Fernando Rivera - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Fernando Rivera

Information presented on this website is considered public information (unless otherwise noted) a... more Information presented on this website is considered public information (unless otherwise noted) and may be distributed or copied. Use of appropriate byline/photo/image credit is requested. We recommend that UCF data be acquired directly from a UCF server and not through other sources that may change the data in some way. While UCF makes every effort to provide accurate and complete information, various data such as names, telephone numbers, etc. may change prior to updating. This Opinion column is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in UCF Forum by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact lee.dotson@ucf.edu. STARS Citation

Information presented on this website is considered public information (unless otherwise noted) a... more Information presented on this website is considered public information (unless otherwise noted) and may be distributed or copied. Use of appropriate byline/photo/image credit is requested. We recommend that UCF data be acquired directly from a UCF server and not through other sources that may change the data in some way. While UCF makes every effort to provide accurate and complete information, various data such as names, telephone numbers, etc. may change prior to updating. This Opinion column is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in UCF Forum by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact lee.dotson@ucf.edu. STARS Citation

Journal of Clinical Oncology

4613 Background: Trastuzumab(T) exhibits activity in human gastric cancer cells that overexpress ... more 4613 Background: Trastuzumab(T) exhibits activity in human gastric cancer cells that overexpress HER2/neu. We previously reported a 13.5% HER2/neu overexpression/amplification in AGC or gastroesofageal junction (GEJ) cancers (Grávalos C, et al. J Clin Oncol 24, 18S, 200s, abstr # 4089). We designed a phase II trial to determine the efficacy and tolerability of T and cisplatin(C) in pts with ACG with HER2/neu overexpression/amplification. Exploratory objectives include analysis of c-erbB-2 extracellular domain and correlation of the results with histological erB-2/neu overexpression and with clinical response Methods: Chemo-naïve pts with adenocarcinoma histopatologically confirmed, HER2/neu overexpression/amplification, measurable, no operable, locally advanced or metastatic AGC, age ≥ 18, ECOG ≤ 2, FEVI ≥ 50% and adequate organ function were eligible. Prior adjuvant radiotherapy or/and chemotherapy were allowed. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed using herceptest. A fluoresce...

British journal of cancer, 2018

Data from two trials of panitumumab in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) were retrospectively a... more Data from two trials of panitumumab in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) were retrospectively analysed to investigate the effects of primary tumour location on early-tumour shrinkage (ETS) and depth of response (DpR), and identify factors predicting long-term survival. Patients with RAS wild-type mCRC from PRIME (NCT00364013) and PEAK (NCT00819780) were included. ETS was defined as a ≥30% reduction in the sum-of-the-longest-diameters of measurable target lesions at eight weeks. DpR was the maximum percentage change from baseline to nadir in patients with shrinkage. Univariate and multivariate logistic analyses of short- versus long-term survivor data were performed. A total of 435/559 (78%) patients had left-sided disease. Of these, a higher proportion of patients treated with panitumumab versus comparator achieved ETS (PRIME: 62% vs. 36%; PEAK: 58% vs. 41%); median DpR was also higher with panitumumab (PRIME: 59% vs. 49%; PEAK: 70% vs. 48%). In pooled analyses of the studies, mor...

Journal of Clinical Oncology

446 Background: Pmab has demonstrated significant improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) ... more 446 Background: Pmab has demonstrated significant improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) in pts with WT KRAS mCRC as 1st-line tx in a phase III trial comparing pmab + FOLFOX4 vs FOLFOX4 alone. Here, we describe the results of PEAK, a multicenter, randomized phase II study evaluating pmab + mFOLFOX6 and bev + mFOLFOX6 in pts with previously untreated WT KRASmCRC. Methods: Pts were randomized 1:1 to pmab 6.0 mg/kg + mFOLFOX6 Q2W or bev 5.0 mg/kg + mFOLFOX6 Q2W. Pt eligibility criteria included: WT KRASmCRC, ECOG performance status ≤ 1, and no prior chemotherapy, anti-VEGF tx, or anti-EGFR tx for mCRC. The primary endpoint was PFS; secondary endpoints included overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), and safety. No formal hypothesis was tested. Results: 285 pts with WT KRASmCRC were randomized and 278 pts received tx. Demographics were balanced between arms. Intent-to-treat efficacy results are shown (Table). Worst grade 3/4 adverse events (AE) occurred in 86% of p...

