Effect of vitamin E on chemotherapy-induced mucositis and neutropenia in leukemic patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation

Aim: This study was conducted to investigate the effect of oral vitamin E on mucositis and neutropenia in patients with leukemia. Methods: This was a randomized double‐blind placebo controlled clinical trial of 60 patients with leukemia (acute lymphoblastic, acute myelogenous leukemia and chronic myelogenous leukemia) who were consecutive recipients of allogenic bone marrow transplantation (BMT), randomly assigned to receive 400 mg vitamin E twice daily (supplemented group) or placebo (control). The incidence and severity of mucositis and the mean duration of neutropenia were compared. Results: The mean duration of neutropenia and the incidence of the mucositis between the two groups was the same (P = 1.0). The difference between the placebo group and mucositis grade 1 (P = 0.31), grade 2 (P = 0.25), grade 3 (P = 0.93) and grade 4 (P = 0.32) was not statistically significant. Moreover the variables of age, sex, BMI and underlying disease had no effect. Conclusion: In this study supplementation with oral vitamin E had no effect on mucositis and neutropenia in patients with leukemia who were recipients of allogenic BMT. More interventional trials are warranted.     

Overexpression of CDC7 in malignant salivary gland tumors correlates with tumor differentiation

Introduction

Cell division cycle-7 protein is a serine/threonine kinase that has a basic role in cell cycle regulation and is a potential prognostic or therapeutic target in some human cancers.

Sufentanil modifies the antibacterial activity of bupivacaine and ropivacaine

PURPOSE: The purpose of our study was to investigate the effect on the growth of Escherichia coli (E. coli), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), and Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) of bupivacaine at a final concentration of 0.77 mg.mL(-1), ropivacaine at 1.2 mg.mL(-1), and sufentanil at 0.38 and 0.5 microg.mL(-1) (alone or in combination with bupivacaine and ropivacaine). METHODS: The strains were diluted to approximately 3 x 10(4) cfu.mL(-1) in Mueller-Hinton broth. The anesthetics (0.5 mL) were incubated with the bacterial suspensions (0.5 mL) for 24 hr at 37 degrees C. RESULTS: Bupivacaine inhibited the growth of E. coli (59 +/- 0.8%; P < 0.05) and S. aureus (22 +/- 3.6%; P < 0.05). Ropivacaine also inhibited the growth of E. coli (41 +/- 1.2%; P < 0.05) and S. aureus (25.5 +/- 4.1%; P < 0.05). Both anesthetics were ineffective against E. faecalis. Sufentanil only inhibited S. aureus (13.8 +/- 3.1%; P < 0.05) at a concentration of 0.5 microg.mL(-1). Sufentanil modified the antibacterial activity of bupivacaine and ropivacaine. It increased the inhibitory effect of bupivacaine on E. faecalis and S. aureus by 10 +/- 2.1% (P < 0.05) and on E. coli by 7% (P < 0.05). Sufentanil did not increase the inhibitory effect of ropivacaine on the growth of S. aureus. On the other hand, sufentanil reduced the inhibitory effect of ropivacaine on E. coli by 11% (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Both bupivacaine and ropivacaine alone or combined with sufentanil inhibited the growth of E. coli and S. aureus. E. faecalis was partially sensitive to a bupivacaine + sufentanil mixture. Sufentanil had a partial synergistic effect on bupivacaine and a partial antagonistic effect on ropivacaine's antibacterial activity.     

Thyroglobulin increment after thyroid hormone withdrawal is a reliable indicator for the detection of significant remnants or metastases in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma

Serum thyroglobulin (Tg) measurement has a pivotal role in the management of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC). Serum Tg increment after thyroid hormone discontinuation seems to be a better predictor of tumor recurrence, however, minimal Tg increment may not be a specific marker. This study tries to evaluate the importance of different levels of Tg increment after thyroid hormone discontinuation. Fifty-five patients (46 females and 9 males with mean age of 41.40 yrs) with DTC, treated with total or subtotal thyroidectomy and radioiodine-131 ((131)I) were studied. Ninety-one per cent of the patients had papillary carcinoma. Serum Tg and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) were measured using high sensitive IRMA assays during thyroxine (T4) suppression and after discontinuation of T4 treatment. The mean time interval between Tg on T4 and off T4 was 110.29+/-53.43 days and less than 180 days in all patients. Serum Tg level was increased >or= 1 ng/ml in 25 patients after discontinuation of T4. Of these patients, 17 had metastatic disease or a detectable thyroid remnant. Of 16 patients with unchanged Tg (-1or= 7 ng/ml had residual disease or metastases. If DeltaTg was unchanged or decreased, the negative predictive value was 83.3%. The sensitivity of WB(131)IS was 63.6% for the detection of thyroid remnant or metastases. Our study indicates that DeltaTg is a more reliable indicator of remnant disease than on T4-Tg or off T4-Tg levels.     

Genetic analysis of an ambler class A extended-spectrum beta-lactamase from Capnocytophaga ochracea

A beta-lactamase gene (cfxA3, 966 bp) was isolated from a beta-lactam-resistant Capnocytophaga ochracea clinical isolate and amplified using primers from the cfxA gene of Bacteroides vulgatus. The MICs of third-generation cephalosporins were much higher than those of the transconjugant Escherichia coli strain. The deduced protein sequence, by comparison with CfxA2 of Prevotella intermedia, had a Y239D substitution and possessed the characteristics of a class A, group 2e beta-lactamase.     

The relationship between motivational structure,sense of control,intrinsic motivation and university students' alcohol consumption

The aim of this study was to determine how sense of control and intrinsic motivation are related to university students' motivational structure and alcohol consumption. Participants were 94 university students who completed the Personal Concerns Inventory, Shapiro Control Inventory, Helplessness Questionnaire, Intrinsic–Extrinsic Aspirations Scale, and Alcohol Use Questionnaire. Results showed that sense of control and intrinsic motivation were positively correlated with adaptive motivation and negatively correlated with alcohol consumption. Mediational analyses indicated that adaptive motivation fully mediated the relationship between sense of control/intrinsic motivation and alcohol consumption.     

Relationship between Meta-Cognitive Beliefs and Mindfulness with Ruminative Thoughts in Students

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship among meta-cognitive beliefs, mindfulness and ruminative thoughts in post-secondary students. The Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) and Ruminative Response Style Scale (RRS) were completed by 381 students who were selected using multi-stage cluster sampling from the Islamic Azad University of Bojnoord, Iran. The results showed a negative correlation between metacognitive beliefs and rumination (P < 0.01), while positive and significant correlation with mindfulness and ruminative thoughts (P < 0.01).