bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
High Fluorodeoxyglucose Uptake on Positron Emission Tomography in Patients with Advanced Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer on Platinum-Based Combination Chemotherapy
Authors: Lee Kyung-Hun , Lee Se-Hoon , Kim Dong-Wan , Kang Won Jun , Chung June-Key , Im Seock-Ah , Kim Tae-You , Kim Young Whan , Bang Yung-Jue , Heo Dae Seog 
Published: July 2006

Abstract
Purpose: To evaluate response and survival for platinum-based combination chemotherapy in chemonaive patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) according to pretreatment standardized uptake values (SUV) by fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography.
Experimental Design: Patients with advanced NSCLC who had not previously received chemotherapy were eligible. Response rates and survivals were analyzed according to maximal SUVs [low (≤7.5) versus high (&gt;7.5), where 7.5 was the median value] before the first cycle of chemotherapy.
Results: Eighty-five consecutive patients were included in the retrospective study. Patients with high SUV tumors exhibited significantly higher response rates (34.1% for low SUVs versus 61.0% for high SUVs; P = 0.013). Other factors, including sex, age, histology, performance status, number of involved organs, regimens used, and disease stage, did not affect response. However, high SUVs were related with a shorter response duration (279 days for low SUVs versus 141 days for high SUVs; P = 0.003) and time to progression (282 days for low SUVs versus 169 days for high SUVs; P = 0.015). Overall survival was unaffected by maximal SUVs (623 days for low SUVs versus 464 days for high SUVs; P = 0.431).
Conclusions: Patients having NSCLC with high maximal SUVs showed a better response to platinum-based combination chemotherapy but had a shorter time to progression. Tumor glucose metabolism, as determined by SUVs on fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography, was found to discriminate NSCLC subsets with different clinical and biological features.
Epidermal Growth Factor ReceptorMutation Testing in the Care of Lung Cancer Patients
Authors: Sequist Lecia V. , Joshi Victoria A. , Jänne Pasi A. , Bell Daphne W. , Fidias Panos , Lindeman Neal I. , Louis David N. , Lee Jeffrey C. , Mark Eugene J. , Longtine Janina , Verlander Peter , Kucherlapati Raju , Meyerson Matthew , Haber Daniel A. , Johnson Bruce E. , Lynch Thomas J. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractAs the literature about epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations grows and screening for mutations becomes increasingly integrated into clinical care, it is important to examine how best to do somatic mutational analyses and how best to use the test results in clinical decision making. We began offering mutation screening by comprehensive direct sequence analysis of exons 18 to 24 of the tyrosine kinase domain of EGFR in August 2004 as part of clinical cancer care and protocol therapy at our institutions. All identified potential mutations are confirmed with three to five independent PCRs of the original genomic DNA sample and, if not previously noted in the literature, are compared with the patient's germ-line DNA to ensure the finding is somatic. We formally analyzed the first 100 patients to undergo EGFR sequence analysis and found that testing was feasible and significantly affected the treatment of patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Patients harboring EGFR mutations were significantly more likely to receive recommendations for therapy with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (i.e., gefitinib or erlotinib) than patients without mutations. However, negative EGFR test results did not prevent physicians from administering these agents to selected patients. Ideally, a standardized technique for mutation testing could be developed, with demonstrated reproducibility and validity. Clinical trials incorporating molecular diagnostics are ongoing to assess the efficacy of EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors as first-line therapy for metastatic NSCLC and as adjuvant therapy for early-stage resected NSCLC. It is likely that mutation testing and other molecular analyses will be most useful in these two clinical situations.
Clinical and Biological Effects of Recombinant Human Interleukin-18 Administered by Intravenous Infusion to Patients with Advanced Cancer
Authors: Robertson Michael J. , Mier James W. , Logan Theodore , Atkins Michael , Koon Henry , Koch Kevin M. , Kathman Steven , Pandite Lini N. , Oei Coreen , Kirby Lyndon C. , Jewell Roxanne C. , Bell William N. , Thurmond Linda M. , Weisenbach Jill , Roberts Suzanne , Dar Mohammed M. 
Published: July 2006

