Is there any value in the long term follow up of women treated for endometrial cancer?

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical benefit of routine follow up of women after treatment for endometrial adenocarcinoma. DESIGN: Retrospective case analysis. PARTICIPANTS: All cases diagnosed and treated for endometrial adenocarcinoma in Tayside, Scotland during 1982 to 1984 inclusive. METHODS: Case-note and cancer registration document review. RESULTS: Of 102 patients, 97 had complete follow up for 10 years or until death. Recurrent disease was diagnosed in 17 women, only six of whom were asymptomatic at the time of diagnosis. There was no difference in survival between cases with symptomatic and asymptomatic recurrences. No recurrences were diagnosed more than six years after initial diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: The diagnosis of asymptomatic recurrent endometrial carcinoma was not associated with improved long term survival. This small study showed no evidence of improved survival from the current practice of routine clinical review following treatment for endometrial adenocarcinoma. The effect of follow up on patient anxiety remains to be assessed.     

Tumor cells cultured in vivo in diffusion chambers induce hematological alterations

We have studied in BALB/c mice the hematological alterations of the host induced by the growth of tumor cells in diffusion chambers (DC) In this model, host-tumor interactions are only mediated by soluble factors. Tumor cells proliferate and grow in DC up to 15 days after implant. Our results show a reversal of the granulocyte-lymphocyte ratio in peripheral blood, with lymphopenia and a relative increase of myeloid progenitors in the bone marrow of mice bearing DC with M3 tumor cells (M3TC).     

Heparinized saline or normal saline as a flush solution in intermittent intravenous lines in infants and children

Physical exertions are related to sudden cardiac death following acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Abnormalities in the autonomic modulation during exercise were noted in animals with AMI that were susceptible to potentially lethal arrhythmias. This study was done to evaluate the changes in the autonomic activity during exercise and recovery in AMI patients with good exercise capacity, using spectral analysis of R-R intervals of electrocardiogram (ECG). Symptom-limited treadmill exercise test was done on 17 patients of AMI with mild heart failure (in 7-10 days after the attack) and 21 healthy controls. The exercise was divided into 7 stages; rest, early exercise, mid-exercise, peak exercise, early recovery, mid-recovery, and late recovery. Power spectral analysis of R-R intervals of ECG was performed for each stage. Low frequency (0.04-0.15 Hz) and high frequency (0.15-0.40 Hz) powers, and their ratio were obtained. These parameters were observed throughout the stages in both groups. The trend of their changes during exercise and recovery was essentially the same for both groups; high and low frequency powers progressively decreased during exercise and abruptly increased during early recovery, but did not return to the values at those of rest until 9 minutes into the recovery. When the parameters were compared between the groups, there was a significantly greater decrease of high frequency power during the early exercise (p < 0.05), and a higher ratio of low to high frequency power during the early recovery (p < 0.05) in the patients.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Uncover: supporting city exploration with egocentric visualizations of location-based content

This paper describes the design and evaluation of Uncover: a mobile application that supports users in exploratory pedestrian behavior to gain situational awareness of their immediate environment. The design was based on guidelines derived from foraging theory and relies on egocentric views, which keep the virtual content automatically aligned with the real world. We carried out two studies with Uncover, which examine the successfulness of design choices aiming to support tourists’ city exploration while interfering with experiencing the surroundings as little as possible. A lab study tested the effect of different marker and background types on the time to recognize the direction with most content. The designs performing best were implemented in the final prototype, and a field study analyzed the exploration behavior tourists and visitors exhibited while using it. The study showed that supporting the exploration can be improved by enabling features that are either disabled by default or not available at all in commercial map applications, like egocentric orientation of the map, providing images of venues just by pointing to their direction, and displaying clusters of several venue types.     

Glutathione depletion prevents lipopolysaccharide-induced local skin inflammation

BACKGROUND: We have previously shown that the thiol-oxidizing agent diethyl maleate prevents lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced up-regulation of endothelial cell intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in vitro. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effect of glutathione depletion on the development of local skin inflammation in vivo, a model known to be dependent on ICAM-1. DESIGN: Swiss Webster mice were injected with intradermal LPS (30 micrograms) or isotonic saline solution. INTERVENTION: Mice were pretreated for 1 hour with intraperitoneal diethyl maleate (6 mmol/kg) or corn oil vehicle. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Injection sites were harvested after 12 and 24 hours and evaluated for changes in vascular permeability and histological characteristics. To determine the mechanism underlying our findings, we evaluated skin ICAM-1 immunohistochemistry, levels of ICAM-1 protein and messenger RNA (mRNA), and neutrophil CD11b expression at the 24-hour point. RESULTS: Diethyl maleate significantly decreased the skin permeability index in a dose-dependent fashion at 24 hours but not at 12 hours. Skin histological examination under light microscopy showed a marked LPS-induced neutrophil infiltration at 24 hours, which was inhibited with diethyl maleate pretreatment. Immunohistochemical examination showed that diethyl maleate reduced ICAM-1 expression. In keeping with the hypothesized mechanism, diethyl maleate attenuated the LPS-induced up-regulation of ICAM-1 mRNA by 44%. Diethyl maleate also slightly but insignificantly reduced CD11b expression in vivo. CONCLUSIONS: Diethyl maleate markedly attenuates LPS-induced dermal inflammation, primarily through a reduction in ICAM-1 protein and mRNA expression. These data suggest that manipulation of the intracellular redox state may have a beneficial role in neutrophil-mediated inflammation.     

The effect of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine on the lifespan and behavior of Drosophila melanogaster

In this study, we have examined the effect of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine incorporated into DNA of Drosophila nerve cells after incubation of larvae in the analog-containing medium on the duration of lifespan and behavior (photoactivity) of adult flies. 5-Bromo-2'-deoxyuridine incorporated into DNA decreases the lifespan of adult animals. In contrast to the control, the curves describing the probability of death become bimodal at higher doses of the analog (above 35 (g/ml). As the dose of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine decreases, photoactivity of the flies diminishes, and the distribution into fractions with different activity becomes broader. The data obtained provide evidence that the modification of DNA with 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine drastically changes the expression of tissue-specific genes in nerve ganglia of Drosophila and at the same time diminishes the duration of insects lifespan. These observations suggest that genome of the nerve cells appears to be a probable initial substrate of Drosophila aging.