Results of rhabdomyosarcoma treatment in a developing country.

Fifty-one children (median age: 4.5 years; 4 months-16 years) diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma were treated in our center between 1980-1999. The primary sites were head and neck in 31.4%, the genito-urinary system in 21.6%, and extremities in 9.8% of the patients. The histopathologic subtypes were embryonal in 80.4%, alveolar in 9.8%, and undifferentiated in 9.8%. The majority of the patients were considered group III (47%) and group IV (25.5%) according the criteria of the Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study (IRS). Primary total tumour resection was performed in only 27.5% of the patients. The patients were treated with assigned regimens of IRS II and IRS III protocols. Radiotherapy was applied to 92.1% of the patients. Thirty-four patients (66.7%) were lost to follow up, and of the remaining 17 patients, 7 patients (41.2%) died, relapse occurred in 9 patients (52.9%) and 10 patients (58.8%) are alive. The percentage of cases lost to follow up during the first 10 years and the following 9 years of the study were 77.4% and 50%, respectively. In compliance with cancer treatment remains a major problem in developing countries.</p

The effects of heat treatment on the synthesis of nickel ferrite (NiFe2O4) nanoparticles using the microwave assisted combustion method

NiFe2O4 nanoparticles were synthesized using the microwave assisted combustion method based on metal nitrate salts and urea. To remain of organic matters and to stabilize the particles, samples were thermally treated at various temperatures from 300-800 degrees C. The prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM). The heat treated samples show the reflection planes of (111), (220), (222), (311), (400), (422), (511), and (440) which perfectly confirm to a cubic spinel phase of NiFe2O4 and no secondary phases were detected in the XRD patterns of the samples. The crystallite sizes calculated using the Debye-Scherrer formula were found to increase with the heat treatment temperature, from about 4 nm at 300 degrees C-85 nm at 800 degrees C. EDX results verify that the compositional mass rations were relevant, as expected from the synthesis. The micrographs of SEM and TEM showed that all of the samples have nano-crystalline behavior and particles indication cubic shape. Magnetization measurements were obtained at room temperature by using a VSM, which demonstrated that the all of the samples synthesized with heat treatment exhibited ferromagnetic behaviors. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

PROTEIN-C AND ANTITHROMBIN-III IN CHILDREN WITH ACUTE-LEUKEMIA

In this study Protein C (PC) and antithrombin III (AT III) levels in childhood acute leukemia were investigated. The mean PC activity levels in 19 newly diagnosed cases of acute leukemia were significantly lower as compared with the normal controls (p < 0.05). A significant increase was found (p < 0.01) in the patients in remission. Prior to treatment 78.8 percent of patients had decreased PC activity levels, but all patients had normal PC activity during remission