Bringing Enhanced Recovery After Surgery to the NICU: An Implementation Trial

INTRODUCTION

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) guidelines are bundled evidence-informed recommendations implemented to improve quality and safety of perioperative care. This study aims to determine feasibility of NICU implementation of an ERAS Guideline for Intestinal Resection, describing clinical outcomes and adherence to recommendations following light-touch implementation.

METHODS

Infants <28 days undergoing laparotomy for intestinal resection in a closed-NICU were prospectively enrolled. Exclusion criteria included prematurity (<32wks), instability, or major comorbidity. Clinical data reflecting 13 ERAS recommendations were collected through chart review. Descriptive statistics are presented as median [interquartile range]. Thirty-day post-discharge outcomes include NICU and hospital length of stay (LOS), ventilator days, surgical site infection (SSI), re-intubation, readmission, reoperation, and mortality. Adherence was calculated as the percentage of patients eligible for each recommendation whose care was adherent.

RESULTS

Ten infant-parent dyads were enrolled (five females; GA 37 weeks [35, 38.8]; birthweight 2.97 kg [2.02, 3.69]). Surgical diagnoses included intestinal atresia/web (n = 6), anorectal malformation (n = 3), and segmental volvulus (n = 1). NICU LOS was 16 days [11, 21], hospital LOS 20 days [18, 30], and 2.5 ventilator days/patient [2, 3]. There was reduced opioid use, no SSIs, one re-intubation, three readmissions, three reoperations, and no mortalities. Adherence to ERAS recommendations ranged 0-100 % with a pooled adherence rate of 73 %.

CONCLUSION

It is feasible to introduce ERAS to the NICU with acceptable overall adherence. Assessing adherence was challenging for some measures. There were promising early clinical findings including a reduction in opioid use. This implementation trial will inform development of an ERAS protocol for surgical NICUs.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

IV (Cohort Study).

Development of an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Surgical Safety Checklist Through a Modified Delphi Process

IMPORTANCE

Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) guidelines and the World Health Organization Surgical Safety Checklist (SSC) are 2 well-established tools for optimizing patient outcomes perioperatively.

OBJECTIVE

To integrate the 2 tools to facilitate key perioperative decision-making.

EVIDENCE REVIEW

Snowball sampling recruited international ERAS users from multiple clinical specialties. A 3-round modified Delphi consensus model was used to evaluate 27 colorectal or gynecologic oncology ERAS recommendations for appropriateness to include in an ERAS SSC. Items attaining potential consensus (65%-69% agreement) or consensus (≥70% agreement) were used to develop ERAS-specific SSC prompts. These proposed prompts were evaluated in a second round by the panelists with regard to inclusion, modification, or exclusion. A final round of interactive discussion using quantitative consensus and qualitative comments was used to produce an ERAS-specific SSC. The panel of ERAS experts included surgeons, anesthesiologists, and nurses within diverse practice settings from 19 countries. Final analysis was conducted in May 2022.

FINDINGS

Round 1 was completed by 105 experts from 18 countries. Eleven ERAS components met criteria for development into an SSC prompt. Round 2 was completed by 88 experts. There was universal consensus (≥70% agreement) to include all 37 proposed prompts within the 3-part ERAS-specific SSC (used prior to induction of anesthesia, skin incision, and leaving the operating theater). A third round of qualitative comment review and expert discussion was used to produce a final ERAS-specific SSC that expands on the current WHO SSC to include discussion of analgesia strategies, nausea prevention, appropriate fasting, fluid management, anesthetic protocols, appropriate skin preparation, deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis, hypothermia prevention, use of foley catheters, and surgical access. The final products of this work included an ERAS-specific SSC ready for implementation and a set of recommendations to integrate ERAS elements into existing SSCs.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

The SSC could be modified to align with ERAS recommendations for patients undergoing major surgery within an ERAS protocol. The stakeholder- and expert-generated ERAS SSC could be adopted directly, or the recommendations for modification could be applied to an existing institutional SSC to facilitate implementation.

Rising Incidence of Childhood Intussusception in Ontario: A Population-Based Study From 1997-2016

BACKGROUND

Intussusception is the most common cause of bowel obstruction in children aged 3 months to 6 years of age. We sought to describe patterns of incident childhood intussusception.

METHODS

A retrospective longitudinal cohort study utilizing population-based health administrative data and a validated case definition was used to identify patients <18 years of age treated for intussusception between January 1, 1997 and December 31, 2016 in Ontario, Canada. Descriptive statistics, graphical analyses, and a Poisson regression model were performed for trend analysis.

