Clinical parameters that predict histology of postchemotherapy retroperitoneal lymph node mass in testicular cancer

BACKGROUND: Since the advent of cisplatin-based chemotherapy, the majority of metastatic testicular cancers can be cured by chemotherapy followed by retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND). However, postchemotherapy RPLND confers no therapeutic benefit if the residual mass contains no viable cells. Therefore, to determine which parameters predict a patient's likelihood of having only necrosis in the residual mass, we retrospectively analyzed clinical parameters of patients who underwent postchemotherapy RPLND. METHODS: Data from 27 patients with metastatic testicular cancer were analyzed. The histology of the primary tumor was seminoma in 11 cases and non-seminoma in 16 cases. All of the patients with non-seminoma showed a normalization of tumor markers after chemotherapy. Analysis of clinical parameters included data for the initial histology, pretreatment tumor marker levels, postchemotherapy retroperitoneal mass size, and the histology of the dissected RPLNs. RESULTS: Histological examination of dissected RPLNs showed residual tumor in 27% of seminoma patients and 38% of non-seminoma patients. In seminoma patients, no viable cells were found in all six patients with pretreatment lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) levels below 7.5 times the upper limit of normal, or in all five of the patients with postchemotherapy RPLNs less than 2.5 cm. In non-seminoma patients, no viable cells were found in nine of 10 patients with pretreatment alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels less than 2700 ng/mL, or in eight of nine patients with residual mass less than 2.5 cm. CONCLUSIONS: Both postchemotherapy RPLN mass size and pretreatment tumor marker levels are possible predictors for necrosis of the residual mass in testicular cancer patients.     

Asystole Following Left Ventricular Pacing

During biventricular ICD implantation, pacing the epicardial inferior posterior-lateral surface of the left ventricle via the coronary sinus produced asystole. The proposed mechanism is a Bezold-Jarisch reflex manifested by a drop in heart rate and blood pressure through direct C fiber stimulation. (PACE 2004; 27[Pt. I]:815–817)     

侧方扩展型大肠肿瘤的X线特征

目的:探讨扩展型大肠肿瘤的X线与病理学特征。方法:分析了经组织病理学证实的46例54处病变的X线钡灌肠造影表现和内镜图像,将病变分为非结节扁平隆起、结节集簇性隆起和混合性结节集簇隆起3种类型,与病理组织学进行对照研究。结果:扩展型大肠肿瘤好发于直肠、盲肠和升结肠近段,组织病理学多为腺瘤或黏膜内癌,混合结节集簇隆起型病变癌变率高、浸润较深,且有进展期癌。结论:扩展型大肠肿瘤表面的形态改变,可以作为推测有无癌变与癌变浸润深度的指标。     

中药高臀位灌肠治疗慢性肾功能衰竭疗效观察

目的 观察中药高臀位灌肠治疗慢性肾功能衰竭(chronic renal failure,CRF)的临床疗效.方法 将100例CRF患者随机分为两组,治疗组70例采用中药高臀化灌肠治疗,对照组30例口服活性炭治疗.结果 治疗组总有效率为88.6%,对照组总有效率为50.0%.结论 中药高臀位灌肠治疗CRF有效.     

Guidelines for Trials of Behavioral Treatments for Recurrent Headache, First Edition: American Headache Society Behavioral Clinical Trials Workgroup

Guidelines for design of clinical trials evaluating behavioral headache treatments were developed to facilitate production of quality research evaluating behavioral therapies for management of primary headache disorders. These guidelines were produced by a Workgroup of headache researchers under auspices of the American Headache Society. The guidelines are complementary to and modeled after guidelines for pharmacological trials published by the International Headache Society, but they address methodologic considerations unique to behavioral and other nonpharmacological treatments. Explicit guidelines for evaluating behavioral headache therapies are needed as the optimal methodology for behavioral (and other nonpharmacologic) trials necessarily differs from the preferred methodology for drug trials. In addition, trials comparing and integrating drug and behavioral therapies present methodological challenges not addressed by guidelines for pharmacologic research. These guidelines address patient selection, trial design for behavioral treatments and for comparisons across multiple treatment modalities (eg, behavioral vs pharmacologic), evaluation of results, and research ethics. Although developed specifically for behavioral therapies, the guidelines may apply to the design of clinical trials evaluating many forms of nonpharmacologic therapies for headache.     

Oncolytic herpes viral therapy is effective in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines

The rising incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in western countries, along with the poor prognosis offered by present-day treatment modalities, makes novel therapies for this disease necessary. Oncolytic herpes simplex viruses (HSV) are replication-competent viruses that are highly effective in the treatment of a wide variety of experimental models of human malignancies. This study seeks to investigate the effectiveness of oncolytic herpes viruses in the treatment of primary HCC cell lines. Sixteen commercially available human HCC cell lines were studied. G207 is an attenuated, replication-competent, oncolytic HSV engineered to selectively replicate within cancer cells. Cell lines were tested for viral sensitivity to G207 and their ability to support viral replication using standard cytotoxicity and viral replication assays. Eleven of 16 cell lines were moderately to highly sensitive to G207 viral oncolysis. HCC cell lines additionally demonstrated the ability to support viral replication in vitro with as high as 800-fold amplification of the administered viral dose observed. G207 is cytotoxic to, and efficiently replicates within, HCC cell lines in vitro. From these data, we suggest that oncolytic HSV therapy may have a role in the treatment of HCC, and in vivo studies are warranted. Presented in part at the 2005 American Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association Congress, Hollywood, Florida, April 14–17, 2005. Supported by grants R01CA75461 and R01CA72632 from the National Institutes of Health, and by grant MBC-99366 from the American Cancer Society (Yuman Fong).     

同步放化疗治疗中晚期食管癌60例

目的 观察对中晚期食管癌患者同步放化疗,疗效及毒副作用.方法 中晚期食管癌120例,随机分放化疗组60例(简称放化组)和单纯放疗组60例(简称单放组).放疗采用常规分割,DT40 Gy后缩小照射野,避开脊髓斜野照射,加量DT20～30 Gy,6～7周完成.放化组放疗1、4周后应用顺铂(DDP)20 mg/d、亚叶酸钙(CF)0.1 g/d,CF静脉滴注1/2量时5-氟尿嘧啶(5-Fu)500 mg/d静脉滴注,连续5 d为1个周期,化疗当天进行放疗.结果 放化组与单放组1、2、3年生存率分别为67%、46%、34%和52%、38%、24%;放射性肺炎分别为14例和12例;外周血细胞下降分别为26例和17例;胃肠道反应分别为25例和9例;死亡分别为38例和48例.两组治疗效果比较差异有统计学意义(P＜0.05).结论 放疗同步PLF方案化疗治疗中晚期食管癌生存率高,毒副作用及不良反应低.     

“肠梗”治疗粘连性肠梗阻425例

本文对采用自行研制的中草药浓缩剂“肠梗”治疗的粘连性肠梗阻４２５例进行临床分析。根据不同的病理及临床特征将其分为三种类型，其中广泛粘连型是“肠梗”治疗的最佳适应症，粘连扭转型是其禁忌证。并对中转手术的指征、时间等问题进行了讨论。认为该方法具有简单易行、安全可靠、成功率高的特点，是一种易于推广的治疗粘连性肠梗阻的有效方法，具有较高的临床实际应用价值