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Biomedical subjects

J Beck

Publications and source records attributed to J Beck.

At least 325 records · Page 18Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

[BFM study 1981/83 of the treatment of highly malignant non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in children: results of therapy stratified according to histologic immunological type and clinical stage].

99 children with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma entered the prospective, multicenter BFM study 81/83. They were treated with a four-fold stratified therapy according to clinical stage and origin of the lymphoma from B- or non-B-lymphocytes. In the BFM study 75/81, these criteria had been proven to be most relevant for prognosis. Therapy of non-B-NHL was very similar to the therapeutic concept as applied in acute lymphoblastic leukemias by the BFM group. For the NHL of B-type, a new therapeutic regimen was developed. Cytostatic drugs applied in this group were: medium dose methotrexate, cyclophosphamide in a fractionated manner of application, adriamycin, cytarabine, VM 26 and prednisone. The probability of disease-free survival was 80% after nearly 3 years for all patients. In non-B-NHL it was 89% in localized, and 79% in disseminated disease. All patients with localized B-NHL are surviving without relapse, while the probability of disease-free survival in patients with disseminated B-NHL was 67%. Thus, the therapy result in the latter group was doubled as compared to the result of the BFM study 75/81.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Neoadjuvant chemotherapy of osteosarcoma. Results of the cooperative studies COSS-80 and COSS-82 after 7 and 5 years].

The analysis of the results of two German Pediatric Oncology (GPO) cooperative, neoadjuvant chemotherapy trials after a followup of 7 (COSS-80) and 5 years (COSS-82) allows several conclusions concerning both systemic and local treatment of patients suffering from osteosarcoma. A metastasis free survival rate (MFS) of 59% was reached in the reduced study group of the first study, COSS-80. In addition to size of the primary tumor, the extent of chemotherapy induced devitalisation was very closely related to the probability of survival without systemic recurrence. Following this observation, it was the aim of the next study, COSS-82, to improve the MFS of patients with poorly responding tumors by altering their postoperative chemotherapy regimen. However, this "salvage" approach failed. Moreover, an effort to reduce treatment related toxicity by sparing some patients from the side effects of two particularly toxic drugs, adriamycin (ADR) and cisplatinum (CDDP), by only giving these postoperatively and only after insufficient tumor response to preoperative therapy, failed (MFS of the study arm of COSS-82 45% at 5 years vs. 68% for the control arm with primary use of ADR and CDDP, p less than 0.05). The value of an effective primary chemotherapy is further enhanced by the observation, that en bloc resection of tumors which were poor responders to preoperative therapy was associated with an increased risk of distant metastases when compared with amputation and rotation plasty, while this was not the case for good responders. In conclusion, both systemic tumor control and optimal local therapy require that all effects drugs are to be used as early as possible in the primary treatment of osteosarcoma, in order to enforce maximum tumor cell destruction and hence an optimistic outlook for the individual patient.

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in childhood and adolescence: results of the multicenter therapy study ALL-BFM 81].

In therapy study ALL-BFM 81 633 previously untreated patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) less than 18 years of age have been recruited from April 1, 1981 to September 30, 1983 and treated in 37 institutions throughout West-Germany and Austria. Here only therapy results of 611 patients with non-B-ALL are presented. Patients with ALL of B-type are described elsewhere. In this fourth consecutive trial of the BFM study group three major questions have been asked: 1. Is it possible to assess the individual risk for relapse more accurately by the use of a risk factor rather than by the risk score which was the discriminator in studies ALL-BFM 76 and ALL-BFM 79? Does this risk factor discriminate more precisely patients at the highest risk for relapse? Offers more intensive risk-adapted therapy to this patient group a better chance for disease-free survival? 2. In patients at a standard risk for relapse with a risk factor below 1.2--approximately 60% of patients with non-B-ALL--can radiotherapy for prevention of CNS disease effectively be replaced by chemotherapy (intermediate dose Methotrexate)? 3. It is possible to reduce duration of maintenance therapy by 6 months to a total duration of 18 months with no unfavorable effect? To assess the radiation problem in standard risk patients and to evaluate the importance of duration of maintenance therapy two randomisations have been utilized. After a median duration of study ALL-BFM 81 of 4 1/2 years and 3 1/4 years after the study had been closed (date of evaluation January 1, 87) the answers are as follows: 1. For the majority of patients risk-adapted therapy had a curative effect. The probability for event-free survival (EFS) in standard risk patients in slightly above 70%, in medium risk patients 67%. In high-risk patients risk-adapted therapy did not improve prognosis, the EFS being still in the order of 50%. A good assessment of the individual risk for relapse is possible by the newly introduced risk factor. This principle is superior to the risk score used in former studies ALL-BFM 76 and ALL-BFM 79 because a low risk group (risk factor below 0.8) could be identified including approximately 25% of all patients with non-B ALL. Selection, quality, and timing of therapy elements remain the decisive prognostic factors, however. 2. Standard risk patients with a risk factor below 0.8 can effectively be protected for CNS relapse by treatment with intermediate dose Methotrexate.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Results of the treatment of non-rhabdomyosarcomatous soft tissue neoplasms within the scope of the CWS 81 study].

