Poor outcome for patients with gastric cancer and lung metastases treated with ramucirumab and paclitaxel

The aim of this report is to investigate the activity of ramucirumab in combination with paclitaxel in patients with metastatic gastric cancer (GC) and lung metastases. We retrospectively reviewed clinical data from patients with GC treated in second line with ramucirumab and paclitaxel according to the presence or not of lung metastases. Thirty-one patients were eligible. Five (16.1%) patients had lung metastases. The median progression-free survival was 156 days in patients without lung metastases compared with 54 days in patients with lung metastases. The median survival also showed a trend in favour of patients without lung metastases. Despite the small number of patients and the retrospective nature of the data, our analysis showed relatively poor efficacy of ramucirumab plus paclitaxel as a second-line treatment in patients with lung metastases from GC. Further studies are required to evaluate novel treatments in this subset of patients

Association between ramucirumab-related hypertension and response to treatment in patients with metastatic gastric cancer

PURPOSE: Hypertension (HTN) is frequently associated with the use of angiogenesis inhibitors targeting the vascular endothelial growth factor pathway, such as ramucirumab. The aim of this study was to retrospectively evaluate if occurrence of HTN is correlated with response to second line treatment with ramucirumab+paclitaxel for metastatic gastric cancer. METHODS: Treatment consisted of ramucirumab 8 mg/kg intravenously (iv) on days 1 and 15, plus paclitaxel 80 mg/m2 iv on days 1, 8, and 15 of a 28-day cycle. Patients received study treatment until disease progression, unacceptable toxicity, or withdrawal of consent. RESULTS: Thirty-four patients were retrospectively evaluated. Among these, 6 (17.6%) developed grade 3 ramucirumab-induced HTN. These patients had a better outcome than those with lesser grades events, with a progression-free survival (PFS) of 7.8 months (95% CI 4.4-not reached) versus 4.2 months (95% CI 3.1-5.2) (p=0.001). overall survival (OS) was 11.9 months (95% CI 9.3-not reached) in the grade 3 HTN group, versus 7.2 months (95% CI 5.9-10.1). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the small number of patients and the retrospective nature of the data, our analysis showed that occurrence of ramucirumab-related HTN, in particular G3 HTN, predicts response to treatment with ramucirumab+paclitaxel in patients with metastatic gastric cancer

Screening of conditions controlling spectrophotometric sequential injection analysis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Despite its potential benefits over univariate, chemometrics is rarely utilized for optimizing sequential injection analysis (SIA) methods. Specifically, in previous vis-spectrophotometric SIA methods, chemometrically optimized conditions were confined within flow rate and reagent concentrations while other conditions were ignored.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The current manuscript reports, for the first time, a comprehensive screening of conditions controlling vis-spectrophotometric SIA. A new diclofenac assay method was adopted. The method was based on oxidizing diclofenac by permanganate (a major reagent) with sulfuric acid (a minor reagent). The reaction produced a spectrophotometrically detectable diclofenac form. The 2⁶full-factorial design was utilized to study the effect of volumes of reagents and sample, in addition to flow rate and concentrations of reagents. The main effects and all interaction order effects on method performance, i.e. namely sensitivity, rapidity and reagent consumption, were determined. The method was validated and applied to pharmaceutical formulations (tablets, injection and gel).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Despite 64 experiments those conducted in the current study were cumbersome, the results obtained would reduce effort and time when developing similar SIA methods in the future. It is recommended to critically optimize effective and interacting conditions using other such optimization tools as fractional-factorial design, response surface and simplex, rather than full-factorial design that used at an initial optimization stage. In vis-spectrophotometric SIA methods those involve developing reactions with two reagents (major and minor), conditions affecting method performance are in the following order: sample volume > flow rate ≈ major reagent concentration >> major reagent volume ≈ minor reagent concentration >> minor reagent volume.</p

Improving pulse crops as a source of protein, starch and micronutrients

Pulse crops have been known for a long time to have beneficial nutritional profiles for human diets but have been neglected in terms of cultivation, consumption and scientific research in many parts of the world. Broad dietary shifts will be required if anthropogenic climate change is to be mitigated in the future, and pulse crops should be an important component of this change by providing an environmentally sustainable source of protein, resistant starch and micronutrients. Further enhancement of the nutritional composition of pulse crops could benefit human health, helping to alleviate micronutrient deficiencies and reduce risk of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes. This paper reviews current knowledge regarding the nutritional content of pea (Pisum sativum L.) and faba bean (Vicia faba L.), two major UK pulse crops, and discusses the potential for their genetic improvement

