Subcutaneous Trastuzumab (scT) and metronomic oral Vinorelbine (mVRL) combination in HER2 + ve advanced breast cancer (ABC) patients (pts): a pilot evaluation of toxicity. Preliminary results of the VICTOR-4 study

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On the mechanisms governing gas penetration into a tokamak plasma during a massive gas injection

A new 1D radial fluid code, IMAGINE, is used to simulate the penetration of gas into a tokamak plasma during a massive gas injection (MGI). The main result is that the gas is in general strongly braked as it reaches the plasma, due to mechanisms related to charge exchange and (to a smaller extent) recombination. As a result, only a fraction of the gas penetrates into the plasma. Also, a shock wave is created in the gas which propagates away from the plasma, braking and compressing the incoming gas. Simulation results are quantitatively consistent, at least in terms of orders of magnitude, with experimental data for a D 2 MGI into a JET Ohmic plasma. Simulations of MGI into the background plasma surrounding a runaway electron beam show that if the background electron density is too high, the gas may not penetrate, suggesting a possible explanation for the recent results of Reux et al in JET (2015 Nucl. Fusion 55 093013)

Autoantibodies against type I IFNs in patients with life-threatening COVID-19

Interindividual clinical variability in the course of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is vast. We report that at least 101 of 987 patients with life-threatening coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pneumonia had neutralizing immunoglobulin G (IgG) autoantibodies (auto-Abs) against interferon-w (IFN-w) (13 patients), against the 13 types of IFN-a (36), or against both (52) at the onset of critical disease; a few also had auto-Abs against the other three type I IFNs. The auto-Abs neutralize the ability of the corresponding type I IFNs to block SARS-CoV-2 infection in vitro. These auto-Abs were not found in 663 individuals with asymptomatic or mild SARS-CoV-2 infection and were present in only 4 of 1227 healthy individuals. Patients with auto-Abs were aged 25 to 87 years and 95 of the 101 were men. A B cell autoimmune phenocopy of inborn errors of type I IFN immunity accounts for life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia in at least 2.6% of women and 12.5% of men

Metastatic or locally advanced breast cancer patients: towards an expert consensus on nab-paclitaxel treatment in HER2-negative tumours-the MACBETH project.

Despite the large use of nab-paclitaxel as a treatment option in metastatic breast cancer (MBC) across different countries, no definitive data are available in particular clinical situations. Efficacy, safety and schedule issues concerning available literature on nab-paclitaxel in advanced breast cancer and in specific subgroups of patients have been discussed and voted during an International Expert Meeting. Ten expert specialists in oncology, with extensive clinical experience on Nab-P and publications in the field of MBC have been identified. Six scientific areas of interest have been covered, generating 13 specific Statements for Nab-P, after literature review. For efficacy issues, a summary of research quality was performed adopting the GRADE algorithm for evidence scoring. The panel members were invited to express their opinion on the statements, in case of disagreement all the controversial opinions and the relative motivations have been made public. Consensus was reached in 30.8% of the Nab-P statements, mainly those regarding safety issues, whereas ones regarding efficacy and schedule still remain controversial areas, requiring further data originated by the literature