Hepatic Artery Infusion Chemotherapy

Hepatic artery chemotherapy was given to 36 patients, using totally implantable devices consisting of a port and external pump. Twenty-seven patients had inoperable liver metastases of colorectal origin. The infusion system was inserted by laparotomy into the hepatic artery via the gastroduodenal artery. There was no operative mortality. Thirteen infusion systems could not be used for chemotherapy due to dislodgement, early death and lack of follow-up. FUdR was infused every two weeks. There were minor local complications like thrombosis of the system and dislodgement of the port. Toxic effects could be managed by reducing the dose. Response to chemotherapy was evaluated by survival, clinical condition, CEA, ultrasound and CT six months after onset of arterial chemotherapy. Ten/twenty-three patients (43%) responded to therapy, eight of them died on the average 19 months after initial chemotherapy. Six patients were non-responders, seven had stable disease. Five/ten patients developed extrahepatic metastases. Mean survival time was 13.1 months, mean interval until relapse 10.6 months

Genotype–phenotype associations within the Li-Fraumeni spectrum: a report from the German Registry

Li-Fraumeni syndrome (LFS) is a cancer predisposition syndrome caused by pathogenic TP53 variants. The condition represents one of the most relevant genetic causes of cancer in children and adults due to its frequency and high cancer risk. The term Li-Fraumeni spectrum reflects the evolving phenotypic variability of the condition. Within this spectrum, patients who meet specific LFS criteria are diagnosed with LFS, while patients who do not meet these criteria are diagnosed with attenuated LFS. To explore genotype-phenotype correlations we analyzed 141 individuals from 94 families with pathogenic TP53 variants registered in the German Cancer Predisposition Syndrome Registry. Twenty-one (22%) families had attenuated LFS and 73 (78%) families met the criteria of LFS. NULL variants occurred in 32 (44%) families with LFS and in two (9.5%) families with attenuated LFS (P value < 0.01). Kato partially functional variants were present in 10 out of 53 (19%) families without childhood cancer except adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) versus 0 out of 41 families with childhood cancer other than ACC alone (P value < 0.01). Our study suggests genotype-phenotype correlations encouraging further analyses

Host Plant Use by Competing Acacia-Ants: Mutualists Monopolize While Parasites Share Hosts

Protective ant-plant mutualisms that are exploited by non-defending parasitic ants represent prominent model systems for ecology and evolutionary biology. The mutualist Pseudomyrmex ferrugineus is an obligate plant-ant and fully depends on acacias for nesting space and food. The parasite Pseudomyrmex gracilis facultatively nests on acacias and uses host-derived food rewards but also external food sources. Integrative analyses of genetic microsatellite data, cuticular hydrocarbons and behavioral assays showed that an individual acacia might be inhabited by the workers of several P. gracilis queens, whereas one P. ferrugineus colony monopolizes one or more host trees. Despite these differences in social organization, neither of the species exhibited aggressive behavior among conspecific workers sharing a tree regardless of their relatedness. This lack of aggression corresponds to the high similarity of cuticular hydrocarbon profiles among ants living on the same tree. Host sharing by unrelated colonies, or the presence of several queens in a single colony are discussed as strategies by which parasite colonies could achieve the observed social organization. We argue that in ecological terms, the non-aggressive behavior of non-sibling P. gracilis workers — regardless of the route to achieve this social structure — enables this species to efficiently occupy and exploit a host plant. By contrast, single large and long-lived colonies of the mutualist P. ferrugineus monopolize individual host plants and defend them aggressively against invaders from other trees. Our findings highlight the necessity for using several methods in combination to fully understand how differing life history strategies affect social organization in ants