Clinical variables associated with PSA response to abiraterone acetate in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Background: Abiraterone acetate (abiraterone) prolongs overall survival (OS) in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). This study's objective was to retrospectively identify factors associated with prostate-specific antigen (PSA) response to abiraterone and validate them in an independent cohort. We hypothesized that the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), thought to be an indirect manifestation of tumor-promoting inflammation, may be associated with response to abiraterone.

Metformin in chemotherapy-naive castration-resistant prostate cancer: a multicenter phase 2 trial (SAKK 08/09).

Background: There is evidence linking metformin to improved prostate cancer (PCa)-related outcomes.

Objective: To evaluate treatment with metformin in patients with castration-resistant PCa (CRPC) and the effect of the treatment on progression-free survival (PFS) and PSA doubling time (PSA DT).

Design, Setting, And Participants: Forty-four men with progressive metastatic CRPC from 10 Swiss centers were included in this single-arm phase 2 trial between December 2010 and December 2011.

Cancer stem cells: progress and challenges in lung cancer.

The identification of a subpopulation of tumor cells with stem cell-like characteristics first in hematological malignancies and later in solid tumors has emerged into a novel field of cancer research. It has been proposed that this aberrant population of cells now called "cancer stem cells" (CSCs) drives tumor initiation, progression, metastasis, recurrence, and drug resistance. CSCs have been shown to have the capacity of self-renewal and multipotency.

Optimization for high-dose-rate brachytherapy of cervical cancer with adaptive simulated annealing and gradient descent.

Purpose: To validate an in-house optimization program that uses adaptive simulated annealing (ASA) and gradient descent (GD) algorithms and investigate features of physical dose and generalized equivalent uniform dose (gEUD)-based objective functions in high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy for cervical cancer.

Methods: Eight Syed/Neblett template-based cervical cancer HDR interstitial brachytherapy cases were used for this study. Brachytherapy treatment plans were first generated using inverse planning simulated annealing (IPSA).

The delivery of heavy menstrual bleeding services in England and Wales after publication of national guidelines: a survey of hospitals.

Background: In 2007-2008, two UK-based organisations, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence and the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, published guidelines for the management of care and organisation of outpatient services for women with heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB). In 2010, this study was conducted to provide an update on guideline-related services provided in England and Wales, and whether they are consistent with national clinical guidelines two to three years after publication.

Methods: An organisational survey of outpatient gynaecology clinics was conducted of 221 hospitals in 154 acute National Health Service (NHS) trusts in England and Wales.

Androgen receptor expression and outcomes in early breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: The androgen receptor (AR) is expressed frequently in breast cancer, but its prognostic significance is unclear. Preclinical data suggest that expression of AR may modify clinical outcomes in early breast cancer with improved prognosis in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive disease and poorer prognosis in ER-negative disease.

Methods: A systematic review of electronic databases was conducted to identify studies published between 1946 and July 2012 and to explore the association between AR expression and overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) in women diagnosed with early breast cancer.

Confocal microscopy in the esophagus and stomach.

Probe-based confocal microscopy (pCLE) is actively being investigated for applications in the esophagus and stomach. The use of pCLE allows real-time in vivo microscopy to evaluate the microarchitecture of the mucosal epithelium. pCLE appears to be particularly useful in identifying mucosal dysplasia and early malignancies that cannot be clearly distinguished using high-definition white light endoscopy, chromoendoscopy, or magnification endoscopy.

Translating clinical trials to clinical practice: outcomes of men with metastatic castration resistant prostate cancer treated with docetaxel and prednisone in and out of clinical trials.

Background: Multiple factors can influence outcomes of patients receiving identical interventions in clinical trials and in routine practice. Here, we compare outcomes of men with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) treated with docetaxel and prednisone in routine practice and in clinical trials.

Patients And Methods: We reviewed patients with mCRPC treated with docetaxel at Princess Margaret Cancer Centre.

Updates in diverticular disease.

Diverticulosis and its major complications, diverticulitis and diverticular bleeding, are increasingly common indications for hospitalization and outpatient visits. Recent publications in the field of diverticular disease have challenged long-standing disease concepts and management strategies. This article will highlight studies which have helped to clarify the contribution of genetic factors, fiber consumption and medication use to the development of diverticular disease, the role of antibiotics in the treatment of acute diverticulitis, and the association between diverticulitis, irritable bowel syndrome, and colon cancer.

Genetic restoration in the eastern collared lizard under prescribed woodland burning.

Eastern collared lizards of the Ozarks live in glades--open, rocky habitats embedded in a woodland matrix. Past fire suppression had made the woodlands a barrier to dispersal, leading to habitat destruction, fragmentation and local extinction. Reintroduced populations of lizards were subjected to 10 years of habitat fragmentation under continued fire suppression followed by twelve years of landscape restoration with prescribed burns.

Third- and fourth-degree perineal tears among primiparous women in England between 2000 and 2012: time trends and risk factors.

Objective: To describe the trends of severe perineal tears in England and to investigate to what extent the changes in related risk factors could explain the observed trends.

Design: A retrospective cohort study of singleton deliveries from a national administrative database.

Setting: The English National Health Service between 1 April 2000 and 31 March 2012.