Annals of Oncology

bevacizumab. These analyses included patients with RAS WT mCRC (i.e. patients whose tumours conta... more bevacizumab. These analyses included patients with RAS WT mCRC (i.e. patients whose tumours contain no mutations in KRAS or NRAS exons 2 [codons 12/13], 3 [codons 59/61] and 4 [codons 117/146]). Baseline demographics/disease characteristics and response outcomes (early tumour shrinkage [ETS] and depth of response [DpR]) were summarised for long-and short-term survivors in each study. ETS was defined as a reduction of ! 30% in the sum of the longest diameters of measurable target lesions at 8 weeks. DpR was calculated as the maximum percentage change from baseline to nadir in patients who had tumour shrinkage, or as the percentage change at progression in patients with no shrinkage (if there was no progression, DpR could not be defined). Long-term survivors were defined based on a cutoff including the 25% of classifiable patients with the longest OS. In a second analysis, in which data were pooled from the two studies, long-term survival was defined as ! 45 months. Results: In total, the analysis included 664 patients. Using the 25% cutoff , median survival was 39.5 months in PRIME (120/475 patients) and 45.9 months in PEAK (34/137 patients). Long-term survivors were more likely, compared with short-term survivors, to be randomised to panitumumab (PRIME: 61% vs. 46%; PEAK: 62% vs. 47%) and have an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 (PRIME: 74% vs. 50%; PEAK: 76% vs. 56%). Long-term survivors were more likely to have BRAF WT, left-sided primary tumours, to have received study treatment for !9 months, to have undergone any/complete resection, and to have experienced ETS (Table); median DpR was also higher in this group. Overall, 124/664 patients (19%) in these studies survived !45 months; baseline characteristics and response outcomes were similar to those noted in the 25% analysis (data not shown). Conclusion: In the first-line PRIME and PEAK studies, median OS in the 25% of patients with the longest survival was 39.5 and 45.9 months, respectively. Thus, choice of first-line therapy, and optimal longitudinal patient management aiming at dose density of chemotherapy and resection/ablation of metastases, can positively affect OS beyond first line. Long-term survivors were more likely to have been randomised to panitumumab þ FOLFOX than to the comparator arm (PRIME: FOLFOX alone; PEAK: FOLFOX þ bevacizumab) and to have baseline disease characteristics associated with favourable prognosis. Compared with short-term survivors, they more frequently experienced ETS, underwent resection and had a greater DpR. These findings may reflect a cohort of patients with tumour biology that has greater sensitivity to panitumumab. P À 321 Impact of primary tumour location on response and resection outcomes in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) undergoing first-line treatment

The oncologist, Apr 8, 2017

These negative phase II results for parsatuzumab highlight the challenges of developing an agent ... more These negative phase II results for parsatuzumab highlight the challenges of developing an agent intended to enhance the efficacy of vascular endothelial growth factor inhibition without the benefit of validated pharmacodynamic biomarkers or strong predictive biomarker hypotheses.Any further clinical development of anti-EGFL7 is likely to require new mechanistic insights and biomarker development for antiangiogenic agents. EGFL7 (epidermal growth factor-like domain 7) is a tumor-enriched vascular extracellular matrix protein that supports endothelial cell survival. This phase II trial evaluated the efficacy of parsatuzumab (also known as MEGF0444A), a humanized anti-EGFL7 IgG1 monoclonal antibody, in combination with modified FOLFOX6 (mFOLFOX6) (folinic acid, 5-fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin) bevacizumab in patients with previously untreated metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). One-hundred twenty-seven patients were randomly assigned to parsatuzumab, 400 mg, or placebo, in combinatio...

