Evaluation on non invasive diagnostic tests for the second look in epithelial ovarian cancer

OBJECTIVE: To determine the usefulness of diagnostic tests performed before a second look laparotomy in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer. STUDY DESIGN: Thirty-three patients with epithelial ovarian cancer attended at Fundación Jiménez Díaz from 1984 to 1995 were studied. All patients initially underwent cyto-reducing surgery, followed by at least six platinum-based chemotherapy cycles. Prior to second look laparotomy all patients were evaluated by computerized tomography (CT) of the pelvis and abdomen, CA-125, pelvic-abdominal echography and gynecologic examination. To evaluate sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value for each test contingency tables were used. RESULTS: Eleven out of the 33 second look patients (33%) had histologic or cytologic evidence of disease. Six out of the eleven positive second look had a positive CT prior to second look (sensitivity of 55%). CT showed lack of disease in 21 out of the 22 negative second look cases (specificity 95%). Positive and negative predictive values of the test were 86% and 81%, respectively. Nine cases out of the 28 who had a CA-125 obtained had a positive second look. Four out of these nine patients had an increased CA-125 value (sensitivity 44%, specificity 95%, positive predictive value 80% and negative predictive value 78%). Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of physical examination and echography were 36%, 100%, 100%, 76% and 27%, 95%, 75%, 72%, respectively. On the other hand, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value of all tests taken together were 64%, 91%, 78% and 83%, with a rate of false-negative results of 17% and a rate of false-positive results of 22%. CONCLUSION: Pelvic-abdominal computerized tomography, CA-125, pelvic-abdominal echography and gynecologic examination can be an alternative to second look laparotomy for the diagnosis of persistence or recurrence of the disease in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer.     

Relation between the time to achieve the lower limit of the APTT therapeutic range and recurrent venous thromboembolism during heparin treatment for deep vein thrombosis

BACKGROUND: Randomized trials have demonstrated the importance of achieving adequate heparinization early in the course of therapy. Recently, some authors reported a pooled analysis of selected studies in the literature that suggested that there is no convincing evidence that the risk of recurrent venous thromboembolism is critically dependent on achieving a therapeutic activated partial thromboplastin time result at 24 to 48 hours. METHODS: We provide the analyses of patient groups entered into our series of 3 consecutive double-blind randomized trials evaluating initial heparin therapy for proximal deep venous thrombosis. RESULTS: Logistic regression analysis of the patient groups receiving the less intense initial intravenous heparin dose of 30,000 U/24 h demonstrated that subtherapy for 24 hours predicted the onset of venous thromboembolic events. Failure to achieve a therapeutic activated partial thromboplastin time by 24 hours was associated with a 23.3% frequency of venous thromboembolism vs 4% to 6% for those whose activated partial thromboplastin time exceeded the therapeutic threshold by 24 hours (P=.02). Time-to-event analysis shows the increased frequency of recurrent venous thromboembolic events during the period of study in patients who were subtherapeutic for 24 hours compared with those who were therapeutic (P=.001). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings reaffirm the clinical importance of rapidly achieving therapeutic levels of heparin. Patients who failed to achieve the therapeutic threshold by 24 hours were at an increased risk of subsequent recurrent venous thromboembolism. These findings are independently supported by the results of a randomized trial comparing different intensities of initial heparin treatment by continuous infusion.     

Linear and nonlinear effects of aging on categorizing and naming faces.

Ss aged 54–84 yrs performed 5 separate tasks involving various aspects of face processing: (1) structural decisions, (2) familiarity decisions, (3) semantic decisions, (4) 1st-name decisions, and (5) name retrieval. For the categorization tasks (1–4), the mean reaction times (RTs) for the older Ss (over 65) were plotted against the corresponding means for the younger Ss (under 65). This produced a linear function (slope >1, intercept     

Cellular glutathione peroxidase is the mediator of body selenium to protect against paraquat lethality in transgenic mice

A case-control study was conducted between 1992 and 1996 in six Italian areas. It included 537 women with colon cancer, 291 women with rectal cancer and 2081 control women in hospital for acute conditions, unrelated to hormonal or gynaecological diseases. A higher age at menopause was associated with increased colon cancer risk (odds ratio (OR) for > or = 53 years compared with < 50 years = 1.39, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04-1.87). Among parous women, a significant trend of decreasing colon cancer risk with increasing number of births was seen for colon (OR for > or = 4 births compared with 1 birth = 0.62, 95% CI 0.42-0.90), but not for rectal cancer. Nulliparous women, however, were at lower risk than women with a single birth, and age at first birth was directly associated with risk. While oral contraceptive use showed no significant influence, ever users of hormone replacement therapy had a reduced risk of rectal cancer (OR = 0.56, 95% CI 0.31-1.01). Thus, the association of colorectal cancer with reproductive and menstrual factors is neither strong nor consistent.     

