Automatic HDRI generation of dynamic environments

of the human shapes (inset). (b) HDRI generation using the presented method, HCM is removed using a variance image, VI. (c) HDRI of a dynamic scene (larger image) with LCM (leaves). (d) HDRI after LCM removal using an uncertainty measure, UI. (e, top) VI segmentation. (e, bottom) UI segmentation.

Epirubicin With Cyclophosphamide Followed by Docetaxel With Trastuzumab and Bevacizumab as Neoadjuvant Therapy for HER2-Positive Locally Advanced Breast Cancer or as Adjuvant Therapy for HER2-Positive Pathologic Stage III Breast Cancer: A Phase II Trial of the NSABP Foundation Research Group, FB-5

Background The purpose of this study was to determine the cardiac safety and clinical activity of trastuzumab and bevacizumab with docetaxel after epirubicin with cyclophosphamide (EC) in patients with HER2-positive locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) or pathologic stage 3 breast cancer (PS3BC). Patients and Methods Patients received every 3 week treatment with 4 cycles of EC (90/600 mg/m2) followed by 4 cycles of docetaxel (100 mg/m2). Targeted therapy with standard-dose trastuzumab with bevacizumab 15 mg/kg was given for a total of 1 year. Coprimary end points were (1) rate of cardiac events (CEs) in all patients defined as clinical congestive heart failure with a significant decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction or cardiac deaths; and (2) pathologic complete response (pCR) in breast and nodes in the neoadjuvant cohort. An independent cardiac review panel determined whether criteria for a CE were met. Results A total of 105 patients were accrued, 76 with LABC treated with neoadjuvant therapy and 29 with PS3BC treated with adjuvant therapy. Median follow-up was 59.2 months. Among 99 evaluable patients for cardiac safety, 4 (4%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1%-10.0%) met CE criteria. The pCR percentage in LABC patients was 46% (95% CI, 34%-59%). Five-year recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) for all patients was 79.9% and 90.8%, respectively. Conclusion The regimen met predefined criteria for activity of interest with an acceptable rate of CEs. Although the pCR percentage was comparable with chemotherapy regimens with trastuzumab alone the high RFS and OS are of interest in these high-risk populations

Real-World Effectiveness, Safety, and Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients Receiving Adjuvant Nivolumab for Melanoma in Belgium and Luxembourg: Results of PRESERV MEL

peer reviewedBackground: Nivolumab, an anti–programmed cell death 1 immuno-oncology therapy, is approved as an adjuvant treatment for patients with completely resected stage III or stage IV melanoma. PRESERV MEL (Prospective and REtrospective Study of nivolumab thERapy in adjuVant MELanoma) is a real-world observational study evaluating the effectiveness and safety of adjuvant nivolumab in patients with completely resected stage III or stage IV melanoma in clinical practice in Belgium and Luxembourg. Methods: Patients were enrolled prospectively and retrospectively during a 2-year period (January 2019–January 2021), and will be followed for 5 years. The results reported here are for the second interim analysis (cutoff date 31 December 2021). The index date was the date of first administration of adjuvant nivolumab. Patients received nivolumab for up to 12 months per label. Outcomes included relapse-free survival (RFS), adverse events (AEs)/treatment-related AEs (TRAEs), and health-related quality of life (HRQoL; assessed in prospectively enrolled patients using the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire C30 (EORTC QLQ-C30), Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy—Melanoma (FACT-M), and EQ-5D-3L instruments). HRQoL was evaluated at group level (mean change in scores from baseline based on minimally important differences) and individual patient level (percentage of patients with clinically important scores based on threshold of clinical importance). Outcomes were analyzed descriptively. Results: The study enrolled 152 patients (125 prospective, 27 retrospective) at 15 hospitals in Belgium and Luxembourg. Minimum potential follow-up at time of analysis was 11.4 months. Median age was 60 years (range 29–85), and 53% of patients were male. At 12 and 18 months, the RFS rates were 74.7% (95% confidence interval (CI): 66.9–80.9) and 68.4% (95% CI: 60.0–75.5), respectively. Median RFS was not reached. Grade 3 or 4 TRAEs were reported in 14% of patients. AEs led to treatment discontinuation in 23% of patients. Deaths occurred in 3% of patients and were not related to treatment. Questionnaire completion rates for HRQoL were high at baseline (90–94%) and at 24 months (78–81%). In the group-level analysis for HRQoL, mean changes in scores from baseline remained stable and did not exceed prespecified thresholds for minimally important differences during and after treatment, except for a clinically meaningful improvement in FACT-M surgery subscale scores. In the individual patient-level analysis for EORTC QLQ-C30 subscales, the percentages of patients who reported clinically relevant scores for fatigue and cognitive impairment increased during treatment (at 9 months) compared with baseline. After treatment cessation (at 18 months), the percentage of patients who reported clinically relevant scores for fatigue decreased. However, the percentages of patients who reported clinically relevant scores for emotional, cognitive, and social impairment increased at 18 months compared with during treatment. Most patients with emotional impairment at 9 and 18 months did not experience disease recurrence (91% and 89%, respectively). Conclusions: These results confirm the real-world effectiveness and safety of nivolumab as an adjuvant treatment for patients with completely resected stage III or stage IV melanoma. Cancer-specific, disease-specific, and generic HRQoL were maintained during and after treatment. The percentage of patients reporting emotional and cognitive impairment increased after treatment cessation, emphasizing the need for further investigation and tailored supportive care in these patients

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) : neutrophils, macrophages and lymphocytes in patients with anterior tuberculosis compared to tobacco related COPD

