Cryotherapy in the prevention of oral mucositis in patients receiving low-dose methotrexate following myeloablative allogeneic stem cell transplantation: a prospective randomized study of the Gruppo Italiano Trapianto di Midollo Osseo nurses group.

Severe oral mucositis is a major cause of morbidity following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (AHSCT). Cryotherapy, that is, the application of ice chips on the mucosa of the oral cavity during the administration of antineoplastic agents, may reduce the incidence and severity of chemotherapy-related oral mucositis. In this multicenter randomized study, we addressed whether cryotherapy during MTX administration is effective in the prevention of severe oral mucositis in patients undergoing myeloablative AHSCT. One hundred and thirty patients undergoing myeloablative AHSCT and MTX-containing GVHD prophylaxis were enrolled and randomized to receive or not receive cryotherapy during MTX administration. The incidence of severe (grade 3-4) oral mucositis, the primary end point of the study, was comparable in patients receiving or not cryotherapy. Moreover, no difference was observed in the incidence of oral mucositis grade 2-4 and the duration of oral mucositis grade 3-4 or 2-4, or in the kinetics of mucositis over time. In univariate and multivariate analysis, severe oral mucositis correlated with TBI in the conditioning regimen and lack of folinic acid rescue following MTX administration. Thus, cryotherapy during MTX administration does not reduce severe oral mucositis in patients undergoing myeloablative allogeneic HSCT. Future studies will assess cryotherapy before allogeneic HSCT.

The effect of a calcium carbonate/perlite toothpaste on the removal of extrinsic tooth stain in two weeks.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effect of a calcium carbonate/perlite toothpaste on the levels of extrinsic stain removed at two weeks compared to a silica control toothpaste. DESIGN: In this parallel group, double-blind study, subjects were stratified by natural baseline stain and tobacco use and allocated at random to one of the two study toothpastes. Subjects brushed with their allocated toothpaste twice daily for two weeks before extrinsic tooth stain was again assessed. SETTING: The study was performed at 4-Front Research UK Limited, Maldon, UK. PARTICIPANTS: 152 adult subjects with at least eight assessable incisors/ canines with natural extrinsic tooth stain completed the study. METHODS: The extrinsic tooth stain on the facial surfaces of incisors and canines was measured using the Macpherson modification of the Lobene Stain Index. RESULTS: Both of the toothpaste groups had significantly less stain after two weeks of use compared to the baseline value (p<0.001). Analysis of covariance on the sum of the whole mouth stain scores showed that the calcium carbonate/perlite toothpaste removed significantly more stain over the two week study than the silica control toothpaste (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Twice daily brushing for two weeks with a calcium carbonate/perlite toothpaste removes more extrinsic stain than a silica control toothpaste.

Comprehensive evaluation of fatty acids in foods. V. Unhydrogenated fats and oils.

This paper summarizes representative values for the fatty acid composition of unprocessed vegetable fats, vegetable oils, and animal fats. The data for these unprocessed fats and oils are identical with those of the processed, but unhydrogenated fats and oils. Calculations to convert the fatty acid methyl ester data to grams fatty acid per 100 gm. food are discussed, and the converted data are presented in tabular form. Climatic and cultivar effects on the fatty acid composition of some of these oils are reviewed.