Bevacizumab plus Irinotecan-Based Regimens in the Treatment of Metastatic Colorectal Cancer

Objectives: Bevacizumab is a monoclonal antibody that directly inhibits vascular endothelial growth factor, a key regulator of angiogenesis. Bevacizumab significantly improves progression-free and/or overall survival in metastatic colorectal cancer in combination with standard chemotherapy. This review describes the evolution of irinotecan-based regimens for metastatic colorectal cancer and evaluates the addition of bevacizumab to these regimens. Methods: Literature searches from large publication databases (PubMed, ASCO, ASCO GI, ESMO) were performed to capture key data relevant to bevacizumab, irinotecan, and the treatment of colorectal cancer. Results: Data from numerous large, multinational studies support the addition of bevacizumab to irinotecan-containing chemotherapy regimens for further improvement in patient outcomes. In a randomized, placebo-controlled trial, addition of bevacizumab to irinotecan significantly improved progression-free survival, overall survival and response rate in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, and these results are supported by a number of other clinical trials and observational studies. Furthermore, the addition of bevacizumab to irinotecan improves outcomes regardless of K-ras mutational status. Bevacizumab has a well-established safety profile and the toxicities associated with its use are usually mild in severity and easily manageable. Conclusions: Addition of bevacizumab to irinotecan-containing regimens is an effective therapy option for the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer. Copyright (C) 2010 S. Karger AG, Base

Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationIn recent years, schools have been called upon to expand their efforts to increase physical activity related opportunities for children and adolescents. Although schools have been found to be a vital venue in obesity prevention, not all children and adolescents in the United States attend public schools. There are approximately 2 million homeschool students (K-12) in the United States. In recent years, there has been an increase of homeschool physical education clinical programs conducted by higher education institutions to provide homeschool children with quality physical activity opportunities. The purpose of this study was to provide insight into the parental attitudes toward physical education activity among parents whose children attend public school, parents whose children are homeschooled, and parents whose children are homeschooled and attend a homeschool physical education program at an institution of higher education. The Physical Education Activity Attitude Scale (PEAAS) was utilized to assess parental attitudes toward physical education activity. A total of N = 203 parents completed the PEAAS survey. The mean total PEAAS score for all groups was 75.94 ( SD = 7.59). A statistically significant difference among setting groups was found (F (2, 403) = 13.274, p < 0.001). For the general attitudes category, there was a statistically significant difference among the groups (F (2, 403) = 5.07, p = 0.007). For the physical education category, there was a statistically significant difference among the groups (F (2, 403) = 13.988, p < 0.001). For scientific basis category, there was no statistically significant difference among groups, (F (2,403)= 1.404, p = 0.247). Using the total PEAAS scores, the main effect of parent physical activity was also statistically significant, implying there is a difference in total scores across parental physical activity levels ( p = 0.008). A two-way-interaction was found for socioeconomic status (SES) and setting. Information from this exploratory study should be used to advocate for the inclusion of physical education classes in the curriculum for students that are homeschooled, as well as students who attend public schools

Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak and adult education : rearranging desires at both ends of the spectrum

As Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak identifies deeply with her role both as an educator and a teacher, she writes and talks extensively about her teaching at Columbia University and her teaching activities with adults in the rural areas of India and some African countries. I discuss in this article some of her valuable thoughts, observations, and insights gained over a number of years, which can be inspiring for adult education. After a short introduction to Spivak’s working context and her approach to education, some of her most important concepts will be presented in a concise overview: ‘The importance of aesthetic education’; ‘the necessity to teach at two ends of the spectrum’; and ‘the task to rearrange desires and to change epistemologies’. The article ends with a short insight into the current contexts and discourses of adult education, including an example of how some of these concepts can be applied in research projects in the context of ‘adult education and migration’.peer-reviewe

A case study in model-driven synthetic biology

We report on a case study in synthetic biology, demonstrating the modeldriven design of a self-powering electrochemical biosensor. An essential result of the design process is a general template of a biosensor, which can be instantiated to be adapted to specific pollutants. This template represents a gene expression network extended by metabolic activity. We illustrate the model-based analysis of this template using qualitative, stochastic and continuous Petri nets and related analysis techniques, contributing to a reliable and robust design

Detailed analysis of radiation data from the Gemini 4 and Gemini 7 proton-electron spectrometer experiments Final report, 13 Jun. 1967 - 30 Dec. 1968

Detailed analysis of radiation data from Gemini 4 and 7 proton-electron spectrometer experiment