Mohamed Ali Ibrahim Salem

n/a

PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between lymphovascular invasion (LVI) and regional nodal failure (RNF) in breast cancer patients with zero to three positive nodes treated with breast-conservation therapy (BCT).

METHODS AND MATERIALS: The records of 1,257 breast cancer patients with zero to three positive lymph nodes were reviewed. All patients were treated with BCT at Massachusetts General Hospital from 1980 to December 2003. Lymphovascular invasion was diagnosed by hematoxylin and eosin-stained sections and in some cases supported by immunohistochemical stains. Regional nodal failure was defined as recurrence in the ipsilateral supraclavicular, axillary, or internal mammary lymph nodes. Regional nodal failure was diagnosed by clinical and/or radiologic examination.

RESULTS: The median follow-up was 8 years (range, 0.1-21 years). Lymphovascular invasion was present in 211 patients (17%). In univariate analysis, patients with LVI had a higher rate of RNF (3.32% vs. 1.15%; p = 0.02). In multivariate analysis, only tumor size, grade, and local failure were significant predictors of RNF (p = 0.049, 0.013, and 0.0001, respectively), whereas LVI did not show a significant relationship with RNF (hazard ratio = 2.07; 95% CI, 0.8-5.5; p = 0.143). The presence of LVI in the T2/3 population did not increase the risk of RNF over that for those with no LVI (p = 0.15). In addition, patients with Grade 3 tumors and positive LVI did not have a higher risk of RNF than those without LVI (p = 0.96).

CONCLUSION: These results suggest that LVI can not be used as a sole indicator for regional nodal irradiation in breast cancer patients with zero to three positive lymph nodes treated with BCT.

Doxorubicin is an antibiotic broadly used in treatment of different types of solid tumors. The present study investigates whether L-carnitine, antioxidant agent, can reduce the hepatic damage induced by doxorubicin. Male Wistar albino rats were divided into six groups: group 1 were intraperitoneal injected with normal saline for 10 consecutive days; group 2, 3 and 4 were injected every other day with doxorubicin (3 mg/kg, i.p.), to obtain treatments with cumulative doses of 6, 12, and 18 mg/kg. The fifth group was injected with L-carnitine (200 mg/kg, i.p.) for 10 consecutive days and the sixth group was received doxorubicin (18 mg/kg) and L-carnitine (200 mg/kg). High cumulative dose of doxorubicin (18 mg/kg) significantly increase the biochemical levels of alanine transaminase , alkaline phosphatase, total bilirubin, total carnitine, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARs), total nitrate/nitrite (NOx) p < 0.05 and decrease in glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx), glutathione-s-transferase (GST),glutathione reductase (GR) and catalase (CAT) activity p < 0.05. The effect of doxorubicin on the activity of antioxidant genes was confirmed by real time PCR in which the expression levels of these genes in liver tissue were significantly decrease compared to control p < 0.05. Interestingly, L-carnitine supplementation completely reverse the biochemical and gene expression levels induced by doxorubicin to the control values. In conclusion, data from this study suggest that the reduction of antioxidant defense during doxorubicin administration resulted in hepatic injury could be prevented by L-carnitine supplementation by decreasing the oxidative stress and preserving both the activity and gene expression level of antioxidant enzymes.

Doxorubicin is an antibiotic broadly used in treatment of different types of solid tumors. The present study investigates whether L-carnitine, antioxidant agent, can reduce the hepatic damage induced by doxorubicin. Male Wistar albino rats were divided into six groups: group 1 were intraperitoneal injected with normal saline for 10 consecutive days; group 2, 3 and 4 were injected every other day with doxorubicin (3 mg/kg, i.p.), to obtain treatments with cumulative doses of 6, 12, and 18 mg/kg. The fifth group was injected with L-carnitine (200 mg/kg, i.p.) for 10 consecutive days and the sixth group was received doxorubicin (18 mg/kg) and L-carnitine (200 mg/kg). High cumulative dose of doxorubicin (18 mg/kg) significantly increase the biochemical levels of alanine transaminase , alkaline phosphatase, total bilirubin, total carnitine, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARs), total nitrate/nitrite (NOx) p < 0.05 and decrease in glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx), glutathione-s-transferase (GST),glutathione reductase (GR) and catalase (CAT) activity p < 0.05. The effect of doxorubicin on the activity of antioxidant genes was confirmed by real time PCR in which the expression levels of these genes in liver tissue were significantly decrease compared to control p < 0.05. Interestingly, L-carnitine supplementation completely reverse the biochemical and gene expression levels induced by doxorubicin to the control values. In conclusion, data from this study suggest that the reduction of antioxidant defense during doxorubicin administration resulted in hepatic injury could be prevented by L-carnitine supplementation by decreasing the oxidative stress and preserving both the activity and gene expression level of antioxidant enzymes.

