1,720,969 research outputs found

    Pseudoprogression and MGMT status in glioblastoma patients. implications in clinical practice

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    Pseudoprogression (PsPD) is a pathological feature recently reported by some authors in malignant glioma patients treated with radiotherapy in combination with temozolomide. In radiological imaging, it is shown as an increase in the size of the tumor lesion and contrast enhancement occurring within a few months from the completion of radio-chemotherapy without worsening of the neurological signs and symptoms. In 21%-50% of the patients, the same lesion disappears a few months after its appearance. In 12 glioblastoma patients treated with radio-chemotherapy, 4 cases of early radiological progression without discontinuation of temozolomide treatment are reported. At the sunsequent tumor assessment, 2 cases (13%) were revealed to be PsPD. The two patients who experienced PsPD had the longest progression and survival times of all patients. In both patients with PsPD, the O(6)-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) promoter was found to be methylated. The PsPD phenomenon opens the prospect of a new era for the management of glioblastoma patients undergoing radio-chemotherapy

    Nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel/liposomal-encapsulated doxorubicin in HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer patients

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    Aim: To investigate the toxicity of nab-paclitaxel (wNP)/nonpegylated liposome-encapsulated doxorubicin (wNPLD) combination in HER2-negative metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients as first-line treatment. Materials & methods: Phase I, single-arm study in metastatic breast cancer patients naive to previous chemotherapy for advanced disease. A 3 + 3 dose-escalation design was used to determine the safety. Primary endpoints were the identification of dose-limiting toxicity and maximum tolerated dose. Results: In total, 12 patients (mean age: 52 years; median metastatic sites: 2) were enrolled and 97 cycles were completed. Maximum tolerated dose was wNP + wNPLD 25 mg/m2. The most common adverse events were neutropenia, nausea, diarrhea and mucositis. The objective response rate was 68% (response mean duration: 12.6 months). Conclusion: wNP/wNPLD combination constitutes an active regimen with mild toxicity

    Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis

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    The present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed

    Variations on the Author

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    “Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship

    Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis

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    We provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis

    Eribulin in heavily pretreated metastatic breast cancer patients and clinical/biological feature correlations: Impact on the practice

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    AIM: This multicenter study describes the effectiveness of eribulin in current practice. PATIENTS & METHODS: In total, 78 patients with advanced metastatic breast cancer, previously treated with two or more chemotherapy lines were enrolled. RESULTS: The median duration of response and disease stability were 7.5 (5.4-9.5) and 8.9 (6.2-11.6) months, respectively, with a clinical benefit (CB) at 6 months in 41% of patients. CB in visceral and nonvisceral metastases were 72.7 and 88.9%, respectively. Eribulin was active also in brain metastases, with 47% CB. The activity was shown in all biological subtypes. Toxicities were manageable. CONCLUSION: Our study confirms the effectiveness of eribulin mesylate in the treatment of patients with metastatic breast cancer and two or more lines of chemotherapy, in particular in the good disease control at the different metastatic site

    Impact of celecoxib on capecitabine tolerability and activity in pretreated metastatic breast cancer: results of a phase II study with biomarker evaluation

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    Background: Preclinical evidence suggests that the cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2) enzyme plays an important role in breast cancer progression. The aim of the present phase II study was to determine the activity and safety of the combination of the COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib with capecitabine in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients pretreated with anthracyclines and/or taxanes. Methods: Eligible patients received capecitabine 1,000 mg/m(2) twice daily on days 1-14 every 21 days and celecoxib 200 mg twice daily, continuously, until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. Results: About 42 pretreated MBC patients were enrolled into the study. Median number of previous chemotherapy lines for metastatic disease was 2 (0-3). Seven patients (19%) responded to treatment while disease stabilization occurred in 17 patients (40.5%). Overall, 20 patients (47.5%) achieved clinical benefit [objective responses (CR) plus stable disease (SD) >/=6 months]. Median time to progression (TTP) and median overall survival (OS) were 5.2 and 17.8 months, respectively. Treatment was very well tolerated: grade 3 toxicities were observed in only five patients, respectively, and no grade 4 adverse events were reported. Celecoxib was never discontinued for toxicity. Analysis of COX-2 expression in the 22 patients with available tissue revealed a significantly longer TTP and OS for patients whose tumors over-expressed COX-2. Conclusions: The combination of capecitabine and celecoxib is active and safe in far advanced MBC patients. Interestingly, this association resulted in a lower-than-expected toxicity, as compared to single-agent capecitabine. The clinical relevance of COX-2 as determinant of sensitivity to treatment with celecoxib should be further evaluated in larger series of patients
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