Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
From conventionally fractionated radiation therapy to hyperfractionated radiation therapy alone and with concurrent chemotherapy in patients with early‐stage nonsmall cell lung cancer

The authors' single‐institution experience in patients with early‐stage (I and II) nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who were treated between 1980 and 1998 with either conventionally fractionated (CF) radiation therapy (RT), or hyperfractionated (HFX) RT, or HFX RT with concurrent paclitaxel/carboplatin (HFX RT‐Pac/C) was reviewed.
α+-thalassemia protects African children from severe malaria

The high frequency of α+-thalassemia in malaria-endemic regions may reflect natural selection due to protection from potentially fatal severe malaria. In Africa, bearing 90% of global malaria morbidity and mortality, this has not yet been observed. We tested this hypothesis in an unmatched case-control study among 301 Ghanaian children with severe malaria and 2107 controls (62% parasitemic). In control children, α+-thalassemia affected neither prevalence nor density of Plasmodium falciparum . However, heterozygous α+-thalassemia was observed in 32.6% of controls but in only 26.2% of cases (odds ratio [OR], 0.74; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.56-0.98). Protection against severe malaria was found to be pronounced comparing severe malaria patients with parasitemic controls (adjusted OR in children < 5 years of age, 0.52; 95% CI, 0.34-0.78) and to wane with age. No protective effect was discernible for homozygous children. Our findings provide evidence for natural selection of α+-thalassemia in Africa due to protection from severe malaria.
Techniques in Soft Tissue Coverage Around the Knee

Delayed wound healing may have potentially devastating consequences to the final outcomes of surgical procedures around the knee. Issues with necrosis of the skin and subsequent infection may threaten bony healing or prosthesis retention and could lead to the eventual need for debridement or hardware removal. One of the most important aspects in the management of these difficult situations is to obtain stable soft tissue coverage over the defect. The use of musculocutaneous or fasciocutaneous flaps has been very effective in achieving this goal. Recruiting tissue from a remote source not only successfully provides closure of the knee joint or coverage of exposed critical structures around the knee but also aids in the clearing of infections by improving the vascularity in the area. Several techniques, including skin grafts, local skin flaps, rotational muscle flaps, and free flaps, have been used both prophylactically and for salvage procedures for complications that occur after knee surgery. The gastrocnemius muscle flap has proven to be a dependable method of providing knee coverage; however, for those patients in whom the integrity of the muscle or its blood supply has been compromised, other techniques must be considered. In this paper, new advances in soft tissue reconstructive techniques will be discussed. A review of the results and complications will be presented, along with possible future advances.
Problem Behavior and Psychosocial Development; a Longitudinal Study of Youth

Jessor R; Jessor SL New York, New York, Academic Press, 1977. xv, 281 p. This study is the 2nd phase of a long-term program of research on problem behavior. The approach to theory testing involves a longitudinal design. The study plots trajectories of change over time in personality, social environment, and behavior, and uses the theory to forecast important transitions--beginning to drink, starting to use marijuana, and becoming a nonvirgin. The book has 4 main sections: 1) an introductory chapter and a chapter describing problem-behavior theory and research design and method, 2) the crosssectional findings and their bearing on the theory, 3) the longitudinal findings, and 4) studies of socialization and conclusions. Using adolescents and youths in American society in the late 1960s and early 1970s, this research represents a logical continuation of a long term interest in problem behavior and a recognition that what was going on among youth and in the student movement can be viewed from a problem-behavior perspective. This high school study began in the spring of 1969 with grades 7, 8, and 9; by the end of the study in 1972, these participants had all made the transition from junior to senior high school of grades 10, 11, and 12. Each year, each participant completed a 50 page questionnaire inquiring about their drug use, sexual behavior, alcohol drinking, and the problem behavior associated with excessive use of alcohol. Some of the major findings suggest that: 1) the prevalence of problem behaviors is substantial at the college level, and while much lower, sizable at the high school level; 2) personal controls appear to be most influential in relation to the set of problem behaviors, motivationalinstigations are next, and personal beliefs are least; 3) the adolescent who is less likely to engage in problem behavior is one who values academic achievement and expects to do well academically; 4) within the distal structure, the variables that indicate whether a youth is parentWe use cookies on this site to enhanc your user experience
CONCENTRATION OF CYTOKINES IN THE AQUEOUS HUMOR OF PATIENTS WITH CENTRAL SEROUS CHORIORETINOPATHY

