The effect of anti-VEGF drugs (bevacizumab and aflibercept) on the survival of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC)

Significant progression has been achieved in the treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) in recent years. This has been partly attributed to successfully incorporating new drugs into combination chemotherapy. In addition to the traditional cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agents, molecularly targeted agents began to play an important role in the treatment of advanced solid tumors. To date, two classes of molecularly targeted agents have been approved for treatment of patients with mCRC: (1) antivascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) agents (such as bevacizumab and aflibercept) and (2) antiendothelial cell growth factor receptor (anti-EGFR) agents (such as cetuximab and panitumumab). Aflibercept is a new member of anti-VEGF agents which has demonstrated efficacy for treatment of mCRC. With the commencement of clinical trials and basic research into aflibercept, more data from the bedside and the bench have been obtained. This review will outline the application of anti-VEGF agents by reviewing clinic experiences of bevacizumab and aflibercept, and try to add perspectives on the use of anti-VEGF agents in mCRC

Kesesakan Dan Agresivitas Pada Remaja Di Kawasan Tambak Lorok Semarang

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui hubungan antara kesesakan dengan agresivitas pada remaja yang tinggal di Kawasan Tambak Lorok Semarang. Populasi dalam penelitian ini adalah remaja yang tinggal di Kawasan Tambak Lorok Semarang. Pengumpulan data menggunakan dua buah skala yaitu, Skala Agresivitas (22 aitem; α=0,864) dan Skala Kesesakan (16 aitem; α=0,828). Subjek penelitian berjumlah 230 remaja yang tinggal di Kawasan Tambak Lorok Semarang yang dipilih melalui teknik simple random sampling. Hasil analisis data menggunakan teknik analisis regresi sederhana menunjukkan terdapat hubungan positif antara kesesakan dengan agresivitas pada remaja yang tinggal Kawasan Tambak Lorok Semarang (r=0,578; p=0,000). Semakin tinggi kesesakan yang dirasakan subjek maka semakin tinggi agresivitas. Kesesakan memberikan sumbangan efektif sebesar 33,4% pada agresivitas dan sisanya sebesar 66,6% dipengaruhi oleh faktor lain yang tidak diteliti dalam penelitian ini

Assessment of a Novel VEGF Targeted Agent Using Patient-Derived Tumor Tissue Xenograft Models of Colon Carcinoma with Lymphatic and Hepatic Metastases

The lack of appropriate tumor models of primary tumors and corresponding metastases that can reliably predict for response to anticancer agents remains a major deficiency in the clinical practice of cancer therapy. It was the aim of our study to establish patient-derived tumor tissue (PDTT) xenograft models of colon carcinoma with lymphatic and hepatic metastases useful for testing of novel molecularly targeted agents. PDTT of primary colon carcinoma, lymphatic and hepatic metastases were used to create xenograft models. Hematoxylin and eosin staining, immunohistochemical staining, genome-wide gene expression analysis, pyrosequencing, qRT-PCR, and western blotting were used to determine the biological stability of the xenografts during serial transplantation compared with the original tumor tissues. Early passages of the PDTT xenograft models of primary colon carcinoma, lymphatic and hepatic metastases revealed a high degree of similarity with the original clinical tumor samples with regard to histology, immunohistochemistry, genes expression, and mutation status as well as mRNA expression. After we have ascertained that these xenografts models retained similar histopathological features and molecular signatures as the original tumors, drug sensitivities of the xenografts to a novel VEGF targeted agent, FP3 was evaluated. In this study, PDTT xenograft models of colon carcinoma with lymphatic and hepatic metastasis have been successfully established. They provide appropriate models for testing of novel molecularly targeted agents

Analysis of China’s Urban Innovation Connection Network Evolution: A Case Study of Henan Province

The research on urban innovation links is of great significance for revealing the structural characteristics of innovation space. At the same time, it is of great significance for formulating regional innovation development strategies. Based on statistics from 2008, 2013 and 2018, the time and spatial characteristics of the urban innovation contact network evolution in Henan Province were investigated using the entropy weight and gravity-model method. The results show that the overall pattern of the regional innovation network in Henan Province is radial, with the characteristics of a “core edge”. It shows that it radiates to the surrounding cities with Zhengzhou as the core. From the perspective of time evolution, the radiation range and intensity of the innovation center city have changed to varying degrees and the overall radiation pattern has not significantly changed. From the perspective of spatial evolution, the evolution of Henan Province’s innovation network presents the following development trends. The central and southern regions developed rapidly, and the western, northern and eastern regions developed slowly