AbstractPurpose: Interleukin-18 (IL-18) is an immunostimulatory cytokine with antitumor activity in preclinical animal models. A phase I study of recombinant human IL-18 (rhIL-18) was done to determine the toxicity, pharmacokinetics, and biological activities of rhIL-18 in patients with advanced cancer.Experimental Design: Cohorts of patients were given escalating doses of rhIL-18, each administered as a 2-hour i.v. infusion on 5 consecutive days. Toxicities were graded using standard criteria. Serial blood samples were obtained for pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic measurements.Results: Twenty-eight patients (21 with renal cell cancer, 6 with melanoma, and 1 with Hodgkin's lymphoma) were given rhIL-18 in doses ranging from 3 to 1,000 μg/kg. Common side effects included chills, fever, nausea, headache, and hypotension. Common laboratory abnormalities included transient, asymptomatic grade 1 to 2 neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, anemia, hypoalbuminemia, hyponatremia, and elevations in liver transaminases. One patient in the 100 μg/kg cohort experienced transient grade 3 hypotension and grade 2 bradycardia during the first infusion of rhIL-18. No other dose-limiting toxicities were observed. Plasma concentrations of rhIL-18 increased with increasing dose, and 2.5-fold accumulation was observed with repeated dosing. Biological effects of rhIL-18 included transient lymphopenia and increased expression of activation antigens on lymphocytes and monocytes. Increases in serum concentrations of IFN-γ, granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor, IL-18 binding protein, and soluble Fas ligand were observed. Two patients experienced unconfirmed partial responses after rhIL-18 treatment.Conclusions: rhIL-18 can be safely given in biologically active doses to patients with advanced cancer. A maximum tolerated dose of rhIL-18 was not determined. Further clinical studies of rhIL-18 are warranted.
Megakaryocyte Potentiation Factor Cleaved from Mesothelin Precursor Is a Useful Tumor Marker in the Serum of Patients with Mesothelioma
Authors: Onda Masanori , Nagata Satoshi , Ho Mitchell , Bera Tapan K. , Hassan Raffit , Alexander Richard H. , Pastan Ira 
Published: July 2006

Abstract
Purpose: To establish monoclonal antibodies (mAb) against megakaryocyte potentiation factor (MPF) and detect MPF in the blood of patients with mesothelioma.
Experimental Design: Mice were immunized with a purified recombinant human MPF-rabbit-Fc fusion protein and with MPF. Several hybridomas producing mAbs to MPF were established. A double-determinant (sandwich) ELISA was constructed using mAbs to two different epitopes and used to determine if MPF is present in the serum of patients with mesothelioma.
Results: We established seven anti-MPF mAbs whose topographical epitopes were classified into three nonoverlapping groups. All the mAbs reacted with recombinant MPF protein by ELISA. One of the mAbs detected MPF and the mesothelin precursor protein containing MPF in cell lysates on Western blotting. A sandwich ELISA using mAbs to two different epitopes was constructed and used to measure the presence of MPF in the media of various mesothelin-expressing cancer cell lines and in human serum. The ELISA showed that MPF levels were elevated in 91% (51 of 56) of patients with mesothelioma compared with healthy controls. Furthermore, serum MPF fell to normal levels in two patients after surgery for their peritoneal mesothelioma.
Conclusions: Using new mAbs to MPF, we showed that MPF is secreted by several mesothelioma cell lines and is frequently elevated in the blood of patients with mesothelioma. Measurement of MPF may be useful in following the response of mesothelioma to treatment.
Combining Targeted Agents: Blocking the Epidermal Growth Factor and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Pathways
Authors: Sandler Alan , Herbst Roy 
Published: July 2006

