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This multicenter single-arm phase II study evaluated the addition of pazopanib to concurrent weekly paclitaxel following doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide as neoadjuvant therapy in human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER2)-negative locally advanced breast cancer (LABC). Patients with HER2-negative stage III breast cancer were treated with doxorubicin 60 mg/m and cyclophosphamide 600 mg/m for four cycles every 3 weeks followed by weekly paclitaxel 80 mg/m on days 1, 8, and 15 every 28 days for four cycles concurrently with pazopanib 800 mg orally daily prior to surgery. Post-operatively, pazopanib was given daily for 6 months. The primary endpoint was pathologic complete response (pCR) in the breast and lymph nodes. Between July 2009 and March 2011, 101 patients with stage IIIA-C HER2-negative breast cancer were enrolled. The pCR rate in evaluable patients who initiated paclitaxel and pazopanib was 17 % (16/93). The pCR rate was 9 % (6/67) in hormone receptor-positive tumors and 38 % (10/26) in triple-negative tumors. Pre-operative pazopanib was completed in only 39 % of patients. The most frequent grade 3 and 4 adverse events during paclitaxel and pazopanib were neutropenia (27 %), diarrhea (5 %), ALT and AST elevations (each 5 %), and hypertension (5 %). Although the pCR rate of paclitaxel and pazopanib following AC chemotherapy given as neoadjuvant therapy in women with LABC met the pre-specified criteria for activity, there was substantial toxicity, which led to a high discontinuation rate of pazopanib. The combination does not appear to warrant further evaluation in the neoadjuvant setting for breast cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a study which compared processes for the manufacture of large spinel plates suitable for transparent armor. Materials, labor and amortization of capital equipment are some of the cost-related factors under consideration. In hot pressing, all of the sintering shrinkage occurs through the thickness and under non-plastic conditions. In sintering, the shrinkage occurs in three dimensions and under non-plastic conditions.

Context: Tamoxifen is approved for the reduction of breast cancer risk, and raloxifene has demonstrated a reduced risk of breast cancer in trials of older women with osteoporosis.Objective: To compare the relative effects and safety of raloxifene and tamoxifen on the risk of developing invasive breast cancer and other disease outcomes.Design, Setting, and Patients: The National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project Study of Tamoxifen and Raloxifene trial, a prospective, double-blind, randomized clinical trial conducted beginning July 1, 1999, in nearly 200 clinical centers throughout North America, with final analysis initiated after at least 327 incident invasive breast cancers were diagnosed. Patients were 19,747 postmenopausal women of mean age 58.5 years with increased 5-year breast cancer risk (mean risk, 4.03% [SD, 2.17%]). Data reported are based on a cutoff date of December 31, 2005.Intervention: Oral tamoxifen (20 mg/d) or raloxifene (60 mg/d) over 5 years.Main Outcome Measures: Incidence of invasive breast cancer, uterine cancer, noninvasive breast cancer, bone fractures, thromboembolic events.Results: There were 163 cases of invasive breast cancer in women assigned to tamoxifen and 168 in those assigned to raloxifene (incidence, 4.30 per 1000 vs 4.41 per 1000; risk ratio [RR], 1.02; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.82-1.28). There were fewer cases of noninvasive breast cancer in the tamoxifen group (57 cases) than in the raloxifene group (80 cases) (incidence, 1.51 vs 2.11 per 1000; RR, 1.40; 95% CI, 0.98-2.00). There were 36 cases of uterine cancer with tamoxifen and 23 with raloxifene (RR, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.35-1.08). No differences were found for other invasive cancer sites, for ischemic heart disease events, or for stroke. Thromboembolic events occurred less often in the raloxifene group (RR, 0.70; 95% CI, 0.54-0.91). The number of osteoporotic fractures in the groups was similar. There were fewer cataracts (RR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.68-0.92) and cataract surgeries (RR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.68-0.99) in the women taking raloxifene. There was no difference in the total number of deaths (101 vs 96 for tamoxifen vs raloxifene) or in causes of death.Conclusions: Raloxifene is as effective as tamoxifen in reducing the risk of invasive breast cancer and has a lower risk of thromboembolic events and cataracts but a nonstatistically significant higher risk of noninvasive breast cancer. The risk of other cancers, fractures, ischemic heart disease, and stroke is similar for both drugs.Trial Registration: clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00003906. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A series of AlCuFe films were deposited by magnetron sputtering and subjected to X-ray diffraction and tribological testing to elucidate the correlation between quasicrystalline phase content and coefficient of friction. The sputter target was a pressed powder target comprised of a mixture of elemental powders combined in the ratio Al65Cu23Fe12 and pressed at 400°C. This target was designed to produce film compositions within the single-phase icosohedral quasicrystalline regime. X-ray diffraction performed on the as-deposited coatings showed that they were comprised of a nanoscale/amorphous precursor phase with broad X-ray diffraction maxima. Anneals of the as-deposited films were performed at 450 or 500°C in argon for various times to cause partial or full development of the quasicrystalline microstructure, and films were tribo-tested in two separate systems. The first of these was an oscillating pin-on-flat system, in which a coated 2 mm diameter pin was used to test as-deposited films at temperatures of up to 220°C under vacuum and a 15 g load. The second system used a 0.25″ diameter alumina ball and a load of 100 g to test films in air at temperatures of 25, 150, and 300°C. Various anneal conditions were also tested. For an as-deposited coating, a coating annealed for 2 h at 450°C, and a coating annealed for 1h at 500°C, the observed coefficients of friction were 0.45, 0.23, and 0.17, respectively. Correlation between quasicrystalline phase content, room temperature friction coefficient, and appearance of the wear track clearly showed that annealing to the fully developed quasicrystalline structure resulted in a harder film with a lower coefficient of friction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Information on the costs of medical care for patients enrolled in clinical trials is needed by policymakers evaluating ways to facilitate clinical research in a managed care environment. We examined the direct costs of medical care for patients enrolled in cancer clinical trials at a large health maintenance organization (HMO).Methods: Costs for 135 patients who entered 22 cancer clinical trials (including 12 breast cancer trials) at Kaiser Permanente in Northern California, from 1994 through 1996 were compared with costs for 135 matched control subjects who were not enrolled in such trials. Cancer registry data and medical charts were used in matching the control subjects to the trial enrollees with respect to cancer site, stage, date of diagnosis, age, sex, and trial eligibility. The direct costs of medical care were compared between trial enrollees and the control subjects for a 1-year period, with data on costs and utilization of services obtained from Kaiser Permanente databases and medical charts.Results: Mean 1-year costs for the enrollees in trials were 10% higher than those for the control subjects ($17 003 per enrollee compared with $15 516 per control subject; two-sided P =.011). The primary component of this difference was a $1376 difference in chemotherapy costs ($4815 per trial enrollee versus $3439 per control subject; two-sided P<.001). Costs for the 11 enrollees in trials that had a bone marrow transplant (BMT) arm were approximately double the costs for their matched control subjects (borderline significance: two-sided P=.054). The $15 041 mean cost for the enrollees in trials without BMT was similar to the $15 186 mean cost for their matched control subjects.Conclusions: Participation in cancer clinical trials at a large HMO did not result in substantial increases in the direct costs of medical care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]