Forensic analysis of the deuterium/hydrogen isotopic ratios of the nerve agent sarin, its reaction by-product diisopropyl methylphosphonate and their precursors by H SNIF-NMR.

The Deuterium/Hydrogen (D/H) isotope ratios of sarin (5), diisopropyl methylphosphonate (3) and their precursors Isopropanol (1), methylphosphonic acid dichloride (2) and methylphosphonic acid difluoride (4) were measured by the H SNIF-NMR technique. The D/H isotope ratios of 1 show a large variation. It is shown, that the formation of 3 by reaction of 1 with 2, the fluorination of 2 to form 4 and the reaction of 4 with 1 to form 5, the D/H isotope ratios of the methyl and isopropyl moieties in 3, 4 and 5 are not significantly changed compared to 1 and 2.

Experimental Study of Fatigue and Fracture Behavior of Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) Straps.

The hanger is one of the important components for through and half-through arch bridges. Conventional steel hangers are vulnerable to corrosion due to corrosive environments. Therefore, a new type of bridge hangers consisting of Carbon Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) straps was developed recently.

Successful Treatment of a Resistant Subclone in ALK-Rearranged NSCLC.

Anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) are established effective therapies in patients with ALK-rearranged advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Upon progressive disease, patients normally receive a subsequent ALK TKI. However, when disease progression occurs in a limited number of sites, an oligoprogressive approach is a treatment option.

Severe reaction to radiotherapy provoked by hypomorphic germline mutations in ATM (ataxia-telangiectasia mutated gene).

Background: A minority of breast cancer (BC) patients suffer from severe reaction to adjuvant radiotherapy (RT). Although deficient DNA double-strand break repair is considered the main basis for the reactions, pretreatment identification of high-risk patients has been challenging.

Methods: To retrospectively determine the etiology of severe local reaction to RT in a 39-year-old woman with BC, we performed next-generation sequencing followed by further clinical and functional studies.

Impact of Early Prophylactic Cranial Irradiation With Hippocampal Avoidance on Neurocognitive Function in Patients With Limited Disease Small Cell Lung Cancer. A Multicenter Phase 2 Trial (SAKK 15/12).

Purpose: Our purpose was to evaluate neurocognitive function (NCF) and clinical outcomes after early hippocampal avoidance (HA) prophylactic cranial irradiation (PCI) in limited disease (LD) small cell lung cancer (SCLC).

Methods And Materials: In a phase 2 trial, patients with LD SCLC received HA-PCI concomitant with the second cycle of chemotherapy and thoracic radiation therapy. All patients underwent objective NCF testing at baseline, 6 weeks, and 6 and 12 months after HA-PCI.

Skeletal muscle mass correlates with increased toxicity during neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy in locally advanced esophageal cancer: A SAKK 75/08 substudy.

Background: Sarcopenia, the critical depletion of skeletal muscle mass, is an independent prognostic factor in several tumor entities for treatment-related toxicity and survival. In esophageal cancer, there have been conflicting results regarding the value of sarcopenia as prognostic factor, which may be attributed to the heterogeneous patient populations and the retrospective nature of previous studies. The aim of our study was therefore to determine the impact of sarcopenia on prospectively collected specific outcomes in a subgroup of patients treated within the phase III study SAKK 75/08 with trimodality therapy (induction chemotherapy, radiochemotherapy and surgery) for locally advanced esophageal cancer.

3-weekly or weekly cisplatin concurrently with radiotherapy for patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck - a multicentre, retrospective analysis.

Background: Concurrent chemoradiotherapy with cisplatin is standard for patients (pts) with loco-regionally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (LA-SCCHN) and for patients with resected SCCHN with high-risk features. The standard regimen includes 3-weekly cisplatin, but weekly regimens are often used to lower toxicity. Reaching a cumulative dose of ≥200 mg/m cisplatin was shown being associated with improved outcome.

Fatigue and Durability of Laminated Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer Straps for Bridge Suspenders.

Steel cables and suspenders in bridges are at high risk of corrosion-fatigue and in some cases of fretting-fatigue in their anchorages. These factors greatly limit the service stresses of a specific cable system and involve expensive protection measures. In order to investigate the above limitations, the fretting fatigue behaviour of pin-loaded carbon fibre reinforced polymer (CFRP) straps was studied as models for corrosion-resistant bridge suspenders.

EBR Strengthening Technique for Concrete, Long-Term Behaviour and Historical Survey.

