Efficacy of omeprazole versus ranitidine for symptomatic treatment of poorly responsive acid reflux disease—a prospective, controlled trial

BACKGROUND: H2-receptor antagonists are widely used in patients with gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and are frequently continued when symptoms persist. Aim: To compare the efficacy of omeprazole 20 mg once daily with that of ranitidine 150 mg twice daily in relieving GERD symptoms, in patients who remained symptomatic following a 6-week course of ranitidine therapy. METHODS: Patients with heartburn on at least 4 days/week but who did not have endoscopy to assess oesophageal mucosa could participate. This two-phase, prospective trial included a 6-week open-label phase (phase I), followed by an 8-week double-blind phase (phase II). Patients still symptomatic following treatment with ranitidine 150 mg twice daily (phase I) were randomized to double-blind treatment (phase II) with either omeprazole 20 mg once daily or ranitidine 150 mg twice daily. The primary efficacy variable was the proportion of patients with heartburn resolution during weeks 4 and 8 of phase II. RESULTS: Of the 533 patients with GERD who received ranitidine in phase I, 348 patients (65%) were still symptomatic. A total of 317 patients (59%) were randomized to double-blind treatment (phase II). At week 8, a significantly (P < 0.0004) greater proportion of omeprazole-treated patients (70%) experienced no more than mild heartburn compared with ranitidine-treated patients (49%). Complete resolution of heartburn also occurred in a significantly (P < 0. 00001) greater proportion of omeprazole-treated patients (46% vs. 16% of the ranitidine group at week 8). CONCLUSIONS: After 6 weeks of ranitidine treatment, the majority of patients with GERD were still experiencing moderate to severe heartburn. Omeprazole was significantly more effective than ranitidine in resolving heartburn in this group of patients.     

Apraxia in deep cerebral lesions.

In a series of 50 patients with cerebrovascular lesions (demonstrated with CT scan), seven patients had lesions located in the basal ganglia and/or thalamus. All these seven patients were apractic. Ideomotor apraxia was present in all patients; five also had constructional apraxia, and one had bucco-facial apraxia. None of the patients had utilisation apraxia. These observations indicated that apraxia is not only a "high cerebral (cortical) function", but may depend also on the integrity of subcortical circuits and structures.     

Brainstem maturation after antenatal steroids exposure in premature infants as evaluated by auditory brainstem-evoked response.

OBJECTIVE: Antenatal steroids result in fetal lung maturation, but may retard brain development. Auditory brainstem-evoked response (ABR) is a noninvasive assessment of brainstem maturation. The objective of this study was to determine if antenatal steroids affect brainstem maturation in infants 相似文献   

Results of the national survey of borderline ovarian tumors in Spain

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Retrospective multi-center analysis of women diagnosed with borderline ovarian tumor and treated between January 1990 and December 1997. A national survey was conducted, in which 457 patients from 27 centers corresponding to ten of Spain's autonomous communities were analyzed. RESULTS: Four hundred fifty-seven women with borderline ovarian tumor were analyzed. The mean age of patients was 45.5+/-16.9 years. Of these, 390 patients (85.3%) were at stage I, 8 (1.8%) were at stage II and 36 (7.9%) at stage III. A bilateral tumor was observed in 63 women (13.8%). The mean tumor size was 14.2 cm and in 88 cases (19.3%) the tumor was on the surface of the ovary. Microinvasion was observed in 25 (5.5%) cases, and 29 women (6.3%) showed a micropapillary pattern. Study of the factors related to the appearance of peritoneal implants revealed positive tumor markers (OR 15.02: 1.9-32.9) and a tumor on the ovarian surface (OR 8.0: 1.8-127) to be independent risk factors. With respect to recurrence, the presence of peritoneal implants at the time of initial surgery (OR 3.4: 1.1-10.4) and signs of microinvasion in the anatomicopathological study (OR 5.5: 1.5-17.8) were found to be independent risk factors. The overall survival rate in our series was 97% with a mean follow-up of 88.3 months. The survival rate by stage was 97% for stage I, 100% for stage II and 97% for stage III. CONCLUSIONS: Although borderline ovarian tumors have an excellent prognosis, they are not exempt from a risk of recurrence. Characterization of patients with borderline ovarian tumor is essential in order to prevent their evolution. Likewise, the taking on board of risk factors will enable more selective treatments to be offered in each case.     

Dual IGF1R/IR inhibitors in combination with GD2-CAR T-cells display a potent anti-tumor activity in diffuse midline glioma H3K27M-mutant

BackgroundDiffuse midline gliomas (DMG) H3K27M-mutant, including diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), are pediatric brain tumors associated with grim prognosis. Although GD2-CAR T-cells demonstrated significant anti-tumor activity against DMG H3K27M-mutant in vivo, a multimodal approach may be needed to more effectively treat patients. We investigated GD2 expression in DMG/DIPG and other pediatric high-grade gliomas (pHGG) and sought to identify chemical compounds that would enhance GD2-CAR T-cell anti-tumor efficacy.MethodsImmunohistochemistry in tumor tissue samples and immunofluorescence in primary patient-derived cell lines were performed to study GD2 expression. We developed a high-throughput cell-based assay to screen 42 kinase inhibitors in combination with GD2-CAR T-cells. Cell viability, western blots, flow-cytometry, real time PCR experiments, DIPG 3D culture models, and orthotopic xenograft model were applied to investigate the effect of selected compounds on DIPG cell death and CAR T-cell function.ResultsGD2 was heterogeneously, but widely, expressed in the tissue tested, while its expression was homogeneous and restricted to DMG/DIPG H3K27M-mutant cell lines. We identified dual IGF1R/IR antagonists, BMS-754807 and linsitinib, able to inhibit tumor cell viability at concentrations that do not affect CAR T-cells. Linsitinib, but not BMS-754807, decreases activation/exhaustion of GD2-CAR T-cells and increases their central memory profile. The enhanced anti-tumor activity of linsitinib/GD2-CAR T-cell combination was confirmed in DIPG models in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo.ConclusionOur study supports the development of IGF1R/IR inhibitors to be used in combination with GD2-CAR T-cells for treating patients affected by DMG/DIPG and, potentially, by pHGG.     