Chasqui, May 1, 2014

In June 2001, the Peruvian government of president Valentin Paniagua designated a Comision de la ... more In June 2001, the Peruvian government of president Valentin Paniagua designated a Comision de la Verdad y Reconciliacion (from now on CVR) to investigate the events of what was termed Guerra Interna (1980-2000). This internal war began with the armed insurgency of the Peruvian Communist Party: Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) during which, according to the Commission's report, more than sixty-nine thousand individuals were killed or disappeared while torture and the rape of women were common practices. Three out of every four were Quechua-speaking peasants. (1) The investigation lasted two years and was an extraordinary work because of its extent and depth, as well as the breadth of accounts produced: testimonies from the Public Hearings, the final report (both the electronic version and the abridged version Hatun Willakuy), the photographic memoire Yuyanapaq: para recordar, and the photographic installation-exhibit under the latter title at the National Museum. The most important outcome was the final report (Informe final from now on Informe) of ten volumes. It included: victims, perpetrators, and accomplice testimonies; information on the genesis and evolution of the conflict; political, sociological, and anthropological analyses; sections with assignment of responsibilities; and a whole chapter with still-unaccomplished recommendations to reform state institutions and compensate the victims. (2) One of the most important findings, along with the victims' testimonies, was the need for a new narrative to examine and represent the Guerra Interna as well as the whole of Peruvian history. The CVR tried to develop this narrative using the professional, academic, or pastoral experiences of its members, incorporating ideas and discourses of human rights, law, sociology, politics, and anthropology. (3) In this sense, this article focuses on the performance of the CVR in two scenes associated with the production of testimonies and the Informe, when it tried to "listen" to the victims and then develop a suitable narrative for the events. The first scene, in the initial public hearing (audiencia publica) in the city of Huamanga, shows the way the Peruvian state had previously addressed and represented society. In the second scene, at the ceremony marking the delivery of the Informe at the government palace in Lima, the CVR presents a new narrative expressing its desire for establishing an inclusive and multicultural discourse for Peruvian politics. This discourse, they hoped, could confront both the official society and the model of nation-state historically articulated through social and cultural discrimination. Finally, an examination of the term pacto in the Informe's general conclusions, which is a core element of this narrative, will show the need to develop political agency among the marginal and excluded sectors of Peruvian society. The objective here is to examine, with textual analysis carried out from a literary perspective, the change in language and enunciation produced by this narrative both before and after the CVR hears testimonies and finds the common graves. Also, the purpose of this article is to examine how the CVR performs while obeying a mandate, in the etymological sense of the Latin aboedire or ob audire: of listening and knowing how to listen. In other words, I will examine not only how the writing and performance of the CVR obey the mandate of the Peruvian state and of the victims to represent specific events, but also how this mandate affects the very narrative used to represent them. (4) Scene One: Hearing and Testimony, The Nation's Ear and God's Eye? On April 8th 2002, the CVR began the public hearings in the Andean city of Huamanga, Ayacucho, the most devastated region in the war. This event was held at an auditorium at Huamanga University. In attendance were: ten members of the CVR; victims and witnesses chosen to express their testimonies; twelve international guests and observers who worked on cases of human rights violations around the world; national and local authorities; the local audience from Huamanga; and television and radio reporters who were broadcasting the event. …

Race and Society, 2004

Although there have been a number of studies examining depression among Latinos, and Mexican Amer... more Although there have been a number of studies examining depression among Latinos, and Mexican Americans in particular, there is still a modest understanding of Latino subgroup variation. Research on Latinos and depression typically focuses on clinical samples or nonrandom samples in specific cities. Using 1994 data from the National Survey of Family and Households, we evaluate whether factors typically associated with depression operate similarly for a nationally representative sample of Puerto Ricans, Mexicans and non-Hispanic whites. Our multivariate analyses reveal that ethnic group membership moderates the relationship between nativity, gender and depression. Being born in the Continental U.S. has a negative effect on depression for Puerto Ricans. For Mexicans, it has a positive effect on depression. For all racial/ethnic groups, men are less depressed than women. However, the results reveal that the gender gap in depression is greater for Mexicans and Puerto Ricans than it is for non-Hispanic whites.