RESULTS

The overall incidence of intussusception in Ontario children (<18 years) was 3.3 cases/100,000 child years (cyrs), 95% CI [3.2.3.5]. The overall incidence increased from .9 cases/100,000 cyrs to 2.3 cases/100,000 cyrs. The highest incidence was in children aged 6-12 months at 28.9 cases/100,000 cyrs, 95% CI [26.2.31.9]. Incidence increased in all age-groups between 6 months and 5 years (at a rate of 5% to 16% per year; all P < .05). Month of year did not predict intussusception counts in a log-linear Poisson models, nor did rotavirus immunization implementation in 2011. There was a 3-fold variability across geographic areas in the province. There was a high rate of readmission for recurrence within 1 year (10.7%).

CONCLUSION

The incidence of intussusception more than doubled in Ontario from 1997 to 2016. The incidence increased for children aged between 6 months and 5 years at a rate of 5-16% per year, suggesting that an increased rate of idiopathic intussusception is responsible for the increase in the province.

Disparities in the Management of Pediatric Breast Masses

INTRODUCTION

Disparities in surgical management have been documented across a range of disease processes. The objective of this study was to investigate sociodemographic disparities in young females undergoing excision of a breast mass.

METHODS

A retrospective study of females aged 10-21 y who underwent surgery for a breast lesion across eleven pediatric hospitals from 2011 to 2016 was performed. Differences in patient characteristics, workup, management, and pathology by race/ethnicity, insurance status, median neighborhood income, and urbanicity were evaluated with bivariate and multivariable regression analyses.

RESULTS

A total of 454 females were included, with a median age of 16 y interquartile range (IQR: 3). 44% of patients were nonHispanic (NH) Black, 40% were NH White, and 7% were Hispanic. 50% of patients had private insurance, 39% had public insurance, and 9% had other/unknown insurance status. Median neighborhood income was $49,974, and 88% of patients resided in a metropolitan area. NH Whites have 4.5 times the odds of undergoing preoperative fine needle aspiration or core needle biopsy compared to NH Blacks (CI: 2.0, 10.0). No differences in time to surgery from the initial imaging study, size of the lesion, or pathology were observed on multivariable analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

We found no significant differences by race/ethnicity, insurance status, household income, or urbanicity in the time to surgery after the initial imaging study. The only significant disparity noted on multivariable analysis was NH White patients were more likely to undergo preoperative biopsy than were NH Black patients; however, the utility of biopsy in pediatric breast masses is not well established.

Mortality from gastrointestinal congenital anomalies at 264 hospitals in 74 low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries: a multicentre, international, prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND

Congenital anomalies are the fifth leading cause of mortality in children younger than 5 years globally. Many gastrointestinal congenital anomalies are fatal without timely access to neonatal surgical care, but few studies have been done on these conditions in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). We compared outcomes of the seven most common gastrointestinal congenital anomalies in low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries globally, and identified factors associated with mortality.

METHODS

We did a multicentre, international prospective cohort study of patients younger than 16 years, presenting to hospital for the first time with oesophageal atresia, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, intestinal atresia, gastroschisis, exomphalos, anorectal malformation, and Hirschsprung's disease. Recruitment was of consecutive patients for a minimum of 1 month between October, 2018, and April, 2019. We collected data on patient demographics, clinical status, interventions, and outcomes using the REDCap platform. Patients were followed up for 30 days after primary intervention, or 30 days after admission if they did not receive an intervention. The primary outcome was all-cause, in-hospital mortality for all conditions combined and each condition individually, stratified by country income status. We did a complete case analysis.

