Varanopid from the Carboniferous of Nova Scotia reveals evidence of parental care in amniotes.

Here we report on a fossil synapsid, Dendromaia unamakiensis gen. et sp. nov., from the Carboniferous period of Nova Scotia that displays evidence of parental care-approximately 40 million years earlier than the previous earliest record based on a varanopid from the Guadalupian (middle Permian) period of South Africa. The specimen, consisting of an adult and associated conspecific juvenile, is also identified as a varanopid suggesting parental care is more deeply rooted within this clade and evolved very close to the origin of Synapsida and Amniota in general. This specimen adds to growing evidence that parental care was more widespread among Palaeozoic synapsids than previously thought and further provides data permitting the identification of potential ontogeny-dependent traits within varanopids, the implications of which impact recent competing hypotheses of the phylogenetic affinities of the group.

Ineffectiveness of the measurement of 'routine' vital signs for adult inpatients with community-acquired pneumonia.

More frequent vital sign evaluation does not result in a statistically significant difference in survival or the number of transfers to the intensive care unit (for progression of disease) after adjusting for age, gender, duration of intravenous antibiotics and comorbid conditions.

Immunohistochemical detection of HER-2/neu, c-kit (CD117) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) overexpression in soft tissue sarcomas.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of HER-2/neu, VEGF and CD117 overexpression in soft tissue sarcomas (STS) and to study the effect of this overexpression, if present, on survival in patients with specific histological subtypes of STS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a retrospective observational study on patients diagnosed with STS during the period of 1986-2001. HER-2/neu overexpression was measured in these patients by immunohistochemistry (IHC) using the Hercep test developed by DAKO. VEGF expression was detected by the avidin-biotin-complex method using Santa Cruz biotechnology (SC 7629). Immunohistochemical staining for c-kit was performed using a 1:250 dilution of the rabbit polyclonal antibody A4502 (IMPATH, CA) with the EnVision detection system. RESULTS: Two hundred and seventy three patients were diagnosed as having STS between 1986 and 2001, however of these patients, only 90 (51 females and 49 males) had enough sample available for testing. Patients who overexpressed VEGF had a significantly shorter survival (23 vs. 52 months; p=0.01). There was no effect of overexpression of either CD117 or HER-2/neu on survival. Studying the individual histological subtypes we found that, in malignant fibrous histiocytoma, overexpression of either VEGF or CD117 increased survival (41.3 vs. 19.5 months, p=0.01; and 84.5 vs. 17 months, p=0.006 respectively). In leiomyosarcoma, VEGF overexpression significantly decreased survival (7.5 vs. 76 months, p=0.03), while CD117 overexpression significantly increased survival (70.9 vs. 46.3 months, p=0.03). CONCLUSION: VEGF overexpression is associated with an adverse outcome in STS. Whether this is true of any particular histological subtype is unclear and needs further investigation. Also, site-specific agents targeting these three bio-markers (alone or with conventional therapy) may have a therapeutic role and need to be elaborated in future clinical trials.

Ineffectiveness of measuring routine vital signs in adult inpatients with deep venous thrombosis.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the benefit, if any, of routine monitoring of vital signs on clinical outcomes in hospitalized patients with deep venous thrombosis (DVT). One hundred forty-nine patients with DVT included in this study were categorized into two groups: those that underwent measurement of vital signs every 6 hours or those that had vital signs measured every 8 hours. Vital signs included pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate, and temperature. Frequency of measurement of vital signs did not alter average length of star, for patients with every-4-hours measurement, this was 5.16 days and was not statistically significant from patients with every-8-hours measurement, who stayed an average of 4.85 days (p = 0.507). Similarly, more frequent vital sign evaluation did not result in a statistically significant difference in survival, progression of disease, nor did it predict the disposition of the patient. These results suggest that present frequency of measurement of vital signs is not cost or time effective because they do not result in a favorable outcome, length of stay, or disposition. The study further serves to highlight the need for an individualized assessment of vital sign measurement, because this will also lead to a more efficient allocation of hospital resources.

HER-2/neu overexpression detected by immunohistochemistry in soft tissue sarcomas.

Sarcomas currently represent 1% of adult malignancies and 15% of pediatric malignancies. To determine the prevalence of HER-2/neu overexpression by the histologic type and to identify a possible predictive role in patients with sarcoma, we performed a retrospective study on subjects with a biopsy-proven diagnosis of a soft tissue sarcoma. HER-2/neu overexpression was evaluated using immunohistochemistry (IHC) performed on paraffin-embedded specimens. An IHC score of 2+ or greater was considered positive for overexpression. Two hundred seventy-three patients with soft tissue sarcoma were identified (164 females, 109 males) with a mean age of 56 (range: 1-93). The most common tumors identified were malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) (18.3%), dermatofibrosarcoma (DFS) (16.1%), leiomyosarcoma (13.2%) and carcinosarcomas (CS) (7.3%). Of the 273 specimens, 29 (10.6%) revealed HER-2/neu overexpression. CS, MFH, and DFS specimens showed the highest incidence of HER-2/neu overexpression (40%, 26%, and 18.2%, respectively). The incidence of HER-2/neu overexpression was found to be significantly higher in patients with a survival of less than 8 months (p = 0.035). This demonstrates that HER-2/neu overexpression is preferentially seen in certain soft tissue sarcomas, and when present is associated with a poorer prognosis in patients with sarcoma. Further studies would delineate whether HER-2/neu overexpression renders sarcomas chemoresistant and thus adversely affects outcome. In addition, there may be a role for Herceptin (trastuzumab) alone, or in combination with conventional therapy, in patients with CS, MHF, and DFS.

