Vagal nerve stimulator implantation: an otolaryngologist's perspective.

OBJECTIVE: This study was conducted to compare an otolaryngologist's experience with a cohort of epilepsy patients implanted with a vagal nerve stimulator (VNS) to previously published data. METHODS: Demographics, preoperative seizure frequency, medications, and complications were retrospectively collected from patients implanted by the senior author. Postoperative medications and seizure frequency were obtained from referring neurologists. RESULTS: Seventeen patients were implanted over a 24-month period. Average age was 28.3 years. Patients presented with petit mal (n = 3), tonic-clonic (n = 6), complex partial (n = 5), and grand mal (n = 8) seizures. Mean follow-up postimplantation was 13.5 months. Most patients had at least a 50% reduction of seizure frequency, with 3 patients being seizure free. There were no postoperative infections. One patient had left vocal cord immobility. The most common side effect was voice disturbance during device activation. CONCLUSION: Otolaryngologists are well equipped to perform VNS implantation and to diagnose and treat possible laryngeal side effects. EBM rating: C-4.     

Vesicular pityriasis rosea: response to erythromycin treatment

Pityriasis rosea (PR) is a relatively common disease although its aetiology has not yet been identified. It occurs worldwide and there is no racial susceptibility factor. It usually affects teenagers and young adults between 10 and 35 years of age. Typical PR is much easier to diagnose than the rare atypical forms. We report a rare case of vesicular PR in a black woman who had vesicular lesions limited to her palms and soles in addition to regular typical lesions. We devised an efficient oral erythromycin treatment for this patient.     

Situational and psychophysiological factors in psychologically induced pain

To investigate pain that occurs in the absence of painful stimulation, normal subjects were connected to a sham stimulator and were told that a headache could occur as a result of the electrical current they would receive. Half of the subjects who received this suggestion reported pain. The frequency and intensity of pain reports in a group which was given prior pain experience as a reference point in reporting pain and in a group which was exposed to a manipulation designed to reduce intentional deception were not significantly different from the pain reports of a group not exposed to these manipulations. The frequency of pain reports in subjects not connected to the sham stimulator but still asked to report pain was 25% which was significantly less than the frequency for subjects who were told there would be stimulation to the head. Pain ratings increased as the settings of the sham stimulator were increased. Subjects who reported pain had significantly fewer electrodermal responses to tones signaling them to prepare for a reaction time task. The results suggest that pain can be produced in the absence of peripheral stimulation. The pain does not appear to be due to intentional deception or the lack of a standard for comparison, but is strongly influenced by environmental cues. Psychophysiologically, pain responders were less attentive to signal stimuli.     

环孢菌素A阻断人HL－60抗药性细胞于G_1期而诱导敏感细胞凋亡

进一步研究了抗三尖杉酯碱的ＨＬ－６０细胞（ＨＲ２０）抗细胞凋亡的机制及该抗性和抗药性的关系。结果表明，环孢菌素Ａ（ＣｓＡ）２０，１０μｇ·ｍｌ￣（－１）诱导ＨＬ－６０细胞发生凋亡，而阻断ＨＲ２０细胞于Ｇ＿１期，就不能诱导细胞发生凋亡。低浓度的ＣｓＡ明显增加柔红霉素在ＨＲ２０细胞内的积聚，其逆转抗药性作用与阻断细胞周期运行无关。ＣｓＡ１０μｇ·ｍｌ￣（－１）处理ＨＲ２０细胞，可引起５０ｋＤａ的蛋白质高度磷酸化。结果提示：环孢菌素Ａ阻断抗三尖杉酯碱的ＨＬ－６０细胞于Ｇ＿１期，而诱导敏感的ＨＬ－６０细胞发生凋亡，其阻断作用与抗药性无关     

Phase II studies of Elsamitrucin in breast cancer, colorectal cancer, non-small cell lung cancer and ovarian cancer

PURPOSE:: To test the antitumor activity of Elsamitrucin in metastaticcancer of the breast, colon and rectum, non-small cell lungand ovary. PATIENTS AND METHODS:: Eligibility required histologically proven cancer. Patientswith colorectal or non-small cell lung cancer could not havereceived prior chemotherapy. Patients were entered if WHO PSwas 2 and organ functions were normal. Treatment consisted ofElsamitrucin 25 mg/m²/week given as a 5–10 min infusionfor at least 3–6 weekly doses. RESULTS:: One hundred and five patients entered the studies, 97 were eligible,94 are evaluable for toxicity and 75 for response. Toxicitymainly consisted of mild nausea/vomiting, and less frequentlyreversible hepatotoxicity and malaise. No objective responseswere seen. CONCLUSION:: Elsamitrucin at this dose and schedule is not an active drugin metastatic breast cancer, colorectal cancer, non-small celllung cancer or ovarian cancer. Elsamitrucin, phase II, breast, colorectum, nonsmall cell lung, ovary