[Postoperative accelerated partial radiotherapy for breast cancer]. / Pooperacná akcelerovaná parciálna rádioterapia karcinómu prsníka.

BACKGROUND: Interstitial accelerated partial breast irradiation is generally limited to patients with extremely low risk of local recurrence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Between 2004 and 2008, 53 women in the early-stage of breast cancer were treated with multicatheter interstitial brachytherapy in very short general anaesthesia. All patients had T1 (1-22 mm) tumour with no positive auxiliary node and with negative surgical margins. Implants were positioned using a template guide. The dose was prescribed to the tumour bed plus 2 cm margin. A total of 32.0 Gy was delivered in 8 fractions of 4.0 Gy, each given twice a day over a 4-5 day period, using high-dose-rate 192Ir brachytherapy. The follow up of all patients was 2-50 months (median 40 months). RESULTS: Preoperative morbidity: bacterial infection of the implant in 3 patients, haematoma in 43 patients. Acute toxicity: radio dermatitis--no patients. Late toxicity: mild breast pain in two patients, fat necrosis in 1 patient, oil cyst in 1 patient, dis-pigmentation in no patients, fibrosis in no patients. Cosmetic results: Excellent and good in 50 patients. CONCLUSION: This analysis indicates that accelerated partial breast irradiation with 192-iridium interstitial multicatheter HDR-implants is feasible with low preoperative morbidity, low acute and mild late toxicity at a median follow up of 40 months. The cosmetic result is not significantly affected. Our short-term results with multicatheter interstitial brachytherapy continue to demonstrate excellent local and regional control rates and cosmetic results.

[Advanced esophageal carcinoma recanalization]. / Rekanalizácia pazeráka pri pokrocilom ezofageálnom karcinóme.

Advanced esophageal carcinoma has poor prognosis with 5-year survival of less than 20%. This poor prognosis is the same for squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. Surgical therapy, external radiation and chemotherapy with curative intent are usually impossible because of the advanced disease. Dysphagia is the most frequent symptom affecting quality of life. Bougies or balloon dilation improves dysphagia only short-term (few days). Nd-YAG laser, ACP and photodynamic therapy all have mid-range effect and require repetition after few weeks. Brachytherapy and esophageal self-expanding stent insertion have longer benefit. Stent insertion provides fastest improvement of dysphagia; however, complications in later setting occur in30% and require further endoscopic treatment. Brachytherapy has slower onset of benefit but has fewer complications and longer benefit. Brachytherapy is suitable for patients wit expected lifespan more than 3 months. Most important contraindication of brachytherapy is tracheo-esophageal fistula.

Occurrence of neoclassical facial canons in Caucasian primary school pupils and university students.

INTRODUCTION: The study concentrates on nine neoclassical facial references, canons. SAMPLE AND METHODS: These neoclassical canons are studied and compared in two groups of young Caucasian population as follows: 160 students were studied, namely 60 primary school boys at the age of seven and 100 young men at the age ranging from 22 to 25 studying at the Comenius University and Slovak Technical University in Bratislava. The following anthropometric parameters were measured: ten heights, five widths, and two angles. CONCLUSION: Some of neoclassical canons have not appeared in our measured group at all. Other canons although present, were present less frequently then their variations. Comparisons with literature are discussed (Tab. 9, Fig. 9, Ref. 7). Full Text (Free, PDF) www.bmj.sk.

Orofacial clefts and their influence on chosen anthropometric parameters of craniofacial part children at the age of eight.

The aim of this study was to choose and to measure craniofacial parameters that were expected to be influenced by cleft defects. Eight-year-old children (both boys and girls) with operated clefts (15 antropometric parameters) were measured. The measurements were carried out at the Department of Reconstructive Surgery, Hospital Ruzinov, Bratislava. The obtained parameters were compared to 4 types of clefts by means of modification t-test, and also with healthy population by means of normalization indices, on the base of which morphograms were performed. On the base of our results, we can say that the most significant deviations when compared with healthy population were found in children with the worst type of cleft, i.e. complete bilateral cleft.

Serum markers of liver fibrogenesis, and liver histology findings in patients with chronic liver diseases.

