A prospective randomized study was conducted to determine the relative effectiveness, toxicity and tolerance of methotrexate (MTX) versus cisplatin (DDP) in patients with recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Forty‐four patients were randomized to receive either MTX, 40 mg escalated to 60 mg/m2 IV push weekly, or DDP, 50 mg/m2 6 hour infusion days 1 and 8 every 4 weeks. All patients had objectively measurable disease and a performance status greater than 60% (Karnofsky scale). All had been treated with surgery and/or radiotherapy. No patients had prior chemotherapy. Prior treatment, performance status, and site of primary disease were comparable in both groups. Complete and partial objective responses were achieved in 23.5% of the MTX group and 28.6% of the DDP group (P = 0.51). Median duration of response was 84 days in the MTX group and 92 days in the DDP group. Median survival of patients was 6.1 months with MTX and 6.3 months with DDP. Mucositis was noted in 38% of patients in the MTX group (P = 0.001) compared to none in the DDP group. Vomiting occurred in 87% of patients in the DDP group (P < .0001) compared to 10% of patients in the MTX group. This study demonstrates that in the treatment of recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, MTX and DDP are equally effective, although MTX appears to be better tolerated. Cancer 52:206‐210, 1983.

A randomized prospective study was conducted comparing vindesine (VDS) with doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide (D/C) in the treatment of advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the lung. No patient had a complete response. Seven of 28 (25%) patients had partial response (PR) to VDS while one of 19 (5%) had a PR to D/C (P < 0.08). Adding PR plus minor response (MR), ten of 28 (36%) patients responded to VDS while two of 19 (11%) responded to D/C (P < 0.05). Median survival was improved among patients showing PR and MR over those not responding (P < 0.05). This study concludes, VDS is an active agent in the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma of the lung and should be considered for combination chemotherapy and adjuvant trials. VDS toxicity appears acceptable with six weekly doses of 3 mg/m2. The benefit of a maintenance schedule could not be demonstrated.

One-sentence summary:BXL4 is a putative bifunctional 23 xylosidase/arabinofuranisodase localising to the apoplast, important for immunity 24 against the necrotrphic pathogen B. cinerea. 25 2 ABSTRACT 26 Plant cell walls constitute physical barriers that restrict access of microbial 27 pathogens to the contents of plant cells. The primary cell wall of multicellular 28 plants predominantly consists of cellulose, hemicellulose and pectin. In 29 Arabidopsis, a cell wall-localised protein, BETA-XYLOSIDASE 4 (BXL4) that 30 belongs to a seven-member BETA-XYLOSIDASE (BXL) gene family was induced 31 upon infection with the necrotrophic fungal pathogen Botrytis cinerea and 32 mechanical wounding in a jasmonoyl isoleucine (JA-Ile) dependent manner. 33 Ectopic expression of the BXL4 gene in Arabidopsis seed coat epidermal cells 34 was able to rescue a bxl1 mutant phenotype suggesting that like BXL1, BXL4, 35 had both xylosidase and arabinosidase activity and acts in mura on cell wall 36 polysaccharides. bxl4 mutants show a compromised resistance to B. cinerea. 37 Upon infection, bxl4 mutants accumulated reduced levels of JA-Ile and 38 camalexin. Conditional overexpression of BXL4 resulted in enhanced 39 expression of PDF1.2 and PAD3 transcripts both before and after B. cinerea 40 infection. This was associated with reduced susceptibility of the transgenic lines 41 to B. cinerea. These data suggest that remodelling or degradation of one or more 42 cell wall polysaccharides is important for plant immunity against B. cinerea and 43 plays a role in pathogen-induced JA-Ile and camalexin accumulation. 44 45 48 evolved various inducible and constitutive defence mechanisms against the different 49 biotic and abiotic perturbations (Schutzendubel and Polle, 2002; Jones and Dangl, 50