British Journal of Cancer, 1997

Journal of Dairy Science, 2010

PharmacoEconomics Spanish Research Articles, 2013

ABSTRACT Objetivo Realizar una evaluación económica de XELOX vs FOLFOX-4 en el tratamiento en pri... more ABSTRACT Objetivo Realizar una evaluación económica de XELOX vs FOLFOX-4 en el tratamiento en primera línea de cáncer colorrectal metastático (CCRm) en España. Métodos De acuerdo con los resultados del ensayo clínico NO16966, se consideró que los tratamientos XELOX y FOLFOX-4 tienen perfiles de eficacia similares, por lo que se llevó a cabo un modelo de minimización de costes con el objetivo de estimar el coste medio por paciente de XELOX y FOLFOX-4. Se incluyeron costes farmacológicos, de administración y acceso venoso central, de manejo de efectos adversos y costes indirectos. Los costes se expresaron en €2012 y se contó con un panel de expertos clínicos para la validación y determinación del uso de recursos en España. Resultados El coste asociado a la administración, al acceso venoso central y manejo de efectos adversos fue menor con XELOX que con FOLFOX-4 (473 € vs 1.175 €, 125 € vs 824 € y 599 € vs 623 €, respectivamente), mientras que el coste farmacológico fue menor con FOLFOX-4 (2.855 € vs 4.020 €). De esta forma, el coste por paciente desde la perspectiva del Sistema Nacional de Salud fue 261 € inferior con XELOX que con FOLFOX-4. Desde la perspectiva de la sociedad, XELOX también presentó un menor coste, siendo la diferencia de 1.215 €. Conclusiones El coste por paciente estimado del tratamiento en primera línea de CCRm con XELOX fue significativamente menor que con FOLFOX-4, pudiendo generar ahorros tanto para el Sistema Nacional de Salud como para la sociedad.

Human molecular genetics, Jan 15, 2014

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of urinary bladder cancer (UBC) have yielded common varian... more Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of urinary bladder cancer (UBC) have yielded common variants at 12 loci that associate with risk of the disease. We report here the results of a GWAS of UBC including 1670 UBC cases and 90 180 controls, followed by replication analysis in additional 5266 UBC cases and 10 456 controls. We tested a dataset containing 34.2 million variants, generated by imputation based on whole-genome sequencing of 2230 Icelanders. Several correlated variants at 20p12, represented by rs62185668, show genome-wide significant association with UBC after combining discovery and replication results (OR = 1.19, P = 1.5 × 10(-11) for rs62185668-A, minor allele frequency = 23.6%). The variants are located in a non-coding region approximately 300 kb upstream from the JAG1 gene, an important component of the Notch signaling pathways that may be oncogenic or tumor suppressive in several forms of cancer. Our results add to the growing number of UBC risk variants discovered t...

Risk, Hazards & Crisis in Public Policy, 2013

ABSTRACT It is critical to assess how the needs and vulnerabilities in rural communities impact t... more ABSTRACT It is critical to assess how the needs and vulnerabilities in rural communities impact the creation of resilience, especially in states that have a large expanse of rural regions. Rural areas present different opportunities and challenges from their urban counterparts for disaster managers. The position rural communities find themselves in after a disaster is different than that of urban communities. Using the Central Florida region as an example, this study examines the characteristics of disaster management in rural communities and ways to strengthen emergency management systems to develop and improve disaster resilience in these communities. Surveys and focus groups were conducted to examine the common traits and problems in existing emergency management systems across the rural regions. Results suggest that collaboration is needed in tackling evolving social, economic, and technological environments, which tend to create new vulnerabilities in rural communities. The adaptive capacity of rural communities is expected to sustain recovery at the individual, organizational, and the community levels. Sustainability is an important element for emergency management in rural communities because the policies and programs that influence the location and character of development can ultimately reduce losses and create resilience to future disasters.

