High dose melphalan in children with advanced malignant disease. A pharmacokinetic study.

Nine children with poor-prognosis malignancies--seven with advanced neuroblastoma and two with metastatic Ewing's sarcoma--were given high doses of melphalan (HDM), 150 mg/m2 (3 patients) and 180 mg/m2 (6 patients), as a 'late intensification' agent combined with noncryopreserved autologous bone marrow transplants. Melphalan levels in the plasma decreased biphasically, with mean half-lives of 6.6 min and 3.0 h. At the time of marrow reinfusion (12-21 h after HDM) the melphalan plasma level was generally below 0.1 microgram/ml. The renal contribution to melphalan clearance was low, a mean of 5.8% of the injected dose being found in patients' urine over the 12 h following HDM administration. No significant difference was seen in pharmacokinetic parameters between patients undergoing and not undergoing forced diuresis

Schizocordulia gen. nov. related to Aeschnosom Selys with description of the female and additional data on the male of Schizocordulia rustica (Selys) comb. nov. (Odonata, Corduliidae) Schizocordulia gen. nov. relacionado a Aeschnosoma Selys com descrição da fêmea e dados adicionais sobre o macho de Schizocordulia rustica (Selys) comb. nov. (Odonata, Corduliidae)

The monotypical genus Schizocordulia is created for Schizocordulia rustica (Selys, 1871) comb. nov. known from a single male from Bahia, Brazil lacking the anal appendages. The female is described and the redescription of the male made by GEIJKES (1970) is completed by the description and illustration of the penis, the anal appendages and the pilose plate. The main characters separating the new genus from the closely related Aeschnosoma Selys, 1870 are the bifid male inferior appendage, the very long internal branch of the hamulus, the presence of a pilose plate on the male 7th abdominal segment, and the large and complex valvula vulvae of the female. The study was based on 33 males and 2 females, which allowed an evaluation of the intraspecific variations in Schizocordulia rustica.<br>Cria-se o gênero monotípico Schizocordulia para Schizocordulia rustica (Selys, 1871) comb. nov. espécie conhecida de um único exemplar macho sem os apêndices anais. Descreve-se a fêmea e a redescrição do macho feita por GEIJKES (1970) é completada pela descrição e ilustração do pênis, da placa pilosa e dos apêndices anais. Os principais caracteres utilizados para separar Schizocordulia do gênero afim Aeschnosoma Selys, 1870 são o apêndice inferior do macho bífido, o ramo interno do hâmulo muito longo, a presença de uma placa pilosa no 7º segmento abdominal e a válvula da vulva da fêmea grande e complexa. Este estudo foi baseado em 33 machos e 2 fêmeas, o que permitiu uma avaliação das variações intraespecíficas em Schizocordulia rustica

The neotropical damselfly genus Cora: new larval descriptions and a comparative analysis of larvae of known species (Odonata: Polythoridae)

The final larval stadium of four species of Cora are described and compared with known species in the genus. Cora skinneri Calvert, 1907, C. semiopaca Selys, 1878 and C. lugubris Navás, 1934 are described and illustrated for the first time using material from Costa Rica for the first two and from Colombia for the latter. A redescription of C. marina Selys, 1868 from specimens collected in Costa Rica is also included for comparison. Although all species are very similar as larvae, two major groups can be differentiated based on the shape of the caudal gills. The three species here described for the first time are very similar, but can be separated from each other using a combination of characters.UCR::Vicerrectoría de Docencia::Ciencias Básicas::Facultad de Ciencias::Escuela de BiologíaUCR::Vicerrectoría de Investigación::Unidades de Investigación::Ciencias Básicas::Centro de Investigación en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología (CIMAR