FINDINGS

We included 3849 patients with 3975 study conditions (560 with oesophageal atresia, 448 with congenital diaphragmatic hernia, 681 with intestinal atresia, 453 with gastroschisis, 325 with exomphalos, 991 with anorectal malformation, and 517 with Hirschsprung's disease) from 264 hospitals (89 in high-income countries, 166 in middle-income countries, and nine in low-income countries) in 74 countries. Of the 3849 patients, 2231 (58·0%) were male. Median gestational age at birth was 38 weeks (IQR 36-39) and median bodyweight at presentation was 2·8 kg (2·3-3·3). Mortality among all patients was 37 (39·8%) of 93 in low-income countries, 583 (20·4%) of 2860 in middle-income countries, and 50 (5·6%) of 896 in high-income countries (p<0·0001 between all country income groups). Gastroschisis had the greatest difference in mortality between country income strata (nine [90·0%] of ten in low-income countries, 97 [31·9%] of 304 in middle-income countries, and two [1·4%] of 139 in high-income countries; p≤0·0001 between all country income groups). Factors significantly associated with higher mortality for all patients combined included country income status (low-income vs high-income countries, risk ratio 2·78 [95% CI 1·88-4·11], p<0·0001; middle-income vs high-income countries, 2·11 [1·59-2·79], p<0·0001), sepsis at presentation (1·20 [1·04-1·40], p=0·016), higher American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) score at primary intervention (ASA 4-5 vs ASA 1-2, 1·82 [1·40-2·35], p<0·0001; ASA 3 vs ASA 1-2, 1·58, [1·30-1·92], p<0·0001]), surgical safety checklist not used (1·39 [1·02-1·90], p=0·035), and ventilation or parenteral nutrition unavailable when needed (ventilation 1·96, [1·41-2·71], p=0·0001; parenteral nutrition 1·35, [1·05-1·74], p=0·018). Administration of parenteral nutrition (0·61, [0·47-0·79], p=0·0002) and use of a peripherally inserted central catheter (0·65 [0·50-0·86], p=0·0024) or percutaneous central line (0·69 [0·48-1·00], p=0·049) were associated with lower mortality.

INTERPRETATION

Unacceptable differences in mortality exist for gastrointestinal congenital anomalies between low-income, middle-income, and high-income countries. Improving access to quality neonatal surgical care in LMICs will be vital to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3.2 of ending preventable deaths in neonates and children younger than 5 years by 2030.

FUNDING

Wellcome Trust.

Work-Related Factors and Pregnancy Outcomes in Female Surgeons

Objective

To describe work-related factors, pregnancy, and pregnancy outcomes in female surgeons is the objective of this study.

Background

Some data suggest surgeon workload may deter pregnancy and adversely affect pregnancy outcomes in female surgeons.

Methods

A cross-sectional, web-based survey was distributed via e-mail to members of the Society of Obstetrics and Gynaecologists of Canada and to surgical departments of 6 Canadian universities from October 2019 to January 2020.

Results

A total of 223 surgeons with 451 pregnancies participated. Work hours were reduced in 33.3% of pregnancies, and 28.0% had a policy for pregnancy in their workplace. A total of 57% of surgeons intentionally delayed pregnancy due to heavy workload and 39% to career concerns, and 31% reported work adversely affected their pregnancy. Adverse maternal outcomes included miscarriage (14.9%), preterm labor (6.2%), hypertension (5.5%), pre-eclampsia (2.9%), and placenta praevia (1.3%). Adverse infant outcomes included preterm birth (6.9%), small for gestational age at birth (6.9%), and neonatal intensive care unit admission (4%). Congenital anomalies occurred in 4.2% of pregnancies. Surgeons who reported a policy for working while pregnant were more likely to have reduced their work hours than those without a policy (48.4% vs 28.5% respectively, P < 0.0001). In unadjusted models, those who reduced their work hours while pregnant were less likely to have a miscarriage than those who did not (odds ratio = 0.2, 95% confidence interval, 0.1-0.4).

Conclusions

Female surgeons reported delays in pregnancy due to work, adverse effects of work on pregnancy, and some elevated rates of adverse outcomes. These data support policies for pregnancy in surgeons and surgical trainees.

Use of cryoanalgesia for pain management for the modified ravitch procedure in children

BACKGROUND

Intercostal cryoablation(IC) for pain management in children undergoing Nuss Procedure has been previously described. We evaluated postoperative outcomes following Modified Ravitch procedure for pectus disorders comparing IC to thoracic epidural(TE).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Single-center retrospective review of pediatric patients (age < 21) undergoing Modified Ravitch procedure (January 2015-March 2019) with either IC(9), or TE(20) analgesia. Primary outcome was length of stay (LOS) and secondary outcomes were inpatient opioid use (in oral morphine equivalents per kilogram; OME/kg), pain scores on each postoperative day (POD), discharge prescriptions, and complications. Pairwise comparisons made with Mann-Whitney U test or Fisher Exact test as appropriate. Two-tailed p values <0.05 were considered significant.

