War at Sea: Burn Care Challenges-Past, Present and Future.

Throughout history, seafarers have been exposed to potential thermal injuries during naval warfare; however, injury prevention, including advances in personal protective equipment, has saved lives. Thankfully, burn injuries have decreased over time, which has resulted in a significant clinical skills gap. Ships with only Role 1 (no surgical capability) assets have worse outcomes after burn injury compared to those with Role 2 (surgical capability) assets.

Maritime Applications of Prolonged Casualty Care Sepsis on a Destroyer During Distributed Maritime Operations.

During distributed maritime operations, individual components of the naval force are more geographically dispersed. As the U.S.

Salvage Chemotherapy with R-DHAP in Patients with Relapsed or Refractory Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.

This analysis reports on 72 patients with relapsed or refractory non-Hodgkin lymphoma who were treated with R-DHAP salvage chemotherapy regimen followed by high-dose chemotherapy and stem cell transplantation. The overall remission rate was 58.3%.

Is there a role for capsule endoscopy in the staging work-up of patients with gastric marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of MALT?

Introduction: In earlier studies, involvement of the small intestine was reported in patients with gastrointestinal lymphoma. Prospective data on the involvement of the small intestine in patients suffering from gastric extranodal MZBCL of MALT do not exist so far. In this study, we investigated the frequency of the involvement of the small intestine and the role of capsule endoscopy in patients with gastrointestinal extranodal MZBCL of MALT and of follicular lymphoma.

[Rectal goblet cell carcinoid. Primary tumor or metastasis?].

Goblet cell carcinoids are biphasic neoplasms of the gastrointestinal tract composed of a glandular and neuroendocrine differentiation. Typically, goblet cell carcinoids are localized in the vermiform appendix. We report the case of a 60-year-old female patient with the diagnosis of a 1.

[Littoral cell angioma of the spleen. Association with colon and hepatocellular carcinoma].

Littoral cell angioma is a rare vascular tumor of the spleen. An increased association with concomitant malignancies has been described. We report the case of a 67-year-old man suffering from colon carcinoma and presenting with a tumor of the spleen which could be seen using radiography.

A randomized multicenter phase II study comparing capecitabine with irinotecan or cisplatin in metastatic adenocarcinoma of the stomach or esophagogastric junction.

Background: The combination of irinotecan with 5-fluorouracil demonstrates efficacy with tolerable safety in the first-line treatment of metastatic gastroesophageal cancer (mGC). This randomized phase II trial compared for the first time capecitabine with irinotecan or cisplatin in this setting.

Patients And Methods: Patients were randomly assigned to receive 3-week cycles of capecitabine 1000 mg/m(2), twice daily for 14 days, with on day 1 either irinotecan 250 mg/m(2) (XI) or cisplatin 80 mg/m(2) (XP).

Increase of in vivo antitumoral activity by CD40L (CD154) gene transfer into pancreatic tumor cell-dendritic cell hybrids.

Objectives: Fusion of dendritic cells (DC) with tumor cells is an approach in immunotherapy combining antigenicity and capacity of antigen presentation to activate T cells for the induction of tumor-specific cytotoxic immunity. Although there have been reports of clinical benefit, response rates have been limited and further improvements are warranted.

Methods: We used murine DC and a novel protocol for an effective fusion of those cells with the murine pancreatic cell line Panc02.

Capecitabine and irinotecan with and without bevacizumab for advanced colorectal cancer patients.

Aim: To investigate the efficacy and safety of cape-citabine plus irinotecan +/- bevacizumab in advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer patients.

Methods: Forty six patients with previously untreated, locally-advanced or metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) were recruited between 2001-2006 in a prospective open-label phase II trial, in German community-based outpatient clinics. Patients received a standard capecitabine plus irinotecan (CAPIRI) or CAPIRI plus bevacizumab (CAPIRI-BEV) regimen every 3 wk.

A randomized comparison of immediate versus delayed application of G-CSF in induction therapy for patients with acute myeloid leukemia unfit for intensive chemotherapy.

We randomized 66 elderly patients with AML unfit for conventional chemotherapy to receive GCSF from d6 or from d12 after induction-chemotherapy with cytarabine/idarubicin. There was no difference in duration of neutropenia (17 days vs. 19 days, p=0.

Phase II clinical trial for prevention of delayed diarrhea with cholestyramine/levofloxacin in the second-line treatment with irinotecan biweekly in patients with metastatic colorectal carcinoma.

Background: Irinotecan is an established therapeutic option in colorectal cancer. An essential side effect of irinotecan treatment is the induction of severe WHO grade 3-4 delayed diarrhea in up to 25% of treated patients. The aim of the study is the prevention of delayed diarrhea with cholestyramine/levofloxacin.

Self-expanding metal stents for malignant esophagogastric obstruction: experience with a new design covered nitinol stent.

