Mutation of BRAF is a predominant event in cancers with poor prognosis such as melanoma and colorectal cancer. BRAF mutation leads to a constitutive activation of mitogen activated protein kinase ...pathway which is essential for cell proliferation and tumor progression. Despite tremendous efforts made to target BRAF for cancer treatment, the correlation between BRAF mutation and patient survival is still a matter of controversy.
Clinical studies on the correlation between BRAF mutation and patient survival were retrieved from MEDLINE and EMBASE databases between June 2002 and December 2011. One hundred twenty relevant full text studies were categorized based on study design and cancer type. Publication bias was evaluated for each category and pooled hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated using random or fixed effect meta-analysis based on the percentage of heterogeneity. Twenty six studies on colorectal cancer (11,773 patients) and four studies on melanoma (674 patients) were included in our final meta-analysis. The average prevalence of BRAF mutation was 9.6% in colorectal cancer, and 47.8% in melanoma reports. We found that BRAF mutation increases the risk of mortality in colorectal cancer patients for more than two times; HR = 2.25 (95% CI, 1.82-2.83). In addition, we revealed that BRAF mutation also increases the risk of mortality in melanoma patients by 1.7 times (95% CI, 1.37-2.12).
We revealed that BRAF mutation is an absolute risk factor for patient survival in colorectal cancer and melanoma.
Malignant mesothelioma in situ Churg, Andrew; Hwang, Harry; Tan, Larry ...
Histopathology,
20/May , Letnik:
72, Številka:
6
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Aims
The existence of malignant mesothelioma in situ (MIS) is often postulated, but there are no accepted morphological criteria for making such a diagnosis.
Methods and results
Here we report two ...cases that appear to be true MIS on the basis of in‐situ genomic analysis. In one case the patient had repeated unexplained pleural unilateral effusions. Two thoracoscopies 9 months apart revealed only visually normal pleura. Biopsies from both thoracoscopies showed only a single layer of mildly reactive mesothelial cells. However, these cells had lost BRCA1‐associated protein 1 (BAP1) and showed loss of cyclin‐dependent kinase inhibitor 2 (CDKN2A) (p16) by fluorescence in‐situ hybridisation (FISH). NF2 was not deleted by FISH but 28% of the mesothelial cells showed hyperploidy. Six months after the second biopsy the patient has persisting effusions but no evidence of pleural malignancy on imaging. The second patient presented with ascites and minimal omental thickening on imaging, but no visual evidence of tumour at laparoscopy. Omental biopsy showed a single layer of minimally atypical mesothelial cells with rare tiny foci of superficial invasion of fat. BAP1 immunostain showed loss of nuclear BAP1 in all the surface mesothelial cells and the invasive cells. There was CDKN2A deletion, but no deletion of NF2 by FISH.
Conclusions
These cases show that morphologically bland single‐layered surface mesothelial proliferations with molecular alterations seen previously only in invasive malignant mesotheliomas exist, and presumably represent malignant MIS. More cases are need to understand the frequency of such changes and the time–course over which invasive tumour develops.
In this research article the researcher emphasized that significant role and impact of E-commerce in Business Industries. The researcher focused on analysis of significant factors of E-commerce, ...positive and genitive impact of E-commerce, and challenges of E-Commerce in Business Industries. The researcher defines the dimension of E-commerce with respect to business to business (B2B) and business to consumer (B2C) towards the changing way of doing business on the web in Business Industries. The main objectives of this research article is to focus on the primary route by which e-commerce will affect the economy at large is through its impact on productivity and inflation. Businesses and consumers that use E-commerce benefit from a reduction in costs in terms of the time and effort required to search for goods and services and to complete transactions of business activities which are carried out electronically on the Internet rather than at a physical location.
