Data from techniques such as limiting oxygen index, thermal analysis, scanning electron microscope, heat deformation curve, mechanical properties measurement, etc. show that cured epoxy resin modified by brominated castor oil possesses good flame retardation, toughness, moderate smoke suppression, and some degree of resistance to heat. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 86: 2530–2534, 2002

Two cases of intracerebral hemorrhage occurring after evacuation of bilateral chronic subdural hematomas are reported. Possible pathogenic mechanisms included hemorrhage into previously undetected areas of contusion, damage to cerebral vasculature secondary to rapid perioperative parenchymal shift, and sudden increase in cerebral blood flow combined with focal disruption of autoregulation; of these, the latter mechanism seemed most likely to be responsible for the hematoma formation. The need for clinical awareness of this nearly uniformly devastating complication, as well as prompt use of computerized tomography scanning in assessing the postoperative course, are stressed.

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Combined PCB and tamoxifen as a second-line regimen gave a reasonably high response rate in patients with heavily pretreated high-grade gliomas. However, although it resulted in an improvement in the patients' quality of life and/or performance status, it was not followed by an increased TTP or MST.

We compared survival in patients with anaplastic astrocytoma (AA) treated with adjuvant procarbazine, lomustine, and vincristine (PCV) with survival in patients treated with temozolomide. A retrospective analysis was made of patients with newly diagnosed AA treated with adjuvant postradiotherapy chemotherapy. Outcome analysis included progression-free survival and overall survival. The following prognostic factors were taken into account: patient age, extent of resection, performance status, presence of contrast enhancement in presurgical imaging, and type of adjuvant treatment. Among 109 AA patients, 49 were treated with PCV and 60 with temozolomide. The treatment groups were well matched for pretreatment characteristics, except for the presence of contrast enhancement. Age, extent of surgery, performance status, and presence of contrast enhancement were statistically significant prognostic factors according to the Cox model analysis of survival. Type of adjuvant chemotherapy was not a significant factor, either for progression-free survival or for overall survival. Hematological toxicity, nonhematological toxicity grades 3-4, and premature discontinuation due to toxicity were observed in 9%, 3% to 5%, and 37%, respectively, of cases in the PCV group versus 4% to 5%, 0, and 0, respectively, in the temozolomide group. Although the present study was not randomized, it was well designed, and it reports on two homogeneous and consecutive series of patients, for whom histology was verified to obtain survival data only for patients with AA following the recent WHO 2000 classification. Even if no survival advantage has been demonstrated for temozolomide versus PCV, we conclude that temozolomide should be preferred because of its greater tolerability.

On multivariate analysis, response to previous treatment was significant (P = 0.03) for time to progression and Karnofsky performance score for overall survivall (P = 0.002). Temozolomide gave a moderate response rate with acceptable toxicity as second-line chemotherapy in patients with recurrent high-grade glioma.

The administration of cyproterone acetate (CPA) and estradiol is a common regimen used by male-to-female transsexuals (transwoman) to adjust their body to their gender identity. Major adverse events are uncommon in these subjects in spite of long-term, high dose cross-sex steroid treatments. We describe the occurrence of a meningioma in a transwoman treated with estrogens and CPA over a period of nine years. The meningioma was revealed during a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan performed as follow-up of a previous surgery for ganglioglioma. CPA intake was discontinued and tumor resection was performed. Histological diagnosis confirmed a strong progesterone receptor-positive and slight estrogen positive meningioma. After surgery, the patient continued her treatment with leuprorelina acetate and estradiol. At one-year follow-up, the MRI scan reveals no recurrence of the tumor. This is the ninth case in literature of a meningioma in a transwoman treated with estrogens and CPA, confirming a possible association between female sex steroids and meningioma. Although there is no still strong evidence of an association between meningioma and CPA, this report may suggest use of alternative treatment for transwomen. This report highlights the importance to record all the cases of meningiomas in high dose CPA-users, in order to improve data.

Idiopathic giant-cell granulomatous hypophysitis is a chronic inflammatory disorder of the pituitary gland. It presents clinically as a sellar mass lesion with pituitary insufficiency and/or hyperprolactinemia, and is radiologically indistinguishable from a pituitary tumor. In most of the previously reported cases the documentation of the disorder has been limited to autopsy tissue. Only a few cases documented by biopsy have been recorded. Four cases are presented here with radiological, endocrinological, and surgical findings. The appropriately documented cases collected from the literature and the present series are reviewed and the incidence, patterns of clinical and radiological presentation, and operative management of this disorder are discussed. This entity should be considered when evaluating patients with a pituitary mass and evidence of hypopituitarism and hyperprolactinemia.