Methimazole, but not betamethasone, prevents 131I treatment-induced rises in thyrotropin receptor autoantibodies in hyperthyroid Graves' disease.

The effects of methimazole or betamethasone therapy on the TSH receptor antibody response to radioiodine therapy were compared in a prospective randomized study of 60 patients with hyperthyroidism due to Graves' disease. The patients were followed for 1 yr after treatment with 131I. Twenty-three patients received 131I alone, 17 were treated with methimazole for 2 months before and 3 months after 131I therapy, and 20 patients were treated with betamethasone for 3 weeks before and 4 weeks after 131I therapy. 131I induced a transient rise in the mean serum level of TSH receptor autoantibodies, measured as TSH binding inhibitory immunoglobulin (TBII), but in patients receiving methimazole treatment, no such rise occurred. In the betamethasone-treated patients, TBII increased similarly to that in patients treated with 131I alone. In addition, in patients given betamethasone, there was an early decrease in total serum immunoglobulin G, which persisted throughout the follow-up period. In the other 2 groups, no changes in total immunoglobulin G were found. The results demonstrate that in hyperthyroid Graves' disease, TBII production is influenced by therapy. Methimazole abolished the 131I-induced increase in TBII, whereas betamethasone did not have such an inhibitory effect.

Intent and lethality of suicide attempts among female borderline inpatients.

Data relevant to variations in self-destructive behavior are reported for 40 female borderline inpatients. These data were assessed in relation to measures of the patients' suicidal intent, the lethality of their attempts, and their empirically derived suicide risk. Variation in the seriousness of suicide attempts was accounted for primarily by age, number of suicide attempts, presence of an eating disorder, psychotic features, and family history variables, with generalized anxiety disorder as a mitigating factor. In addition to age and number of attempts, concomitant histrionic and antisocial features were differentially predictive of the empirically derived risk of suicide.

Cost analysis of different phases of acute myeloid leukaemia.

Priority lists have been formulated in several countries and cut-backs can be a threat to leukaemia treatment. We analysed the costs in different phases of disease for 54 conventionally treated patients with acute myeloid leukaemia. Thirty-two patients reached CR 1, seven patients are still alive as of May 1994. We found a cost per week and patient of 17,334 Swedish Crowns (SEK) (U.K. 1 pound = 10.57 and U.S. $1 = 5.91, 1990) in induction phase, 1854 in remission phase and 10,529 SEK in relapse phase. In the terminal phase 10% of the total cost was spent. The quality of life of the patients in relapse is discussed and palliative treatment is emphasized.

Comparison of daunorubicin and daunorubicin-DNA complex in the treatment of acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia.

Sixty consecutive patients, 15-60 years old, with ANLL were divided randomly into three groups for induction treatment with one of the following regimens: R1, daunorubicin (DNR) 1.5 mg/kg on day 1 + ARA-C 2 mg/kg body weight on days 1-5; R2, DNR 1.5 mg/kg on days 1 and 2 + ARA-C 2 mg/kg on days 4-8; R3, DNR-DNA complex 1.5 mg/kg on days 1 and 2 + ARA-C 2 mg/kg on days 4-8. Maintenance treatment consisted of monthly courses of DNR 1.5 mg/kg (R1, R2) or DNR-DNA 1.5 mg/kg (R3) combined with ARA-C 1 mg/kg on days 1-5, alternating with thioguanine 2 mg/kg PO on days 1-5 combined with ARA-C 1 mg/kg IV on days 1-5. Fourteen patients of 20 went into complete remission with R1, 13 or 18 with R2, and 15 of 22 with R3. The overall remission frequency was 70% and there was no significant difference between the different groups. The median time in first remission and the median survival time were 300 and 510 days, respectively, with R1; 335 and 495 days with R2; and 295 and 677 days with R3. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups treated according to the different regimens concerning the time in first remission. Survival was slightly better with R3 than with R1. Treatment with the DNR-DNA complex caused less pronounced thrombocytopenia and fewer 'minor' cardiac abnormalities than treatment with free DNR in the same dosage schedule.

Prednimustine and vincristine compared with cytosine arabinoside and thioguanine for treatment of elderly patients with acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia.

Sixty-seven patients with acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia (ANLL) and above the age of 60 years were randomly allocated to treatment with either prednimustine + vincristine or cycles with cytosine arabinoside and thioguanine. Of the 67 patients, 13 (19%) entered a complete remission and four a partial remission. Of 33 patients randomized to prednimustine and vincristine (15 adequately treated), three entered a complete remission and one a partial remission. Four further patients went into complete remission after a switch to other treatment modalities. Of 34 patients randomized to cycles of ARA-C and thioguanine (22 adequately treated), four entered a complete remission and three a partial remission with the correct program. One patient entered a remission with intermittent cytosine arabinoside + thioguanine (wrong program) and one further patient entered a complete remission after a switch to prednimustine and vincristine. Prednimustine + vincristine did not appear to be superior to treatment with cytosine arabinoside thioguanine cycles for elderly patients with ANLL.

