Body size and breast cancer prognosis: a statistical explanation of the discrepancies

A historical cohort of 68 female breast cancer patients from one institution who were enrolled in a multicenter randomized controlled trial between 1971 and 1973 were followed up to the beginning of 1986. Weight and height at the time of mastectomy were transformed into two indices of body size, namely the Quetelet Index and a weight to "ideal weight" ratio. These two indices were analyzed for their relation with overall and disease-free survival, while controlling for the effect of several potential confounding variables. While neither index was linearly related to the hazard of death or recurrence, a significant quadratic (curvilinear) relation was found for both indices and both hazards. In all cases the hazard function was concave up, indicating that not only overweight but also underweight status is predictive of an unfavorable prognosis of breast cancer. This finding offers a possible explanation for the discrepancies among previous studies on this topic.

Combination chemotherapy with carboplatin and bleomycin for advanced and recurrent head and neck cancer: a phase II study

Carboplatin is a platinum analogue with activity reported in head and neck cancer. We conducted a phase II trial with 14 patients who had recurrent head and neck cancer. They were treated with carboplatin 300 mg/m2 intravenously (I.V.) and bleomycin 30 units I.V. every 4 weeks. No responses were observed in this group of patients. Dose intensity of carboplatin administration may be an important determinant of response.

Sodium nitroprusside pharmacoangiography: arteriographic enhancement by local vasodilation

Sodium nitroprusside (SNP) was injected intra-arterially into the right femoral artery of five dogs, to promote arteriographic enhancement with minimal systemic effects. Injection of 3 microgram/Kg SNP or more, produced tachycardia, hypotension and increased pulsatile arterial blood flow. a 36% pulsatile arterial flow increase, which lasted 25 seconds or less, was the most remarkable systemic change seen after intra-arterial injection of 2.5 microgram/Kg SNP. Small doses were followed by even lesser systemic changes but were ineffective in promoting arteriographic enhancement. Comparison of arteriograms obtained before and after 2.5 microgram/Kg SNP injection showed increased arterial diameter, greater architectural detail and extensive visualization of previously undetected smaller arteries in post-SNP angiograms. Thus, suggesting that 2.5 microgram/Kg was the optimal SNP dose for production of local arterial without remarkable systemic effects. Good results of SNP pharmacoangiography in this experimental series suggest that further research on this topic is warranted.

Housing and mothering: their effects upon the developmental levels of 3-year-old children

The development of 200 3-year-old children was measured, using Gesell parameters of development. The levels of development were matched against the adequacy, or inadequacy, of maternal care and housing, the scales for which were derived from a questionnaire completed by the children's mothers. Housing was not found to affect the children's developmental levels, while the adequacy of maternal care was highly significantly related to satisfactory child development.

Detection of anticoagulation therapy failures in patients with venous thrombosis

Results of ultrasonic monitoring of venous patency and fibrinogen uptake testing were evaluated in ten patients with venous thrombosis receiving heparin therapy. Two propagating venous thromboses were detected 24 to 48 hours before massive pulmonary embolism developed, thus emphasizing the usefulness of these methods for detection of anticoagulation therapy failures.