Total testosterone, cortizol, growth hormone and fluorine levels in fluorine intoxicated rabbits

WOS: 000168884800010In this study, the effects of fluorine given subchronically (70 days) in drinking water (1, 10, 40 mg/L) were assessed in New Zealand male rabbits and their effects on total testosterone, cortisol and growth hormone (GH) levels were determined. Blood samples were taken from control and experimental groups after 0, 21 and 70 days and total testosterone, cortisol, GH and fluorine levels were measured. As a result, in animals given 10 mg/L fluorinated water, on the 21(st) day there was a statistically significant (p<0.01) drop in the cortisol levels and it was found that the drop in the testosterone levels and the rise in the GH levels were statistically insignificant. In animals given 10 mg/L fluorinated water, the drops in the cortisol and GH levels on the 70(th) day were statistically significant (p<0.01). in animals given 40 mg/L fluorinated water, the drops in the cortisol and GH levels on the 21(st) day were statistically significant (p<0.01). Also, on the 70(th) day the drop in the testosterone levels was statistically significant (p<0.05) and the drop in the cortisol and GH was very significant (p<0.001). Fluorine levels significantly rose during the study (p<0.001). depending on the species, doses and duration of application

Second-Line docetaxel and gemcitabine combination chemotherapy in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer previously treated with platinum-based chemotherapy: a phase II trial.

Docetaxel has been the only single active agent against chemotherapy-pretreated non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The purpose of this phase 11 study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of docetaxel combined with gemcitabine, another effective drug, in patients with NSCLC previously treated with platinum-based chemotherapy. Thirty-three patients were enrolled. Prior chemotherapy was cisplatin combined with etoposide in 24 patients and vinorelbine in 9 patients. Tumors were sensitive (n = 15), resistant (n = 9), and refractory (n = 9) to front-line chemotherapy. Treatment was docetaxel 85 mg/m(2) on d 1, and gemcitabine 1200 mg/m(2) on d 1 and 8, with cycles repeated every three weeks. Ten patients (30.3%, 95% CI: 15.6-48.7) achieved a partial response and 15 (45.5%) stable disease. Responses were similar frequencies in platinum-sensitive and platinum-resistant/refractory tumors. With a median follow-up period of 5.7 mo (range 1.6-20.0), the median and 6-mo event-free survival were 5.5 mo, 40.6%, respectively. Median and 6-mo overall survival were 7.3 mo and 52.7%. Patients with progressive disease to chemotherapy (p = 0.0008), higher LDH (p = 0.005), and NSE levels (p = 0.03) survived shorter than other patients. In patients refractory to prior chemotherapy, survival was poor as borderline significantly (p = 0.06). The major hematological toxicity was neutropenia. Grade III-IV neutropenia was noted in 14 (42%) patients, with three episodes of febrile neutropenia in I I I cycles. Docetaxel combined with gemcitabine is an active and safe second-line therapy for patients with NSCLC

Enhancing land use classification with fusing dual-polarized TerraSAR-X and multispectral RapidEye data

The contribution of dual-polarized synthetic aperture radar (SAR) to optical data for the accuracy of land use classification is investigated. For this purpose, different image fusion algorithms are implemented to achieve spatially improved images while preserving the spectral information. To compare the performance of the fusion techniques, both the microwave X-band dual-polarized TerraSAR-X data and the multispectral (MS) optical image RapidEye data are used. Our test site, Gediz Basin, covers both agricultural fields and artificial structures. Before the classification phase, four data fusion approaches: (1) adjustable SAR-MS fusion, (2) Ehlers fusion, (3) high-pass filtering, and (4) Bayesian data fusion are applied. The quality of the fused images was evaluated with statistical analyses. In this respect, several methods are performed for quality assessments. Then the classification performances of the fused images are also investigated using the support vector machines as a kernel-based method, the random forests as an ensemble learning method, the fundamental k-nearest neighbor, and the maximum likelihood classifier methods comparatively. Experiments provide promising results for the fusion of dual polarimetric SAR data and optical data in land use/cover mapping. © 2015 The Authors. Published by SPIE

Intranodal palisaded myofibroblastoma: Radiological and cytological overview

Background: Intranodal palisaded myofibroblastoma is a benign and very rare mesenchymal neoplasm of the lymph nodes originating from differentiated smooth muscle cells and myofibroblasts. Case Report: We report a case of intranodal palisaded myofibroblastoma in an 84-year-old woman with Parkinson’s disease that presented as a left inguinal mass. The diagnosis was made using ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy and consequent cytopathological examination that included immunohistochemical analysis. Herein, we discuss the presentation of a rare intranodal palisaded myofibroblastoma with emphasis on its ultrasonographic and cytopathologic features. Conclusions: Intranodal palisaded myofibroblastoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of inguinal lymphadenopathy and the diagnosis is possible with cytopathologic exam and immunohistochemical analysis using ultrasound-guided FNA biopsy, guiding the clinician to nodal excision rather than aggressive measures. © Pol J Radiol