Prognostic value of histopathologic traits independent of stromal tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte levels in chemotherapy-naïve patients with triple-negative breast cancer.

Background: In the absence of prognostic biomarkers, most patients with early-stage triple-negative breast cancer (eTNBC) are treated with combination chemotherapy. The identification of biomarkers to select patients for whom treatment de-escalation or escalation could be considered remains an unmet need. We evaluated the prognostic value of histopathologic traits in a unique cohort of young, (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy-naïve patients with early-stage (stage I or II), node-negative TNBC and long-term follow-up, in relation to stromal tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (sTILs) for which the prognostic value was recently reported.

Interobserver Variation in the Assessment of Immunohistochemistry Expression Levels in HER2-Negative Breast Cancer: Can We Improve the Identification of Low Levels of HER2 Expression by Adjusting the Criteria? An International Interobserver Study.

The classification of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) expression is optimized to detect HER2-amplified breast cancer (BC). However, novel HER2-targeting agents are also effective for BCs with low levels of HER2. This raises the question whether the current guidelines for HER2 testing are sufficiently reproducible to identify HER2-low BC.

Prognostic Value of Stromal Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes in Young, Node-Negative, Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Patients Who Did Not Receive (neo)Adjuvant Systemic Therapy.

Purpose: Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is considered aggressive, and therefore, virtually all young patients with TNBC receive (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy. Increased stromal tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (sTILs) have been associated with a favorable prognosis in TNBC. However, whether this association holds for patients who are node-negative (N0), young (< 40 years), and chemotherapy-naïve, and thus can be used for chemotherapy de-escalation strategies, is unknown.

Long-term prognosis of young breast cancer patients (≤40 years) who did not receive adjuvant systemic treatment: protocol for the PARADIGM initiative cohort study.

Introduction: Currently used tools for breast cancer prognostication and prediction may not adequately reflect a young patient's prognosis or likely treatment benefit because they were not adequately validated in young patients. Since breast cancers diagnosed at a young age are considered prognostically unfavourable, many treatment guidelines recommend adjuvant systemic treatment for all young patients. Patients cured by locoregional treatment alone are, therefore, overtreated.

Odd and even Kondo effects from emergent localization in quantum point contacts.

A quantum point contact (QPC) is a basic nanometre-scale electronic device: a short and narrow transport channel between two electron reservoirs. In clean channels, electron transport is ballistic and the conductance is then quantized as a function of channel width with plateaux at integer multiples of 2e(2)/h (where e is the electron charge and h is Planck's constant). This can be understood in a picture where the electron states are propagating waves, without the need to account for electron-electron interactions.

Primary health care for remote village communities in Honduras: a model for training and support of community health workers.

Background And Objectives: We present a model for the development of sustainable primary health care in village communities in Honduras through the training and support of community health workers. The model follows a "bottom-up" approach using community-centered data generation, problem-specific curriculum development, and ongoing knowledge maintenance and support for community-based care givers. Health worker training, evaluation, and support are provided by US-based primary care professionals.

Expression of BNIP3 in invasive breast cancer: correlations with the hypoxic response and clinicopathological features.

Background: Bcl-2/adenovirus E1B 19 kDa-interacting protein 3 (BNIP3) is a pro-apoptotic member of the Bcl-2 family induced under hypoxia. Low or absent expression has recently been described in human tumors, including gastrointestinal tumors, resulting in poor prognosis. Little is known about BNIP3 expression in invasive breast cancer.

Spin accumulation and spin relaxation in a large open quantum dot.

We report electronic control and measurement of an imbalance between spin-up and spin-down electrons in micron-scale open quantum dots. Spin injection and detection were achieved with quantum point contacts tuned to have spin-selective transport, with four contacts per dot for realizing a nonlocal spin-valve circuit. This provides an interesting system for studies of spintronic effects since the contacts to reservoirs can be controlled and characterized with high accuracy.

Nuclear morphometric features in benign breast tissue and risk of subsequent breast cancer.

Certain nuclear morphometric features measured in breast tumor tissue have been shown to predict the prognosis of breast cancer patients. However, the application of these features to predicting risk of breast cancer development has received little attention. We conducted a case-control study to evaluate nuclear morphometric features in benign breast tissue in association with subsequent breast cancer risk.

