Patients and Methods: Between January 1997 and January 1998, 131 patients with newly diagnosed MCL (MCL1; n = 34) and previously treated MCL (MCL2; n = 40), IMC (n = 28), and SLL (n = 29) received rituximab 375 mg/m(2)/wk for 4 weeks via intravenous infusion. Restaging studies were performed 1 and 2 months after treatment, An analysis of the duration of response was conducted in December 1998.

Results: Eleven patients were unassessable, including one who died of splenic rupture after the first infusion. The RR among the 120 assessable patients was 30% (36 of 120 patients), The RR by histology was as follows: MCL1,38%; MCL2, 37%; IMC, 28%; and SLL, 14%, Ten patients, all with MCL, achieved CR, The median duration of response in MCL was 1,2 years, Immediate side effects were common and usually responded to adjustments in the infusion rate. There were 31 episodes of infection after treatment; most cases were mild. Cardiac arrhythmia and ophthalmologic side effects occurred in 10 and nine patients, respectively, including one case of severe loss of visual acuity,

Conclusion: Single-agent rituximab has moderate activity in MCL and IMC but only limited activity in SLL, The duration of response in MCL was similar to that previously reported in follicular lymphoma. Its use in combination with cytotoxic chemotherapy to increase the CR rate is warranted in MCL and IMC, (C) 2000 by American Society of Clinical Oncology.

Results Both groups of patients passed similar numbers (mean +/- S.E.M.) of stools before recovery (3.5 +/- 0.5 for racecadotril vs. 2.9 +/- 0.4 for loperamide), and the duration of diarrhoea (mean,S.E.M.) was similar in both groups (14.9 +/- 2.0 h for racecadotril and 13.7 +/- 2.2 h for loperamide). Both treatments reduced the incidence of associated symptoms and signs during the study, and both were similarly well tolerated. However, more patients on loperamide reported rebound constipation during treatment (18.7% vs. 9.8% with racecadotril).

Conclusions The enkephalinase inhibitor, racecadotril, and the intestinal transit inhibitor, loperamide, were similarly and rapidly effective in resolving the symptoms and associated signs of diarrhoea.

N-Alkyl/aryl-alpha- and beta-aminoalkylphosphonic acids can be effectively prepared by reductive alkylation of azidoalkylphosphonates with organodichloroboranes. The reaction is accompanied by simultaneous dealkylation of the phosphonates occurring via polyborophosphonates.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: A retrospective multicentric analysis was made of 121 patients treated for breast cancer and who later developed leukemia or a preleuke- mic state. Initially, 44 patients had undergone mastectomy, 72 had conservative surgery and 119 had locoregional irradiation. At least one chemotherapy session was performed in 90 patients and 48 had received tamoxifen. The risk of relapse of breast cancer was high, moderate or low for 44, 46 and 24 patients respectively (data not available for 7 patients).

RESULTS: By class, the hematology diseases found were: myelodysplasia (n = 9), refractory anemia with blast excess (n = 7), acute lymphoblastic leukemia (n = 6), acute myoblastic leukemia (n = 93 including a majority of type 2 and type 4). For acute myeloblastic leukemia, mean delay to onset was 65 and 37 months respectively without and after chemotherapy. The prognosis of these cases of leukemia and preleukemic states was poor with an overall death rate of 86%.

CONCLUSION: In light of the recent development of indications for adjuvant chemotherapy even for subgroups of patients at moderate risk, it is important to more precisely assess the absolute benefit in terms of survival compared with the risk of severe complications, particular secondary leukemia. In the future, a systematic registry and a case-control study are required.

The second family, gamma -ThLn(2)F(10),H2O (Ln(3+) = Er3+, Dy3+ and Yb3+) results from the substitution of Ln(3+) and A(+) by a tetravalent cation. The new compound gamma -ThEr2F10,H2O (Fm (3) over barm space group, a = 10.739(1) Angstrom and Z = 8) is isotypic with gamma -KYb3F10. Water molecules are located inside the tunnels (8c sites) of a CCP stacking of UOA([8]) through which they can move.

For both series, the thermal stability and the zeolitic behaviour, studied by DTA/TGA and X-ray thermodiffractometry, are reported and a low zeolitic water capacity, around 2-4% in mass, is observed.

Patients and methods: Patients with newly-diagnosed MCL (MCL1, n = 37), and previously-treated MCL (MCL2, n = 50), received single-agent Rituximab, in the context of two multicentre clinical studies using different schedules and doses, conducted in 1996 and 1997. A follow-up analysis was performed formed at the end of 1998, including all 81 patients who completed therapy. Statistical modeling of factors associated with response was performed using ordered logistic regression. The duration of complete (CR) and partial response (PR), and the time to disease progression (TTP), were also derived.

