Cordless-Microscope
All about Cordless-Microscope.A Phase II Study of Weekly Paclitaxel and Epirubicin in Recurrent or Refractory Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck
A Phase II Study of Weekly Paclitaxel and Epirubicin in Recurrent or Refractory Squamous Cell Carcinoma of the Head and Neck
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The combination of taxanes and anthracyclines has been proved to be active for treatment of many cancers. We conducted a phase II study to determine the response and toxicity of paclitaxel and epirubicin (TE) in patients with incurable squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN).
Patients with metastatic or recurrent SCCHN and adequate hematologic, renal and hepatic function and a Karnofsky performance status ≥60% were enrolled. Prior chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy were permitted with 4-week interval. The regimen was paclitaxel 60 mg/m2 and epirubicin 20 mg/m2, on Days 1, 8 and 15, as an intravenous infusion, repeated every 28 days. Patients with disease progression or unacceptable toxicity were excluded from the study.
The current study was intended to treat 43 patients but closed at the planned interim analysis due to early evidence of insufficient efficacy than expectation. Fifteen patients with a median age of 52 years (range, 37–72 years) were accrued. Previously, most patients had received radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and a majority (87%) of patients had treatment-free interval of <6 months. Median Karnofsky performance status was 70% (range, 60–90%). There was one clinical response (7%) and another three (20%) had stable disease. Median overall survival time was 4.5 months. The most common major toxicity was infection (47%), which caused four treatment-related mortalities. Grade 3–4 neutropenia occurred in five patients, but other toxicities were mild and manageable.
In the population with majority of refractory disease of SCCHN, the response rate to TE was lower than expected. Such dose schedule is not recommended unless in chemotherapy naïve patients or in combination with newer agents.
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| • | On the Experimental Use of Light Metal Salts for Negative Staining |
| Research Articles William H. Massover, Microscopy and Microanalysis, Volume 14 Issue 02 , pp 126-137 Abstract All common negative stains are salts of heavy metals. To remedy several technical defects inherent in the use of heavy metal compounds, this study investigates whether salts of the light metals sodium, magnesium, and aluminum can function as negative stains. Screening criteria require aqueous solubility at pH 7.0, formation of a smooth amorphous layer upon drying, and transmission electron microscope imaging of the 87- (8.7-nm) lattice periodicity in thin catalase crystals. Six of 23 salts evaluated pass all three screens; detection of the protein shell in ferritin macromolecules indicates that light metal salts also provide negative staining of single particle specimens. Appositional contrast is less than that given by heavy metal negative stains; image density can be raised by increasing electron phase contrast and by selecting salts with phosphate or sulfate anions, thereby adding strong scattering from P or S atoms. Low-dose electron diffraction of catalase crystals negatively stained with 200 mM magnesium sulfate shows Bragg spots extending out to 4.4 . Future experimental use of sodium phosphate buffer and magnesium sulfate for negative staining is anticipated, particularly in designing new cocktail (multicomponent) negative stains able to support and protect protein structure to higher resolution levels than are currently achieved. |
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| • | Academici Is The Times Higher Education Awards 2005 Nominee |
| The word s first interactive network for research and higher education has been shortlisted by The Times Higher Education for the 2005 Awards. | |
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| • | Cafe Scientifique |
In response to my July 8 post, debs from the Children and Youth Blog commented that the idea of pub science would be great to offer to teens as well. I found that NSF recently funded such a project, Cafe Scientifique in New Mexico. I don't know much about it, but it seems to give teens a space to have informal conversations about science and technology. Sounds like a great idea to me! |
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| • | Clinical Results of Flexor Tendon Repair in Zone II Using a Six-Strand Double-Loop Technique Compared with a Two-Strand Technique |
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The clinical and functional results of 46 patients who underwent zone II flexor tendon repair using the Lim/Tsai technique combined with the Kleinert/Duran early active mobilisation regime and place and hold exercises were assessed. The results were compared with 25 patients who were treated by the modified Kessler technique and the Kleinert/Duran regime alone. After a follow-up of 8 to 17 weeks, the Lim/Tsai group had a better grip strength and a significantly better total active motion of 141° compared with 123°. The rupture rates (Lim/Tsai: 1/51; Kessler: 3/26) and the extension deficits were not statistically different in the two groups. However, the complication rate was significantly lower and the average time of treatment was significantly shorter in the Lim/Tsai group. These results support the use of the Lim/Tsai six-strand repair technique in zone II flexor tendon injuries and early active mobilisation without rubber-band traction. |
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| • | Relation between peak structures of loss functions of single double-walled carbon nanotubes and interband transition energies |
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Electron energy-loss spectra of single double-walled carbon nanotubes (DWCNTs) were compared with calculated joint density of states (jDOSs) obtained by a simple tight-binding (STB) and an extended tight-binding (ETB) method. From the comparisons, interband transition energies of ETB calculations show better agreement with peak positions of the experimental spectra than those of STB results. From a further comparison among calculated jDOS, real and imaginary parts of a dielectric function and a loss function Im[–1/], it was confirmed that the peak energies in a spectrum of single DWCNTs are almost equal to those of the optical absorption spectrum 2. |
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