Enterococcus faecium strains with vanA-mediated high-level glycopeptide resistance isolated from animal foodstuffs and fecal samples of humans in the community.

The occurrence and the further spread of high-level glycopeptide-resistant, vanA-positive Enterococcus faecium strains outside of hospitals have been investigated. We could isolate such bacteria directly from thawing liquids of commercially produced frozen poultry (chickens, turkeys; no further data on previous feeding with avoparcin were available). In 5 of 13 samples of raw minced meat of pigs originating from 13 different butcher's shops, glycopeptide-resistant E.

Comparison of classic and quantitative prognostic factors in hormone receptor-positive and hormone receptor-negative female breast cancer.

The prognostic variables of 281 women with breast carcinoma (followed up for more than 8 years) were studied using Cox's analysis. Clinical and histologic features, nuclear morphometric variables, and mitotic indices were analyzed separately in progesterone receptor-negative (PR-) and -positive tumors (PR+). In PR- tumors, axillary lymph node status (p = 0.

Ag-NORs related to flow cytometry, morphometry and prognosis in patients with pancreatic cancer.

The number of silver stained nucleolar organiser regions (Ag-NORs) was enumerated in the biopsy specimens of 73 patients with human pancreatic adenocarcinoma. The number of Ag-NORs was related to histological features, S-phase fraction (SPF), DNA ploidy, morphometric nuclear features, clinical stage and survival. Grade I tumours had on average fewer Ag-NORs (mean +/- SD, 5.

Predictive value of a morphometric prognostic index in female breast cancer.

Survival data of the patients were correlated to tumour size, axillary lymph node (pN) status, mitotic frequency and morphometric prognostic index (MPI) in a series of 611 women with a primary breast carcinoma treated and followed-up for over 12 years in Kuopio University Hospital. The pN status, tumour size, mitotic activity index (MAI), volume-corrected mitotic index (M/V index) and MPI all predicted recurrence-free survival and cancer survival (p < 0.001).

DNA ploidy, S-phase fraction and mitotic indices as prognostic predictors of female breast cancer.

DNA ploidy, S-phase fraction (SPF), mitotic index (MI), volume corrected mitotic index (M/V index) and standard prognostic factors were related to disease outcome in a series of 363 women with breast cancer followed-up for over 10 years in our clinic. DNA ploidy and SPF were significantly related to histological type, tumour grade and mitotic indices (p < 0.001).

The changing importance of prognostic factors in breast cancer during long-term follow-up.

A cohort of 464 breast-cancer patients were followed up for over 10 years and the clinical, histological and morphometric factors were related to survival within different time periods during follow-up. Tumor diameter, axillary lymph-node status (pN), tubule formation and the fraction of intraductal growth as determined from the primary tumor biopsy specimen had prognostic value up to 5 years. Histological grade, morphometric nuclear factors and the M/V index had only short-term prognostic value immediately after the primary therapy.

Sex steroid receptors, S-phase fraction and DNA ploidy as determinants of the risk of relapse and death of female breast cancer.

S phase fraction (SPF) and DNA ploidy were related to disease outcome by a separate analysis of sex steroid receptor positive and negative tumours in a series of 232 patients with breast carcinoma followed-up for over 8 years in our clinic. SPF was significantly higher in receptor-negative tumours than in receptor-positive ones (p = 0.037).

Nuclear morphometry and DNA flow cytometry as prognostic factors in female breast cancer.

Objective: To evaluate the predictive value of traditional prognostic factors, nuclear morphometry, and flow cytometric data in invasive breast cancer.

Design: Open study.

Setting: One university hospital in Finland.

DNA ploidy, S-phase fraction, and G2 fraction as prognostic determinants in human pancreatic cancer.

The DNA ploidy, S-phase fraction (SPF), and G2 fraction of pancreatic cancer tissue was measured by flow cytometry in 95 patients. Forty-nine per cent (n = 47) had a diploid DNA index, and 51% (n = 48) of tumours were aneuploid. Aneuploid tumours and high-grade tumours had significantly higher S-phase and G2-fraction values than diploid tumours or low-grade tumours.

Mitotic indexes as prognostic predictors in female breast cancer.

A series of 688 women with breast cancer were followed-up for a mean of 13 years. Tumour size, axillary lymph node status, histological grade, histological type and two mitotic indexes (M/V; MAI) were assessed and related to disease outcome. Primary tumour size (P less than 0.

Prognostic factors after 5 years follow-up in female breast cancer.

A consecutive series of breast carcinomas (n = 595) followed up for a minimum of 7.5 years was analyzed for clinical, histological and morphometric prognostic factors after 5-years' follow-up. Tumor size, nodal status, mitotic frequency and patients' age at diagnosis predicted survival at 7.

Lymphocyte infiltrates as a prognostic variable in female breast cancer.

The predictive value of lymphocyte infiltrates (LI) was studied in 489 patients with breast cancer followed-up for over 10 years. LI were positively correlated to axillary lymph-node status, tumour diameter and histological and morphometric variables (P less than 0.001).

Tumor size, nuclear morphometry, mitotic indices as prognostic factors in axillary-lymph-node-positive breast cancer.