Abstract
Bevacizumab is a recombinant, humanized monoclonal antibody against vascular endothelial growth factor. Erlotinib HCl is a reversible, highly selective epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor. Additionally, both agents have shown benefit in patients with previously treated non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Preclinical data in xenograft models produced greater growth inhibition with the combination than with either agent alone. A phase I/II study in two centers examined combined erlotinib and bevacizumab treatment in patients with nonsquamous stage IIIB/IV NSCLC with one or more prior chemotherapy. In phase I, 150 mg/d erlotinib orally plus 15 mg/kg bevacizumab i.v. every 21 days was established as the phase II dose. A total of 40 patients were enrolled and treated in this study (34 patients at phase II dose): 21 were female, 30 had adenocarcinoma histology, 9 were never smokers, and 22 had two or more prior regimens. The most common adverse events were mild to moderate rash, diarrhea, and proteinuria. Preliminary data showed no pharmacokinetic interaction between erlotinib and bevacizumab. Eight patients (20.0%) had partial responses and 26 (65.0%) had stable disease as their best response. The median overall survival for the 34 patients treated at the phase II dose was 12.6 months, with progression-free survival of 6.2 months. Encouraging antitumor activity and safety of erlotinib plus bevacizumab support further development of this combination for patients with advanced NSCLC. A randomized phase II trial has been completed, and a phase III trial is ongoing.
Discovery of cancer vaccination protocols with a genetic algorithm driving an agent based simulator
Authors: Lollini Pier-Luigi , Motta Santo , Pappalardo Francesco 
Published: July 2006

AbstractBackgroundImmunological prevention of cancer has been obtained in HER-2/neu transgenic mice using a vaccine that combines 3 different immune stimuli (Triplex vaccine) that is repeatedly administered for the entire lifespan of the host (Chronic protocol). Biological experiments leave open the question of whether the Chronic protocol is indeed the minimal vaccination schedule affording 100% protection, or whether shorter protocols could be applied that would result in the same efficacy. A biological solution would require an enormous number of experiments, each lasting at least one year. Therefore we approached this problem by developing a simulator (SimTriplex) which describes the immune response activated by Triplex vaccine. This simulator, tested againstin vivoexperiments on HER-2/neu mice, reproduces all the vaccination protocols used in thein vivoexperiments. The simulator should describe any vaccination protocol within the tested range. A possible solution to the former open question using a minimal search strategy based on a genetic algorithm is presented. This is the first step toward a more general approach of biological or clinical constraints for the search of an effective vaccination schedule.ResultsThe results suggest that the Chronic protocol included a good number of redundant vaccine administrations, and that maximal protection could still be obtained with a number of vaccinations ~40% less than with the Chronic protocol.ConclusionThis approach may have important connotations with regard to translation of cancer immunopreventive approaches to human situations, in which it is desirable to minimize the number of vaccinations. We are currently setting up experiments in mice to test whether the actual effectiveness of the vaccination protocol agrees with the genetic algorithm.
Quantification of functional weakness and abnormal synergy patterns in the lower limb of individuals with chronic stroke
Authors: Neckel Nathan , Pelliccio Marlena , Nichols Diane , Hidler Joseph 
Published: July 2006

Abstract

Background
The presence of abnormal muscle activation patterns is a well documented factor limiting the motor rehabilitation of patients following stroke. These abnormal muscle activation patterns, or synergies, have previously been quantified in the upper limbs. Presented here are the lower limb joint torque patterns measured in a standing position of sixteen chronic hemiparetic stroke subjects and sixteen age matched controls used to examine differences in strength and coordination between the two groups.

Methods
With the trunk stabilized, stroke subjects stood on their unaffected leg while their affected foot was attached to a 6-degree of freedom load cell (JR3, Woodland CA) which recorded forces and torques. The subjects were asked to generate a maximum torque about a given joint (hip abduction/adduction; hip, knee, and ankle flexion/extension) and provided feedback of the torque they generated for that primary joint axis. In parallel, EMG data from eight muscle groups were recorded, and secondary torques generated about the adjacent joints were calculated. Differences in mean primary torque, secondary torque, and EMG data were compared using a single factor ANOVA.

Results
The stroke group was significantly weaker in six of the eight directions tested. Analysis of the secondary torques showed that the control and stroke subjects used similar strategies to generate maximum torques during seven of the eight joint movements tested. The only time a different strategy was used was during maximal hip abduction exertions where stroke subjects tended to flex instead of extend their hip, which was consistent with the classically defined "flexion synergy." The EMG data of the stroke group was different than the control group in that there was a strong presence of co-contraction of antagonistic muscle groups, especially during ankle flexion and ankle and knee extension.

