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Background: To evaluate the benefit of second-line chemotherapy with platinum-based treatment in patients with recurrent small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Patients and methods: A total of 535 patients continued with follow-up or best supportive care if needed, and 229 patients who progressed after the completion of first-line chemotherapy were treated with second-line chemotherapy at the time of progression. In total, 103/229 patients received paclitaxel 190 mg/m² and carboplatin 5.5 area under the curve while 126/229 patients received etoposide 200 mg/m² and carboplatin 5.5 area under the curve every 28 days. Results: Patients administered second-line chemotherapy lived significantly longer, with a median survival of 422 days compared to 228 days in patients with best supportive care alone (P<0.001). Patients who received paclitaxel as second-line chemotherapy lived for an average of 462 days (95% confidence interval: 409-514), versus 405 days in the etoposide group (95% confidence interval: 371-438), which was not statistically significant (P=0.086). The overall response rate was 8% for the paclitaxel group and 6% for the etoposide group. Patients with progression of the disease in more than 3 months had significantly better survival compared with those that progressed in less than 3 months (P<0.001). Conclusion: Continuation with carboplatin/paclitaxel or carboplatin/etoposide as second-line chemotherapy has no significant survival impact, and it did not improve response rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitric oxide (NO) is a marker of airway inflammation and indirectly a general indicator of inflammation and oxidative stress. NO is a contributing factor in lung cancer at an early stage and also after chemotherapy treatment of lung cancer. We studied whether exhaled NO levels were altered by three cycles of chemotherapy at diagnosis and after chemotherapy, and whether, directly or indirectly, these changes were related to the course of disease. Also, a correlation of NO levels with other markers of inflammation was performed. We studied 42 patients diagnosed early: 26 men and 16 women with lung cancer. We analyzed blood tests for control of inflammatory markers, functional pulmonary tests, and alveolar exhaled NO. We recorded a decrease in exhaled NO after three cycles of chemotherapy in all patients, regardless of histological type and stage: there were 42 patients with mean 9.8 NO after three cycles (average 7.7). Also, a strong correlation appeared between NO measurements before and after chemotherapy and C-reactive protein (P < 0.05, r = 0.42, before) and (P < 0.045, r = 0.64, after). NO alveolar measurement as an indicator of airway inflammation indicates response to chemotherapy in lung cancer. Also, the inflammatory process in lung cancer was confirmed and indicated response to chemotherapy through an index that is sensitive to inflammatory disease of the airways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract.  Given a finite subset of an additive group such as or , we are interested in efficient covering of by translates of , and efficient packing of translates of in . A set provides a covering if the translates with cover (i.e., their union is ), and the covering will be efficient if has small density in . On the other hand, a set will provide a packing if the translated sets with are mutually disjoint, and the packing is efficient if has large density. In the present part (I) we will derive some facts on these concepts when , and give estimates for the minimal covering densities and maximal packing densities of finite sets . In part (II) we will again deal with , and study the behaviour of such densities under linear transformations. In part (III) we will turn to . [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract. Subsets [script A], [script S] of an additive group G are complementary if [script A] + [script S] = G. When [script A] is of finite cardinality ∣[script A]∣, and G is ℤ or ℝ, we give sufficient conditions for the existence of a complementary set [script S] with "density" not much larger than 1/∣[script A]∣. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Let $f$ be a polynomial in one variable with integer coefficients, and $p$ a prime. A solution of the congruence $f(x) \equiv 0 (\text{mod} p)$ may branch out into several solutions modulo $p^{2}$, or it may be extended to just one solution, or it may not extend to any solution. Again, a solution modulo $p^{2}$ may or may not be extendable to solutions modulo $p^{3}$, etc. In this way one obtains the ``solution tree'' $T = T(f)$ of congruences modulo $p^{\lambda }$ for $\lambda = 1,2,\ldots $. We will deal with the following questions: What is the structure of such solution trees? How many ``isomorphism classes'' are there of trees $T(f)$ when $f$ ranges through polynomials of bounded degree and height? We will also give bounds for the number of solutions of congruences $f(x) \equiv 0 (\text{mod} p^{\lambda })$ in terms of $p, \lambda $ and the degree of $f$. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Ophthalmic complications are common in acute GCA. Do temporal artery ultrasound and clinical parameters correlate with the occurrence and severity of ophthalmic complications? Methods. The results of temporal artery ultrasound examinations are compared with the occurrence of anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy (AION), central retinal artery occlusion (CRAO), branch retinal artery occlusion (BRAO), diplopia and amaurosis fugax in 222 consecutive patients with newly diagnosed, active GCA. Results. Temporal artery ultrasound displayed vasculitic wall swelling (halo), stenoses and/or acute occlusions in 84% (58% in 67 large-vessel GCA patients and 95% in 155 patients without proximal arm vasculitis). Ophthalmic complications occurred in 64 (29%), AION in 30 (14%), CRAO in 7 (3%), BRAO in 2 (1%), amaurosis fugax in 16 (7%) and diplopia in 9 patients (4%). Ophthalmic complications were insignificantly more common if temporal artery ultrasound was positive (31 vs 17%; P = 0.11) as a greater number of patients without arm vasculitis showed eye involvement (34 vs 18%; P = 0.02). The number of pathological temporal artery segments, presence of stenoses or bilateral findings did not correlate with ophthalmic complications. Age  72 yrs at diagnosis correlated with a higher incidence of ophthalmic complications. Conclusion. Ophthalmic complications occurred less frequently if proximal arm vasculitis was present. Findings of temporal artery ultrasound did not correlate with eye complications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]