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•Orastem is a prospective longitudinal international observational multicenter study.•The majority of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) recipients develop xerostomia.•Mouth dryness, or xerostomia, is the main oral complaint in HCT recipients.•High-intensity conditioning causes more mouth dryness than reduced-intensity conditioning.

Allogeneic transplantation (allo-HCT) is a curative treatment in CLL whose efficacy including the most severe forms had led to the 2006 EBMT recommendations. The advent after 2014 of targeted therapies has revolutionized CLL management, allowing prolonged control to patients who have failed immunochemotherapy and/or have TP53 alterations. We analysed the pre COVID pandemic 2009–2019 EBMT registry. The yearly number of allo-HCT raised to 458 in 2011 yet dropped from 2013 onwards to an apparent plateau above 100. Within the 10 countries who were under the EMA for drug approval and performed 83.5% of those procedures, large initial differences were found but the annual number converged to 2–3 per 10 million inhabitants during the 3 most recent years suggesting that allo-HCT remains applied in selected patients. Long-term follow-up on targeted therapies shows that most patients relapse, some early, with risk factors and resistance mechanisms being described. The treatment of patients exposed to both BCL2 and BTK inhibitors and especially those with double refractory disease will become a challenge in which allo-HCT remains a solid option in competition with emerging therapies that have yet to demonstrate their long-term effectiveness.

Risk factors for severe SARS-Cov-2 infection course are poorly described in children following hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). In this international study, we analyzed factors associated with a severe course (intensive care unit (ICU) admission and/or mortality) in post-HCT children. Eighty-nine children (58% male; median age 9 years (min-max 1–18)) who received an allogeneic (85; 96%) or an autologous (4; 4%) HCT were reported from 28 centers (18 countries). Median time from HCT to SARS-Cov-2 infection was 7 months (min-max 0–181). The most common clinical manifestations included fever (37; 42%) and cough (26; 29%); 37 (42%) were asymptomatic. Nine (10%) children following allo-HCT required ICU care. Seven children (8%) following allo-HCT, died at a median of 22 days after SARS-Cov-2 diagnosis. In a univariate analysis, the probability of a severe disease course was higher in allo-HCT children with chronic GVHD, non-malignant disease, immune suppressive treatment (specifically, mycophenolate), moderate immunodeficiency score, low Lansky score, fever, cough, coinfection, pulmonary radiological findings, and high C-reactive protein. In conclusion, SARS-Cov-2 infection in children following HCT was frequently asymptomatic. Despite this, 10% needed ICU admission and 8% died in our cohort. Certain HCT, underlying disease, and SARS-Cov-2 related factors were associated with a severe disease course.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH; hemophagocytic syndrome) is a rare syndrome of potentially fatal, uncontrolled hyperinflammation. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT) is indicated in primary, recurrent or progressive HLH, but information about its outcomes in the adult population is limited. We obtained data about 87 adult (≥18 years of age) patients retrospectively reported to the EBMT. The median survival time was 13.9 months. The three and five-year overall survival (OS) was 44% (95% CI 33–54%). Among 39 patients with a follow-up longer than 15 months, only three died. Relapse rate was 21% (95% CI 13–30%), while NRM reached 36% (95% CI 25–46%). Younger patients (<30 years of age) had better prognosis, with an OS of 59% (95% CI 45–73%) at three and five years vs 23% (95% CI 8–37%) for older ones. No difference in survival between reduced and myeloablative conditioning was found. To our knowledge, this is the largest report of adult HLH patients who underwent allo-HSCT. Patients who survive the first period after this procedure can expect a long disease-free survival. Both reduced intensity and myeloablative conditioning have therapeutic potential in adult HLH.

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) has been used for over 20 years to obtain peripheral blood stem cells from healthy donors for allogeneic stem cell transplantation. Concerns have been raised about a potentially increased cancer incidence in donors after donation, especially regarding haematological malignancies. In a prospective Swedish national cohort study, we studied the cancer incidence after donation in 1082 Swedish peripheral blood stem cell donors, donating between 1998 and 2014. The primary objective was to evaluate if the cancer incidence increased for donors treated with G-CSF. With a median follow-up time of 9.8 years, the incidence of haematological malignancies was 0.85 cases per 1000 person-years, and did not significantly differ from the incidence in age-, sex- and residence-matched population controls (hazard ratio 1.70, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.79–3.64, pvalue 0.17), bone marrow donors or non-donating siblings. The total cancer incidence for peripheral blood stem cell donors was 6.0 cases per 1000 person-years, equal to the incidence in matched population controls (hazard ratio 1.03, 95% CI 0.78–1.36, pvalue 0.85), bone marrow donors or non-donating siblings. In this study of healthy peripheral blood stem cell donors, the cancer incidence was not increased after treatment with G-CSF.

