bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Retrospective review of mitomycin C use as third‐line chemotherapy in metastatic colorectal cancer
Authors: CHUA Wei , BEALE Philip , LEUNG Melissa , CLARKE Stephen 
Published: September 2008

AbstractThe aim of this review was to determine the therapeutic value of the combination of mitomycin C with either infusional 5‐fluorouracil or oral capecitabine in metastatic colorectal cancer when used as third‐line treatment or beyond in the setting of routine clinical practice. We retrospectively reviewed 18 patients with advanced colorectal cancer who received this combination at our institution after the failure of two lines of prior treatment. All the patients were assessable for toxicity and survival and 14 for tumor response. The median age of the patients was 61 (range 39–78). Of these, 72% were male and 78% had Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0 or 1. Eighty nine percent of the patients had metastatic involvement of the liver and five patients had at least three sites of metastatic involvement. All patients had received at least two lines of chemotherapy and had progressed on an oxaliplatin‐containing regimen. Most of the patients had previously received an irinotecan‐containing regimen, and a third had received prior biological agents. Overall, none of the patients achieved either complete or partial responses. Two patients (11%) achieved stable disease and 12 patients (67%) had progressive disease. The median progression‐free survival was 2.7 months (range 0.5–8.8) and the median overall survival was 5.4 months (range 1.3–31.2). This chemotherapy regimen was well tolerated with an acceptable toxicity profile. The results of our review confirm the low efficacy of combination mitomycin C in heavily pretreated Australian patients with advanced colorectal cancer. This review confirms that it has no role after two lines of modern combination chemotherapy regimens and recommends that focus should be placed on investigating newer agents for good performance status patients progressing after these treatments.
Requesting biochemical tumor markers: A costly gap between evidence and practice?
Authors: De LAINE Kate M , WHITE Graham H , KOCZWARA Bogda 
Published: September 2008

AbstractPurpose:  We have evaluated the pattern of use of common tumor markers at our institution to determine the extent to which it complied with hospital guidelines.Methods:  A retrospective audit of the use of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), CA125, and CA19‐9 tumor markers over a 6‐week period was conducted. Tumor marker request and clinical data were obtained from various hospital databases and the Central Cancer Registry. This information was then used to determine if the marker use was appropriate, meaning that the request indicated the clinical reason for the request and the reason matched the hospital guidelines.Results:  A total of 170 tumor markers was ordered from 131 requests, representing 122 unique patients. CEA was requested most often (50.6% of all requests). Just over half (53.5%) of all markers requested were for follow‐up of a known cancer and 35.9% were used to help in the diagnosis of a suspected malignancy. A total of 103 markers (60.6% of all requests) tested were used in a specific malignancy as set out in the guidelines, but only in 54 (31.8%) was a clinical reason for the request clearly documented on the laboratory form.Conclusion:  Less than one‐third of all requests indicate the clinical reason for the tumor marker request and are ordered in an appropriate clinical setting. Various interventions, such as educating prescribing clinicians and changing the request form may improve prescribing patterns.
Use of complementary and alternative therapies by Western Australian cancer patients
Authors: PIRRI Carlo , KATRIS Paul , TROTTER James , BAYLISS Evan , BENNETT Robert , DRUMMOND Peter 
Published: September 2008

