Competition and State Aid Policy in the European Community

This article discusses the effect of European Community state aid policy on competition. First, the article defines and discusses the types of state aid under the Treaty Establishing the European Community. Second, the article analyzes the distortion of competition and effect on trade that state aids have. Third, the article discusses whether state aid qualifies for an exemption because it fulfills some other goal of the Treaty

KRAS Mutation Detection in Paired Frozen and Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded (FFPE) Colorectal Cancer Tissues

KRAS mutation has been unambiguously identified as a marker of resistance to cetuximab-based treatment in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) patients. However, most studies of KRAS mutation analysis have been performed using homogenously archived CRC specimens, and studies that compare freshly frozen specimens and formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) specimens of CRC are lacking. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the impact of tissue preservation on the determination of KRAS mutational status. A series of 131 mCRC fresh-frozen tissues were first analyzed using both high-resolution melting (HRM) and direct sequencing. KRAS mutations were found in 47/131 (35.8%) using both approaches. Out of the 47 samples that were positive for KRAS mutations, 33 had available matched FFPE specimens. Using HRM, 2/33 (6%) demonstrated suboptimal template amplification, and 2/33 (6%) expressed an erroneous wild-type KRAS profile. Using direct sequencing, 6/33 (18.1%) displayed a wild-type KRAS status, and 3/33 (9.1%) showed discordant mutations. Finally, the detection of KRAS mutations was lower among the FFPE samples compared with the freshly frozen samples, demonstrating that tissue processing clearly impacts the accuracy of KRAS genotyping

Lack of EGFR-activating mutations in European patients with triple-negative breast cancer could emphasise geographic and ethnic variations in breast cancer mutation profiles

INTRODUCTION: Triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs) are characterised by lack of expression of hormone receptors and epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2). As they frequently express epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFRs), anti-EGFR therapies are currently assessed for this breast cancer subtype as an alternative to treatments that target HER-2 or hormone receptors. Recently, EGFR-activating mutations have been reported in TNBC specimens in an East Asian population. Because variations in the frequency of EGFR-activating mutations in East Asians and other patients with lung cancer have been described, we evaluated the EGFR mutational profile in tumour samples from European patients with TNBC. METHODS: We selected from a DNA tumour bank 229 DNA samples isolated from frozen, histologically proven and macrodissected invasive TNBC specimens from European patients. PCR and high-resolution melting (HRM) analyses were used to detect mutations in exons 19 and 21 of EGFR. The results were then confirmed by bidirectional sequencing of all samples. RESULTS: HRM analysis allowed the detection of three EGFR exon 21 mutations, but no exon 19 mutations. There was 100% concordance between the HRM and sequencing results. The three patients with EGFR exon 21 abnormal HRM profiles harboured the rare R836R SNP, but no EGFR-activating mutation was identified. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights variations in the prevalence of EGFR mutations in TNBC. These variations have crucial implications for the design of clinical trials involving anti-EGFR treatments in TNBC and for identifying the potential target population

Dissociazione neurogenetica degli effetti dell'attivazione del recettore 5-HT4 (modulazione dei processi di memoria e della plasticità morfologica ippocampale)

AIX-MARSEILLE1-BU Sci.St Charles (130552104) / SudocSudocFranceF

EXTRACELLULAR RECORDINGS OF RODENTS IN VIVO : THEIR CONTRIBUTION TO INTEGRATIVE NEUROSCIENCE

International audienc