•Results of umbilical cord blood transplantation in patients with Fanconi anemia have improved.•The rates of organ-specific complications and subsequent neoplasms are relatively low.•The incidence of subsequent neoplasm, mostly squamous cell carcinoma, increases with time.•Rigorous follow-up and life-long screening are crucial for survivors of transplantation for Fanconi anemia.

The conditioning therapy used in connection with haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) can induce painful oral mucositis, which has negative impacts on patient quality of life and survival, as well as on health-care costs. While cooling of the oral mucosa (cryotherapy) is regarded as standard prophylaxis against oral mucositis, the long duration of the treatment affects compliance owing to side effects. In this prospective, randomised trial, 94 patients (62 males/32 females; median age 59 years, range 34–69) with a diagnosis of myeloma who were undergoing autologous HSCT were randomised 1:1 to receive cryotherapy for 7 h (N= 46) or 2 h (N= 48). Oral mucositis was evaluated prospectively. No significant difference was observed with respect to the proportion of patients who showed grades 3 and 4 toxicity according to the WHO scale (2.1 and 4.3% for 2 and 7 h, respectively; 95% CI −0.09 to 0.049; p= 0.98) as between the groups. Two hours of cryotherapy was as effective as 7 h in terms of protecting against severe oral mucositis in connection with autologous HSCT for myeloma. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03704597).

IntroductionYoung patients with idiopathic aplastic anemia (AA) respond better to immunosuppressive therapy (IST) but the long-term outcome is suboptimal with non-response in 30% of patients as well as significant risks of relapse, ciclosporine (CSA) dependence and clonal evolution. Excellent results of up-front unrelated donor (UD) hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) have been reported in a cohort of 29 children with idiopathic AA using an Alemtuzumab-based regimen, with low Graft versus Host Disease (GvHD) rates and only 1 death (Dufour C, BJH 2015). We took advantage of the SAAWP registry of the European Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) to analyze the outcomes of 65 young patients who received up-front UD HSCT in Europe.

Men with prostate cancer experience adjuvant androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) differently.

We evaluated the benefits of adding 150 mg bicalutamide to standard care, that is radical prostatectomy, radiotherapy or watchful waiting (WW), in patients with localized or locally advanced prostate cancer.

Pathologically, benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is not considered a precursor for prostate carcinoma. However, because the two conditions share not only a similar hormonal environment within the prostate but also several common risk factors, it is possible that men with BPH may be at increased risk of prostate carcinoma due to these shared factors. To elucidate this further, the authors used Swedish nationwide population-based record-linkage data to assess prostate carcinoma risk up to 26 years after the diagnosis of BPH among 86,626 men. Overall, relative to the general population, patients with BPH experienced little, if any, excess risk of prostate carcinoma (2% excess incidence after 10 years of follow-up). However, patients with BPH with and without surgical intervention experienced different prostate carcinoma risk patterns. Those undergoing transvesicular adenomectomy had a significant 22% lower incidence and a 23% lower mortality after the first 5 years of follow-up and those undergoing transurethral resection had a significant 10% higher incidence but a 17% lower mortality. In contrast, after the first 5 years, patients with BPH who did not receive surgical intervention experienced significant excesses of both prostate carcinoma incidence (18%) and mortality (77%). The differences in prostate carcinoma incidence and mortality by BPH treatment type suggest that factors related to treatment or health reasons underlying the selection of treatment influence subsequent prostate carcinoma risk. Further studies are needed to confirm the minimal excess risk of prostate carcinoma among BPH patients overall and the possible impact of BPH treatment methods on subsequent prostate carcinoma risk. Cancer 2003. Published 2003 by the American Cancer Society. DOI 10.1002/cncr.11710

The kinetics of minimal residual disease (MRD) and chimerism were studied in 15 patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) receiving nonmyeloablative stem cell transplantation (NST) and in 10 patients receiving conventional stem cell transplantation (CST). All NST patients showed T-cell mixed chimerism (MC) while granulocyte and B-cell MC occurred in 80% and 60% of the NST patients, respectively. In CST patients, T-cell MC was detected in 5 patients, of whom 3 were mixed only during the first month. MRD was detected in all NST patients. During the first 3 months the median BCR-ABL/ABL ratio was 0.2% in NST patients compared with 0.01% in CST patients (P < .01). However, 12 months after transplantation, the percentage of reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)–positive patients was 20% in NST patients and 50% in CST patients. In conclusion, molecular remission can be induced in most patients after NST, albeit with different kinetics from CST.

