Radical prostatectomy. The surgical complications

Study of 165 patients with prostate adenocarcinoma who underwent radical prostatectomy using a retropubic approach. Mean PSA is 19 ng/ml, mean age 63 years and median follow-up 26 months. 22 patients (13.2%) reported complications during the first month post-surgery, primarily urinary fistula of more than 5 days long in 5 patients and rectal injury in 3.49 patients (29%) reported complications after the first month, mainly urinary incontinence in 26 cases and stenosis of the urethrovesical juncture in 15. The group with early complications showed no significant differences compared to those who had none, neither in PSA (p = 0.3) or a worse pathological stage (p = 0.1), and no evidence is shown in terms of biochemical progression or in disease free progression (p = 1). Patients with urethrovesical juncture stenosis have higher mean PSA (p = 0.01), greater biochemical progression (p = 0.006), worse Gleason (p = 0.03 = and worse progression free survival (p = 0.01). Patients with stress incontinence showed no differences compared to the other groups relative to the studied factors.     

Rare locations of hydatid disease

The authors report their experience with uncommon hydatid cyst locations. Between 1970 and 1995 a total of 16 patients suffering from hydatid cysts located in various organs other than liver and lungs were observed. There were 7 women and 9 men with a mean of 53.3 years. In 10 cases uncommon locations were found to be isolated and in 6 associated to contemporary or previously treated hepatic cystic disease. Pathogenesis of these uncommon locations, whether being primary or secondary, as well as specific items of diagnosis and surgery are discussed.     

DNA-protein crosslinks as a biomarker of cis-platinum activity in cancer patients

We have developed a new method to assess the amount of DNA-protein crosslinks (DNA-PC) in peripheral lymphocytes, based on the selective precipitation of the DNA crosslinked to proteins. We assessed the amount of DNA-PC in peripheral lymphocytes of 18 cancer patients who underwent chemotherapy with cis-platinum for the first time. Since the chemotherapy was administered over a two-day period, blood samples were drawn at baseline (before starting the therapy), 4 h after the infusion of the first dose of cis-platinum, the next day (24 h after the first dose, and immediately before the infusion of the second dose), and 2 days later (48 h after the first dose). The mean change of DNA-PC 4 h after therapy was 0.8+/-0.8% (p=0.006), 0.5+/-0.6% after 1 day (p=0.007), and 0.1+/-0.5% after two days (ns). The correlation between DNA-PC changes and cumulative dose of cis-platinum was -0.22 at 4 h, -0.19 after 1 day, and -0.68 at 2 days (p=0.005). The crosslinking effect of cis-platinum seems to vary among individuals and with dose; the DNA-PC may be used to define sub-populations of patients with various degree of sensitivity to the pharmacologic action of this chemotherapeutic agent, and thus to adjust the dosage on an individual basis.     

Naphthaquinones of Diospyros batocana

Root bark of West African tree DIOSPYROS BATOCANA H IERN, Ebenaceae, was examined. On the basis of chromatographic and spectral analysis it was shown to contain the naphtaquinones 7-methyljuglone, 2-methylnaphthazarin, biramentaceone, rotundiquinone, mamegakinone, diospyrin, diosquinone, isodiospyrin and batocanone. This last compound proved to be the (-)-enantiomer of isodiospyrin-2', 3'-epoxide. The probable existence of beta-dihydrodiospyrin, of a batocanone isomer and of an isodiospyrin diepoxide in this material is mentioned. The partial synthesis of two isomeric isodiospyrin di-epoxides is described.     

Hamster ependymomas produced by intracerebral inoculation of a human papovavirus (MMV).

Ependymomas were produced in 3 of 11 newborn hamsters inoculated intracerebrally with a human papovavirus (MMV) isolated from a malignant lymphoma of the brain of a child with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome. One of the tumors was serially transplanted into weanling hamsters. Cells from the transplanted tumors and from cell cultures derived from these tumors contained an intranuclear "T" antigen that reacted with simian virus 40 T antibody.     

Do the dimensions of the temperament and character inventory map a simple genetic architecture? Evidence from molecular genetics and factor analysis

OBJECTIVE: It has been reported that the human temperament dimensions of novelty seeking and harm avoidance are associated with polymorphisms in the D(4) dopamine receptor gene (D4DR) and the serotonin-transporter-linked promoter region (5-HTTLPR), respectively. Although these findings are consistent with Cloninger's hypothesized psychobiological model of temperament and character, many studies failed to replicate these findings. In the present study the authors tested whether the psychobiological model taps the genetic architecture of personality by exploring associations between these candidate genes and the dimensions of the Temperament and Character Inventory and by examining its phenotypic structure. METHOD: Of the 946 male and female participants in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging to whom the Temperament and Character Inventory was administered, 587 were genotyped for a polymorphism with a 48-base-pair repeat in the D4DR gene and 425 were genotyped for a 44-base-pair insertion or deletion in the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism. RESULTS: There was no significant association between D4DR polymorphisms and novelty seeking. The authors also failed to find an association between 5-HTTLPR polymorphisms and harm avoidance. The factor structure of the Temperament and Character Inventory did not reveal the hypothesized phenotypic structure. CONCLUSIONS: This investigation produced no support for the temperament-character model at either the biological or psychological level.