Purpose: To evaluate the levels of aqueous humor cytokines in the eyes of patients with central serous chorioretinopathy (CSC) before an intravitreal injection of bevacizumab. Methods: In a prospective interventional trial, 20 eyes of 20 patients with symptomatic CSC of at least 3 months duration and 20 eyes of 20 patients with cataract as control were included. Eyes with CSC received a single intravitreal injection of bevacizumab (1.25 mg/0.05 mL). Aqueous humor samples were collected from patients and controls. Multiplex bead assays were used for measurement of cytokines, including vascular endothelial growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor. Results: Similar vascular endothelial growth factor levels and significantly decreased platelet-derived growth factor levels were measured in the aqueous humor of eyes from patients with CSC compared with controls (P = 0.172 and P = 0.004, respectively). There was a significant inverse correlation between the vascular endothelial growth factor and platelet-derived growth factor in patients (r = −0.555; P = 0.026). Interleukin 6, interleukin 8, and monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 were detectable, but not significantly different between the patients and controls. Conclusion: The results of the current study suggest that platelet-derived growth factor contributes to the pathogenesis of CSC; however, the roles of vascular endothelial growth factor in CSC are unclear and warrant further investigation.
Surgical staging and cervical cancer

I n 2007, there will be an estimated 11,150 new cases of and 3670 deaths from cervical cancer in the United States. Worldwide, cervical cancer is the second leading cause of cancer mortality in women; among the approximately 500,000 new cases each year, 75% occur in developing countries. The staging system for cervical cancer is based solely on clinical parameters; staging assignments must be feasible in areas of the world where cervical cancer is endemic and resources are limited. Unfortunately, clinical staging is inaccurate for assessing some of the more important prognostic variables, including lymph node involvement. For this reason, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and/or positron emission tomography studies—although they are not approved for staging—have been used increasingly in the pretreatment evaluation of patients with newly diagnosed cervical carcinoma. Even these sophisticated imaging modalities can miss microscopic lymph node metastasis, and positive results should be confirmed with fine-needle aspiration or surgical biopsy. For over 3 decades, pretreatment surgical staging has been touted as a gold standard for establishing disease extent. Putative advantages to surgical staging include 1) identification of clinically occult extrapelvic disease sites; 2) excision of inflamed adnexae, which may complicate radiotherapy; and 3) down staging of patients to allow for more appropriate treatment. Although it was feasible, early studies realized substantial adverse effects with surgical staging followed by radiation therapy. Piver and Barlow performed a pretreatment staging laparotomy in 56 women with stage IIB through IV cervical carcinoma. Overall, 39% of patients experienced surgical complications, and the most frequent was small bowel obstruction. There was a 23% mortality rate associated with surgical staging followed by extended-field radiation therapy. In the series reported by Wharton and colleagues, 11% of patients experienced major postoperative complications, and 4 women died as a result of the procedure. Delgado et al. performed pretreatment surgical staging on 49 cervical cancer patients. With selective extended-field radiotherapy, 38% of their patients with positive aortic lymph nodes survived. However, 50% of patients experienced major complications with three treatment-related deaths. These early studies realized increased morbidity and mortality associated with transperitoneal surgical staging and helped to refine extended-field radiation techniques. The extraperitoneal surgical See referenced original article on pages 1954 63, this issue.
In Review