The kinetics of minimal residual disease (MRD) and chimerism were studied in 15 patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) receiving nonmyeloablative stem cell transplantation (NST) and in 10 patients receiving conventional stem cell transplantation (CST). All NST patients showed T-cell mixed chimerism (MC) while granulocyte and B-cell MC occurred in 80% and 60% of the NST patients, respectively. In CST patients, T-cell MC was detected in 5 patients, of whom 3 were mixed only during the first month. MRD was detected in all NST patients. During the first 3 months the median BCR-ABL/ABL ratio was 0.2% in NST patients compared with 0.01% in CST patients (P< .01). However, 12 months after transplantation, the percentage of reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)–positive patients was 20% in NST patients and 50% in CST patients. In conclusion, molecular remission can be induced in most patients after NST, albeit with different kinetics from CST.

Prostate cancer is a significant cause of death in Western countries and is under the strong influence of androgens. The steroid 5α-reductase 2 catalyzes the metabolism of testosterone into the more potent androgen dihydrotestosterone in the prostate gland. The enzyme is a target in pharmacological treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia using specific inhibitors such as finasteride. Makridakis et al.have characterized the V89L and A49T polymorphisms in recombinant expression systems. The L allelic variant has a lower Vmax/ Kmratio than the V variant. In the A49T polymorphism, the T variant has an increased Vmax/ Kmratio. We performed a population-based case–control study of the impact of the SRD5A2V89L and A49T polymorphisms on the risk of prostate cancer. We also studied the relation between the genotypes and age at diagnosis, tumor, node, metastasis stage, differentiation grade, prostate specific antigen and heredity. The study included 175 prostate cancer patients and 159 healthy controls that were matched for age. There was an association with SRD5A2V89L LL genotype and metastases at the time of diagnosis, OR 5.67 (95 CI 1.44–22.30) when adjusted for age, differentiation grade, T-stage and prostate specific antigen. Heterozygous prostate cancer cases that carried the SRD5A2A49T AT genotype were significantly younger than cases that carried the AA genotype, (mean age 66 years vs 71, P0.038). The SRD5A2V89L and A49T polymorphisms were, however, not associated with altered prostate cancer risk. Further studies of the V89L polymorphism may lead to better understanding of the etiology of prostate cancer metastases.

Protective strategies to minimize the hematological toxicity in connection with bone marrow transplantation (BMT) have been successful, but toxicity to the gastrointestinal tract prevents further dose escalation and therefore limits the application of the treatment. As it is known that chemotherapy leads to disruption of the intestinal barrier and morphological changes of mitochondria in enterocytes, this study was conducted in order to investigate intestinal energy metabolism and permeability after intensive cytotoxic therapy in rats. Intestinal damage was produced by intraperitoneal administration of the cytostatic etoposide. Intestinal permeability was assessed by a [51Cr]EDTA absorption test and intestinal purine nucleotide content by a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique. Four hours after the administration of etoposide, and the next 48 hr, there was a significant increase in the intestinal permeability (P < 0.05) and a significant reduction of the purine nucleotide content in the intestinal epithelial cells (P < 0.01) as compared to control animals. This early disturbance in enterocyte energy metabolism may be a key event in the development of the intestinal damage, induced by chemotherapy, and an explanation for the early disruption of the intestinal barrier demonstrable before morphological changes are evident.

