Investigations on chemical composition and natural radioactivity levels from salt water and peloid used in pelotherapy from the Techirghiol Lake, Romania.

The work presents the historical evolution, objectives, goals, concepts, chemical and radiometric methods, results and conclusions for salt waters and natural peloids used in pelotherapy. This study assesses chemical composition, natural radioactivity concentrations and the radiological hazard in peloid and salt water samples, from ten places in the Techirghiol Lake from Romania. Pelotherapy is a very important procedure, and thus, the materials used for this purpose must be well characterized to guaranty safety use. Concentrations of elements such as Sr, Ba, Mn, Fe, Sb, Zn, Cu, Pb, Ti, Ni, Cr, As have been measured using ICP-OES analytical technique. The natural radionuclides such as 238U, 226Ra, 232Th and 40K have been determined by gamma-ray spectrometry. The average activity concentrations were of 0.48 ± 0.10 Bq/kg for 238U, 0.60 ± 0.10 Bq/kg for 226Ra, 0.30 ± 0.08 Bq/kg for 232Th and 17.5 ± 1.3 Bq/kg for 40K for salt water samples. Also, the mean activity concentrations for peloids were: 5.70 ± 1.00 Bq/kg for 238U, 6.85 ± 1.60 Bq/kg for 232Th, 15.3 ± 3.7 Bq/kg for 226Ra and 95.8 ± 5.5 Bq/kg for 40K. The results from this study contribute to the identification of possible contaminants in the salt water and peloid, and their association with the potential ecological and human health risk. In this context, of using salt water and peloid in a relatively long treatment period, several radiological indices have been calculated, to determine if the radionuclide's content can be also harmful to human health. The assessment indicates that humans are not exposed to concentrations of metal contaminants higher than the international recommended values.

A study on stability and medical implications for a complex delay model for CML with cell competition and treatment.

We study a mathematical model describing the dynamics of leukemic and normal cell populations (stem-like and differentiated) in chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). This model is a system of four delay differential equations incorporating three types of cell division. The competition between normal and leukemic stem cell populations for the common microenvironment is taken into consideration. The stability of one steady state is investigated. The results are discussed via their medical interpretation.

Radiation quality dependence of DNA damage induction.

Analysis of DNA fragmentation and repair in relation to radiation quality may give important information about the role of break complexity and correlated double strand breaks (DSBs). DNA fragment analysis was performed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis after exposure to different radiation qualities. Normal human fibroblasts were irradiated with boron ions (40, 80 and 160 keV.micron-1), nitrogen ions (80, 125, 175 and 225 keV.micron-1) and neon ions (225 and 300 keV.micron-1). The amount of DNA less than 1.1 Mbp decreased with increasing linear energy transfer (LET) for all three ions. When theoretical random distributions were subtracted from the experimental data for 225 keV.micron-1 nitrogen ions in all size intervals (5-5700 kbp), there was a significant non-random distribution of DSBs for sizes up to 1-3 Mbp. This non-random distribution of breaks, probably produced by intra-track correlated DSBs, may constitute a substantial portion of the high-LET induced DSBs.

First-line chemotherapy with topotecan and etoposide in advanced small cell lung cancer. A phase II study.

PURPOSE: Topotecan has recently shown activity in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients. The aim of the present phase II study was to assess the antitumor activity and toxicity of the combination of topotecan plus etoposide in chemotherapynaive patients with advanced SCLC on an outpatient basis. PATIENTS AND METHODS: From December 1998 to February 2001 24 previously untreated patients with histologically proven advanced (stage IIIB and IV) SCLC received topotecan 1.2 mg/m(2), days 1-5, followed by etoposide 100 mg/m(2), days 8-10, every 3 weeks, up to 6 cycles (less if progressive disease). RESULTS: Twenty-two patients were males and 2 females. Their median age was 54 years (range 37-67 years). World Health Organization (WHO) performance status (PS) was 0-1 in 12 patients and 2 in 12. AJCC stage IIIB was found in 6 patients and IV in 18. TOXICITY: 76 cycles (median 3.5 cycles) were given with no toxic deaths. Grade 4 toxicity was registered in 10 (13%) cycles for neutropenia, 4 (5%) cycles for anaemia, 1 (1.3%) cycle for thrombocytopenia and 1 (1.3%) cycle for diarrhea. Activity: among 23 evaluable patients, 8 had an objective response to chemotherapy (response rate - RR- 34.7%, 95% confidence interval -CI- 14-55%) with 4 (17.4%) complete remissions (CRs) and 4 (17.4%) partial remissions (PRs). Survival: with a median follow-up of 8 months (range 1.5-25 months), one-year actuarial survival was 48% (95% CI 28-69%) and median survival was 47.8 weeks. CONCLUSION: Although the combination of topotecan and etoposide proved easy to administer on an outpatient basis with moderate and manageable toxicity, it showed only moderate activity as first-line chemotherapy in advanced SCLC.

Surgical treatment for pulmonary metastases in urogenital cancers.

INTRODUCTION: The malignant disease's ability to metastasize remains one of the major obstacles when treating patients with cancer. The indication of metastasectomy is currently limited to patients undergoing treatment of the primary tumor. Resections for lung metastases of high selected patients with urogenital cancer present minimal risks and can prolong survival. Prognostic factors that determine which patients will benefit from surgery are still unclear. MATERIAL AND RESULTS: This article presents a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent lung metastases resection between 2008 and 2013 in our clinic. Among 148 patients, 8 (5.41%) had lung metastases after urologic cancers (UC), 18 (12.16%) after genital cancers (GC), 13 (8.78%) after breast tumors and 109 (73.65%) had lung metastases from other type of tumors. The overall 6 months survival was 100% for UC, 94.44 for GC, 84.62% for BC and 87.16% for others. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The criteria for surgery proved to have a positive predictive value and what should be considered are the following: prolonged disease-free interval (DFI), unilateral disease, the absence of systemic pathologies, oncological margins resecability and less than 3 radioimagistic detectable metastases. A negative prognosis was observed in those with primary tumor in the cervix, at least 3 metastases and a tumor larger than 3 cm. To determine how to select surgical candidates for pulmonary metastasectomy more precisely, further analysis of prognostic factors is evident and the need for a prospective, randomized, multicenter study is clear.

[The therapeutic prospects of patients with bronchopulmonary cancer]. / Perspective terapeutice ale bolnavilor depistati cu cancer bronhopulmonar.

By means of a retrospective analysis on 405 cases found out as having bronchopulmonary cancer, the therapeutical possibilities on fixing the diagnosis were evaluated. The therapeutical attitude indicated by pre-established criteria and the therapeutical line adopted were also analysed. The low percentage (25%) of cases with favourable therapeutical perspectives at case finding, as well as the high percentage (75%) of cases found out in stages therapeutically beyond treatment are pointed out. Several non-concordances between recommended and applied therapies are discussed.

[Clinico-radiologic and morphopathologic aspects of mediastinal-pulmonary hemangiopericytoma]. / Aspecte clinico-radiologice si morfopatologice in hemangiopericitomul mediastino-pulmonar.

The paper points out the diagnosis of intrathoracic hemangiopericytoma in 13 patients in the "M.Nasta" Institute of Pneumophthisiology, a seldom seen disease considered quite serious because of its malignant form and its late finding out. This is due to its non-distinctive, small number of symptoms, which has a negative influence upon the disease prognosis and evolution.