Postoperative radiotherapy with concurrent cisplatin appears to improve locoregional control of advanced, resectable head and neck cancers: RTOG 88-24

PURPOSE: Despite aggressive surgery and postoperative radiation therapy, only 30% of patients who have advanced, potentially resectable carcinomas of the head and neck survive for 5 years. In the hope of improving this situation we studied the effect of postoperative radiotherapy delivered concurrently with cisplatin. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Patients who had Stage IV tumors and/or involved surgical margins received 60 Gy in 30 fractions over 6 weeks plus 100 mg/m2 of cisplatin on radiotherapy days 1, 23 and 43. Fifty-two patients participated in this trial and 51 were evaluated. Forty-three (84%) patients had pathologic T3 or T4 disease, 43 (84%) had Stage IV disease, and 27 (53%) had histologically involved surgical margins. RESULTS: Severe and life-threatening toxicities occurred in 20% and 12% of patients, respectively; the most common drug-related toxicities were leukopenia, anemia, nausea, and vomiting. Seventeen patients (43%) remain alive with no evidence of disease. Four patients (8%) died with no evidence of neoplastic disease, and one patient has died of a second independent malignancy. By actuarial analysis at 3 years, 48% of patients are alive, 81% have locoregional control of disease, and 57% are free of distant metastases. CONCLUSIONS: Based on comparison with similar patients treated in a prior Radiation Therapy Oncology Group/Intergroup trial (RTOG), we conclude that postoperative radiotherapy with concurrent cisplatin may improve locoregional control rates and should be prospectively tested.     

A comprehensive meta-analysis on evidence of Mediterranean diet and cardiovascular disease: Are individual components equal?

Many studies have reported that higher adherence to Mediterranean diet may decrease cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence and mortality. We performed a meta-analysis to explore the association in prospective studies and randomized control trials (RCTs) between Mediterranean diet adherence and CVD incidence and mortality. The PubMed database was searched up to June 2014. A total of 17 studies were extracted and 11 qualified for the quantitative analysis. Individuals in the highest quantile of adherence to the diet had lower incidence [relative risk (RR): 0.76, 95% confidence intervals (CI): 0.68, 0.83] and mortality (RR: 0.76, 95% CI: 0.68, 0.83) from CVD compared to those least adherent. A significant reduction of risk was found also for coronary heart disease (CHD) (RR: 0.72, 95% CI: 0.60, 0.86), myocardial infarction (MI) (RR: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.54, 0.83), and stroke (RR: 0.76; 95% CI: 0.60, 0.96) incidence. Pooled analyses of individual components of the diet revealed that the protective effects of the diet appear to be most attributable to olive oil, fruits, vegetables, and legumes. An average reduced risk of 40% for the aforementioned outcomes has been retrieved when pooling results of RCTs. A Mediterranean dietary pattern is associated with lower risks of CVD incidence and mortality, including CHD and MI. The relative effects of specific food groups should be further investigated.     

基带SoC的系统解决方案

SoC设计的复杂度在不断增加,同时,市场的压力对产品的质量和交付时间都提出了更加苛刻的要求。本文将以TTPCom公司的CBEmacro3G调制解调器为例,介绍ARM公司在面对当今无线SoC芯片平台设计挑战时的解决方案。     

Thermal effects in laser assisted jet electrochemical machining

The purpose of the laser in laser assisted jet ECM (LAJECM) is to localise machining to specified areas so that precision and the productivity is improved. Temperature is a predominant determinant of this localisation effect and must be carefully monitored to avoid any heat affected zones or spark damage due to electrolyte boiling. This paper investigates the thermal effects in LAJECM on several alloys by temperature distribution modelling and experimental analysis. The laser influence on material micro removal has led to 25 μm deeper cavities with a reflective surface of roughness 20 nm R_a, without any detectable heat affected zone.     

Robotic nucleic acid isolation using a magnetic bead resin and an automated liquid handler for biological agent simulants

The events that occurred following the mailing of Bacillus anthracis-laced envelopes through the postal system has highlighted the need to perform biological screening on large numbers of environmental samples. High-throughput screening that relies on integrated robotic systems to speed analysis has been undertaken to handle the surge in samples requiring testing in events involving weapons of mass destruction. These automated screening systems require DNA extraction methods capable of handling environmental samples that contain inhibitors and have target organisms at low concentrations. This study describes the development of a method for the detection of the biological warfare agent simulants Erwinia herbicola and Bacillus subtilis var. niger spores using paramagnetic bead-based resin with an automated liquid handler and environmental samples.     