Social Marketing Quarterly, 2010

Programa de Educación Sobre la Obesidad (PESO) was a targeted intervention which intended to rais... more Programa de Educación Sobre la Obesidad (PESO) was a targeted intervention which intended to raise awareness about the obesity epidemic, reduce the proportion of overweight and obese adults, and promote the consumption of fruits and vegetables within the Hispanic community of Seminole County, Florida. It was funded through the Florida Department of Health statewide Hispanic Obesity and Prevention Program. The PESO program utilized a multidisciplinary design to implement and evaluate a nutrition education and obesity reduction program. The 4-month program was a collaborative effort of the Seminole County Health Department, University of Central Florida, and Iglesia Vida Nueva church in Seminole County. We used a social marketing framework to deliver the curriculum and structure some of the lessons. In addition, we utilized this framework to critique, redesign, and make recommendations for future programs.

Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2007

Purpose In the OPTIMOX1 trial, previously untreated patients with advanced colorectal cancer were... more Purpose In the OPTIMOX1 trial, previously untreated patients with advanced colorectal cancer were randomly assigned to two different schedules of leucovorin, fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin that were administered until progression in the control arm or in a stop-and-go fashion in the experimental arm. The randomly assigned treatment groups did not differ significantly in terms of response rate, progression-free survival, and overall survival (OS). However, the impact of oxaliplatin reintroduction on OS was potentially masked by the fact that a large number of patients did not receive the planned oxaliplatin reintroduction or received oxaliplatin after second-line therapy in both treatment groups. Patients and Methods A Cox model was fitted with all significant baseline factors plus time-dependent variables reflecting tumor progression, reintroduction of oxaliplatin, and use of second-line irinotecan. A shared frailty model was fitted with all significant baseline factors plus the numb...

Nature genetics, Jan 22, 2012

To search for sequence variants conferring risk of nonmedullary thyroid cancer, we focused our an... more To search for sequence variants conferring risk of nonmedullary thyroid cancer, we focused our analysis on 22 SNPs with a P < 5 × 10(-8) in a genome-wide association study on levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) in 27,758 Icelanders. Of those, rs965513 has previously been shown to associate with thyroid cancer. The remaining 21 SNPs were genotyped in 561 Icelandic individuals with thyroid cancer (cases) and up to 40,013 controls. Variants suggestively associated with thyroid cancer (P…

Global Change Biology, 2010

Electrochimica Acta, 2007

This study shows the effect of using four-plate, six-plate and concentric cylinder as counter ele... more This study shows the effect of using four-plate, six-plate and concentric cylinder as counter electrodes on the RCE mass transport characterization. The Cu(II)/Cu(0) process in sulfuric acid is employed as the model reaction. Based on the analysis of Sh=aRebSc0.356 correlation, the values of the constant a, associated with shape and cell dimensions, were 0.012, 0.014, and 0.022 for the four-plate, six-plate and concentric cylinder, respectively. This behavior suggests that both, the shape and area of the counter electrode, influence the values of a. The values of b, associated with the hydrodynamic regime, were similar for the six-plate and the concentric counter electrodes, b=0.91; whereas for the four-plate counter electrode, b=0.95. The fact that the four-plate device gives greater values of b suggests that this device has a higher turbulence-promoting action than the others. The mass transport at the RCE with four plates has a performance similar to the concentric counter electrode, which is important from the technical and economics standpoints.

Clinical and Translational Oncology, 2009

Information presented on this website is considered public information (unless otherwise noted) a... more Information presented on this website is considered public information (unless otherwise noted) and may be distributed or copied. Use of appropriate byline/photo/image credit is requested. We recommend that UCF data be acquired directly from a UCF server and not through other sources that may change the data in some way. While UCF makes every effort to provide accurate and complete information, various data such as names, telephone numbers, etc. may change prior to updating. This Opinion column is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in UCF Forum by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact lee.dotson@ucf.edu. STARS Citation

Information presented on this website is considered public information (unless otherwise noted) a... more Information presented on this website is considered public information (unless otherwise noted) and may be distributed or copied. Use of appropriate byline/photo/image credit is requested. We recommend that UCF data be acquired directly from a UCF server and not through other sources that may change the data in some way. While UCF makes every effort to provide accurate and complete information, various data such as names, telephone numbers, etc. may change prior to updating. This Opinion column is brought to you for free and open access by STARS. It has been accepted for inclusion in UCF Forum by an authorized administrator of STARS. For more information, please contact lee.dotson@ucf.edu. STARS Citation

