Assessing the reliability and responsiveness of 5 shoulder questionnaires

Inspired by the high response rates achieved with the DBCT regimen (dacarbazine [DTIC], carmustine [BCNU], cisplatin and tamoxifen [TAM]), we administered the nitrosourea compound fotemustine, cisplatin and TAM (FCT regimen) to 69 patients with metastatic melanoma. Fotemustine (100 mg/m2) and cisplatin (100 mg/m2) were administered every 4 weeks, preceded by TAM 160 mg daily for 7 days from the second course onwards. Pharmacokinetic blood sampling was performed in 14 patients during the initial two cycles to compare the pharmacokinetic behaviour of fotemustine with or without TAM. Previous chemo- or radiotherapy was allowed, and patients with brain metastases or concomitant other malignancies were included. Four complete and 11 partial responders were observed among 66 evaluable patients, yielding a response rate of 22.7% (95% confidence interval 12.9 32.5%). The median survival time was 6.4 months (range 0.1-52+ months). The main toxicities were thrombocytopenia, protracted nausea/vomiting and ototoxicity. Renal toxicity was generally mild, but possibly contributed to two deaths. Seven patients experienced deep venous thrombosis during the study. TAM had no influence on the pharmacokinetics of fotemustine. The activity of the FCT regimen was clearly inferior to that initially reported with DBCT treatment. However, a recent publication concludes that the latter achieves a considerably lower response rate when administered to a larger patient group. We believe our results reflect the true activity of FCT and similar regimens when administered routinely to unselected patients. Considering the number of potentially serious side effects, we cannot recommend the moderately active FCT regimen as a palliative treatment option for melanoma patients.     

Epidemiological studies in children of a low-endemic region, a high-endemic region, and dwellers of a leprosy colony: evaluation of anti-ND-BSA antibodies and lepromin response

Children residing in a low-endemic region (LER), a high-endemic region (HER), and a leprosy colony contact population (CP) were evaluated for lepromin response as well as reactivity to the Mycobacterium leprae-specific synthetic antigen, ND-BSA. The mean reactivity to ND-BSA in the LER group (OD 0.03 +/- 0.03, N = 71) was significantly lower (p < 0.001) than that in the contact population (OD 0.14 +/- 0.09, N = 140) as well as the population residing in the HER (OD 0.09 +/- 0.08, N = 1340). ELISA-positive results were the highest (21.4%) with the CP group and lowest (0.0%) in the LER group, suggesting that it was a measure of the extent of exposure of M. leprae. In the contact population, females showed a preponderance for ELISA positivity over males (p < 0.005), a finding not observed with the HER population. The Mitsuda responses showed a Gaussian-type distribution in all of the three populations examined with the mean response being highest in the LER (6.0 mm +/- 2.9) and lowest in the HER (4.5 mm +/- 2.0) groups. The percent positivity for the Mitsuda reaction was found to be highest in the LER (93.0%) and lowest in the HER (88.3%) groups. The Mitsuda response thus appears to be independent of M. leprae exposure, and its interpretation in a given population needs consideration of several factors, such as nutritional, environmental, etc.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Flauoprotein structure and mechanism 2. Monoamine oxidases: old friends hold many surprises

The two forms of monoamine oxidase (MAO), A and B, continue to be of major interest to biochemists, pharmacologists, neurologists, and gerontologists. Despite intensive study for more than half a century, unexpected and unique properties of these enzymes continue to come to light. Recent studies have centered on their kinetic mechanism, their unique predilection for substrates related to the neurotoxic tertiary amine MPTP, and their putative role in aging and in the etiology of neurodegenerative diseases. New and potent inhibitors of MAO A and MAO B continue to be developed because of their potential use in clinical medicine. Some are effective in the picomolar range but MAO B from different mammalian species shows remarkable differences in sensitivity to these agents.     

Closed rupture of the anterior tibial tendon. A case report

Closed subcutaneous rupture of the anterior tibial tendon is a relatively uncommon injury that requires a thorough clinical examination to diagnose correctly. The authors report a case of this disorder and provide a review of the relevant literature. A method of surgical repair not previously described in the literature is also presented.     

