Patterns of relapse and treatment outcome after active surveillance or adjuvant carboplatin for stage I seminoma: a retrospective study of the Spanish Germ Cell Cancer Group.

PURPOSE: Active surveillance (AS) and adjuvant chemotherapy (AC) with carboplatin are valid alternatives for managing stage I seminoma, and most relapses can be cured with cisplatin-based chemotherapy. However, some reports suggest that AC may modify the classical pattern of recurrences. METHODS: We analyzed all relapses observed in a series of 879 patients with stage I seminoma included in 4 consecutive studies of the Spanish Germ Cell Cancer Group. After a median follow-up of 67 months, recurrences were detected in 56/467 (12%) low-risk cases on AS and 13/412 (3%) high-risk cases after AC (p < 0.001). The objective was to describe clinical features, treatment and outcome. Univariate comparisons were performed between both groups. RESULTS: No significant differences were found between relapses on AS and those after AC in terms of time to relapse (13 vs 17 months), size (26 vs 27 mm), location (retroperitoneum in 88% vs 85%), and method of detection (computed tomography in 77% vs 69%). Treatment consisted of chemotherapy (etoposide + cisplatin ± bleomycin) in 89% and 92%, respectively. Late relapses (after > 3 years) were seen in 11% vs 7.7% (p = NS) and second or successive recurrences in 1.8 vs 23% (p < 0.05). With a median follow-up of 130 moths, two patients died of seminoma-unrelated causes (AS group) and the rest are alive and disease-free. CONCLUSION: In the setting of a risk-adapted treatment of stage I seminoma, the administration of two courses of AC in patients with tumor size > 4 cm and/or rete testis invasion is associated with a higher incidence of second recurrences but does not significantly modify the pattern of relapses or their outcome.

Correction to: Predictive and prognostic clinical and pathological factors of nivolumab efficacy in non-small-cell lung cancer patients.

Clinical and Translational Oncology.

Predictive and prognostic clinical and pathological factors of nivolumab efficacy in non-small-cell lung cancer patients.

BACKGROUND: Immunotherapy increases overall response rate (ORR) and overall survival (OS) in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Prognostic and predictive factors are a high need. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Retrospective review of NSCLC patients treated with nivolumab was performed. Analyzed variables included age, sex, stage, performance status (PS), location of metastases, presence of tumour-related symptoms and comorbidities, number of metastasis locations, previous chemotherapy, anti-angiogenic and radiotherapy treatments, and analytical data from the standard blood count and biochemistry. RESULTS: A total of 175 patients were included. Median age was 61.5 years, 73.1% were men, 77.7% were ECOG-PS 0-1, and 86.7% were included with stage IV disease. Histology was non-squamous in 77.1%. Sixty-five received nivolumab in second line (37.1%). Thirty-eight patients had brain metastasis (22%), and 39 (22.3%) liver metastasis and 126 (72%) had more than one metastatic location. The ORR was 15.7% with median Progression free survival (PFS) 2.8 months and median OS 5.81 months. Stage III vs IV and time since the beginning of the previous line of treatment ≥ 6 vs < 6 months were associated with better response. PS 2, time since the previous line of treatment < 6 vs ≥ 6 months, and more than one metastatic location were independently associated with shorter OS in multivariable analysis (7.8 vs 2.7 months, 11.2 vs 4.6 months, and 9.4 vs 5.1 month). Finally, time since the previous treatment < 6 vs ≥ 6 months and more than one metastatic location were independently associated with shorter PFS in multivariable analysis (4.3 vs 2.3 months and 4.7 vs 2.3 months). CONCLUSION: Poor PS, short period of time since the previous treatment, and more than one metastatic location were associated with poorer prognostic.

Removal of fluoride ions from drinking water and fluoride solutions by aluminum modified iron oxides in a column system.