RESULTS

Patient characteristics were similar. LOS was shorter with IC compared to TE (4 days versus 6; p < 0.006). Postoperative opioid use was not significantly different (IC: 1.5 OME/kg versus TE: 1.1; p = 0.10). There was improved pain control on POD 2 in patients who underwent IC (median pain score 3 versus 4; p < 0.0004). There was no difference in discharge prescription (IC: 3.3 OME/kg; TE: 4.8; p = 0.19) or complication rate (IC: 55.6%, TE:50%; p = 1.0).

CONCLUSIONS

IC during the Modified Ravitch reduced LOS compared to TE with improved pain control starting on POD 2, with similar narcotic utilization and complication rates.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Treatment Study, Level III (Retrospective comparative study).

Safety of delayed decannulation of venoarterial cannulas in patients with congenital diaphragmatic hernia

BACKGROUND

The practice of "cutting-away" from venoarterial extracorporeal life support (ECLS) and leaving indwelling heparinized cannulas prior to decannulation is controversial. This study aims to determine the safety and efficacy of this strategy in patients with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) who require ECLS.

METHODS

A single-center retrospective review of electronic health records was performed on all patients with CDH who underwent elective ECLS decannulation between January 2014 and September 2018. Descriptive statistics are presented as medians with interquartile range.

RESULTS

Seventy-three percent (19/26) of patients who underwent venoarterial ECLS for CDH were electively decannulated. After a median ECLS run of 10.7 days [6.1-19.5], patients were "cut-away" for a median of 26 h [19.8-43] prior to decannulation. One patient required re-initiation at 36 h for a pulmonary hypertensive crisis (5%). There were no major bleeding or embolic events while "cut-away", and four (21%) patients had clots removed from the cannulas without clinical sequelae. One patient was recannulated 16 days following initial decannulation.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data suggests that "cutting-away" from ECLS in patients with congenital diaphragmatic hernia is safe and allows a period of observation without significant complications. This strategy may be particularly helpful in patients at risk for recannulation, but better prognostic criteria are needed.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level IV.

TYPE OF STUDY

Treatment Study.

Noncardiac surgery in the congenital heart patient

More children with congenital heart disease are surviving and require noncardiac surgery. A high-yield summary of congenital heart anatomy and pathophysiology is presented to contextualize these patients for surgeons. Preoperative planning including risk stratification, anesthetic management and timing of elective surgery are discussed. Specific intraoperative considerations for particular cases, such as the use of laparoscopy and thoracic surgery, are reviewed. Postoperative outcomes and recommended management required to mitigate complications are summarized.

Quantifying delays and self-identified barriers to timely access to pediatric surgery at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital, Uganda

PURPOSE

Favorable surgical outcomes depend on timely access to care. This study quantifies these delays and explores caregiver barriers to access in a Ugandan facility.

METHODS

An interviewer-facilitated survey was administered over 8months to consecutive pediatric surgical families at Mbarara Regional Referral Hospital (MRRH). Delays were classified using the Three Delays Model: care-seeking, arrival at health facility, and from surgical consultation to surgery. Barriers at each stage were explored with caregivers.

RESULTS

The survey included 174 patients. Family members were first to recognize disease in 90%, but only 14% sought medical attention immediately. Delays in seeking care predominated (median 30days), mostly attributed to home treatments (51%) and other responsibilities (28%). After referral decision, 80% of caregivers brought their child to MRRH immediately (median time to arrival <24h). Upon MRRH arrival, 57% of patients were assessed the same day, and time to surgery was relatively short (median 4days). Despite free under-5 care, out-of-pocket payments (between $1-42 USD) were reported by 64%.

CONCLUSIONS

Care-seeking delays dominate access to pediatric surgical care in Uganda, and cost remains a significant barrier. Primary provider education and advocacy for increased resources would be useful interventions to improve timeliness of pediatric surgical care.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level II.

Encapsulation of a [Dy(OH2)8]3+ cation: magneto-optical and theoretical studies of a caged, emissive SMM

The magnetization dynamics of an emissive [Dy(OH₂)₈]³⁺ complex with local pseudo D_4d symmetry encapsulated within a supramolecular cage have been unraveled by magneto-optical and ab initio studies.

Extemporaneous compounding in veterinary practice: a New Zealand perspective

AIMS

The aims of this study were to explore the extent of extemporaneous compounding in veterinary centres throughout New Zealand and to determine whether pharmacists could collaborate with veterinarians to improve this service in New Zealand.

