[Filamentous micromycetes in otitis]. / Vláknité mikromycéty u otitíd.

In 1984-1991 in the microbiological laboratory in Komárno (Slovak Republic) 4224 (100%) smears with the diagnosis of otitis were examined. From 138 (3.26%) of smears microscopic filamentous fungi were isolated, most frequently aspergillae from the group Aspergillus niger (34.1%), Aspergillus flavus (29.8%) and Aspergillus fumigatus (21.8% of 138 isolates). The strains of other species of filamentous micromycetes were found only rarely. A review on the incidence of filamentous micromycetes in otitis in different regions, based on data in the literature is presented.

The influence of patients age, type of tumor growth, hematocrit, and radiation-induced tumor regression on the prognosis of advanced uterine cervix carcinoma.

The age of patients, type of tumor growth, pretreatment hematocrit, and radiation-induced tumor regression were evaluated as possible prognostic factors in 222 patients with advanced cervical cancer treated at the Institute of Clinical Oncology in Bratislava in the period from 1960 through 1980. The five-year disease-free survival rate for Stage IIb patients was 50%, for Stage III patients 23.1%, and for Stage IV patients 13%. Radiation-induced tumor regression and type of tumor growth were noted to be a significant prognostic factor with regard to the control of disease in the pelvis. Age of the patients and pretreatment hematocrit were found to be a weak prognostic factor.

[Technical note on blood culture]. / Note téchnique sur l'hémoculture.

In this technical paper is proposed a method of diagnosis of septic diseases. This method insures the isolement of the aerobian microorganisms, of the microaerophil microorganisms and the anaerobian microorganisms. It complies with criteria of plainness, thrift and easy to give out in all the Tunisian Republic.

Irradiation scheme using three daily fractions in the radiation therapy of pharyngeal and oral carcinomas.

A group of 34 patients were treated by irradiation using 3 daily fractions of 1 Gy each at 4 h intervals. The overall TD in all of the patients was 60 Gy administered within 26 days. The irradiation was carried out by telecurietherapy utilizing 60Co. Twenty-eight patients had the tumor in the oropharynx, 1 in the hypopharynx, 1 in the oro- and hypopharynx and 4 in the oral cavity. There was a prevalence of advanced clinical stages. At present 25 of the patients are living, 21 of them without clinical symptoms of the disease. The skin reacted to irradiation only with a slight erythema and hyperpigmentation. Irradiation reactions in the oropharyngeal and oral mucosa were grave and were accompanied by significant subjective complaints. No post-irradiation complications were observed.

[Characteristics of Vibrio metschnikovii isolated in Tunisia]. / Quelques caractéristiques de Vibrio metschnikovii isolé en Tunisie.

We report the isolation in Tunisia of two strains of Vibrio metschnik ovii from waters; These strains present some atypical characteristics the most important being their weak halophilie property.

Dynamic dose-fractionation combined with oxygen breathing at ambient pressure and high-dose metronidazole in head and neck, and uterine cervix cancer.

The paper summarizes the results of dynamic dose-fractionation combined with oxygen breathing at ambient pressure and metronidazole in head and neck, and uterine cervix cancer. The patients were given high oral doses of metronidazole (5-6 g/m2) three hours before dose fractions (4.5 Gy for two days) initiating the radiation treatment series. After successive daily irradiation with 2 X 1 Gy in 8 hours interval (without metronidazole) to the tumor dose 29 Gy, 5-day radiation free interval was inserted and then the identical treatment series was repeated to the total dose 60 Gy. Nausea and vomiting were the principal toxic symptoms which were rather severe in gynecological patients. The benefit of metronidazole combination was studied in comparison with a group of patients given dynamic dose-fractionation with breathing of oxygen only. Preliminary analysis of the data suggests that the combination with radiosensitizer has not produced an increase in the curability of cancer in these particular sites.

Oxygen tension and prediction of the radiation response. Polarographic study in human breast cancer.

Serial polarographic measurement of the tissue oxygen tension (pO2) was made in the course of fractionated irradiation (preoperative or sole treatment) of advanced breast cancer in 24 patients. In responsive tumors increase in pO2 appeared sooner before expressive tumor size reduction became noticeable. Repeated recording of unchanged pO2 values has proved to be a good prognostic indicator of local failure. The study made on this tumor model has shown that serial polarographic pO2 determinations with suitable electrodes causing minimal trauma and providing consistent and reproductive data about changes in tumor microcirculation and oxygenation, may enlarge the scale of indicators of the radiation response.

Ecology and importance of bacterial' species of the family Vibrionaceae.

The bacterial species of the family Vibrionaceae, particularly the species of the genus Aeromonas (A. hydrophila and A. punctata and their subspecies were found to be relatively common in the running surface water in Czechoslovakia (the occurrence of A. salmonicida species was not studied). The strains of the so-called NAG-vibrios (Vibrio cholerae unrelated to the cholera vibrio 0 group 1) were also relatively frequent, but the positive isolates of Plesiomonas shigelloides were sporadic. The above described bacterial species occurred also in municipal sewage water and the strains of the Aeromonas genus were identified even in the drinking water of some wells and in foods. In the biological specimens from the human sources, namely in the feces of patients with diarrheal diseases, in secreta from the respiratory pathways, in the urine and occasionally in other material, there prevailed strains of the genus Aeromonas, especially A. hydrophila subsp. hydrophila and A. punctata subsp. caviae. Among the isolates from foods A. punctata subsp. caviae predominated. Positive isolates of the Aeromonas strains from the intestinal contents of cattle, domestic animals and some synantropic birds were rare. Importantly, a relatively great part of the isolates obtained from various sources (including the strains isolated from well water and foods) showed enterotoxigenic properties. The enterotoxigenicity was also observed in a great number of NAG-vibrio strains and in strains of Plesiomonas shigelloides. The occurrence of vibrios in the examined animal species was sporadic.

