A new and simple scoring system to predict overall survival after irradiation for metastatic spinal cord compression.

PURPOSE: To develop a model that predicts survival in patients irradiated for metastatic spinal cord compression (MSCC), hence assisting in the decision between a short and a long-course radiotherapy (RT) regimen. METHODS: 138 patients diagnosed with MSCC and treated with RT alone were included. Based on a multivariate analysis, a scoring system was developed. It included four prognostic variables: age, number of vertebrae, ECOG and histology. Total scores ranged between 14 and 24 points and patients were divided into two groups. RESULTS: The 6-month survival rate was 22% for patients with a score of 14-18 points; and 69% for patients with a score of 19-24 points (P < 0.001). The system exhibits a high specificity and positive predictive value and an appropriate discriminative ability. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with scores between 19 and 24 points were found to survive longer, thus a long-course RT appears to be more appropriate.

Consensus on treatment of endometrium carcinoma with brachytherapy.

Radiotherapy (RT) is commonly used as adjuvant treatment following hysterectomy and double oophorectomy in endometrial carcinoma. Prophylactic vaginal brachytherapy (BT) is the most common treatment in BT units. The PORTEC and GOG 99 studies have attempted to clarify the indications of BT and postoperative external RT, changing treatment standards. However, prophylactic BT regimens are very varied and there is currently no consensus on how to treat patients in terms of dose per fraction and number of fractions. Moreover, unoperated cases of endometrium are uncommon and there is limited experience in their treatment with BT. The 9th Consensus Meeting of the SEOR and SEFM Brachytherapy Group, held in Malaga on 11 March 2011, was therefore dedicated to "Brachytherapy in Endometrial Carcinoma". This article presents the consensus on treatment of endometrial carcinoma in operated (prophylactic vaginal BT) and unoperated (endouterine BT) patients.

Distribution of keratins, vimentin, and actin in the testis of two South American camelids: vicuna (Vicugna vicugna) and llama (Lama glama). An immunohistochemical study.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the pattern of distribution of cytokeratins, vimentin and muscular actin in the testis of vicuna (Vicugna vicugna) and llama (Lama glama) two species of camelids native of the Andean high plateau of South America. Testicular biopsies of four vicunas and five llamas were used. Animals were healthy breeders. The tissues were processed by standard immunohistochemistry with antipancytokeratinAE1/AE3, antikeratin 18 (K 18), CAM 5.2 (antikeratin 5, 18, and 19), antivimentin, and smooth-muscle-specific antiactin antibodies to track the cytoskeletal pattern of testicular cells. Using AE1/AE3 antibody the immunostaining was found in the epithelial lining of tubuli recti and rete testis. The reaction was relatively stronger in the apical cytoplasm of epithelial cells. The testicular cells of the two species showed no reaction to K 18 and CAM 5.2 antibodies. Antivimentin antibody stained the basal cytoplasm of the Sertoli cells, the Leydig cells, and the epithelial lining of tubuli recti and rete testis. In the last two structures the immunostain was relatively more intense in the basal cytoplasm of epithelial cells. Antiactin antibody stained the peritubular cells and the muscle cells of the lamina propria oftubuli recti and rete testis. The presence in these species of only some keratins found in man, its coexpression with vimentin in epithelial lining of tubuli recti and rete testis and the peritubule organization, so different from other ungulates may reflect a differential adaptation of the cytoskeleton to particular reproductive strategies.

The effect of parathion on mouse testicular and epididymal development cultured in chicken allantochorion.

Parathion is a widely used organophosphoric pesticide which has also been reported to interfere with mouse spermatogenesis. Moreover it has been related to prenatal toxicity in mammals. Sixteen A/ Snell mice were sacrificed at day 17 of pregnancy. Testes and epididymides of the male fetuses were implanted in the allantochorion of chicken eggs. Three experimental conditions of the egg injections were considered: Group I: 1 ml of parathion (0.5 mg/ml), Group II: 1 ml of parathion (1 mg/ml), and Group III: 1 ml distilled water (control group). The implanted subjects continued their development for 4 days (i.e. to complete the gestational period for mice). The cell proliferation and differentiation of the epithelial cells of the epididymis were evaluated with the use of the monoclonal antiproliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA-cyclin) antibody, and the AE1 keratin complex antibody. Parathion altered the allantochorion, as 15% of the chicken embryos died in Group I and 40% in Group II, vs. only 8% in controls (Group III). However, no malformations were seen in the surviving embryos. In the testicular implants, the seminiferous cords of Group I had the same cytological characteristics of germ and pre-Sertoli cells as the control, except for involuting Leydig cells. Contrarily, in the cases with higher doses of parathion (Group II), there was a complete disorganisation of the seminiferous cords and the interstitium. In some testes, hyaline degeneration of the seminiferous cords was observed. No cell proliferation was evident, and the epididymal morphology was apparently unaffected. Therefore, parathion seems to interfere with normal testicular differentiation. However, in spite of interstitial damage, the epididymal development seems unaltered. Since the epididymis is an androgen-dependent organ, it may be postulated that testosterone production is still sufficient to support epididymal development but not spermatogenic cell line differentiation.