Rates of subsequent surgery following endometrial ablation among English women with menorrhagia: population-based cohort study.

Objective: To assess the risk of further surgery amongst women who had an initial endometrial ablation (EA) for the treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB).

Design: A retrospective cohort study using a national administrative database.

Setting: Population-based study of hospital care in the English National Health Service.

Evaluating maternity care using national administrative health datasets: how are statistics affected by the quality of data on method of delivery?

Background: Information on maternity services is increasingly derived from national administrative health data. We evaluated how statistics on maternity care in England were affected by the completeness and consistency of data on "method of delivery" in a national dataset.

Methods: Singleton deliveries occurring between April 2009 and March 2010 in English NHS trusts were extracted from the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) database.

Evolution of the human gastrokine locus and confounding factors regarding the pseudogenicity of GKN3.

In a screen for genes expressed specifically in gastric mucous neck cells, we identified GKN3, the recently discovered third member of the gastrokine family. We present confirmatory mouse data and novel porcine data showing that mouse GKN3 expression is confined to mucous cells of the corpus neck and antrum base and is prominently expressed in metaplastic lesions. GKN3 was proposed originally to be expressed in some human populations and a pseudogene in others.

Biological races in humans.

Races may exist in humans in a cultural sense, but biological concepts of race are needed to access their reality in a non-species-specific manner and to see if cultural categories correspond to biological categories within humans. Modern biological concepts of race can be implemented objectively with molecular genetic data through hypothesis-testing. Genetic data sets are used to see if biological races exist in humans and in our closest evolutionary relative, the chimpanzee.

Impact of Caesarean section on subsequent fertility: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Study Question: Is there an association between a Caesarean section and subsequent fertility?

Summary Answer: Most studies report that fertility is reduced after Caesarean section compared with vaginal delivery. However, studies with a more robust design show smaller effects and it is uncertain whether the association is causal.

What Is Known Already: A previous systematic review published in 1996 summarizing six studies including 85 728 women suggested that Caesarean section reduces subsequent fertility.

Screening and surgical outcomes of familial pancreatic cancer.

This article reviews the genetics and incipient pathology of familial pancreatic cancer and the screening modalities in current use, and summarizes the outcomes of reported screening programs.

Metagenomic evidence for sulfur lithotrophy by Epsilonproteobacteria as the major energy source for primary productivity in a sub-aerial arctic glacial deposit, Borup Fiord Pass.

We combined free enenergy calculations and metagenomic analyses of an elemental sulfur (S(0)) deposit on the surface of Borup Fiord Pass Glacier in the Canadian High Arctic to investigate whether the energy available from different redox reactions in an environment predicts microbial metabolism. Many S, C, Fe, As, Mn, and [Formula: see text] oxidation reactions were predicted to be energetically feasible in the deposit, and aerobic oxidation of S(0) was the most abundant chemical energy source. Small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene sequence data showed that the dominant phylotypes were Sulfurovum and Sulfuricurvum, both Epsilonproteobacteria known to be capable of sulfur lithotrophy.

Phase 2 trial of single-agent everolimus in chemotherapy-naive patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer (SAKK 08/08).

Background: The phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) tumor suppressor gene is deregulated in many advanced prostate cancers, leading to activation of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-Akt-mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway and thus increased cell survival.

Objective: To evaluate everolimus, an inhibitor of mTOR, in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), and to explore potentially predictive serum biomarkers by proteomics, the significance of PTEN status in tumor tissue, and the impact of everolimus on immune cell subpopulations and function.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A total of 37 chemotherapy-naive patients with mCRPC and progressive disease were recruited to this single-arm phase 2 trial (ClinicalTrials.

Cross-sectional study of self-reported physical activity, eating habits and use of complementary medicine in breast cancer survivors.

Background: Besides conventional adjuvant therapies, many breast cancer survivors engage in various activities like exercise, diet and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in order to improve their prognosis. Little is known about specific interests and willingness to participate in institutional programs (e.g.

Benefit and harms of new anti-cancer drugs.

Phase III randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assess clinically important differences in endpoints that reflect benefit to and harm of patients. Defining benefit of cancer drugs can be difficult. Overall survival and quality of life are the most relevant primary endpoints, but difficulty in measuring these mean that other endpoints are often used, although their surrogacy or clinical relevance has not always been established.

HER3 overexpression and survival in solid tumors: a meta-analysis.

Background: The human epidermal growth factor receptor 3 (HER3) is an ErbB/HER family member that dimerizes with other ErbB receptors such as HER2. Numerous agents against HER3 are in clinical development despite variable data for the prognostic impact of HER3 expression. Here we report a meta-analysis of the association of HER3 expression and survival in solid tumors.

Correlation between molecular mobility and physical stability of amorphous itraconazole.

The goal was to investigate the correlation between molecular mobility and physical stability in amorphous itraconazole and identify the specific mobility mode responsible for its instability. The molecular mobility of amorphous itraconazole, in the glassy as well as the supercooled liquid state, was comprehensively characterized using dynamic dielectric spectroscopy. Isothermal frequency sweeps in the 5-40 °C temperature range revealed a β-relaxation which exhibited Arrhenius temperature dependence.