FISH testing of HER2 IHC 1+ early breast cancer with unfavorable prognostic factors

FISH testing of HER2 IHC 1+ early breast cancer with unfavorable prognostic factors Background HER2-positive tumors are associated with a poor prognosis and a shortened disease-free and overall survival as well as with other unfavorable prognostic tumor characteristics (high histological grade, high proliferative index, negative or low estrogen receptor expression, etc.). HER2-positive tumors are also responsive to treatment with trastuzumab in reducing the risk of recurrence and improving survival. The aim of this study is to assess the incidence of HER2 gene amplification in selected tumors with adverse prognostic features which scored 1+ by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Methods 75 women with infiltrating ductal carcinoma (IDC) and infiltrating lobular carcinoma (ILC) scoring 1+ by IHC were included. Forty-eight invasive breast carcinoma samples were selected according to unfavorable prognostic tumor characteristics and tested by FISH. HER2 amplification was evaluated using Vysis HER2/Cep17 probe (Path Vysion HER2 DNA Probe Kit®, Abbott Molecular, IL); ratio–based amplification was considered present when the HER2/Cep17 ratio was 2 or more and copy number-based amplification was considered present when the mean HER2 copy number was more than 6, in agreement with the ASCO/CAP/SIAPEC guidelines. Results In 2013, 331 patients with invasive breast tumors were tested by IHC; 75 cases (23%) were scored 1+ of which 62 cases (19%) of IDC and 13 cases (4%) of ILC. Forty-eight invasive breast carcinoma samples (64%) were selected according to one or more unfavorable prognostic tumor characteristics; 22 out of 48 tumors (46%) showed high histological grade (G3); 27 cases (56%) had high proliferative index (Ki-67≥30%); 32 tumor samples (67%) were node-positive; and 29 cases (60%) showed vascular invasion. FISH was performed on 31 of the 1+ patients with adverse tumor characteristics and 7 IDC out of 48 (14.6%) showed HER2 amplification. Conclusions Our preliminary retrospective data suggest that 7 patients out of 48 (14.6%) scoring 1+ by IHC show HER2 amplification, in agreement with the most recently published literature data. In order to not deny the benefit deriving from trastuzumab administration, in breast cancer patients showing IHC 1+, it is advisable to test HER2 gene amplification by FISH. Bibliografia Goldhirsch A, Gelber RD, Piccart-Gebhart MJ, de Azambuja E, Procter M, Suter TM, Jackisch C, Cameron D, Weber HA, Heinzmann D, Dal Lago L, McFadden E, Dowsett M, Untch M, Gianni L, Bell R, Köhne CH, Vindevoghel A, Andersson M, Brunt AM, Otero-Reyes D, Song S, Smith I, Leyland-Jones B, Baselga J; Herceptin Adjuvant (HERA) Trial Study Team. 2 years versus 1 year of adjuvant trastuzumab for HER2-positive breast cancer (HERA): an open-label, randomised controlled trial. Lancet. 2013 Sep 21;382(9897):1021-8. Iorfida M, Dellapasqua S, Bagnardi V, Cardillo A, Rotmensz N, Mastropasqua MG, Bottiglieri L, Goldhirsch A, Viale G, Colleoni M. HER2-negative (1+) breast cancer with unfavorable prognostic features: to FISH or not to FISH? Ann Oncol. 2012 May;23(5):1371-2. Romond EH, Perez EA, Bryant J, Suman VJ, Geyer CE Jr, Davidson NE, Tan-Chiu E, Martino S, Paik S, Kaufman PA, Swain SM, Pisansky TM, Fehrenbacher L, Kutteh LA, Vogel VG, Visscher DW, Yothers G, Jenkins RB, Brown AM, Dakhil SR, Mamounas EP, Lingle WL, Klein PM, Ingle JN, Wolmark N. Trastuzumab plus adjuvant chemotherapy for operable HER2-positive breast cancer. N Engl J Med. 2005 Oct 20;353(16):1673-84

Sultan Mahmud'un astırdığı Patrik Gregoryos, Osmanlı Devleti'ne ihanet etmişti!