AbstractAim:  Despite the paucity of controlled trials and possible interference with conventional treatments, complementary and alternative therapy (CAT) use is becoming increasingly popular and many patients do not discuss it with their physicians. Consequently, we examined the incidence and type of CAT use, perceived benefits of use, and the relationship between demographic, clinical or psychological factors and use in Western Australian patients.Methods:  Two hundred newly diagnosed cancer patients beginning conventional multi‐modal treatment participated. Health‐related quality of life (HQOL), psychological adjustment and CAT use were assessed longitudinally at pretreatment, in treatment (at 8 weeks) and post‐treatment.Results:  Overall, 30% of patients reported CAT use in the course of treatment. CAT users were predominantly younger (P = 0.004), tertiary educated (P = 0.016), possessed comorbid conditions (P = 0.023), and underwent lengthy treatment (P = 0.004). Patients who underwent lengthy treatment (>6 months) were three times more likely to use CAT than those who did not. Overall, 64% of CAT users perceived benefit from their use, primarily citing enhanced physical and emotional well‐being. CAT users, however, did not score significantly better than non‐users on any measure of HQOL, physical health or psychological function. CAT users generally reported greater psychosocial distress than non‐users across treatment, especially at pretreatment (baseline). However, with ongoing/new CAT use they significantly reduced their distress levels to that of non‐users by 8 weeks in treatment (P = 0.042).Conclusion:  Complementary and alternative therapies enhanced cancer patients' psychological well‐being during the early stages of conventional treatment only. Use of CAT by cancer patients may be a clinical marker for psychosocial distress, and should trigger clinicians to inquire about physical symptoms, and concomitant anxiety and depression.
Psycho‐social issues in long‐term survivors of testicular cancer: Directions for future research
Authors: LUCKETT Tim , BUTOW Phyllis N , KING Madeleine T , OLVER Ian N 
Published: September 2008

AbstractTesticular cancer is the most common non‐skin cancer in young men and among the most curable of all neoplasms, making patients’ long‐term physical, psychological and social well‐being of major concern. To date, research on outcomes has been restricted almost entirely to survivors in Europe and the USA. The current article reviews the international literature with a view to developing directions for future research in the Asia–Pacific region. We conclude that planning interventions to improve outcomes awaits further, prospective, controlled studies aimed at establishing the predictive value not only of socio‐demographic, disease and treatment variables but also of psycho‐social variables underlying adjustment and recovery. Ideally, research of this kind would: (i) highlight aspects of the experience of testicular cancer and its treatment that might be targeted by changes to patterns of care, and (ii) identify groups at risk of poor outcomes who could be identified for early intervention through screening. Planning of prospective research would itself benefit from further, large‐scale, cross‐sectional research aimed at identifying those variables that would prove most informative when tracked over time. Exploratory research of this kind should be aimed at providing a snapshot of men's well‐being in the context of a comprehensive range of variables that include patterns of care, unmet needs, satisfaction with treatment and social support as well as disease and treatment variables. Outcome variables should include disease‐specific concerns such as psycho‐sexual problems as well as general physical, psychological and social well‐being.
Response of Carney's triad‐related metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumor to sunitinib
Authors: PRANAVAN Ganesalingam , GOLDSTEIN David , YIP Desmond 
Published: September 2008

AbstractBackground:  Metastatic Carney's triad is a rare syndrome of gastrointestinal stromal tumour, paraganglioma and pulmonary chondroma associated with unique clinical behavior and relative resistance to imatinibCase:  A 50‐year‐old woman was diagnosed with metastatic gastrointestinal stromal tumour, after having complete remission for almost three decades following gastrectomy for her original gastric tumour. She was c‐kit‐wild type and developed various paragangliomas and possible pulmonary chondromas during the course of her disease. Treatment with the tyrosine kinase inhibitor imatinib mesylate and subsequently the multikinase inhibitor sunitinib were associated with periods of radiological response and clinical benefit before the patient died of progressive disease.Conclusion:  Identification of patients with Carney's triad tumours is important in clinical practice as they have distinct clinical behavior, mutational status and relative lack of responsiveness to the current available targeted therapy compared to the typical c‐kit positive gastrointestinal stromal tumours.
Breast conservation for ductal carcinomain situ: Results at an Australian institution with evidence to recommend prospective assessment of the utility of a lumpectomy boost
Authors: CHIN Yaw S , BROWNE Lois , GRAHAM Peter H 
Published: September 2008

