non-PD Groups Research Articles

Prediction of progressive disease using tumor markers in metastatic breast cancer patients without target lesions in first-line chemotherapy

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to develop a prediction model of progressive disease (PD) in breast cancer patients without measurable disease in first-line chemotherapy. MethodsWe developed a model to predict PD using carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) and carbohydrate antigen (CA) 15-3 in metastatic breast cancer patients who were enrolled in a phase III trial. The model was determined using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) calculated by the bootstrap method as internal validation. We verified the model for those who received first-line chemotherapy in a clinical setting as external validation. We categorized patients without measurable disease into PD and non-PD groups and compared the time to progression (TTP). ResultsThe model consisted of percent changes in CEA and CA 15-3 levels from second to third chemotherapy course and baseline abnormality of them. The AUC after external validation was 0.90. Patients without measurable disease were categorized into PD (N = 10) and non-PD groups (N = 53) by the model. The difference in TTP between the two groups was statistically significant (hazard ratio, 0.437; P = 0.021). ConclusionThe model may be useful to determine PD in metastatic breast cancer patients without measurable disease.

Pain and Its Relationship to Depression in Parkinson Disease

Depression and pain are common in Parkinson disease (PD). An association between pain and depression has been demonstrated in non-PD groups, but little is known about this relationship in PD. The authors examined the relationship between pain and depression in a community-based sample of patients with PD. Two hundred twenty-seven patients with PD were drawn from a community-based prevalence study. A random sample of 100 healthy elderly comparable regarding age and sex were included for comparison. Pain was assessed by employing the pain section of the Nottingham Health Profile and depression by the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). General linear models and regression analyses were used to study the relationship between pain and depression. Sixty-seven percent of PD patients suffered from pain, compared with 39% of the control group. PD subjects with pain had higher scores on MADRS and BDI, and were more likely to have major depression, than PD patients without pain. In multivariate analyses, the presence of pain was significantly associated with depression scores, even after adjusting for demographic and clinical variables. A significant relationship between pain and depression was found. Pain issues should be integrated in the evaluation and management of depression in PD, and vice versa.

A novel hypothesis to explain associations of carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide with deaths from respiratory disease

Background/Aim: Few patients with breast cancer experience tumor progression during neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NST), but their poor outcome is similar to that of patients who fail to achieve a pathological...

Assessment of Chemosensitivity-related Aberrant Methylation of Nonsmall Cell Lung Cancer by EBUS-TBNA

Multigene aberrant methylation profiling may predict response to chemotherapy in lung cancer. The purpose of this study was to analyze the feasibility of detecting aberrant methylation in biopsy samples obtained by endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA). Lymph node samples from 30 patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer diagnosed as metastatic carcinoma by EBUS-TBNA were analyzed. Histologic cores obtained by EBUS-TBNA were separately stored at -80°C. DNA was extracted from EBUS-TBNA samples and bisulfate modification was performed. We evaluated the methylation status of a panel of 6 genes (FANCF, Reprimo, TMS1/ASC, activated protein-2α, CHFR, and ATM) using methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction. Twenty-four patients with adenocarcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma metastasis received platinum-based combination chemotherapy. We reviewed their response to chemotherapy in correlation to the methylation status. Bisulfate modification was successfully performed in all samples using DNA obtained from EBUS-TBNA samples by checking p16 unmethylation expression. Aberrant methylation was detected as follows: 9 cases of FANCF (30.0%), 14 cases of Reprimo (46.7%), 10 cases of TMS1/ASC (33.3%), and 19 cases of activated protein-2α (63.3%). In response to chemotherapy, there were 1 complete response, 6 partial response, 12 stable disease, and 5 progressive disease (PD) cases. The number of methylated genes was significantly smaller in the PD group than in the non-PD groups (P=0.0435). Aberrant methylation analysis can be performed in metastatic lymph nodes sampled by EBUS-TBNA. EBUS-TBNA allows for genetic evaluations of tumor cells and may help to guide the most effective treatment strategies in the near future.