Taha Toros Arşivi, Dosya No: 219-Patrikhane-PatrikUnutma İstanbul projesi İstanbul Kalkınma Ajansı'nın 2016 yılı "Yenilikçi ve Yaratıcı İstanbul Mali Destek Programı" kapsamında desteklenmiştir. Proje No: TR10/16/YNY/010

TRAINING YOUNG HASS AVOCADO TREES INTO A CENTRAL LEADER FOR ACCOMMODATION IN HIGHER DENSITY ORCHARDS

Abstract Avocado trees should be shaped in the nursery and trained immediately after planting to a central leader. It is necessary to balance the side shoot growth at specific times and remove strong upright water shoots. The resultant conical or pyramidal tree shape will allow better light interception by the leaf canopy and improved light penetration into the canopy for maintaining bearing wood and avoiding unproductive bare areas. Small timeous manipulations will make later major pruning, which could stimulate deleterious vegetative growth, unnecessary. Early attention to tree shape will make higher density plantings manageable and highly efficient trees a reality

Technological experimentation and heritage: the preservation of installations.[Villa Hügel,Essen]

Only recently the discipline of architectonic heritage preservation has acquired the chapter of so-called “technological installations”. They also represent the main contribution given by the industrial revolution, since J. Watt onwards, to the building sector while introducing dynamic components and specific designing, building and assembling rules. Such solutions have followed up the historical development of architecture and technology throughout the 18th-20th century, so improving related performance levels. That has also changed their use habits – giving birth to the concept of “comfort”- as well as night-time functioning thanks to the artificial lighting of buildings and manufactured articles. There is a limited number of architectonic heritage works which are preserved because of their technologically-innovative features: Villa Hügel (1873), Essen is among those monuments whose installation features clearly prevail on its architecture

Adaptive designs based on the truncated product method

BACKGROUND: Adaptive designs are becoming increasingly important in clinical research. One approach subdivides the study into several (two or more) stages and combines the p-values of the different stages using Fisher's combination test. METHODS: Alternatively to Fisher's test, the recently proposed truncated product method (TPM) can be applied to combine the p-values. The TPM uses the product of only those p-values that do not exceed some fixed cut-off value. Here, these two competing analyses are compared. RESULTS: When an early termination due to insufficient effects is not appropriate, such as in dose-response analyses, the probability to stop the trial early with the rejection of the null hypothesis is increased when the TPM is applied. Therefore, the expected total sample size is decreased. This decrease in the sample size is not connected with a loss in power. The TPM turns out to be less advantageous, when an early termination of the study due to insufficient effects is possible. This is due to a decrease of the probability to stop the trial early. CONCLUSION: It is recommended to apply the TPM rather than Fisher's combination test whenever an early termination due to insufficient effects is not suitable within the adaptive design

BIOCONTROL OF PHYTOPHTHORA CINNAMOMI ON AVOCADO: IDENTIFICATION AND FIELD TESTING OF LOCAL NATURAL ANTAGONISTS, AND EVALUATION OF ROOTSTOCKS FOR RESISTANCE

Abstract Soils suppressive to root rot of avocado (caused by Phytophthora cinnamomi), were first identified in South Africa in 1990. Mcro-organisms from these soils were tested for in vitro antagonism to Phytophthora cinnamomi and subsequently evaluated for suppression of root rot of avocado seedling plants in a mistbed. Three fungal antagonists, Paecilomyces filacinus, Aspergillus candidus and Trichoderma hamatum were effective in suppressing root rot. These antagonists have been evaluated since 1992 for control of root rot in avocado trees in the field. Populations of the antagonists have been found to increase in the root zone of newly planted trees (after antagonist treatment in the nursery and in the orchard) and in the root zone of established Hass and Fuerte trees planted in 1981 and 1980 (after antagonist treatment in the orchard). In an isolated planting site consisting of various ungrafted avocado rootstocks (eg. G1033, Dusa, Latas, D9, Duke 7, Barr Duke, Thomas, Velvic) trees undergo open pollination. Seeds from this orchard, situated at Westfalia Estate, are germinated and the seedlings evaluated for resistance to root rot in a mistbed. A number of successful selections have been made and these are being clonally propagated and grafted with Hass. These trees are to be planted in a root rot infested field site where they will be evaluated for yield and resistance to root rot

Growth-mode investigation of epitaxial EuS on InAs(100)

A persistent challenge in the field of spintronics is the search for suitable materials that enable the circumvention of the impedance mismatch preventing efficient spin-injection from metallic ferromagnetic conductors into semiconductors. One promising material is europium sulfide (EuS), a ferromagnetic semiconductor below the Curie temperature of 16.5 K. Investigation and optimization of the conditions required for high-quality growth of epitaxial EuS films on suitable substrates are thus of particular interest for the creation of efficient devices. We present the results of a growth-mode study employing atomic force microscopy and spot-profile analysis low-energy electron diffraction (SPA-LEED) of epitaxial EuS thin films deposited by electron-beam evaporation on InAs(100) substrates with varying combinations of, respectively, growth and annealing temperatures, Tg and Ta, from room temperature to 400 °C. We observed Stranski-Krastanov-like growth featuring low-roughness surfaces with root mean square values between 0.4 – 0.9 nm for all temperature combinations. An increased tendency for nucleation into grains and islands was observed for higher Ta from 300 – 400 °C. The corresponding nucleation mode, defined by varying degrees of 2D and 3D nucleation, was dependent on Tg. A 2D island growth mode was observed for Tg = 150 °C and Ta = 400 °C featuring a sharp and bright SPA-LEED pattern. This suggests the formation of a highly ordered, smooth surface for these growth conditions thereby providing a good starting point for optimization attempts for potential future devices