The literature examining obesity as a barrier to screening for breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer has not been evaluated systematically. With the increasing prevalence of obesity and its impact on cancer incidence and mortality, it is important to determine whether obesity is a barrier to screening so that cancers among women at increased risk because of their body size can be detected early or prevented entirely. On the basis of 32 relevant published studies (10 breast cancer studies, 14 cervical cancer studies, and 8 colorectal cancer studies), the authors reviewed the literature regarding associations between obesity and recommended screening tests for these cancer sites among women in the U.S. The most consistent associations between obesity and screening behavior were observed for cervical cancer. Most studies reported an inverse relation between decreased cervical cancer screening and increasing body size, and several studies reported that the association was more consistent among white women than among black women. For breast cancer, obesity was associated with decreased screening behavior among white women but not among black women. The literature regarding obesity and colorectal cancer screening adherence was mixed, with some studies reporting an inverse effect of body size on screening behavior and others reporting no effect. Overall, the results indicated that obesity most likely is a barrier to screening for breast and cervical cancers, particularly among white women; the evidence for colorectal cancer screening was inconclusive. Thus, efforts to identify barriers and increase screening for breast and cervical cancers may be targeted toward obese women, whereas outreach to all women should remain the objective for colorectal cancer screening programs. Cancer 2008. © 2008 American Cancer Society.
CONSIDERATIONS ON THE TRUE VALUE OF THE INTERNATIONAL NORMALIZED RATIO IN THE CONTROL OF ORAL ANTICOAGULANT THERAPY

original value of 1.1 to 1.15. A more elegant procedure would be a reduction of the bias, when a new IRP is to be established. This may be achieved when BCT/253 is to be replaced by a new human or recombinant thromboplastin. The future multicentre study for replacement of BCT/2 53 should include all three existing IRPs (i.e. BCT/253, RBT/90 and OBTl79). The new human IRP should be assigned a consensus IS1 that is the mean of the three separate calibrations.
Revisiting liver injury associated with dietary supplements

To the Editor: In the 11 January, 2011 issue of Liver International, a review article discussed various case reports of liver-related adverse reactions associated with the use of dietary supplements (1). The studies presented in this review occurred over a significant duration of time and the discussion does not address relevant changes to the ingredient profile of dietary supplements during this period or how that may impact conclusions related to the mechanism of liver injury in these patients. It is important to note that some of the ingredients in this review are no longer marketed and that even the same ingredient can have different safety concerns depending on how they are formulated, extracted, etc. which is often unique to a product and its manufacturer. We feel it is important to address some of these fundamental components as it relates to consumer safety. The increasing regulatory requirements for dietary supplements including good manufacturing practices (2) and mandatory adverse event reporting (3) are key considerations for the evaluation of products associated with liver injury. It is prudent to incorporate this perspective during case assessment to better identify potential contributing factors unrelated to the ingredient or product. In addition, providing a comprehensive view of the various chronologically specific factors associated with these cases is essential for the reader to form an unbiased opinion about literature related to Herbalife and the dietary supplement industry in general. We acknowledge that some manufacturers may engage in unsafe practices, but the implication that all dietary supplements are adulterated or contaminated is not supportable. Finally, Herbalife has previously submitted a response (4) to an editorial regarding our products (5) written by the main author of this review. In fact, Herbalife welcomes information or discussions regarding our consumers and is particularly interested in the anecdotal case reports that are mentioned in this review (1). Additionally, several of the regulatory investigations referenced in this article including those in Spain, Switzerland and Finland were closed without having established a causal link between consumption of Herbalife products and the reported incidents. Since January 2005, Herbalife has met and cooperated with 25 regulatory agencies, including the Swiss BAG, to address liver-related case reports and articles in the literature. None of the 25 agencies has taken any regulatory action affecting Herbalife products. Most recently, on 22 December 2010, Evira, the food safety authority in Finland, closed its multi-year inquiry involving Herbalife case reports, with the agency stating that all requirements were satisfied, and indicating Herbalife ‘acted properly’ and in ‘a thorough manner’ to ‘demonstrate its commitments to food safety’.
Sorption of organic pollutants frequently detected in stormwater: evaluation of five potential sorbents