The development of prostate cancer is dependent on heredity, androgenic influences, and exposure to environmental agents. A high intake of dietary fat is associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer, either through influence on steroid hormone profiles or through production of carcinogenic compounds that require biotransformation by enzymes. The polymorphic glutathione S-transferase (GST), N-acetyltransferase (NAT), and cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes are of particular interest in prostate cancer susceptibility because of their ability to metabolize both endogenous and exogenous compounds, including dietary constituents. Association between different NAT2, CYP2D6, CYP2C19 and GSTP1 genotypes and prostate cancer was studied in a Swedish and Danish case-control study comprising 850 individuals. The combined Swedish and Danish study population was analysed by polymerase chain reaction for the NAT2 alleles 4, 5A, 5B, 5C, 6 and 7, and for the CYP2D6 alleles 1, 3 and 4. The Swedish subjects were also analysed for the CYP2C19 alleles 1 and 2, and the GSTP1 alleles A, B and C. No association was found between prostate cancer and polymorphisms in NAT2, CYP2D6, CYP2C19 or GSTP1. An association between CYP2D6 poor metabolism and prostate cancer was seen among smoking Danes; odds ratio 3.10 (95 confidence interval 1.07; 8.93), P = 0.03, but not among smoking Swedes; odds ratio 1.19 (95 confidence interval 0.41; 3.42), P = 0.75. Smoking is not a known risk factor for prostate cancer, and the association between CYP2D6 poor metabolism and prostate cancer in Danish smokers may have arisen by chance.

Androgens play an important role in the development of prostate cancer. Androgen regulating genes that show allelic variation may be susceptibility factors for the disease. One of these genes, CYP17, encodes the cytochrome P450c17α enzyme. It catalyses steroid 17α-hydroxylase/17,20 lyase activities at key points in testosterone biosynthesis. We investigated the association between a polymorphism in the CYP17gene and prostate cancer in a population-based case-control study. All individuals studied were Caucasians born in Sweden, 178 were consecutive clinical prostate cancer patients, and 160 were age-matched control individuals randomly selected from the same catchment area. DNA was extracted from blood samples. A CYP17gene fragment was amplified by polymerase chain reaction. The MspAll restriction enzyme, which recognizes the base pair substitution, was used to identify the allelic variants CYP17A1and CYP17A2.Significantly more men homozygous for the CYP17A1allele were found among prostate cancer patients compared with control individuals; odds ratio 1.61 (95 confidence interval 1.02; 2.53), P= 0.04. According to a preliminary report, the CYP17A1/A1genotype leads to higher circulating androgen levels, possibly by encoding for a more active androgen synthesizing CYP17 enzyme. Consequently, the CYP17A1/A1genotype, which was found in a higher frequency among prostate cancer patients, may prove to be one of the important susceptibility factors for prostate cancer. If verified, this genotype is likely to convey a larger risk on a population basis, than the rare hereditary prostate cancer genes do.

In a population-based study, disease progression and survival were evaluated in untreated patients with newly diagnosed cancer of the prostate without distant metastases. Complete follow-up was achieved in 223 of 227 (98%) consecutively diagnosed, eligible patients of all ages. After 5 years, the cumulative progression-free survival (with 95% confidence interval) was 71·8 (65·5-78·1)% and survival corrected for causes of death other than prostatic cancer was 93·8 (88·3-97·6)%. Univariate and multivariate analyses showed no association between age at diagnosis and the natural course. Local progression was less common in localised, non-palpable tumours than in larger tumours. The rate of progression was 18·7 (6·1-57·1) times higher and that of disease-specific death 216·0 (31·2-1496) times higher in patients with poorly than in those with highly differentiated tumours. It is concluded that tumour grade at diagnosis is an excellent predictor of local and distant progression. The low death rate, especially in patients with highly and moderately differentiated tumours, means that any local or systemic therapy intended for patients with early prostatic cancer must be evaluated in clinical trials with untreated controls for comparison.

Of 163 new consecutively diagnosed cases of advanced (T3-4 M0 or T04M1) prostatic cancer 13 had contraindications for estrogen treatment, and the remainder were randomized to orchiectomy (76) or to estrogen treatment (74), consisting of 150μg. ethinyl estradiol daily and 80mg. polyestradiol monthly. During the followup period of 7 to 10 years disease progression was noted in 27 patients (36%) treated with estrogen and 39 (51%) orchiectomized patients. The free of progression survival rate was significantly better (<0.05) among the estrogen treated patients but the over-all survival rates after orchiectomy and estrogen treatment were almost identical. A significantly higher frequency of cardiovascular side effects was noted in the estrogen group (23 cases) compared to the orchiectomy group (4 cases). Therefore, estrogen treatment in this form cannot be recommended for the palliative treatment of prostate cancer.

