Elevated serum vitamin B12 levels associated with CRP as a predictive factor of mortality in palliative care cancer patients: a prospective study over five years.

The relationship between vitamin B12 levels and survival was studied in a group of 161 terminally ill cancer patients who were recruited consecutively between 1988 and 1989. Their average age was 74.7 years. The length of survival decreased with the increase in serum vitamin B12 levels (P = 0.0015, Cox model). In multivariate analyses, C-reactive protein (CRP) was the most important prognostic factor in this population, and vitamin B12 provided information independent of CRP in predicting survival. These data indicate that an elevated serum vitamin B12 level is a predictive factor for mortality in patients with cancer, independent of CRP or other factors. Multiplying it by the CRP makes it possible to create a new, easy-to-use prognostic index, which can distinguish different levels of mortality risk at three months.

[Enterocolitis due to a saponin-containing drug. Apropos of a case]. / Entérocolite due à un médicament contenant des saponines. A propos d'un cas.

The case of a 60-year-old female patient with watery diarrhea is reported. The history was characterized by prolonged diagnostic vagaries, due in part to histological features of ileal, rectal and duodenal biopsies which were suggestive of celiac disease. This was clinically excluded. After halting the intake of a compound drug containing saponins, administered for venous insufficiency, the diarrhea ceased immediately but could be provoked by rechallenge with the same drug. The patient thus had drug induced chronic diarrhea mimicking celiac disease, a condition which is less rare than is thought and easily diagnosed by a thorough enquiry on drug intake.

X-ray focusing using microchannel plates.

We present measurements of the x-ray focusing properties of square-pore microchannel plates (MCP's). Square-pore MCP's contain large numbers of closely packed optical surfaces, as required for grazing incidence x-ray optics. The surface of individual MCP channels has been measured and found to have high microroughness transverse to the channel axis and low microroughness parallel to the axis. The high frequency transverse roughness, on length scales greater than 400 nm, has a rms value of 5.9 nm and a Gaussian autocorrelation function with correlation length of 1.41 microm. We find that the geometric misalignments of the surfaces of different channels limit the angular resolution obtainable with current samples of MCP's to 7.1 arcmin.

Follow-up after partial interruption of the vena cava with the Günther filter.

We have treated 34 patients with the Günther filter. Follow-up ranged from 5 to 891 days (median 129). Eight patients died 5-352 days (median 26) after filter insertion, without relation to the procedure. Six of them had extensive cancer. At 2 weeks, a mean caudal migration of 27 +/- 20 mm of the Günther filter was observed (n = 24). No significant migration occurred later than 2 weeks. In 2 patients, downward displacement of the device to the iliocaval junction was observed, with recurrent embolism in 1 case. A second filter was placed in the infrarenal vena cava in both cases. There was no other recurrent embolism and no sign of vena caval occlusion.

[The contribution of alcohol to nutrition: addition or substitution according to cultural origins]. / Contribution de l'alcool à l'alimentation: addition ou substitution selon l'origine culturelle.

The relation of alcohol intake to diet is analyzed through multiple linear regression for a sample of 475 males living in Geneva. Control variables are age, relative weight index, marital status and employment status. Whereas alcohol is associated with higher dietary intake for people of mediterranean origin, it tends to replace food calories for natives of german speaking areas.