Value of Caffeic Acid Phenethyl Ester Pretreatment in Experimental Sepsis Model in Rats

Background and Aim. The aim of this study was to determine the actions of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) on the changes of endothelin-1 (ET-1) level, tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-) alpha, and oxidative stress parameters such as superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in experimental sepsis model in rats. Materials and Methods. Twenty-four rats were randomly divided into three experimental groups: sham (group 1), sepsis (group 2), and sepsis + CAPE (group 3), n = 8 each. CAPE was administered (10 µmol/kg) intraperitoneally to group 3 before sepsis induction. Serum ET-1, serum TNF-alpha, tissue SOD activity, and tissue MDA levels were measured in all groups. Results. Pretreatment with CAPE decreased ET-1, TNF-alpha, and MDA levels in sepsis induced rats. Additionally SOD activities were higher in rats pretreated with CAPE after sepsis induction. Conclusion. Our results demonstrate that CAPE may have a beneficial effect on ET and TNF-alpha levels and oxidative stress parameters induced by sepsis in experimental rat models. Therefore treatment with CAPE can be used to avoid devastating effects of sepsis

Prognostic factors in patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma without complete response to first-line therapy

This study was conducted to retrospectively identify the prognostic factors that specifically predict survival rates of patients with aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma who did not achieve a complete response (CR) to first-line therapy. Prognostic factors in terms of survival were analyzed in 76 adult patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma who had failed to achieve CR to first-line chemotherapy (CT) regimens administered at Istanbul University, Institute of Oncology, between February 1989 and October 1998. A total of 41 patients were female, and median age was 60 y (range, 18-87 y). Twenty-seven patients (35%) had primary refractory disease (stable disease + progressive disease). A partial response (PR) was demonstrated in 49 (65%). In all, 92% had been administered anthracycline on the basis of computed tomography findings. Of 27 patients with primary refractory disease, 20 died because of initial CT toxicity or disease progression. A total of 10 patients with primary refractory disease underwent second-line CT. CR was observed in only I of those patients. Of the 49 patients who had a PR to first-line therapy, 31 died because of disease progression. Of those patients, 14 underwent second-line CT. Four patients were observed to have a CR. Median overall survival (OS) in all patients was established at 15 mo (range, 11-19 mo), and 5-y OS was 25%. On the other hand, median OS in patients with primary refractory disease was 7.6 mo (range, 5.7-9.4 mo) and was observed to be 17.8 mo (range, 9.4-26.1 mo) in patients with a PR. The difference in survival rates between patients with primary refractory disease and those with a PR was significant (P=.005). Although median OS was 18.1 mo (range, 8.4-27.8 mo) in patients with intermediate-grade histology, it was 6.1 mo (range, 1-11.7 mo) in patients with high-grade histology (P=.001). As a result of univariate analysis, significant prognostic factors associated with OS included histologic grade (intermediate/high) (P=.001), response to initial therapy (primary refractory disease/PR) (P=.005), performance status (0-2/2-4) (P=.024), and International Prognostic Index risk groups (low/low intermediate/intermediate-high/high risk) (P=.004). Multivariate analysis revealed that independent prognostic parameters associated with OS included response to initial therapy (P=.009) and histologic grade (P=.001). Although prognosis is rather poor in patients with high histologic grade and primary refractory disease, patients with a PR have a slightly better prognosis

Thoracic duct variations may complicate the anterior spine procedures

The aim of this study is to localize and document the anatomic features of the thoracic duct and its tributaries with special emphasis on the spinal surgery point of view. The thoracic ducts were dissected from nine formaldehyde-preserved male cadavers. The drainage patterns, diameter of the thoracic duct in upper, middle and lower thoracic segments, localization of main tributaries and morphologic features of cisterna chyli were determined. The thoracic duct was detected in all cadavers. The main tributaries were concentrated at upper thoracic (between third and fifth thoracic vertebrae) and lower thoracic segments (below the level of ninth thoracic vertebra) at the right side. However, the main lymphatic tributaries were drained into the thoracic duct only in the lower thoracic area (below the level of the tenth thoracic vertebra) at the left side. Two major anatomic variations were detected in the thoracic duct. In the first case, there were two different lymphatic drainage systems. In the second case, the thoracic duct was found as bifid at two different levels. In formaldehyde preservation, the dimensions of the soft tissues may change. For that reason, the dimensions were not discussed and they may not be a guide in surgery. Additionally, our study group is quite small. Larger series may be needed to define the anatomic variations. As a conclusion, anatomic variations of the thoracic duct are numerous and must be considered to avoid complications when doing surgery

