Early prenatal use of a multivitamin diminishes the risk for inadequate vitamin D status in pregnant women: results from the Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals (MIREC) cohort study.

Background: Reports on the adequacy of vitamin D status of pregnant women are not available in Canada.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to examine vitamin D status across pregnancy and identify the correlates of vitamin D status of pregnant women in Canada.

Methods: Pregnant women (≥18 years) from 6 provinces (2008-2011) participating in a longitudinal cohort were studied.

Comparison of Electronic Versus Manual Mass-Casualty Incident Triage.

Unlabelled: IntroductionMass-casualty incidents (MCIs) easily overwhelm a health care facility's human and material resources through the extraordinary influx of casualties. Efficient and accurate triage of incoming casualties is a critical step in the hospital disaster response.Hypothesis/ProblemTraditionally, triage during MCIs has been manually performed using paper cards.

Phenolic Compounds and Antioxidant Activity of Phalaenopsis Orchid Hybrids.

Phalaenopsis spp. is the most commercially and economically important orchid, but their plant parts are often left unused, which has caused environmental problems. To date, reports on phytochemical analyses were most available on endangered and medicinal orchids.

NF-κB hyperactivation in tumor tissues allows tumor-selective reprogramming of the chemokine microenvironment to enhance the recruitment of cytolytic T effector cells.

Tumor infiltration with effector CD8(+) T cells (T(eff)) predicts longer recurrence-free survival in many types of human cancer, illustrating the broad significance of T(eff) for effective immunosurveillance. Colorectal tumors with reduced accumulation of T(eff) express low levels of T(eff)-attracting chemokines such as CXCL10/IP10 and CCL5/RANTES. In this study, we investigated the feasibility of enhancing tumor production of T(eff)-attracting chemokines as a cancer therapeutic strategy using a tissue explant culture system to analyze chemokine induction in intact tumor tissues.

Fludarabine and cytarabine in patients with acute myeloid leukemia refractory to two different courses of front-line chemotherapy.

The most effective regimen for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients who do not achieve complete remission (CR) after two different courses of front-line chemotherapy has not been established. We therefore evaluated the efficacy, toxicity, and prognostic factors for achieving CR following treatment with fludarabine and cytarabine in 25 newly diagnosed AML patients who did not respond to initial therapy with idarubicin and cytarabine followed by mitoxantrone and etoposide. CR was achieved in 32% of patients; in 55% of patients with intermediate-risk karyotype and in 14% with unfavorable-risk.

Gemtuzumab ozogamicin as first-line treatment in patients aged 70 years or older with acute myeloid leukemia.

Background: Elderly patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are generally unable to withstand the rigors of intensive induction chemotherapy and its attendant complications. Gemtuzumab ozogamicin (GO) is an immunoconjugate that had demonstrated activity in recurrent AML.

Methods: The objective of the current study was to determine the prognostic factors for achievement of complete remission (CR) in newly diagnosed elderly AML patients treated with GO as initial induction therapy.

Complementary prognostic values of ST segment deviation and Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) risk score in non-ST elevation acute coronary syndromes: Insights from the Platelet Receptor Inhibition in Ischemic Syndrome Management in Patients Limited by Unstable Signs and Symptoms (PRISM-PLUS) study.

Background: Although the Thrombolysis In Myocardial Infarction (TIMI) score incorporates ST deviation, it does not account for characteristics of the ST deviations. In the present study, it was hypothesized that the magnitude and characteristics of ST deviation may add to the prognostic values of the TIMI risk score in acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients, particularly in lower-risk patients with a TIMI risk score of less than 5.

Objective: To evaluate the prognostic value of combining the TIMI risk score and characteristics of ST deviation in patients with non-ST elevation ACS and a TIMI risk score of less than 5.

Mitoxantrone and etoposide in patients with newly diagnosed acute myeloid leukemia with persistent leukemia after a course of therapy with cytarabine and idarubicin.

The most effective regimen for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who do not achieve complete remission (CR) after one course of cytarabine and an anthracycline has not been extensively studied. We evaluated retrospectively the efficacy, toxicity, and prognostic factors for the achievement of CR following mitoxantrone and etoposide in 74 patients with newly diagnosed AML who did not respond to one course of therapy with cytarabine and idarubicin. CR was achieved in 39% of patients; 14% died of infectious complications; no grade 3 or 4 hepatic toxicities were observed.

A new generalization of Weibull distribution with application to a breast cancer data set.

In this article, we propose a new generalization of the Weibull distribution, which incorporates the exponentiated Weibull distribution introduced by Mudholkar and Srivastava (IEEE Trans. Reliab. 1993; 42:299-302) as a special case.

Phase II trial of short-course CHOP-R followed by 90Y-ibritumomab tiuxetan and extended rituximab in previously untreated follicular lymphoma.

Purpose: Radioimmunotherapy has been approved for relapsed follicular lymphoma (FL), including rituximab-refractory FL. This study was designed to determine the CR rate with short-course chemoimmunotherapy with cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, prednisone, and rituximab (CHOP-R) followed by 90-Y ibritumomab tiuxetan (RIT) with extended rituximab as first-line treatment.

Experimental Design: Between March 2004 and February 2007, 60 patients with stage II to IV symptomatic or bulky FL from a single institution supported by a large community network entered this phase II trial.

Therapeutic targeting of human hepatocyte growth factor with a single neutralizing monoclonal antibody reduces lung tumorigenesis.

The hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)/c-Met signaling pathway is involved in lung tumor growth and progression, and agents that target this pathway have clinical potential for lung cancer treatment. L2G7, a single potent anti-human HGF neutralizing monoclonal antibody, showed profound inhibition of human HGF-induced phosphorylated mitogen-activated protein kinase induction, wound healing, and invasion in lung tumor cells in vitro. Transgenic mice that overexpress human HGF in the airways were used to study the therapeutic efficacy of L2G7 for lung cancer prevention.

Serum biomarker profiles and response to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for locally advanced breast cancer.

Introduction: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy has become the standard of care for the diverse population of women diagnosed with locally advanced breast cancer. Serum biomarker levels are increasingly being investigated for their ability to predict therapy response and aid in the development of individualized treatment regimens. Multianalyte profiles may offer greater predictive power for neoadjuvant treatment response than the individual biomarkers currently in use.

Prognostic significance of blood markers of inflammation in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction undergoing primary angioplasty and effects of pexelizumab, a C5 inhibitor: a substudy of the COMMA trial.

Aims: Pexelizumab, a monoclonal antibody inhibiting C5, reduced 90 day mortality and shock in the COMplement inhibition in Myocardial infarction treated with Angioplasty (COMMA) trial without apparent reductions in infarct size. Inflammation is a critical component of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI); this substudy examines prognostic values of selected markers and treatment effects.

Methods And Results: C-reactive protein, interleukin-6 (IL-6), and tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) serum levels were assessed in 337 patients enrolled in either the placebo or the pexelizumab 24 h infusion group.