AIM OF THE STUDY: Investigation of the relationships between the grade and stage of chronic liver diseases irrespective of their etiology using some novel serum markers of liver fibrogenesis, the "classical" serum markers of liver necro-inflammatory injury (such as transaminases), and the histomorphological evaluation of liver biopsies. METHODS: Markers of liver fibrogenesis: serum metalloproteinase 1 (MMP-1), tissue inhibitor of MMP-1 (TIMP-1), and N-terminal propeptide of the procollagen III (PIIINP); "liver function tests" (LFTs): bilirubin, transaminases ALT, AST; ALP, GMT; and liver morphology findings: necro-inflammatory activity, fibrosis; were studied in the series of 32, 'naive', i.e. yet untreated patients (women/men--11/21) with various CLDs: chronic viral hepatitis B or C 13 (CHB 3, CHC 10), non-alcoholic steatohepatitis 9, liver steatosis 4, primary biliary cirrhosis 5, drug-induced hepatitis. The diagnoses were based on the clinical, laboratory and liver imaging (ultrasonography) findings and confirmed by the liver biopsy. CONCLUSIONS: Investigation of liver fibrogenesis serum markers (PIIINP, MMP-1, TIMP-1) in patients with various CLDs has shown statistically significant correlations of these parameters with "classical" serum markers of liver necro-inflammation (ALT, AST) and the results of histomorphological evaluation of the necro-inflammatory activity (parameters NAI, MEF) and fibrosis (parameter FI) in liver biopsies. (Tab. 4, Ref. 31.)

Coxsackie viral infection and orofacial cleft.

The incidence of orofacial cleft (OC) in newborns was compared with the occurrence of virus-neutralizing antibodies to coxsackie viruses in the serum of newborns and their mothers. No significant difference was found when comparing the seropositivity rates between the group of patients and the control group of healthy newborns. If the patients were divided according to the place of residence however, marked differences occurred between the regions. The lowest incidence of both--coxsackie infection and OC was determined in the region of Bratislava and the highest in the region of Zilina. The explanation of these findings recquires a more detailed analysis of genetic background, social and hygienic status, style of life and other factors, known to influence the development of OC as multi-etiological developmental disorder. (Tab. 2, Fig. 4, Ref. 12.).

[Cephalometric analysis of distance x-ray images in children with orofacial clefts]. / Kefalometrická analýza dialkových rtg snímok detí s orofaciálnymi rázstepmi.

The authors with the help of cephalometric RTG analysis study the changes of facial skeleton in children with orofacial clefts and the treatment results. Cephalometric analysis was performed on distance X-rays in patients with orofacial clefts from the whole Slovak republic in the number of 178, with age of 7.8 and 9 years. According to the type of the fissure the patients were divided in four groups. The control group consisted of 46 healthy children with the same age. The method of Schwartz was used (1958). The analysis revealed some characteristic changes in patients with orofacial clefts, which document that not only local disorder of lips, alveolar process and palate develops in these patients, but the fissure defect affects also more distant parts of visceral skeleton and important growth centers. (Tab. 5, Fig. 1, Ref. 14.)

[Relation between toxoplasmosis and orofacial clefts in children]. / Nase sledovanie vzt'ahu toxoplazmózy k orofaciálnym rázstepom detí.

The authors performed a serological observation of toxoplasmosis by using the methods of IFT, CFT and ELISA in 118 mothers and their children with orofacial clefts. The results were compared with those gained in the control group of healthy mothers and their children. Titre means of toxoplasma antibodies in inflicted mothers and their children were higher than in the control group. The results were evaluated statistically. The authors assume that a certain proportion of orofacial clefts may be induced by toxoplasmosis. (Tab. 6, Ref. 13.).

Teratogenicity of cyclophosphamide in New Zealand white rabbits.

Pregnant rabbit does received daily oral doses of 6.2 or 18.6 mg/kg cyclophosphamide (CP) on days 6-20 of gestation. On day 29, shortly before term, the uterine content was removed by Caesarean section. At the dose of 6.2 mg/kg CP maternal mortality was 2/9 does and at 18.6 mg/kg CP one abortion was recorded. Body weight gain of pregnant females was essentially unaffected by CP treatment. Both doses of CP elicited significant dose-dependent decrease of fetal body, organ (heart, lung, liver, kidney) as well as placental weight. After treatment with 18.6 mg/kg CP, gross examination of fetuses revealed significantly increased incidence of exophthalmos, cleft palate/lip, syndactyly, and brachycardia. Skeletal anomalies and malformations, significantly increased after the higher CP dose, included sternebrae, back-bone and limb defects. Oral administration of CP to rabbits in the dose of 18.6 mg/kg during organogenesis resulted in pronounced embryotoxic and teratogenic changes.

[Prenatal virus infections and orofacial clefts]. / Prenatálne vírusové infekcie a orofaciálne rázstepy.

A potential teratogenic activity of virus infections caused by the viruses of rubella, influenza, parotitis, hepatitis B, cytomegalovirus and the Epstein-Barr virus was investigated. Specific antibodies against these viruses were examined serologically in children with orofacial clefts and in their mothers and the results were compared with those obtained in control children and their mothers. Different micromethods were used in performing the examinations (ELISA, RIA, NIR, KFR, HIT). Evaluation of the results and their statistical processing supports the assumption that prenatal infection may have occurred in the series studied induced by the viruses of influenza, rubella, cytomegalovirus, and possibly also by the Epstein-Barr virus. No association with the viruses of parotitis and hepatitis B was established. (Tab. 5, Ref. 36.)