Post-activation potentiation in the neocortex of awake freely moving rats

Healthy hair samples from golden hamsters were examined for the presence of dermatophytes and non-dermatophytes using baiting technique and direct inoculation. Thirty-four species and 2 varieties attributed to 17 genera were recovered. Paecilomyces variotii (isolated from 84.4% of the examined hair) and Aspergillus niger (81.3%) were the more frequent isolates on Sabouraud's dextrose agar (SDA) without cycloheximide. Our results have clearly demonstrated that the hair of hamster was free from true dermatophytes. Using the dilution plate method many fungal species were isolated from cage material (7 genera and 10 species + 1 variety); from faeces (10 genera and 17 species); from standard chow (3 genera and 6 species) of hamster. P. variotii which was the most frequent fungus in the preceding 3 substrates was completely absent in the presence of cycloheximide in SDA. The present study has demonstrated for the first time the isolation of Trichophyton rubrum from hamster faeces. Also, several saprophytic and cycloheximide resistant fungi were isolated. In the air of hamster cage Cladosporium cladosporioides, Penicillium chrysogenum, Alternaria alternata and Scopulariopsis brevicaulis were the most dominant species on SDA with or without cycloheximide. Using the agar diffusion method, Aloe sap, onion oil, garlic bulb extract and aqueous leaf extracts of Andropogon citratus, Euphorbia sp. and Ruta graveolens were tested for their antifungal activity on 10 fungal species. It was observed that onion oil exhibited a high inhibitory effect against most of the tested fungi.     

The vapour pressure of tetrafluoromethane

The vapour pressure of tetrafluoromethane has been measured at its triple-point temperature (89.56 K), and at six higher temperatures up to 173 K. These temperatures were those of the triple-points of six pure substances which had previously been carefully determined and which have been corrected to IPTS-68. The vapour pressure results give an excellent fit to the Wagner equation. They are compared with published values of the vapour pressure of tetrafluoromethane.     

A high-level Petri net for goal-directed semantics of Horn clauselogic

A new high level Petri net (HLPN) model is introduced as a graphical syntax for Horn clause logic (HCL) programs. We call these nets: Horn clause logic goal directed nets (HCLGNs). It is shown that there is a bijection between the queried definite programs and the class of HCLGNs. In addition, a visualization of SLD resolution is realized through the enabling and firing rules and net markings. The correctness of these rules with respect to SLD resolution is also proven. We model SLD refutations and failing computations. It is shown how HCLGNs can be used to model built in atoms and provide a new AND/OR parallel execution model. Recently, several software packages (graphical editors) have become available for editing and executing HLPNs. The simulation capabilities of the HLPN software offer opportunities to perform automated, interactive code walk throughs and also have potential for providing a framework for visual debugging environments. However, HCLGNs differ from the major classes of HLPNs for which software tools have been developed in primarily two ways: the tokens in the markings can have variables; and the firing of a transition may not only update the marking of the adjacent places, but may instantiate variables in tokens in the markings of places that are non adjacent to the fired transition. Thus, the existing packages can only provide graphical syntax editing and are not appropriate for graphical simulation of HCLGNs. We provide an algebraic characterization of HCLGNs that can serve as a design guideline for implementing HCLGNs     

Tracer diffusion of cadmium and mercury in mercury over the temperature range 283–333 K

Calculations associated with the technique of amalgam polarography have demonstrated that there is an urgent need for accurate diffusion coefficient for metals diffusing in mercury. A set of data for trace cadmium diffusing in mercury amalgams has been produced over the temperature range 283–333 K and for zinc at 298 K. As a procedural check, self-diffusion coefficients in liquid mercury have been remeasured over the same temperature range. The classical open-ended capillary technique has been used for both sets of measurements.