Surgically debulked malignant pleural mesothelioma: Results and prognostic factors

Background: We analyzed morbidity and mortality, sites of recurrence, and possible prognostic factors in 95 (78 male, 17 female) patients with MPM on phase I–III trials since 1990. A debulking resection to a requisite, residual tumor thickness of ≤ 5 mm was required for inclusion. Methods: Preoperative tumor volumes were determined by three-dimensional reconstruction of chest computerized tomograms. Pleurectomy (n=39) or extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP; n=39) was performed. Seventeen patients could not be debulked. Preoperative EPP platelet counts (404,000) and mean tumor volume (491 cm³) were greater than that seen for pleurectomy (344,000, 114 cm³). Results: Median survival for all patients was 11.2 months, with that for pleurectomy 14.5 months, that for EPP 9.4 months, and that for unresectable patients 5.0 months. Arrhythmia (n=14; 15%) was the most common complication, and there were two deaths related to surgery (2.0%). Tumor volume of >100 ml, biphasic histology, male sex, and elevated platelet count were associated with decreased survival (p<0.05). Both EPP and pleurectomy had equivalent recurrence rates (27 of 39 [69%] and 31 of 39 [79%], respectively); however, 17 of 27 EPP recurrences as opposed to 28 of 31 pleurectomy recurrences were locoregional (p₂=0.013). Conclusions: Debulking resections for MPM can be performed with low operative mortality. Size and platelet count are important preoperative prognostic parameters for MPM. Patients with poor prognostic indicators should probably enter nonsurgical, innovative trials where toxicity or response to therapy can be evaluated. Presented at the 49th Annual Cancer Symposium of The Society of Surgical Oncology, Atlanta, Georgia, March 21–24, 1996.     

Project 2000: perceptions of the philosophy and practice of nursing: shifting perceptions—a new practitioner?

This is the first of two papers which address aspects of the findings of a large scale study commissioned by the English National Board which set out to examine the impact of Project 2000 on perceptions of the philosophy and practice of nursing. The findings presented here suggest that there have been fundamental shifts in perceptions of the nature and discipline of nursing. Students and diplomates of the course perceive themselves as knowledgeable doers, with their practice well grounded in theory and research. They value the interpersonal skills teaching and place the patient firmly at the centre of care delivery, viewing the patient holistically and being prepared to be fierce patient advocates where necessary. It is difficult to determine the extent to which these shifts can be attributed to the Project 2000 course, although the Project 2000 approach to education appears to be an important factor.     

Gender differences in young adults' beliefs about sunscreen use.

This study employs focus group methodology to explore gender differences in sunscreen use. Guided by the theory of reasoned action, males and females were found to differ on each of the following constructs: behavior, behavioral beliefs, and normative beliefs. Males and females differed in their sunscreen use, with females adopting a more preventive style of sunscreen use and males a more reactive style. Males and females differed in their salient beliefs that motivated their sunscreen use, many of which were related to traditional American gender roles. In addition, although males and females were aware of both positive and negative sources of normative beliefs regarding sunscreen use, females received more encouragement from their mothers and peers than males. Findings are discussed in terms of their implications for the design of future interventions.     

Multiplex PCR analysis of in vivo-arising deletion mutations in the hprt gene of human T-lymphocytes

A multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) procedure was adapted for the rapid and efficient evaluation of deletions of the hypoxanthine guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (hprt) gene in human T-lymphocytes. The hprt clonal assay was used to isolate in vivo-arising hprt-deficient T-cells from six healthy males. Mutant frequencies ranged from 9-27 × 10^?6. Simple crude cellular extracts from 223 mutants were analyzed for hprt gene deletion. Sixteen (7.2%) were found to be due to total gene deletion and 22 (9.9%) were due to partial gene deletion. The relatively high frequency of total gene deletions was caused by replicate isolates of a single mutational event as shown by single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) analysis of rearranged T-cell receptor (TCR)-γ genes. Eighteen of the 22 partial hprt gene deletion mutants were determined to be of independent origin based on a unique hprt mutation or SSCP-TCR-γ pattern. One-half (9/18) of the partial deletion mutants involved all or part of exon 4 alone, suggesting that this region of the hprt gene is prone to deletion. The small deletions effecting exon 1 (1 mutant), exon 2 (2 mutants), and exon 4 (6 mutants) would not have been detected by conventional Southern blot analysis and may represent a new, previously unrecognized class of mutations. The ready isolation of such intragenic deletions will allow the characterization of breakpoint junctions and may provide insights into the important processes of DNA breakage and rejoining. © 1994 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Surfer's ear: external auditory exostoses are more prevalent in cold water surfers.