Conclusion
The results of this study indicate that in a standing position stroke subjects are significantly weaker in their affected leg when compared to age-matched controls, yet showed little evidence of the classic lower-limb abnormal synergy patterns previously reported. The findings here suggest that the primary contributor to isometric lower limb motor deficits in chronic stroke subjects is weakness.
Intraspecific variation in thermal tolerance and heat shock protein gene expression in common killifish,Fundulus heteroclitus
Authors: Fangue Nann A. , Hofmeister Myriam , Schulte Patricia M. 
Published: July 2006

SUMMARYPopulations of common killifish, Fundulus heteroclitus, are distributed along the Atlantic coast of North America through a steep latitudinal thermal gradient. We examined intraspecific variation in whole-animal thermal tolerance and its relationship to the heat shock response in killifish from the northern and southern extremes of the species range. Critical thermal maxima were significantly higher in southern than in northern fish by ∼1.5°C at a wide range of acclimation temperatures (from 2-34°C), and critical thermal minima differed by ∼1.5°C at acclimation temperatures above 22°C, converging on the freezing point of brackish water at lower acclimation temperatures. To determine whether these differences in whole-organism thermal tolerance were reflected in differences in either the sequence or regulation of the heat shock protein genes(hsps) we obtained complete cDNA sequences for hsc70, hsp70-1 and hsp70-2, and partial sequences of hsp90α and hsp90β. There were no fixed differences in amino acid sequence between populations in either hsp70-1 or hsp70-2, and only a single conservative substitution between populations in hsc70. By contrast, there were significant differences between populations in the expression of many, but not all, of these genes. Both northern and southern killifish significantly increased hsp70-2 levels above control values(Ton) at a heat shock temperature of 33°C, but the magnitude of this induction was greater in northern fish, suggesting that northern fish may be more susceptible to thermal damage than are southern fish. In contrast, hsp70-1 mRNA levels increased gradually and to the same extent in response to heat shock in both populations. Hsc70 mRNA levels were significantly elevated by heat shock in southern fish, but not in northern fish. Similarly, the more thermotolerant southern killifish had a Ton for hsp90α of 30°C, 2°C lower than that of northern fish. This observation combined with the ability of southern killifish to upregulate hsc70 in response to heat shock suggests a possible role for these hsps in whole-organism differences in thermal tolerance. These data highlight the importance of considering the complexity of the heat shock response across multiple isoforms when attempting to make linkages to whole-organism traits such as thermal tolerance.
Analytical Studies Using the Convection Electrode. XII. Anodic-stripping Voltammetry of Cadmium and Thallous Ions with the Pushed-out Mercury Drop Convection Electrode
Authors: Suzuki Junsuke 
Published: July 2006

Abstract
The investigation of the anodic-stripping voltammetry of cadmium or thallous ions in a 0.1 m potassium nitrate solution was carried out by using the pushed-out mercury Drop Convection Electrode (cf. J. Suzuki and T. Ozaki, This Bulletin, 37, 230 (1964)). The metals were deposited on the mercury electrode by rotating the disk at 600—1200 rpm, and the stripping was performed by a linearly-varying potential method. The anodic-stripping peak current was proportional to the square roots of the rotating rate of the disk and of the voltage scanning rate, and to the bulk concentration of cadmium or thallous ions. Using the present stripping procedure, it was possible to determine thallous and cadmium ions at concentrations as low as 1×107 m with a mean error of about ±2%.
ESR Studies of the Ion Pairs of the Terephthalonitrile Anion with Alkali Metal Cations
Authors: Nakamura Kazuo 
Published: July 2006

Abstract
The behavior of the alkali metal ions, Li, Na, and K, in solutions of terephthalonitrile in ethereal solvents was studied by means of the electron spin resonance of the anion radical. The metal ions formed ion pairs by association with the anion in solution at one of the two cyano groups; the rate at which the cation is transferred between these two groups determines the detailed structure of the ESR spectrum. Within the limits of slow transfer, the spectrum was interpreted in terms of splittings due to two sets of proton pairs and two non-equivalent nitrogens. As the transfer rate increased, the spectrum exhibited an alternating line width, until finally the splittings were averaged within the limits of the fast transfer rate. The transfer rate of cations in the same solvent was found to increase in the order of the size of cations. It also depended on the solvating power for the cation. At low concentrations and low temperatures, the ion pair tended to dissociate, thus giving free anions. The hyperfine interactions with the nuclear spin of the cations were also observed.
Calculation of the Electronic Structure of Cinnamic Acid by the Semi-empirical LCAO-SCF-MO Method
Authors: Nakamura Kenichiro , Kikuchi Shinichi 
Published: July 2006

