A Phase II Clinical Trial of Nivolumab and Temozolomide for Neuroendocrine Neoplasms.

Purpose: Treatment options are limited in patients with metastatic neuroendocrine neoplasms (NEN). We present the results for a phase II trial of combination nivolumab and temozolomide in patients with advanced NEN along with results of immune changes in peripheral blood.

Patients And Methods: NCT03728361 is a nonrandomized, phase II study of nivolumab and temozolomide in patients with NEN.

Biomodulation of capecitabine by paclitaxel and carboplatin in advanced solid tumors and adenocarcinoma of unknown primary.

Paclitaxel and carboplatin upregulate thymidine phosphorylase and thus may provide synergistic antitumor activity in combination with capecitabine (CTX). We, therefore, performed a phase I/II study of CTX. In the phase I study, patients with advanced solid tumors received carboplatin on day 1, paclitaxel on days 1, 8, 15 and capecitabine orally twice a day on days 8-21, every 4 weeks.

Back pain among long-term survivors of childhood leukemia.

Background: The objectives of this study are to determine the prevalence and relative risk (RR) of back pain and identify possible mechanisms of back pain among childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) survivors.

Methods: Surveys were mailed to 5 + -year survivors of childhood ALL aged 13 to 25 years. Survivors' siblings were also invited to participate in the study.

VEGF remains an interesting target in advanced pancreas cancer (APCA): results of a multi-institutional phase II study of bevacizumab, gemcitabine, and infusional 5-fluorouracil in patients with APCA.

Background: We investigated the safety and efficacy of bevacizumab combined with gemcitabine followed by infusional 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) in patients with advanced pancreas cancer (APCA).

Design: Patients with untreated APCA received bevacizumab 10 mg/kg, gemcitabine 1000 mg/m(2) over 100 min, and 5-FU 2400 mg/m(2) over 48 h on days 1 and 15 of each 28-day cycle. The primary end point was the proportion of patients with progression-free survival (PFS) at 6 months from initiation of therapy.

Radiographic analysis of wedge allograft correction of angular malalignment in ankle fusion.

Background: Patients undergoing ankle arthrodesis often have coronal or sagittal plane malalignment. Correction of this deformity can be technically challenging. This retrospective review examines the use of an augmented interposition wedge allograft for deformity correction in ankle arthrodesis.

Bronchoalveolar lavage quality influences the T4/T8 ratio in sarcoidosis.

Background: Sarcoidosis is characterised by a T-lymphocytic alveolitis with a typically increased T4/T8 ratio. The diagnostic value of this ratio is under debate.

Aim Of The Work: We prospectively evaluated the influence of BAL pre-lavage and the impact of bronchial contamination on BAL differential cell count in 108 BAL specimens obtained from patients with histologically confirmed sarcoidosis.

Thalidomide and celecoxib as potential modulators of irinotecan's activity in cancer patients.

Purpose: Nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation induces resistance to irinotecan. Preclinically, thalidomide and COX-2 inhibitors reduce NF-kappaB activation. We tested the feasibility of combining irinotecan with thalidomide and thalidomide/celecoxib in patients with refractory malignancies.

Depression and pain: implications for symptomatic presentation and pharmacological treatments.

Only recently have the association between depressive disorders and the presentation of painful physical symptoms gained attention. This article reviews the symptoms, assessment, and diagnoses of pain associated with depression. This article also reviews pharmacological treatment options.

Reductions in stress and depressive symptoms in mothers of substance-exposed infants, participating in a psychosocial program.

Objective: Depression profoundly impairs psychosocial functioning. Depression can have disruptive effects on a person's family, with significant impact on the psychosocial development of the children. Recent research suggests that a mother's depressive symptoms may increase parenting stress and that parenting stress may, in turn, increase depressive symptoms, with a possible negative cycle to this process.

Phase II study of the proteasome inhibitor bortezomib (PS-341) in patients with metastatic neuroendocrine tumors.

Purpose: This phase II study was undertaken to assess objective response, toxicity, tumor marker response, and pharmacodynamics of bortezomib in patients with metastatic neuroendocrine (carcinoid and islet cell) tumors.

