No abstract

Rhenium-186 hydroxyethylidene diphosphonate 0S6Re-HEDP) has been used for the palliative treatment of metastatic bone pain. A phase 1 dose escalation study was performed using lS6Re-HEDR Twenty-four patients with hormone-resistant prostate cancer entered the study. Each patient had at least four bone metastases and adequate haematological function. Groups of at least three consecutive patients were treated with doses starting at 1295 MBq and increasing to 3515 MBq (escalated in increments of 555 MBq). Thrombocytopenia proved to be the dose-limiting toxicity, while leucopenia played a minor role. Early death occurred in one patient (10 days after administration) without clear relationship to the ~86Re-HEDP therapy. Transient neurological dysfunction was seen in two cases. Two patients who received 3515 MBq ]S6Re-HEDP showed grade 3 toxicity (thrombocytes 25-50 x 109/1), defined as unacceptable toxicity. After treatment alkaline phosphatase levels showed a transient decrease in all patients (mean: 26% _+ 10% IU/1; range: 11%-44%). Prostate-specific antigen values showed a decline in eight patients, preceded by a temporary increase in three patients. From this study we conclude that the maximally tolerated dose of lS6Re-HEDP is 2960 MBq. A placebo-controlled comparative study on the efficacy of 186Re-HEDP has been initiated.

Some children who bully others are also victimized themselves (“bully‐victims”) whereas others are not victimized themselves (“bullies”). These subgroups have been shown to differ in their social functioning as early as in kindergarten. What is less clear are the motives that underlie the bullying behavior of young bullies and bully‐victims. The present study examined whether bullies have proactive motives for aggression and anticipate to feel happy after victimizing others, whereas bully‐victims have reactive motives for aggression, poor theory of mind skills, and attribute hostile intent to others. This “distinct processes hypothesis” was contrasted with the “shared processes hypothesis,” predicting that bullies and bully‐victims do not differ on these psychological processes. Children (n = 283, age 4–9) were classified as bully, bully‐victim, or noninvolved using peer‐nominations. Theory of mind, hostile intent attributions, and happy victimizer emotions were assessed using standard vignettes and false‐belief tasks; reactive and proactive motives were assessed using teacher‐reports. We tested our hypotheses using Bayesian model selection, enabling us to directly compare the distinct processes model (predicting that bullies and bully‐victims deviate from noninvolved children on different psychological processes) against the shared processes model (predicting that bullies and bully‐victims deviate from noninvolved children on all psychological processes alike). Overall, the shared processes model received more support than the distinct processes model. These results suggest that in early childhood, bullies and bully‐victims have shared, rather than distinct psychological processes underlying their bullying behavior.

No abstract

Serum thyroglobulin (Tg) is usually the best marker of residual or metastatic disease after treatment of differentiated thyroid cancer. We evaluated the effect of so-called blind therapeutic doses of iodine-131 in patients with detectable Tg during suppressive levothyroxine treatment (Tg-on), and in patients with a negative diagnostic scintigram but detectable Tg during the hypothyroid phase (Tg-off). Twenty-two patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma underwent total thyroidectomy and radioiodine ablation. During the follow-up, six patients with detectable Tg-on and 16 patients with detectable Tg-off were identified. All patients were treated with a blind therapeutic dose of 7,400 MBq iodine-131. Diagnostic scintigrams were compared with post-treatment scintigrams. Tg-off was measured in 16 cases, 1 year after the administration of the blind therapeutic dose, at the time of the follow-up diagnostic scintigram. Six patients were followed up by Tg-on only. Post-therapy scintigrams revealed previously undiagnosed local recurrence or distant metastases in 13/22 cases (59%); the remaining nine post-therapy scintigrams were negative. At the time of the blind therapeutic doses, Tg-off values ranged from 8 to 608 microg/l. After 1 year of follow-up, Tg-off decreased in 14/16 (88%) patients. In all patients who were followed by Tg-on only (n=6), a decrease in Tg values was measured. It is concluded that blind therapeutic doses resulted in a decrease in Tg levels in the majority of patients with suspected recurrence or metastases. The post-treatment scintigrams revealed pathological uptake in 59% of patients.

No abstract

A case of nonaccidental endosulfan intoxication in a previously healthy 43-year-old male patient is reported. On admission, the patient had few symptoms, but refractory seizures began 1 hour after ingestion. The patient died on the fourth day after admission showing clinical signs of cerebral herniation confirmed at autopsy. Blood, urine, and tissue samples were analyzed for alpha-endosulfan, beta-endosulfan, and endosulfan sulfate by capillary gas chromatography with electron capture detection. Concentration versus time data for endosulfan were fitted using the program MW/Pharm, assuming complete bioavailability although it is recognized that the bioavailability of endosulfan after ingestion may have been low and the calculated clearance was primarily due to redistribution. Hemoperfusion was shown to be ineffective.

Children's aggressive behaviour is partly determined by how they process social information (e.g., making hostile interpretations or aiming to seek revenge). Such aggressive social information processing (SIP) may be most evident if children are emotionally engaged in actual social interactions. Current methods to assess aggressive SIP, however, often ask children to reflect on hypothetical vignettes. This pilot study therefore examined a new method that actually involves children in emotionally engaging social interactions: interactive virtual reality (VR).We developed a virtual classroom where children could play games with virtual peers. A sample of boys (N = 32; ages 8-13) from regular and special education reported on their SIP in distinct VR contexts (i.e., neutral, instrumental gain and provocation). They also completed a standard vignette-based assessment of SIP.Results demonstrated good convergent validity of interactive VR assessment of SIP, as indicated by significant moderate to large correlations of VR-assessed SIP with vignette-assessed SIP for all SIP variables except anger. Interactive VR showed improved measurement sensitivity (i.e., larger variances in SIP compared to vignettes) for aggressive responding, but not for other SIP variables. Discriminant validity (i.e., distinct SIP patterns across contexts) of interactive VR was supported for provocation contexts, but not for instrumental gain contexts. Last, children were more enthusiastic about the VR assessment compared to the vignette-based assessment.These findings suggest that interactive VR may be a promising tool, allowing for the assessment of children's aggressive SIP in standardized yet emotionally engaging social interactions.