Divergent neurodevelopmental profiles of very-low-birth-weight infants.

BACKGROUND: Advanced perinatal medicine has decreased the mortality rate of preterm infants. Long-term neurodevelopmental outcomes of very-low-birth-weight infants (VLBWIs) remain to be investigated. METHODS: Participants were 124 VLBWIs who had in-hospital birth from 2007 to 2015. Perinatal information, developmental or intelligence quotient (DQ/IQ), and neurological comorbidities at ages 3 and 6 years were analyzed. RESULTS: Fifty-eight (47%) VLBWIs received neurodevelopmental assessments at ages 3 and 6 years. Among them, 15 (26%) showed DQ/IQ <75 at age 6 years. From age 3 to 6 years, 21 (36%) patients showed a decrease (≤-10), while 5 (9%) showed an increase (≥+10) in DQ/IQ scores. Eight (17%) with autism spectrum disorder or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ASD/ADHD) showed split courses of DQ/IQ, including two with ≤-10 and one with +31 to their scores. On the other hand, all 7 VLBWIs with cerebral palsy showed DQ ≤35 at these ages. Magnetic resonance imaging detected severe brain lesions in 7 (47%) of those with DQ <75 and 1 (18%) with ASD/ADHD. CONCLUSIONS: VLBWIs show a broad spectrum of neurodevelopmental outcomes after 6 years. These divergent profiles also indicate that different risks contribute to the development of ASD/ADHD from those of cerebral palsy and epilepsy in VLBWIs. IMPACT: Very-low-birth-weight infants (VLBWIs) show divergent neurodevelopmental outcomes from age 3 to 6 years. A deep longitudinal study depicts the dynamic change in neurodevelopmental profiles of VLBWIs from age 3 to 6 years. Perinatal brain injury is associated with developmental delay, cerebral palsy and epilepsy, but not with ASD or ADHD at age 6 years.

[UFT plus cisplatin with concurrent radiotherapy in unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer--its application to outpatient practice].

BACKGROUND: Combination chemotherapy with UFT and cisplatin is active and less toxic for advanced non-small cell lung cancer. This treatment is likely to be applied to concurrent chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer, especially in the outpatient setting. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ten patients with unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer received the UFT plus cisplatin treatment combined with concurrent radiotherapy. The chemotherapeutic regimen consisted of oral administration of UFT 400 mg/m2 daily and venous infusion of cisplatin 20-25 mg/m2 on days 8-10. The administration of cisplatin was repeated every 3-4 weeks. Thoracic radiation started on day 8, and was completed to a total dose of 60-70 Gy. RESULTS: Adverse events (grade 3 or 4) occurred in 2 patients (esophagitis 2, leukopenia/neutropenia 1) with no treatment-related death. There were 7 partial responses (response rate 70.0%; 95% C.I., 41.6-98.4%). The median survival time was 18.7 months with a 1-year survival rate of 77.8%. Two patients uneventfully received the treatment in an outpatient setting. CONCLUSION: With regard to the quality of life of patients, UFT plus cisplatin with concurrent radiotherapy might be the treatment of choice for unresectable stage III non-small cell lung cancer.

Self-expandable metallic stents as palliative treatment for malignant colorectal obstruction.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, stent placement for malignant colorectal obstruction has become an accepted alternative to surgery. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of self-expandable metallic stents (SEMS) as palliative management for patients with unresectable malignant colorectal obstruction. METHODS: Twelve patients with unresectable malignant colorectal obstruction were treated with SEMS as palliative therapy. The sites of obstruction were located in the rectum (n = 9), the descending colon (n = 1), and the transverse colon (n = 2). All procedures were performed with combined endoscopic and fluoroscopic guidance. We analyzed the technical and clinical success rates of stent placement and the complications associated with the procedure. RESULTS: The stents were successfully implanted and bowel obstruction was relieved in all cases; the technical and clinical success rates were 100%. Two complications occurred, including stent migration. There was no case requiring reintervention. All patients died of initial disease or another coexisting disease between 9 and 534 days (mean 133 +/- 148 days) after stent placement. None of the patients with stent in position at death had clinical or radiologic signs of bowel obstruction. CONCLUSIONS: SEMS placement in patients with malignant colorectal obstruction is technically feasible and safe, making it useful as a palliative treatment.