A comparison in cosmetic outcome between per-operative interstitial breast implants and delayed interstitial breast implants after external beam radiotherapy.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Interstitial implants for brachytherapy boost in the breast conserving therapy of breast cancer can be performed in two ways; implants during the tumor excision (per-operative implants) or after the external beam therapy (delayed interstitial implants). Differences in cosmetic outcome were investigated. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Cosmetic results in 47 patients having a per-operative implant were compared to 123 patients having a delayed interstitial implant in a matched case-control study. Cosmesis was scored on a four-point-scale varying from 0 (excellent) to 3 (poor). RESULTS: After mean follow-up of 63 months, three observers found no difference in cosmetic outcome between the two groups after adjustment for variables found to be related with cosmesis (difference in mean score 0.50, P=0.26). Implant volume at 100% isodose was not found to differ (P=0.084) between the per-operative group (mean 102 cm3, S.D. 34 cm3) and the delayed group (mean 93 cm3, S.D. 29 cm3). CONCLUSIONS: Performing per-operative implants has not led to smaller implants. The method of performing brachytherapy does not result in marked differences in cosmetic outcome.     

Thallium-201 single-photon emission computed tomography as an early predictor of outcome in recurrent glioma.

PURPOSE: With limited response rates and potential toxicity of chemotherapeutic treatment in patients with recurrent glioma, reliable response assessment is essential. Currently, the assessment of treatment response in glioma patients is based on the combination of radiologic and clinical findings. However, response monitoring with computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is hampered by several pitfalls and is prone to interobserver variability. The aim of this study was to establish the value of thallium-201 single-photon emission computed tomography (201Tl-SPECT) as a predictor of overall survival and response to chemotherapy in recurrent glioma, and to compare the value of 201Tl-SPECT with that of CT and MRI. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We studied patients who underwent CT or MRI and 201Tl-SPECT before chemotherapy (n = 57), and patients who also had undergone CT or MRI and 201Tl-SPECT after two courses of chemotherapy (n = 44). The value of the radiologic variables (CT-MRI tumor size, 201Tl-SPECT tumor size, and maximal tumor intensity) at baseline and at follow-up in predicting overall survival, and the percentage of patients alive and progression-free at 6 months (APF6) were examined using Cox regression and logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Both at baseline and at follow-up, 201Tl-SPECT maximal tumor intensity was the strongest predictive variable and was inversely related to overall survival and APF6. In particular, progression of maximal tumor intensity after two courses of chemotherapy was a powerful predictor of poor outcome. CONCLUSION: 201Tl-SPECT is superior to conventional CT-MRI in the early prediction of overall survival and response to chemotherapy in patients with recurrent glioma.     

The Swedish Council on Technology Assessment in Health Care (SBU) Systematic Overview of Radiotherapy for Cancer including a Prospective Survey of Radiotherapy Practice in Sweden 2001--Summary and Conclusions

A systematic assessment of radiotherapy for cancer was conducted by The Swedish Council on Technology Assessment in Health Care (SBU) and published in 1996. The assessment reviewed the scientific literature up to 1993 on the use of radiotherapy in the treatment of solid tumours, and estimated the costs associated with radiotherapy. It also described the current practise of radiotherapy in Sweden 1992 and compared practise with scientific knowledge. The SBU has now conducted a follow-up study on radiotherapy for cancer, including a review of the scientific literature from 1994 and a prospective survey of radiotherapy practise in Sweden 2001. The following conclusions were drawn: The role of radiotherapy as an important form of treatment for cancer with both curative and palliative intent has been further confirmed.The use of radiotherapy in Sweden has increased and is now at the internationally recommended level.Radiotherapy in Sweden is mostly given in accordance with the scientific evidence but may still be underutilized in certain situations.The resources for radiotherapy are being utilized more efficiently.The costs of radiotherapy are still 5% of the total cost of cancer care, while the cost of an individual treatment (fraction) has decreased.The need for radiotherapy capacity will increase. In addition, half of the treatment equipment will have to be replaced in the next few years.     

Phase II study of pemetrexed with and without folic acid and vitamin B12 as front-line therapy in malignant pleural mesothelioma.

