Predictive biomarkers in clinical practice: State of the art and perspectives in solid tumors.

The discovery of molecular alterations that play key functions in pathways of tumor growth and survival have changed the treatment approach of several solid tumors. A number of biomarkers are now approved in clinical practice for the selection of patients to be treated with the specific targeted drug, and others are currently under study. None of these biomarkers are perfect and they have a number of biases. Novel treatment approaches, such as immunotherapy, require the development of more complex biomarker combinations as the mechanism of action of these drugs involves multiple parameters. In this short communication the principal approved biomarkers in solid tumors are discussed, with attention to the novel promising biomarkers that will be developed in the future

Personal Financial Planning: Determination of Customer Profiles, Needs and Viewpoints

Personal financial planning is a service that springs from the need for objective and centralized advice on a wide range of areas such as investments, insurance, money management, taxes, estate planning and others. A personal financial planner fits each one of those individual areas into a well- balanced, integrated plan, after a comprehensive financial analysis is undertaken— guided by a family\u27s goals, attitudes and objectives. The purposes of this study were (1) to identify characteristics which discriminate between households that are interested and those not interested in obtaining a personal financial plan; (2) to determine the relative importance of the various differentiating characteristics; (3) to develop demographic and life style profiles of consumers that reported an interest in obtaining a personal financial plan; (4) to relate several aspects of personal financial management and behavior to interest in obtaining a personal financial plan; (5) to assess the needs and viewpoints of consumers regarding personal financial planning; and (6) to determine how attitude towards personal financial planning is related to interest in obtaining this service. The data was collected by means of a questionnaire mailed to participants of the Arkansas Household Research Panel during the Fall, 1979. Various analytical tools were utilized to analyze the data, including discriminant and factor analyses, t-tests, and Chi Square tests of independence. The major findings are briefly summarized as follows: the discriminant function correctly classified 68 percent of households into either of two groups: (l) those interested in obtaining a personal financial plan, and (2) those not interested. Attitude towards financial planning was the most important discriminating variable among the groups, with age being second, but negatively related to interest in financial planning. The typical head of household interested in obtaining a personal financial plan was found to be 25-35 years old, well educated with at least a bachelor’s degree, renting the home in which he/she lives, and with the spouse also employed. This person holds cosmopolitan views, is an avid information seeker, self-confident, community minded and a credit user. The individual\u27s interest in financial planning is increased by being engaged in a discussion about his/her financial goals and objectives with a financial planner. Additionally, those persons making real estate investments are more interested in financial planning than those who do not make real estate investments. The data implied that consumers interested in obtaining a personal financial plan attribute a high degree of importance to their active participation in determining the broad goals required for developing a financial plan. Individuals believe they too are excellent sources for developing financial plans, along with bankers, accountants, attorneys, and certified financial planners. The study also suggests that financial planners should base their fees on a sliding scale according to income; that is, the higher the clients income, the more he/she should be charged for a personal financial plan. Finally, it was determined that households interested in obtaining a personal financial plan have a more favorable attitude towards the concept of financial planning than those who are not interested in this service. In conclusion, the findings should provide valuable information to assist the financial planning industry to identify prospective customers more easily

The Steiner problem for infinitely many points

Let AA be a given compact subset of the euclidean space. We consider the problem of finding a compact connected set SS of minimal 11-dimensional Hausdorff measure, among all compact connected sets containing AA. We prove that when AA is a finite set any minimizer is a finite tree with straight edges, thus recovery the classical Steiner Problem. Analogously, in the case when AA is countable, we prove that every minimizer is a (possibly) countable union of straight segments

Refined Structure of Metastable Ice XVII from Neutron Diffraction Measurements

The structure of the recently identified metastable ice XVII, obtained by release of hydrogen from the C$_0$ D$_2$O-H$_2$ compound (filled ice), has been accurately measured by neutron powder diffraction. The diffraction pattern is indexed with a hexagonal cell and can be refined with space group $P6_122$ so to obtain accurate values of the oxygen and deuterium positions. The values of the lattice constants at three temperatures between 25 to 100 K are reported, and their behavior is compared with that of ice Ih. Ice XVII is a porous solid that, if exposed to H$_2$ gas, may adsorb a substantial amount of it. Monitoring this effect at a constant temperature of 50 K, we have observed that the two lattice constants show opposite behavior, $a$ increases and $c$ decreases, with the volume showing a linear increase. At temperatures higher than 130 K the metastability of this form of porous ice is lost and the sample transforms into ice Ih

I corsi delle materie prime tra ipotesi di speculazione e di cambiamento nei fondamentali.

L'elaborato si pone l'obiettivo di dimostrare come la componente speculativa abbia influito in maniera marginale sui corsi delle materie prime durante l'ultimo decennio. Per fare ciò sono stati analizzati tra loro gli andamenti dei prezzi a pronti e a termine, la variazione delle scorte e il tasso di convenienza

Predictive molecular markers for EGFR-TKI in non-small cell lung cancer patients: new insights and critical aspects

In recent years, a number of novel agents have been investigated that target specific molecular pathways in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). A great deal of effort has been focused on identifying specific markers that predict treatment response, given that a tailored approach would maximize both the therapeutic index and the cost-effectiveness. The epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) pathway has emerged as a key regulator of cancer cell proliferation and invasion, and several specific EGFR inhibitors have been examined. Gefitinib and erlotinib are selective EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs), demonstrating good results in selected cases both in terms of objective response rate and of overall survival. At present, EGFR gene mutations are the best positive predictive factors for TKI therapy, and a number of other potential biomarkers are being investigated as additional positive or negative predictors of response. The correct selection of patients that could benefit from these innovative therapies, based on an accurate molecular characterization, is mandatory to provide the best clinical management. Currently, the main factor limiting the characterization of metastatic NSCLC patients is the small quantity of tumor cells available for molecular analysis. In this paper we provide an overview of the most important molecular predictive markers for EGFR-TKIs therapy in NSCLC patients, and focus attention on biological samples suitable for analysis and alternative sampling approaches such as plasma- or serum-derived DNA