Faculty Bibliography

OBJECTIVE:=0.08). CONCLUSIONS:F-NaF PET/CT may improve risk-stratification.

BACKGROUND:The aim of this study was to determine if, in inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), baseline metabolic activity (maximum standardized uptake value [SUVmax]) of primary tumor and involved regional lymph nodes (IRLN) are prognostic markers of response after neoadjuvant systemic therapy (NAS). PATIENTS AND METHODS:Baseline 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography scans were retrospectively reviewed among 61 women with IBC who received NAS, had mastectomy, and had available pathology reports. Primary tumor and IRLN SUVmax were compared between patients with a pathologic complete response (pCR) versus those with residual disease after NAS. A multivariate Cox model was fit to evaluate the effects of SUVmax on overall survival, adjusting for pCR and stratified by receptor status and disease stage. RESULTS:SUVmax in primary IBC tumors tended to increase with tumor grade (trend test P = .06) and was lower for stage III, non-triple-negative (TN) versus stage III, TN and stage IV, non-TN disease (P = .04). Neither primary tumor nor IRLN SUVmax was significantly different comparing pCR versus residual disease after NAS. Adjusting for pathology response in the overall survival model stratified by stage and receptor status, baseline SUVmax in primary IBC tumor was associated with an estimated hazard ratio of 1.10 (95% confidence interval, 0.97-1.25; P = .15) for patients with stage III, TN and stage IV, non-TN disease. This hazard ratio corresponded to a 1.74-fold risk of death with 1 standard deviation (SD = 5.9) increase in baseline SUVmax in primary IBC tumor. CONCLUSION:2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography provides prognostic information for newly diagnosed IBC. Larger studies are needed to confirm these findings and assess how such early information could affect treatment choices for IBC in the neoadjuvant setting.

Although isolated gross hematuria is a disturbing symptom, there have been few studies of this finding in pediatric patients. Therefore, this study was performed to examine the associated symptoms and causes of gross hematuria in children and adolescents who presented with this problem as their major clinical manifestation. It also determined the long-term outcome of patients in whom no etiology was found. A retrospective review was performed on the medical records of 100 consecutive patients referred for evaluation of gross hematuria between 1992 and 1999. The etiology was determined based on standard urinalysis methods, clinical laboratory tests, and imaging studies. Patients with gross hematuria in whom an etiology was not found were followed up through 2001. Of the 100 patient records reviewed, 18 were excluded because the clinical evaluation was incomplete. The remaining 82 patients (59 M: 23 F) had a mean age of 9.2 +/- 5.0 years. Glomerular gross hematuria was found in 24 patients. A cause was found in all of these patients, most commonly immunoglobulin A (IgA) nephropathy (n=13) and Alport syndrome (n=6). Nonglomerular gross hematuria was found in 56 patients, and the most common etiologies were hypercalciuria (n=9), urethrorrhagia (n=8), and hemorrhagic cystitis (n=7). No etiology was found in 26 patients with nonglomerular gross hematuria. No diagnosis was made in the case of 2 patients whose hematuria could not be defined as glomerular or nonglomerular. Telephone follow-up was performed in 18 of these children 4.0 +/- 3.2 years (range: 1-9 years) after the initial evaluation and showed that only 3 of these patients had had recurrences of gross hematuria. They and all of the other patients remained otherwise well. The urinalysis, including microscopic examination, was the most important diagnostic test in a patient with isolated gross hematuria. Nonglomerular problems were more than twice as common as glomerular diseases as a cause of isolated gross hematuria in pediatric patients The distribution of the etiologies of gross hematuria was consistent with previous studies. Although nearly half of the patients with nonglomerular gross hematuria could not be given a diagnosis, their long-term prognosis appeared to be good

Application of Clostridium difficile toxin B, an inhibitor of the Rho family of GTPases, at the Aplysia sensory to motor neuron synapse blocks long-term facilitation and the associated growth of new sensory neuron varicosities induced by repeated pulses of serotonin (5-HT). We have isolated cDNAs encoding Aplysia Rho, Rac, and Cdc42 and found that Rho and Rac had no effect but that overexpression in sensory neurons of a dominant-negative mutant of ApCdc42 or the CRIB domains of its downstream effectors PAK and N-WASP selectively reduces the long-term changes in synaptic strength and structure. FRET analysis indicates that 5-HT activates ApCdc42 in a subset of varicosities contacting the postsynaptic motor neuron and that this activation is dependent on the PI3K and PLC signaling pathways. The 5-HT-induced activation of ApCdc42 initiates reorganization of the presynaptic actin network leading to the outgrowth of filopodia, some of which are morphological precursors for the learning-related formation of new sensory neuron varicosities.

Young and Nestle suggested that the increase in the portion size of food products evident in the United States during the past 20 years may be responsible for the epidemic of overweight and obesity. They based their conclusion on statistical correlations. The purpose of the present study was to provide experimental evidence to support their proposal. Cornell undergraduate students were given access to a buffet lunch on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and were told this was a test of flavor enhancers. They were instructed to eat as much or as little as they wanted. On the same days of the following week, the subjects were divided into 3 groups. Each group was served either 100%, 125%, or 150% of the amount of food they had consumed the previous week. When larger amounts were served, significantly greater amounts of food were consumed. Each of the 4 foods that comprised the meal (soup, pasta, breadsticks, ice cream) increased significantly in proportion to the portion size. The data clearly support the hypothesis proposed by Young and Nestle and support the powerful role that environment plays in determining energy intake and potential increases in body weight.