A case of squamous cell carcinoma of the anal cancer with associated human immunodeficiency virus

A 62-year-old man with internal piles tested positive for infection with HIV and was admitted to our hospital. He presented with an anal tumor with bilateral inguinal nodal metastasis and pain in the anus; the tumor was diagnosed as stage IIIb (cA1N2M0). The patient's immune system was unstable. Therefore, he was administered chemoradiotherapy [low dose 5-fluorouracil plus cisplatin (FP) and radiotherapy (RT)] following HAART. Chemoradiotherapy resulted in complete response. However, CT performed 2 years after the diagnosis showed a recurrence in the hilar and mediastinal lymph node. The patient was administered chemotherapy with 5-fluorouracil and cisplatin (5-FU/CDDP) to the metastatic lymph node. However, the treatment response was graded as progressive disease, and the treatment was changed from CDDP to mitomycin C (MMC). The patient developed non-hematologic toxicity and died within 3 years of the diagnosis. We report a case of squamous cell carcinoma of the anus with associated HIV infection.     

Association between foveal photoreceptor status and visual acuity after resolution of diabetic macular edema by pars plana vitrectomy

Summary

We retrospectively investigated the relationship between the appearance of IS/OS line on OCT images and visual acuity after resolution of DME by vitrectomy. Postoperative visual acuity of eyes with complete IS/OS after resolution of DME was significantly better than that without complete IS/OS, though macular edema was completely resolved in both groups.

Purpose

To evaluate the correlation between photoreceptor layer status following resolution of diabetic macular edema (DME) by pars plana vitrectomy (PPV) and final visual acuity (VA).

Methods

We retrospectively studied a series of 69 eyes from 58 patients with DME who were treated with PPV. Of the 69 eyes, 37 that were examined by optical coherence tomography (OCT) for at least 6 months and that showed a final macular thickness of less than 250 µm were included in this study. We assessed the integrity of the photoreceptor inner and outer segments (IS/OS) line in the fovea, using OCT in relation to their VA and other characteristics.

Results

There were no differences in initial VA or in foveal thickness between eyes with or without complete IS/OS at final observation. However, final VA without complete IS/OS was significantly poorer (P?=?0.004). VA had improved by more than 2 lines in eight of ten eyes with complete IS/OS and in ten of 27 eyes without complete IS/OS; the groups differed significantly with regard to this percentage (P?=?0.03).

Conclusions

The postoperative photoreceptor status of the fovea is closely related to the final VA after resolution of DME by PPV.     

The role of basic fibroblast growth factor to enhance fetal intestinal mucosal cell regeneration in vivo

Background/Purpose  The limited application of small bowel transplantation for short bowel syndrome, mainly on the account of the morbidity and long-term implications of the procedure, has led to a search for alternative therapies. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) could facilitate regeneration of fetal small intestinal mucosa in vivo. Methods  Intestinal epithelial organoid units harvested from fetal Lewis rats were injected into adult male Lewis rats whose colon was denuded of mucosa, as syngeneic recipients. One experimental group transplanted with the addition of 50 ng/ml bFGF, was compared with a control group that were transplanted without bFGF. The grafts were harvested and analyzed using histology and immunohistochemistry 3 weeks after operation. Results  There were 4 anesthetic deaths, two in each group, and 11 deaths due to adhesive ileus. In no rat did neomucosa fully cover the denuded colonic muscle throughout the whole length of lumen. Histologically, the structure of the neomucosa, when present, was normal small intestinal mucosa. The small intestinal mucosa was partially restored in 100% (6 of 6) of bFGF, and in 28.6% (2 of 7) of those not given bFGF (P = 0.0021). Conclusions  These data demonstrate that bFGF can facilitate the restoration of intestinal epithelial cells, at least to some degree. Potentially, refinements of this technique could be used to facilitate the physiologic tissue engineering of small intestine in a way that allows it to move peristaltically, and have an application in the management of patients with short bowel syndrome.     

Quality of life outcomes after low dose‐rate brachytherapy for localized prostate cancer: Current status and future perspectives

The present review summarizes data from studies reporting on health‐related quality of life after brachytherapy and competing modalities. There are various therapeutic modalities for localized prostate cancer, including radical surgery, external beam radiotherapy and active surveillance. Advances in surgical and radiation treatment have entered clinical practice in the form of robot‐assisted surgery or intensity‐modulated radiotherapy. Brachytherapy remains the main treatment option for patients with localized prostate cancer, with 10‐year survival data showing favorable outcomes. Because each treatment modality has achieved favorable survival outcomes, focus in determining appropriate treatment has shifted toward health‐related quality of life, where each treatment has a different profile and/or adverse symptoms. The development of health‐related quality of life assessment tools has allowed the creation of a pool of specific health‐related quality of life data across many studies. The present article reviews the impact of brachytherapy and other modalities on quality of life, as well as future directions.     

Pharmacokinetic modelling of the interaction between St John's wort and ciclosporin A

AIMS: St John's wort (SJW) decreases the blood concentration of ciclosporin A (CsA), which may result in allograft rejection. In addition, the time course of this interaction is not parallel with the administration of SJW. We aimed to develop a pharmacokinetic model to predict the time profile of blood CsA concentrations during and after the intake of SJW. METHODS: We developed a pharmacokinetic model incorporating turnover of detoxicating proteins, with the assumption that the amount of detoxicating proteins is in inverse proportion to the ratio of trough blood concentration to daily dose (C/D ratio) of CsA. First, we collected time profiles of blood CsA during and after the intake of SJW from the literature. Next, we analysed the relationship between D/C ratio and the daily dose of SJW at steady state. Subsequently, the developed model was simultaneously fitted to the time profiles of C/D ratios by using a nonlinear least-squares method to obtain model parameters. RESULTS: The model analysis revealed that the induction of the detoxicating proteins by SJW was saturable with an elimination rate constant of the detoxicating proteins (ke) of 4.72 month(-1). Elimination half-life of the detoxicating proteins calculated from the ke value was 4.4 days, suggesting that the dose of CsA should be carefully monitored for up to 2 weeks after the cessation of SJW intake. CONCLUSIONS: The present model may provide additional information for use in identifying optimal dosage regimens of CsA during and after the intake of SJW to prevent an adverse drug interaction between CsA and SJW.