Journal of Clinical Oncology

4613 Background: Trastuzumab(T) exhibits activity in human gastric cancer cells that overexpress ... more 4613 Background: Trastuzumab(T) exhibits activity in human gastric cancer cells that overexpress HER2/neu. We previously reported a 13.5% HER2/neu overexpression/amplification in AGC or gastroesofageal junction (GEJ) cancers (Grávalos C, et al. J Clin Oncol 24, 18S, 200s, abstr # 4089). We designed a phase II trial to determine the efficacy and tolerability of T and cisplatin(C) in pts with ACG with HER2/neu overexpression/amplification. Exploratory objectives include analysis of c-erbB-2 extracellular domain and correlation of the results with histological erB-2/neu overexpression and with clinical response Methods: Chemo-naïve pts with adenocarcinoma histopatologically confirmed, HER2/neu overexpression/amplification, measurable, no operable, locally advanced or metastatic AGC, age ≥ 18, ECOG ≤ 2, FEVI ≥ 50% and adequate organ function were eligible. Prior adjuvant radiotherapy or/and chemotherapy were allowed. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) was performed using herceptest. A fluoresce...

British journal of cancer, 2018

Data from two trials of panitumumab in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) were retrospectively a... more Data from two trials of panitumumab in metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) were retrospectively analysed to investigate the effects of primary tumour location on early-tumour shrinkage (ETS) and depth of response (DpR), and identify factors predicting long-term survival. Patients with RAS wild-type mCRC from PRIME (NCT00364013) and PEAK (NCT00819780) were included. ETS was defined as a ≥30% reduction in the sum-of-the-longest-diameters of measurable target lesions at eight weeks. DpR was the maximum percentage change from baseline to nadir in patients with shrinkage. Univariate and multivariate logistic analyses of short- versus long-term survivor data were performed. A total of 435/559 (78%) patients had left-sided disease. Of these, a higher proportion of patients treated with panitumumab versus comparator achieved ETS (PRIME: 62% vs. 36%; PEAK: 58% vs. 41%); median DpR was also higher with panitumumab (PRIME: 59% vs. 49%; PEAK: 70% vs. 48%). In pooled analyses of the studies, mor...

Journal of Clinical Oncology

446 Background: Pmab has demonstrated significant improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) ... more 446 Background: Pmab has demonstrated significant improvement in progression-free survival (PFS) in pts with WT KRAS mCRC as 1st-line tx in a phase III trial comparing pmab + FOLFOX4 vs FOLFOX4 alone. Here, we describe the results of PEAK, a multicenter, randomized phase II study evaluating pmab + mFOLFOX6 and bev + mFOLFOX6 in pts with previously untreated WT KRASmCRC. Methods: Pts were randomized 1:1 to pmab 6.0 mg/kg + mFOLFOX6 Q2W or bev 5.0 mg/kg + mFOLFOX6 Q2W. Pt eligibility criteria included: WT KRASmCRC, ECOG performance status ≤ 1, and no prior chemotherapy, anti-VEGF tx, or anti-EGFR tx for mCRC. The primary endpoint was PFS; secondary endpoints included overall survival (OS), objective response rate (ORR), and safety. No formal hypothesis was tested. Results: 285 pts with WT KRASmCRC were randomized and 278 pts received tx. Demographics were balanced between arms. Intent-to-treat efficacy results are shown (Table). Worst grade 3/4 adverse events (AE) occurred in 86% of p...

