NRG/RTOG 0837: Randomized, Phase II, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial of Chemoradiation With or Without Cediranib in Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma

BACKGROUND: A randomized, phase II, placebo-controlled, and blinded clinical trial (NCT01062425) was conducted to determine the efficacy of cediranib, an oral pan-vascular endothelial growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitor, versus placebo in combination with radiation and temozolomide in newly diagnosed glioblastoma. METHODS: Patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma were randomly assigned 2:1 to receive (1) cediranib (20 mg) in combination with radiation and temozolomide; (2) placebo in combination with radiation and temozolomide. The primary endpoint was 6-month progression-free survival (PFS) based on blinded, independent radiographic assessment of postcontrast T1-weighted and noncontrast T2-weighted MRI brain scans and was tested using a 1-sided RESULTS: One hundred and fifty-eight patients were randomized, out of which 9 were ineligible and 12 were not evaluable for the primary endpoint, leaving 137 eligible and evaluable. 6-month PFS was 46.6% in the cediranib arm versus 24.5% in the placebo arm ( CONCLUSIONS: This study met its primary endpoint of prolongation of 6-month PFS with cediranib in combination with radiation and temozolomide versus placebo in combination with radiation and temozolomide. There was no difference in overall survival between the 2 arms

Utilization of chitosan-coated superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles for chromium removal

Abstract Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) have been widely used for their versatility, while it is coated with a biopolymer like chitosan that adds attraction and also increases its applications. In this study, SPION was synthesized by chemical co-precipitation method, characterized using various analytical techniques like UV–Vis, FTIR, SEM, EDX, TEM, AFM, XRD, zeta potential and Raman spectroscopy analysis. Chitosan was coated onto the SPIONs and used for water treatment to remove chromium (450 ppm concentration). Chitosan-coated SPIONs were found to remove about 80% of chromium. Freundlich model was found to be fitting better for the current study

Primary neuroendocrine carcinoma of male breast: A cytologically diagnosed rare entity

Primary neuroendocrine (NE) carcinoma of the male breast is very rare. NE breast cancers encompass a heterogeneous group of tumors exhibiting morphological features similar to those of NE tumors of the gut and lung. They express one or more NE markers in at least 50% of the tumor cells. They are rare lesions representing about 2-3% of all breast cancers and more frequently affecting elderly patients. The present case report deals with a NE breast carcinoma in an 80-year-old male who presented with a right breast mass and axillary lymphadenopathy. The cytological features were suggestive of NE carcinoma. A thorough clinical evaluation helped confirm the primary nature of the tumor. The histopathology and immunohistochemistry helped confirm the cytological diagnosis. The histogenesis and prognostic implications of this rare breast tumor with predominant NE differentiation, unusually occurring in a male, is discussed here

Experimental investigation of steady buoyant-thermocapillaryconvection near an evaporating meniscus

Micro-particle image velocimetry measurements of the 3D (three-dimensional) convection patterns generated near an evaporating meniscus in horizontally oriented capillary tubes are presented. Analysis of the vapor diffusion away from the meniscus reveals a zone of intense heat flux near the solid-liquid-vapor junction which creates a temperature gradient along the meniscus. This results in a surface tension gradient which, coupled with buoyancy effects, causes buoyant-thermocapillary convection in the liquid film. The relative influence of buoyancy and thermocapillarity on the flow was investigated for tube diameters ranging from 75 to 1575 µm. A transition from a pure 2D thermocapillary flow to a 3D buoyant-thermocapillary flow is observed with an increase in tube diameter. For the 75 µm tube, a symmetrical toroidal vortex is observed near the meniscus. For larger tubes, buoyancy effects become apparent as they dominate the flow field. The high mass fluxes in smaller-diameter tubes drive stronger vortices. Particle streaks and µPIV images obtained in multiple horizontal and vertical planes provide an understanding of this three-dimensional flow behavior. A scaling analysis shows the importance of thermocapillary convection in evaporating menisci

Preparation, characterization and utilization of coreshell super paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles for curcumin delivery.

In this study, super paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) were produced by chemical co-precipitation method, then it was constructed to be a core shell nanoparticle by functionalizing with SDS, loading with curcumin and coating with a biopolymer i.e. chitosan. Each step was analyzed microscopically and spectroscopically. The produced coreshell particles were between 40 and 45nm and these coreshell particles were utilized for drug delivery studies against cervical cancer cell line-HeLa cells. The coreshell SPIONs were found to be releasing curcumin in between 6 and 12 h, which was evidenced by increased apoptotic cells and increased caspase 3 expression in HeLa cells

Preparation, characterization and utilization of coreshell super paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles for curcumin delivery - Fig 3

<p>Raman spectra of the four phases of coreshell preparation: (a) naked SPIONs, (b) after functionalizing with SDS, (c) after curcumin loading, (d) after encapsulating with biopolymer coating.</p