AbstractAim: We reviewed outcomes for ductal carcinomain situ(DCIS) of the breast at our institution to assess risk factors for ipsilateral breast tumour recurrence (IBTR) after breast conservation (BCT).Methods: Records were reviewed of all patients who presented with biopsy‐confirmed DCIS of the breast prior to 1 January 2004. Variables analyzed included patient age, tumour size, grade, resection margins, comedonecrosis, surgery, tamoxifen, whole breast radiotherapy dose and addition of a boost. We also attempted to validate the University of Southern California/Van Nuys prognostic index (USC/VNPI).Results: One hundred and thirty patients had DCIS: four were excluded from analysis and another 10 had mastectomies. A total of 116 patients had BCT and this group comprised the study population. Median follow‐up was 7.7 years (1.6–12.4) and median age was 58 years. Five‐ and 10‐year overall survivals were 98% (93.5–99.6 95% CI) and 89% (74–95 95% CI). Five‐ and 10‐year breast failure‐free survivals were 96% (90–98 95% CI) and 93% (85–97 95% CI). Young age was the only significant factor associated with IBTR (P = 0.018). Patients with a high USC/VNPI score were also significant for increased IBTR (P = 0.04), but this effect disappeared when age was omitted from the index. There was a trend towards an increased risk of IBTR with a lower whole breast dose of less than 50 Gy (P = 0.18). A boost was not associated with reduced IBTR. The 10‐year IBTR for patients under 55 who received adjuvant radiotherapy to a whole breast dose of <50 Gy but no tamoxifen was 25%.Conclusion: Overall BCT local control and survival outcomes are excellent. There is a suggestion that younger patients should be treated with a whole breast dose equivalent to 50 Gy in 25 daily fractions regardless of a boost. However, this requires confirmation in a randomized phase III trial and therefore the currently active Trans‐Tasman Radiation Oncology Group randomized controlled trial 07.01 should be supported by the breast cancer treating community.
Fine needle aspiration cytology of ovarian lesions: Is it reliable?
Authors: KADIVAR Maryam , KARAMVANDI Mahvash 
Published: September 2008

AbstractAim:  To assess the diagnostic value of fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) in evaluating ovarian lesions.Methods:  Over a two‐year period, fine needle aspiration was performed on surgically removed ovarian masses from 75 patients, aged 20 to 56 years. Smears of the aspirated material stained by Papanicolaou, HE and Wright methods were evaluated by a pathologist who was blinded to the final histopathological diagnoses.Results:  Smears of approximately half (32 of 75) of the aspirates were acellular. The remaining 43 aspirates consisted of 15 follicular cysts, two endometrioid cysts, three inflammatory processes and 23 neoplastic lesions. The malignant nature of 13 of the 15 (86%) malignant lesions was diagnosed correctly. Of these, three could not be classified into a specific subtype. Fifteen of the 25 (60%) follicular cysts were diagnosed correctly. In our study, the overall sensitivity and specificity of ovarian aspiration cytology for the diagnosis of malignant lesions were 86% and 100%, respectively. Cytological diagnosis of the benign lesions had a sensitivity of 48% and a specificity of 92%.Conclusion:  Ovarian masses are easily accessible for cytological evaluation by fine needle aspiration during laparoscopy or sonography. We studied fine needle aspiration material from surgically removed specimens. However, the results can be extrapolated to real practice. Aspiration cytology can provide particularly useful information in young women with functional ovarian cysts, preventing unnecessary operations. Acellular cystic fluids should not be considered non‐diagnostic because they represent benign cysts in the majority of cases.
Oxaliplatin‐induced interstitial lung disease
Authors: PICCOLO Francesco , FEENEY Kynan T , TRIBE Anthony E , THOMPSON Phil J , MILLWARD Michael J , Van HAZEL Guy A 
Published: September 2008

AbstractOxaliplatin‐induced lung disease is an increasingly recognised phenomenon. We describe here three cases of presumed oxaliplatin‐induced interstitial lung disease. With increasing use of oxaliplatin for colorectal cancer, awareness of this complication and the need for early diagnosis and treatment of respiratory symptoms can lead to early cessation of chemotherapy, rapid exclusion of alternative diagnoses and initiation of treatment with corticosteroids.
Protease inhibitors and reproduction of reniform nematode in pineapple
Authors: Rabovich C. , Paull R. , Sipes B. 
Published: September 2008