Poland and United States Collaborative Study on Cardiovascular Epidemiology. A comparison of HDL cholesterol and its subfractions in populations covered by the United States Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study and the Pol-MONICA Project

HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) levels are inversely related to coronary heart disease (CHD) risk, and HDL-C distributions vary among countries. Poland is one of the few developed countries in which CHD rates are increasing at the same time that US rates have been falling, but whether these differences are explained by differences in risk factors such as HDL-C has not been determined. To examine this possibility, levels of HDL-C and its subfractions were compared in US and Polish urban and rural men and women aged 45 to 64 years. Age-adjusted HDL-C means were 0.20 mmol/L higher in urban Polish men and 0.37 mmol/L higher in rural Polish men than in their US counterparts (P < .0001); means in urban Polish women were 0.06 mmol/L higher (P < .05) and in rural Polish women 0.09 mmol/L higher (P < .001) than in their US counterparts. Adjustment for age, education, alcohol intake, smoking, BMI, heart rate, and menopause status (in women) had little effect on differences. Means of HDL2 and HDL3 levels showed similar between-country differences, although differences were minimal for HDL2 in urban men and women, and HDL3 means did not differ between rural women. BMI was inversely related to HDL-C and both subfractions in all gender-country-site strata (P < .001), and alcohol was directly related to HDL-C (P < .001) in all strata except Polish women. Cigarette smoking was negatively related to HDL-C and both subfractions in all US samples except HDL2 in urban men, whereas in Polish samples, significant associations were found only in urban women for HDL-C and in rural and urban women for HDL3. Age, heart rate, and education showed inconsistent or no association with HDL-C and its subfractions in either country. This profile of HDL-C and its subfractions in Polish samples contrasts sharply with the opposite trend in CHD mortality rates, which suggests either that other risk factors may account for the trends or that the relationship between HDL-C and CHD may differ between the two countries.     

Antigen-specific T lymphocytes regulate lipopolysaccharide-induced apoptosis of dendritic cells in vivo

The potent accessory properties of dendritic cells (DC) develop sequentially during a process termed "maturation." Splenic DC undergo functional maturation in vivo in response to the bacterial product LPS and migrate from the marginal zone to the T cell areas. The redistribution of fully mature DC, which present Ags encountered in the periphery, in the T cell area is likely to result in T cell priming. Unexpectedly, we found that DC rapidly die by apoptosis once they have entered the T cell zone. Injection of OVA peptide in OVA-specific, TCR-transgenic mice strongly delays the LPS-induced apoptosis of DC in situ. We conclude that mature DC are programmed to die unless they receive a survival signal from T cells and that the regulation of DC survival may be a mechanism aimed at controlling the initiation and the termination of the immune response.     

Compositions of solvent-extracts of a Polish bituminous coal

The compositions of acetone, tetrahydrofuran and pyridine extracts from a bituminous coal were studied using mass spectrometry and the main components were identified. The compositions of the extracts were similar, as predicted by the electron-donor-acceptor mechanism of coal extraction. Different extract yields are due mainly to differences in the fraction of high molecular weight components in the extracts.     

Treatment of poultry manure wastewater using a rotating biological contactor

A pilot scale, six stage rotating biological contactor was used to evaluate the feasibility of this process for the stabilization of liquid animal manures. Total disc surface area was approx. 16.7 m². Treatment efficiencies were determined at various waste strengths and influent flow rates.With loading rates of 14.7–322 g m⁻² day⁻¹, the average COD reduction was 61%. With loading rates of 4.88-24.4 g m⁻² day⁻¹, the average BOD₅ reduction was 87%. Total nitrogen removal averaged approximately 30% for the entire study. Mixed liquor oxygen uptake rates were generally in excess of 80 mg 1⁻¹ h⁻¹.Clarified effluent was non-odorous and suitable to be reused for manure flushing or spray irrigation. Treatment was not sufficient to permit effluent discharge to surface waters.