METHODS

Questionnaires were sent to 200 randomly selected veterinarians in New Zealand. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with selected participants from four animal facilities (zoos, research facilities and animal shelters) and two compounding pharmacies.

RESULTS

Of the 200 veterinarian questionnaire recipients, 99 responded. Ten replies were withdrawn from the study giving a response rate of 44.5%. Of these 89, 33 (37%) compounded in their practice. Of the 33 compounding professionals, 3 (9%) compounded daily for animals under their care; 11 (34%) weekly, 18 (54%) monthly and 1 (3%) compounded yearly. Compounding was done by 29/33 (88%) veterinarians, 16/33 (48%) veterinary nurses or 6/33 (18%) others. It was carried out due to the unavailability of commercial products, or the need for dose adjustment to ease administration or improve compliance. The animals most commonly requiring veterinary compounding were dogs (21/33; 64%), cats (19/33; 58%) or cattle (15/33; 46%). Products which were commonly compounded included cyclosporin eye drops, methimazole gels and potassium bromide solutions. Issues commonly faced when compounding included unavailability of dosage forms (18/33; 55%) or appropriate ingredients (14/33; 42%), stability (12/33; 36%), time constraints (10/33; 30%) or unavailability of equipment (9/33; 27%). Reasons given for not compounding included medicines being commercially available (38/56; 68%), pharmacy compounding for those particular practices (24/56; 43%), lack of training (21/56; 38%), ingredients (16/56; 29%) or equipment (15/56; 11%). All participants who worked with a pharmacist (11/33; 33%) described this relationship as beneficial and indicated they would continue to do so in the future.

CONCLUSIONS

Veterinary extemporaneous compounding exists in New Zealand. As pharmacists have extensive knowledge in formulating medications and compounding they could be of greater value to veterinarians and their patients. Educating both professions on the opportunities available to them from this collaboration could be an important step forward.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

This study provides new information regarding extemporaneous compounding for veterinary patients in New Zealand.

Role of NFkappaB in an animal model of complex regional pain syndrome-type I (CRPS-I)

NFkappaB is involved in several pathogenic mechanisms that are believed to underlie the complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), including ischemia, inflammation and sensitization. Chronic postischemia pain (CPIP) has been developed as an animal model that mimics the symptoms of CRPS-I. The possible involvement of NFkappaB in CRPS-I was studied using CPIP rats. Under sodium pentobarbital anesthesia, a tourniquet was placed around the rat left ankle joint, producing 3 hours of ischemia, followed by rapid reperfusion (IR injury). NFkappaB was measured in nuclear extracts of muscle and spinal cord tissue using ELISA. Moreover, the anti-allodynic (mechanical and cold) effect was tested for systemic, intrathecal, or intraplantar treatment with the NFkappaB inhibitor pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC). At 2 and 48 hours after IR injury, NFkappaB was elevated in muscle and spinal cord of CPIP rats compared to shams. At 7 days, NFkappaB levels were normalized in muscle, but still elevated in spinal cord tissue. Systemic PDTC treatment relieved mechanical and cold allodynia in a dose-dependent manner, lasting for at least 3 hours. Intrathecal-but not intraplantar-administration also relieved mechanical allodynia. The results suggest that muscle and spinal NFkappaB plays a role in the pathogenesis of CPIP and potentially of human CRPS.

PERSPECTIVE

Using the CPIP model, we demonstrate that NFkappaB is involved in the development of allodynia after a physical injury (ischemia and reperfusion) without direct nerve trauma. Since CPIP animals exhibit many features of human CRPS-I, this observation indicates a potential role for NFkappaB in human CRPS.

The underestimated Proterozoic component of the Canadian Cordillera accretionary margin

Analysis of several types of seismic and potential field geophysical data consistently indicate that the majority of the crust underlying the Canadian Cordillera and much of western Canada was originally Proterozoic sedimentary rocks shed off the Canadian Shield into rift or basin structures between 1.84 and 0.54 Ga. These variably metamorphosed strata were primarily quartz- and limestone‐rich sediments and thus have distinctive geophysical signatures because of their lower density, lower magnetization, and lower Poisson's ratio compared with more mafic rocks. The sediments formed a prograding wedge that has a distinctive, internally reflective, seismic stratigraphy. In the east, these Proterozoic sedimentary rocks thicken at a ‘hinge line’ defined by the margin of the pre-1.84 Ga crystalline basement of the Canadian Shield; previous work mapped this hinge line locally using deep reflection profiles and regionally using distinctive gravity gradients. Here we assemble previously published results of several geophysical methods to define the overall shape of the wedge along the margin and westward to where it pinches out at the modern Moho beneath the crustal collage of exotic and suspect terranes accreted onto North America during the Mesozoic. The volume of crust occupied by this wedge limits the thickness of most accreted terranes to several kilometres and suggests that deeper portions of the accreted blocks detached or underthrust the wedge during accretion and are no longer contiguous to crust exposed at the surface. This type Cenozoic accretionary orogen thus spent most of its prior geological history as a passive or extensional margin punctuated by only a few, brief convergent or accretionary events.