AbstractEndogenous protease inhibitors (PIs) in the roots of Smooth Cayenne pineapple clones may affect the growth of the plant‐parasitic nematode Rotylenchulus reniformis. In pineapple, reniform population densities remain atypically near preplant levels for 6–9 months after pineapple planting. A potted plant experiment was conducted to determine if the PI present in pineapple roots affected nematode reproduction and possibly account for the observed nematode field population dynamics. Pineapple PI activity increased for the first 6 months after planting and was higher in nematode‐inoculated plants. Nematode reproduction, however, was not correlated to PI activity. In a second experiment, PI activity was concentrated in the portion of the roots nearest the pineapple butt where nematode population densities were highest. The behaviour of the PI in pineapple roots suggested a defensive role, such as systemic acquired resistance, against R. reniformis.
Molecular systematics and population genetics of biological invasions: towards a better understanding of invasive species management
Authors: Le Roux J. , Wieczorek A.M. 
Published: September 2008

AbstractThe study of population genetics of invasive species offers opportunities to investigate rapid evolutionary processes at work, and while the ecology of biological invasions has enjoyed extensive attention in the past, the recentness of molecular techniques makes their application in invasion ecology a fairly new approach. Despite this, molecular biology has already proved powerful in inferring aspects not only relevant to the evolutionary biologist but also to those concerned with invasive species management. Here, we review the different molecular markers routinely used in such studies and their application(s) in addressing different questions in invasion ecology. We then review the current literature on molecular genetic studies aimed at improving management and the understanding of invasive species by resolving of taxonomic issues, elucidating geographical sources of invaders, detecting hybridisation and introgression, tracking dispersal and spread and assessing the importance of genetic diversity in invasion success. Finally, we make some suggestions for future research efforts in molecular ecology of biological invasions.
Dark matter halo concentrations in the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe year 5 cosmology
Authors: Duffy Alan R. , Schaye Joop , Kay Scott T. , Dalla Vecchia Claudio 
Published: September 2008

Abstract
We use a combination of three large N-body simulations to investigate the dependence of dark matter halo concentrations on halo mass and redshift in the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe year 5 (WMAP5) cosmology. The median relation between concentration and mass is adequately described by a power law for halo masses in the range 1011–1015h−1 M⊙ and redshifts z &lt; 2, regardless of whether the halo density profiles are fitted using Navarro, Frenk & White or Einasto profiles. Compared with recent analyses of the Millennium Simulation, which uses a value of σ8 that is higher than allowed by WMAP5, z = 0 halo concentrations are reduced by factors ranging from 23 per cent at 1011h−1 M⊙ to 16 per cent at 1014h−1 M⊙. The predicted concentrations are much lower than inferred from X-ray observations of groups and clusters.
Ontological Dependence
Authors: Correia Fabrice 
Published: September 2008

Abstract‘Ontological dependence’ is a term of philosophical jargon which stands for a rich family of properties and relations, often taken to be among the most fundamental ontological properties and relations. Notions of ontological dependence are usually thought of as ‘carving reality at its ontological joints’, and as marking certain forms of ontological ‘non‐self‐sufficiency’. The use of notions of dependence goes back as far as Aristotle's characterization of substances, and these notions are still widely used to characterize other concepts and to formulate metaphysical claims. This paper first gives an overview of the varieties of these notions, and then discusses some of their main applications.
Selecting Children: The Ethics of Reproductive Genetic Engineering
Authors: Liao S. Matthew 
Published: September 2008

AbstractAdvances in reproductive genetic engineering have the potential to transform human lives. Not only do they promise to allow us to select children free of diseases, they can also enable us to select children with desirable traits. In this paper, I consider two clusters of arguments for the moral permissibility of reproductive genetic engineering, what I call the Perfectionist View and the Libertarian View; and two clusters of arguments against reproductive genetic engineering, what I call the Human Nature View and the Motivation View. I argue that an adequate theory of the ethics of reproductive genetic engineering should take into account insights gained from these views.
Cellular oxygen sensing, signalling and how to survive translational arrest in hypoxia
Authors: Fähling M. 
Published: September 2008