Background And Aims: Dysphagia is the most common disabling symptom in patients with inoperable esophagogastric carcinoma. Self-expanding metal stents are highly effective in the palliation of these patients.

Methods: In 35 patients with inoperable carcinoma of the esophagus or the stomach, with recurrent tumor or complications after transhiatal esophagectomy or gastrectomy or with esophageal stenosis caused by pulmonary cancer, a self-expanding nitinol stent was placed to reduce dysphagia.

Influence of immunomodulatory drugs on the cytotoxicity induced by monoclonal antibody 17-1A and interleukin-2.

Patients treated with monoclonal antibodies and cytokines for cancer receive often co-medication, which may influence treatment efficacy. Therefore, we investigated with a flowcytometric cytotoxicity assay the effect of several immunomodulatory drugs on antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), interleukin-2 (IL-2) induced cytotoxicity and IL-2-induced-ADCC. We found that dexamethasone markedly inhibited the IL-2 induced cytotoxicity and the IL-2-induced-ADCC.

DHAP in combination with rituximab vs DHAP alone as salvage treatment for patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: a matched-pair analysis.

The addition of rituximab to chemotherapy in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) has been shown to improve outcome in first-line therapy. However, in patients with relapsed or refractory disease, the value of adding rituximab to salvage chemotherapy is less clearly defined. This study performed a matched-pair analysis of patients with relapsed or refractory DLBCL by comparing the combination of dexamethasone, high-dose cytarabine and cisplatin (DHAP) with rituximab to DHAP alone.

Dexamethasone, high-dose cytarabine, and cisplatin in combination with rituximab as salvage treatment for patients with relapsed or refractory aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

We designed a multicenter Phase II trial to prospectively evaluate the efficacy and safety of the combination of rituximab with the DHAP regimen (dexamethasone, high-dose cytarabine, cisplatin) in patients who relapsed after or were resistant to a CHOP-like regimen. A total of 53 patients with relapsed or resistant aggressive B-cell NHL were analyzed. The overall response rate was 62.

[MALT-lymphoma].

Gastric lymphoma is most frequently an extranodal marginal zone-B-cell-lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT). The diagnosis is established by biopsy of the tumor. Computed-tomography, endosonography and recently capsule-endoscopy are used for staging.

Capsule endoscopy in gastrointestinal lymphomas.

Background And Study Aims: Capsule endoscopy (CE) is a new procedure for small-bowel imaging. The potential contribution of this method to the diagnosis and staging of gastrointestinal lymphomas has not yet been evaluated. The aim of this prospective study was to assess the frequency and morphology of different forms of intestinal pathology in patients with gastrointestinal lymphomas.

[Acute liver failure and hemolysis in a 16-year-old woman. First manifestation of Wilson's disease].

History And Clinical Findings: A 16-year-old previously healthy female patient was admitted with progressive weakness and jaundice. There was no history of journeys to far-away countries. The patient was on oral contraceptives but no other medication, there were no signs of drug abuse.

Randomised phase II evaluation of irinotecan plus high-dose 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin (ILF) vs 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, and etoposide (ELF) in untreated metastatic gastric cancer.

An open-label randomised comparison of efficacy and tolerability of irinotecan plus high-dose 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and leucovorin (LV) (ILF) with etoposide plus 5-FU/LV (ELF) in patients with untreated metastatic or locally advanced gastric cancer. One cycle of ILF comprised six once-weekly infusions of irinotecan 80 mg m(-2), LV 500 mg m(-2), 24-h 5-FU 2000 mg m(-2), and ELF comprised three once-daily doses of etoposide 120 mg m(-2), LV 300 mg m(-2), 5-FU 500 mg m(-2). In all, 56 patients received ILF and 58 ELF.

Effects of recombinant adenovirus-mediated expression of IL-2 and IL-12 in human B lymphoma cells on co-cultured PBMC.

BACKGROUND: Modulation of the immune system by genetically modified lymphoma cell vaccines is of potential therapeutic value in the treatment of B cell lymphoma. However, the anti-tumor effect of any single immunogene transfer has so far been limited. Combination treatment of recombinant IL-2 and IL-12 has been reported to be synergistic for inducing anti-tumor responses in solid tumors but the potential of IL-2/IL-12 gene modified B cell lymphoma cells has not been explored yet.

[Palliative treatment for colorectal cancer].

Over 50,000 new cases of colorectal cancer are diagnosed in Germany every year. About half of these patients will be cured by surgery. The other reoccur or present primarily with advanced disease.

Better acceptance of Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT) for colorectal cancer screening during hospitalization.

Introduction: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of illness and death in the Western world. Screening with fecal occult blood test (FOBT) significantly reduces the death rate and the incidence from CRC but these tests are not widely accepted. We investigated the possible contribution of hospitalization to a better acceptance of CRC screening.