Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors for Elderly Patients with Advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in both men and women and approximately 219,440 new cases of nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were estimated to occur in the USA in 2009, which caused 159,390 NSCLC-related deaths. More than 50% of cases of advanced NSCLC are diagnosed in patients older than age 65, and recent Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEERs) data suggest that the median age at diagnosis is 70 years. Until recently, the disease has been undertreated in this patient population, with a perception among many clinicians that elderly patients do not tolerate chemotherapy or radiotherapy. So, single agent chemotherapy is the recommended approach by the ASCO and International Expert Panels in unselected patients. The introduction of novel targeted therapies, such as Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs) which improved survival versus placebo in patients who had previously failed on chemotherapy, gives clinicians new, effective, and better tolerated options to consider when treating NSCLC in elderly patients. This paper describes the advances of EGFR TKIs for elderly patients with advanced NSCLC

Gut microbial composition in different castes and developmental stages of the invasive hornet Vespa velutina nigrithorax

Social insects are successful animal invaders. Their survival and success, and in some cases also their impact on invaded ecosystem functioning, is often mediated by symbiosis with microorganisms. Here, we report a comprehensive comparative characterization of the gut microbial communities of different castes and developmental stages of the invasive hornet Vespa velutina nigrithorax. The species recently colonized Europe, becoming a high ecological and economic concern, as it threatens pollinator survival and competes with native hornet species. We used targeted meta-genomics to describe the yeasts and bacteria gut communities of individuals of different reproductive phenotypes (workers and future queens), life stages (larvae, newly emerged individuals and adults) and colony non-living samples (nest paper and larval faeces). Bacilli, Gammaproteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Alphaproteobacteria were the most abundant classes of bacteria, and Saccharomycetes, Dothideomycetes, Tremellomycetes and Eurotiomycetes were the most represented yeast classes. We found that the microbial compositions significantly differ across developmental stages and castes, with yeast and bacterial communities switching in frequency and abundance during ontogeny and according to reproductive phenotype. Moreover, the gut microbial communities poorly mirror those found in the nest, suggesting that hornets possess a specific microbial signature. Our results provide the first metagenomic resource of the microbiome of V. velutina in Europe and suggest the importance of considering life stages, reproductive phenotypes and nest influence in order to obtain a comprehensive picture of social insect microbial communities

Indicators of biodiversity in an intensively cultivated and heavily human modified landscape

Nowadays, the loss of biodiversity in agroecosystems due to the intensification of farming practices is happening very fast, and therefore, stopping or slowing it down should be a priority for conservation. To detect changes in these environmental contexts, one approach contemplates focusing on a limited set of indicator species that can alert us to ongoing changes in progress. In this research, we aimed to measure the biodiversity of vertebrates using a multi-taxa approach in an intensively cultivated and highly inhabited area located in northern Italy. We investigated the relationships between biodiversity and environmental characteristics and we identified the taxonomic groups that can be used as indicators of biodiversity. Data collection was carried out in 2016 with different methods depending on the taxonomic group, in 131 sampling units chosen using a Tessellation Stratified Sampling. Then we calculated for each sampling unit a standardized Biodiversity Index, which was related to environmental variables concerning the land use and the landscape configuration using Multiple Linear Regression Analysis and Information-Theoretic approach. We used correlation analyses and the Indicator Species Analysis (IndVal) to identify the taxonomic groups and species that can be used as indicators of biodiversity. Biodiversity was positively related to the number of patches of natural vegetation, whereas it was negatively affected by the number of patches of artificial surfaces and by habitat diversity. Our findings agree with those obtained by many other researchers, which pointed out that agroecosystems provide adequate shelters, suitable foraging habitats and nesting sites. The negative effect of habitat diversity was explained by the area-heterogeneity trade-off. Therefore, sites with high heterogeneity will not contain enough cover of residual natural vegetation, essential to maintain high biodiversity, because increasing compositional heterogeneity within a fixed area simultaneously reduces the surface of each cover type. The analyses showed that birds and reptiles might be used as biodiversity indicators of vertebrates. Eurasian Magpie and Green Whip Snake, both generalist species, were associated with sites of low biodiversity, whereas seven birds, both generalists and farmland specialists, were associated with sites of medium biodiversity. In high biodiversity sites there were not indicator species. To conclude, in less natural environments, such as urban and agricultural landscapes, a combination of specialist and generalist indicator species seems adequate to monitor biodiversity changes. Our findings increase the knowledge of these very dynamic ecosystems, being important both to plan strategies for biodiversity conservation and to guarantee ecosystems services useful for humans

