A clinician's guide to biosimilars in oncology.

Biological agents or "biologics" are widely used in oncology practice for cancer treatment and for the supportive management of treatment-related side effects. Unlike small-molecule generic drugs, exact copies of biologics are impossible to produce because these are large and highly complex molecules produced in living cells. The term "biosimilar" refers to a biological product that is highly similar to a licensed biological product (reference or originator product) with no clinically meaningful differences in terms of safety, purity, or potency.

Validation of the treadmill Six-Minute Walk Test in people following cardiac surgery.

Background: The Six-Minute Walk Test (6MWT) often is used to measure exercise capacity in people with cardiopulmonary diseases but has some disadvantages. The 6MWT administered on a treadmill (Tr6MWT) requires less physical space and allows for easier monitoring of vital parameters than the traditional 6MWT.

Objective: The objectives of this study were: (1) to analyze the validity of the Tr6MWT in people who underwent cardiac surgery; (2) to compare the reliability, responsiveness, and people's tolerance of the Tr6MWT with those of the 6MWT; and (3) to evaluate the agreement between the 2 tests.

Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura in a patient with HIV from Zimbabwe.

A woman in her 40s originally from Zimbabwe presented to our accident department in the UK with a 4 day history of menorrhagia and exertional chest pain. Her clinical examination was unremarkable. Routine blood tests revealed a haemoglobin value of 6.