Results: The overall response rate (RR) was 34%, (30 of 87) (81 evaluable patients, RR 37%; CR 14%), and was equivalent for MCL1 and MCL2. On univariate analysis, elevated LDH (P = 0.004); prior therapy with alkylating agents (P = 0.01) or fludarabine phosphate (P = 0.04); WHO performance status = 2 (p = 0.02); MCL2 refractory to last prior therapy (P = 0.04); and splenomegaly (P = 0.04), each at the time of treatment with Rituximab, were significantly associated with a lower RR. On multivariate analysis, only LDH (P = 0.007) and prior alkylating agents (P = 0.03) retained statistical significance.

At a median follow-up of 1.4 years, the median TTP was 7 months. The median duration of response was one year, and was significantly longer for patients achieving CR vs. PR (P = 0.04).

Conclusions: Rituximab is active in MCL, and can induce complete responses in a minority of patients. Elevated LDH at the time of therapy, and prior therapy with alkylating agents, are associated with a significantly lower RR. The duration of response of one year is similar to that previously reported in follicular lymphoma.

The 1,3-oxazine route to enantiopure beta-amido aldehydes was investigated. Heterocycloaddition of the N-acyl imine 1 with (R)-O-vinylpantolactone provided the stable dihydroxazine 4c. High diastereocontrols were observed when using Yb(fod)(3)-catalyzed or SnCl4-mediated conditions, thus leading after quantitative hydrolysis to (R)-N-benzoyl-3-phenylpropanal with >98% ee.

METHODS: Between May 1996 and March 1998, 46 patients were treated for a spastic equinus foot. Clinical status, spasticity (Ashworth Scale score), and kinematic parameters of the gait were determined before and after surgery. The neurotomy was performed on the upper nerve of the soleus in all cases and was associated with other neurotomies (lower nerve of the soleus, 21 patients; gastrocnemius, 9 patients, tibialis posterior, 18 patients; flexor hallucis longus, 16 patients; and flexor digitorum longus, 17 patients).

RESULTS: The mean follow-up period was 15 months (range, 8-28 mo). The equinus deformity disappeared clinically in all patients. Before the operation, all patients had an Ashworth Scale score of 2, with an inexhaustible clonus present on knee extension and persisting with knee flexion (Tardieu Scale score, 4), which was abolished in 95% of the patients after surgery. Two patients still had some clonus on knee extension; this did not interfere with their clinical improvement. Knee recurvatum disappeared in eight patients. Analysis of kinematic parameters demonstrated a statistically significant increase in joint motion of the second rocker (P = 0.0026) of the ankle during stance. The duration of the stance or swing phase, length of the walking cycle, and velocity or rate of spontaneous walking were not significantly modified.

CONCLUSION: The study demonstrated that soleus neurotomy is effective for the treatment of spastic equinus foot, leading to abolition of spasticity and improvement in the range of ankle motion during the stance phase of gait.

(i) Powder measurements were done on a powder diffractometer D5000 Siemens (theta-theta geometry, filtered K alpha Cu radiation), using the standard procedure to obtain full spectrum (in the range from 10 degrees to 120 degrees) for the further Rietveld refinement with the Fullprof-92 program.

(ii) Single crystal studies were performed on a Kuma KM-4 diffractometer (K-geometry, K alpha Mo radiation, graphite monochromator). All the structure calculations were carried out using the Shelxl 92 program.

Using the both methods, for the first time, the structural parameters as lattice constants, atom's coordinates and atomic temperature factors have been obtained.

A polarizable point charge model is used to explain NMR quadrupolar parameters which are related to the electric field gradients at the Ga site. Lattice summations are performed in the direct space over spherical volumes. Atomic position sets generated by molecular dynamics are shown to give quadrupolar parameter distributions which look like Czjzek ones whatever the EFG calculation approximations. Provided the polarizabilities are adjusted, they allow us to reconstruct the experimental NMR spectra which correspond in any case to slightly distorted (GaF6)(3-) octahedra. The present approach may be applied to any ionic disordered compound which contains quadrupolar nuclei and used to quantify short range order around such nuclei.

The spectra collected between 600 K and room temperature, are analyzed and compared with group-theoretical predictions. The number of observed frequencies in the high temperature phase of the different compounds is larger than the value expected for cubic symmetry phases (Pm (3) over bar m or Fm (3) over bar m either). The implications of substitutional and positional disorder leading to a local symmetry breaking are discussed.

Case report - A 74-year-old man under observation was treated with the use of BCG therapy for a superficial bladder tumor. Following the fourth course, the patient developed sepsis and multi-organ failure, which led to his death after five days of hospitalization, in spite of the antituberculous treatment started on the first day.

Conclusion - Two blood cultures were positive with BCG. The final diagnosis was sepsis due to the rarely pathogenic bacteria. (C) 1999 Elsevier; Paris.

These observations suggest that when confronted to recurrent heart malformations with extra-cardiac defects that are not due either to an inherited chromosomal anomaly or to a well characterized mendelian disease, a maternal teratogen should be identified and more particularly maternal hyperphenylalaninemia if an intra-uterine growth retardation or a microcephaly is part of the syndrome.