ABSTRACT Adsorption filtration is one of the most promising techniques for removal of dissolved, colloidal and particulate pollutants from stormwater. The aim of this study was to compare the capacity of five filter materials – cellulose, chitosan, chitosan-covered bark, pine bark and polypropylene/polyethylene (PP/PE) fibres – to sorb organic pollutants frequently detected in stormwater, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), alkylphenols and phthalates. In batch tests, synthetic stormwater spiked with a mixture of the organic compounds was contacted with the materials for up to 24 h. The compounds were then liquid–liquid extracted and analysed using GC-MS. Cellulose and chitosan showed very low sorption capacity for the organic contaminants, whereas >70% of the initial concentration of most tested compounds was removed using PP/PE fibres, and >80% with pine bark and chitosan-covered bark. The highest adsorption capacity was found for PAHs (up to 44 µg/g) using PP/PE fibres and bark. For all tested compounds, maximum sorption was approached within 30 min using these materials.
A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE ADVERSE EVENTS OF INTRAVITREAL ANTI-VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH FACTOR INJECTIONS

Background: Intravitreal ranibizumab and pegaptanib are registered for neovascular age-related macular degeneration. No formal safety study has been conducted for intravitreal bevacizumab. These anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) drugs are being used on a large scale in daily practice for different ocular diseases. The objective of the present study was to systematically assess and compare the incidences of adverse events of anti-VEGFs. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in April 2009 with no date restrictions in PubMed, Embase, Toxline, and the Cochrane library. We used the terms pegaptanib, bevacizumab, ranibizumab, intravitreal, and specific and general terms for adverse events. Studies describing adverse events after anti-VEGF injections and the official safety data were included. Results: Two hundred and seventy-eight articles were included, and the incidences of adverse events were calculated separately for effect, safety, and specific side effect studies. The incidences of serious ocular and nonocular adverse events were approximately below 1 per 100 injections for intravitreal bevacizumab, intravitreal ranibizumab, and intravitreal pegaptanib. Most mild ocular adverse events were below 5 per 100 injections. Conclusion: The reported rates of serious adverse events were low after anti-VEGF injections. There is no sufficient evidence to conclude that there is a difference in incidences between the anti-VEGFs.
PHARMACOKINETIC RATIONALE FOR DOSING EVERY 2 WEEKS VERSUS 4 WEEKS WITH INTRAVITREAL RANIBIZUMAB, BEVACIZUMAB, AND AFLIBERCEPT (VASCULAR ENDOTHELIAL GROWTH FACTOR TRAP-EYE)

Purpose: Monthly dosing with inhibitors of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) results in stable or improved visual acuity in most patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration. However, a minority of patients show little if any response to therapy with persistent or worsening macular fluid. Pharmacokinetic modeling was performed to determine if more frequent dosing with anti-VEGF drugs could be theoretically beneficial. Methods: A mathematical model comparing the time-dependent relative binding activities of ranibizumab, bevacizumab, and aflibercept (VEGF Trap-eye; VTE) was used to determine the theoretical peak and trough binding activities when the drugs were injected every 14 days and every 28 days. The intravitreal half-lives of ranibizumab, bevacizumab, and the VTE were estimated to be 3.2, 5.6, and 4.8 days, respectively. The relative molar binding activities of ranibizumab, bevacizumab, and the VTE used in the analyses were 1, 0.05 to 0.2, and 140, respectively. The expected peak and trough binding activities for ranibizumab, bevacizumab, and VTE were calculated. Dosing every 2 weeks was performed on selected patients who had a poor response to monthly therapy. Results: Dosing of a drug every 2 weeks resulted in markedly improved trough binding activity, but had little impact on the peak binding activity when calculated through Day 28. The dosing of bevacizumab every 2 weeks resulted in trough binding levels that were superior to monthly dosing with ranibizumab at a dose of 0.5 mg and potentially superior to the levels achieved when ranibizumab was dosed monthly at a dose of 2.0 mg. The VTE displayed superior binding levels for both peak and trough levels even when compared with ranibizumab doses given every 2 weeks. Two case reports demonstrate the clinical usefulness of dosing with anti-VEGF therapy every 2 weeks in eyes with VEGF-dependent macular fluid appearing to be refractory to monthly dosing. Conclusion: The theoretical increase in trough binding levels when anti-VEGF drugs are dosed every 2 weeks most likely explains the clinical benefit observed in patients who received biweekly injections after their poor response to monthly therapy. The short-term use of biweekly dosing may be an attractive treatment option for those eyes that show a treatment response within 2 weeks of an injection, but rebound with increased macular fluid after a month. In the future, VTE should provide higher trough levels of anti-VEGF binding activity and eliminate the need for biweekly dosing in those eyes with VEGF-mediated exudation that appear unresponsive to monthly ranibizumab or bevacizumab.
Mathematical modelling of Pb2+, Cu2+, Ni2+, Zn2+, Cr6+ and Cd2+ ions adsorption from a synthetic acid mine drainage onto chitosan derivative in a packed bed column