PURPOSE: This phase II clinical study evaluated the efficacy of pemetrexed for the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with a histologically proven diagnosis of MPM, chemotherapy-naive measurable lesions, and adequate organ function received pemetrexed (500 mg/m2) intravenously over 10 minutes every 3 weeks. After a protocol change, most patients also received folic acid and vitamin B12 supplementation to improve safety. RESULTS: A total of 64 patients were enrolled. Nine (14.1%) of the 64 patients had a partial response. The Kaplan-Meier estimate for median overall survival was 10.7 months. Forty-three patients received vitamin supplementation for all courses of therapy, and 21 patients did not. Seven of the nine responders were vitamin supplemented. The median overall survival was 13.0 months for supplemented patients and 8.0 months for nonsupplemented patients. Vitamin-supplemented patients completed more cycles of therapy than nonsupplemented patients (median, six v two cycles, respectively). Grade 3/4 neutropenia (23.4%) and grade 3/4 leukopenia (18.8%) were the most common laboratory toxicities. Fatigue and febrile neutropenia were the most commonly reported nonlaboratory events (grade 3, 6.3%; grade 4, 0.0% each). The incidence of these toxicities was generally lower in the supplemented patients. CONCLUSION: Single-agent pemetrexed for MPM resulted in a moderate response rate (14.1%) and median overall survival of 10.7 months. Patients supplemented with folic acid and vitamin B12 tolerated treatment better (less toxicity and more cycles of treatment) and had a 5-month greater median overall survival than nonsupplemented patients. These results indicate that patients with MPM could benefit from single-agent pemetrexed treatment combined with vitamin supplementation.     

Promoting and sustaining health through increased vegetable and fruit consumption among European schoolchildren: The Pro Children Project

Aim The Pro Children consortium consists of the following partners: Knut-Inge Klepp (Coordinator), Department of Nutrition, University of Oslo, Norway; Carmen Perez Rodrigo, Unidad de Nutricion Comunitaria, Bilbao, Spain; Inga Thorsdottir, Unit for Nutrition Research, Landspitali University Hospital, Reykjavik, Iceland; Pernille Due, Department of Social Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Denmark; Maria Daniel Vaz de Almeida, Faculdade de Ciências da Nutrição e Alimentação da Universidade do Porto, Portugal; Ibrahim Elmadfa and Alexandra Wolf, Institute of Nutrition, University of Vienna, Austria; Jóhanna Haraldsdóttir, Research Department of Human Nutrition, Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University, Copenhagen, Denmark; Johannes Brug, Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam, Department of Public Health, The Netherlands; Michael Sjöström and Agneta Yngve, Unit for Preventive Nutrition, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; Ilse De Bourdeaudhuij, Department of Movement and Sport Sciences, Ghent University, Belgium.The Pro Children study is designed to assess vegetable and fruit consumption and determinants of the consumption patterns among European school children and their parents. A second objective is to develop and test strategies for promoting increased consumption of vegetables and fruits among school children and their parents.Subjects and methods Surveys of national, representative samples of 11-year-old school children and their parents were conducted in nine countries during October–November 2003, i.e. in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Iceland, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. Comprehensive school-based educational programmes were developed and tested in three settings, i.e. in the Bilbao region, Spain, in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and in Buskerud county of Norway. A 24-h recall format and frequency items assessing regular intake were used to assess vegetable and fruit consumption. Determinants were assessed employing the theoretical framework of the ASE model (Attitudes, Social Influences and Self-Efficacy), including cognitive factors, normative influences, skills and environmental barriers related to vegetable and fruit consumption. The intervention programmes were tested employing a group-randomized trial design where schools were randomly allocated to an intervention arm and a delayed intervention arm. Surveys among all participating children and their parents were conducted prior to the initiation of the intervention (September 2003; month 0), immediately after the end of the intervention (at month 8) and at the end of the subsequent school year (month 20).Results Preliminary data from the project indicate that girls eat vegetables and fruit significantly more often than do boys across all participating countries. There are no sex differences, however, with respect to perceived availability of vegetables and fruit at home and outside the home setting. In all countries, perceived availability appears to be significantly associated with reported frequency of both vegetable and fruit consumption.Conclusion Experience so far indicates that the Pro Children Project will succeed in producing valid and reliable research instruments for assessing vegetable and fruit consumption among school children and their parents and that comparable, comprehensive intervention programmes can be implemented across geographic and cultural settings within Europe.     