347 children with all types of soft tissue sarcoma (STS) have been entered between 1981 and April 1986 into the CWS-81 study. Excluding 229 patients with rhabdomyosarcoma, 118 patients with other STS were analysed in the histological subgroups, separately. 33 synovial sarcomas (SyS), 15 undifferentiated sarcomas (US) and 13 extrasceletal Ewing's sarcoma (EES) were treated with a multimodale trial including chemotherapy and radiotherapy after initial not-mutilating resection or biopsy only, Relapse-free survival rate by Kaplan-Meier was 66% in SyS, 48% in EES and 38% in US, respectively. Patients treated according to the guidelines of the CWS-protocol showed better prognosis than patients with major protocol violations or patients with recurrence when entered into the trial. In SyS only 2 of the 7 patients with recurrence developed metastases. The tumor response rate within 7-9 weeks chemotherapy exclusively given was 71% in patients with stage III and IV. Non-responding tumors to chemotherapy had bad prognosis, irrespective of histological subtype or further treatment. EES and US developed earlier recurrence and more often metastases than SyS or rhabdomyosarcomas. The administered VACA-chemotherapy seems not to be very effective in EES and US. In all other varieties of STS recurrence at the primary site assumed relatively greater importance. Chemotherapy and radiation were not administered in all patients. Fibrosarcoma (FS) was diagnosed in 13 patients. Six of these were entered in the trial at the time of local recurrence and 4 of these 6 relapsed again locally, one with metastasis concurrently.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Effect of a local surgical procedure on the incidence of metastases following neoadjuvant chemotherapy of osteosarcoma].

Following preoperative chemotherapy of 9-18 weeks duration limb salvage procedures were performed instead of ablative surgery in about 1/2 of the patients (pts). Overall continuous disease-free survival rate is 69% (80/115) at 37 (21-51) months. 5 pts died from therapy related complications, 4 developed a local failure (2 following amputation and 2 following limb salvage each) and 26 pts developed pulmonary metastases. The incidence of pulmonary metastases after en bloc resection, but not after shank rotation plasty, was found to be significantly increased over that after ablative surgery (83% vs 60% metastases free survival (MFS) at 40 months, p less than 0.05). The outcome was most unfavourable following en bloc resection of large tumors (36% MFS) and of tumors poorly responding to preoperative chemotherapy. Delaying surgery for preoperative chemotherapy in itself did not influence MFS-rate but it enabled a thorough planing and preparation of surgical procedures. Chemotherapy has very much improved the prognosis of osteosarcoma, trials on limb salvage surgery are indicated therefore. However, these procedures appear to be hazardous by increasing the rate of pulmonary metastases. Until the underlying mechanisms are not uncovered and preventive strategies worked out, limb salvage surgery in osteosarcoma has to be regarded and handled as an experimental procedure.

Amputation, Surgical↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The interaction of phosphatidylcholine with alveolar type II pneumocytes is dependent on its physical state.

Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine, the principal phospholipid component of surfactant, inhibits agonist stimulated surfactant secretion whereas dioleoylphosphatidylcholine does not. As knowledge of the type of interaction of phosphatidylcholines is important for the detailed analysis of surfactant homeostasis, this was examined in isolated rat type II pneumocytes in primary culture. Solid state [3H]-dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine liposomes associated with the cells rapidly. No effect of blockade of endocytosis on the cellular association was observed, whereas that of the fluid phase marker [14C]-sucrose was reduced. No evidence for the fusion of the dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine liposomes or for phospholipid exchange with the cells was detected, suggesting that the cells primarily bound the dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine liposomes. Although a "specific" site with a saturable binding capacity (20 nmol dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine/mg protein, KD 25 microM) was demonstrated, the interaction did not exhibit all the characteristics of a typical pharmacological receptor. The preincubation with nonlabeled dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine almost completely inhibited binding to the cells. In accordance with their effects on stimulated surfactant secretion, various other phosphatidylcholine liposomes inhibited binding that was very much dependent on their physical state, as only those in a solid state were inhibitory by more than 50%. These results support the view that the binding of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine may be involved in the feedback regulation of surfactant secretion in type II pneumocytes and that these processes are dependent on the physical state of the interacting liposomes.