Vinorelbine in Combination with Carboplatin followed by Single-agent Consolidation Therapy for Unresectable Localized or Metastatic Non-small-cell Lung Carcinomas

Background: Adding more than four cycles of the combination regimen increase toxicities. The availability of an intravenous (i.v.) and oral form of vinorelbine appeared as a particularly convenient way to provide a consolidation treatment to patients who have achieved an objective response or stable disease. Patients and methods: This study was retrospectively designed to investigate the efficacy in terms of response and safety of i.v. vinorelbine 25 mg/m(2) on day 1 and oral vinorelbine 60 mg/m(2) on day 8 given with carboplatin area under the curve (AUC) 5 once every 3 weeks (q3w) for four cycles followed by consolidation therapy with single-agent vinorelbine in non-progressive patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Results: Seventy-two patients enrolled into the study from October 2006 to July 2009 received the combination regimen. Thirty-seven patients (51.3%) also received the subsequent consolidation treatment. Partial tumor responses were obtained in 25 patients (34.7%) of 72 evaluable patients. Stable disease was observed in 26 (36.1%) of patients. The median progression free-survival was 4 months (95% CI 3.1-4.8). The median overall survival time was 10 months (95% CI 8.2-11.7) and the 1 year survival was 38.1%. The main toxicities recorded were hematological. Grade 3-4 neutropenia were observed in 17 patients (23.6%). Only two patients experienced grade three febrile neutropenia in the induction period, and there was no occurrence of febril neutropenia in the consolidation period. Nausea and vomiting were the major non-hematological toxicities reported. Toxicities occurred primarily during the initial combination phase of the chemotherapy. Conclusions: Despite the low dose of vinorelbine (25mg/m(2) i.v. on day 1 and only 60 mg/m(2) oral on day 8, every 3 weeks) achieved during the study, the response rate of 34.7%, the disease control of 70.8% and the 10 months median overall survival with tolerable toxicity profile, confirmed that this combination, offers an active and safe regimen for patients with advanced NSCL

Low-Dose Docetaxel/Cisplatin - Leucovorin and 46 Hour Infusional Fluorouracil in Metastatic Gastric Carcinoma

Background: Phase II and III trials of docetaxel, cisplatin and fluorouracil (DCF) have shown superior efficacy versus cisplatin and fluorouracil alone but with high rates of hematologic toxicity in metastatic gastric cancer cases. To reduce toxicity while maintaining the efficacy of DCF, we investigated low dose docetaxel (D), cispatin (C) - leucovorin and fluorouracil (De Gramont regimen). Patient and methods: Chemotherapy-naive patients with metastatic gastric cancer (MGC) received D 60 mg/m(2) on day 1 and cisplatin 30 mg/m(2) on day 1-2 and the De Gramont regimen (Folinic acid 400 mg/m(2) on day 1 and 5-FU 2400 mg/m(2)/46h continuous infusion) every 3 weeks. The primary endpoint was response rate. Results: One hundred twenty patients with a median age of 52.5 years (range, 32-78) received a median of 6 cycles (range, 2-12 cycles). Of the 120 evaluable patients, 4 showed complete remission and 36 achieved a partial response. The overall response rate was 56.6%. Twenty eight patients (23.3%) showed stable disease and 52 (43.3%) progression. The median time to progression was 7 months (95% CI 6-7.9). The median overall survival was 15 months (95% CI 13.7-16.2). The most frequent hematological toxicity was leucopenia, which occurred at grade 3/4 intensity in 24 patients (20%). Conclusions: Low-dose DC-De Gramont regimen is active in MGC with a tolerable toxicity profile