273. Laryngektomie rekonstrukcyjne jako alternatywa laryngektomii całkowitej

Laryngektomie subtotalne z rekonstrukcją krtani są akceptowaną, alternatywną do całkowitego usunięcia krtani formą leczenia raków o zaawansowaniu narządowym T2 i T3. Jednoczasowa resekcja i rekonstrukcja pozwalają na radykalne leczenie nowotworu przy równoczesnym zachowaniu ciągłości drogi oddechowej i zachowaniu funkcji odtworzonej krtani. W latach 1988–2002 wykonano 83 laryngektomii subtotalnych z rekonstrukcją krtani, w tym: 34 laryngektomie nadpierścienne z krikohyoidopeksją, 21 laryngektomie nadpierścienne z krikohyoidoepiglotopeksją, 18 laryngektomii przezgłośniowych modo Calearo, 7 laryngektomii subtotalnych modo Sedlacek-Tucker oraz 3 z rekonstrukcją zachyłka gruszkowatego. Podstawowym kryterium oceny efektywności tego typu zabiegów była osiągnięta radykalność onkologiczna. Okres obserwacji chorych wynosił od 2–9 lat. W żadnym z 83 przypadków nie stwierdzono wystapienia wznowy miejscowej, w 4 przypadkach wystąpiła wznowa w układzie chłonnym szyi. Kolejnym aspektem była skuteczność funkcjonowania zrekonstruowanej krtani. U 5 chorych z powodu zwężenia światła krtani wykonano 2– i 3– krotne zabiegi laserowe, a następnie wykonano plastykę przy użyciu T-drenu. U 14 chorych występowały w okresie pierwszych 3 miesięcy trudności przy połykaniu, zwłaszcza pokarmów płynnych. U 1 chorego wykonano gastrostomię. Autorzy omawiają wskazania do tego typu zabiegów, technikę operacyjną, wyniki onkologiczne i czynnościowe

338. Brachyterapia paliatywna PDR i HDR w leczeniu nawrotów miejscowych nowotworów głowy i szyi

Cel pracyW pracy przedstawiono wstępne wyniki paliatywnej brachyterapii HDR i PDR wznów nowotworów głowy i szyi.Materiał i metody47 chorych ze wznową miejscową nowotworu głowy i szyi leczonych było metodą brachyterapii HDR i PDR w okresie od 05.06.2001 do 31.12.2002 w Wielkopolskim Centrum Onkologii. Wszyscy chorzy zdyskwalifikowani zostali od leczenia chirurgicznego i radioterapii wiązkami zewnętrznymi ze względu na zaawansowanie choroby oraz przebyte leczenie. Wiek chorych sięgał od 38 do 75 (średnio 51.2 lat), w grupie było 10 kobiet i 37 mężczyzn. Umiejscowienie wznowy nowotworu: dno jamy ustnej i język – 20 chorych, gardło środkowe – 12 chorych, węzły chłonne szyi – 5 chorych, krtań – 3 chorych, nosogardło – 3 chorych, ślinianki – 2 chorych, szczęka górna – 2 chorych. Średni okres pomiędzy rozpoznaniem guza pierwotnego oraz wznowy wynosił 9.7 miesięcy. 34 chorych leczonych było metodą brachyterapii HDR dawką frakcyjną od 4 do 6 Gy, w 5 do 10 frakcjach, 13 chorych leczonych było metodą brachyterapii PDR dawka łączną 2000 cGy, w jednej (n=4) lub dwóch fazach leczenia (n=9). Ocenie poddano stopień remisji po 1, 3 i 6-iu miesiącach od zakończenia leczenia oraz powikłania wczesne.WynikiPo 4-ech tygodniach od zakończenia leczenia całkowitą remisję (CR) stwierdzono u 15% chorych, częściową remisję (PR) u 65.1% chorych, brak remisji (NR) u 10.9% chorych i progresję (Progr) u 9% chorych. Odpowiednie odsetki odpowiedzi wynosiły: po 3 i 6 miesiącach CR – 10.3 i 5.6%, PR – 54% i 36.3%), NR i Progr – 35.7% i 58.1%. W 74.6% przypadkach wystąpiła powierzchowna martwica w okresie 6 miesięcy obserwacji. Inne najczęstsze powikłania to nasilenie bólu (25%), infekcja miejscowa (44.3%), przetoka (6%). Obie metody brachyterapii były w równym stopniu dobrze tolerowane.Wnioski1. Brachyterapia HDR lub PDR może być efektywnym paliatywnym leczeniem wznowy nowotworu głowy i szyi. 2. Powikłania wczesne związane z wysoką dawką sumaryczną napromieniania są częste i wymagają intensywnego leczenia farmakologicznego