Epoxy bonded steel plates (externally bonded reinforcemen: EBR) for the strengthening of concrete structures were introduced to the construction industry in the late 1960s, and the use of fibre reinforced polymers (FRPs) was introduced in the 1990s, which means that these techniques have already been used in construction for 50 and 25 years, respectively. In the first part of the paper, a historical survey of the development and introduction of these strengthening techniques into the construction industry are presented. The monitoring of such applications in construction is very important and gives more confidence to this strengthening technique.

Neoadjuvant radiotherapy combined with capecitabine and sorafenib in patients with advanced KRAS-mutated rectal cancer: A phase I/II trial (SAKK 41/08).

Background: KRAS mutation occurs in ∼40% of locally advanced rectal cancers (LARCs). The multitarget tyrosine kinase inhibitor sorafenib has radiosensitising effects and might improve outcomes for standard preoperative chemoradiotherapy in patients with KRAS-mutated LARC.

Methods: Adult patients with KRAS-mutated T3/4 and/or N1/2M0 LARC were included in this phase I/II study.

Induction chemoradiation in stage IIIA/N2 non-small-cell lung cancer: a phase 3 randomised trial.

Background: One of the standard options in the treatment of stage IIIA/N2 non-small-cell lung cancer is neoadjuvant chemotherapy and surgery. We did a randomised trial to investigate whether the addition of neoadjuvant radiotherapy improves outcomes.

Methods: We enrolled patients in 23 centres in Switzerland, Germany and Serbia.

Detection and identification of hydrolysis products of sulfur mustards at trace levels in environmental samples using liquid chromatography solid phase extraction combined with off-line nuclear magnetic resonance analysis.

An LC-UV-SPE NMR method for the analysis of polar hydrolysis products of the chemical warfare agents known as sulfur mustards at low ppm levels in environmental samples is developed. The hydrolysis products thiodiglycol (I), bis(2-hydroxyethylthio)methane (II), 1,2-bis(2-hydroxyethylthio)ethane (III), 1,3-bis(2-hydroxyethylthio)propane (IV), 1,4-bis(2-hydroxyethylthio)butane (V), 1,5-bis(2-hydroxyethylthio)pentane (VI), bis(2-hydroxymethylthioethyl)ether (VII) and bis(2-hydroxyethylthioethyl)ether (VIII) are baseline separated within 11 min by the LC gradient program and trapped post-column on SPE cartridges. After elution in 2mm o.

Transient severe non-proliferative retinopathy in an adolescent with type 1 diabetes and chronic myeloid leukemia.

The onset of diabetic retinopathy correlates with the long-term quality of glycemic control. A 17-yr-old adolescent with type 1 diabetes presented unexpectedly with acute non-proliferative retinopathy despite good glycemic control. Two months later chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) was diagnosed.

Avoiding glucocorticoid administration in a neurooncological case.

Restricting glucocorticoid (GC) use in the treatment of patients with a solid tumor may help improving outcome. Here, we report administration of celecoxib rather than dexamethasone to prevent brain edema in a patient with a cerebellar glioblastoma multiforme WHO grade IV (GBM) upon the patient's request, as well as determining cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and serum concentrations. CSF concentration (0.

Concomitant cisplatin significantly improves locoregional control in advanced head and neck cancers treated with hyperfractionated radiotherapy.

Purpose: To determine whether the application of two courses of cisplatin simultaneously with hyperfractionated radiotherapy improves the outcome in locally advanced and/or node-positive nonmetastatic carcinomas of the head and neck, compared with hyperfractionated radiotherapy alone.

Patients And Methods: From July 1994 to July 2000, 224 patients with squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck (excluding nasopharynx and paranasal sinus) were randomly assigned to hyperfractionated radiotherapy (median dose, 74.4 Gy; 1.

Application of nonselective 1D (1)H-(31)P inverse NMR spectroscopy to the screening of solutions for the presence of organophosphorus compounds related to the chemical weapons convention.

1D nonselective (1)H-(31)P HSQMBC, HSQC, and (31)P decoupled HSQC NMR experiments were applied to the screening of original OPCW proficiency test samples for the presence of organophosphorus (OP) compounds related to the Chemical Weapons Convention. The HSQC and HSQMBC spectra are compared to 1D (1)H NMR spectra with WET solvent suppression and (31)P[(1)H] spectra of the same samples. The 1D nonselective HSQC and HSQMBC experiments are shown to be the most sensitive NMR experiments to selectively screen samples for the presence of organophosphorus(OP) compounds.