BMD was measured using dual X-ray absorptiometry and was reported as T-score and Z-score. Additional information collected for each patient

included age, race, gender, current and prior AEDs, ambulatory state, menopausal state, concomitant medications potentially associated with reduced bone mineralization, and comorbid illness potentially associated with reduced bone mineralization. Associations between reduced bone mineralization and variables were tested for significance using Fisher’s exact test, Student’s t-test, and Wilcoxon rank sum test.\n\nResults: The average age of the entire study population was 43.5 (+/-12.5) years. Fifty-five percent of patients had T-score less than or equal to -1, the WHO criterion for osteopenia in postmenopausal women. The prevalence of Z-scores less than -2.0

was 15%, which is more than sixfold greater than expected. The Poziotinib markers for decreased BMD included older age or menopause in women, longer duration of therapy, and a history of use of phenytoin or phenobarbital. Assisted ambulation was also associated with low BMD.\n\nConclusion: Our results indicate that reduced bone mineralization is prevalent and a significant health concern in an urban population of patients with epilepsy. Because of the high prevalence of reduced bone mineralization reported in numerous studies including this study, routinety screening for reduced bone mineralization is warranted in patients receiving anticonvulsant therapy. Selleckchem MLN4924 (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.”
“BACKGROUND: In HER2-overexpressing breast cancer, accumulating preclinical evidences suggest that some chemotherapies, like trastuzumab, but also taxanes, are able to trigger a T helper 1 (Th1) anticancer immune response that contribute to treatment success. T helper 1 immune response selleck kinase inhibitor is characterised by the expression of the transcription factor T-bet in CD4 T lymphocytes. We

hypothesised that the presence of such T cells in the tumour immune infiltrates following neoadjuvant chemotherapy would predict patient survival.\n\nMETHODS: In a series of 102 consecutive HER2-overexpressing breast cancer patients treated by neoadjuvant chemotherapy incorporating antracyclines or taxane and trastuzumab, we studied by immunohistochemistry the peritumoral lymphoid infiltration by T-bet+ lymphocytes before and after chemotherapy in both treatment groups. Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox modelling were used to assess relapse-free survival (RFS).\n\nRESULTS: Fifty-eight patients have been treated with trastuzumab-taxane and 44 patients with anthracyclines-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The presence of T-bet+ lymphocytes in peritumoral lymphoid structures after chemotherapy was significantly more frequent in patients treated with trastuzumab-taxane (P 0.0008). After a median follow-up of 40 months, the presence of T-bet+ lymphocytes after neoadjuvant chemotherapy confers significantly better RFS (log-rank test P = 0.011) only in patients treated with trastuzumab-taxane.