Antipsychotic polypharmacy: a survey study of prescriber attitudes, knowledge and behavior.

Objective: Although common in psychiatric practice, reasons for antipsychotic polypharmacy (APP) have remained unclear.

Methods: Single-site, semi-structured interview study of prescribers at a psychiatric teaching hospital inquiring about APP attitudes and behaviors, including frequency, preferred combinations, rationale and concerns.

Results: Forty-four prescribers reported using APP in 17.

Osteopontin as a molecular prognostic marker for melanoma.

Background: Osteopontin has been suggested as a marker of disease progression in patients with melanoma because of its overexpression in recent microarray analyses. However, its prognostic role in melanoma has not been fully defined.

Methods: Osteopontin expression status was examined using immunohistochemical analysis of a tissue microarray that contained primary cutaneous melanomas from 345 patients.

Prognostic significance of extent of ulceration in primary cutaneous melanoma.

Ulceration has been shown to be an adverse prognostic factor in primary cutaneous melanoma. However, the extent of ulceration required for histologic identification and biologic significance is unclear. We examined the impact of extent of ulceration on melanoma outcome in a cohort of 235 melanoma patients by evaluating the relationship between percentage of ulceration in the vertical growth phase of the primary tumor and 2 outcome parameters: sentinel lymph node status and overall survival.

Prognostic significance of nuclear receptor coactivator-3 overexpression in primary cutaneous melanoma.

Purpose: To assess the prognostic significance of nuclear receptor coactivator-3 (NCOA3) overexpression in primary cutaneous melanoma.

Patients And Methods: NCOA3 expression was assessed using immunohistochemical analysis of a melanoma tissue microarray (TMA) containing primary melanomas from 343 patients with defined histology and follow-up. The impact of the presence or absence of various prognostic factors on relapse-free survival (RFS) and disease-specific survival (DSS) of melanoma patients was assessed using Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier analysis.

The role of microsatellites as a prognostic factor in primary malignant melanoma.

Objective: To determine the impact of microsatellites as a prognostic factor in primary cutaneous melanoma.

Design: Retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Tertiary referral center.

NF-kappa B in the vascular progression of melanoma.

Purpose: To examine a model of melanoma progression based on vascular factors and the role of NF-kappa B in the vascular progression of melanoma.

Patients And Methods: A data set of 526 patients from the University of California San Francisco Melanoma Center with 2 years of follow-up or first relapse was studied. The impact of the presence or absence of various prognostic factors on overall survival of melanoma patients was assessed using Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier analysis.

Prognostic factors in primary cutaneous melanoma.

Tumor thickness has historically been the single most important factor in risk assessment for stage I and II melanoma patients. However, it is possible to more accurately determine a patient's prognosis by also using other known prognostic indicators, such as ulceration, vascular invasion, and angiogenesis. A probabilistic approach to risk assessment has implications for the appropriate selection of treatment modalities, such as sentinel lymph node biopsy and re-excision margins.