Impaired flow-induced dilation in mesenteric resistance arteries from receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase-mu-deficient mice.

The transmembrane receptor-like protein tyrosine phosphatase-mu (RPTPmu) is thought to play an important role in cell-cell adhesion-mediated processes. We recently showed that RPTPmu is predominantly expressed in the endothelium of arteries and not in veins. Its involvement in the regulation of endothelial adherens junctions and its specific arterial expression suggest that RPTPmu plays a role in controlling arterial endothelial cell function and vascular tone.

Activated vitronectin as a target for anticancer therapy with human antibodies.

The formation of a provisional extracellular matrix represents an important step during tumor growth and angiogenesis. Proteins that participate in this process become activated and undergo conformational changes that expose biologically active cryptic sites. Activated matrix proteins express epitopes not found on their native counterparts.

Students struggling in clinical? A new role for the patient simulator.

Our students trust that we will provide them with information and opportunities to practice what they have learned in the classroom. When students are not meeting established objectives in the clinical environment, the possibility for error increases, frustration and the students' stress levels escalate, and patient safety is jeopardized. Traditional remediation methods may reduce students' already low levels of confidence, putting more stress on the students and creating an environment prone to errors.

Receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase mu expression as a marker for endothelial cell heterogeneity; analysis of RPTPmu gene expression using LacZ knock-in mice.

The receptor-like protein tyrosine phosphatase mu (RPTPmu) belongs to the subfamily of meprin, A5, RPTPmu (MAM) domain-containing RPTPs, which are thought to play an important role in cell-cell adhesion mediated processes. The current study was designed to examine the expression pattern of RPTPmu in mice. We have generated RPTPmu-LacZ knock-in mice that express the beta-galactosidase (LacZ) reporter gene under the control of the RPTPmu promoter.

The small GTPase, Rap1, mediates CD31-induced integrin adhesion.

Integrin-mediated leukocyte adhesion is a critical aspect of leukocyte function that is tightly regulated by diverse stimuli, including chemokines, antigen receptors, and adhesion receptors. How cellular signals from CD31 and other adhesion amplifiers are integrated with those from classical mitogenic stimuli to regulate leukocyte function remains poorly understood. Here, we show that the cytoplasmic tail of CD31, an important integrin adhesion amplifier, propagates signals that induce T cell adhesion via beta1 (VLA-4) and beta2 (LFA-1) integrins.

Malignant transformation of benign gliomas during interstitial irradiation.

Interstitial curietherapy with 125-Iodine is an effective therapeutic option in the treatment of low grade gliomas. Four cases with astrocytoma grade II are presented, where tumour growth characteristics have changed to anaplasia during interstitial irradiation after a primary period of tumour regression. Anaplastic transformation could be due to a radiation effect or an insufficient therapeutic influence of interstitial irradiation on natural tumour progression of glioma growth due to genetic events.

[Radiotherapy of cervix and uterus carcinomas (Marburg results of 1960 to 1975)].

The authors present the therapy results and complications of 479 patients with carcinomas of the cervix and 241 patients with carcinomas of the body of the uterus. The five-year survival rate of the patients with carcinomas of the cervix is 57%. The first five years after diagnosis were survived by 79.

[ECG-changes following postoperative irradiation of patients with mammary carcinoma (author's transl)].

Systematic ECG-analyses and determinations of serum creatin-kinase were performed in 32 patients with mammary carcinoma of the left, prior to and immediately after postoperative radiation therapy. Treatment was done with a gammatron, during this, the average load to the anterior cardiac wall amounted to 3600 rd. Eleven cases exhibited coronary-negative T-waves in at least two chest leads after treatment, seven other cases had flat negative or isoelectric T-waves.

[Results of radiotherapy of bronchial carcinoma (author's transl)].

In a joint retrospective study by 17 radiotherapy clinics in German-speaking countries the results of treatment of bronchial carcinoma after radiotherapy were analysed in 7503 cases. The age peak was between the 60th and 70th year. Squamous-cell carcinoma was the most frequent histological type, followed by anaplastic carcinoma, with adenocarcinoma being rare.

[Varying standard concentrations as a cause of divergent serum digoxin estimations using radioimmune-essays (author's transl)].

1. The results of various commercial radio-immune essays for digoxin differ and cannot readily be compared. 2.