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4684 Background: Androgen ablation has been the cornerstone of treatment for patients (pts) with androgen-dependent prostate cancer (ADPC) who relapsed after initial local therapies. IM862, a natur...

8097 Background: The aims of this study are to validate a symptom inventory in patients with HNC for reliability in identifying the occurrence and severity of symptoms, and overall symptom burden. ...

Purpose: To quantify the effect of the curvature of flexible applicators on the dose distribution in high‐dose‐rate intraoperative radiation therapy (HDR‐IORT). Method and Materials:Treatment planning was performed with flat Harrison‐Anderson‐Mick applicators using 192 Ir as the radioactive source, and dwell times were optimized using dose‐pointoptimization techniques. These optimized dwell times were then used for the curved applicators, and the dose distributions that would actually be delivered to patients were determined. Shallow, moderate, and steep curvatures were considered. The discrepancies in dose distribution resulting from the applicator's curvature were quantified, and the regions receiving significant underdoses or overdoses were identified. Results: The dose directly below the central catheter was strongly dependent on the curvature of the applicator. Steep parabolic curves caused underdoses as large as 19% at the prescribed depth of 1 cm normal to the convex side of the applicator surface. The rate of dose reduction with increasing distance from the applicator surface was also greatly affected by applicator curvature. The local dose distribution was not greatly affected by the number of catheters. On the concave side of the applicator, curvature pushed the isodose curves from the applicator surface, causing overdosing. Data from these experiments could be used to create a simple library of treatment plans for curved geometries to complement existing libraries for flat applicators. Conclusion: The curvature of the applicator profoundly affects dosimetry and can be exploited to optimize coverage of the target during HDR‐IORT procedures. To ensure accurate dosedelivery, these dose perturbations must be accounted for in the planning process. We recommend maintaining a dosimetry atlas of various applicator sizes and curvatures in addition to one for flat applicators.

Welding is widely used in engineering structural components and residual stress almost always exists in vicinal welds. In most cases, residual stress impairs the reliability and service life of the welded structure. Therefore, the investigation of residual stress is key to determining the quality of the welding technique. In this paper, a novel method of evaluating residual stress based on the magnetostrictive technique is proposed. Investigations with cruciform specimens and by the hole-drilling method were carried out in order to clarify the reliability of this new method. These results show that the magnetostrictive technique provides accuracy matching that of the hole-drilling method without damage. At the same time, it is more economical compared with the ultrasonic, X-ray, and neutron diffraction methods. Therefore, it is suitable for practical engineering applications. Finally, the results of a practical application are given.

2616 Background: Patients with multiple myeloma (MM) who undergo auto-BMT develop numerous symptoms, including pain, fatigue, poor appetite, and disturbed sleep, at the nadir of transplantation. IL-6 plays a role in disease progression in MM. This pilot study prospectively assessed the relationship between changes in IL-6 and the severity of symptoms during the acute phase of auto-BMT. Methods: The M. D. Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI) was used to assess symptoms in 18 patients before and during the first 30 days post-transplantation. IL-6 was assayed pre-transplantation, at nadir, and at 30 days post-BMT. Results: Serum levels of IL-6 in MM patients were elevated before the BMT compared to non-cancer normal controls. IL-6 levels approximately tripled at nadir and returned almost to baseline level at 30 days. Symptom severity showed a similar increase, almost tripling at nadir and returning to near baseline by day 30. Conclusions: There appears to be a relationship between increased symptom severity an...

4607 Background: IFN has modest clinical efficacy in RCC but its optimal dose/schedule have not been determined. In vivo, low doses of IFN, given twice daily (bid), produce more potent anti-angiogenic effect and superior anti-tumor activity than higher doses given less frequently. Methods: We conducted a phase III trial to evaluate the progression-free survival (PFS), response rate (RR), toxicity and quality of life (QOL) in patients (pts) with RCC. All pts were stratified into favorable, intermediate or poor-risk groups [Motzer, JCO 17(8): 2530–40, 1999] and were randomized to receive IFN at 0.5 million units (MU) subcutaneously (sc) bid (LD2), or 5 MU sc daily (ID1). Pts completed measures of QOL (FACT-BRM) and depression (CES-D) at baseline and 8 wks after the start of IFN. Results: Of a planned accrual of 120 pts (60 per arm), results are reported for 108 pts (55 received LD2and 53 received ID1). Overall median PFS was 3.4 mos (95% C.I., 2.0–4.0). For LD2 and ID1,median PFS was 3.6 and 2.9 mos, respec...

