A fourth dose of DTPa-IPV vaccine given to 4-6 year old children in Italy and Sweden following primary vaccination at 3, 5 and 11-12 months of age

Healthy 4-6 y old children from Italy and Sweden immunized with DTPa and inactivated or oral polio vaccines at 3, 5 and 11-12 months of age, received 1 dose of combined DTPa-IPV (n = 211) or DTPa + IPV as separate doses (n = 205) in a randomized trial. The pre-booster seroprotection rates were similar in each group and were above 60% against all antigens except diphtheria (31.3% and 37.0%) and PT (21.5% and 25.9%) in the DTPa-IPV and DTPa + IPV groups, respectively. At least 99.5% of subjects had seroprotective antibody levels against diphtheria, tetanus and polioviruses and > or = 96% showed a vaccine response to each pertussis antigen after vaccination. Post-booster antibody levels increased at least 51-fold for anti-diphtheria and anti-tetanus, at least 18-fold for anti-pertussis antibodies and at least 32-fold for antibodies against all 3 poliovirus types, compared to prior levels. DTPa-IPV was comparable to DTPa + IPV in terms of seroprotection rates and mean antibody levels against each vaccine antigen. Similar reactogenicity profiles were observed between groups including swelling > 50 mm [13% (9.1, 18.7) vs 17% (12.4, 23.4)] or involving an adjacent joint [0% (-,-) vs 1.5% (0.3, 4.3)] and were consistent with previous reports. The combined DTPa-IPV vaccine could be used to add DTP valences to the IPV vaccine currently given to children in Scandinavia and Italy at 4-6 y of age and reinforce protection against 4 diseases.     

Carotid plaques, but not common carotid intima-media thickness, are independently associated with aortic stiffness.

OBJECTIVE: It has been suggested that non-invasive aortic stiffness measurements can be used as an indicator of atherosclerosis. The relationships of arterial stiffness with arterial wall hypertrophy and atherosclerosis however, have rarely been investigated in large-scale studies. The present study reports the associations of carotid arterial structure assessed by B-mode ultrasound with carotid-femoral pulse-wave velocity in hypertensive and non-hypertensive subjects. DESIGN AND METHODS: Free health examinations were performed on 564 subjects (age 58.2 +/- 10.8 years, 31.9% of women, 53.2% of all were hypertensive). Carotid-femoral pulse-wave velocity (PWV) was used to assess aortic stiffness. Carotid ultrasound examination included measurements (at sites free of plaques) of intima-media thickness (IMT) at the common carotid arteries (CCA), CCA-lumen diameter, and assessment of atherosclerotic plaques in the extracranial carotid arteries. RESULTS: Subjects with carotid plaques had significantly higher mean sex-adjusted values of PWV than those without carotid plaques (12.7 +/- 0.2 versus 11.1 +/- 0.1 m/s, P < 0.001). Multivariate analyses showed that this association was independent of sex, age, height, body mass index, mean blood pressure, pulse pressure, diabetes, hypercholesterolaemia and smoking habits (P < 0.009). PWV was positively associated with CCA-IMT and CCA-lumen diameter in sex-adjusted analysis (partial correlation coefficients (r ) were respectively 0.39 and 0.42, P < 0.001 for each). However, the association of PWV with CCA-IMT, but not that with CCA-lumen diameter, disappeared after further adjustment for age and blood pressure measurements (mean blood pressure and/or pulse pressure). CONCLUSION: This study shows that there is a differential association of PWV with CCA-IMT and carotid plaques. The nature of the independent positive association between atherosclerosis and arterial stiffness should be thoroughly investigated.     

Separate amplified regions encompassing CDK4 and MDM2 in human sarcomas

Amplification of MDM2 and CDK4 is observed frequently in human sarcomas. Although overexpression of these protooncogenes might inhibit growth regulation through the TP53- and retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein (RB)-mediated pathways, neither gene was included consistently in all of the amplicons observed in our sarcoma panel. It was unclear whether both of these genes were selected for during amplification. Furthermore, in some samples without amplification of MDM2 or CDK4, comparative genomic hybridization showed amplification in the 12q13–15 region, suggesting that another selection mechanism might also be involved. To investigate the possibility that another target gene, which may be located between CDK4 and MDM2, could be the driving force, we characterized the involvement of 17 loci from this region in 12q13–15 amplicons that were detected previously in 21 sarcoma samples. The results showed discrete amplicons around MDM2 and CDK4 with reduced amplification of the intervening sequences. This suggests that there is separate selection for amplification of the two genes, and it makes the possibility of a common selective gene unlikely. Furthermore, D12S8, localized distal to MDM2, was amplified almost as frequently as MDM2 and was also amplified in one of the samples without MDM2 or CDK4 amplification. The data suggest that amplification of at least three different regions within the 12q13–15 segment may be selected for in tumor cells involving MDM2, CDK4, or a more distally located gene, possibly near D12S8. Genes Chromosom Cancer 17:254–259 (1996). © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

2000 Standards,Options and Recommendations for prognostic value of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes in non small cell lung cancer

CONTEXT: The "Standards, Options and Recommendations" (SOR) project, started in 1993, is a collaboration between the Federation of French cancer centers (FNCLCC), the 20 French cancer centers, and specialists from French public universities, general hospitals and private clinics. The main objective is the development of clinical practice guidelines to improve the quality of health care and the outcome of cancer patients. The methodology is based on a literature review and critical appraisal by a multidisciplinary group of experts, with feedback from specialists in cancer care delivery. OBJECTIVES: To develop clinical practice guidelines for non small cell lung cancer patients according to the definitions of the Standards, Options and Recommendations project. METHODS: Data were identified by searching Medline , web sites, and using the personal reference lists of members of the expert groups. Once the guidelines were defined, the document was submitted for review to independent reviewers. RESULTS: This article presents the chapter "Prognosis significance of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes" from the full report "Standards, Options and Recommendation for non small cell lung cancer" validated in August 2000. The main recommendations are: 1) No clear clinical prognostic value of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes (p53, bcl-2, Ki-ras, c-erbB-2, Rb, p16) in non small cell lung cancer, can be established from the available evidences (standard, level of evidence C). 2) Prospective multicenter studies should be performed to assess prognostic significance of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes in non small cell lung cancer.     

Transurethral electroresection with postoperative betatron irradiation in bladder cancer: indication and results

100 patients suffering from infiltrating urinary bladder cancer underwent transurethral resection followed by external megavolt irradiation (Betatron) are presented. The value of irradiation and its role in the actual therapeutic concept is discussed. The results of the combined therapy in infiltrative urinary bladder cancer using transurethral resection and megavolt irradiation are demonstrated according to stage (T2, T3) and histological grading (G2, G3). The 5-years survival rate amounts around 80%, in deep infiltrating bladder cancer about 50%. The morbidity of postoperative megavolt therapy was negligible. The results are superior to megavolt therapy alone and approach the one achieved by radical surgery; in addition the possibility of salvage-cystectomy remains open.     

Mapping and characterization of the amplicon near <Emphasis Type="Italic">APOA2</Emphasis> in 1q23 in human sarcomas by FISH and array CGH

Background  

Amplification of the q21-q23 region on chromosome 1 is frequently found in sarcomas and a variety of other solid tumours. Previous analyses of sarcomas have indicated the presence of at least two separate amplicons within this region, one located in 1q21 and one located near the apolipoprotein A-II (APOA2) gene in 1q23. In this study we have mapped and characterized the amplicon in 1q23 in more detail.