires—Part II: Application of Carboxy-Containing Peroxy Oligomer (CPO)

This research was aimed at verifying the effect of carboxy-containing peroxy oligomer (CPO) addition on the possibility of rubber crosslinking and a subsequent adhesion of the modified rubber to silver wires. Three commonly industrially used rubbers were selected for the study: styrene–butadiene rubber (SBR), acrylonitrile–butadiene rubber (NBR) and carboxylated acrylonitrile–butadiene rubber (XNBR), together with carboxy-containing peroxy oligomer (CPO). An improvement in the adhesion of rubbers to silver wires was observed when applying the oligomeric peroxide with functional groups, with no deterioration of mechanical properties of the vulcanizates. Crosslinking synergy between dicumyl peroxide (DCP) and the modifier could hardly be observed. Nevertheless, the studies demonstrated, that to a small extent, even the CPO itself can crosslink NBR and especially XNBR, resulting in a material of notable elasticity and adhesion to silver wires.