4625 Background: In a clinical trial in men with PCa and bone metastases (Proc Am Soc Clin Oncol 2003; 22:410), monotherapy with the PDGFR inhibitor, imatinib mesylate, for 30 days, led to decreases in alkaline phosphatase (AlkP), but not a significant decline in PSA. Nevertheless, patients with any decrease in AlkP had a higher likelihood of subsequent 50% decline in PSA with subsequent combination imatinib and docetaxel therapy, as compared to patients with any increase in AlkP. Goals: To investigate whether 1) Osteoblast (OB) proliferation in PCa is regulated by PDGF and 2) effective inhibition of OBs results in enhanced therapeutic efficacy with cytotoxic therapy in PCa. Methods: 1) PDGFR immunohistochemistry in bone marrow biopsies from PCa bone metastases 2) In a co-culture model of MDA-PCa2b cells and OBs, which results in induction of OB proliferation, the effects of imatinib, alone and in combination with docetaxel therapy were studied. Results: OBs from PCa bone metastases stain positively for P...

The heat transfer in the boundary layer region of a circular free jet impinging on a flat solid surface with non-uniform wall temperature or wall heat flux is investigated analytically. The flow is laminar, incompressible and steady. The analysis begins with obtaining the solution to the problem with a step change in wall temperature or wall heat flux. The solution to the corresponding problem with arbitrary wall temperature or wall heat flux is obtained by superposition. This solution is then matched with that for the stagnation region obtained in the first part of this study so that the Nusselt number throughout the stagnation region and the boundary layer region is obtained. The results indicate that the Nusselt number for increasing wall temperature or wall heat flux can be considerably higher than that for constant wall temperature or wall heat flux outside the stagnation region. For the special case of constant wall temperature, the result is in good agreement with the integral solution ofChaudhury.

The serum vitamin A (VA) and retinol body pool response (RBPR) were studied in 28 cases of retinitis pigmentosa (RP), in comparison to 7 unaffected RP family members and 10 normal individuals. Serum VA was found to be normal in all 3 groups, with no significant difference between any 2 groups. The RBPR was also normal in all 3 groups, but the RBPR of the RP patients and their unaffected family members were significantly higher than the normal respectively (P less than 0.001), suggesting that the pigment epithelium or rod photoreceptor of the former groups were deficient in VA, whether from disturbed utilization or abnormalities in their retinol-binding protein, that abnormally high feedback stimuli were sent out calling for a VA supply to the target site with less retention in the liver.

We identified relaxin in human male prostate by use of an anti-human relaxin analogue polyclonal antibody and the avidin-biotin-immunoperoxidase method. The antibody was obtained by immunizing a rabbit with a synthetic human relaxin analogue which has 95% sequence homology with native human relaxin. Human prostate tissues incubated with the anti-human relaxin analogue exhibited positive immunostaining up to an antibody dilution of 1:3200. Inhibition of immunostaining with this antibody by excess relaxin analogue demonstrated specificity of the antibody. The exact role of relaxin in human male reproductive physiology remains to be fully elucidated.

