Response rates in metastatic neuroendocrine tumors receiving peptide receptor radionuclide therapy and implications for future treatment strategies

BackgroundPeptide receptor radionuclide therapy is a targeted therapy used to treat unresectable somatostatin receptor-positive neuroendocrine tumors. The objective of this study was to evaluate response rates among neuroendocrine tumors of different primaries and identify factors relevant to future treatment strategies.MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed patients who received peptide receptor radionuclide therapy for neuroendocrine tumors from 2018 to 2019 at our institution. Patients were assessed with computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging and ⁶⁸Ga-DOTATATE-positron emission tomography before and after 2 or 4 cycles of peptide receptor radionuclide therapy. Tumor response was evaluated by RECIST 1.1. Statistics included multinomial logistic regression models and Fisher exact test.ResultsTwenty-seven patients underwent 92 cycles of peptide receptor radionuclide therapy: pancreas (n = 11), small bowel (n = 7), and other (n = 9) neuroendocrine tumors. Overall, 30% (8 of 27) had partial response, 59% (16 of 27) stable disease, and 11% (3 of 27) progressed. Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors responded differently from small bowel neuroendocrine tumors regardless of cycle number (P = .01). The majority of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (6 of 11) had partial response to peptide receptor radionuclide therapy, while all small bowel neuroendocrine tumors had stable disease. Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors stable after 2 cycles were more likely to respond to additional cycles versus other neuroendocrine tumors (probability: 60% vs 11%).ConclusionPatients with unresectable advanced or metastatic pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors may benefit from a full course of peptide receptor radionuclide therapy, whereas other neuroendocrine tumors appear less likely to respond. Large prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings.     

Vascular anatomy of the first metatarsal bone and surgical implications according to the severity of hallux valgus deformity: A cadaveric study

BackgroundVascular injury after hallux valgus surgery is a rare condition but serious complications can ensue.MethodsWe performed an anatomical study using 26 cadaveric lower extremities. We enhanced first metatarsal bone’s (FMB) vascularization by injecting latex. Each specimen was classified according to the severity of hallux valgus deformity (HVD). Then we measured two distances: one between the first tarsometatarsal joint (FTMJ) to the first dorsal branch’s origin, the other between the first metatarsophalangeal joint (MTP) to the dorsal plexus’s origin.ResultsThe distance between the FTMJ and the first dorsal branch to the FMB ranges from 10 mm in normal feet to 15 mm in severe deformed feet. The distance between the MTP and the dorsal plexus’ origin ranges from 20 mm in normal feet to 25 mm in severe deformed feet.ConclusionsUnderstanding the foot’s vascular anatomy has allowed us to adapt surgical landmarks to the severity of the HVD and to avoid post-operative complications.     

Uveitis occurrence in early inflammatory back pain. Five years data from the prospective French nationwide DESIR cohort

ObjectiveUveitis is a frequent extra rheumatological manifestation in axial Spondyloarthritis (SpA). The aim of study was to evaluate the prevalence and incidence of uveitis over the first five years of a prospective nationwide cohort of patients with high suspicion of early axial SpA, and to evaluate its associated factors.MethodsDESIR is a prospective observational cohort of patients with recent onset inflammatory back pain (more than 3 months, less than 3 years), suggestive of axial SpA, All available factors in the database were compared between patients with and without uveitis at 5 years, by uni and then multivariate analysis. Baseline factors associated with new cases of uveitis occurrence over the 5 years were also analyzed. Significance: P less than 0.05.ResultsAfter 5 years, 91 patients (out of 480 with complete follow-up) had at least one uveitis episode, giving an estimated prevalence of 18.9% [95% CI: 15.4–22.4]. In multivariate analysis, uveitis was significantly associated with dactylitis, and elevated ESR. New incident uveitis occurred in 31 cases over 5 years, giving an estimated incidence rate of 1.29 [0.84–1.74]/100 patient-years. Incidence of new uveitis was associated in multivariate analysis with baseline factors: diagnosis of SpA, sacro iliac MRI inflammatory SPARCC score, dactylitis, syndesmophyte score. No significant association was found with HLA-B27, DMARDs, BASDAI, ASDAS, BASFI.ConclusionFive-years data of the DESIR cohort allowed an estimation of incidence rate of uveitis of 1.3/100p-y; over five years, uveitis was associated with dactylitis, biologic and sacro iliac MRI inflammation.     

Feasibility of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) assessment for cancer patients using electronic patient-reported outcome (ePRO) in daily clinical practice

Quality of Life Research - Routine Electronic Monitoring of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) (REMOQOL) in clinical care with real-time feedback to physicians could help to enhance...     

Species of Anopheles (Culicidae, Anophelinae) in a malaria-endemic area, Maranhão, Brazil

INTRODUCTION: The study of the seasonal fluctuation, nocturnal activity, relative abundance and the richness of Anopheles species in anthropic environment is essential to the understanding of the their bioecology and to the surveillance program of malaria control. METHODS: The Anopheles species were studied from 6 P.M. to 6 A.M., once a month, for one year, from October 1996 to September 1997, in the municipal district of Raposa, of the S?o Luís island, Maranh?o state. The basic method was the capture of female specimens on human baits in peri and intradomicile sites by means of aspiration tube and guided luminous focus. RESULTS: A total of 1.407 specimens were collected and distributed as follow: Anopheles aquasalis (82% of the sample), Anopheles galvaoi (10,2%), Anopheles albitarsis (6,4%), Anopheles evansae, Anopheles nuneztovari, and Anopheles triannulatus davisi (the last three represented together 1, 4%). The anophelines occurred all year round, mainly in the rainy period, being more frequent in the intra (75,3%) than in the peridomicile site (24,7%), showing a clear preference to suck blood in the evening. CONCLUSION: The behavioural variation of Anopheles shows that the different species are becoming adapted to closeness to human habitations, in the rural zone of the S?o Luis island.     

