Erlotinib or Gefitinib for Treating Advanced Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Mutation-Positive Lung Cancer in Aotearoa New Zealand: Protocol for a National Whole-of-Patient-Population Retrospective Cohort Study and Results of a Validation Substudy.

Background: Starting in 2010, the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) kinase inhibitors erlotinib and gefitinib were introduced into routine use in Aotearoa New Zealand (NZ) for treating advanced lung cancer, but their impact in this setting is unknown.

Objective: The study described in this protocol aims to understand the effectiveness and safety of these new personalized lung cancer treatments and the contributions made by concomitant medicines and other factors to adverse outcomes in the general NZ patient population. A substudy aimed to validate national electronic health databases as the data source and the methods for determining patient eligibility and identifying outcomes and variables.

Azatriseptanes: Strained Framework Analogs of [7,7,7]Circulenes.

Invited for the cover of this issue is the group of Michel Rickhaus at the University of Zurich. The image depicts the "unearthing" of the highly contorted azatriseptane, a carbon framework consisting of three fused seven-membered rings surrounding a central nitrogen. Read the full text of the article at 10.

Azatriseptanes: Strained Framework Analogs of [7,7,7]Circulenes.

The synthesis and characterization of heptagon-embedded polycyclic aromatic compounds are essential for understanding the effect of negative curvature on carbon allotropes such as fullerenes and graphenes that have applications in functional organic materials. However, owing to the synthetic difficulties in functionalizing and embedding seven-membered rings, these strain-challenged structures are relatively unexplored. We report here the synthesis, characterization, and properties of a triarylamine core bridged with ethano chains at the 2,2'-positions.

Patient advocacy group involvement in health technology assessments: an observational study.

Background: In some jurisdictions, patients and patient groups may be invited to provide input when Health Technology Assessment (HTA) is used to inform decisions about which medicines should be subsidised or funded. This input can help frame the evidence from a patient perspective, address uncertainties in the evidence and interpret it for the local setting. However, there is currently no evidence linking patient involvement with positive reimbursement decisions.

The validity of a clinical test for the diagnosis of lumbar spinal stenosis.

Background: The diagnosis and management of acquired lumbar spinal stenosis (ALSS) is an area of growing interest with an increase in its prevalence and detection in the older population.

Objectives: To investigate the diagnostic accuracy of a modified extension test (MExT) for diagnosing ALSS in subjects aged fifty or over.

Methods: Symptomatic response of the bi-component MExT was evaluated and compared against magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings in 30 subjects.