Overshadowing and latent inhibition counteract each other: support for the comparator hypothesis

In 4 conditioned lick suppression experiments with rats, the combined effects of latent inhibition treatment followed by overshadowing treatment were assessed as a test of the comparator hypothesis's (R.R. Miller & L.D. Matzel, 1988) explanations of overshadowing and latent inhibition. Experiments 1 and 2 confirmed the prediction of the comparator hypothesis that combined latent inhibition and overshadowing treatments attenuate the response deficit produced by either treatment alone. Furthermore, consistent with the comparator hypothesis, posttraining changes in the associative status of the putative comparator stimulus altered responding to the target conditioned stimulus (Experiment 3), and switching contexts between latent inhibition and overshadowing treatments (Experiment 4) eliminated the interaction between the latent inhibition and overshadowing treatments.     

Evaluation of possible population bias among high-dose atomic bomb survivors in the frequency of the HLA-DQA1 allele and DR antigen types

Many studies have suggested a relationship between certain alleles of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) and the prevalence of some diseases or the immunological responsiveness to certain antigens. Furthermore, our studies in the past have demonstrated decreased immune function among atomic-bomb survivors who were exposed to high doses of radiation. However, no studies have addressed the possibility of various degrees of radiation-induced immune suppression being dependent on HLA type. To investigate the possibility of differing frequency distributions of HLA type in the Hiroshima atomic bomb survivors, HLA-DQA1 alleles and HLA-DR antigens were typed for 291 survivors in a high-dose group (>1.5 Gy), 339 survivors in an intermediate-dose group (0.005-1.5 Gy), and 388 in a distally exposed control group (<0.005 Gy). These doses are whole-body exposures, mainly from gamma-rays but with a small neutron component. When examinees were grouped by distinct pairs of HLA-DQA1 allele or HLA-DR antigen, no sex- or dose-related differences were found. However, when subjects were grouped by the presence of a specific allele or antigen, males carrying DQA1*0103 in at least one of their two HLA-DQA1 loci exhibited frequency distributions that decreased as radiation dose increased. These results suggest, although weakly, a possible population bias among male survivors with respect to HLA polymorphism. However, this bias is unlikely to be great enough to have a substantial effect on the cancer risk estimates.     

Picture perception and monocular vision: a reply to Hagen

It is argued that M. A. Hagen's (see record 1975-00215-001) review of picture perception contains a number of inaccuracies involving the nature of higher order variables in perception, the demonstration of visual compensation, the manipulation of relative size information, the postulation of an ability to discriminate the correctness of viewing point, and the existence of ambiguity in monocular perception. It is suggested that such errors are the result of a misunderstanding of the formal basis of J. J. Gibson's (1950, 1966) perceptual theory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Breast abscess associated with Helcococcus kunzii

Helcococcus kunzii, a nonvirulent member of the human skin flora, has recently been implicated in causing infections in immunosuppressed patients. We report a case of breast abscess associated with H. kunzii in an immunocompetant patient and discuss the criteria used in its identification and our observations of susceptibility testing for this species.     

Towards a standardized approach to DNA fingerprinting of Mycobacterium bovis. International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, Tuberculosis in Animals Subsection

The Tuberculosis in Animals Subsection of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease (IUATLD) recently identified a need to standardize the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) strain typing of Mycobacterium bovis. The standard method for strain typing of M. tuberculosis isolates cannot be directly extrapolated to M. bovis due to the low copy number of IS6110 identified in the majority of M. bovis strains, particularly from cattle. To improve the resolution of M. bovis strains, alternative methods and additional DNA probes have been investigated. In combination with studies of published literature, laboratories performing M. bovis DNA fingerprinting were surveyed. Results of these surveys allowed us to reach consensus and to make recommendations for DNA typing of M. bovis isolates, which hopefully will lead towards a standardized approach to the DNA fingerprinting of this organism. This approach, in conjunction with conventional epidemiological traceback approaches, should facilitate more accurate and effective investigations into the epidemiology, maintenance and transmission of M. bovis within and between man and domesticated, feral and wild animals, both at a local and a global level.