Stereotactic body radiation therapy for abdominal oligometastases: a biological and clinical review.

Advances in imaging and biological targeting have led to the development of stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) as an alternative treatment of extracranial oligometastases. New radiobiological concepts, such as ceramide-induced endothelial apoptosis after hypofractionated high-dose SBRT, and the identification of patients with oligometastatic disease by microRNA expression may yet lead to further developments. Key factors in SBRT are delivery of a high dose per fraction, proper patient positioning, target localisation, and management of breathing-related motion.

Dementia in multiple sclerosis: report of a case with cortical gray matter involvement and frontotemporal-like clinical features.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is primarily a white matter disease, but may also involve the gray matter, a feature not often demonstrated in vivo. This report presents the case of a patient with MS and clinical features mimicking frontotemporal dementia due to clear-cut cortical gray matter involvement in the left frontal lobe.

Interstitial brachytherapy for lower lip carcinoma: global assessment in a retrospective study of 89 cases.

Background: Infiltrating squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the lower lip is a highly curable cancer. We retrospectively analyzed oncologic, functional, and cosmetic outcomes after interstitial low-dose rate brachytherapy at 58 Gy (50-62) of lower lip SCC treated in our institution.

Methods: There were 89 patients (44 T1, 33 T2, 2 T3, and 10 after wedge-excision).

Plate coating: influence of concentrated surfactants on the film thickness.

We present a large range of experimental data concerning the influence of surfactants on the well-known Landau-Levich-Derjaguin experiment where a liquid film is generated by pulling a plate out of a bath. The thickness h of the film was measured as a function of the pulling velocity V for different kinds of surfactants (C(12)E(6), which is a nonionic surfactant, and DeTAB and DTAB, which are ionic) and at various concentrations near and above the critical micellar concentration (cmc). We report the thickening factor α = h/h(LLD), where h(LLD) is the film thickness obtained without a surfactant effect, i.

[Do adolescents who use stimulants have a different personality?].

Stimulant consumption is especially important in our context because its use has greatly increased in recent years. The aim of the present study is to analyze the differences between stimulant users and nonusers (under 18 years old) in personality characteristics assessed with the MACI. The sample comprises 398 youths between 14 and 17 years old who were selected through random sampling in their homes or in recreational night spots.

Adrenocortical and behavioural response to chronic restraint stress in neurokinin-1 receptor knockout mice.

Brain substance P and its receptor (neurokinin-1, NK1) have a widespread brain distribution and are involved in an important number of behavioural and physiological responses to emotional stimuli. However, the role of NK1 receptors in the consequences of exposure to chronic stress has not been explored. The present study focused on the role of these receptors in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) response to daily repeated restraint stress (evaluated by plasma corticosterone levels), as well as on the effect of this procedure on anxiety-like behaviour, spatial learning and memory in the Morris water maze (MWM), a hippocampus-dependent task.

What is the mechanism of soap film entrainment?

Classical Frankel's law describes the formation of soap films and their evolution upon pulling, a model situation of film dynamics in foams (formation, rheology, and destabilization). With the purpose of relating film pulling to foam dynamics, we have built a new setup able to give an instantaneous measurement of film thickness, thus allowing us to determine film thickness profile during pulling. We found that only the lower part of the film is of uniform thickness and follows Frankel's law, provided the entrainment velocity is small.

[Surveillance after prostate cancer radiotherapy].

Follow-up after prostate cancer radiotherapy aims at detecting local or metastatic relapse, as well as long-term toxicity, requiring adapted treatments. Several scientific societies have published guidelines including clinical, biological and imaging recommendations. More data suggest a role for aggressive salvage therapy in case of local failure following radiotherapy.

Abashian-Booth-Crowe effect in basic double-pionic fusion: a new resonance?

We report on an exclusive and kinematically complete high-statistics measurement of the basic double-pionic fusion reaction pn→dπ(0)π(0) over the full energy region of the ABC effect, a pronounced low-mass enhancement in the ππ-invariant mass spectrum. The measurements, which cover also the transition region to the conventional t-channel ΔΔ process, were performed with the upgraded WASA detector setup at COSY. The data reveal the Abashian-Booth-Crowe effect to be uniquely correlated with a Lorentzian energy dependence in the integral cross section.

Methotrexate consolidation treatment according to pharmacogenetics of MTHFR ameliorates event-free survival in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.

Recent advances in treatment for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) have significantly increased outcome. High-dose methotrexate (MTX) is the most commonly used regimen during the consolidation period, but the optimal dose remains to be defined. We investigated the usefulness of the MTHFR genotype to increase the MTX dosage in the consolidation phase in 141 childhood ALL patients enrolled in the ALL/SHOP-2005 protocol.

A genotype-directed phase I-IV dose-finding study of irinotecan in combination with fluorouracil/leucovorin as first-line treatment in advanced colorectal cancer.