Update in laparoscopic approach to acute mesenteric ischemia

AMI is an uncommon but serious disease often associated with a bad prognosis, associated with occlusion of Superior Mesenteric Artery (SMA) for embolism or thrombosis (67.2%), mesenteric venous thrombosis (15.7%), and non-occlusive mesenteric ischemia (15.4%). Clinical markers are often aspecific and symptoms low suggestive. The gold standard for the diagnosis is multidetector CT Angiography (CTA) with sensibility of 93.3% and specificity of 95.9%. Abdominal exploration could be useful to confirm cases of AMI without signs of SMA occlusion at CTA. Few reports have been found on the diagnostic role of Exploratory Laparoscopy. To increase the sensibility of laparoscopy in the diagnosis of AMI in the last ten years, some studies had shown the possibility of using fluorescein to underline the bowel areas of interest by ischemia. The best of laparoscopy in AMI diagnosis remains the second look and bedside use (directly in ICU when possible) overall in patients with Aortic dissection type B (preferable chronic type). In a limited number of cases, it is possible to evaluate bowel perfusion laparoscopically and at the same time perform a laparoscopical bowel resection of residual ischemic segments. However, laparoscopic primary access overall in AoD is an important tool for leading therapeutic decision and timing. Finally, laparoscopy may be a feasible alternative to CTA in patients with kidney failure that contraindicates injection of iodate CT contrast medium

Demographic parameters of reintroduced grey partridges in central Italy and the effect of weather

International audienceGrey partridge populations declined in Europe from mid-1950s onwards mostly due to modifications of agricultural cropping. In Italy, the decline was even more dramatic because of over-hunting and restocking with allochthonous birds. We carried out a research on a re-introduced population in Central Italy from 1995 to 2005, with the aim of evaluating the reintroduction success and separating the intrinsic and external factors influencing year-to-year changes in partridge density with particular respect to the weather. Average spring density was 4.5 pairs per square kilometre (SD = 1.52); our population reached a peak few years after the reintroduction and then declined. Brood production rate was close to that of declining European populations (average 33.9%; SD = 10.21), and chick survival rate (average 40%; = 17.61) determined the change of breeding abundance from year to year + 1. Our population seemed to be mainly affected by brood production and chick survival rates and by the weather; in particular, higher early winter and spring temperatures increased breeding density whilst higher early summer temperatures decreased brood production rate

Simplifying Property Tax Administration in Africa: Piloting a Points-Based Valuation in Freetown, Sierra Leone

The current method of property valuation in Freetown, Sierra Leone is highly inaccurate and generally regressive, as it does not take subjective property characteristics that are major determinants of value into account. The newly elected Mayor Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr made revenue mobilisation a central pillar of her ‘Transform Freetown’ agenda. As a means of achieving this, the Mayor and her advisers began to reach out internationally for reform advice. This brief outlines a pilot project carried out jointly by the IGC and ICTD for a new approach to property valuation in Freetown using a points-based valuation methodology in the Freetown context. The project had six key findings, including that high-level political leadership was a major enabler of the project’s success. The authors outline 6 policy considerations for future scale-ups of the research and for reforming property tax in Freetown

Overview of the Mechanical Properties of Steel Reinforced Grout Systems for Structural Retrofitting

Steel Reinforced Grout (SRG) is a mortar-based composite recently developed for structural retrofitting, which provides high tensile strength with limited increase in mass and in stiffness, and whose effectiveness relies on the good interaction between steel cords and inorganic matrices. Many companies already supply SRG systems for rehabilitation activities and the scientific community has been working intensively on experimental and numerical investigations to demonstrate their effectiveness for structural applications, which also led to the inclusion of SRG in national and international standards for product qualification and design. However, a clear view of the mechanical properties of these systems is still lacking, due to their variability, which, in turn, strongly depends upon cord layout, textile architecture, and characteristics of the matrix. This paper provides an overview of the mechanical properties of SRG composites on the basis of the tests carried out at Roma Tre University and of the other experimental evidences available in the literature. The results of tensile tests on bare textiles and SRG coupons with different inorganic matrices, and of bond tests on masonry and reinforced concrete substrates are collected and the performances of the different SRG systems are compared. The influence of the mortar matrix on crack spacing, ultimate strain and tension stiffening in tensile tests is analysed. The capacity of the steel cords to ensure a proper shear transfer through interlocking within the matrix and the effect of cord density on failure mechanisms in bond tests are also discussed

Polysomnography in Extreme Environments: the MagIC Wearable System for Monitoring Climbers at Very-High Altitude on Mt. Everest Slopes

Abstract Extreme environments such as high altitude represent a challenging testbed for both people and instruments. During a recent expedition to the slopes of Mt. Everest, (Highcare Expedition), we monitored ECG, respiration, oxygen saturation and posture in five climbers during sleep. Data were collected by using a recently developed textile-based wearable system (the MagIC system). The polysomnographic acquisitions were performed at sea level in indoor environment, and at 6000 and 6800 m asl in tents. The collected data allowed us to investigate performances and usability of MagIC system as a polysomnographic device at very-high altitude. In this paper we report on the results of this evaluation

p 53 abnormal expression might influence global outcome through egfr modulation in ras braf wild type metastatic colorectal cancer patients receiving later line irinotecan cetuximab

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