Evaluating the Cost-Effectiveness of Hydrogel Rectal Spacer in Prostate Cancer Radiation Therapy

Purpose

A hydrogel rectal spacer (HRS) is a medical device that is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to increase the separation between the prostate and rectum. We conducted a cost-effectiveness analysis of HRS use for reduction in radiation therapy (RT) toxicities in patients with prostate cancer (PC) undergoing external beam RT (EBRT).

Prevalence of vitamin D depletion among morbidly obese patients seeking gastric bypass surgery

BACKGROUND: Abnormalities in calcium and vitamin D metabolism have been reported after bariatric surgery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate vitamin D nutritional status among morbidly obese patients before gastric bypass surgery. METHODS: We prospectively studied 279 morbidly obese patients seeking gastric bypass surgery for vitamin D nutritional status as assessed by serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level. In addition, serum samples were analyzed for calcium, alkaline phosphatase (AP), intact parathyroid hormone (PTH), and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D. RESULTS: Mean patient age was 43 +/- 9 years; 87% of the study patients were women, and 72% were white. Serum calcium and AP levels were normal in 88% and 89% of the patients, respectively. Vitamin D depletion, defined as serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D level 相似文献   

Restriction fragment length polymorphism of human mitochondrial DNA in a sample population from Apulia (Southern Italy)

Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) of human mitochondrial DNA was analysed in a sample of 87 subjects from Apulia (South Italy) by the restriction enzymes Hpa I, Bam HI, Hae II, Msp I, Ava II, and Hinc II using total blood cell DNA probed by human mtDNA from placenta. Five BamHI morphs were observed, two of which are new ( Bam HI-4 and -5), as well as one new Ava II morph ( Ava II-28). The association Bam HI-4/ Ava II-28 enables us to demonstrate for the first time two polymorphic Bam HI sites present together in the same mtDNA molecule. In agreement with historical data the Apulian sample has been shown to be the most heterogeneous Italian population so far tested.     

Synthesis of TPH-13, a new tridecapeptide from Phyllomedusa rohdei

The synthesis of TPH-13 (Glp-Glu-Lys-Pro-Tyr-Trp-Pro-Pro-Pro-Ile-Tyr-Pro-Met-OH), a tridecapeptide isolated from the skin of the South American frog Phyllomedusa rohdei, is described and alternative approaches are discussed.     

Intratemporal vascular tumors: detection with CT and MR imaging

The diagnostic contributions of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging were compared in 12 patients with benign intratemporal vascular tumors (hemangioma or vascular malformation). The tumors included six in the internal acoustic canal and six in the geniculate ganglion region. Clinical and histologic correlations were made. Two of the six patients with tumors in the internal acoustic canal underwent CT, and both required gas cisternography to show the tumor. Five patients in that group underwent MR imaging, and all five studies showed the tumor. All six patients with geniculate ganglion tumors underwent CT. Results in one study were questionable, and five showed the tumor. Five patients in this group underwent MR imaging, but the MR findings were positive in only two cases. MR imaging should therefore be performed before CT in the evaluation of facial nerve dysfunction, as it demonstrated all tumors in the internal acoustic canal and some in the geniculate ganglion region. If MR findings are negative, CT should then be performed to rule out a possible geniculate ganglion lesion.     

The spectral signature method for the analysis of PET brain images

We introduce the concept of the metabolic centroid spectrum as the feature space to characterize the distribution of metabolic activity in three-dimensional brains. The method computes the metabolic centroid of a brain subvolume for each increment of metabolic activity occurring in the whole brain. The result is the metabolic spectral signature, a continuous three-dimensional curve whose shape reflects the distribution of metabolic rates in the brain. The method's sensitivity to metabolic distribution asymmetries is greatly increased over that of the metabolic centroid method, while retaining its advantages; it is almost invariant to head size, head positioning, photon scatter, and the positron emission tomography (PET) camera's full width at half-maximum. It does not require magnetic resonance, computed tomography, or x-ray images. To test the method we analyzed the metabolic PET images of 40 normal subjects and 20 schizophrenics. The results show a unification of several metabolic characteristics of schizophrenic brains, such as laterality, hypofrontality, cortical/subcortical abnormalities, and overall brain hypometabolism, which were identified by different laboratories in separate studies using differing methodologies. Here they are presented by a single automatic objective method.