Clinical Use of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Testing in Patients With Advanced Lung Cancer by Physicians: Survey of US and International Patterns.

Purpose: Guidelines recommend testing for EGFR mutation at diagnosis of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer to guide treatment. Two surveys, 18 months apart, aimed to identify changes in EGFR mutation testing and treatment practices in non-small-cell lung cancer.

Methods: The first survey of 562 physicians from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States was conducted between December 2014 and January 2015.

Nanoparticle colloidal stability in cell culture media and impact on cellular interactions.

Nanomaterials are finding increasing use for biomedical applications such as imaging, diagnostics, and drug delivery. While it is well understood that nanoparticle (NP) physico-chemical properties can dictate biological responses and interactions, it has been difficult to outline a unifying framework to directly link NP properties to expected in vitro and in vivo outcomes. When introduced to complex biological media containing electrolytes, proteins, lipids, etc.

Surface charge of polymer coated SPIONs influences the serum protein adsorption, colloidal stability and subsequent cell interaction in vitro.

It is known that the nanoparticle-cell interaction strongly depends on the physicochemical properties of the investigated particles. In addition, medium density and viscosity influence the colloidal behaviour of nanoparticles. Here, we show how nanoparticle-protein interactions are related to the particular physicochemical characteristics of the particles, such as their colloidal stability, and how this significantly influences the subsequent nanoparticle-cell interaction in vitro.