Cancer-associated serum antigen level: a novel prognostic indicator for survival in patients with recurrent ovarian carcinoma.

The aim was to examine the value of the pretherapeutic serum cancer-associated serum antigen (CASA) level as a prognostic factor for survival in patients with recurrent epithelial ovarian carcinoma. Serum levels of CASA and cancer antigen (CA)125 were prospectively determined in 70 consecutive patients with recurrent ovarian cancer before the start of second-line chemotherapy. Univariate and multivariate analyses of survival were performed.

Plasma YKL-40, as a prognostic tumor marker in recurrent ovarian cancer.

Background: YKL-40, a member of family 18 glycosyl hydrolases, is secreted by cancer cells. The function of YKL-40 in cancer diseases is unknown, but it is a growth factor of connective tissue cells and probably has a role in inflammation and remodeling of the extracellular matrix, a process also involved in metastatic malignant diseases. High serum YKL-40 has been associated with poor prognosis for patients with colorectal and recurrent breast cancer.

[Acute myocardial infarction in Germany between 1996 and 1998: therapy and intrahospital course. Results of the Myocardial Infarction Registry (MIR) in Germany].

The "Myocardial Infarction Registry" in Germany (MIR) is a multicenter and prospective registry of consecutively included, unselected patients with acute myocardial infarction. The purpose of MIR is to document the actual praxis of decision making and prescribing of an optimized infarction therapy in AMI patients. Optimized infarction therapy is defined as the combination of reperfusion therapy and ASS, betablocker, and ACE inhibitor.

[Physiological variables in calves and their significance for vitality and growth].

Calves from the dairy herd and from the mother cow herd and their dams were investigated just after parturition and the calves at the first two days of life and between fifteen and twenty days and than at ninety days of life as well using whole day heart rate and video recording, results of venous blood sample analysis and body growth and health criteria. The great variation of physiological variables in calves can partly be explained by maturity, degree of adaptation, gender, time of day and the birth course. Relationships between physiological variables and the adaptability, body growth performance and the degree of adaptation to specific rearing condition could be pointed out.

[Chordoma as osteolytic space-occupying lesion of the anterior lumbar spine].

A case of a 78-year old woman with a chordoma destroying the second lumbal vertebra is reported. Radiologic and histologic feature of this rarely diagnosed tumor is demonstrated. An overview about the therapeutic modalities is given.