6 research outputs found
Long-term biochemical results after high-dose-rate intensity modulated brachytherapy with external beam radiotherapy for high risk prostate cancer
Get PDFAbstract Background Biochemical control from series in which radical prostatectomy is performed for patients with unfavorable prostate cancer and/or low dose external beam radiation therapy are given remains suboptimal. The treatment regimen of HDR brachytherapy and external beam radiotherapy is a safe and very effective treatment for patients with high risk localized prostate cancer with excellent biochemical control and low toxicity.</p
Harmful Elements in Estuarine and Coastal Systems
Get PDFEstuaries and coastal zones are dynamic transitional systems which provide many economic and ecological benefits to humans, but also are an ideal habitat for other organisms as well. These areas are becoming contaminated by various anthropogenic activities due to a quick economic growth and urbanization. This chapter explores the sources, chemical speciation, sediment accumulation and removal mechanisms of the harmful elements in estuarine and coastal seawaters. It also describes the effects of toxic elements on aquatic flora and fauna. Finally, the toxic element pollution of the Venice Lagoon, a transitional water body located in the northeastern part of Italy, is discussed as a case study, by presenting the procedures adopted to measure the extent of the pollution, the impacts on organisms and the restoration activities
One-year monitoring of an oligonucleotide fluorescence in situ hybridization probe panel laboratory-developed test for bladder cancer detection
No full textRima Tinawi-Aljundi,1 Lauren King,2 Shannon T Knuth,2 Michael Gildea,2 Carrie Ng,2 Josh Kahl,2 Jacqueline Dion,2 Chris Young,2 Edward W Schervish,1 J Rene Frontera,1 Jason Hafron,1 Kenneth M Kernen,1 Robert Di Loreto,1 Joan Aurich-Costa21Michigan Institute of Urology, St Claire Shores, MI, USA; 2Cellay, Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA Background: Previously, we had developed and manufactured an oligonucleotide fluorescence in situ hybridization (OligoFISH) probe panel based on the most clinically sensitive chromosomes found in a reference set of bladder carcinoma cases. The panel was clinically validated for use as a diagnostic and monitoring assay for bladder cancer, reaching 100% correlation with the results of the UroVysion test. After 1 year of using this probe panel, we present here the comparison of cytology, cystoscopy, and pathology findings to the OligoFISH probe panel results to calculate its clinical performance. Materials and methods: In order to calculate clinical performance, we compared the OligoFISH results to the cytology and cystoscopy/pathology findings for 147 initial diagnoses and 399 recurrence monitorings. Finally, we compared clinical performance to published values for the UroVysion test, including both low- and high-grade tumors. Results: Chromosomes 3, 6, 7, and 20 were highly involved in bladder carcinoma aneuploidy. At the initial diagnosis, we obtained 90.5% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 84.5%–94.7%) accuracy, 96.8% sensitivity (95% CI: 91.0%–99.3%), 79.2% specificity (95% CI: 65.9%–87.8%), 89.2% positive predictive value (PPV; 95% CI: 81.5%–94.5%), and 93.3% negative predictive value (NPV; 95% CI: 81.7%–97.3%). When monitoring for recurrence, we obtained 85.2% accuracy (95% CI: 81.3%–88.5%), 82.0% sensitivity (95% CI: 76.0%–87.1%), 88.4% specificity (95% CI: 83.2%–92.5%), 87.7% PPV (95% CI: 82.1%–92.0%), and 83.0% NPV (95% CI: 77.3%–87.8%). When looking at low- and high-grade tumors, the test showed 100% sensitivity for high-grade tumors (95% CI: 92.5%–100%) and 87.5% sensitivity (95% CI: 68.8%–95.5%) for low-grade tumors. All the clinical parameters for the OligoFISH panel were higher than the UroVysion test's published performance. We found significantly higher clinical sensitivity and NPV at initial diagnosis and significantly higher specificity and PPV for recurrence. Conclusion: The OligoFISH probe panel is a fast, easy, and reproducible test for bladder cancer diagnosis and monitoring, with excellent clinical performance and utility. Keywords: UroVysion, FISH, urologic oncology, bladder neoplas