Treatment of acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia in adults with daunorubicin-DNA complex: a preliminary report.

Forty-four adult patients under 60 years of age with acute nonlymphoblastic leukemia were randomized for induction treatment with one of the following three regimens: R 1 = courses of daunorubicin on day 1 + ARA-C on days 1--5; R 2 = courses of daunorubicin on days 1 and 2 + ARA-C on days 4--8; R 3 = courses of daunorubicin-DNA complex on days 1--2 + ARA-C on days 4--8. Out of 14 patients, 9 went into remission on R 1, 6 out of 14 on R 2, and 8 out of 16 on R 3. The preliminary results suggest that daunorubicin-DNA complex has the same efficacy for inducing remission as daunorubicin alone, if the same time intervals and dosages are used.

A Randomized Comparison of Doxorubicin and Doxorubicin-DNA in the Treatment of Acute NonLymphoblastic Leukemia.

In the light of previous findings that treatment of leukemia patients with DNA-linked doxorubicin gave higher doxorubicin concentrations in leukemic cells than treatment with doxorubicin alone, the Leukemia Group of Middle Sweden performed a randomized clinical trial to compare the effects of doxorubicin and doxorubicin-DNA in patients with acute non-lymphoblastic leukemia. One hundred and twenty consecutive patients within the age range 15 to 60 years were randomized to one of three treatment groups. In two of these, remission induction treatment was performed with prednisolone, vincristine, ara-C and thioguanine combined with either doxorubicin or doxorubicin-DNA. Patients entering a complete remission received intensive consolidation during 16 months with 4 courses each of doxorubicin (+/ - DNA)/ara-C, doxorubicin (+/ - DNA)/azacytidine, ara-C and amsacrine. The third treatment group followed a protocol from a previous study with daunorubicin and ara-C for induction therapy and a less intensive maintenance therapy. No further patients were assigned to this "control" group after 3 years or to the two other groups after 6 years. This report is based on a follow-up 31 months thereafter. The overall rate of complete remission was 67% and the mean time to complete remission was 71 days, with no differences between the treatment groups. Patients treated with the doxorubicin-DNA conjugate had a significantly longer survival [median for all patients 27.2 months (p < 0.01) and for patients in CR 47.0 months (p < 0.025)] and longer duration of first remission (median 23.6 months, p < 0.025) than the other groups. There were significantly fewer reports of cardiotoxicity (p < 0.05) and severe intestinal toxicity (p < 0.02) in patients treated with the doxorubicin-DNA conjugate and there was a tendency towards less hepatic (p < 0.08) and renal toxicity (p < 0.08). The frequency of myelosuppression, fever and infectious complications was similar in all three groups. Complex binding to DNA appears to increase the therapeutic effects and reduce some toxic effects of doxorubicin in patients with ANLL.

Total body haemoglobin estimated with the alveolar CO method as compared with a 51Cr technique.

Total body haemoglobin was estimated by the alveolar equilibrium CO method and by dilution of 51Cr-tagged erythrocytes in 22 patients with a wide range of haemoglobin concentrations (51-190 g/l). The resulting regression equation: THBCO =47 + 0.81 X THbCr, where THn is expressed in grams, shows that with increasing THb successively lower values were obtained with the THbCO method as compared with the THbCr method. Individual values were calculated for the M-factor, i.e. the ratio of the haemoglobin affinities to O2 and CO. These values were positively and significantly correlated to the red-cell content of 2.3-diphosphoglycerate. The findings are consistent with a recent hypothesis that the effect of 2.3-DPG on CO affinity may not be equivalent to its effect on oxygen affinity. The discrepancy between the two methods of estimating THb may therefore be apparent only and due to a systematic variation in the M-factor.

Leukemia in workers exposed to ethylene oxide.

Ethylene oxide, a gaseous sterilant extensively used within health care facilities, is known to be a mutagen in bacteria and in human lymphocytes. The Environmental Protection Agency as well as the National Institue of Occupational Safety and Health have recently stipulated certain conditions for the use of ethylene oxide despite the lack of case reports or epidemiologic studies concerning carcinogenicity. We report three cases of leukemia that occurred between 1972 and 1977 in a relatively small group of Swedish workers exposed to ethylene oxide. According to national statistics, 0.2 cases of leukemia would have been expected. The time-weighted average ethylene oxide concentration was 20+/-10 ppm.