Our experience with the treatment of nasopharyngeal tumors.

An analysis of a group of 78 patients suffering from nasopharyngeal cancer treated during a period of 15 years is discussed. The ratio of males to females was 1.6 : 1, with a maximum incidence in the 4th and 5th decade. There was a predominance of carcinomas (60 patients) over malignant lymphomas (18 patients). With respect to the stage of the carcinomas, the largest group of patients (36 individuals) could be classified as Stage III. At the beginning of the treatment regional metastases were present in 68% of the carcinomas. Nasopharyngeal tumors were treated only by radiotherapy; in the earlier period by conventional roentgenotherapy, recently by telegammatherapy 60Co only. The 5-year survival rate of patients with carcinomas was 25%, of those with malignant lymphomas was 27.7%. Among carcinomas we found better results in lymphoepitheliomas, among the lymphomas in lymphocytic lymphomas. The present study also discusses the significance of some cofactors that may play a role in respect of prognosis, treatment and final clinical evaluation of patients with nasopharyngeal cancer.

Results of radiotherapy of carcinoma laryngis in relation to the mode of dose fractionation.

The effectiveness of a new fractionation scheme of radiotherapy of carcinoma laryngis was investigated. The irradiation was applied every second day 3 times a week with a fractionation dose of 4 Gy and 3.5 Gy--TD 52 or 52.5 Gy. The results from 95 patients were compared with those from 129 patients irradiated with the conventional fractionation. The cumulative results of primarily healed patients treated with the new fractionation scheme proved significantly better. In supraglottic carcinoma the results of primary healing were on the whole better, although statistical significance could be proved only in stages I and II. In glottic carcinoma, a difference of statistical significance was found in the total number of patients in stages I and III. A higher effectiveness was noted in the 3.5 Gy as against the 4 Gy fractionation. A higher frequency of stronger mucous reactions and delayed radiation oedema occurred with the new fractionation scheme. No complications of a serious degree occurred.

Results of radiotherapy in Hodgkin's disease.

An analysis was made of the results of irradiation therapy applied during the period 1965-1976 to 131 patients with Hodgkin's disease. The results of radiotherapy only of clinically positive lymphogranuloma localizations were compared with those of irradiation of both positive and negative nodes. The evaluation criteria used were the numbers of 3-year long primary remissions, 3-year long survival rates, frequency of onset and localization of relapses. Better therapeutic effects were achieved by radiotherapy as regards duration of primary remission, survival rate and frequency of relapses in originally clinically negative nodes proximate to positive nodes. However, the number of trans-diaphragmatic and extralymphatic relapses did not decline. A 5-year survival rate regardless of the irradiation method and clinical stage in 131 patients (1965-1974) was attained by 70.2%. The discussion bears on problems of an optimum radiotherapy and combined radiochemotherapy, and the significance of diagnostic laparotomy in lymphogranuloma.

Combined regional chemotherapy and radiation therapy in the treatment of epidermoid carcinoma in the oro-facial region.

Followed treatment of oro-facial epidermoid carcinoma by combined chemo- and radiation therapy with eventual surgical intervention. Cytostatic drugs were applied intraarterially. After a monocytostatic treatment trial with Methotrexat (MTX), a combined cytostatic program was worked out utilizing two cytostatic drugs, viz. MTX and Bleomycin (BLM) in a cyclic alternation. Usefulness of chemotherapy and its inclusion into the treatment of epidermoid carcinoma in the oro-facial region was found justified principally in the case of combined therapy. However, the selected intraarterial mode of cytostatic administration is attended by certain drawbacks, mainly of a technical nature and is not suitable for routine application. For this reason, the authors have abandoned the i. a. mode of cytostatic administration in epidermoid oro-facial carcinoma and have adopted systemic application and this in combination with radiation, eventually surgical therapy with the utilization of chemotherapy.

Changes in blood flow of growing experimental tumor determined by the clearance of 133Xe.

133Xe clearance method has been employed for measurement of the blood flow in 6C3HED lymphosarcoma implanted in flank of C3H mice. In small tumors (9-day old) the mean rate of blood flow was 9.4 +/- 5.0 ml/100g/min. but with progressing growth of tumors the rate of blood flow significantly decreased. In large tumors (14-day old) the mean rate of the blood flow was only 5.4 +/- 2.8. Our results demonstrate that this type of tumor, similarly as most of transplanted tumors are not well perfused and, that there is an inverse relationhip between the blood flow and the tumor size.

Effectiveness of radiation therapy and combined radiation and surgical treatment in advanced breast cancer.

The effectiveness of two modes of combined radiation-surgery treatment and the correlation between the therapeutic results and the clinical type of primary breast cancer were followed in a group of 221 patients with Ca mammae in the III clinical stage. As criteria of evaluating, use was made of analysis of the temporal sequence of relapses and metastases formation following primary treatment. The higher effectiveness of the mode--surgery combined with pre- and postoperative irradiation as against that of surgery with only post-operative radiotherapy became manifest in the frequency of relapses but not in that of distant metastase formation. Simultaneously, a relationship has been established between the course of the disease after treatment and the various categories of T, or its dependence on the relation between the primary tumor and the skin and this within the IIIrd clinical stage of breast cancer.