The results of treatment with 5-fluorouracil, imidazole carboxamide, BCNU and prednisolone (FIB-P) salvage chemotherapy in 60 patients with heavily pretreated advanced breast cancer are presented. ...For most of the patients (82%) this was the third line of chemotherapy. Performance status (ECOG) was 1, 2 and 3 in respectively 13, 27, and 20 patients. Predominant metastatic sites were: soft tissue (3/60, 5%), bone (22/60, 37%), and viscera (35/60, 58%). Tumor burden (number of affected organic systems) was 1, 2 and 3 or more in respectively 18, 24 and 16 patients. Average dose intensity received was 0.74 (range, 0.47-0.98); the average number of cycles was 3.8 (range, 2-8). Objective response (CR + PR) was observed in 22 patients (1 CR, 21 PR), with a response rate of 37% (22/60). Median duration of remission was 7 months (range, 3-15). Tumor burden was the only pretreatment patient characteristic that significantly influenced the remission rate (p less than 0.10). Dose intensity significantly affected tumor response (p less than 0.05). Toxic side effects (gastrointestinal disorders, alopecia and myelotoxicity) were generally moderate and tolerable. No treatment-related death occurred. FIB-P proved to be an active salvage chemotherapy in heavily pretreated patients with advanced breast cancer.
In the paper three linear aeration controllers that can be easily implemented are presented and evaluated on the activated sludge process pilot plant. Controllers differ according to the information ...that is used about the process, which can be oxygen in the last aerobic reactor, ammonia in the last aerobic reactor and ammonia in the influent. The aeration controllers that are addressed are: oxygen cascade PI controller, ammonia cascade PI controller and ammonia feedforward-cascade PI controller. Experiments show that, in comparison with the oxygen cascade PI controller, the ammonia cascade PI controller allows better control of effluent ammonia and airflow savings of around 23%, while the ammonia feedforward-cascade PI controller gives the best reduction of ammonia peaks and can save up to 45% of the airflow.
