OC-125 as a diagnostic aid in the cytological evaluation of ascitic cells in patients with ovarian carcinoma

Summary OC-125 is a monoclonal antibody raised against tumour cells from a patient with serous cystadenocarcinoma and reacting with an antigen CA-125 on the surface of ovarian epithelial cancer cells. We investigated whether immunohistochemical determination of CA-125 in cell samples from the peritoneal cavity could be used to discriminate between non-specific inflammatory changes in the mesothelium and malignant ovarian tumour cells. Three categories of patients were investigated: patients with disseminated serous or endometrioid ovarian carcinomas, patients with non-specific inflammatory changes in the peritoneal cavity and patients subjected to simple hysterectomy with no pathological changes in the mesothelium. In all cases of ovarian cancer CA-125 positive cells could be detected in the peritoneal fluid; none of the other categories showed positive reaction for CA-125. The results suggest that OC-125 may be a valuable adjunct in differentiating neoplastic from other cells in ascitic fluid from patients with some types of ovarian cancer.     

Murine Type C viral envelope glycoprotein gp69/71 and lupus-like glomerulonephritis of New Zealand mice. An immunoperoxidase study.

The location of murine Type C viral envelope glycoprotein antigen in the glomerulonephritic kidneys of NZB and NZB/NZW F1 hybrid mice was analyzed by the indirect immunoperoxidase technique at light and electron microscopic levels. Immune complex deposits of the glycoprotein antigen were present in the glomeruli in mesangial and subepithelial sites. In addition to the glomerular depositions, viral envelope antigen was also present at the brush border of proximal tubular epithelial cells and in lymphoid cells infiltrating the kidneys of these mice.     

Association of airway hyperresponsiveness with reduced quality of life in patients with moderate to severe asthma.

BACKGROUND: Airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) is an indicator of poor asthma control. Asthma patients with AHR to methacholine have been shown to have a poorer quality of life compared with asthma patients without AHR, but it is not clear to what degree this is a result of more severe disease in patients with AHR. OBJECTIVES: To describe the relationship between AHR and quality of life in asthma patients and to determine the impact of the severity of asthma on this relationship. METHODS: Data from 691 asthma patients were analyzed to describe the relationship between the impact of AHR to methacholine (cumulative dose of methacholine required to provoke a 20% decrease in forced expiratory volume in 1 second, < or = 8 micromol) on quality of life (measured by the Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire) of asthma patients in relation to the severity of asthma (according to the Global Initiative for Asthma guidelines). RESULTS: Asthma patients with AHR had more severe asthma and a poorer quality of life compared with asthma patients without AHR. Furthermore, the quality of life decreased with increasing severity of asthma. However, regression analysis showed an independent association between both the presence of AHR and the severity of asthma and quality of life, as well as an interaction between the effects of these 2 factors. Finally, subgroup analysis showed that the impact of AHR on the quality of life was only clinically significant in moderate to severe asthma but not in mild asthma. CONCLUSIONS: AHR is associated with a negative impact on the quality of life of asthma patients that is partly independent of the severity of asthma.     

Linking pharmacists to the delivery of public health services

Objective

To describe components fundamental to the process of linking pharmacy to the delivery of public health services in a sustainable way.

The totality-of-the-evidence approach to the development and assessment of GP2015, a proposed etanercept biosimilar

Objective: The aim of this review is to describe the inherent variability that is natural to biologics and, using the proposed etanercept biosimilar (GP2015) as an example, provide details on the “totality-of-the-evidence” concept, whereby all physicochemical, biologic, preclinical, and clinical data for a biosimilar and reference medicine are evaluated in an iterative, stepwise manner and shown to be highly similar.

Methods: This review was carried out by a search of published articles, reviews, abstracts and patents in PubMed/Medline and Google Scholar up to November 2016.

Results: Analytical, functional, preclinical, and clinical data provide a comprehensive understanding of both GP2015 and reference etanercept, and demonstrate a high level of similarity between the two products in accordance with regulatory requirements. The totality of the evidence from all analyses and performed trials provides a robust scientific bridge between the biosimilar and clinical experience with the reference medicine, and is used to justify the use of the biosimilar in all indications for which the reference medicine is approved.

Conclusion: Biologic therapies have revolutionized the treatment of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. The availability of biosimilars has the potential to improve patient access to biologic medicines and stimulate innovation. Physicians may be unfamiliar with the totality-of-the-evidence concept; therefore education and information on this unique approach to developing biosimilars is required to facilitate the use of biosimilars in clinical practice and allow physicians to make informed treatment decisions.     

Association of acetazolamide infusion with headache and cranial artery dilation in healthy volunteers

The carbonic anhydrase inhibitor acetazolamide causes extracellular acidosis and dilatation of cerebral arterioles. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that acetazolamide also may induce headache and dilatation of cranial arteries. In a randomized double-blind crossover study design, 12 young healthy women were allocated to injection of 1 g acetazolamide or placebo on 2 separate days. We recorded headache on a verbal rating scale from 0 to 10 during an immediate phase (0–90 minutes) and a delayed phase (2–12 hours). The circumference of cranial arteries was measured using 3T high-resolution magnetic resonance angiography 30 and 60 minutes after injection. Acetazolamide provoked immediate headache in 9 participants compared to 3 participants after placebo (P = .031). Eleven participants reported headache in the delayed phase after acetazolamide, compared with 4 after placebo (P = .016). The area under the curve for headache was increased after acetazolamide compared to placebo in the delayed phase (2–12 h) (P = .005). Compared to placebo, arterial circumference increased after acetazolamide in the basilar artery (P = .002) as well as the cerebral (P = .003), cavernous (P = .002), and cervical (P = .005) parts of the internal carotid artery, but no other extracranial arteries changed after acetazolamide. In conclusion, acetazolamide caused immediate and delayed headache as well as dilatation of intracranial arteries in healthy volunteers. It is possible that extracellular acidosis induced by acetazolamide causes sensitization of cephalic perivascular nociceptors, which, in combination with vasodilatation, leads to delayed headache.     

Bone mineral density and risk of cardiovascular disease in men and women: the HUNT study

European Journal of Epidemiology - The association between bone mineral density (BMD) and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is not fully understood. We evaluated BMD as a risk factor for cardiovascular...