Citations

Abstract Background. The Avastin® Registry: Investigation of Effectiveness and Safety (ARIES) study is a prospective, community-based observational cohort study that evaluated the effectiveness and safety of first-line treatment patterns, assessing the impact of chemotherapy choice and treatment duration. Methods. The ARIES study enrolled patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) receiving first-line chemotherapy with bevacizumab and followed them longitudinally. The protocol did not specify treatment regimens or assessments. Analyses included all patients who initiated bevacizumab in combination with either first-line oxaliplatin with infusional 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin (FOLFOX) or irinotecan with infusional 5-fluorouracil and leucovorin (FOLFIRI). Progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) times were estimated using Kaplan–Meier methods. Hazard ratios (HRs) were estimated with multivariate Cox regression analysis, adjusting for potential confounding factors. Results. In total, 1,550 patients with first-line mCRC were enrolled (median follow-up, 21 months) and most received FOLFOX–bevacizumab (n = 968) or FOLFIRI–bevacizumab (n = 243) as first-line therapy. The baseline characteristics and median treatment duration were generally similar between subgroups. There were no significant differences in the median PFS (10.3 months vs. 10.2 months) or OS (23.7 months vs. 25.5 months) time between the FOLFOX–bevacizumab and FOLFIRI–bevacizumab subgroups, respectively, by unadjusted analyses. Multivariate analyses showed FOLFIRI–bevacizumab resulted in a similar PFS (HR, 1.03; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.88–1.21) and OS (HR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.78–1.16) outcome as with FOLFOX–bevacizumab. The incidence proportions of bevacizumab-associated adverse events were similar for FOLFOX- and FOLFIRI-based therapies. Conclusions. In first-line mCRC patients, the FOLFOX–bevacizumab and FOLFIRI–bevacizumab regimens were associated with similar treatment patterns and clinical outcomes.

AbstractThe mechanisms of estrogen receptor (ER)-α activity can be categorized into those involving direct (classical) or indirect (nonclassical) DNA binding. Although various mouse models have demonstrated the importance of ERα in bone, the specific gene expression patterns affected by these modes of ERα action are unknown. In this report, the gene expression patterns of ERα-deficient (ERKO) mice and nonclassical ER knock-in (NERKI) mice, which can function only by nonclassical means, were analyzed. Three-month-old mice were ovariectomized and implanted with estrogen pellets for 1 month to normalize estrogen levels. Microarray analysis of flushed cortical bone revealed 28% (210 of 763) of the genes differentially expressed in ERKO mice were altered in NERKI mice, suggesting estrogen response element-dependent regulation of these genes in bone. Pathway analysis revealed alterations in genes involved in focal adhesion and extracellular matrix interactions. However, the majority of genes regulated in ERKO mice (72%) were unique (i.e. not altered in NERKI mice), suggesting these are regulated by nonclassical mechanisms. To further explore the pathways affected in ERKO mice, we performed focused quantitative PCR arrays for genes involved in various aspects of bone physiology. Genes involved in bone formation, senescence, apoptosis, and autophagy were significantly regulated. Overall, the majority of the genes regulated by ERα in bone are via nonclassical pathways. However, because NERKI mice display an osteoporotic phenotype, it can be deduced that the minority of the estrogen response element-dependent genes/pathways play critical roles in the regulation of bone physiology. These data demonstrate the importance of classical ERα signaling in regulating bone metabolism.

AbstractBackgroundWe aimed to determine the feasibility of monitoring viral delivery and initial distribution to solid tumors using iodinated contrast agent and micro‐computed tomography (CT).MethodsHuman BxPC‐3 pancreatic tumor xenografts were established in nude mice. An oncolytic measles virus with an additional transcriptional unit encoding the sodium iodide symporter (NIS), as a reporter for viral infection, was mixed with a 1:10 dilution of Omnipaque 300 (GE Healthcare, Milwaukee, WI, USA) contrast agent and injected directly into tumors. Mice were imaged with micro‐CT immediately before and after injection to determine the location of contrast agent/virus mixture. Mice were imaged again on day 3 after injection with micro‐single‐photon emission CT/CT to determine the location of NIS‐mediated 99mTcO4 transport.ResultsA 1:10 dilution of Omnipaque had no effect on viral infectivity or cell viability in vitro and was more than adequate for CT imaging of the intratumoral injectate distribution. The volume of tumor coverage with initial CT contrast agent and the 3‐day postinfection measurement of virally infected tumor volume were significantly correlated. Additionally, regions of the tumor that did not receive contrast agent from the initial injection were largely devoid of viral infection at early time points.ConclusionsContrast‐enhanced viral delivery enables a rapid and accurate prediction of the initial viral distribution within a solid tumor. This technique should enable real‐time monitoring of viral propagation from initially infected tumor regions to adjacent tumor regions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Pharmacogenomics research provides insights into a personalized approach to prescribing and dosing medications.

The present study examines treatment length and timing of exposure from two child anxiety disorders clinics. Data regarding symptoms and treatment characteristics for 28 youth were prospectively obtained through self, parent, and therapist report at each session. Information regarding length of treatment, timing of exposure initiation, and drop-out rates were compared with those obtained through efficacy and effectiveness trials of manualized treatment for anxious youth. Findings from the authors’ clinical data revealed significantly shorter treatment duration with exposures implemented sooner than in the previous studies. Dropout rates were significantly higher than in the efficacy trial but comparable with the effectiveness trial. Outcome data from a subset of eight patients revealed large effect sizes. These findings suggest that effective treatment can be shorter and more focused on exposure than is often outlined in manuals and have important implications for outcome research and dissemination.