Leishmania infection in lagomorphs and minks in Greece

Greece is an endemic country for human and canine leishmaniosis. Studies about the role of lagomorphs and minks in the epidemiology of the diseases are, so far, limited. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of Leishmania infection in these animals, in different areas of the country. Samples from 393 domestic and wild rabbits, 90 hares and 200 minks were collected and examined by cytology (spleen imprints) and serology (ELISA), while spleen samples of 116, 56 and 95 of the rabbits, hares and minks, respectively, were examined by a PCR assay targeting the ITS1 region. For every animal examined a form was created, recording information like date, area, animal species, sex, etc. All imprint smears examined were negative, while serology revealed infection in 7.6% (C.I. 5.0-10.3%) rabbits, 6.7% (C.I. 1.5-11.8%) hares and 20% (C.I. 14.5-25.5%) minks. Infection was confirmed by molecular methods in 2.6% (C.I. 0.0-5.5%), 3.6% (C.I. 0.0-8.4%) and 2.1% (C.I. 0.0-5.0%) of the animals, respectively. The statistical analysis showed that minks are most likely to be seropositive and that in rabbits, the breeding method (i.e. homestead reared animals) was associated with infection. Because of the proximity of lagomorphs and minks to humans and dogs it is necessary to further elucidate their role in the epidemiology of leishmaniosis.

Evaluation of nasal patency: comparison of patient and clinician assessments with rhinomanometry

The correlation between the objective measurement of nasal resistance and nasal airflow sensation is usually regarded as poor. The aim of the study was to assess the relation between objective indices of nasal patency, as assessed by the occlusion method (RN) and the Youlten peak nasal inspiratory flow meter (PNIF), with subjective sensations of nasal blockade by either the patient or the clinician in groups of patients with rhinitis, asthma, rhinitis and asthma, nasal septal deformity and ill normal controls. We studied nasal airway patency in 254 subjects (37 women, 217 men), mean age 21 years (range 14-78) by RN and PNIF. Nasal resistance was also measured by the application of Ohm's law for parallel resistors (NRO) by estimating the unilateral resistance separately. Subjective sensation of nasal blockade was assessed either by the patient on a 10-point Borg scale (SUB), or the clinician (CLN) on a 6-point scale (3 for each side of the nose). The latter was done in a controlled fashion with the aid of reference sensations. Adjusting for age, height, smoking status and airway calibre, we found good correlation between RN and CLN (r=0.57, p=10(-4)), whereas the association between RN and SUB was moderate and of borderline significance (r=0.42. p=0.05). By logistic regression analysis, we found that the only independent predictors of abnormal nasal resistance at a cut-off value of 0.30 kPa/l/s were the nasal scores as assessed by the clinician (r-=0.26, odds=2.45). We conclude that PNIF measurement and SUB scores are of limited use as indices of nasal patency, although the latter showed an improved association in comparison to older studies. As there is a necessity for some sort of objective measurement to assess nasal patency, the described clinician evaluation may be clinically useful in place of PNIF, but due to its somewhat subjective nature and its inability to detect milder levels of nasal obstruction it cannot be recommended as an alternative to rhinomanometry.

Induction chemotherapy with cisplatinum, 5-fluorouracil, bleomycin, mitomycin C and hydroxyurea for previously untreated locally advanced squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck

Fifty-three patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN) were treated with a combined modality treatment consisting of three cycles of induction chemotherapy before definitive surgery and/or radiotherapy. Two additional cycles of the same chemotherapy were given after local-regional therapy. The chemotherapeutic regimen included cisplatinum 100 mg/m2 on day 1, 5-fluorouracil 1000 mg/m2 as a continuous infusion on days 2-6, bleomycin 15 units i.m. on days 15 and 29, mitomycin C 4 mg/m2 i.v. on day 22 and hydroxyurea 1000 mg/m2 p.o. on days 23-27. Each cycle was repeated every 42 days. Forty-nine patients are evaluable for response. There were 37 men and 12 women, with a median age of 58 years (range 18-75 years) and performance status of 80 (range 40-90). Sixteen patients (33%) demonstrated a complete response, 20 (41%) a partial response, yielding a 74% response rate to induction chemotherapy; 12 (24%) patients had stable disease and 1 (2%) progressive disease. The actuarial survival of those patients who completed the whole treatment program was 65% at 2 years and 47% at 3 years. Toxicities included nausea and vomiting (66%). anemia (34%), leukocytopenia (54%), thrombocytopenia (22%), stomatitis (36%), diarrhea (10%), alopecia (78%), hear impairment (4%) and transient creatinine elevation (2%). The results of the present study showed that induction chemotherapy with the above regimen produced a high rate of complete responses and can be safely combined with local-regional therapy to improve local tumor control and increase disease-free survival in patients with locally advanced SCCHN.