Longitudinal sex-specific impacts of high-fat diet on dopaminergic dysregulation and behavior from periadolescence to late adulthood.

Objectives: Obesity is recognized for its adverse impact on brain health and related behaviors; however, the specific longitudinal effects of a high-fat diet (HFD) from juvenile stages of development through late adulthood remain poorly understood, particularly sex-specific outcomes. This study aimed to determine how prolonged exposure to HFD, commencing during periadolescence, would differentially predispose male and female mice to an elevated risk of dopaminergic dysregulation and associated behavioral deficits.

Methods: One-month-old C57BL/6J male and female mice were subjected to either a control diet or an HFD for 5 and 9 months.

Clinical Outcome Event Adjudication in a 10-Year Prospective Study of Nucleos(t)ide Analogue Therapy for Chronic Hepatitis B.

In the REALM (Randomized, Observational Study of Entecavir to Assess Long-Term Outcomes Associated with Nucleoside/Nucleotide Monotherapy for Patients with Chronic HBV Infection) study, 12,378 patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection received up to 10 years of randomized therapy with entecavir or another HBV nucleos(t)ide analogue. Monitored clinical outcome events (COEs) included malignant neoplasms, HBV disease progression events, and deaths. An external event adjudication committee (EAC) was convened to provide real-time review of reported COEs to optimize data quality, and minimize potential adverse effects of the large cohort, interdisciplinary outcome assessments, geographic scope, and long duration.

Real world experience on treatment, outcome and toxicity of crizotinib in patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase positive advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Crizotinib has been the standard treatment for patients with anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-rearranged advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). It demonstrated superior progression-free survival (PFS) and higher objective response rates (ORRs) chemotherapy in previously treated and untreated patients with ALK-positive advanced NSCLC. This retrospective analysis reports real-world experience in treatment outcome and toxicity of crizotinib in this group of patients, with a focus on the cardiac toxicity and its management.

Integrated genomic analyses in PDX model reveal a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor Palbociclib as a novel candidate drug for nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Background: Patient-derived xenograft (PDX) tumor model has become a new approach in identifying druggable tumor mutations, screening and evaluating personalized cancer drugs based on the mutated targets.

Methods: We established five nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) PDXs in mouse model. Subsequently, whole-exome sequencing (WES) and genomic mutation analyses were performed to search for genetic alterations for new drug targets.

Aristolochic acids and their derivatives are widely implicated in liver cancers in Taiwan and throughout Asia.

Many traditional pharmacopeias include and related plants, which contain nephrotoxins and mutagens in the form of aristolochic acids and similar compounds (collectively, AA). AA is implicated in multiple cancer types, sometimes with very high mutational burdens, especially in upper tract urothelial cancers (UTUCs). AA-associated kidney failure and UTUCs are prevalent in Taiwan, but AA's role in hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) there remains unexplored.

Phase II study of neo-adjuvant chemotherapy for locally advanced gastric cancer.

Background: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy improves survival of locally advanced gastric cancer patients. However, benefit is limited and the best regimen remains controversial.

Objectives: Our primary objective of this prospective, multicenter phase 2 study was to evaluate the pathological complete response rate (PCR) with 2 cycles of docetaxel and capecitabine.

Brain Metastases from Breast Cancer and Response to Treatment with Eribulin: A Case Series.

Brain metastases are common in patients with advanced breast cancer (BC), causing considerable morbidity and mortality. Eribulin is a microtubule dynamics inhibitor approved for treating certain patients with metastatic BC, previously treated with an anthracycline and a taxane. In the 301 phase 3 study in 1102 women with advanced BC, eribulin and capecitabine treatments did not differ for co-primary endpoints (overall survival [OS]: 15.

Molecular mechanisms of action and potential biomarkers of growth inhibition of dasatinib (BMS-354825) on hepatocellular carcinoma cells.

Background: Molecular targeted therapy has emerged as a promising treatment of Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). One potential target is the Src family Kinase (SFK). C-Src, a non-receptor tyrosine kinase is a critical link of multiple signal pathways that regulate proliferation, invasion, survival, metastasis, and angiogenesis.

In-vitro growth inhibition of chemotherapy and molecular targeted agents in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common and challenging malignant disease. The prognosis is poor in patients with advanced disease. Although sorafenib prolongs survival in these patients, improvement remains modest.

Silica-shell cross-linked micelles encapsulating fluorescent conjugated polymers for targeted cellular imaging.