Annals of Oncology

bevacizumab. These analyses included patients with RAS WT mCRC (i.e. patients whose tumours conta... more bevacizumab. These analyses included patients with RAS WT mCRC (i.e. patients whose tumours contain no mutations in KRAS or NRAS exons 2 [codons 12/13], 3 [codons 59/61] and 4 [codons 117/146]). Baseline demographics/disease characteristics and response outcomes (early tumour shrinkage [ETS] and depth of response [DpR]) were summarised for long-and short-term survivors in each study. ETS was defined as a reduction of ! 30% in the sum of the longest diameters of measurable target lesions at 8 weeks. DpR was calculated as the maximum percentage change from baseline to nadir in patients who had tumour shrinkage, or as the percentage change at progression in patients with no shrinkage (if there was no progression, DpR could not be defined). Long-term survivors were defined based on a cutoff including the 25% of classifiable patients with the longest OS. In a second analysis, in which data were pooled from the two studies, long-term survival was defined as ! 45 months. Results: In total, the analysis included 664 patients. Using the 25% cutoff , median survival was 39.5 months in PRIME (120/475 patients) and 45.9 months in PEAK (34/137 patients). Long-term survivors were more likely, compared with short-term survivors, to be randomised to panitumumab (PRIME: 61% vs. 46%; PEAK: 62% vs. 47%) and have an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status of 0 (PRIME: 74% vs. 50%; PEAK: 76% vs. 56%). Long-term survivors were more likely to have BRAF WT, left-sided primary tumours, to have received study treatment for !9 months, to have undergone any/complete resection, and to have experienced ETS (Table); median DpR was also higher in this group. Overall, 124/664 patients (19%) in these studies survived !45 months; baseline characteristics and response outcomes were similar to those noted in the 25% analysis (data not shown). Conclusion: In the first-line PRIME and PEAK studies, median OS in the 25% of patients with the longest survival was 39.5 and 45.9 months, respectively. Thus, choice of first-line therapy, and optimal longitudinal patient management aiming at dose density of chemotherapy and resection/ablation of metastases, can positively affect OS beyond first line. Long-term survivors were more likely to have been randomised to panitumumab þ FOLFOX than to the comparator arm (PRIME: FOLFOX alone; PEAK: FOLFOX þ bevacizumab) and to have baseline disease characteristics associated with favourable prognosis. Compared with short-term survivors, they more frequently experienced ETS, underwent resection and had a greater DpR. These findings may reflect a cohort of patients with tumour biology that has greater sensitivity to panitumumab. P À 321 Impact of primary tumour location on response and resection outcomes in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) undergoing first-line treatment

The oncologist, Apr 8, 2017

These negative phase II results for parsatuzumab highlight the challenges of developing an agent ... more These negative phase II results for parsatuzumab highlight the challenges of developing an agent intended to enhance the efficacy of vascular endothelial growth factor inhibition without the benefit of validated pharmacodynamic biomarkers or strong predictive biomarker hypotheses.Any further clinical development of anti-EGFL7 is likely to require new mechanistic insights and biomarker development for antiangiogenic agents. EGFL7 (epidermal growth factor-like domain 7) is a tumor-enriched vascular extracellular matrix protein that supports endothelial cell survival. This phase II trial evaluated the efficacy of parsatuzumab (also known as MEGF0444A), a humanized anti-EGFL7 IgG1 monoclonal antibody, in combination with modified FOLFOX6 (mFOLFOX6) (folinic acid, 5-fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin) bevacizumab in patients with previously untreated metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC). One-hundred twenty-seven patients were randomly assigned to parsatuzumab, 400 mg, or placebo, in combinatio...

