The role of cardiac biomarkers as predictors of trastuzumab cardiotoxicity in patients with breast cancer

Aim: Identification of patient with increased risk of cardiotoxicity would allow not only prevention and early diagnosis of chemotherapy related cardiotoxicity but also administration of optimal dose and duration of chemotherapy. Materials and methods: Fifty-two women with HER2+ breast cancer treated with trastuzumab were included in this study. Patients were prospectively followed with routine cardiac evaluation. Before and after administration of trastuzumab blood samples for NT-proBNP were also taken. Results: The median age was 48.5 year (range: 26–74). Hypertension and obesity were two most common co-morbidities. The median duration application of trastuzumab was 52 weeks. During median 14.5 (3–33) months follow-up cardiac adverse events occurred in 5 (9.6%) patients and 2 out of 5 was grade III–IV heart failure. Both patients had preserved left ventricular ejection fraction and no symptom of heart failure before trastuzumab but older than 65 years old and had diabetes mellitus and obesity. High level of NT-proBNP (> 300 ng/ml) was observed in both patients and heart failure recovery was not observed. There was statistically significant difference regarding body mass index (p = 0.004) and diabetes mellitus (p = 0.002) between patients with and without cardiotoxicity. Conclusion: Although, cardiac biomarkers still cannot replace routine cardiac monitoring, natriuretic peptides may provide additional tool for detection of patients with high risk of cardiotoxicity and early detection of cardiotoxicity. Key Words: breast cancer, trastuzumab, heart failure, left ventricular dysfunction, natriuretic peptides

Nurses' perceptions of aids and obstacles to the provision of optimal end of life care in ICU

Contains fulltext : 172380.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access

Augmentation of shoulder contour using a calf implant

Eskandari, Metin Manouchehr/0000-0001-6945-0681WOS: 000165382900011PubMed: 11084702Sprengel deformity is a rare orthopedic condition that is associated with functional and cosmetic impairment. Results of orthopedic procedures are usually inconsistent and cosmetic results are far from satisfactory in these patients. A silicone-gel-filled calf prosthesis was used to correct the shoulder contour in a patient with Sprengel deformity. Cosmetically the deformity can be restored by using a calf implant for patients in whom orthopedic procedures are not likely to yield a satisfactory outcome

Comparison of the efficacy of tigecycline and teicoplanin in an experimental methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus osteomyelitis model

WOS: 000254066100008PubMed: 18343744We evaluated the efficacy of tigecycline and teicoplanin in a rat model of MRSA osteomyelitis. Osteomyelitis was induced with an intramedullary injection of 10(8) colony-forming units (cfu) of MRSA. After osteomyelitis formation was confirmed on Day 14, infected rats were randomly divided into three groups: tigecycline (n=13), teicoplanin (n=13), and no-treatment control (n=14). A 28-day antibiotic therapy with a subcutaneous injection of tigecycline (14 mg/kg twice daily) or intramuscular administration of teicoplanin (20 mg/kg daily) was administered. Rats were then sacrificed, and the tibias were harvested. The bones were weighed and then cultured. Our results indicated that bacterial growth was significantly reduced in teicoplanin and tigecycline groups, compared to the control group (p=0.019 and p=0.006, respectively). However, no difference was detected between the two antibiotic groups (p=1.000). No bacterial growth was detected in 7 out of 13 and 9 out of 13 specimens of the teicoplanin and tigecycline treated groups, respectively. Although this result was numerically in favor of tigecycline, the difference was not statistically significant (p=0.427). In conclusion, tigecycline, a novel antibiotic, appears as an effective alternative to teicoplanin in the treatment of osteomyelitis caused by MRSA

Double U slot patch antenna

Due to copyright restrictions, the access to the full text of this article is only available via subscription.In this paper, we aim to design to simulate `double u slot patch antenna'. Our simulation and experimental investigation aimed to understand the behavior of the two U-slots. It can be used in WiMAX compliant communication equipments. As a result of all changes and on the geometry of the antenna, we had -17.38 dB input match and 5.13 dB gain at 5.47 GHz

Double U slot patch antenna

Due to copyright restrictions, the access to the full text of this article is only available via subscription.In this paper, we aim to design to simulate `double u slot patch antenna'. Our simulation and experimental investigation aimed to understand the behavior of the two U-slots. It can be used in WiMAX compliant communication equipments. As a result of all changes and on the geometry of the antenna, we had -17.38 dB input match and 5.13 dB gain at 5.47 GHz

Medium-term results of trapezio-lunate external fixation for scaphoid fractures

We treated 36 scaphoid fractures in 34 patients with trapezio-lunate external fixation. According to the Herbert and Fisher classification, there were 16 type B1, 14 type B2, four type B3 and two type B4 fractures. Trapezial and Innate pins broke in three patients and these were rated as failures. The remaining 33 fractures Were followed-up for 3 years and all had excellent outcomes, without signs of arthritis, avascularity or instability