Predictive role of HER-2/neu overexpression and clinical features at initial presentation in patients with extensive stage small cell lung carcinoma.

Although recent advances in therapy have improved the quality of life in patients with extensive stage small cell lung cancer (ESSCLC), prolonged survival is still uncommon. To determine the role of HER-2/neu overexpression and other clinical predictors (symptoms at presentation) of adverse outcome in ESSCLC, we performed a retrospective study on subjects with a biopsy-proven diagnosis of ESSCLC. HER-2/neu overexpression was evaluated using immunohistochemistry (IHC) performed on paraffin-embedded specimens. An IHC score of > or = 2+ was considered positive for overexpression. Between 1991 and 2000, 223 patients with ESSCLC were identified, of whom 193 patients (84 females, 109 males) with a mean age of 68.5 years (range: 42-90 years) had adequate tissue specimens for HER-2/neu testing. The symptoms at initial presentation and proportionate number of patients were: weight loss 61 (31.6%), cough 53 (27.5%), dyspnea 33 (17.1%), mass on chest radiograph 18 (9.3%), chest pain 15 (7.7%), asymptomatic 14 (7.2%) and others (weakness, lymphadenopathy, hoarseness and paraneoplastic syndromes) 29 (15.0%). Of the 193 specimens, 57 (29.5%) revealed HER-2/neu overexpression. The median survival for patients with ESSCLC who were HER-2/neu positive was 8 months (range: 1-25.5 months) while that in the HER-2/neu negative group was 16 months (range: 2-34 months). Interestingly, after adjusting for age, performance status and type of therapy, subset analysis revealed that the survival was significantly lower in HER-2/neu positive individuals (P<0.001; Mann-Whitney U-test). In our study, weight loss and cough were the two most common (59%) presenting complaints in patients with ESSCLC. Also, since HER-2/neu positivity was a marker for poor prognosis in ESSCLC, testing for overexpression may play a role in identifying patients at risk for shortened survival. Further studies would delineate whether HER-2/neu overexpression renders SCLC chemoresistant and thus, adversely affects outcome. There exists a need for randomized controlled trials to assess the role of Herceptin (alone or in combination with standard chemotherapy) in patients with ESSCLC.

Hyperhomocysteinemia and the risk of thromboembolic phenomenon in patients with chronic renal failure.

Thromboembolic phenomena are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with end-stage renal disease. Studies in patients with chronic renal failure (CRF) have demonstrated an increased relative risk of coronary artery disease (CAD) in association with hyperhomocysteinemia (HHe). However, very little data exist about the causal relationship between HHe and cerebrovascular diseases (CVA) in patients with CRF. We report the results of our observational retrospective study to determine the effect of HHe on CVA and CAD in patients with CRF (defined as creatinine clearance <50 ml/min). One hundred ten male patients were eligible for our study performed at a Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Age range was 36-86 years (median age 67 years). A fasting plasma HC level >15 micromol/l was considered as HHe. Thirty-four patients were on dialysis. Eight patients were postrenal transplantation. Our study results showed that a homocysteine (HC) level greater than 15 micromol/l was an independent predictor of CVA, after adjusting for potential confounders. Adjusted odds ratio (OR) for CVA was 10.9 (CI: 1.8-67.2, p=.01). Although our study results suggest a strong relationship between HHe and CVA, they failed to demonstrate an association between HHe and CAD. There exists a need for larger prospective randomized clinical trials to evaluate the effect of HHe on the incidence of CVA and CAD in patients with CRF.

Risk of primary non-hepatocellular malignancies in hereditary hemochromatosis.

OBJECTIVE: The relationship between hemochromatosis, a genetic iron disorder, and the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma is well-documented. However, the true incidence of non-hepatocellular malignancies remains ill defined. We performed a retrospective cohort study to identify a possible association between hereditary hemochromatosis and the development of non-hepatocellular carcinomas. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After appropriate institutional review board approval, an extensive chart review was completed on all patients with hereditary hemochromatosis diagnosed between 1986 and 2001. The diagnosis was based on either a genetic study to identify the Cys282Tyr and the His63Asp mutations on the HLA-H gene and/or hepatic tissue diagnosis, in conjunction with a treatment history of therapeutic phlebotomy. Data collection also included documentation of associated malignancies, the presence of co-morbid medical illnesses, and risk factors for cancer. Our database was age-standardized to the United States population using the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program data to obtain a standardized incidence ratio (SIR) of non-hepatocellular malignancies in our study population. RESULTS: Fifty-nine patients (49 males, 10 females) with a mean age of 46 years (range: 10-68 years) met the criteria for the diagnosis of hereditary hemochromatosis. Of these, 13 patients (22%) had a biopsy-proven diagnosis of a primary non-hepatocellular malignancy giving an age-adjusted SIR of 1.40 (p < 0.04). Histologically, the types of malignancy included: 3 patients with colorectal cancer; 2 patients with gastric carcinoma, 3 patients with prostate cancer; 2 patients with breast cancer; 1 patient with acute myelogenous leukemia, one patient with Hodgkin's lymphoma and one patient with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. CONCLUSION: While an association between hemochromatosis and hepatocellular carcinoma is well-described, there also appears to be a relationship between hemochromatosis and the development of non-hepatocellular malignancies. Since increased iron stores alone have not been proven to be premalignant in recent studies, interplay between genetic factors in hemochromatosis may play a role as a risk factor in the development of an associated malignancy. Larger cohorts of subjects with hereditary iron overload disorders are needed to confirm our findings. Furthermore, if a causal association between hemochromatosis and common carcinomas does indeed exist, such patients may be candidates for individualized, rigorous cancer screening programs.