Visibility of puncture sites after external osteotomy in rhinoplastic surgery.

Background: External lateral osteotomy performed through a small puncture incision in the skin has numerous advantages, but it has been criticized by its opponents who claim it may leave visible scars.

Objective: To examine whether the external lateral osteotomy actually leaves visible scars.

Methods: Eighty-one postoperative photographs of patients who had undergone the external lateral osteotomy technique were reviewed.

Intraoperative electron radiotherapy as a component of salvage therapy for patients with colorectal cancer and advanced nodal metastases.

Purpose: To define the survival rates and relapse patterns in patients with isolated advanced nodal metastases secondary to colorectal cancer, treated with curative intent using aggressive combined-modality treatment.

Methods And Materials: Forty-eight patients with isolated advanced lymph node metastases secondary to colorectal cancer received intraoperative radiotherapy as part of curative-intent treatment. Forty-seven patients also received external beam radiotherapy (EBRT).

Curative potential of multimodality therapy for locally recurrent rectal cancer.

Objective: To assess the results of multimodality therapy for patients with recurrent rectal cancer and to analyze factors predictive of curative resection and prognostic for overall survival.

Summary Background Data: Locally recurrent rectal cancer is a difficult clinical problem, and radical treatment options with curative intent are not generally accepted.

Methods: A total of 394 patients underwent surgical exploration for recurrent rectal cancer.

Differences in mitochondrial and nuclear DNA status of high-density and low-density sperm fractions after density centrifugation preparation.

Objective: To determine the mitochondrial DNA and nuclear DNA fragmentation of sperm populations separated by using discontinuous density gradient.

Design: Analysis of mitochondrial and nuclear DNA status of sperm from high and low density layers.

Setting: Regional fertility center.

Cyclodextrin-threaded conjugated polyrotaxanes as insulated molecular wires with reduced interstrand interactions.

Control of intermolecular interactions is crucial to the exploitation of molecular semiconductors for both organic electronics and the viable manipulation and incorporation of single molecules into nano-engineered devices. Here we explore the properties of a class of materials that are engineered at a supramolecular level by threading a conjugated macromolecule, such as poly(para-phenylene), poly(4,4'-diphenylene vinylene) or polyfluorene through alpha- or beta-cyclodextrin rings, so as to reduce intermolecular interactions and solid-state packing effects that red-shift and partially quench the luminescence. Our approach preserves the fundamental semiconducting properties of the conjugated wires, and is effective at both increasing the photoluminescence efficiency and blue-shifting the emission of the conjugated cores, in the solid state, while still allowing charge-transport.

Early detection of toxicity and adjustment of ongoing clinical trials: the history and performance of the North Central Cancer Treatment Group's real-time toxicity monitoring program.

Prospective clinical trials are the gold standard for evidence-based methodology used to support changes in the practice of medicine. Clinical researchers, regulatory agencies, payers, and the public embrace the conduct of phase I, II, and III clinical trials as integral to improving patient care. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) funds a number of cooperative oncology groups to conduct such clinical trials in the United States.

Efficacy and quality-of-life data are related in a phase II trial of oral chemotherapy in previously untreated patients with metastatic colorectal carcinoma.

Purpose: To evaluate quality of life (QOL) and tumor response after administration of an oral chemotherapy regimen in patients with previously untreated metastatic colorectal cancer.

Patients And Methods: Seventy-eight patients received a mean number of 5.8 cycles of therapy.

Acute diarrhea during adjuvant therapy for rectal cancer: a detailed analysis from a randomized intergroup trial.

Purpose: During adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) for rectal cancer, patients receiving 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) by protracted venous infusion have a higher risk of diarrhea than have patients receiving bolus 5-FU. Toxicity from a previously reported randomized clinical trial was analyzed to quantify the difference in this risk. Additionally, the persistence of diarrhea after RT was analyzed.

Impact of T and N substage on survival and disease relapse in adjuvant rectal cancer: a pooled analysis.

