Synthesis and biological evaluation of certain new thiazolopyrimidines

A series of 5-methyl-3-phenyl thiazolo[5,4-e][1,2,4]triazolo[1,5-c] pyrimidin-2-thiones and 5-methyl-3-phenyl thiazolo[5,4-e]pyrimidino[3,4-b][1,2,4]triazin-2-thiones were prepared as potential antimicrobial and antitumor agents. Some of the tested compounds showed promising activity. The detailed synthesis, spectroscopic and biological data are reported.     

Treatment outcome with radiation therapy after breast augmentation or reconstruction in patients with primary breast carcinoma

BACKGROUND: Analyses were performed to determine local control and cosmetic outcome of breast carcinoma patients with prosthetically augmented or reconstructed breasts who had received radiation therapy (RT). METHODS: Twenty-one newly diagnosed breast carcinoma patients with prosthetically augmented or reconstructed breasts were treated with external beam RT. All patients received whole breast RT (median dose, 50.4 gray [Gy]) and 19 were boosted to a median dose of 60.4 Gy. A median dose of 50.4 Gy was delivered to the regional lymph nodes in 12 patients. Tissue equivalent bolus material was used in six patients. Seventeen patients received adjuvant systemic therapy. Cosmetic results were evaluated at 3-6-month intervals. RESULTS: With a median follow-up of 32 months, good/excellent cosmetic results were observed in 71% of patients (100% in those with augmented breasts and 54% in those with reconstructed breasts). Four patients (19%) with fair/poor cosmetic outcomes required implant removal and/or revision. Multiple clinical and treatment-related factors were analyzed for their impact on cosmetic outcome. A worsened cosmetic result was observed with increasing stage (P = 0.076), breast reconstruction (vs. augmentation) (P = 0.030), and bolus application (P = 0.016). All patients with fair/poor cosmetic outcomes had time intervals from implant insertion to RT ranging from 53-213 days. Two patients developed an isolated local recurrence within the augmented breast. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with prosthetically augmented breasts can undergo RT and expect good/excellent cosmetic results. Patients with reconstructed breasts are at a significantly greater risk for cosmetic failure. This risk may be related to the higher percentage of patients with advanced disease, those who received bolus application, and those who received earlier delivery of RT (after the cosmetic procedure) in reconstructed breasts.     

Multiple-objective decision analysis applied to chemical engineering

Chemical engineers are now being faced with new decisions involving multiple (and often conflicting) objectives as a result of increases in the scale and complexity of chemical plants and a re-evaluation of their performance criteria. Reliability and environmental impacts are now considered to be as important as economic efficiency, and this must be taken into account in process design, production planning and control.This paper describes methods for solving these multiple-objective optimization problems and gives an overview of the existing software. Selected applications of multiple-objective analysis are discussed—these include the design of a twin-screw extruder, the control of a film-hardening process and a production planning problem.     

Mammary ductal carcinoma in situ with microinvasion

BACKGROUND: The natural history of patients with intraductal carcinoma (DCIS) and microinvasion is poorly defined, and the clinical management of these patients, with particular reference to management of the axilla, has been controversial. Previous studies of this lesion have used varied and/or arbitrary criteria for the evaluation of microinvasion. METHODS: Thirty-eight DCIS lesions with microinvasion (n=29) or probable microinvasion (n=9), diagnosed during the period 1980-1996, were retrospectively analyzed after cases not treated with mastectomy and axillary lymph node dissection were excluded. Microinvasion was defined as a single focus of invasive carcinoma < or = 2 mm or up to 3 foci of invasion, each < or =1 mm in greatest dimension. RESULTS: The patients were all females with a mean age of 56.4 years. DCIS was of comedo (n=31) or papillary (n=7) subtype. Microinvasion was often associated with an altered, desmoplastic stroma (55%) or a lymphocytic infiltrate (39%). The foci of microinvasion ranged from 0.25 to 1.75 mm (mean, 0.6 mm), with an aggregate mean size of 1.1 mm (range, 0.25-2.25 mm). Foci of microinvasion, ranging from 1 to 3 (mean, 1.7), were adjacent to DCIS in 95.3% of cases. The extent of DCIS did not correlate with the number of foci of microinvasion. Axillary lymph node dissections yielded a mean of 19.3 lymph nodes (range, 7-38), and all lymph nodes were negative for metastasis. None of 33 patients, followed for a mean of 7.5 years (range, 1.0-14.4 years), developed local recurrence or metastasis. CONCLUSIONS: The cases of microinvasive carcinoma examined in this study, as defined above, were not associated with axillary lymph node metastases and appeared to be associated with an excellent prognosis. Further study is indicated to determine the appropriate management and long term prognosis of patients with this lesion.     

Maternal depressive disorder and contextual risk: contributions to the development of attachment insecurity and behavior problems in toddlerhood

Research has shown that offspring of depressed caregivers are at increased risk for maladaptive development and emotional difficulties. Specifically, infants and toddlers of depressed mothers have been shown to evidence higher percentages of insecure attachments and more behavioral difficulties than offspring of nondisordered mothers. However, even in studies that reveal significant differences between children of depressed and nondepressed caregivers, a substantial number of children with depressed caregivers do not evidence dysfunction. Such findings have resulted in increased attention to the broader social context in which children of depressed mothers develop. This investigation examined the direct influences of maternal depression on child development, as well as the role of contextual risks that may be particularly heightened in families with depressed parents. Toddlers with depressed mothers evidenced significantly more insecure attachments than did toddlers with nondisordered mothers, and this difference was not accounted for by contextual risk. In predicting child behavior problems, contextual risk was found to mediate the relation between maternal depression and child behavior problems. Father-report data on child behavior corroborated the mother report data. Results are discussed in terms of the diversity of functioning in offspring of depressed caregivers that can be attributed to varied levels of contextual risk accompanying depression.     

Nitrification process in a packed bed reactor with a chemically active bed

A laboratory scale submerged filter filled with crushed marble was used for the nitrification process investigation. The results obtained showed that the alkaline reactor filling material react with the hydrogen ions released during the process course which enables reactor exploitation without any pH value or alkalinity control.