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).

Total thyroidectomy for differentiated thyroid cancer: primary compared with completion thyroidectomy.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse morbidity after completion total thyroidectomy compared with primary total thyroidectomy in a specialist thyroid surgery centre. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Tertiary referral hospital, India. PATIENTS: Medical records of 143 patients who had total thyroidectomy between January 1990 and December 1999. 95 had primary thyroidectomies and 48 were completion thyroidectomies. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Complication rate in both groups. RESULTS: The groups were comparable in respect of clinicopathological variables. Residual tumour was found in 19/48 (40%). After completion thyroidectomy, transient hypoparathyroidism and transient recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy were recorded in 8/48 (17%) and 2/48 (4%), respectively. No permanent hypoparathyroidism or permanent recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy was recorded in the completion thyroidectomy group. CONCLUSIONS: Completion thyroidectomy can be done with acceptable morbidity in a specialist thyroid surgery centre. Fear of increased morbidity after the procedure should not deter surgeon from doing this operation or referring the patients to a specialist centre.     

Leprosy in infants--report of two cases

Two infants, one 4 months old and the other 2 months old, having histologically confirmed indeterminate leprosy are reported. The route of infection, mode of transmission, and incubation period are discussed with reference to these two cases of infantile leprosy.     

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans: Rare cause of head and neck swelling

Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberance of head and neck is a rare neoplasm and accounts for less than one percent of Head and Neck Neoplasm. The objective of this report is to understand etiology, presentation, histopathologic identification and treatment option for this tumour. The goal of current report is to acquaint the clinician with presentation and treatment option for this disease.     

Endarterectomy as an adjunct to coronary artery bypass grafting

Between November 1988 and February 1992, 416 patients required coronary endarterectomy for diffuse coronary artery disease. This constitutes 16.19 per cent of all patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting during the same period. A total of 528 endarterectomies were performed. Four-hundred and twenty-two endarterectomies were performed on right coronary system and 106 endarterectomies were performed on left coronary system. One-hundred and twelve (26.92%) patients required more than one endarterectomies. The hospital mortality was 2.16 percent. 3.37 per cent of patients had perioperative infarction. Intraaortic balloon pump was required in 1.92 per cent of patients. 5.77 per cent of the patients had significant arrhythmias. The patients have been followed up for a mean period of 27 months. One-hundred and forty patients were evaluated by exercise multigated radionuclide angiogram. One-hundred and thirty-four (95.71%) patients showed increase in ejection fraction as compared to preoperative value. Six (4.29%) patients did not show any significant change while eight (5.71%) patients had fall in ejection fraction. Postoperative coronary angiogram was done in 44 patients at a mean of 10 months. 89.59 per cent of grafts to the endarterectomised vessels and 91.67% of grafts to nonendarterectomised vessel were patent. The difference between the two groups was not statistically significant.     

Two-year randomized controlled trial of vitamin K1 (phylloquinone) and vitamin D3 plus calcium on the bone health of older women.

Dietary supplementation with vitamin K(1), with vitamin D(3) and calcium or their combination, was examined in healthy older women during a 2-year, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Combined vitamin K with vitamin D plus calcium was associated with a modest but significant increase in BMC at the ultradistal radius but not at other sites in the hip or radius. INTRODUCTION: The putative beneficial role of high dietary vitamin K(1) (phylloquinone) on BMD and the possibility of interactive benefits with vitamin D were studied in a 2-year double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in healthy Scottish women > or =60 years of age. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Healthy, nonosteoporotic women (n = 244) were randomized to receive either (1) placebo, (2) 200 microg/day vitamin K(1), (3) 10 microg (400 IU) vitamin D(3) plus 1000 mg calcium/day, or (4) combined vitamins K(1) and D(3) plus calcium. Baseline and 6-month measurements included DXA bone mineral scans of the hip and wrist, markers of bone turnover, and vitamin status. Supplementation effects were tested using multivariate general linear modeling, with full adjustment for baseline and potential confounding variables. RESULTS: Significant bone mineral loss was seen only at the mid-distal radius but with no significant difference between groups. However, women who took combined vitamin K and vitamin D plus calcium showed a significant and sustained increase in both BMD and BMC at the site of the ultradistal radius. Serum status indicators responded significantly to respective supplementation with vitamins K and D. Over 2 years, serum vitamin K(1) increased by 157% (p < 0.001), the percentage of undercarboxylated osteocalcin (%GluOC) decreased by 51% (p < 0.001), serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] increased by 17% (p < 0.001), and PTH decreased by 11% (p = 0.049). CONCLUSIONS: These results provide evidence of a modest synergy in healthy older women from nutritionally relevant intakes of vitamin K(1) together with supplements of calcium plus moderate vitamin D(3) to enhance BMC at the ultradistal radius, a site consisting of principally trabecular bone. The substantial increase in gamma-carboxylation of osteocalcin by vitamin K may have long-term benefits and is potentially achievable by increased dietary intakes of vitamin K rather than by supplementation.