And the Roads Lead to Nowhere : die Jungfrauenquelle und Last House on the Left als Transformationen

Wes Cravens Last House on the Left (1972) ist ein Vorläufer des Rape-Revenge- enres, in dem auf eine Vergewaltigung gewaltsame Rache folgt. Er gehört zu denjenigen Filmen, die sich durch die Visualisierung exzessiver am Körper, am Fleisch verübter Gewalt auszeichnen und daher als Splatter bezeichnet werden. Die Entstehung des Splatterfilms wird mit der kulturellen Situation in den USA der Vietnam-Ära in Zusammenhang gebracht. Als filmische Vorläufer gelten Hitchcocks Psycho (1960) sowie frühe amerikanische Exploitation-Filme der 1960er Jahre, wie Herschell Gordon Lewis’ Blood Feast (1963) oder George A. Romeros Night of the Living Dead (1968). Neben den Verbindungen von Splatterfilmen der 1970er Jahre zum amerikanischen (Low-Budget-)Kino der vorausgehenden Dekade lassen sich aber auch Einflüsse des europäischen Autorenkinos auf das Genre ausmachen. Regisseure wie Carpenter, DePalma, Hooper und Romero werden in Anlehnung an den Auteur- egriff dem sich in den späten 1960ern entwickelnden »American Auteurism« zugerechnet (Carroll). Am Beispiel von Last House wird diese Verbindung offenkundig, denn bei Cravens Film handelt es sich um ein Remake von Jungfrukällan des schwedischen Regisseurs Ingmar Bergman von 1960. Der Film lief in den USA und Deutschland im selben Jahr unter dem Titel Virgin Spring respektive Die Jungfrauenquelle an

Science and Fiction: Reproductive Medicine, Human Cloning and Ethics in the Science Fiction Film “The Boys from Brazil” (1978)

Science Fiction film can be regarded as a repository medium that transports and displays versatile links between the sciences, technology, contemporary history, everyday-life knowledge, society, and popular culture. Scientific discourse and visual culture complement and benefit one another. Transferring scientific contents or mental conceptions into film, and vice versa, produces synergetic effects. The Anglo-American feature film The Boys from Brazil (1978), directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, focuses on the controversial topos of genetic and reproductive technology, more specifically reproductive cloning. Here, it depicts biotechnology as evoking fears and dark fantasies in a hypothetical and playful way. In the late Seventies, the belief in progress and social potential clashed with collective anxieties concerning human Doppelgänger and duplicates, substitutability, a loss of dignity and the singularity of the individual. Destabilized categories – just as blood relationship, mother- and fatherhood, family and gender roles – were debated in a controversial manner and needed to be re-defined. By combining these topoi with the dystopian vision of reactivating National Socialist concepts like racial hygiene and eugenics, The Boys from Brazil also touches on collective traumata deriving from the Holocaust, the Shoah – still active in the 1970s.Science Fiction film can be regarded as a repository medium that transports and displays versatile links between the sciences, technology, contemporary history, everyday-life knowledge, society, and popular culture. Scientific discourse and visual culture complement and benefit one another. Transferring scientific contents or mental conceptions into film, and vice versa, produces synergetic effects. The Anglo-American feature film The Boys from Brazil (1978), directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, focuses on the controversial topos of genetic and reproductive technology, more specifically reproductive cloning. Here, it depicts biotechnology as evoking fears and dark fantasies in a hypothetical and playful way. In the late Seventies, the belief in progress and social potential clashed with collective anxieties concerning human Doppelgänger and duplicates, substitutability, a loss of dignity and the singularity of the individual. Destabilized categories – just as blood relationship, mother- and fatherhood, family and gender roles – were debated in a controversial manner and needed to be re-defined. By combining these topoi with the dystopian vision of reactivating National Socialist concepts like racial hygiene and eugenics, The Boys from Brazil also touches on collective traumata deriving from the Holocaust, the Shoah – still active in the 1970s