Cardiovascular, pulmonary, and cancer rehabilitation. 4. Cancer rehabilitation: principles and psychosocial aspects.

This self-directed learning module highlights advances in alternative treatment settings, nutrition, and sexuality in cancer rehabilitation. It is part of the chapter on cardiovascular, pulmonary, and cancer rehabilitation for the Self-Directed Medical Knowledge Program Study Guide for practitioners and trainees in physical medicine and rehabilitation. This section discusses principles of clinical oncology for rehabilitation, and psychosocial aspects of cancer rehabilitation management.

Cardiovascular, pulmonary, and cancer rehabilitation. 5. Cancer rehabilitation: management of pain, neurologic and other clinical problems.

This self-directed learning module highlights new approaches to pain management, postmastectomy treatment, and rehabilitation issues in cancers of specific organ systems. It is part of the chapter on cardiovascular, pulmonary, and cancer rehabilitation for the Self-Directed Medical Knowledge Program Study Guide for practitioners and trainees in physical medicine and rehabilitation. This section discusses management of pain, neuromusculoskeletal compromise, paraneoplastic syndromes, and other clinical problems.

Overwork effect on partially denervated rat soleus muscle.

The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of overwork induced by synergistic tenotomy on the muscle weight (MW) and isometric tetanic tension (Po) of the partially denervated rat soleus muscle. Forty-nine young adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into six groups (n = 5 to 9): normal control (N), normal synergistically tenotomized (N-ST), L4 denervated control (L4), L4 denervated synergistically tenotomized (L4-ST), L5 denervated control (L5), and L5 denervated synergistically tenotomized (L5-ST). Bilateral L4 or L5 root transections produced partial denervation. To yield soleus muscle overwork the gastrocnemius and plantaris muscles were bilaterally tenotomized in all ST groups at the time of denervation. The soleus MW and Po were examined seven days following denervation and tenotomy. Compared to their respective controls, there was increased MW in the N-ST (43.5%, p less than 0.01) and the L4-ST (38.6% p less than 0.01) groups. The L5-ST group showed no significant change in MW compared to the L5 group. Tetanic tension was increased only in the N-ST group. The L4-ST and L5-ST groups did not show any change in Po compared to their respective controls. Despite marked denervation, the L5 group did not show any atrophy as compared to the N group, suggesting passive stretch of the denervated muscle fibers, hypertrophy of the innervated muscle fibers and peripheral sprouting prevented the loss of MW due to denervation. Overwork in this markedly denervated group could not produce any increase in the MW or Po.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Immune monitoring protocol for patients with carcinoma of the head and neck. Preliminary report.

Numerous investigators have observed a depression of cell-mediated immunity in patients with carcinoma of the head and neck using a variety of in vitro and in vivo assays. This report presents the data obtained when a group of head and neck cancer patients were evaluated for reactivity in an in vitro lymphocyte blastogenesis assay using polyclonal mitogens and specific antigens, numbers of peripheral blood T-lymphocytes, and levels of circulating immune complexes. Such an immunological monitoring protocol revealed a depressed reactivity of the cancer patients in the lymphocyte blastogenesis assay when compared to normal age-matched controls. We also observed that 75% of these patients had circulating soluble immune complexes in their sera before and after therapy. These preliminary data indicate that further research is needed to examine the potential role of soluble immune complexes in modulating the host's immune response.