No abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the role of age, Gleason score, prostate-specific antigen (PSA), PSA doubling time (PSADT), and PSA half-time (PSAT_1/2) as prognostic factors in metastatic prostate cancer to predict long-term outcome. Patients and Methods: 412 patients with metastatic prostate cancer diagnosed after January 1995, with at least 6 months of follow-up, were enrolled. Serum PSA was determined at diagnosis and every 3–6 months thereafter. All patients underwent medical or surgical castration. End points of the study were either death or disease progression. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard analysis was used to evaluate prognostic factors. Results: Median progression-free and overall survival was 3 and 5.7 years. Patients aged ≤65 years at diagnosis, high baseline PSA and high nadir PSA were associated with poor overall survival. Patients with a PSAT_1/2 of <6 months, high baseline alkaline phosphatase, and PSADT of <1 month had significantly poorer progression-free and overall survival. Conclusion: Prostate cancer is a common malignancy in the elderly population. We have found that younger patients with high baseline and nadir PSA, shorter PSADT and PSAT_1/2 have poorer overall and progression-free survival.

No abstract

In gastroschisis, the defect in the abdominal wall is located almost always to the right of the umbilicus. Left-sided gastroschisis is a very rare entity. A case of left sided gastroschisis has been described here, with review of literature.

No abstract

SUMMARYAn 11-year-old boy was admitted with fever followed by convulsions. He had developed aphasia subsequent to this illness. His birth history was unremarkable, and he had normal growth and development including of language, hearing and vision. His neurological examination was normal except for aphasia. Investigations including cerebrospinal fluid study and MRI were normal. However, EEG was abnormal and the boy was diagnosed as a case of Landau-Kleffner syndrome (LKS) and treated with sodium valproate, levetiracetam and steroids. He responded well to treatment and has been on follow-up for the last 4 months. We present this case of LKS to increase awareness about early diagnosis and to highlight the importance of appropriate management for a better outcome. BACKGROUND

Objectives:To evaluate the efficacy of docetaxel/prednisone and zoledronic acid in hormone refractory prostate cancer (HRPC) patients and to analyze prognostic factors predicting overall survival. Methods: Forty-four HRPC patients were given docetaxel (75 mg/m 2 ), prednisone and zoledronic acid (4 mg) every three weeks. Overall and progression-free survival curves were calculated. Using the log-rank test, variables predicting overall survival (age, Gleason score, baseline prostate-specific antigen [PSA], percentage PSA decline, nadir PSA, number of chemotherapy cycles) were calculated. Results: Median age was 66 years and mean PSA 171.25 ng/mL. The average number of given cycles was 6.3. A good PSA response (>50% decline) was observed in 26/44 cases (59.1%). A total of 17/44 (38.6%) patients expired with a median overall survival of 62.4 weeks. Patients with a Gleason score less than 7, who received more than four cycles and with a more-than-50% decline in PSA had significantly better survival. Variables like age, baseline PSA and nadir PSA did not significantly affect survival. Conclusion:The combination of docetaxel/zoledronic/prednisone is safe and effective in the management of HRPC. Patients with a Gleason score <7, PSA decline >50% and those who receive more than four cycles have significantly better survival.

No abstract