Palbociclib plus letrozole as treatment for postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative advanced breast cancer for whom letrozole therapy is deemed appropriate: An expanded access study in Australia and India.

Aim: Palbociclib was approved in the United States in 2015 to treat estrogen receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative (HER2-) advanced breast cancer (ABC). This study evaluated outcomes and safety in patients treated with palbociclib in Australia and India with hormone receptor-positive (HR+)/HER2- ABC before palbociclib became commercially available.

Methods: Postmenopausal women (≥18 years) with HR+/HER2- ABC who were appropriate candidates for letrozole therapy received palbociclib 125 mg once daily for 21 days followed by 7 days off, and letrozole 2.

National Working Group Meeting on ALK diagnostics in lung cancer.

The global landscape of molecular testing is rapidly changing, with the recent publication of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC)/College of American Pathologists (CAP) guidelines and the ALK Atlas. The IASLC/CAP guidelines recommend that tumors from patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) be tested for ALK rearrangements in addition to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations. The spur for this recommendation is the availability of novel therapies that target these rearrangements.

Patient satisfaction: African American women's views of the patient-doctor relationship.

African American women are less likely than other groups of women to use health care services despite an equal or greater need. In particular, they may rely more frequently on informal sources of health care advice, such as family members and/or social support networks. Very little is known about how African American women view the health care system because few studies have investigated the impact of race and gender on patient satisfaction.

A qualitative analysis of women's satisfaction with primary care from a panel of focus groups in the National Centers of Excellence in Women's Health.

Health issues unique to women and differences in healthcare experiences have recently gained attention as health plans and systems seek to extend and improve health promotion and disease prevention in the population. Successful efforts focused on enhancing quality of care will require information from the patient's perspective on how to improve such services to best support women's attempts to lead healthy and productive lives. The National Centers of Excellence in Women's Health program (CoE), sponsored by the Office on Women's Health within the Department of Health and Human Services, is based on an integrated model uniting research, training, healthcare, and community education and outreach.

Women's satisfaction with primary care: a new measurement effort from the PHS National Centers of Excellence in Women's Health.

This paper describes efforts by the National Centers of Excellence in Women's Health to develop a woman-specific primary care satisfaction instrument suitable for quality improvement and research.

Endothelium removal induces iNOS in rat aorta in organ culture, leading to tissue damage.

After endothelial damage in vivo, there is an induction of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in the underlying smooth muscle cells. We hypothesized that intrinsic factors could induce NOS independently of blood elements. This was tested using an in vitro organ culture technique.

17 beta-Estradiol reduces vasoconstriction in endothelium-denuded rat aortas through inducible NOS.

Estrogen produces vasodilatation through the induction of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in the endothelium, but there are many reports of endothelium-independent effects. In the present study, these processes were investigated in rat aortas isolated from ovariectomized rats. Long-term in vitro treatment with 17 beta-estradiol (10 nM for 24 h) in an organ culture system slightly reduced acetylcholine-mediated vasorelaxation in endothelium-intact aortic rings.

17Beta-oestradiol enhances nitric oxide synthase activity in endothelium-denuded rat aorta.

1. It has been suggested that oestrogen-produced vasodilatation is due to induction of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (NOS), but there are many reports of direct effects on vascular smooth muscle. In the present study, these processes were investigated in rat aorta isolated from ovariectomized rats.

Noradrenaline synthesis after sympathetic nerve activation in rat atria and its dependence on calcium but not CAM kinase II and protein kinases A or C.

1. The biosynthesis of noradrenaline following sympathetic nerve activation was investigated in rat atria. In particular the time course of noradrenaline synthesis changes, the relationship of changes in synthesis to transmitter release and the possible roles of second messengers and protein kinases were examined.