Toxic effects of Pb2+ on growth of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata)

A concentration as low as 1 mu M lead (Pb) is highly toxic to plants, but previous studies have typically related plant growth to the total amount of Pb added to a solution. In the present experiment, the relative fresh mass of cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) was reduced by 10% at a Pb2+ activity of 0.2 mu M for the shoots and at a Pb2+ activity of 0.06 mu M for the roots. The primary site of Pb2+ toxicity was the root, causing severe reductions in root growth, loss of apical dominance (shown by an increase in branching per unit root length), the formation of localized swellings behind the root tips (due to the initiation of lateral roots), and the bending of some root tips. In the root, Pb was found to accumulate primarily within the cell walls and intercellular spaces. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Biochemical characterization of a novel monospecific endo-β-1,4-glucanase belonging to GH Family 5 from a rhizosphere metagenomic library

Cellulases have a broad range of different industrial applications, ranging from food and beverages to pulp and paper and the biofuels area. Here a metagenomics based strategy was used to identify the cellulolytic enzyme CelRH5 from the rhizosphere. CelRH5 is a novel monospecific endo-β-1,4-glucanase belonging to the glycosyl hydrolase family 5 (GH5). Structural based modelling analysis indicated that CelRH5 is related to endo-β-1,4-glucanases derived from thermophilic microorganisms such as Thermotoga maritima, Fervidobacterium nodosum and Ruminiclostridium thermocellum sharing 30-40% amino acid sequence identity. The molecular weight of the enzyme was determined as 40.5 kDa. Biochemical analyses revealed that the enzyme displayed good activity with soluble forms of cellulose as a substrate such as ostazin brilliant red hydroxyethyl cellulose (OBR-HEC), carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) and insoluble azurine cross-linked hydroxyethylcellulose (AZCL-HEC). The enzyme shows highest enzymatic activity at pH 6.5 with high pH tolerance, remaining stable in the pH range 4.5 – 8.5. Highest activity was observed at 40 ˚C, but CelRH5 is psychrotolerant being active and stable at temperatures below 30 ˚C. The presence of final products of cellulose hydrolysis (glucose and cellobiose) or metal ions such as Na+, K+, Li+ and Mg2+, as well as ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), urea, dithiothreitol (DTT), dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME) or glycerol, did not have a marked effect on CelRH5 activity. However, the enzyme is quite sensitive in presence of 10 mM ions Zn2+, Ni2+, Co2+, Fe3+ and reagents such as 1 M guanidine HCl, 0.1% sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and 20% ethanol. Given that it is psychrotolerant and retains activity in the presence of final cellulose degradation products, metal ions and various reagents, which are common in many technological processes; CelRH5 may be potential suitability for a variety of different biotechnological applications

'Sending Dollars Shows Feeling' - Emotions and Economies in Filipino Migration

This paper analyses the conceptualization of gender, relationships, and emotions that underpin ‘care chains’ approaches to Filipino labour migration. In a case study of long‐distance intimacy and economic transfers in an extended Filipino family, I show how contextualizing migration within local understandings of emotion fractures expectations created by care chains accounts. This case instead reveals agency, diversity, and new forms of global subjectivity emerging through long‐distance emotional connections within the translocal field shaped by labour mobility

