Outcomes of curative treatment for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in very elderly adults ≥80 years old.

BACKGROUND: Head and neck cancer treatment can be difficult and advancing age is associated with greater frailty. It is unclear if curative treatment for very elderly patients is beneficial. This study compared outcomes to curative treatment in patients ≥80 aged with HNSCC to patients aged 70-79. METHODS: Retrospective study of 114 patients diagnosed with HNSCC. Overall survival (OS), Disease-Free Survival (DFS), and local-regional control (LRC) were compared and adjusted for confounders. RESULTS: Patients aged 70-79 had a higher median OS (35 months [95% CI, 19.58-50.42]) compared with patients aged ≥80 (19 months [11.72-26.28]; p = 0.008) but similar DFS and LRC. KPS < 90 was the stand-alone independent prognostic factor for OS (HR = 2.14 [1.05-4.38]). CONCLUSION: Very elderly HNSCC patients (aged ≥80) can have favorable outcomes with curative therapy and advanced chronological age alone should not prohibit patients from receiving treatment. Performance status may be a greater predictor of survival outcome than age alone. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III.

Cu doped ZnO pellets: study of structure and Cu specific magnetic properties.

Cu doped ZnO polycrystalline pellets were synthesized with Cu concentrations varying from 2 to 10 wt% by a solid state reaction route (mixing of ZnO and CuO powders). Global magnetization measurements showed that all the samples were paramagnetic. Fitting the temperature-dependence of the magnetization to the Curie-Weiss law revealed the presence of an antiferromagnetic interaction between magnetic moments. Structural characterizations were carried out by x-ray diffraction and x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) at the Cu K-edge. By analyzing the XAS data, we found that at low Cu content most of the Cu atoms substitute for Zn inside the ZnO wurtzite lattice, while for higher Cu concentrations some unreacted CuO remains segregated from the Zn(1-x)Cu(x)O solid solution. Element-specific magnetic measurements were carried out by x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) and compared to the results of ab initio calculations. The XMCD signal at the Cu K-edge originates from magnetic moments localized at Cu sites and, by monitoring the magnetic field dependence, we concur that these moments are associated with a paramagnetic state.

Viral markers in patients with hemophagocytosis: a prospective study in a tertiary care hospital.

BACKGROUND: Hemophagocytic syndrome (HPS) is a rare clinicopathological condition characterized by the activation of macrophages with prominent hemophagocytosis in bone marrow and other reticulo-endothelial systems. HPS can be familial or secondary to infections including viruses. AIM: To study the viral markers in patients with HPS. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Serum samples of patients with HPS and control group were screened for anti EBV VCA IgM, and IgG, anti-Parvo B19 IgM, and anti-CMV IgM antibodies using commercially available ELISA kits and CMV and ParvoB19 DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The present prospective study reports the profile of viral markers in HPS cases from north India. Among the 14 HPS cases 43% (6/14) were positive for at least one viral marker tested, of which EBV was found to be the most prevalent (3/6: 50%) followed by parvovirus B19(2/6: 33%) and cytomegalovirus (1/6: 17%). Mortality was noted in 33% of virus associated HPS patients. Our study highlights the higher association of Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) with HPS as compared to other viruses along with higher rate of mortality in both parvovirus B 19 and EBV associated HPS.