Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to K Lote.
Only 25% of cancer patients in Norway receive megavoltage irradiation. Many patients live for months and years with symptomatic metastatic disease, and could derive great benefit from radiotherapy. We briefly review indications and use of palliative radiotherapy.
A case of primary histiocytic lymphoma in the uterine cervix of a 22-year-old nulligravid woman is reported. To avoid surgical or radiological castration she received six courses of combination chemotherapy (cyclophosphamide 750 mg/m2, doxorubicin 50 mg/m2, vincristine 2 mg all iv on Day 1 and then together with oral prednisone 50 mg twice daily on Days 1-5). Approximately 20 months after therapy she delivered a healthy child. Six years have passed since primary treatment was initiated. No evidence of recurrent lymphoma has been observed.
Cytotoxic agents may cause interstitial or eosinophilic pneumonitis, alveolar proteinosis, pulmonary venous occlusive disease, pulmonary fibrosis, pneumothorax, or pulmonary oedema. These agents may also potentiate lung injury caused by radiotherapy or high oxygen fractions in inspired air. Clinical and roentgenological features of lung damage induced by cytotoxic drugs are usually non-specific, and differential diagnoses include progression of the malignant disease and a plethora of opportunistic infections. Monitoring of blood gases and carbon monoxide transfer factor may facilitate early detection of drug induced lung injury. Fiberoptic bronchoscopy, bronchoalveolar lavage, transbronchial biopsy, or open lung biopsy may be necessary for reliable diagnosis. Early detection of lung damage and immediate withdrawal of the responsible agent(s) are essential. Steroids may be of therapeutic value in some patients.
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The article surveys the incidence and pathogenetic factors of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The authors present a retrospective study of 36 patients with malignant tumors in the nasopharynx who were treated at Haukeland University Hospital between 1972 and 87. 26 out of 27 patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma had advanced disease. Symptoms and signs are described. Radiation therapy was the main treatment modality. The total five year survival was 18%.
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Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Explore the source record for details and available documents.
Severe temporary small intestinal ischaemia was induced in 15 cats by mesenteric embolization of degradable starch microspheres. After an observation period of 14 days, small intestinal histopathology and tissue blood flow were investigated. Intracellular starch fragments were found in tissue macrophages in ileal Peyer's patches in all animals, but no late adverse effects of starch microsphere embolization were observed.
The severity and distribution of small intestinal ischaemia caused by temporary proximal occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery in cats were evaluated by electromagnetic flowmetry and carbonized microspheres. Average mucosal blood flow was reduced from 0.94 to 0.40 ml/min/g. Mucosal flow in the proximal jejunum and distal ileum was even less affected. Ischaemia induced by proximal occlusion of the superior mesenteric artery in cats was not severe enough to provide optimum conditions for intestinal hypoxic radiation protection, nor was such ischaemia evenly distributed along the gut.
Two patients with pulmonary metastases from synovial sarcoma and germ-cell tumor developed first bilateral, then repeated unilateral pneumothoraces during combination chemotherapy. It is suggested that chemotherapy may occasionally cause pneumothorax.
The administration of intraaterial mesenteric vasopressin to induce small intestinal ischemia was evaluated in the cat. Small intestinal blood flow was measured by carbonized microsphere distribution and electromagnetic flowmetry. Injection of 99mTc labeled isotope into the superior mesenteric artery was monitored by gamma camera, and isotope kinetics were evaluated as indicators of small intestinal blood flow. Superior mesenteric arterial and small intestinal mucosal blood flow could maximally be reduced to 15%-20% of control by vasopressin administration. 99mTcO4 mesenteric-cardiac transit time was doubled in all animals when small intestinal mucosal blood flow was reduced to less than one-third of control. However, significant blood flow reductions were induced in other abdominal organs, most importantly in retroperitoneal lymph nodes and adipose tissue. Intraarterial mesenteric vasopressin administration does not induce sufficiently severe and specific intestinal ischemia to provide optimal conditions for selective small intestinal hypoxic radioprotection.
Temporary small intestinal ischemia was induced by mesenteric arteriolar embolization of degradable starch microspheres in cats. During ischemia, the small intestine received a surface dose of 7 Gy 200 kV x-ray irradiation. One group of animals also had received 7 Gy to the intact abdomen 72 hr earlier. The risk of thrombosis in small intestinal vessels during or after starch microsphere-induced ischemia combined with irradiation was evaluated by monitoring superior mesenteric arterial blood flow, by determination of blood platelets, fibrinogen, and factor VIII consumed across the mesenteric vascular bed, and by histologic examination of small intestinal vessels. Vascular integrity was inferred from intact response to isoproterenol and vasopressin after the combined trauma of ischemia and irradiation. No signs of thrombosis were detected in small intestinal vessels after temporary ischemia and irradiation. Hypoxic radioprotection of the small intestine in the cat can thus be achieved by mesenteric arterial microembolization of degradable starch spheres without evidence of thrombotic complications of significant vascular damage.
Possible thrombogenic effects of degradable starch microspheres were investigated. Controlled temporary small intestinal ischaemia ws induced by injection into the superior mesenteric artery in cats. Arterial flow consistently recovered after ischaemia. No consumption of blood platelets, fibrinogen, or Factor VIII was observed. Aggregation of human platelets was not influenced by microsphere exposure, and platelet retention in starch microsphere columns was minimal. No thrombosis was detected in feline small intestinal vessels in vivo nor did starch surfaces induce adhesion or aggregation of human platelets in vitro. Thus, no evidence of thrombotic hazards was found by inducing temporary intestinal ischaemia by starch microspheres.
We report two kindreds from northern Norway with 7 and 4 cases of papillary thyroid carcinoma in otherwise healthy, nonirradiated subjects. While histologic features were comparable the patient's age at the time of diagnosis was lower and lymph node metastases were more frequent in familial than in nonfamilial cases of papillary thyroid carcinoma from the same region. We conclude that genetic factors can predispose the patient for development of papillary thyroid carcinoma. The high local incidence may be due to interaction between susceptibility gene(s) and environmental factors.
Temporary ischaemia was induced in cat small intestine by degradable starch microspheres. Regional arterial and tissue blood flow immediately fell by 85 per cent with subsequent normalization within 26 min after microsphere injection. Degraded 99Tcm-labelled microspheres were exponentially removed from intestinal vessels and accumulated in the liver. Provided near-total arteriolar obstruction is induced, external isotope detection may permit assessment of the duration of the induced ischaemia, which implies a selection of the appropriate time for radiation therapy.
The activity of triglyceride lipases in human postheparin plasma is significantly higher in platelet rich than platelet poor plasma. This holds for total activity, lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity, and hepatic triglyceride lipase (H-TGL) activity. Gel filtration of platelet rich postheparin plasma on Sepharose 2 B will separate platelets from triglyceride lipase activity. The very small triglyceride lipase activity of isolated platelets is inhibited by 1.0 M NaCl, slightly inhibited by specific antibody to hepatic lipase, and not influenced by specific antibody to lipoprotein lipase.