A pediatric case of reversible segmental cerebral vasoconstriction

BACKGROUND: Reversible segmental cerebral vasoconstriction (RSCV) is a recognizable clinical and radiographic syndrome consisting of thunderclap headache with or without focal neurological symptoms combined with reversible segmental vasoconstriction of proximal cerebral blood vessels. METHODS: We report a case of reversible segmental cerebral vasoconstriction in a child. RESULTS: A healthy 13-year-old boy experienced the sudden onset of a severe, diffuse headache upon surfacing from a deep dive in a swimming pool. Severity was maximal at the onset and improved over several hours. The same headache recurred three times over the next four days and a low baseline headache persisted throughout. Vomiting occurred once and mild photo/osmophobia were reported but throbbing, aura, or autonomic symptoms were absent. Focal neurological signs or symptoms were absent and he denied previous history of headaches, medications, drugs, or trauma. Two normal CT scans were performed within hours of separate headaches. Cerebrospinal fluid study on day 5 was bloody with no xanthochromia. MRI/MRA/MRV of the brain and vasculitic work-up were normal. Cerebral angiography on day 6 demonstrated smooth narrowing of multiple proximal cerebral vessels including supraclinoid internal carotid artery (ICA), M1, and A1 on the right and M1 on the left. By ten days, the patient's headaches had resolved and repeat angiography was normal. CONCLUSION: RSCV should be considered in a child with thunderclap headache.     

Recurrent pleomorphic adenoma of the parotid gland: analysis of 108 consecutive patients

BACKGROUND: Surgery for recurrent parotid pleomorphic adenoma is a challenging problem. METHODS: One hundred eight patients who underwent 134 reoperations for recurrent parotid pleomorphic adenoma (follow-up, 22 years) were evaluated for histopathologic features and risk factors for recurrence. RESULTS: The number of reoperations for tumor recurrence ranged from 1 to 10. Twenty-seven patients (25%) developed permanent facial nerve weakness. The risks for clinically evident rerecurrence after 1, 5, and 15 years were 16%, 42%, and 75%, respectively. Female sex, young age at initial treatment, and enucleation instead of parotidectomy for treatment of the first recurrence were significant risk factors for rerecurrence. The mean number of recurrent tumor nodules was 26. CONCLUSIONS: Surgery for recurrent parotid pleomorphic adenoma has a high rate of facial nerve morbidity. The chance of rerecurrence is high. Extended parotidectomy seems to be the best approach for the reoperation to reduce the risk of rerecurrence.     

Pancreas transplantation: The Wake Forest experience in the new millennium

AIM: To investigate the Wake Forest experience with pancreas transplantation in the new millennium with attention to surgical techniques and immunosuppression.METHODS: A monocentric, retrospective review of outcomes in simultaneous kidney-pancreas transplant (SKPT) and solitary pancreas transplant (SPT) recipients was performed. All patients underwent pancreas transplantation as intent-to-treat with portal venous and enteric exocrine drainage and received depleting antibody induction; maintenance therapy included tapered steroids or early steroid elimination with mycophenolate and tacrolimus. Recipient selection was based on clinical judgment whether or not the patient exhibited measureable levels of C-peptide.RESULTS: Over an 11.25 year period, 202 pancreas transplants were performed in 192 patients including 162 SKPTs and 40 SPTs. A total of 186 (92%) were primary and 16 (8%) pancreas retransplants; portal-enteric drainage was performed in 179 cases. A total of 39 pancreas transplants were performed in African American (AA) patients; of the 162 SKPTs, 30 were performed in patients with pretransplant C-peptide levels > 2.0 ng/mL. In addition, from 2005-2008, 46 SKPT patients were enrolled in a prospective study of single dose alemtuzumab vs 3-5 doses of rabbit anti-thymocyte globulin induction therapy. With a mean follow-up of 5.7 in SKPT vs 7.7 years in SPT recipients, overall patient (86% SKPT vs 87% SPT) and kidney (74% SKPT vs 80% SPT) graft survival rates as well as insulin-free rates (both 65%) were similar (P = NS). Although mortality rates were nearly identical in SKPT compared to SPT recipients, patterns and timing of death were different as no early mortality occurred in SPT recipients whereas the rates of mortality following SKPT were 4%, 9% and 12%, at 1-, 3- and 5-years follow-up, respectively (P < 0.05). The primary cause of graft loss in SKPT recipients was death with a functioning graft whereas the major cause of graft loss following SPT was acute and chronic rejection. The overall incidence of acute rejection was 29% in SKPT and 27.5% in SPT recipients (P = NS). Lower rates of acute rejection and major infection were evidenced in SKPT patients receiving alemtuzumab induction therapy. Comparable kidney and pancreas graft survival rates were observed in AA and non-AA recipients despite a higher prevalence of a “type 2 diabetes” phenotype in AA. Results comparable to those achieved in insulinopenic diabetics were found in the transplantation of type 2 diabetics with detectable C-peptide levels.CONCLUSION: In the new millennium, acceptable medium-term outcomes can be achieved in SKPT and SPTs as nearly 2/3rds of patients are insulin independent following pancreas transplantation.