The purpose of this work was to evaluate the potential of aluminum modified iron oxides, in a continuous flow for removal of fluoride ions from aqueous solutions and drinking water. The breakthrough curves obtained for fluoride ions adsorption from aqueous solutions and drinking water were fitted to Thomas, Bohart-Adams, and bed depth service time model (BDST). Adsorption capacities at the breakthroughs, Thomas model constant, kinetic constant and the saturation concentration were determined. The results show that in general, the adsorption efficiency decreases as the bed depth increases, and this behavior shows that the adsorption is controlled by the mass transport resistance. The adsorption capacity for fluoride ions by CP-Al is higher for fluoride aqueous solutions than drinking water.

Oxidative stress present in the blood from obese patients modifies the structure and function of insulin.

Obesity and its associated disorders constitute a growing epidemic across the world. Numerous studies have demonstrated the presence of systemic oxidative stress in patients with obesity. In this study, we show the effects of oxidative stress present in the blood from obese patients on recombinant human insulin. Insulin was incubated with whole blood (WB) from overweight subjects (OW), obese 1 patients (O1), or normal weight volunteers (NW) (n=16 for each group). Whole blood from OW and O1, unlike WB from NW, increased the carbonyl content of insulin; however, only whole blood from O1 patients increased the amount of formazan present in the hormone. Interestingly, the incubation of insulin with WB from O1 provoked a decrease in the hypoglycemic activity of the hormone (18%), an effect due to insulin polymerization. In addition, we showed that the formation of the insulin polymer generated the formation of new epitopes and the development of a new immunogenicity. These observations show that oxidative stress present in the WB of O1 patients can result in abolition of the biological activity of insulin and contribute to the development of an immune response to the hormone.

Esclerosis focal y riñón en herradura. Presentación de un caso / Focal sclerosis and horse-shoe kidney. Presentation of one case

En este trabajo se hace una revisión de dos entidades: riñón en herradura y esclerosis segmentaria focal. Se presenta un paciente con la excepcional asociación de ambas enfermedades, que ha sido ingresado en reiteradas ocasiones por crisis de descompensación de su glomerulopatía primaria (esclerosis segmentaria y focal). En su último ingreso en la Unidad de Nefrología del hospital docente "Manuel Ascunce Domenech", se llega al diagnóstico histopatológico a través de muestra obtenida por punción biópsica percutánea(AU)

Enfermedades malignas en nuestro medio / Malignant diseases in our medium

Se hace un estudio descriptivo de los pacientes ingresados en el hospital oncológico de Camagüey entre enero de 1978 y enero de 1979, ambos inclusive. Se analizan: edad, sexo, raza, procedencia, hábitos tóxicos. Se estudia la herencia y el grado de consanguinidad entre los diferentes tipos de neoplasia; se hace un estudio del tipo de neoplasia más frecuente, y los exámenes de mayor valor en el diagnóstico de las mismas; el tratamiento; la estadía en el hospital; y los pacientes fallecidos. Se revisa la literatura médica y se comparan los hallazgos con los de otros autores(AU)

Excreción urinaria de electrolitos en sujetos normales y en pacientes con litiasis cálcica idiopática / Urinary excretion of electrolytes in normal subjects and in patients with idiopathic calcium lithiasis

La excreción de calcio, fósforo y magnesio en orinas de 24 horas es analizada en 70 sujetos; 35 pacientes conlitiasis cálcica idiopática y 35 personas normales con igual distribución de sexo para ambos grupos. Los pacientes con litiasis cálcica presentaron un notable aumento en la calciuria de 24 horas (185,96 más-menos 118,24 para un DS) comparada con sujetos normales (129,77 más-menos 48,43 para una DS). La excreción de los otros electrolitos no tuvo diferencia significativa en los dos grupos estudiados. Las dosificaciones de calcio, fósforo, creatinina y ácido úrico en sangre se comportaron de forma similar en sujetos sanos y en pacientes con litiasis cálcica. El índice calcio/magnesio es notablemente mayor en los enfermos litiásicos que en sujetos normales(AU)