Abstract
The photo-isomerization and photo-dimerization of cinnamic acid are discussed from the standpoint of the electronic structures in the ground and excited states. State energies, charge densities, bond orders and free valences are calculated by using the Pariser-Parr-Pople method, including the configuration interaction. The computed transition energies are in good agreement with the experimental results. It is found that the bond order between the α- and β-carbons of cinnamic acid decreases, while the free valences of the α- and β-carbons increases, upon the lowest electronic excitation. It is concluded that the photo-isomerization is due to the smaller bond order, and that the photo-dimerization is due to the larger free valences in the excited state of cinnamic acid.
Graphical Evaluation of the Rate Constants of the Elementary Reaction of the Non-stationary Polymerization
Authors: Kagiya Tsutomu , Izu Masatsugu , Machi Sueo , Fukui Kenichi 
Published: July 2006

Abstract
A graphical method for the interpretation of the kinetics of the non-stationary polymerization, and for the evaluation of the rate constants of elementary reactions, was proposed. It was shown that the rates of elementary reactions could be estimated with an extrapolating method using the kinetic data on the polymer yield and the number-average degree of polymerization of the polymer. The graphical method was then applied to some practical examples.
Charge Mobility of Organic Semiconductors under High Pressure. Anthracene
Authors: Kajiwara Takashi , Inokuchi Hiroo , Minomura Shigeru 
Published: July 2006

Abstract
The charge mobilities of anthracene single crystals were measured under high pressures up to 7.4 kbar. An experimental apparatus like Kepler’s was used. A sample holder was attached in a Drickamer-type high-pressure photocell, with kerosene employed as the pressure-transmitting fluid. The electron mobilities along the a and b crystal axes increased as the pressure applied increased; the values of the charge drift mobility at 7 kbar were 1.7 times as large as those at atmospheric pressure. The electron mobility along the c′ axis was nearly constant. The hole mobility, however, could not be measured, because the tail of the pulse signal, observed on the oscilloscope, was deformed.
Studies of the Electrolytic Reduction Mechanism of Anthracene, Benzophenone and Anthraquinone by the Use of Polarography and Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy
Authors: Umemoto Kisaburo 
Published: July 2006

Abstract
The electrochemical reduction mechanism of anthracene, benzophenone and anthraquinone was studied in N,N′-dimethylformamide (DMF) and/or its water mixture by means of polarography and electron spin resonance spectroscopy (ESR). The polarograms of these compounds consisted of two well-defined waves in anhydrous DMF: the first wave corresponds to the formation of the anion radical and the second wave to the reduction of the anion radical to the dinegative anion. When water was added, the limiting current of the first wave increased at the expense of the second wave. In order to elucidate the reduction mechanism of these molecules in DMF-water mixture, the kinetic behavior of the anion radical was studied by the ESR method. It has been found that the reduction of anthracene is understood by the protonation mechanism, but that of anthraquinone is not explained by the protonation mechanism at all; the disproportionation of the anion radical must be considered. For the reduction of benzophenone both the protonation and the disproportionation mechanism must be taken into consideration.
Mass Spectrometric Study of Photoionization. II. Mass Spectra by the Use of Resonance Lines of Argon and Helium
Authors: Omura Itiro , Doi Hiroshi 
Published: July 2006

Abstract
An emission line of He II was generated at 304 Å (40.80 eV) from a microwave plasma light source operated in the standing wave mode. On the other hand, the plasma without the standing wave mode emits only the resonance line of He I at 584 Å (21.21 eV). A resonance line of Ar I was emitted at 1048 Å (11.82 eV) by argon carrier gas flowing through a capillary tube. The mass spectra of propane, n-butane, propylene, benzene, and isoamyl acetate obtained by the use of the emission line of He II at 304 Å were not very different from those of the electron impact method at 50 eV. The positive-charge distribution on each atom of the ionized molecules is estimated from the total ion yield of the molecule. In the fragmentation processes of isoamyl acetate, the intensity of the fragment ion (CH3CO+) including carbonyl group rose rapidly with the increase in the photon energies obtained by the resonance lines of Ar I, He I, and He II. At these photon energies, the ratios of the fragment ion, CH3CO+ , to that of C5H10+ were 0.17, 0.43 and 2.0 respectively.