The frequency and management of infectious episodes and sepsis in small cell lung cancer patients receiving intensive chemotherapy with granulocyte-colony stimulating factor.

The relation between degree of myelosuppression and episodes of infection was analyzed in 36 patients (92 treatment courses) with small cell lung cancer (SCLC) treated with intensive chemotherapy. The two regimens used were cisplatin (CDDP) + adriamycin (ADR) + cyclophosphamide (CPA) + etoposide (VP-16) + granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) and CDDP + teniposide (VM-26) + G-CSF, and they induced grade 3 or 4 leukopenia in 88% of treatment courses and febrile episodes in 60%. In the febrile courses, the mean nadirs of leukocyte and neutrophils (820 +/- 581/mm3, 101 +/- 267/mm3) were significantly longer (P less than 0.01) and the mean durations of grade 3 and 4 leukopenia and neutropenia significantly longer (P less than 0.001) than those of the non-febrile courses. It was noted, however, that febrile episodes appeared frequently in courses having the nadir of leukocytes below 1,000/mm3 (80%) or the nadir of neutrophils below 100/mm3 (74%). The administration of antibiotics was required for about 7 days to patients with febrile episodes. Sepsis was experienced in five courses, in which the neutrophils were all zero. All the patients, however, could be managed by an administration of antibiotics immediately after a febrile episode appeared, without delaying the subsequent chemotherapy except for one patient, who had had a performance status (PS) of 3 prior to chemotherapy.     

67Ga uptake and heparan sulfate content of Ehrlich solid tumor in mice

The relationship between ⁶⁷Ga uptake and heparan sulfate (HS) content in Ehrlich solid tumor (EST) of mice was investigated, and the effect of cyanomethylamine, papain, streptozotocin, or bleomycin pretreatment on ⁶⁷Ga uptake in EST was studied. ⁶⁷Ga uptakes in EST and kidney were much higher than other tissues, and these tissues also contained large amounts of HS. ⁶⁷Ga uptakes and HS synthesis in the EST were inhibited by pretreatment with cyanomethylamine or papain (inhibitors of fibrosis). Parallel reductions of ⁶⁷Ga uptake and HS synthesis in EST were observed in EST transplanted into streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. The weight of EST in the bleomycin-injected group was decreased to less than half of the control, but no effect was observed on ⁶⁷Ga uptake per gram of EST. These results suggest that ⁶⁷Ga uptake in the tumor and inflammatory lesions are related to the quantity of HS in these tissues, and the correlation between the uptake of ⁶⁷Ga and the rate of cellular proliferation is secondary.     

Durability of bonding between 4-META/MMA-TBB resin to dentin pretreated with 10-3. The effect of 10-3 pretreating period and subsequent glutaraldehyde treatment

Adhesion durability between dentin pretreated with 10-3 and 4-META/MMA-TBB resin was studied. Reduction of etching periods with 10-3 was not so effective as expected. The weakening of bond strength during immersion in water at 37 degrees C to the dentin pretreated for 1 sec occurred faster than those for either 5 sec or 10 sec. The strength decreased from 12 MPa at 1 day to 9 MPa at 3 months, 3 MPa at 6 months and finally 2 MPa at 1 year in the case of 1 sec pretreated dentin. On the other hand, the strength became half after the storage in water for 1 year in the cases of 5 and 10 sec pretreated dentins. Combination of 10-3 pretreatment and subsequent glutaraldehyde treatment could stabilize the decrease but not completely. SEM and TEM examinations suggested that dentinal collagen exposed by the etching but not entangled and impregnated by poly (4-META-co-MMA) easily deteriorated by water during the longer immersion. Collagen modified with 10-3 and then with glutaraldehyde was also changed by the longer immersion.     

Malignant lymphoma associated with reactive lymphoreticular hyperplasia of the stomach —A case report—

We report a case of early malignant lymphoma of the stomach, associated with reactive lymphoreticular hyperplasia. This case seems to prove that there is some evidence of sarcomatous change in reactive lymphoreticular hyperplasia.     

A diary form quality of life questionnaire for Japanese patients with lung cancer and summarization techniques for longitudinal assessment

The aim of this study was to confirm the validity and reliability of a new diary-type quality of life (QOL) self-rating questionnaire tailored for use by Japanese inpatients with lung cancer receiving chemotherapy. Two kinds of summary statistics were tested in QOL analysis. The questionnaire has a four-scale structure; physical, psychological, daily activity and global scales. Fifty-three patients were enrolled to test the reliability and validity. Summary statistics were assessed using indices of the area under the curve (AUC) and the maximum fluctuations of QOL scores (Dif max) in patients receiving cisplatin or carboplatin. The questionnaire had satisfactory reliability and validity. The physical, psychological and global scales scores changed to the worst levels after treatment, continuing for 1 week in the cisplatin group, whereas those of the carboplatin group began to worsen from day 3, but returned to prechemotherapy levels by day 9. The cisplatin group showed significant decrease of QOL compared with the carboplatin group in the AUC of psychological and two global scales, in the Dif max of psychological and linear analogue global scales. These results suggested that this questionnaire reflects differences in the influence of chemotherapy, and that AUC and Dif max may be useful indices for the analysis of QOL as measures to assess multidimensional QOL.