Experimental Design: A total of 16 patients with measurable metastatic carcinoid (n=12) or islet cell (n=4) tumors received i.v.

Mitochondrial oxidative substrate selection in porcine bladder smooth muscle.

Purpose: Alterations in bladder smooth muscle (BSM) metabolism due to alterations in plasma lipid levels may be important with the increasingly high fat diets eaten by most Americans. To determine the susceptibility of BSM to lipotoxicity we examined the normal pattern of mitochondrial substrate selection in BSM and the ability of BSM to respond to changes in metabolic substrate provision.

Materials And Methods: BSM strips were incubated in 5 mM 1-13C-glucose and 0 to 5 mM 1,2-13C-acetate.

Development and implementation of computerized clinical guidelines: barriers and solutions.

Research indicates that computerized decision support systems (CDSSs) can improve clinical performance and patient outcomes, and yet CDSSs are not in widespread use. Physician guidelines, in general, face barriers in implementation. Guidelines in a computerized format can overcome some of the barriers to conventional text-form guidelines; however, computerized programs have novel aspects that have to be considered, aspects such as technical problems/support and user interface issues that can act as barriers.

DNA image cytometry and fluorescence in situ hybridization for noninvasive detection of urothelial tumors in voided urine.

Background: Cystoscopy and histologic examination remain the standard methods for initial tumor diagnosis and monitoring for early detection of recurrences, since the sensitivity of conventional urinary cytology for the detection of urothelial tumors in urinary specimens is low. DNA image cytometry (ICM) and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) have been suggested as ancillary tools. The goal of the current study was to compare the diagnostic value of DNA image cytometry and FISH for the noninvasive detection of urothelial tumors in voided urine.

Using treatment algorithms for the effective management of treatment-resistant depression.

Increasingly, clinicians are looking to evidence-based medicine for information about treatment options. Treatment algorithms have been used with a variety of psychiatric disorders to assist physicians in making treatment decisions. The direct, prescriptive nature of algorithms also makes them suitable for use in treatment-resistant depression.

Algorithm for the treatment of chronic depression.

Chronic depression, which is marked by a course of illness lasting 2 years or more, encompasses 4 subtypes of depressive illness: (1) chronic major depressive disorder, (2) dysthymic disorder, (3) dysthymic disorder with major depressive disorder ("double depression"), and (4) major depressive disorder with poor interepisodic recovery (i.e., in incomplete remission).

The semaphorin 3A receptor may directly regulate the activity of small GTPases.

The axon guidance signal semaphorin 3A induces the rapid collapse of growth cones by activating a receptor complex that contains neuropilin-1 as the ligand-binding and a plexin as the signal-transducing subunit. Here we show that plexins bind Rho-like GTPases and may directly regulate their activity. The cytoplasmic domain of plexins shows sequence similarity to GTPase activating proteins (GAPs) and mutation of two arginines that correspond to the catalytic residues of Ras GAPs inactivates plexin-A1.

Primary coronary angioplasty in patients with acute myocardial infarction.

In some patients with acute myocardial infarction, thrombolytic therapy may be limited by its failure to reperfuse the occluded artery, by recurrent ischemia (despite initially successful reperfusion), and by major hemorrhagic complications. Primary coronary angioplasty may circumvent these limitations. This article reviews the results of primary angioplasty reported in patients with myocardial infarction and makes recommendations for its use.

Immunocytochemistry in diagnostic cytology.

As the decision for immunocytochemistry is usually made on the basis of findings in Papanicolaou-stained smears and uncovering of the smears takes time, the immunocytochemical results are often reported with some delay. But they are of clinical interest only if reported within a short time. Therefore, immunocytochemistry on cytologic preparations must be carefully organized.

Extranodal multilobated B-cell lymphoma: diagnosis by fine needle aspiration.

Malignant lymphoma with multilobated nuclei is a rare variant of follicle centre cell lymphoma. We describe a 34-year-old patient who initially presented with enlarged cervical and inguinal lymph nodes due to a histologically proven centroblastic-centrocytic lymphoma. Two years later, she developed a soft tissue mass in the gluteal area and malignant lymphoma with multilobated nuclei was diagnosed on fine needle aspiration.