1,2-Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine↗
PubMedDate not supplied

New age seekers: MDMA use as an adjunct to spiritual pursuit.

The use of MDMA as an adjunct to spiritual pursuit among New Ager seekers is examined. These study respondents indicated that social worlds greatly influenced which qualities of the MDMA experience were most pursued and valued. In contrast to recreationally oriented respondents, who saw minimal long-term benefits accruing from MDMA use, New Agers typically believed that carefully planned experiences possessed significant potential for lasting spiritual and/or therapeutic value. While many New Agers eschew the use of alcohol and other drugs, these respondents were generally impressed with MDMA. Nevertheless, they differed in their motivations for use and their perceptions of its influence in their lives: some employed MDMA as a sacramental adjunct for following specific spiritual paths; others viewed it as aiding their spiritual growth in more general ways. Because the approaches to and motivations for using MDMA differ so markedly for New Agers and recreationally oriented users, the importance of social worlds and context in studying drug-using behavior is underscored.

3,4-Methylenedioxyamphetamine↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Regulation of cucumber class III chitinase gene expression.

The chromosomal region encoding the acidic class III chitinase from cucumber has been isolated and characterized. As a result of an apparent gene triplication, the pathogen-induced gene (CHI2) is flanked by two closely related genes with complete open reading frames (ORF). The high level of conservation within the three ORFs suggests an essential role for each encoded protein in plant growth and development. The developmental and tissue-specific expression of RNA from each gene was analyzed using both gene-specific probes and RNA-PCR. The expression of each gene in response to various inducing treatments was also characterized. Only transcripts corresponding to CHI2 were detected. Chitinase mRNA abundance increased slightly following cycloheximide application; however, its potent induction by salicylic acid was inhibited by cycloheximide treatment.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Synergy effects between organic and inorganic UV filters in sunscreens.

The influence of the synergy effects between organic and inorganic UV filter substances on the sun protection factor (SPF) of topically applied sunscreen formulations is investigated. The medium is considered to have reflection, absorption, and scattering properties. The distribution of photons in this medium is investigated by Monte Carlo calculation. Typical optical parameters of the skin and substances are used to characterize the synergy effect. The results of the model calculation are checked by in vitro and in vivo measurements investigating the influence of different types of scattering microparticles on the absorption efficacy of topically applied formulations. It is found that the inorganic filter substances act as scattering microparticles in the upper skin layers. They increase the optical pathway of the photons in the topically applied absorbing formulation also localized there. In this way, more photons are absorbed, increasing the SPF. The results obtained are important for the optimization of the SPF of sunscreen formulation containing organic and inorganic UV-filter components.

Administration, Cutaneous↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Prognostic nutrition factors in lung cancer patients.

To examine the effect of nutritional support via intravenous hyperalimentation (IVH) on tolerance, response, and survival, a prospective study of patients with adenocarcinoma of the lung receiving chemotherapy with or without IVH was undertaken. Results indicated a more favorable survival in patients with a greater than 74% initial triceps skinfold and a less than 4% initial weight loss. The effect of IVH was reflected by greater weight gain in those patients receiving nutritional support 10 days prior to chemotherapy or simultaneous with chemotherapy; however, IVH had no significant advantage to improved survival or response.

Adenocarcinoma↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of visual cues from female on the postejaculatory operant behavior of male rat.

Bar-press response reinforced by the contact with estrous female were investigated in male rats in two experimental situations, when the visual communication with female was prevented or when it was permitted. After the instrumental responses directly preceded by ejaculations, depending on the increasing duration of response latency, three categories of male behavior were observed: avoiding of the contact with female, precopulatory behavior, or copulatory behavior. The enabling the visual communication with a female caused the significant increase of occurrence of copulatory behavior and significant decrease of contact-avoiding behavior, whereas the precopulatory behavior showed unsignificant increase. It is suggested that when prevented to see the female male rats can perform the instrumental response even when the sexual arousal is to low for precopulatory behavior. Such unrewarded responses lead to the appearance of frustration. On the contrary, when the female is visible the instrumental response is delayed up to the moment when the visual cues coming from female can evoke at least precopulatory behavior.

Animal Communication↗