Stabilization of disease as an indicator of clinical benefit associated with chemotherapy in non-small cell lung cancer patients.

In Phase II oncology studies, response rate has traditionally been used to assess activity. However stabilization of disease (SD) may also provide patient benefit. To assess the value of SD (stabilization of measurable disease for at least 8 weeks) as a predictor of survival following chemotherapy in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), we have analyzed data from 198 NSCLC patients receiving topotecan i.

Differential functioning of outpatients and residents of a domestic violence shelter on the Abuse Disability Questionnaire.

Consistent with prediction, scores on the Abuse Disability Questionnaire were significantly greater for 64 residents than 80 outpatients at a domestic violence shelter. This finding lends additional support to the questionnaires' validity.

Ribofuranosyl triazolone: a natural product herbicide with activity on adenylosuccinate synthetase following phosphorylation.

2,4-Dihydro-4-(beta-D-ribofuranosyl)-1,2,4(3H)-triazol-3-one (2) was identified as the principal phytotoxic component of a fermentation broth derived from an Actinomadura. The compound is a new natural product, but known by synthesis. Broad-spectrum herbicidal activity was demonstrated in greenhouse tests.

Quantitative characterization of mass lesions on digitized mammograms for computer-assisted diagnosis.

Rationale And Objectives: To investigate features for discriminating benign from malignant mammographic findings by using computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) and to test the accuracy of CAD interpretations of mass lesions.

Methods: Fifty-five sequential, mammographically detected mass lesions, referred for biopsy, were digitized for computerized reevaluation with a CAD system. Quantitative features that characterize spiculation were automatically extracted by the CAD system.

Optimizing parameters for computer-aided diagnosis of microcalcifications at mammography.

Rationale And Objectives: The purpose of this study was to optimize selection of the mammographic features most useful in discriminating benign from malignant clustered microcalcifications.

Materials And Methods: The computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system automatically extracted from digitized mammograms 13 quantitative features characterizing microcalcification clusters. Archival cases (n = 134; patient age range, 31-77 years; mean age, 56.

Use of the Abuse Disability Questionnaire in screening a clinical outpatient sample of women.

A sample of 50 women who sought services at a community mental health center were administered screening questionnaires which measure impairment from abuse and mental symptomatology. Scores on Psychiatric Symptomatology and Depression were correlated with impairment associated with partner abuse. Impairment was intermediate between those of a shelter sample and well-functioning community sample.

Genome-wide analysis of vaccinia virus protein-protein interactions.

To detect interactions between proteins of vaccinia virus, we carried out a comprehensive two-hybrid analysis to assay every pairwise combination. We constructed an array of yeast transformants that contained each of the 266 predicted viral ORFs as Gal4 activation domain hybrid proteins. The array was individually mated to transformants containing each ORF as a Gal4-DNA-binding domain hybrid, and diploids expressing the two-hybrid reporter gene were identified.

Obstetric analgesia.

Several analgesic options are available for patients during labor. Selection of the appropriate technique must be individualized. Education and preparation begins during prenatal care.

A comprehensive analysis of protein-protein interactions in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Two large-scale yeast two-hybrid screens were undertaken to identify protein-protein interactions between full-length open reading frames predicted from the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome sequence. In one approach, we constructed a protein array of about 6,000 yeast transformants, with each transformant expressing one of the open reading frames as a fusion to an activation domain. This array was screened by a simple and automated procedure for 192 yeast proteins, with positive responses identified by their positions in the array.

Repeated treatments with 7-OH-DPAT: context-independent behavioral sensitization and conditioned hyperactivity.

The primary objective of this study was to determine whether the expression of behavioral sensitization to the putative dopamine D3 receptor agonist 7-OH-DPAT is context dependent. Three groups (n = 8 each) of male Wistar rats (250-350 g) were given nine injections (at 48-h intervals) of 7-OH-DPAT (1.0 mg/kg, SC) or vehicle 15 min before and after activity testing.

Improved mammographic interpretation of masses using computer-aided diagnosis.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of computerized image enhancement, to investigate criteria for discriminating benign from malignant mammographic findings by computer-aided diagnosis (CAD), and to test the role of quantitative analysis in improving the accuracy of interpretation of mass lesions. Forty sequential mammographically detected mass lesions referred for biopsy were digitized at high resolution for computerized evaluation. A prototype CAD system which included image enhancement algorithms was used for a better visualization of the lesions.