Purpose: To determine the rates of survival and disease control by TNM and MAC stage in three randomized North American rectal adjuvant studies.

Materials And Methods: Data were merged from 2551 eligible patients on NCCTG 79-47-51 (n = 200), NCCTG 86-47-51 (n = 656), and INT 114 (n = 1695). All patients received postoperative radiation, and 96% were randomized to receive concomitant and maintenance chemotherapy.

The nasal base in cleft lip rhinoplasty.

The discussion on how to correct the nasal base in cleft lip (CL) rhinoplasty focuses on timing of the surgery, the type of approach, and the technique of repositioning the ala. Little attention is paid to the nasal vestibule. We compared the results of two different techniques.

Band gap fluorescence from individual single-walled carbon nanotubes.

Fluorescence has been observed directly across the band gap of semiconducting carbon nanotubes. We obtained individual nanotubes, each encased in a cylindrical micelle, by ultrasonically agitating an aqueous dispersion of raw single-walled carbon nanotubes in sodium dodecyl sulfate and then centrifuging to remove tube bundles, ropes, and residual catalyst. Aggregation of nanotubes into bundles otherwise quenches the fluorescence through interactions with metallic tubes and substantially broadens the absorption spectra.

A new graphic for quality adjusted life years (Q-TWiST) survival analysis: the Q-TWiST plot.

One of the challenges of interpreting a Quality-adjusted time without symptoms of disease and toxicity (Q-TWiST) analysis is examining the sensitivity of conclusions that may be drawn to varying values of the utility coefficients for days with toxicity and days after disease progression. We present a graphic that parsimoniously displays the impact on median Q-TWiST survival across treatment groups of varying values of the utility coefficients. The goal of the graphic is to present a concise Q-TWiST analysis.

Investigation of the prognostic and predictive value of thymidylate synthase, p53, and Ki-67 in patients with locally advanced colon cancer.

Purpose: To evaluate the value of thymidylate synthase (TS), Ki-67, and p53 as prognostic markers in patients with Dukes' B2 and C colon carcinoma.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis to evaluate the prognostic value of TS, Ki-67, and p53 in 465 patients with Dukes' B2 (220 patients) or Dukes' C (245 patients) colon carcinoma. Patients represent a nonrandom subset obtained from five randomized phase III trials and were treated with either surgery alone (151 patients) or surgery plus fluorouracil-based chemotherapy (314 patients).

Women experience greater toxicity with fluorouracil-based chemotherapy for colorectal cancer.

Purpose: The toxicity profile of fluorouracil (5-FU)-based chemotherapy given on 5 consecutive days at doses of 370 to 450 mg/m(2) has been well documented. A meta-analysis of six North Central Cancer Treatment Group (NCCTG) cancer control trials involving 786 patients indicated that women treated with this type of regimen experienced more severe stomatitis and leukopenia than men. After these findings, an additional meta-analysis of the toxicity profiles on five NCCTG colorectal cancer treatment trials was undertaken.

The Mayo Clinic experience with multimodality treatment of locally advanced or recurrent colon cancer.

Background: Patients with incompletely resected locally advanced and recurrent colon cancers have a dismal prognosis. Since 1981, 100 colon cancer patients have been treated with combination therapy including surgical resection, chemotherapy, and external plus intraoperative radiotherapy.

Methods: A prospective computerized intraoperative radiation database identified patients for this retrospective review.

A fine structure study of venom gland cells in globiferous pedicellariae from Stronglocentrotus purpuratus (Stimpson).

Cells in secretory glands of globiferous pedicellariae from Strongylocentrotus purpuratus (Stimpson) were studied with the electron microscope and subjected to preliminary light microscopic, histochemical analysis. Specimens for electron microscopic observation were fixed with chilled 2% glutaraldehyde in sea water postfixed in cold 1.33% osmic acid, and embedded in Araldite 502 epoxy resin Samples for histochemical analysis were fixed in the same manner, and then embedded in n-butylmethacrylate.