Background: Infusional fluorouracil/leucovorin (FU/LV) plus irinotecan (FOLFIRI) is one of the standard first-line options for patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). Irinotecan is converted into 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin (SN-38) by a carboxylsterase and metabolised through uridine diphosphate glucuronosyl transferase (UGT1A1). The UGT1A1*28 allele has been associated with the risk of developing severe toxicities.

[History of Actas Dermo-Sifiliográficas, part I: 1909-1959].

Actas Dermo-Sifiliográficas was born in May 1909. At first, issues appeared in step with the academic year, but publication began to follow the calendar year in 1957. Volume 18 was skipped in 1926-7 in an effort to correct confusion in the numbering of volumes and pages of earlier issues.

Pharmacogenetic study in rectal cancer patients treated with preoperative chemoradiotherapy: polymorphisms in thymidylate synthase, epidermal growth factor receptor, GSTP1, and DNA repair genes.

Purpose: Several studies have been performed to evaluate the usefulness of neoadjuvant treatment using oxaliplatin and fluoropyrimidines for locally advanced rectal cancer. However, preoperative biomarkers of outcome are lacking. We studied the polymorphisms in thymidylate synthase, epidermal growth factor receptor, glutathione S-transferase pi 1 (GSTP1), and several DNA repair genes to evaluate their usefulness as pharmacogenetic markers in a cohort of 128 rectal cancer patients treated with preoperative chemoradiotherapy.

Subtypes of smokers who attend psychological treatment in order to stop smoking.

The aim of this study is to identify subtypes of smokers who attended psychological treatment during the period 2006-2008 for smoking cessation from a sample of current smokers (N = 202) from Galicia, Spain. Eight instruments were used for data collection. Demographic variables, smoking variables, and psychopathological characteristics were clustered to establish typologies of smokers.

Diagnosis of CADASIL disease in normotensive and non-diabetics with lacunar infarct.

Background: CADASIL (Cerebral Autosomal Dominant Arteriopathy with Subcortical Infarcts and Leukoencephalopathy) is characterized by recurrent cerebral ischemic episodes of the lacunar subtype usually without traditional vascular risk factors. We investigated the frequency of CADASIL among selected patients with cerebral ischemia of the lacunar subtype.

Methods: we studied patients under 65 years old who presented cerebral ischemia of the lacunar subtype without hypertension, diabetes mellitus or other causes that explained the cerebral ischemia.

Phase II randomised trial of chemoradiotherapy with FOLFOX4 or cisplatin plus fluorouracil in oesophageal cancer.

Background: Concurrent chemoradiotherapy is a valuable treatment option for localised oesophageal cancer (EC), but improvement is still needed. A randomised phase II trial was initiated to assess the feasibility and efficacy in terms of the endoscopic complete response rate (ECRR) of radiotherapy with oxaliplatin, leucovorin and fluorouracil (FOLFOX4) or cisplatin/fluorouracil.

Methods: Patients with unresectable EC (any T, any N, M0 or M1a), or medically unfit for surgery, were randomly assigned to receive either six cycles (three concomitant and three post-radiotherapy) of FOLFOX4 (arm A) or four cycles (two concomitant and two post-radiotherapy) of cisplatin/fluorouracil (arm B) along with radiotherapy 50 Gy in both arms.

Absence of large intragenic rearrangements in the DPYD gene in a large cohort of colorectal cancer patients treated with 5-FU-based chemotherapy.

WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN ABOUT THIS SUBJECT * Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) is the enzyme responsible for the elimination of approximately 80% of the administered dose of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). * Mutations in the DPD-coding gene have been shown to increase the risk of severe toxicity in 5-FU treated patients. * The IVS14+1G>A is the most common DPYD mutation.

[Normal tissue tolerance to external beam radiation therapy: liver].

The liver is a large abdominal organ in the right hypondrium. Because of its anatomical situation, it is near many abdominal PTVs as well as some lower thoracic PVTs. The liver could also be at the same time the target (for irradiation of liver metastases or primary liver tumours) and organ at risk (OAR).

[Evaluation of the dose received by organs at risk].

The arrival of new technologies and the increase of the possible planned treatments require tools to evaluate and compare the delivered dose to specific organs at risk. Among several options providing the same tumour control, the choice will be made in favour of those that best spare the organs at risk. The evaluation tools have to report acute and late complications, and to be simple to use.

Immunoglobulin G fragment C receptor polymorphisms and KRAS mutations: are they useful biomarkers of clinical outcome in advanced colorectal cancer treated with anti-EGFR-based therapy?

KRAS mutations have been identified as a strong predictor of resistance to anti-epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) therapies. Besides inhibiting the EGFR pathway, anti-EGFR monoclonal antibodies may exert antitumor effects through antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC). Through this mechanism, the antibody fragment C portion (Fcγ) interacts with Fc receptors (FcγRs) expressed by immune effectors cells.

Viscosity of polyelectrolytes solutions in nanofilms.

We use a thin film pressure balance to probe the rheological properties of thin liquid films. These films are made from mixed aqueous solutions of surfactants and polyelectrolytes. They drain under applied pressure in a noncontinuous way due to a stratification process of the polyelectrolytes network.