CITATION: Guiedem, E., et al. 2018. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): neutrophils, macrophages and lymphocytes in patients with anterior tuberculosis compared to tobacco related COPD. BMC Research Notes, 11:192, doi:10.1186/s13104-018-3309-6.The original publication is available at https://bmcresnotes.biomedcentral.comObjective: The inflammatory profile of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) related to tobacco is known in certain studies while that of the post tuberculosis form is not yet known. This study aimed to evaluate the levels of neutrophils, macrophages and lymphocytes cells in sputum of COPD patients with history of smoking or anterior tuberculosis. Enumeration of cells in samples was analyzed using standard microscopy. Results: We enrolled 92 participants, 46 (50%) were COPD subjects comprising 22 (47.83%) smokers and 24 (52.17%) with anterior tuberculosis while 46 (50%) healthy persons constituted the control group. The levels of neutrophils, lymphocytes and monocytes were statistically higher in COPD patients compared to the control group with p-values of 0.0001 respectively. Neutrophils levels were higher in COPD patients with history of tobacco than in COPD patients with anterior tuberculosis with a mean rate of 4.72 × 106/ml and 2.48 × 106/ml respectively (p = 0.04). The monocytes and lymphocytes levels were not statistically different between the two sub-groups of COPD patients with p-value of 0.052 and 0.91 respectively. Neutrophils are the only inflammatory cells that were significantly higher in COPD patients with history of smoking as compared to COPD patients with anterior tuberculosis.https://bmcresnotes.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13104-018-3309-6Publisher's versio

Superior efficacy of combination antibiotic therapy versus monotherapy in a mouse model of Lyme disease

Lyme disease (LD) results from the most prevalent tick-borne infection in North America, with over 476,000 estimated cases annually. The disease is caused by Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) sensu lato which transmits through the bite of Ixodid ticks. Most cases treated soon after infection are resolved by a short course of oral antibiotics. However, 10–20% of patients experience chronic symptoms because of delayed or incomplete treatment, a condition called Post-Treatment Lyme Disease (PTLD). Some Bb persists in PTLD patients after the initial course of antibiotics and an effective treatment to eradicate the persistent Bb is needed. Other organisms that cause persistent infections, such as M. tuberculosis, are cleared using a combination of therapies rather than monotherapy. A group of Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs previously shown to be efficacious against Bb in vitro were used in monotherapy or in combination in mice infected with Bb. Different methods of detection were used to assess the efficacy of the treatments in the infected mice including culture, xenodiagnosis, and molecular techniques. None of the monotherapies eradicated persistent Bb. However, 4 dual combinations (doxycycline + ceftriaxone, dapsone + rifampicin, dapsone + clofazimine, doxycycline + cefotaxime) and 3 triple combinations (doxycycline + ceftriaxone+ carbomycin, doxycycline + cefotaxime+ loratadine, dapsone+ rifampicin+ clofazimine) eradicated persistent Bb infections. These results suggest that combination therapy should be investigated in preclinical studies for treating human Lyme disease

Translating Molecular Profiling of Soft Tissue Sarcomas into Daily Clinical Practice

Soft tissue sarcomas are a group of rare mesenchymal tumors with more than 70 subtypes described. Treatment of these subtypes in an advanced setting is mainly according to a one-size-fits-all strategy indicating a high unmet need of new and more targeted therapeutic options in order to optimize survival. The introduction of advanced molecular techniques in cancer has led to better diagnostics and identification of new therapeutic targets, leading to more personalized treatment and improved prognosis for several cancer types. In sarcoma, a likewise evolution is seen, albeit at a slower pace. This manuscript describes how in the past years advanced molecular profiling in soft tissue sarcomas was able to identify specific and often pathognomonic aberrations, deferring standard sarcoma treatment in favor of more targeted treatment from an oncologist’s point of view

De visie van de Belg op klimaatverandering: Een overzicht van de resultaten van de European Social Survey (ESS) 2016

Klimaatverandering betreft een thema dat vele mensen beroert en menig politieke debatten voedt, zoals discussies over het al dan niet opwekken van hernieuwbare energie, het belasten van fossiele brandstoffen, het subsidiëren van zonne- en windenergie, het sluiten van kerncentrales, het invoeren van emissiereducties, en het verlagen van de ecologische voetafdruk. In dit rapport gaan we, op basis van een analyse van de Belgische gegevens van de European Social Survey (ESS) voor 2016 de houding van de Belgen tegenover klimaat en klimaatverandering na. De centrale doelstelling van het rapport bestaat erin om de belangrijkste patronen in de publieke opinie over klimaat te beschrijven op basis van een bevraging van een representatieve steekproef uit de Belgische bevolking.nrpages: 15status: publishe

De visie van de Belg op vluchtelingen: Een overzicht van de resultaten van de European Social Survey (ESS) 2016

In deze bijdrage wordt, op basis van een analyse van de Belgische gegevens van de European Social Survey (ESS) van 2002 tot 2016 de houding van de Belgische respondenten over vluchtelingen en de evolutie ervan nagegaan. We plaatsen de resultaten ook in Europees perspectief. De voornaamste doelstelling is, om op basis van representatieve en objectieve gegevens afkomstig van de ESS, met dit rapport een bijdrage te leveren aan het debat over de publieke opinie over vluchtelingen via een inzicht te bieden in de trends en patronen. Dit rapport biedt een beschrijvende presentatie van de resultaten voor België met een aanzet om een aantal groepen te identificeren die verschillen in hun visie op vluchtelingen. Het wil een antwoord bieden op de vraag hoe de Belgen staan tegenover vluchtelingen en diens rechten.nrpages: 20status: publishe