We report a coherent mid-infrared (MIR) source with a combination of broad spectral coverage (6-18 μm), high repetition rate (50 MHz), and high average power (0.5 W). The waveform-stable pulses emerge via intrapulse differencefrequency generation (IPDFG) in a GaSe crystal, driven by a 30-W-average-power train of 32-fs pulses spectrally centered at 2 μm, delivered by a fiber-laser system. Electro-optic sampling (EOS) of the waveform-stable MIR waveforms reveals their single-cycle nature, confirming the excellent phase matching both of IPDFG and of EOS with 2-μm pulses in GaSe.

A randomized, double-blind, multicenter study in 181 afebrile cancer patients with ANC levels < 500/microL receiving myelosuppressive chemotherapy was undertaken to compare sargramostim (yeast-derived recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, RhuGM-CSF) and filgrastim (bacteria-derived recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, RhuG-CSF) in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression. Patients received daily subcutaneous (SC) injections of either agent until ANC levels reached at least 1500/microL. There was no statistical difference between treatment groups in the mean number of days to reach an ANC of 500/microL, but the mean number of days to reach ANC levels of 1000/microL and 1500/microL was approximately one day less in patients receiving filgrastim. Fewer patients in the sargramostim arm were hospitalized, and they had a shorter mean length of hospitalization, mean duration of fever, and mean duration of i.v. antibiotic therapy compared with patients who received filgrastim. Both growth factors were well tolerated. No patient was readmitted to the hospital after growth factor was discontinued. Sargramostim and filgrastim have comparable efficacy and tolerability in the treatment of standard-dose chemotherapy-induced myelosuppression in community practice.

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A simple method of high-speed random bit generation is presented that utilizes the turbulent output of a fiber ring cavity semiconductor laser. Random bits are generated by multi-bit sampling of the chaotic optical waveform passed through a simple post-processing procedure, leading to generation rates up to and potentially exceeding 1 Tb/s. The resulting random bit streams are tested statistically using a software package designed to test random number generators, the NIST statistical test suite. The bit streams pass each of these test sets, indicating their suitability for use in random number generation applications. This novel technique allows the generation of random bits from less complex experimental conditions than previously reported, while improving upon recent previous studies in terms of bit rate and quality of bits.

A prospective, randomized, double-blind, multicenter study in cancer patients receiving myelosuppressive chemotherapy was undertaken to evaluate and compare the tolerability of sargramostim (yeast-derived recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor, RhuGM-CSF) and filgrastim (bacteria-derived recombinant human granulocyte colony-stimulating factor, RhuG-CSF) in the prophylaxis or treatment of chemotherapy-induced neutropenia. In all, 137 evaluable patients received sargramostim (300 micrograms; 193 mg/m2) or filgrastim (481 mg; 7 mg/kg) once daily by self-administered s.c. injection, usually beginning within 48 h after completion of chemotherapy. With the exception of a slightly higher incidence of grade 1 fever (< 38.1 degrees C) with sargramostim, there were no statistically significant differences in the incidence or severity of local or systemic adverse events possibly related to the growth factors. Although the study was not designed to evaluate efficacy directly, there also were no statistically significant differences between treatment groups in total days of growth factor therapy, days of hospitalization, or days of i.v. antibiotic therapy during the treatment period. Both sargramostim and filgrastim were comparably well tolerated when given by s.c. injection in this group of patients, and no clinically significant differences between the growth factors were demonstrated.