OBJECTIVE: The study goal was to demonstrate the prevalence and severity of external auditory exostoses (EAEs) in a population of surfers and to examine the relationship between these lesions and the length of time surfed as well as water temperature in which the swimmers surfed. It was hypothesized that subjects who predominantly surfed in colder waters had more frequent and more severe exostoses. METHODS: Two hundred two avid surfers (91% male and 9% female, median age 17 years) were included in the study. EAEs were graded based on the extent of external auditory canal patency; grades of normal (100% patency), mild (66% to 99% patency), and moderate-severe (<66% patency) were assigned. Otoscopic findings were correlated with data collected via questionnaires that detailed surfing habits. RESULTS: There was a 38% overall prevalence of EAEs, with 69% of lesions graded as mild and 31% graded as moderate-severe. Professional surfers (odds ratio 3.8) and those subjects who surfed predominantly in colder waters (odds ratio 5.8) were found to be at a significantly increased risk for the development of EAEs. The number of years surfed was also found to be significant, increasing one's risk for developing an exostosis by 12% per year and for developing more severe lesions by 10% per year. Individuals who had moderate-severe EAEs were significantly more likely to be willing to surf in colder waters than were those who had mild EAEs (odds ratio 4.3). CONCLUSIONS: EAEs are more prevalent in cold water surfers, and additional years surfing increase one's risk not only for developing an EAE but also for developing more severe lesions.     

Variability of the pattern electroretinogram

Conflicting results have been obtained concerning the parametric properties of the pattern electroretinogram. These discrepancies may be due to the large amount of variability inherent in recording amplitudes. We have found the variability within a single stimulus condition to be so large (ranging from 30% to 67% of the mean value) that it could mask any underlying spatial frequency tuning. Changing the stimulus conditions failed to significantly reduce the observed variability, although changing recording conditions produced some reduction. The use of a narrower rejection band, a greater number of sweeps, and placement of the reference electrode on the ipsilateral ear (as opposed to the ipsilateral temple) combined to decrease variability of the pattern electroretinogram within a single recording session; however, intersession variability remained high. Therefore one must be careful in evaluating data from this technique, and caution is advised in its clinical use.     

Growth factor pre-treatment differentially regulates phosphoinositide turnover downstream of lysophospholipid receptor and metabotropic glutamate receptors in cultured rat cerebrocortical astrocytes

Reactive gliosis is an aspect of neural plasticity and growth factor (GF) stimulation of astrocytes in vitro is widely regarded as a model system to study astrocyte plasticity. Astrocytes express receptors for several ligands including lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) and sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P), agonists for the G-protein-coupled lysophospholipid receptors (lpRs). Activation of lpRs by LPA or S1P leads to multiple pharmacological effects including the influx of calcium, phosphoinositide (PI) hydrolysis, phosphorylation of extracellular receptor regulated kinase (ERK), release of arachidonic acid, and induces mitogenesis. Treatment of astrocytes in vitro with a growth factor cocktail (containing epidermal growth factor [EGF], basic fibroblast growth factor [bFGF] and insulin) led to a marked attenuation of lpR-induced PI hydrolysis. In contrast, under identical conditions, GF treatment led to marked potentiation of PI hydrolysis downstream of activation of another abundantly expressed G-protein coupled receptor, mGluR5. Quantitative gene expression analysis of GF-treated or control astrocytes by TaqMan RT-PCR indicated that GF treatment did not change gene expression of lpa1 and s1p1, but increased gene expression of s1p5 which is expressed at very low levels in basal conditions. These results suggest that GF differentially affected PLC activation downstream of mGluR5 versus lpR activation and that the changes in mRNA levels of lpRs do not account for marked attenuation of agonist-induced phosphoinositide turnover.     

缺血性卒中或短暂性脑缺血发作患者的卒中预防指南

这份新声明旨在为缺血性卒中或短暂性脑缺血发作存活者的缺血性卒中预防提供全面和及时的循证推荐，循证推荐包括对危险因素的控制，动脉粥样硬化性疾病的干预措施，心源性栓塞的抗栓治疗以及非心源性卒中抗血小板药的应用。另外，还为其他多种特殊情况下复发性卒中的预防提供了推荐、包括动脉夹层分离、卵圆孔未闭、高同型半胱氨酸血症、高凝状态、镰状细胞病、脑静脉窦血栓形成、女性卒中（特别是与妊娠和绝经后激素替代治疗相关卒中），脑出血后肮凝药的应用，以及该指南在高危人群中执行和应用的特殊措施。