A series of W-type hexaferrite samples with composition Ba 1-yLayZn0.5Mg0.5CoFe 16O27; 0≤y≤0.07 were prepared using the solid state reaction to investigate their magnetic properties, AC and DC electrical conductivity and thermoelectric power as a function of composition and temperature. The X-ray diffraction was studied to identify the formation of the sample properly. Increasing of (a) and decreasing of (c) lattice parameters leads to a constant volume. The data of ac conductivity showed an increase with both temperature and frequency, and it becomes slightly independent of frequency at higher temperature, also the conduction mechanism depends on an La concentration. The results of the charge carrier mobility suggested that the hopping conduction mechanism of holes due to replacement of La3 rare earth ions on the expense of Ba2 ions is the predominant one. The transition temperature decreases with increasing La content. The values of dc electrical conductivity σdc at room temperature ranged 4.85×10-63.82×10-6 (Ω-1 cm-1) and the values of the calculated activation energies E dc ranged 0.2150.137 eV. The highest values of dielectric constant, electrical conductivity and Curie temperature, also the smallest value of porosity and effective magnetic moment are found at y=0.05. The thermoelectric power coefficient showed that the majority of charge carriers are P-type, except at y=0.03, 0.04 and 0.05 negative charge carriers (electrons) takes place at high temperature region. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A series of W-type hexaferrite samples with composition Ba 1-yLayZn0.5Mg0.5CoFe 16O27; 0≤y≤0.07 were prepared using the solid state reaction to investigate their magnetic properties, AC and DC electrical conductivity and thermoelectric power as a function of composition and temperature. The X-ray diffraction was studied to identify the formation of the sample properly. Increasing of (a) and decreasing of (c) lattice parameters leads to a constant volume. The data of ac conductivity showed an increase with both temperature and frequency, and it becomes slightly independent of frequency at higher temperature, also the conduction mechanism depends on an La concentration. The results of the charge carrier mobility suggested that the hopping conduction mechanism of holes due to replacement of La3 rare earth ions on the expense of Ba2 ions is the predominant one. The transition temperature decreases with increasing La content. The values of dc electrical conductivity σdc at room temperature ranged 4.85×10-63.82×10-6 (Ω-1 cm-1) and the values of the calculated activation energies E dc ranged 0.2150.137 eV. The highest values of dielectric constant, electrical conductivity and Curie temperature, also the smallest value of porosity and effective magnetic moment are found at y=0.05. The thermoelectric power coefficient showed that the majority of charge carriers are P-type, except at y=0.03, 0.04 and 0.05 negative charge carriers (electrons) takes place at high temperature region. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A series of W-type hexaferrite samples with composition Ba 1-yLayZn0.5Mg0.5CoFe 16O27; 0≤y≤0.07 were prepared using the solid state reaction to investigate their magnetic properties, AC and DC electrical conductivity and thermoelectric power as a function of composition and temperature. The X-ray diffraction was studied to identify the formation of the sample properly. Increasing of (a) and decreasing of (c) lattice parameters leads to a constant volume. The data of ac conductivity showed an increase with both temperature and frequency, and it becomes slightly independent of frequency at higher temperature, also the conduction mechanism depends on an La concentration. The results of the charge carrier mobility suggested that the hopping conduction mechanism of holes due to replacement of La3 rare earth ions on the expense of Ba2 ions is the predominant one. The transition temperature decreases with increasing La content. The values of dc electrical conductivity σdc at room temperature ranged 4.85×10-63.82×10-6 (Ω-1 cm-1) and the values of the calculated activation energies E dc ranged 0.2150.137 eV. The highest values of dielectric constant, electrical conductivity and Curie temperature, also the smallest value of porosity and effective magnetic moment are found at y=0.05. The thermoelectric power coefficient showed that the majority of charge carriers are P-type, except at y=0.03, 0.04 and 0.05 negative charge carriers (electrons) takes place at high temperature region. © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Accurate assessment of liver iron concentration (LIC) is critical for optimal monitoring of iron toxicity in multitransfused patients. Serum ferritin is the most widely used although its association to LIC is only modest. We studied if a liver-specific measure using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) systems could improve LIC estimates over ferritin alone in Thalassemia (Thal) patients. Thirty-seven patients with Thal (19.2 ± 9.0 yr, 20 male) were studied and 10 had multiple visits. Height, weight, ferritin, whole-body DXA, and hepatic superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) were measured within 5 wk. DXA hepatic density was measured using right rib, whole liver, and multiple subliver regions. The best agreement to SQUID LIC was found using a combination of ferritin, weight, DXA subliver region 3 bone mineral content (BMC), and right rib BMC. DXA with ferritin improved the ferritin alone correlation from R(2)=0.35 to R(2)=0.62. Serial LIC changes using DXA were associated with serial SQUID changes (r=0.73, p=0.02). Changes in ferritin alone were not significant (p=0.06). We conclude that the addition of whole-body DXA measures and body weight substantially increased the accuracy of LIC and change in LIC estimates over the use of ferritin alone and could be useful when magnetic resonance imaging or SQUID is not available.