The biopsy specimens from the primary tumors of 234 women with axillary-lymph-node-positive breast carcinomas (followed up for a mean of 10.9 years) were subjected to interactive morphometric analysis of nine nuclear factors. The proliferative activity of the tumors was estimated by determining two different mitotic indices.

Prediction of outcome after first recurrence of breast cancer.

Objective: To assess the independent power of certain clinical, histological, and morphometric variables to predict survival after first recurrence of breast cancer.

Design: Long term follow up study.

Setting: Departments of surgery and pathology, University Hospital.

Prognostic scores combining clinical, histological and morphometric variables in assessment of the disease outcome in female breast cancer.

Clinical features, 8 histological features, 7 nuclear morphometric variables and 2 mitotic indices were entered in a Cox's model to assess their independent predictive power in a series of 517 breast cancer patients followed up for over 10 years. The volume-corrected mitotic index (M/V index) (p less than 0.001), axillary lymph-node status (p = 0.

Hormone receptors as prognostic factors in female breast cancer.

The oestrogen (ER) and progesterone receptor (PR) status in a series of 281 women with breast cancer (followed up for a mean of 8.5 years) was correlated with eight histological variables, seven nuclear morphometric factors and two mitotic indices. Sex steroid receptor status was not significantly related to tumour size, axillary lymph node status or tumour recurrence.

Dosimetry and use of an immobilization system for head and neck radiotherapy treatments.

The day-to-day reproducibility of planned radiotherapy treatment is an important precondition for achieving good clinical results and reducing toxic effects. This reproducibility is difficult to achieve in the irradiation of head and neck malignancies because of the mobility of this anatomical area. This paper presents a dosimetric study and analysis of the utility of a facial mask immobilization system prepared from an orthopedic glass-fiber bandage.

Hormone receptor status and mitotic activity as risk factors for recurrence and death in female breast carcinoma.

The estrogen (ER) and progesterone (PR) receptor status, volume corrected mitotic index (M/V index) and other classical prognostic factors were related to disease outcome in a series of 281 women with breast cancer followed up for over 8 years. The M/V index predicted recurrence only in ER+ or PR+ patients (p = 0.002-0.

The significance of nuclear morphometric variables as prognostic predictors in breast cancer.

The preoperative biopsies from primary breast carcinomas of 504 women were subjected to interactive morphometric analysis of a) the mean nuclear area (NA), b) standard deviation of nuclear area (SDNA), c) mean area of the 10 largest nuclei (NAl0), d) nuclear perimeter (PE), e) standard deviation of nuclear perimeter (SPDE), f) largest nuclear diameter (Dmax) and g) shortest nuclear diameter (Dmin), h) histological grade and i) classical prognostic variables. The above data were correlated with the disease outcome during the mean follow-up period of 11.2 years.

Prognostic factors in human pancreatic cancer, with special reference to quantitative histology.

A retrospective clinicopathologic study was done on 111 patients with a pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. The mean follow-up period was 6 years. By means of interactive morphometry six nuclear morphometric features were measured in biopsy specimens from the primary tumours.

[Efficacy of sucralfate in the prophylaxis of diarrhea secondary to acute radiation-induced enteritis. Preliminary results of a double-blind randomized trial].

Background: Pelvic radiation therapy is usually associated with intestinal symptoms, especially diarrhea. Sucralfate has been demonstrated to be effective in peptic ulcers, and seems to provide some benefits in chemotherapy induced mucositis and radiogenic rectitis and enteritis.

Methods: Thirty-four patients between 20-80 years of age, without diarrea and with a Karnofsky index greater than 60%, undergoing whole pelvic irradiation (46 Gy total dose, 2 Gy/day, 5 days/week) have been randomized to receive: sucralfate (1g/6h) (18 patients) or placebo (16 patients) during the treatment period and 3 weeks later.

Relationship between DNA ploidy and survival in patients with exocrine pancreatic cancer.

The DNA ploidy of pancreatic cancer tissue from paraffin blocks was measured by flow cytometry in 46 patients whose disease had been detected and treated with surgery. Lymph node involvement was observed at the time of diagnosis in 36% of patients with diploid tumors and in 79% of patients with aneuploid tumors (p = 0.017), but no clear relation to metastasis could be observed (p = 0.

Prognostic factors in axillary lymph node-negative (pN-) breast carcinomas.

Axillary lymph node-negative (pN-) breast carcinomas (n = 281) were analysed histoquantitatively for two mitotic indexes (MAI, mitotic activity index; M/V, volume corrected mitotic index) and nine nuclear factors with special emphasis on disclosing prognostic factors during a follow-up of 12 years. The M/V index (P = 0.0018), tumour size (P = 0.

Volume-corrected mitotic index in human pancreatic cancer. Relation to histologic grade, clinical stage, and prognosis.

A retrospective study was performed on 59 pancreatic cancer patients diagnosed during 1970-1988. The mean follow-up time of all individual patients was 6.9 months (range, 0-37 months).

DNA ploidy in pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

The nuclear DNA content of 17 pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors was measured from paraffin-embedded tissue with flow cytometry. The tumors were classified by immunostaining with antisera for synaptophysin, insulin, gastrin, glucagon, pancreatic polypeptide, somatostatin, and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide. Eight (47%) of the 17 tumors were aneuploid, and two (12%) were multiploid (had two aneuploid stemlines of cells).