The air in a factory producing N,N' methylene-bis-(2-amino-1,3,4-thiadiazole) (MATDA) and water in a nearby river were often polluted by the intermediate and finished product. The levels of MATDA in the air, soil, and river water were 0.1-0.8 mg/m3, 6-2 650 mg/kg, and 0.5-2 mg/kg, respectively. Seventy-nine workers engaged in MATDA production were observed; 44% of them suffered from contact dermatitis; and 72% showed changes of pigment in the skin (versus 2 and 16%, respectively, for the referents). All of the exposed workers had experienced dermatitis at some time. For 218 pupils of a primary school in the neighborhood of the factory, the incidence of hypopigmentation and pigmentation of the skin was 14 and 72%, respectively, but in the reference group the corresponding incidence rates were 0 and 20%. Pigment changes of workers' children increased with the duration of residence in the neighborhood of the factory. The results of the survey led to a change in the formulation of the product from a powder to an emulsion. Improved technology was also initiated which allowed most of the waste to be reused in the processing. After these control measures the dermatitis of the workers was greatly reduced.

Of the 166 patients receiving autogenous mandibular bone grafts during 1972-1987, 55 were used for repair of mandibular bone defect, 67 for correction of maxillofacial malformation and 44 for reconstruction of temporo-mandibular joint. Follow-up showed that 155 patients had satisfactory results after operation.

The bulb of Fritillaria ebeiensis var. purpurea G.D. Yu et P. Li (Liliaceae) are commercially available as the substitute for the principal Chinese traditional medicine "Beimu". This plant is easily cultivated, has high alkaloid content and conspicuous antitussive and expectorant effects. Seven C-nor-D-homo steroidal alkaloids (I-VII) were isolated from the bulb cultivated in Suizhou district, Hubei. I-IV have been identified as the known alkaloids peimine, peiminine, ebeinine and ebeinone on the basis of spectral data and by TLC and mixed mp comparison with authentic samples. The alkaloid VI, C27H43NO2, mp 186-188 degrees C, named ziebeimine, is a new alkaloid isolated from the title plant. The structure of VI has been established as 5 alpha, 14 alpha-cevanine-13, 17-dehydro-3 alpha, 6 beta-diol on the basis of its IR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and mass spectra. The structure of alkaloids V and VII is still under investigation.

In literature, the HBE has been displayed by application of the averaging method. In this paper, correlation analysis technique was used and the body-surface HBE was displayed in a special-purpose electronic computer. The correlation coefficients of the P-A, A-H, H-V intervals and the H-wave width of both methods are almost equivalent and one can be substituted by the other. Compared with the averaging method, the S/N ratio of the correlation method is greater and the residual noise is nearly absent. Furthermore, the effects of the integrating time T and delay time delta tau on the S/N ratio, the measuring resolution and the analytical time have been studied. Correlation analysis technique is a method based on the cybernetic and information theory. With this technique, by using correlation function, the dependence (auto-correlation function) of the value at one instant upon that of the other during the same random process, or the interdependence between sets of data from 2 random processes can be described. Up to the present, there has been no report on the activities of the ventricular conductive system with the S/N ratio smaller than 1, detected on the body surface by correlation analysis technique[1 - 3]. However, using this technique, the author successfully detected the body surface HBE with a special-purpose mini-computer in 1977.

In the recent years several research efforts have focused on the concept of time granularity and its applications. A first stream of research investigated the mathematical models behind the notion of granularity and the algorithms to manage temporal data based on those models. A second stream of research investigated symbolic formalisms providing a set of algebraic operators to define granularities in a compact and compositional way. However, only very limited manipulation algorithms have been proposed to operate directly on the algebraic representation making it unsuitable to use the symbolic formalisms in applications that need manipulation of granularities. This paper aims at filling the gap between the results from these two streams of research, by providing an efficient conversion from the algebraic representation to the equivalent low-level representation based on the mathematical models. In addition, the conversion returns a minimal representation in terms of period length. Our results have a major practical impact: users can more easily define arbitrary granularities in terms of algebraic operators, and then access granularity reasoning and other services operating efficiently on the equivalent, minimal low-level representation. As an example, we illustrate the application to temporal constraint reasoning with multiple granularities. From a technical point of view, we propose an hybrid algorithm that interleaves the conversion of calendar subexpressions into periodical sets with the minimization of the period length. The algorithm returns set-based granularity representations having minimal period length, which is the most relevant parameter for the performance of the considered reasoning services. Extensive experimental work supports the techniques used in the algorithm, and shows the efficiency and effectiveness of the algorithm.