Clinical practice guidelines. Finding and appraising useful, relevant recommendations for geriatric care.

Practicing effective evidence-based medicine in the geriatric setting depends on routine review of the current literature and critical analysis of its relevance to the patient and condition in question. Clinical guidelines facilitate this approach and are readily available from an array of print and electronic resources. The recent growth in the number of published guidelines by medical associations, government agencies, and healthcare organizations makes determining their validity and applicability a challenging proposition.

Grass-roots genomics.

In these heady days of genomic enterprise, the wet-bench geneticist may wonder what the future holds in store for those who explore biology in the laboratory. We argue that the goal of genomics is to serve geneticists.

Stabilization of disease as a useful predictor of survival following second-line chemotherapy in small cell lung cancer and ovarian cancer patients.

To assess the value of disease stabilization (SD) as a predictor of survival following chemotherapy, data were analyzed from multicenter clinical trials in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) and ovarian cancer (OC) patients receiving various second-line chemotherapy regimens. In both patient populations, SD (lasting >8 weeks) and partial responses (PR) were associated with a survival benefit versus progressive disease (PD); interestingly, the survival benefit was similar between the two groups (PR and SD). These results suggest that, at least in these populations, SD may represent a potential benefit of chemotherapy and therefore the distinction between SD and PR may not be useful.

Psychometric properties of an attitude scale measuring physician-nurse collaboration.

This study examined the psychometric properties of an assessment tool for measuring attitudes toward physician-nurse collaboration. A survey addressing areas of responsibility, expectations, shared learning, decision making, authority, and autonomy was administered to first-year medical and nursing students. Factor analysis of the survey indicated that the survey measured four underlying constructs of shared education and collaborative relationships, caring as opposed to curing, nurse's autonomy, and physician's authority.

A biochemical genomics approach for identifying genes by the activity of their products.

For the identification of yeast genes specifying biochemical activities, a genomic strategy that is rapid, sensitive, and widely applicable was developed with an array of 6144 individual yeast strains, each containing a different yeast open reading frame (ORF) fused to glutathione S-transferase (GST). For the identification of ORF-associated activities, strains were grown in defined pools, and GST-ORFs were purified. Then, pools were assayed for activities, and active pools were deconvoluted to identify the source strains.

Prehospital stability of diazepam and lorazepam.

Injectable benzodiazepines are commonly stocked on ambulances for use by paramedics. We evaluated the stability of lorazepam and diazepam as a function of storage temperature. Diazepam (5 mg/mL) and lorazepam (2 mg/mL) injectable solutions were stored for up to 210 days in clear glass syringes at three conditions: 4 degrees C to 10 degrees C (refrigerated); 15 degrees C to 30 degrees C (on-ambulance ambient temperature); and 37 degrees C (oven-heated).

Functional genomics.

Complete genome sequences are providing a framework to allow the investigation of biological processes by the use of comprehensive approaches. Genome analysis also is having a dramatic impact on medicine through its identification of genes and mutations involved in disease and the elucidation of entire microbial gene sets. Studies of the sequences of model organisms, such as that of the nematode worm Caenorhabditis elegans, are providing extraordinary insights into development and differentiation that aid the study of these processes in humans.

Genetic selection of peptide inhibitors of biological pathways.

Genetic selections were used to find peptides that inhibit biological pathways in budding yeast. The peptides were presented inside cells as peptamers, surface loops on a highly expressed and biologically inert carrier protein, a catalytically inactive derivative of staphylococcal nuclease. Peptamers that inhibited the pheromone signaling pathway, transcriptional silencing, and the spindle checkpoint were isolated.

The use of an interactive software program for quantitative characterization of microcalcifications on digitized film-screen mammograms.

Rationale And Objectives: Mammography is relatively nonspecific for the early detection of breast cancer. This study evaluates the accuracy of mammographic interpretation using quantitative features characterizing microcalcifications, which are extracted by a computerized system.

Methods: A computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system enabling digitization of film-screen mammograms and automatic feature extraction was developed.