A study on the comparability of SCID-II and PDQ-4

Objective To study the comparability of two personality diagnostic instruments(SCID-Ⅱ and PDQ-4)in psychiatric patients. Methods One hundred and twelve mental disorder patients were investigated with the SCID-Ⅱ and PDQ-4. Results 1)Significant differences were found between groups(dividing by total scores on PDQ-4)by means of SCID-Ⅱ interviews(P＜0. 0 1). 2)Categorical personality disorder(PD)groups by means of SCID-Ⅱ interviews had hisher scores on PDQ-4 than their related non-PD groups. 3)For agreement on categorical diagnoses between SCID-Ⅱ and PDQ-4, the correlation coefficients varied from 0. 17 to 0. 57. Except for antisocial PD(r=0. 57), the others had poor-fair coefficients, as r＜0. 50. Conclusions In general, there is some correlation between SCID-Ⅱ and PDQ-4. Low agreement between PDQ-4 and SCID-Ⅱ is observed for categorical PD evaluations. Thus, PDQ-4 can't be a substitute tool for SCID-Ⅱ. Key words: Mental health; Personality disorder; SCID-Ⅱ 2.0; PDQ-4

Is the Behavioural Inhibition System the core vulnerability for cluster C personality disorders?

The aim of the present study was to determine if Behavioural Inhibition System (BIS) functioning, as described by Gray (Gray, J.A.C. (1982). The Neuropsychology of anxiety: an enquiry into the functions of the Septo-Hippocampal system . Oxford: Oxford University Press), would be a core vulnerability for cluster C personality disorders (PD), that is, if these patients would show a higher anxiety trait (i.e. in Gray's terms) than patients with other PD or without Axis II disorders. A total sample of 77 out-patients was assessed with the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire, Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Scales, Karolinska Scales of Personality, and the Structured-Interview for DSM-III-R Personality Disorders (SCID-II). Analyses were conducted considering the following groups: presence of cluster C personality disorder/s, presence of clusters A/B personality disorder/s, absence of personality disorder (non-PD). As a second step, cluster C and non-PD groups were also subdivided according to the presence/absence of anxiety or affective Axis I symptoms. Overall, results showed higher scores on anxiety trait-related scales in the cluster C group. However, only Somatic Anxiety, Psychasthenia and Sensitivity to Punishment scales (SP) clearly distinguished cluster C from each one of the other two groups. After a second analysis, only the Sensitivity to Punishment scale showed independence from Axis I status while discriminating between cluster C and non-PD patients. Results were similar when only behavioural items from the SP scale were considered. From these results we can conclude that a higher BIS functioning would differentiate cluster C personality disorders from patients with other PD or without PD, and that considering only the behavioural anxiety component in their assessment, a low Axis I influence is obtained.

Interpersonal Dependency and Personality Pathology: Variations in Rorschach Oral Dependency Scores Across Axis II Diagnoses

Although several investigations have examined the relationship of Rorschach Oral Dependency (ROD; Masling, Rabie, & Blondheim, 1967) scores to Axis I diagnosis, there has been very little research assessing variations in ROD scores across Axis II personality disorders (PDs). In this study, ROD scores were compared in 5 PD groups (borderline PD inpatients, borderline PD outpatients, avoidant-dependent PD outpatients, narcissistic PD outpatients, and antisocial PD outpatients), and 2 non-PD comparison groups (psychotic disorder inpatients and college students). Borderline PD inpatients had significantly higher ROD scores than borderline PD outpatients, antisocial PD outpatients, and college students; no other between-group differences were found. We discuss implications of these results for research on dependency and Axis II psychopathology and offer suggestions for future studies.

CLINICAL STUDY OF PANCREATICODUODENECTOMY FOR GASTRIC CARCINOMA

Thirteen patients with gastric carcinoma undergoing pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD group) in a recent one decade were subjected to a historical evaluation of the long term survival by radical operation. These cases were compared with 103 cases undergoing subtotal gastrectomy (non-PD group) for advanced carcinoma occupied lower third of the stomach in the same period. The five-year survival rates were 46% and 21% in PD-group and non-PD group, respectively. When the pancreas head was involved from the main tumor or metastatic lymph nodes, the 5-year survival rate was 53% in PD group, versus no survivors in non-PD group (p<0.05). Recurrence of lymph node metastasis occurred in 9% by Billroth I method, and 21% by Billroth II. For this, the prognosis was estimated in cases with positive lymph nodes of No.12, 13, 14 and 17 which were able to be dissected completely by PD, and resulted in the 2-year survival rates of 50% and 24% in PD and non-PD groups, respectively. These results suggest that PD for advanced carcinomas located in the lower third of the stomach may be recommended to the cases with invasion to the pancreas or metastasis to the lymph nodes around the pancreas head.