ABSTRACT Studies on the adsorption of toxic metal ions in batch mode using modified chitosan beads have been reported by several authors in literature; for large-scale operations, packed bed column studies are performed to generate data that are directly applicable in real wastewater treatment. In this work, the application potential of chitosan derivative for the uptake of Pb2+, Cu2+, Ni2+, Zn2+, Cr6+, and Cd2+ ions from aqueous solution in a packed bed adsorption column was investigated. On this note, the adsorbent was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Scanning electron microscope (SEM); the effect of breakthrough parameters such as influent concentration, bed height, and feed flow rate was determined. The experimental data were fitted to mathematical column models, namely Bed Depth Service Time (BDST), Yoon-Nelson and Thomas model. The removal efficiency, breakthrough and exhaustion time increased with an increase in bed height but decreased with an increase in the flow rate and influent concentration. The mathematical models applied in this study were successful in describing experimental data. Desorption studies were performed with no loss in the mass of the beads, and the breakthrough and exhaustion time were found to be the same on reusing the beads. Abbreviations: Ch-b: chitosan coated bentonite; GXXB: grafted cross-linked chitosan beads; MMBB: multi metal binding biosorbent; PFOLG: panosized ferric oxide loaded glycidyl; MPSD: Marquardt’s percent standard deviation
Application of cryobiopsy to morphological and immunohistochemical analyses of xenografted human lung cancer tissues and functional blood vessels

Assessment of tissue specimens obtained with common immersion‐fixation followed by dehydration (IMDH) is affected by artifacts, which hinder precise evaluation of the histology and microenvironment of tumor tissues. The technical characteristics of cryobiopsy and in vivo cryotechnique (IVCT) where target organs are directly cryofixed in vivo are still unknown in practical examinations of tumor histopathology and microenvironment.
Successful management of severe L‐asparaginase–associated pancreatitis by continuous regional arterial infusion of protease inhibitor and antibiotic

L‐asparaginase is a key drug in the treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and lymphoblastic lymphoma (LBL). However, L‐asparaginase can cause a fatal complication of pancreatitis, and an effective treatment for L‐asparaginase–associated pancreatitis (AAP) has not been developed to date. The authors investigated whether rapidly treating children with AAP by continuous regional arterial infusion (CRAI) of protease inhibitor and antibiotic would quickly resolve AAP.
Methods for improving cancer surveillance data in American Indian and Alaska Native populations

The misclassification of race decreases the accuracy of cancer incidence data for American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs) in some central cancer registries. This article describes the data sources and methods that were used to address this misclassification and to produce the cancer statistics used by most of the articles in this supplement.
Cancers of the urinary tract among American Indians and Alaska Natives in the United States, 1999–2004

Assessment of the kidney parenchyma (“kidney”) and urinary bladder (“bladder”) cancer burden among American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/AN) has been limited. Using a database with improved classification for AI/AN, the authors described patterns of these 2 cancers among AI/AN and non‐Hispanic whites (NHW) in the United States.