A bioinspired silification approach was successfully used to encapsulate fluorescent conjugated polymers inside silica-shell cross-linked polymeric micelles (CP-SSCL) in the highly benign synthesis environment of room temperature and near-neutral aqueous environment. Four different conjugated polymers were employed to demonstrate the versatility of the bioinspired silification, resulting in the formation of CP-SSCL with different emission wavelengths across the visible spectrum. The CP-SSCL are characterized by a large absorption coefficient and high quantum yield, indicating that they exhibit the required high fluorescence brightness for cellular imaging application.

Intrinsically fluorescent carbon dots with tunable emission derived from hydrothermal treatment of glucose in the presence of monopotassium phosphate.

A facile method is developed to synthesize intrinsically fluorescent carbon dots by hydrothermal treatment of glucose in the presence of monopotassium phosphate. The fluorescence emission of the carbon dots thus produced is tunable by simply adjusting the concentration of monopotassium phosphate.

Bevacizumab in combination with oxaliplatin and doxorubicin or liposomal doxorubicin for hepatocellular cancer: a case series.

Aims: Despite the emergence of sorafenib as the standard treatment for patients with advanced hepatocellular cancer (HCC), therapy remains sub-optimal and toxic.

Methods: We report on five patients with advanced HCC treated with bevacizumab, oxaliplatin and doxorubicin or liposomal doxorubicin.

Results: Of the five patients, four had cirrhosis; two patients had Child-Pugh A cirrhosis, while one each had Child-Pugh B and C cirrhosis.

Final results of a prematurely discontinued Phase 1/2 study of eniluracil with escalating doses of 5-fluorouracil administered orally in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.

Purpose: Eniluracil (EU) is a potent dihydropyrimidine (DPD) inhibitor, which improves the oral bio-availability of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and may overcome fluoropyrimidine (FP) resistance in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Based on preclinical evidence, we aimed at studying a new dosing schedule for the combination with sequential administration, a lower dose of EU and higher doses of 5-FU than previously investigated.

Methods: Patients with a diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma were eligible for this Phase 1/2 study.

Clinical experience with gefitinib in Indian patients.

Introduction: Treatment options are limited in patients with advanced or refractory non-small cell lung cancer and lead to suboptimal outcome and/or benefit. The epidermal growth factor tyrosine kinase inhibitor gefitinib (IRESSA) has been approved in many countries. Increased responsiveness to gefitinib has been demonstrated in particular subsets of patients, for example never smokers and patients of Asian origin.

The role of gefitinib in the management of Asian patients with non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Lung cancer is the most common cause of death in cancer patients worldwide. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for approximately 85% of lung cancer cases. The prognosis of NSCLC is still poor, albeit slow and steady improvement achieved in the past three decades by chemotherapy.

Detection and comparison of epidermal growth factor receptor mutations in cells and fluid of malignant pleural effusion in non-small cell lung cancer.

Cells or cell-free fluid of malignant pleural effusion could be important clinical specimen for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation screening in advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. However, their usefulness in mutation detection has not been well compared. In this study we recruited 26 East Asian NSCLC patients with malignant pleural effusion, determined the mutation status of EGFR in both cells and matched cell-free fluid with the use of sequencing and mutant-enriched PCR.

Phase II trial of 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin/gemcitabine/cisplatin as second-line treatment in patients with metastatic or recurrent colorectal carcinoma: a cancer therapeutics research group study.

Background: Second-line treatment of relapsed or metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) after failure of treatment with a fluoropyrimidine is composed of oxaliplatin in combination with a fluoropyrimidine or an irinotecan-containing regimen. Cisplatin and gemcitabine are synergistic in preclinical studies, as is 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) combined with either agent. Fixed-rate infusional gemcitabine is more effective than bolus administration in animal models.

Differential reactions of microglia to brain metastasis of lung cancer.

The brain is a common metastatic site for various types of cancers, especially lung cancer. Patients with brain metastases have a poor prognosis in spite of radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy. It is postulated that immune cells in the brain may play a major role in cancer metastasis, dormancy, and relapse.

Multicenter, phase II study of cetuximab in combination with carboplatin in patients with recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Purpose: To evaluate efficacy and toxicity of cetuximab plus carboplatin in recurrent or metastatic nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) resistant to platinum treatment.

Patients And Methods: A multicenter, open-label, single-arm, phase II study in patients with epidermal growth factor receptor-expressing NPC who progressed on or within 12 months after termination of platinum-based chemotherapy for recurrent or metastatic disease. Cetuximab was administered at an initial dose of 400 mg/m2 followed by weekly doses of 250 mg/m2.