Randomized Phase III Trial of Standard Therapy Plus Low Molecular Weight Heparin in Patients With Lung Cancer: FRAGMATIC Trial.

Purpose: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is common in cancer patients. Evidence has suggested that low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) might improve survival in patients with cancer by preventing both VTE and the progression of metastases. No trial in a single cancer type has been powered to demonstrate a clinically significant survival difference.

Bronchial dentures as a cause of airway actinomycosis.

A 65-year-old man was referred to the respiratory clinic with recurrent chest infections on a background of stage 3 chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. On examination, there was wheeze bilaterally more marked on the left lower lobe. Subsequent imaging revealed an obstruction of the left main bronchus that was concerning for malignancy.

Overexpression and potential targeting of the oncofoetal antigen 5T4 in malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is resistant to conventional treatments. Novel, targeted treatments are hampered by the relative lack of MPM-associated tumour antigens. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of expression and the relevance of 5T4 as a tumour-associated antigen in MPM.

The effects of hypoxia on markers of coagulation and systemic inflammation in patients with COPD.

Background: It has been demonstrated that there is an increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) during air travel on flights of long duration. Patients with COPD are also at increased risk of VTE, particularly during exacerbations, possibly because of a hypercoagulable state secondary to hypoxia and/or heightened systemic inflammation. We investigated the effects of hypoxia on indices of coagulation and systemic inflammation in patients with COPD.

Human tumor-derived exosomes down-modulate NKG2D expression.

NKG2D is an activating receptor for NK, NKT, CD8(+), and gammadelta(+) T cells, whose aberrant loss in cancer is a key mechanism of immune evasion. Soluble NKG2D ligands and growth factors, such as TGFbeta1 emanating from tumors, are mechanisms for down-regulating NKG2D expression. Cancers thereby impair the capacity of lymphocytes to recognize and destroy them.

Use of the gas exchange threshold to noninvasively determine the lactate threshold in patients with cystic fibrosis.

Objective: The anaerobic threshold (AT) is a submaximal index related to endurance exercise performance, which is usually determined by the measurement of blood lactate concentration during an incremental exercise test (lactate threshold [LT]). The LT, and thus the AT, can also be detected noninvasively in normal subjects by means of the gas exchange threshold (GET). This study was undertaken to validate the use of GET in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) with a wide range of disease severity, and to assess the reproducibility of this index.