Phase II trial of 10 deaza-aminopterin in patients with bladder cancer

Summary Deaza-aminopterin is a folate analog which is transported more rapidly than methotrexate into cells and appears to be more active than methotrexate against human and animal tumor in vitro. Fifteen patients with advanced urothelial tract cancer were given deaza-aminopterin 30–37.5 mg/m² IV QW. In responding patients drug was given QOW after 4–6 consecutive doses. Doses were escalated or de-escalated by 7.5 mg/m² depending on toxicity. Twelve patients had received prior chemotherapy which included methotrexate in nine. Three patients achieved a partial remission lasting 1, 3, and 3 months respectively: all responders had previously failed methotrexate after an initial response to a methotrexate containing regimen. None of the six patients who were methotrexate naive responded to deaza-aminopterin; 3 subsequently received methotrexate without response. Mild mucositis was universal and in 5 was severe. Six patients had an increase in liver transaminases probably secondary to anti-folate hepatotoxicity. Other toxicities included diarrhea, nausea, skin rash and fever. Further studies are needed to define the precise efficacy of deaza-aminopterin in patients with urothelial tract cancers.     

Phase II trial of Didemnin B in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma

Summary Twenty-three patients with advanced renal cell cancer were treated with Didemnin B. One partial response was achieved (5%) in 21 evaluable patients. An allergic reaction was noted in four patients including one patient with anaphylaxis. Didemnin B is not recommended in the treatment of renal cell carcinoma.     

创伤后迟发性脑肿胀的临床特点与治疗

目的 探讨创伤后迟发性脑肿胀的临床特点、发病机制与治疗。方法 回顾性分析1998年1月～2005年6月年收治的17例迟发性脑肿胀患者的临床特点和救治情况。结果 所有颅脑损伤患者采用保守治疗后均有好转，但于伤后5-10d出现恶化，CT复查有脑肿胀，经加强综合脱水等治疗后16例治愈，1例死亡。结论 迟发性脑肿胀好发于对冲性额、颞叶挫裂伤伴明显蛛网膜下腔出血、硬膜下薄层血肿及早期CT有脑肿胀者。其发病机制可能与创伤后的迟发性脑血管痉挛、微循环障碍、静脉回流障碍及甘露醇作用下降等因素有关。此类患者病情隐蔽性强，应加强观察、积极行CT复查，如能早期明确诊断，保守治疗多数效果良好。     

Ictal and Interictal Electrographic Seizure Durations in Preterm and Term Neonates

Summary: The effect of gestational age on neonatal ictal and interictal durations has not been investigated. Sixty-eight neonates with 644 electrographic seizures were identified retrospectively. Thirty-five full-term (FT) neonates were compared with 33 preterm (PT) neonates. Eighteen older preterm infants (OPT) [>31 weeks estimated gestational age (EGA)] were also compared with 15 young preterm infants (YPT) of ≤31 weeks EGA. Ictal/ interictal durations were calculated for the total cohort with and without status epilepticus (SE). Statistical analyses were two-tailed t tests, chi-square calculations, and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) with Duncan's multiple-range test. Eleven of 35 (33%) FT had SE as compared with 3 of 33 (9%) PT (chi-square = 7.8, p < 0.05). The mean ictal duration was 14.2 min for FT infants as compared with 3.1 min for PT infants (p < 0.01); only borderline differences were noted after those with SE were excluded. Interictal durations were longer for OPT than YPT (p < 0.05). By ANOVA and Duncan's multiple-range tests, group differences included longer mean ictal durations for FT infants as compared with OPT infants (p = 0.06, ANOVA; p < 0.05, Duncan's), and longer mean interictal durations for FT infants versus OPT and OPT versus YPT (p = 0.02, ANOVA; p < 0.05, Duncan's). More developed neuronal networks result in longer ictal durations in FT than in PT neonates, including FT infants with SE. Inhibitory networks responsible for longer interictal periods are more dominant in OPT infants than in YPT infants, reflecting maturational changes that suppress seizure activity during the latter part of the third trimester before the infant reaches an FT corrected age.     

Retrorenal colon: implications for percutaneous diskectomy

It has been recommended that computed tomography (CT) with the patient prone be performed in every patient undergoing percutaneous diskectomy; this would enable detection of a retrorenal location of the colon, which could interfere with the percutaneous procedure. In this evaluation of 346 prone CT studies, only one patient (0.29%) was found to have retrorenal or retropsoas bowel that would have been perforated at diskectomy. Because of this extremely low prevalence, the performance of prone CT in every patient undergoing percutaneous lumbar diskectomy is not believed to be necessary.     

Complications of biliary surgery

Procedures on the gallbladder and extrahepatic biliary tract were the most frequently performed operations in a series of 1500 consecutive abdominal operations done in community hospitals. The operative mortality rate for elective cholecystectomy was 0.3 per cent. The complication rate was 21.4 per cent for cholecystectomy. Patients requiring emergency cholecystectomy had significantly more urinary tract and intra-abdominal problems than those patients who underwent surgery electively. Operative cholangiography was performed during 20.3 per cent of the elective cholecystectomies. There were no biliary tract complications among the cholecystectomy patients who had cholangiography. When this study was not performed, 1.5 per cent of the patients had postoperative bile duct problems. Older surgeons (greater than 60 years of age) and high volume surgeons (greater than 300 cases/year) were significantly less likely to employ cholangiography. The mortality rate for elective common duct exploration was 4.4 per cent, with a complication rate of 60 per cent. There was a 13.3 per cent incidence of retained stones after choledochotomy, though this problem was readily managed by percutaneous extraction through the T-tube tract. Complex biliary tract procedures were performed electively without mortality, though the complication rate for these procedures was 35.3 per cent. Two-thirds of the patients undergoing complex biliary tract operations on an emergency basis died. Board certified general surgeons had the same mortality and complication rates for cholecystectomy as well as common bile duct exploration. Noncertified surgeons had significantly more intraabdominal complications after complex biliary tract procedures compared to their board certified colleagues.     

肾移植受者血清巨细胞病毒IgE和IgA抗体检测

采用间接ＥＬＩＳＡ检测２３名肾移植受者血清巨细胞病毒（ＣＭＶ）抗体，共检出１８名（７８％）活动性ＣＭＶ感染，其中１０名（４４％）为原发性感染。结果证实ＣＭＶ－ＩｇＥ和－ＩｇＡ具有较好的血清学诊断价值，优于ＣＭＶ－ＩｇＭ。