A phase I dose escalation study of BIBW 2992, an irreversible dual EGFR/HER2 receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, in patients with advanced solid tumours

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Background: BIBW 2992 is a novel, potent, orally bioavailable irreversible inhibitor of EGFR and HER2 receptor tyrosine kinases with IC50 values of 0.5 and 14 nM, respectively. Methods: Patients (pts) with advanced solid malignancies were enrolled. BIBW 2992 was given orally as a continuous once daily dose from 10 mg, doubled in successive cohorts until drug-related toxicity > grade 2, when escalation of no more than 50% was allowed. All pts had pharmacokinetic sampling and pre- and post-treatment skin biopsies. DNA sequencing of tumour cell EGFR and HER2 was performed on pts achieving objective response. Results: Twenty-six pts were treated (14 M/11 F). Median age: 53 (range: 30–68). ECOG PS 0/1: 7/19. 19 pts completing ≥ 28 days were evaluable for adverse events (AEs). Three dose-limiting toxicities (DLT) were seen. One pt with HER2+ breast cancer who had previously received trastuzumab and lapatinib treated at 30 mg of BIBW 2992 developed dyspnoea with radiological interstitial changes, which fully recovered on drug discontinuation. The 2 other DLTs were grade 3 acneiform skin rash, at doses of 40 mg and 50 mg daily. AEs resolved on drug discontinuation and the pts were dose reduced to 30 mg and 40 mg, respectively. The 50 mg dose level is being expanded. One pt treated at 50mg developed grade 3 diarrhoea in cycle 2 and was dose reduced to 40mg with resolution of the AE. Other AEs were mild (CTCAE v3 grade 1 or 2); nausea, diarrhoea, mucositis and fatigue. Two female pts with lung adenocarcinoma treated with 10 mg and 40 mg daily had confirmed partial responses (PR) and remain on study after 14 and 5 months, respectively. The pt with PR at 10mg has a complex heterozygous EGFR mutation in tumour cells, including a deletion and missense mutations of 4-amino acids (WT: KELREATSPKANKEILD; Patient: KEP—-SPRANKEILD) in the kinase domain, but a wildtype HER2 domain. One pt with cervical and one pt with colorectal cancer had stabilization of disease and tumour markers for 6 and 4 months, respectively. Conclusions: BIBW 2992 shows promising activity with skin rash as the main AE. Maintained PR seen in lung adenocarcinoma indicates effective mutated EGFR kinase modulation at the lowest evaluated dose level. Exploration of BIBW 2992 in Phase II is warranted.

[Table: see text]

The utilization of classical spin Monte Carlo methods to simulate the magnetic behavior of extended three-dimensional cubic networks incorporating M(II) ions with an S = 5/2 ground state spin

The numerical simulations of the magnetic properties of extended three-dimensional networks containing M(II) ions with an S = 5/2 ground-state spin have been carried out within the framework of the isotropic Heisenberg model. Analytical expressions fitting the numerical simulations for the primitive cubic, diamond, together with (10-3) cubic networks have all been derived. With these empirical formulas in hands, we can now extract the interaction between the magnetic ions from the experimental data for these networks. In the case of the primitive cubic network, these expressions are directly compared with those from the high-temperature expansions of the partition function. A fit of the experimental data for three complexes, namely [(N(CH(3))(4)][Mn(N(3))] 1, [Mn(CN(4))](n)() 2, and [Fe(II)(bipy)(3)][Mn(II)(2)(ox)(3)] 3, has been carried out. The best fits were those obtained using the following parameters, J = -3.5 cm(-)(1), g = 2.01 (1); J = -8.3 cm(-)(1), g = 1.95 (2); and J = -2.0 cm(-)(1), g = 1.95 (3).