Data were collected at six French Selleck HDAC inhibitor centers from patients with metastatic or local AGC who received docetaxel, fluorouracil, leucovorin, or oxaliplatin (TEF) as first-line treatment. TEF
was administered as follows: docetaxel (50 mg/m(2)), oxaliplatin (85 mg/m(2)), and leucovorin (40 mg/m(2)) on day 1, and 5-FU continuous infusion for 48 h (2400 mg/m(2)) every 2 weeks.
Forty-one patients were enrolled. Performance status was grade 0 and 1 in respectively 27 and 58 % of patients; 17 patients had adenocarcinoma of the gastroesophageal junction; 37 patients had metastatic disease, 22 had a poorly differentiated or diffuse type. Objective response rate was 66 %, with a complete response in two patients (5 %). Median progression-free survival and overall survival were respectively 6.3 and 12.1 months. Tolerability was acceptable with no treatment-related deaths. The most frequent grade 3-4 toxicities were neutropenia
(30 %) and neuropathy (12.5 %). Curative NVP-LDE225 manufacturer intent surgery after response to TEF was performed in seven patients (17 %).
TEF is an effective first-line treatment with an acceptable toxicity profile for patients with AGC. It may allow curative resection in initially unresectable patients. TEF should now be evaluated in prospective randomized trials.”
“Purpose of review
To summarize recent reports on the effects of low oxygen on the undifferentiated phenotype and differentiation of embryonic stem cells (ESCs).
Recent findings
The oxygen level to which ESCs are exposed is an important environmental parameter. Under conditions maintaining the undifferentiated phenotype, low oxygen reduces spontaneous Captisol supplier differentiation of human ESCs but reduces pluripotency gene expression in mouse ESCs, although reports are conflicting. Differentiation under low oxygen increases generation of neurons, cardiomyocytes, hematopoietic progenitors,, endothelial cells,
and chondrocytes. Many of the effects of low oxygen have been attributed to action by hypoxia inducible factor-1 alpha (HIF-1 alpha). The oxygen level in the gas phase (p(O2gas)) is often different than that experienced by the cells (p(O2cell)) and is unrecognzed by investigators, which makes interpretation of the literature difficult. This difference increases with high cell densities, high cellular oxygen consumption rates, and large medium heights. The problem can be addressed by use of oxygen-permeable culture dishes and by estimation of p(O2cell) with mathematical models.
Summary
Low oxygen influences aspects of ESC pluripotency and differentiation. A better understanding of its effects and mechanism along with better estimation an control of p(O2cell) is important for applying low oxygen culture to regenerative medicine applications.”
“With the advent of time-dependent thrombolytic therapy for ischemic stroke, it has become increasingly important to differentiate transient ischemic attack (TIA) from minor stroke patients after symptom onset quickly.