The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between body mass index (BMI) and the prevalence of wheeze using nation-wide cross-sectional study in Korean children.
Total 50,200 children from 427 elementary schools were randomly selected according to residential areas (metropolitan, provincial, rural, and industrial areas) by the cluster sampling method. The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaires were used to measure the prevalence of wheeze.
Among 31,026 respondents, 25,322 were analyzed. BMI was classified into quartiles based on BMI-for-age percentile. In all residential areas, pets at home and visible mold or moisture were associated with an increased prevalence of wheeze in both genders. However, other living environment factors were not consistently associated among residential areas and gender. Among girls, lowest BMI was negatively associated with prevalence of wheeze and highest BMI was positively associated in all residential areas. In multilevel logistic regression analysis, environmental tobacco smoking exposure, pets at home, visible mold or moisture, and being in the lowest and highest BMI quartile were significantly associated with the prevalence of wheeze in both genders.
BMI has become an important risk factor for asthma symptoms among Korean children.
Radiation Therapy in the Prevention of Brain Metastases.
Curr Oncol Rep. 2011 Dec 2;
Authors: Bovi JA, White J
Abstract
Over 150,000 cancer patients will be diagnosed with brain metastases this year alone. Survival for those diagnosed with brain metastases remains poor despite multimodality management with surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. Preventative strategies to mitigate brain metastases have met with mixed results. In leukemia and small cell lung cancer there are defined roles for preventative radiation to be delivered, which can result in improved local control and survival. There is a less defined role for preventative radiation in locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer and budding interest for radiation prevention in breast cancer. The potential impact preventative cranial irradiation may have on neurocognitive function and quality of life needs to be considered prior to its administration.
PMID: 22134834 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Results of a Surgical Resection for Patients With Stage IV Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.
Clin Lung Cancer. 2011 Dec 2;
Authors: Hanagiri T, Takenaka M, Oka S, Shigematsu Y, Nagata Y, Shimokawa H, Uramoto H, Tanaka F
Abstract
PURPOSE: This study retrospectively investigated the clinical significance of surgical treatment for stage IV non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). SUBJECTS: There were 36 patients who underwent surgical resection for stage IV NSCLC between 1999 and 2008. RESULTS: The patients included 22 males and 14 females. All patients had either synchronous distant metastasis or pleural dissemination. The mean age of the patients was 65.8 years (range, 18 to 90 years). The histological types included 29 adenocarcinomas, 5 squamous-cell carcinomas and 2 large-cell carcinomas. The organs of metastasis were bone in 5 patients, brain in 4, adrenal gland in 4, axillary lymph nodes in 3, liver in 2, and 1 patient had a contralateral pulmonary metastasis. The number of metastases was one site in 13, two sites in 3, three sites in 1, and five sites in 2 patients. The patients with bone metastasis were treated with radiation, and the patients with brain metastasis underwent stereotaxic radiosurgery. The patients with either adrenal metastasis, axillary lymph node metastasis, or contralateral lung metastasis underwent surgical resection. Among the patients with distant metastasis, the 5-year survival rate was 30.1 %. There were 17 patients with pleural dissemination. The 5-year survival rate in these patients was 25.3%. The overall 5-year survival rate after surgery in the patients with stage IV disease was 26.8%. CONCLUSION: Selected patients who can undergo surgical resection for the primary tumor and effective local therapy for metastatic lesions still have a chance to obtain long-term survival. Surgical treatment for NSCLC with oligometastatic disease can be considered as one arm of multidisciplinary treatment.
PMID: 22138036 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
A Randomized Phase III Trial of Combined Paclitaxel, Carboplatin, and Radiation Therapy Followed by Weekly Paclitaxel or Observation for Patients With Locally Advanced Inoperable Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer.
Clin Lung Cancer. 2011 Dec 2;
Authors: Carter DL, Garfield D, Hathorn J, Mundis R, Boehm KA, Ilegbodu D, Asmar L, Reynolds C
Abstract
BACKGROUND: This study was designed to determine the efficacy and safety of additional maintenance chemotherapy after standard induction chemotherapy/radiation therapy (XRT) in stage III non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The primary objective was to increase 1-year survival. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eligible patients (N = 220) had confirmed stage IIIA or IIIB NSCLC, and an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0-1. Patients received induction chemotherapy (paclitaxel 200 mg/m(2) + carboplatin AUC = 6/3 weeks) for 2 cycles, followed by paclitaxel 45 mg/m(2) + carboplatin AUC = 2 weekly ×7 and concurrent daily XRT (cumulative dose = 66.6 Gy in 37 fractions) and then observation or maintenance. Before randomization, 101 patients (46%) discontinued treatment due to progressive disease (n = 34), toxicity (n = 33), patient request (n = 13), death (n = 7), or other (n = 14). The remaining 119 patients were randomly assigned to either "observation" or "maintenance" (6 cycles of paclitaxel 70 mg/m(2)/wk [3 weeks on/1 week off]); a median of 5 of 6 planned cycles was delivered in the maintenance arm. RESULTS: For the observation group vs. the maintenance group, the estimated 1- and 4-year survival rates were 77% vs. 66% and 38% vs. 17% (median, 26.9 months vs. 16.1 months, respectively [p = 0.07]); the estimated 1- and 4-year performance-free survival (PFS) were 46% vs. 24% and 25% vs. 13% (median, 10.2 months vs. 8.2 months, respectively [p = 0.04]). Common toxicities were neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, and fatigue. CONCLUSION: Median survival in both groups surpassed the standard, most notably the 26.9-month survival in the observation group. Maintenance chemotherapy, when added to a regimen of both induction and concurrent chemoradiotherapy, did not improve clinical outcomes, with endpoints favoring the standard arm.
PMID: 22138037 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]