Summerbranch

&amp;quot;Contemporary international developments in the exhibition of installation and digital art have identified the need to understand the role of computer game engines as vehicles for artistic immersive virtual environments. Similarly, the role of digital sound within these environments is poorly understood. Summerbranch addresses the nature and role of the body within virtual environments and the relationship of this assemblage with the role of the body in the material world. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The work provides approaches to immersive environments and neo-realistic graphics techniques that countenance the mediated nature of the environment by integrating motion captured dance gestures into a simulated forest environment within a game engine and constructing digital audio to both enhance and question the immersive experience. It also acknowledges its relationship with the body in the material world. &lt;br /&gt;Summerbranch uses the tools of the military-entertainment complex, computer gaming, motion capture and 3D environments to question what is truth and what is artifice in our attempts to reproduce nature. Not only is the role of the real in virtual environments investigated, but also that of the reproduction of nature in the history of art, and particularly landscape work. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;This work was exhibited at the most prestigious 57th Venice Biennale. Summerbranch was also exhibited at ArtSway Gallery, UK and at 01SJ, San Jose, as part of ISEA in 2006. ISEA, the International Symposium of Electronic Art, is a leading international electronic art forum.&amp;quot;&lt;br /&gt

Ripensare l’abitare collettivo di Monteruscello

Il paper illustra i risultati di una sperimentazione didattica condotta all’interno di un Laboratorio di Sintesi Finale in Progettazione Architettonica del Corso di Studi in Scienze dell’Architettura che, coinvolgendo molti docenti della Composizione Architettonica e Urbana, in forma di workshop, nell’anno accademico 2013-2014, ha lavorato sulla riqualificazione del ‘centro’ di Monteruscello. La sperimentazione condotta è particolarmente congruente con i temi posti dal Convegno in quanto Monteruscello costituisce una di quelle esperienze di nuova costruzione urbana – qui legata in particolare alla emergenza del bradisismo che si è verificata nei primi anni Ottanta del Novecento nell’area di Pozzuoli – i cui esisti sono stati spesso discussi e criticati con una scarsa attenzione alla necessità di separare le considerazioni di natura politica, sociologiche o legate alle pratiche amministrative da quelle più propriamente disciplinari, senza considerare come siano da imputare alle prime, e non alle seconde, le ragioni di un ‘presunto’ e forse ancora da discutere fallimento. A Monteruscello la differenza tra il progetto che aveva immaginato Agostino Renna e la realizzazione è in alcuni casi evidente, tuttavia la chiarezza dell’impianto e la qualità, soprattutto urbana, del sistema degli edifici pubblici è tale da collocare questo insediamento concettualmente distante tanto da quelle immagini di design ingrandito che per Vittorio Gregotti punteggiano in maniera insensibile al contesto i nostri centri storici, quanto dalla periferia deregolata e condannata alla precaria estetizzazione della constatazione della quale lo stesso autore ha parlato. Per questo motivo in questo luogo, il progetto può ancora agire facendosi interprete dei valori dell’esistente ma reinterpretando proprio il tema dell’abitare collettivo che è quello che qui ha dimostrato i maggiori limiti, dovuti soprattutto alle caratteristiche delle tecnologie prefabbricate impiegate nella realizzazione. I progetti del Laboratorio hanno avuto a oggetto diversi settori della parte alta di Monteruscello, il cosiddetto ‘centro storico’, assunti come possibili ‘unità elementari’, all’interno delle quali si è ipotizzata la demolizione e ricostruzione degli edifici come occasione per ‘rileggere’ il tema della residenza collettiva attraverso l’introduzione di nuove modalità e tipologie dell’abitare ma anche di funzioni e spazi per la socialità. D’altra parte lo stesso Agostino Renna Agostino Renna aveva teorizzato, anche a proposito di Napoli, che la città si costruisce per punti fermi che sono e debbono rimanere capaci di assolvere, nella struttura urbana, al ruolo di monumenti – a Monteruscello gli edifici pubblici – mentre le residenze non hanno questo carattere di stabilità e possono cambiare per adeguarsi ai tempi, tanto dal punto di vista tipologico che tecnologico, seguendo l’evolversi della cultura dell’abitare

Il Restauro del Grattacielo Pirelli

Il restauro del grattacielo Pirelli rappresenta un capitolo importante e significativo nella recente storia culturale e figurativa italiana. L'azione progettuale di Corvino+Multari, affiancati dalla comitato tecnico-scientifico, ha garantito nuova vita al capolavoro di Giò Ponti e insieme ha permesso una riflessione attiva su come intervenire nei confronti di un monumento complesso e sofisticato come la torre Pirelli, diventando di fatto un punto fermo per tutte le azioni di restauro del Moderno che avverranno in Italia e nel resto del mondo nei prossimi anni. L'architettura è interrogata con attenzione; i suoi spazi studiati e rilevati con cura così che il progetto si è da subito presentato azione ambivalente tra restauro filologico e intervento contemporaneo, come dimostra il recupero sapiente delle facciate, attraverso l'azione su infissi e mosaici, il ripensamento degli spazi interni con il recupero del pavimento in gomma, e i due interventi per l'auditorium al piano interrato e per l'ultimo piano panoramico a dimostrare che rispetto amoroso dell'opera di architettura e progetto contemporaneo possono vivere serenamente insieme. Il libro riporta passo per passo gli elementi, gli attori, i materiali utili a leggere dettagliatamente questa fondamentale esperienza