Pretreatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio as a marker of outcomes in nivolumab-treated patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer.

Objectives: Efficient use of nivolumab in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been limited by the lack of a definitive predictive biomarker. In patients with metastatic melanoma treated with ipilimumab, a pretreatment neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR)<5 has been associated with improved survival. This retrospective cohort study aimed to determine whether the pretreatment NLR was associated with outcomes in NSCLC patients treated with nivolumab.

Use of Survivorship Care Plans and Analysis of Patient-Reported Outcomes in Multinational Patients With Lung Cancer.

Purpose: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death and is a significant source of morbidity. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) have been shown to be prognostic for survival. We have analyzed emerging patterns of longitudinal PROs collected in the development of survivorship care plans (SCPs).

Impact of internet-based cancer survivorship care plans on health care and lifestyle behaviors.

Background: Survivorship care plans (SCP) are currently recommended by the Institute of Medicine, and will soon be required for accreditation by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer. To the best of the authors' knowledge, the impact of SCPs on cancer survivors has not been previously reported.

Methods: In 2007, the authors created an Internet tool for the creation of SCPs that provides customized guidelines for survivorship care.

Cosmetic outcomes and complications reported by patients having undergone breast-conserving treatment.

Purpose: Over the past 30 years, much work in treatment of breast cancer has contributed to improvement of cosmetic and functional outcomes. The goal of breast-conservation treatment (BCT) is avoidance of mastectomy through use of lumpectomy and adjuvant radiation. Modern data demonstrate "excellent" or "good" cosmesis in >90% of patients treated with BCT.

Patient reported late effects of gynecological cancer treatment.

Objective: There are a large number of gynecological cancer survivors in the United States living with long term sequelae of their treatment. Patient reported outcomes are essential in capturing patients' experiences in order to address survivorship issues; however, patient reported toxicities are not often collected or reported.

Methods: A web-based survivorship care plan tool was used to collect patient reported toxicity data for 390 women who had undergone treatment for gynecological cancer.

Candidate cell and matrix interaction domains on the collagen fibril, the predominant protein of vertebrates.

Type I collagen, the predominant protein of vertebrates, polymerizes with type III and V collagens and non-collagenous molecules into large cable-like fibrils, yet how the fibril interacts with cells and other binding partners remains poorly understood. To help reveal insights into the collagen structure-function relationship, a data base was assembled including hundreds of type I collagen ligand binding sites and mutations on a two-dimensional model of the fibril. Visual examination of the distribution of functional sites, and statistical analysis of mutation distributions on the fibril suggest it is organized into two domains.

Non-enzymatic glycation of type I collagen diminishes collagen-proteoglycan binding and weakens cell adhesion.

Non-enzymatic glycation of type I collagen occurs in aging and diabetes, and may affect collagen solubility, charge, polymerization, and intermolecular interactions. Proteoglycans(1) (PGs) bind type I collagen and are proposed to regulate fibril assembly, function, and cell-collagen interactions. Moreover, on the collagen fibril a keratan sulfate (KS) PG binding region overlaps with preferred collagen glycation sites.

Risk for unplanned hospital readmission of patients with cancer: results of a retrospective medical record review.

Purpose/objectives: To identify potential factors that place patients with cancer at risk for unplanned readmissions after discharge from the hospital.

Design: Retrospective, descriptive, medical record review.

Setting: A National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in an urban area of the Northeastern United States.

Angiogenesis in collagen I requires alpha2beta1 ligation of a GFP*GER sequence and possibly p38 MAPK activation and focal adhesion disassembly.

Angiogenesis depends on proper collagen biosynthesis and cross-linking, and type I collagen is an ideal angiogenic scaffold, although its mechanism is unknown. We examined angiogenesis using an assay wherein confluent monolayers of human umbilical vein endothelial cells were overlain with collagen in a serum-free defined medium. Small spaces formed in the cell layer by 2 h, and cells formed net-like arrays by 6-8 h and capillary-like lumens by 24 h.

Mapping the ligand-binding sites and disease-associated mutations on the most abundant protein in the human, type I collagen.

Type I collagen is the most abundant protein in humans, and it helps to maintain the integrity of many tissues via its interactions with cell surfaces, other extracellular matrix molecules, and growth and differentiation factors. Nearly 50 molecules have been found to interact with type I collagen, and for about half of them, binding sites on this collagen have been elucidated. In addition, over 300 mutations in type I collagen associated with human connective tissue disorders have been described.