In thoracic surgery, disposable instruments are significant drivers of cost. There is variation in disposable instrument use among surgeons. It was hypothesized that a “passive awareness” ...intervention (displaying a pricing list of disposable instruments in the operating theater) would decrease operative costs. A current price list of disposable instruments used in thoracoscopic lobectomy was displayed in the thoracic surgery operating theater. Consecutive patients who underwent thoracoscopic lobectomy 6 months prior to price list display (Period 1) and 6 months following price list display (Period 2) were analyzed. Descriptive statistics were used to describe case distribution and lobectomy costs.
T
test and linear regression were used to examine the impact of surgeon, lobe removed, and time period. Over the study period, 71 patients underwent thoracoscopic lobectomy (Period 1:
n
= 36, Period 2:
n
= 35). Median per-lobectomy disposables cost decreased from $2063.22 (Interquartile range IQR $788.49) in Period 1 to $1885.92 (IQR $552.26) in Period 2;
p
= 0.03. There was a significant reduction in the median number of “high cost disposables” between Periods 1 and 2 (5.5–5.0, respectively;
p
= 0.04). In multiple linear regression, there was a decrease in total per-lobectomy cost of $286.21 (
p
= 0.03) and a decrease in stapler cartridge cost of $266.89 (
p
= 0.03) when controlling for surgeon and lobe. There was a significant reduction in disposable instrument expenditure per thoracoscopic lobectomy following posting of instrument costs in the operating theater. These findings suggest that a simple passive awareness intervention is effective in influencing surgeon behavior to reduce disposable instrument costs.
Although conceived for web services, it is shown how B
pel (Business Process Execution Language) can be used to orchestrate a collection of grid services. This is achieved using the technique of C
...ress (Communication Representation Employing Systematic Specification) to describe the composition of grid services. C
ress descriptions are automatically translated into L
otos (Language Of Temporal Ordering Specification), allowing systematic checks for interoperability and logical errors prior to implementation. M
ustard (Multiple-Use Scenario Test and Refusal Description) is used to validate the generated specification against use case scenarios. The same C
ress descriptions are then automatically converted into B
pel/W
sdl code for practical realisation of the composed services. Grid services are executed by Globus Toolkit 4, while their orchestration is supported by the ActiveB
pel engine. The M
ustard scenarios are used again to evaluate the implementation. The overall approach therefore supports rigorous development and automated creation of orchestrated grid services.
Occupational information resources - data about the characteristics of different occupational positions - are widely used in the social sciences, across a range of disciplines and international ...contexts. They are available in many formats, most often constituting small electronic files that are made freely downloadable from academic web pages. However there are several challenges associated with how occupational information resources are distributed to, and exploited by, social researchers. In this paper we describe features of occupational information resources, and indicate the role digital curation can play in exploiting them. We report upon the strategies used in the GEODE research project (Grid Enabled Occupational Data Environment1). This project attempts to develop long-term standards for the distribution of occupational information resources, by providing a standardized framework-based electronic depository for occupational information resources, and by providing a data indexing service, based on e-Science middleware, which collates occupational information resources and makes them readily accessible to non-specialist social scientists.
Purpose - This paper aims to present reasons why social classifications which use occupations should seek to adopt "specific" approaches which are tailored to the country, time period and gender of ...the subjects under study.Design methodology approach - The relative motivations for adopting a specific approach to social classifications are discussed and theoretical perspectives on specificity and empirical evidence on the contribution of specific approaches are reviewed. Also the practical costs of implementing specific social classifications are evaluated, and the authors' development of the "GEODE" data service (grid-enabled occupational data environment), which seeks to assist this process, is discussed.Findings - Specific approaches make a non-trivial difference to the conclusions drawn from analyses of occupation-based social classifications. It is argued that the GEODE service has reduced the practical challenges of implementing specific measures.Research limitations implications - There remain conceptual and pragmatic challenges in working with specific occupation-based social classifications. Non-specific ("universal") measures are adequate for many purposes.Practical implications - The paper argues that there are few excuses for ignoring specific occupation-based social classifications.Originality value - The paper demonstrates that recent technological developments have shifted the balance in the long-standing debate between universal and specific approaches to occupation-based social classifications.
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