Dentate gyrus-selective colchicine lesion and disruption of performance in spatial tasks: difficulties in "place strategy" because of a lack of flexibility in the use of environmental cues?

The effects of intradentate colchicine injections on the performance of tasks requiring spatial working and reference memory are controversial. Multiple-site colchicine injections (7 microg/microl; via a drawn micropipette) throughout the dentate gyrus (DG) of rats (nine sites in each hemisphere, 0.06 microl at each site) selectively destroy about 90% of the DG granule cells, as revealed by quantitative stereological estimates; stereology also revealed minor neuronal losses in the CA4 (33%) and CA1 (23%) subfields, but lack of damage to the CA3 hippocampal subfield. Spatial reference and working memory were assessed in Morris' water maze; in the reference memory task, the rats were required to learn a single, fixed location for the platform over several days of training; in the working memory task, animals were required to learn a new platform location every day, in a matching-to-place procedure. Compared to sham-operated controls, lesioned rats showed significant disruption in acquisition of the reference memory water maze task; however, the data reveal that these rats did acquire relevant information about the task, probably based on guidance and orientation strategies. In a subsequent probe test, with the platform removed, lesioned rats showed disruption in precise indexes of spatial memory (e.g., driving search towards the surroundings of the former platform location), but not in less precise indexes of spatial location. Finally, the lesioned rats showed no improvement in the match-to-place procedure, suggesting that their working memory for places was disrupted. Thus, although capable of acquiring relevant information about the task, possibly through guidance and/or orientation strategies, DG-lesioned rats exhibit a marked difficulty in place strategies. This is particularly evident when these rats are required to deal with one-trial place learning in a familiar environment, such as in the working memory version of the water maze task, which requires flexibility in the use of previously acquired information.     

Rôle du foie dans le métabolisme des nutriments en nutrition artificielle

The liver is a prominent organ in nutritional homeostasis. Due to unique metabolic properties, it plays a main role in the metabolism of the three macronutrients ‘as well as the micronutrients’ (vitamins and minerals) storage. Although it represents only 2.5% of the body mass, it consumes 20% of total resting energy expenditure and a similar percentage of the amino acid mixture absorbed via the gut during and after a meal. Due to a peculiar vascularization (portal vein, the entire gastrointestinal venous flux is directed towards the liver with all hydrosoluble nutrients, only water-unsoluble lipids being excluded from this obligatory ‘first-pass mechanism’). Since it is the location for glycogen storage, VLDL synthesis and ketogenesis, the liver is crucial in the fed-to-fasted metabolic alternation. While fat is not physiologically stored in the liver, it is a very important organ in lipid metabolism. Except immunoglobulins, all plasma proteins are synthetised by the liver together with the constitutive proteins, explaining that it is a very powerful organ for protein synthesis. Finally, due to a very active amino acid metabolism, the liver can reshape the amino acid-mixture coming from the gut in the absorptive state. Such a phenomenon has a major implication in the nutritional physiology of amino acid metabolism according to the route: enteral or parenteral. Indeed, in the latter case the remodelling by the liver does not occurs.     

Thrombopoietic factors potentially useful in the treatment of acute leukemia

Thrombocytopenia is a major cause of morbidity following intensive chemotherapy for acute leukemia. Over recent years, there has been an increasing use of platelet transfusions which, although generally efficacious to prevent severe hemorrhage, have associated risks of transmitting blood-borne disease and of alloimmunization. Therefore, there is a clinical requirement for a drug that will reliably alleviate the thrombocytopenia associated with leukemia therapy. The c-mpl ligand thrombopoietin is the most interesting factor for the treatment of thrombocytopenia because of its lineage specificity. Phase I and II studies confirm its biological efficacy to induce rise in platelet count in patients with solid tumors and acute leukemia. Several other pleiotropic hematopoietic growth factors are also currently in clinical trials. These include interleukin-6, interleukin-3, interleukin-11, PIXY321 and stem cell factor. The effects of these cytokines appear to be modest at most and, with the exception of interleukin-11, their side effects are likely to limit their clinical application. Combinations of factors may prove more efficacious approaches to enhance platelet recovery.     

肾上腺Cushing综合征病因学上的进展

由中华医学会内分泌学分会主办，国际内分泌学会参加的2006年内分泌代谢性疾病系列研讨会——全脚内分泌肿瘤基础和临床研究专题研讨会，于7月7～9日在西南省昆明市举办。此次大会是中华医学会内分泌学分会与国际内分泌学会首次联合举办的大会。国际内分泌学会山执行委员，负责学术会议的主席、肾上腺疾病研究方面的专家法国Xavier Bertagna教授带队，由国际内分泌学会邀请了分别在神经内分泌和甲状腺疾病领域深有研究的著名专家英旧Ashley Grossman教授和美国James A Fagha教授，……