The Patient Population at Homeopathic Outpatient Clinics across India: A Clinical Data Collection Study.

Background:  Even though several initiatives have been undertaken in different locations worldwide to collect clinical data in homeopathy, it is important to further investigate these aspects in the context of health care in India.

Objective:  The study aimed to gather and analyze patients' clinical data and to derive insights into homeopathic treatment using an internet-based software program for data storage, retrieval and repertorization.

Methods:  A multi-center observational study was conducted across 14 homeopathy outpatient clinics in India that are affiliated with the Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH).

Clinical variability of familial tumoral calcinosis caused by novel GALNT3 mutations.

The GALNT3 gene encodes GalNAc-T3, which prevents degradation of the phosphaturic hormone, fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23). Biallelic mutations in either GALNT3 or FGF23 result in hyperphosphatemic familial tumoral calcinosis or its variant, hyperostosis-hyperphosphatemia syndrome. Tumoral calcinosis is characterized by the presence of ectopic calcifications around major joints, whereas hyperostosis-hyperphosphatemia syndrome is characterized by recurrent long bone lesions with hyperostosis.

Trastuzumab plus paclitaxel or docetaxel in HER-2-negative/HER-2 ECD-positive anthracycline- and taxane-refractory advanced breast cancer.

Trastuzumab is considered effective against human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER)-2-positive breast cancer as assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) and fluorescence or chromogenic in situ hybridization (FISH/CISH) on biopsy material. Trastuzumab is now approved in both the adjuvant and metastatic settings for this patient population. Because HER-2 extracellular domain (ECD) levels have been correlated with disease progression in the metastatic setting, we considered trastuzumab salvage therapy plus a taxane in heavily pretreated trastuzumab-naive relapsed breast cancer patients with high serum levels of HER-2 ECD (> or =15 ng/ml).