AbstractHypoxia is a consequence of inadequate oxygen availability. At the cellular level, lowered oxygen concentration activates signal cascades including numerous receptors, ion channels, second messengers, as well as several protein kinases and phosphatases. This, in turn, activates trans‐factors like transcription factors, RNA‐binding proteins and miRNAs, mediating an alteration in gene expression control. Each cell type has its unique constellation of oxygen sensors, couplers and effectors that determine the activation and predominance of several independent hypoxia‐sensitive pathways. Hence, altered gene expression patterns in hypoxia result from a complex regulatory network with multiple divergences and convergences. Although hundreds of genes are activated by transcriptional control in hypoxia, metabolic rate depression, as a consequence of reduced ATP level, causes inhibition of mRNA translation. In a multi‐phase response to hypoxia, global protein synthesis is suppressed, mainly by phosphorylation of eIF2‐alpha by PERK and inhibition of mTOR, causing suppression of 5′‐cap‐dependent mRNA translation. Growing evidence suggests that mRNAs undergo sorting at stress granules, which determines the fate of mRNA as to whether being translated, stored, or degraded. Data indicate that translation is suppressed only at ‘free’ polysomes, but is active at subsets of membrane‐bound ribosomes. The recruitment of specific mRNAs into subcellular compartments seems to be crucial for local mRNA translation in prolonged hypoxia. Furthermore, ribosomes themselves may play a significant role in targeting mRNAs for translation. This review summarizes the multiple facets of the cellular adaptation to hypoxia observed in mammals.
Imidazoline‐induced amplification of glucose‐ and carbachol‐stimulated insulin release includes a marked suppression of islet nitric oxide generation in the mouse
Authors: Meidute‐Abaraviciene S. , Mosen H. , Lundquist I. , Salehi A. 
Published: September 2008

AbstractAim:  The role of islet nitric oxide (NO) production in insulin‐releasing mechanisms is unclear. We examined whether the beneficial effects of the imidazoline derivative RX 871024 (RX) on β‐cell function might be related to perturbations of islet NO production.Methods:  Experiments were performed with isolated islets or intact mice challenged with glucose or carbachol with or without RX treatment. Insulin was determined with radioimmunoassay, NO generation with high‐performance liquid chromatography and expression of inducible NO synthase (iNOS) with confocal microscopy.Results:  RX treatment, in doses lacking effects on basal insulin, greatly amplified insulin release stimulated by the NO‐generating secretagogues glucose and carbachol both in vitro and in vivo. RX also improved the glucose tolerance curve. Islets incubated at high glucose levels (20 mmol L−1) displayed increased NO production derived from both neuronal constitutive NO synthase (ncNOS) and iNOS. RX abrogated this glucose‐induced NO production concomitant with amplification of insulin release. Confocal microscopy revealed abundant iNOS expression in β cells after incubation of islets at high but not low glucose levels. This was abolished after RX treatment. Similarly, islets cultured for 24 h at high glucose levels showed intense iNOS expression in β cells. This was abrogated with RX and followed by an amplified glucose‐induced insulin release.Conclusion:  RX effectively counteracts the negative impact of β‐cell NO generation on insulin release stimulated by glucose and carbachol suggesting imidazoline compounds by virtue of NOS inhibitory properties being of potential therapeutic value for treatment of β‐cell dysfunction in hyperglycaemia and type 2 diabetes.
When What You See Is Not What You Get: Rashbam's Commentary on Job and the Methodological Challenges of Studying Northern French Jewish Biblical Exegesis
Authors: Kalman Jason 
Published: September 2008

AbstractThis article explores the implications of recent debate over the attribution of a commentary on Job to the medieval exegete Samuel ben Meir that has arisen since the appearance of Sarah Japhet's edition of the text in 2000. A review of the debate provides an access point for discussion of the methodological difficulties faced by all scholars of medieval northern French Jewish biblical exegesis.