Platelets play a central role in primary hemostasis. The role of the coagulation mechanism during early stages of hemostasis is less clear, although increasing evidence is emerging indicating the ultimate importance of the factor VII (FVII)-tissue factor-dependent coagulation system in providing the first thrombin molecules necessary for the platelet activation to occur. Supporting this, early fibrin formation has been reported to occur within the bleeding time wound and infusion of recombinant FVIIa (rFIIa) has been shown to shorten the bleeding time in rabbits. We have investigated whether infusion of rFVIIa would enhance fibrin formation in bleeding time wounds in patients with thrombocytopenia as reflected by a shortening of the bleeding time. A reduction of the bleeding time was found in 55/105 cases (52%). The decrease was significantly more pronounced when the platelet count exceeded 20 × 109/l. With the exception of an anaphylactoid reaction in 1 patient, no major adverse reactions related to the study drug were observed. Nine infusions of rFVIIa were given to 8 thrombocytopenic patients with overt bleeding. One patient received two infusions. Bleeding decreased in all patients and stopped in 6 patients.

The purpose of this project, which forms part of the NBUC [National Board of Universities and Colleges] program "Research into Higher Education," is to describe and analyse the "pre-school methods" in Swedish pre-school teacher education. We plan to investigate how this subject has been perceived by the teachers of pre-school methods. Pre-school teacher training programs have expanded during the past twenty years as a result of the expansion of pre-school education itself. These programs are also examples of a non-academic education which was made a part of the higher education system in the reform of 1977. The subject now termed "pre-school methods" (and previously known, for example as "infant education") has traditionally been the focal point of these programs.

To learn about the natural history of untreated early stage prostatic cancer (stage T0-2NXM0) progression-free, disease specific, overall survival and the need for palliative care were evaluated in a population-based and regionally well defined cohort from Sweden. Complete followup, with a mean observation of 12.5 years, was achieved in 223 consecutively diagnosed, eligible patients (98%) of all ages. Patients with progression were hormonally treated (orchiectomy or estrogens) if they had symptoms. After a mean of 12.5 years only 23 patients (10%) had died of prostate cancer and 125 of 148 deaths (84%) were of other causes. The 10-year disease specific survival rate was 85% (95% confidence interval 79 to 91%) and was equally high (89%) in a subgroup of 58 patients who met current indications for radical prostatectomy. The progression-free 10-year survival rate was 55% (95% confidence interval 46 to 63%) but in 49 of 77 patients local growth provided the only evidence of progression and endocrine treatment was generally successful in these cases. Following an initial increase, the rate of disease progression and death from prostate cancer decreased during the last years of followup.

In a population-based randomized study comparing 150 patients with advanced prostatic cancer treated with orchiectomy or estrogen, some possible prognostic factors were analyzed. The observation period was 78 to 114 months. M category, T category, tumor grade, performance status, pain, prostatic acid phosphatase, sedimentation rate, hemoglobin and serum creatinine level were all statistically significantly related to the interval to progression and to disease-specific death on univariate analyses. Variables that were statistically significant on multivariate analyses were M category, T category, sedimentation rate and patient age. The sedimentation rate predicted the intervals to progression and to disease-specific death, with the relative hazard and 95% confidence interval for the latter end point being 1.018 (range 1.010 to 1.027) for each millimeter increase in sedimentation rate per hour. An analysis that was stratified according to the extent of the disease as measured on a bone scan showed that the sedimentation rate was the only prognostic factor of statistical significance with an estimate of relative hazard of 1.52 if the sedimentation rate was elevated 20mm. per hour. Progression-free survival but not disease-specific survival was statistically significantly better in the estrogen group (relative hazard 0.47), as assessed by multivariate analysis in which all variables were taken into account.

McLornan: Novartis: Honoraria; Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau. Robin:Novartis Neovii: Research Funding. Chalandon:Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Consultancy, Honoraria; Pfizer: Consultancy, Honoraria; Incyte Biosciences: Consultancy, Honoraria. Beelen:Medac GmbH Wedel Germany: Consultancy, Honoraria. Kröger:Sanofi-Aventis: Honoraria; Riemser: Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding; Neovii: Honoraria, Research Funding; Medac: Honoraria; JAZZ: Honoraria; DKMS: Research Funding; Celgene: Honoraria, Research Funding. Milojkovic:Novartis: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Incyte: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; BMS: Honoraria, Speakers Bureau. Hernandez Boluda:Incyte: Other: Travel expenses paid.

