Outcomes of vaginal squamous cell carcinoma of patients treated with radiation therapy: a series of 37 patients from a single expert center.

INTRODUCTION: The aim is to assess the outcome of patients treated for vaginal carcinoma with radiation therapy in terms of long-term tolerance and survival. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This single-center retrospective study included patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the vagina treated with pelvic external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) with or without vaginal brachytherapy (VB) between 1990 and 2013. RESULTS: Thirty-seven patients were included with stage I (24%), II (60%), III (8%), or IV (8%) vaginal tumors. Median age was 66 years (range 27-86 years). Median tumor size was 4 cm (range 0.7-12 cm). Seven patients underwent first intention surgery. The 37 patients received pelvic EBRT (45 Gy) with inguinal irradiation in 57% of cases. Fifteen (41%) received concurrent chemotherapy. Low-dose supplemental VB was performed in 31 patients (84%) (median dose: 20 Gy). Median follow-up was 59 months (range 7-322 months). Four patients (11%) had late grade 3-4 complications. Relapse occurred in 11 patients (30%), five of them locally. The 5-year relapse-free and cancer-specific survival rates were 68% and 76%, respectively. Surgery and concurrent chemotherapy did not seem to have an impact on the course of the disease. CONCLUSION: In our experience, pelvic EBRT leads to prolonged survival with acceptable long-term toxicity in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the vagina.

Survey of ochratoxin A in rice from Iran using affinity column cleanup and HPLC with fluorescence detection.

This paper records the occurrence and levels of ochratoxin A (OTA) in rice using a HPLC technique preceded by an immunoaffinity clean-up step. The method was based on the extraction of finely ground rice sample with an acetonitrile/water (60 : 40, v/v) solution. Recovery was 98.9% while the limit of detection (LOD) was 0.2 ng g⁻¹. A total of 182 rice samples were analyzed with a frequency of contamination of 6%. Levels of OTA in positive samples ranged 0.2-4.8 ng g⁻¹, with an average contamination of all analyzed samples of 1.6 ng g⁻¹.

Survey of aflatoxins in watermelon seeds from Iran using immunoaffinity column cleanup and HPLC with fluorescence detection.

This survey was undertaken to determine the levels of aflatoxins in melon seeds. Among 65 samples analyzed by liquid chromatography (LC), the results showed that aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) was the major toxins in melon seeds, detected in 58 samples (89.2% of the total) at an average concentration of 8.5 ng g(-1). The level of AFB1 in 12 samples exceeded the maximum tolerated level for AFB1 in Iranian (5 ng g(-1)) regulations; in other words, 18.5% of samples were unfit for human consumption.

Survey of aflatoxins in rice from Iran using immunoaffinity column clean-up and HPLC with fluorescence detection.

A study was undertaken to determine levels of aflatoxins in rice. A total of 261 rice samples were analyzed by HPLC using a method was based on the extraction of 50 g of finely ground rice plus 5 g NaCl with 200 ml of 80% methanol. After filtration and immunoaffinity clean-up, 20 µl was injected onto the HPLC. HPLC analysis was carried out using a Genesis RP C18 column (250 × 4.6, 4 µm I.D.) and a mobile phase with a linear gradient of water/methanol/acetonitrile (6 : 2 : 2 v/v) over 16 min. Aflatoxins were determined after post-column derivatisation with iodine by fluorescence detection at excitation and emission wavelengths of 365 and 445 nm, respectively. It was found that 68.9% of the rice samples contained aflatoxin B1 at levels greater than 0.2 ng g(-1).