Preventing Delayed Emesis after Chemotherapy In most patients, ondansetron combined with dexamethasone prevents the nausea and vomiting that occur within the first 24 hours of chemotherapy for cancer. This study found that most patients who were protected from emesis during the first day were also protected from delayed emesis by this combination or by dexamethasone alone. The authors conclude that the best way to prevent delayed nausea and vomiting after chemotherapy is to prevent nausea and vomiting during the first 24 hours.

Early-Onset Parkinson's Disease and parkin Mutations

Parkinson's disease occurs as both a sporadic and a familial disorder. The age at onset varies widely but tends to be earlier for the familial cases. Among 73 families with autosomal recessive Parkinson's disease in which at least one family member was affected by the age of 45 years, 36 had mutations in the parkin gene, as compared with 18 of 100 patients with isolated disease. Among the patients with mutations, the disease was more likely to be symmetric at onset and the rate of response to levodopa was higher, but accurate diagnosis requires genetic testing.

Hypereosinophilic Syndrome In the hypereosinophilic syndrome, T cells that produce factors that stimulate the growth of eosinophils are frequently present. In the patient described here, essentially all the circulating T cells displayed markers of both activated T cells and natural killer cells. Moreover, there were high serum levels of interleukin-2 and interleukin-15, cytokines that stimulate the growth of both T cells and natural killer cells. Treatment with hydroxyurea eliminated these abnormalities.