Quality of life of nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients.

Background: Quality of life (QOL) issues in patients with head and neck carcinoma are of importance beyond the incidence of these tumors because of the impact of the disease and its treatment on external appearance and function of the upper aerodigestive tract. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients comprise a unique subgroup in whom, to our knowledge, QOL has not been studied directly.

Methods: Adult patients with NPC treated during the past 15 years at the Chaim Sheba Medical Center with a minimum follow-up of 6 months were included in the current study.

Interaction between the tetracyclic antidepressant mianserin HCl and opioid receptors.

The antinociceptive effects of the tetracyclic antidepressant mianserin and its interaction with various opioid receptor subtypes was evaluated. Mice were tested with a hotplate analgesia meter. Mianserin elicited an antinociceptive effect in a dose-dependent manner following doses from 1-25 mg/kg.