Interaction of topiramate with glycine receptor channels

Glycine receptor channels are pentameric ligand-gated ion channels that respond to the application of inhibitory neurotransmitters by opening of a chloride-selective central pore. Topiramate (TPM) is a broad-spectrum antiepileptic drug used as add-on or monotherapy for focal seizures. In the present study the interaction of TPM with glycine receptor channels was studied on outside-out patches from HEK293 cells expressing alpha1beta glycine receptor channels. The patch clamp techniques combined with ultra fast solution exchange enabled us to investigate the kinetics of receptor channels in presence of TPM. Our study showed no agonistic or potentiating effect for TPM on glycine receptor channels. However, in presence of 1 mM glycine + 1 mM TPM, the desensitization got faster and the peak current amplitude decreased. After the end of glycine + TPM pulses, off-currents occurred, suggestive for a specific channel block mechanism.     

Ergebnisse der Herzinfarktregister in Chemnitz 1974–1999

Myocardial infarction has great importance for the populations in industrial countries because of the high morbidity and mortality rates. For research of the epidemiological trends in the 1970s and especially in the 1980s, the World Health Organization (WHO) began registering myocardial infarction throughout the world. The most important aspect was the WHO Monitoring of Trends and Determinants of Cardiovascular Diseases (MONICA) project. From 1974 to 1994 and in 1999 in Chemnitz, Germany, data from patients with acute myocardial infarction were collected for the myocardial infarction register. Despite changes in the event rates from year to year, no decrease in the number of myocardial infarctions in the German population aged 25–64 years was detected, contrary to the trend in the Western industrial states in the period from 1984 to 1994. The event rates in men were significantly higher than in women. In 1999, a significant decrease in the event rates in men and women was found. This may be explained by an incomplete registration of patients with myocardial infarction in 1999 because of the change in the structure of the Public Health System. The highest 28-day fatality rates in men were detected in 1989 and 1990. In women with classic myocardial infarction, a decrease in the 28-day fatality rates after 1993 was recorded, reaching lower rates than those of men. Despite methodological problems, the myocardial infarction register can contribute to a comparison of the morbidity, mortality and case fatality rates of myocardial infarction for a longer period.     

Emotion/cognition-coupling in word recognition memory of depressive patients: an event-related potential study

Depressive patients show deficits in memory functions. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Experiments with a special emphasis on the link between emotion and cognition appear challenging. The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of the emotional content of words on memory in non-medicated depressive patients (n=11) compared with a control group (n=11) utilizing event-related brain potentials (ERPs). In a continuous word recognition paradigm brain responses to repeated items are characterized by more positive waveforms of ERPs. This recognition effect ('old/new effect') has been shown to be sensitive to parameters relevant for memory processing. For the purpose of this ERP experiment visually presented words were classified into three different categories of emotional content. The ERPs for the correctly detected 'old' (repeated) words showed an increased positivity beginning approximately 250 ms post-stimulus, concurring with a good recognition performance. In addition, old/new effect and behavioral data were sensitive to words' different emotional connotations in the control group. In contrast, the depressive patients performed worse and showed no significant old/new effect. Nevertheless, their recognition performance was also enhanced by the emotional content. Furthermore, a differential effect of the emotional content on frontal ERPs was found between groups. In contrast to the control group, a reduced old/new effect indicates a reduced working memory capacity in the moderately depressed patients. This is suggested to be partially due to changes of the emotion/cognition coupling related to ruminations with preferably negative emotional connotation. However, the emotional content also affects recognition performance in the depressive patients.     

Autonomic neuropathy in patients with HIV: Course, impact of disease stage, and medication

The purpose of this article is to examine the prevalence, degree, and natural course of pupillary neuropathy (PANP), cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CANP), and sensorimotor neuropathy (SNP) and to study the impact of disease stage and medication on neuropathy in 61 consecutive patients with HIV. PANP, CANP, and SNP were assessed by standardized test procedures. Overall prevalence of PANP, CANP, and SNP were 66%, 15%, and 15%, respectively. The maximal pupillary area (pupillary measure, p<0.0001) and the lying-to-standing ratio (cardiovascular measure, p<0.0001) were abnormal as compared with control subjects. The changes in CD4+ T-lymphocytes and respiratory sinus arrhythmia percentile during 2 years of follow-up correlated significantly (r=0.758, p=0.007). Patients with CANP were more often in an advanced disease stage than patients without CANP (p=0.004). SNP, but not PANP or CANP, was associated with the intake of the neuropathogenic drugs dideoxycytidine, dideoxyinosine, and 2,3 didehydro-2,3 dideoxythymidine (p<0.05). Autonomic and sensorimotor neuropathy are frequent in patients with HIV, and progression of CANP may put patients at risk for unexpected cardiorespiratory arrest.