Outcomes Following Percutaneous Microwave and Cryoablation of Lung Metastases from Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma of the Head and Neck: A Bi-Institutional Retrospective Cohort Study

Annals of Surgical Oncology - The aim of this study was to report outcomes following percutaneous microwave and cryoablation of lung metastases from adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC) of the head and...     

Detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae in serum specimens from patients with mycoplasma pneumonia by PCR

There are few data on detection of Mycoplasma pneumoniae from blood, serum or plasma, and systematic studies on this diagnostic approach in community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) are scarce. Compared to testing respiratory specimens, this approach has the advantages that it is less dependent on proper specimen collection, serum is easily stored and handled, and the pathogen is detected in a primary sterile site, where colonization can be ruled out. In this study, acute-phase serum specimens from 29 patients of Vienna University Hospital (treated between 11/1994 and 6/2004; female: 14, male: 15; median age: 31 years, range: 15-66 years) with CAP and serologically verified M. pneumoniae infection, who had not received anti-mycoplasma therapy prior to serum collection, were tested for M. pneumoniae by conventional PCR and real-time PCR. Conventional PCR yielded negative results for all specimens, but real-time PCR detected M. pneumoniae in 15/29 patient sera (52%). These findings indicate that M. pneumoniae is present in the bloodstream of a substantial proportion of patients with mycoplasma pneumonia. Despite the possible adherence of M. pneumoniae to human erythrocytes, the pathogen can be detected from serum, if a method with enhanced sensitivity is applied. However, the negative predictive value of PCR from serum with regard to etiological diagnosis is low. With regard to the potential clinical benefit of blood-based PCR diagnosis of mycoplasma pneumonia the diagnostic accuracy of this approach using either serum or whole-blood specimens should be addressed by large-scale studies.     

Characterization of soluble platelet guanylyl cyclase with peptide antibodies

Summary Soluble guanylyl cyclase partially purified from bovine and human platelets was characterized with antibodies raised against synthetic peptides corresponding to different sequences of the ₁- and ₁-subunits of the bovine lung enzyme. On immunoblots, the platelet guanylyl cyclase was recognized by the four antisera used, with the exception of an antiserum against the C-terminus of the ₁-subunit which did not react with the human platelet but with the bovine platelet ₁-subunit. Furthermore the human platelet ₁-subunit exhibited a slightly lower molecular mass than the bovine protein. The C-terminal antibodies precipitated native platelet and lung guanylyl cyclase activity. In contrast an antibody against a peptide out of the putative catalytic domain, which is highly conserved between all guanylyl cyclases sequenced so far, did not precipitate native guanylyl cyclase, although it recognized both subunits on immunoblots, suggesting that the respective amino acid sequence is located in an inner site of the protein.Abbreviations GC_pep2 YGPEVWEDIKKEA (one letter code) - GC_pep3 SRKNTGTEETEQDEN - GC_pep5 VYKVETVGDKYMTVSGLP - GC_pep8 KKDVEEANANFLGKASGID - TBS-T Tris-buffered saline, containing 0.0501o Tween 20 Correspondence to E. Böhme at the above address     

Methadone versus morphine as a first-line strong opioid for cancer pain: a randomized, double-blind study.

PURPOSE: To compare the effectiveness and side effects of methadone and morphine as first-line treatment with opioids for cancer pain. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients in international palliative care clinics with pain requiring initiation of strong opioids were randomly assigned to receive methadone (7.5 mg orally every 12 hours and 5 mg every 4 hours as needed) or morphine (15 mg sustained release every 12 hours and 5 mg every 4 hours as needed). The study duration was 4 weeks. RESULTS: A total of 103 patients were randomly assigned to treatment (49 in the methadone group and 54 in the morphine group). The groups had similar baseline scores for pain, sedation, nausea, confusion, and constipation. Patients receiving methadone had more opioid-related drop-outs (11 of 49; 22%) than those receiving morphine (three of 54; 6%; P =.019). The opioid escalation index at days 14 and 28 was similar between the two groups. More than three fourths of patients in each group reported a 20% or more reduction in pain intensity by day 8. The proportion of patients with a 20% or more improvement in pain at 4 weeks in the methadone group was 0.49 (95% CI, 0.34 to 0.64) and was similar in the morphine group (0.56; 95% CI, 0.41 to 0.70). The rates of patient-reported global benefit were nearly identical to the pain response rates and did not differ between the treatment groups. CONCLUSION: Methadone did not produce superior analgesic efficiency or overall tolerability at 4 weeks compared with morphine as a first-line strong opioid for the treatment of cancer pain.     

Urinary pharmacokinetics of betalains following consumption of red beet juice in healthy humans.

The aim of the present pilot study was to characterise the renal elimination of betalains after consumption of red beet juice (RBJ). Six healthy, non-smoking female volunteers were given a single oral dose of either 500 mL of a commercial RBJ containing 362.7 mg of betalains and 500 mL of tap water, respectively, in a sequential manner. Urine was collected in intervals up to 24 h post-dose. Renal excretion of betalains was determined spectrophotometrically and quantified as betanin-equivalents. In addition, the identity of individual compounds was confirmed by HPLC coupled with diode-array detection and positive ion electrospray mass spectrometry, respectively. The amount (mean+/-S.D.) of intact betalains (betanin and isobetanin) recovered in urine was 1001+/-273 microg corresponding to 0.28+/-0.08% of the administered dose. Maximum excretion rates were observed after a median tmax,R of 3.0 h (range 2.5-8.0 h) amounting to 91.7+/-30.1 microg/h. The terminal elimination rate constant (lambdaz) and the corresponding half-life were 0.097+/-0.021 h(-1) and 7.43+/-1.47 h, respectively. Using the lambdaz estimates obtained the expected total betalain amount excreted in urine was 1228+/-291 microg. Based on the results obtained it is assumed that either the bioavailability of the betalains is low or that renal clearance is a minor route of systemic elimination for these compounds. The urinary excretion rates of unmetabolised betalains were fast and appeared to be monoexponential suggesting a one-compartment model. In order to get a more complete picture of the pharmacokinetics and health-promoting properties of red beet betalains, quantitative data on betalain bioavailability should include measurements of unchanged compounds and their corresponding metabolites in plasma, urine and bile.     

Evolution and conservation of microsatellite markers for Leishmania tropica.

Sixteen polymorphic microsatellite markers were developed for phylogenetic analysis of Leishmania tropica. The phylogenetic tests done demonstrated that they do provide a powerful tool for epidemiological studies. They were also tested for their ability to differentiate strains of other species of Leishmania, confirming that microsatellite markers developed for one leishmanial species cannot generally be used for other leishmanial species. In addition to length variation, a high degree of allelic heterozygosity was seen among the strains investigated, suggestive of sexual recombination within the species L. tropica.