Introduction

Garderet: Takeda: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; BMS: Consultancy, Honoraria; Novartis: Consultancy. Dreger:Janssen: Consultancy; Gilead: Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Consultancy; Gilead: Consultancy; Roche: Consultancy. Leleu:TEVA: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Honoraria; LeoPharma: Honoraria; Pierre Fabre: Honoraria; Amgen: Honoraria; Bristol-Myers Squibb: Honoraria; Takeda: Honoraria; Celgene: Honoraria; Janssen: Honoraria. Peschel:MophoSys: Honoraria. Meuleman:Bristol-Myers-Squibb: Consultancy; Celgene: Consultancy; Amgen: Consultancy; Takeda: Consultancy. Ciceri:MolMed SpA: Consultancy. Schönland:Janssen, Prothena, GSK: Consultancy, Employment, Equity Ownership, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Travel, accommations, Patents & Royalties, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Kröger:Sanofi: Honoraria, Research Funding; Neovii: Honoraria, Research Funding; Riemser: Honoraria, Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria, Research Funding.

Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH; hemophagocytic syndrome) is a rare syndrome of potentially fatal, uncontrolled hyperinflammation. Allogeneic stem cell transplantation (alloSCT) is indicated in familial, recurrent or progressive HLH. Additional recommendations include central nervous system involvement and unknown triggering factor. While data for alloSCT outcome are available for the pediatric setting, information for adults is very limited.

Jedrzejczak: Celgene: Consultancy; Roche: Consultancy, Research Funding; Jansen-Cilag: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding; Amgen: Research Funding; BMS: Research Funding; Angelini: Consultancy; Sandoz: Consultancy. Kobbe:Jansen: Honoraria, Other: travel support; Celgene: Honoraria, Other: travel support, Research Funding. Kroeger:Sanofi: Honoraria, Research Funding.

The article discusses the report "Plastics: The Facts 2011" by the European plastics industry. It shows the steady reduction in the amount of plastics buried in European landfill despite an increase in post-consumer waste in 2010. Some of the factors attributed to the reduced amount of plastics are continuous improvement in plastics end-of-life management performance and growing public awareness. It cites the disappointing recovery of plastics rate of Great Britain.

The article provides information about several issues related to the plastic industry in Great Britain. According to a report, nine of the 29 countries studied already recover more than 80 percent of their plastics waste through a combination of recycling and energy recovery. The European collection rate for mechanical recycling of post-consumer plastics waste has shown an increment of 20.1 percent in 2007 from 11 percent in 2006. This increase is a result of higher polymer prices and improved collection and sorting technology. Several graphs are also presented providing information about the decoupling of plastic waste and landfill, and growth of recycling and energy recovery.

In the Scandinavian Prostate Cancer Group Trial Number 4 (SPCG-4), 347 men were randomly assigned to radical prostatectomy and 348 to watchful waiting. In the most recent analysis (median follow-up time = 12.8 years), the cumulative mortality curves had been stable over the follow-up. At 15 years, the absolute risk reduction of dying from prostate cancer was 6.1% following randomization to radical prostatectomy, compared with watchful waiting. Hence, 17 need to be randomized to operation to avert one death. Data on self-reported symptoms, stress from symptoms, and quality of life were collected at 4 and 12.2 years of median follow-up. These questionnaire studies show an intricate pattern of symptoms evolving after surgery, hormonal treatments, signs of tumor progression, and also from natural aging. This article discusses some of the main findings of the SPCG-4 study.

Background Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) is the primary complication of allogeneic, haemopoietic, stem-cell transplantation (HSCT). From murine models, it has been revealed that gut toxicity increases the translocation of inflammatory mediators through the impaired intestinal barrier, which aggravates systemic GVHD. In patients, the intestinal barrier is disrupted after myeloablative conditioning but preserved after reduced intensity conditioning (RIC). The present study investigates, in a clinical situation, whether the severity of acute GVHD depends on intestinal-barrier function. Methods In 38 patients (21 myeloablative, 17 RIC), intestinal permeability was assessed before transplant and during the transplantation course (day −1 to +14). Blood levels of cytokines were assessed in parallel. Results Intestinal barrier integrity was preserved in RIC patients but disrupted in myeloablatively conditioned on day 4 (p = 0.0091) and on day 7 (p = 0.0014) compared with RIC patients. Patients with mild, acute GVHD (grades 0–1) had a significantly better preserved intestinal-barrier function (p = 0.042 on day 4) and lower TNF-a levels (p = 0.013 and 0.025 on day −1 and day +7 respectively), compared with patients with more pronounced GVHD (grades 2–4). Conclusion Intestinal barrier function predicts the severity of acute GVHD in patients and gives support to the assumption that gut protective strategies may diminish acute GVHD.