On the form-function dichotomy in linguistic theory

This paper focuses on an important divide in theoretical linguistics between two broad perspectives on the structural properties of human languages, generative and functionalist. In the former, linguistic structure is explained in terms of discrete categories and highly abstract principles, which may be language-independent or language-specific and purely formal or functional in nature. In the latter, explanation for why languages have the structure that they do is found ‘outside’ language, in the general principles of human cognition and the communicative functions of language. The aim of this paper is to highlight the need for abstractness, explicitness, simplicity and theoretical economy in linguistic description and explanation. The question is not whether principles of grammar are formal or functional. The question is whether the principles that are postulated to explain linguistic structure express true generalizations

Evaluation of the modified Pittsburgh classification for predicting the disease-free survival outcome of squamous cell carcinoma of the external auditory canal

Background: Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the external auditory canal (EAC) is a rare disease, which is commonly classified with the modified Pittsburgh classification. Our aim was to evaluate the predictive performance of this classification in relation to disease-free survival (DFS). Methods: We examined retrospective data from a nationwide Dutch cohort study including patients with primary EAC SCC. These data were combined with individual patient data from the literature. Using the combined data, the predictive performances were calculated using the c-index. Results: A total of 381 patients were included, 294 for clinical and 281 for the pathological classification analyses. The c-indices of the clinical and the pathological modified Pittsburgh classification predicting DFS were 0.725 (0.668-0.782) and 0.729 (0.672-0.786), respectively. Conclusion: The predictive performance of the modified Pittsburgh classification system as such appears to be acceptable to predict the DFS of EAC SCC. Other factors need to be added to a future model to improve the predicted performance

Geriatric oncology: comparing health related quality of life in head and neck cancer patients

Background: Population ageing is increasing the number of people annually diagnosed with cancer worldwide, once most types of tumours are age-dependent. High-quality healthcare in geriatric oncology requires a multimodal approach and should take into account stratified patient outcomes based on factors other than chronological age in order to develop interventions able to optimize oncology care. This study aims to evaluate the Health Related Quality of Life in head and neck cancer patients and compare the scores in geriatric and younger patients. Methods. Two hundred and eighty nine head and neck cancer patients from the Oncology Portuguese Institute participated in the Health Related Quality of Life assessment. Two patient groups were considered: the geriatric ( 65 years old, n = 115) and the younger (45-60 years old, n= 174). The EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-H&N35 questionnaires were used. Results: Head and neck cancer patients were mostly males, 77.4% within geriatric group and 91.4% among younger patients group. The most frequent tumour locations were similar in both groups: larynx, oral cavity and oropharynx - base of the tongue. At the time of diagnosis, most of younger male patients were at disease stage III/IV (55.9%) whereas the majority of younger female patients were at disease stage I/II (83.4%). The geriatric patient distribution was found to be similar in any of the four disease stages and no gender differences were observed. We found that age (geriatrics scored generally worse), gender (females scored generally worse), and tumour site (larynx tumours denounce more significant problems between age groups) clearly influences Health Related Quality of Life perceptions. Conclusions: Geriatric oncology assessments signalize age-independent indicators that might guide oncologic geriatric care optimization. Decision-making in geriatric oncology must be based on tumour characteristics and chronological age but also on performance status evaluation, co-morbidity, and patient reported outcomes assessment.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The influence of cadmium stress on the content of mineral nutrients and metal-binding proteins in arabidopsis halleri

We investigated the influence of cadmium stress on zinc hyperaccumulation, mineral nutrient uptake, and the content of metal-binding proteins in Arabidopsis halleri. The experiments were carried out using plants subjected to long-term cadmium exposure (40 days) in the concentrations of 45 and 225 μM Cd2+. Inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry, size exclusion chromatography coupled with plasma-mass spectrometry, and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry used for ablation of polyacylamide gels were employed to assess the content of investigated elements in plants as well as to identify metal-binding proteins. We found that A. halleri is able to translocate cadmium to the aerial parts in high amounts (translocation index >1). We showed that Zn content in plants decreased significantly with the increase of cadmium content in the growth medium. Different positive and negative correlations between Cd content and mineral nutrients were evidenced by our study. We identified more than ten low-molecular-weight (<100 kDa) Cd-binding proteins in Cd-treated plants. These proteins are unlikely to be phytochelatins or metallothioneins. We hypothesize that low-molecular-weight Cd-binding proteins can be involved in cadmium resistance in A. halleri