Analysis of China’s Urban Innovation Connection Network Evolution: A Case Study of Henan Province

The research on urban innovation links is of great significance for revealing the structural characteristics of innovation space. At the same time, it is of great significance for formulating regional innovation development strategies. Based on statistics from 2008, 2013 and 2018, the time and spatial characteristics of the urban innovation contact network evolution in Henan Province were investigated using the entropy weight and gravity-model method. The results show that the overall pattern of the regional innovation network in Henan Province is radial, with the characteristics of a “core edge”. It shows that it radiates to the surrounding cities with Zhengzhou as the core. From the perspective of time evolution, the radiation range and intensity of the innovation center city have changed to varying degrees and the overall radiation pattern has not significantly changed. From the perspective of spatial evolution, the evolution of Henan Province’s innovation network presents the following development trends. The central and southern regions developed rapidly, and the western, northern and eastern regions developed slowly

Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine by Cancer Patients at Zhejiang University Teaching Hospital Zhuji Hospital, China

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is garnering increasing interest and acceptance among the general population throughout the world. The use of CAM by cancer patients is very common in China. The referenced English literature has no rural community-based study from China on this subject. This study was conducted to define the prevalence, pattern of use, and reasons for using CAM by cancer patients at Zhejiang University Teaching Hospital Zhuji Hospital (ZUTH-ZJH), China. Face-to-face interviews using a structured questionnaire were used to determine the use of CAM by cancer patients. All consenting cancer patients were interviewed as they presented at the Department of Surgical Oncology of ZUTH-ZJH, from September 2009 to February 2010. One hundred and twenty one patients were interviewed; 64 (52.9%) were males and 57 (47.1%) were females. One hundred and thirteen patients (93.4%) have used CAM at some time during their current cancer illness, fifty two (46.0%) are female and sixty one (54.0%) are male patients; 8 (6.6%) patients have not used any form of CAM. Chinese medicine (73.5.0%) was the most commonly reported CAM modality. Over 71.7% of those who used CAM were satisfied, only 28.3% were disappointed. Twenty eight users (24.8%) did not see any benefit from the CAM, but eighty one patients (71.7%) could describe some specific benefits. Only one patient will use orthodox medicine instead of CAM in the future, almost all patients will continue to use CAM in the future. CAM use is very common among cancer patients in local area of China. Most users obtain the expected benefits, and adverse events are uncommon. It is imperative that oncologists should explore the use of CAM with their cancer patients and work towards an integrated model of health-care provision. This knowledge will enable oncologists to better counsel the patients

Research of the Dual-Band Log-Linear Analysis Model Based on Physics for Bathymetry without In-Situ Depth Data in the South China Sea

The current widely used bathymetric inversion model based on multispectral satellite imagery mostly relies on in-situ depth data for establishing a liner/non-linear relationship between water depth and pixel reflectance. This paper evaluates the performance of a dual-band log-linear analysis model based on physics (P-DLA) for bathymetry without in-situ depth data. This is done using WorldView-2 images of blue and green bands. Further, the pixel sampling principles for solving the four key parameters of the model are summarized. Firstly, this paper elaborates on the physical mechanism of the P-DLA model. All unknown parameters of the P-DLA model are solved by different types of sampling pixels extracted from multispectral images for bathymetric measurements. Ganquan Island and Zhaoshu Island, where accuracy evaluation is performed for the bathymetric results of the P-DLA model with in-situ depth data, were selected to be processed using the method to evaluate its performance. The root mean square errors (RMSEs) of the Ganquan Island and Zhaoshu Island results are 1.69 m and 1.74 m with the mean relative error (MREs) of 14.8% and 18.3%, respectively. Meanwhile, the bathymetric inversion is performed with in-situ depth data using the traditional dual-band log-linear regression model (DLR). The results show that the accuracy of the P-DLA model bathymetry without in-situ depth data is roughly equal to that of the DLR model water depth inversion based on in-situ depth data. The results indicate that the P-DLA model can still obtain relatively ideal bathymetric results despite not having actual bathymetric data in the model training. It also demonstrates underwater microscopic features and changes in the islands and reefs