Chasqui, May 1, 2014

In June 2001, the Peruvian government of president Valentin Paniagua designated a Comision de la ... more In June 2001, the Peruvian government of president Valentin Paniagua designated a Comision de la Verdad y Reconciliacion (from now on CVR) to investigate the events of what was termed Guerra Interna (1980-2000). This internal war began with the armed insurgency of the Peruvian Communist Party: Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) during which, according to the Commission's report, more than sixty-nine thousand individuals were killed or disappeared while torture and the rape of women were common practices. Three out of every four were Quechua-speaking peasants. (1) The investigation lasted two years and was an extraordinary work because of its extent and depth, as well as the breadth of accounts produced: testimonies from the Public Hearings, the final report (both the electronic version and the abridged version Hatun Willakuy), the photographic memoire Yuyanapaq: para recordar, and the photographic installation-exhibit under the latter title at the National Museum. The most important outcome was the final report (Informe final from now on Informe) of ten volumes. It included: victims, perpetrators, and accomplice testimonies; information on the genesis and evolution of the conflict; political, sociological, and anthropological analyses; sections with assignment of responsibilities; and a whole chapter with still-unaccomplished recommendations to reform state institutions and compensate the victims. (2) One of the most important findings, along with the victims' testimonies, was the need for a new narrative to examine and represent the Guerra Interna as well as the whole of Peruvian history. The CVR tried to develop this narrative using the professional, academic, or pastoral experiences of its members, incorporating ideas and discourses of human rights, law, sociology, politics, and anthropology. (3) In this sense, this article focuses on the performance of the CVR in two scenes associated with the production of testimonies and the Informe, when it tried to "listen" to the victims and then develop a suitable narrative for the events. The first scene, in the initial public hearing (audiencia publica) in the city of Huamanga, shows the way the Peruvian state had previously addressed and represented society. In the second scene, at the ceremony marking the delivery of the Informe at the government palace in Lima, the CVR presents a new narrative expressing its desire for establishing an inclusive and multicultural discourse for Peruvian politics. This discourse, they hoped, could confront both the official society and the model of nation-state historically articulated through social and cultural discrimination. Finally, an examination of the term pacto in the Informe's general conclusions, which is a core element of this narrative, will show the need to develop political agency among the marginal and excluded sectors of Peruvian society. The objective here is to examine, with textual analysis carried out from a literary perspective, the change in language and enunciation produced by this narrative both before and after the CVR hears testimonies and finds the common graves. Also, the purpose of this article is to examine how the CVR performs while obeying a mandate, in the etymological sense of the Latin aboedire or ob audire: of listening and knowing how to listen. In other words, I will examine not only how the writing and performance of the CVR obey the mandate of the Peruvian state and of the victims to represent specific events, but also how this mandate affects the very narrative used to represent them. (4) Scene One: Hearing and Testimony, The Nation's Ear and God's Eye? On April 8th 2002, the CVR began the public hearings in the Andean city of Huamanga, Ayacucho, the most devastated region in the war. This event was held at an auditorium at Huamanga University. In attendance were: ten members of the CVR; victims and witnesses chosen to express their testimonies; twelve international guests and observers who worked on cases of human rights violations around the world; national and local authorities; the local audience from Huamanga; and television and radio reporters who were broadcasting the event. …

Race and Society, 2004

Although there have been a number of studies examining depression among Latinos, and Mexican Amer... more Although there have been a number of studies examining depression among Latinos, and Mexican Americans in particular, there is still a modest understanding of Latino subgroup variation. Research on Latinos and depression typically focuses on clinical samples or nonrandom samples in specific cities. Using 1994 data from the National Survey of Family and Households, we evaluate whether factors typically associated with depression operate similarly for a nationally representative sample of Puerto Ricans, Mexicans and non-Hispanic whites. Our multivariate analyses reveal that ethnic group membership moderates the relationship between nativity, gender and depression. Being born in the Continental U.S. has a negative effect on depression for Puerto Ricans. For Mexicans, it has a positive effect on depression. For all racial/ethnic groups, men are less depressed than women. However, the results reveal that the gender gap in depression is greater for Mexicans and Puerto Ricans than it is for non-Hispanic whites.

British Journal of Cancer, 1997

Journal of Dairy Science, 2010

PharmacoEconomics Spanish Research Articles, 2013

ABSTRACT Objetivo Realizar una evaluación económica de XELOX vs FOLFOX-4 en el tratamiento en pri... more ABSTRACT Objetivo Realizar una evaluación económica de XELOX vs FOLFOX-4 en el tratamiento en primera línea de cáncer colorrectal metastático (CCRm) en España. Métodos De acuerdo con los resultados del ensayo clínico NO16966, se consideró que los tratamientos XELOX y FOLFOX-4 tienen perfiles de eficacia similares, por lo que se llevó a cabo un modelo de minimización de costes con el objetivo de estimar el coste medio por paciente de XELOX y FOLFOX-4. Se incluyeron costes farmacológicos, de administración y acceso venoso central, de manejo de efectos adversos y costes indirectos. Los costes se expresaron en €2012 y se contó con un panel de expertos clínicos para la validación y determinación del uso de recursos en España. Resultados El coste asociado a la administración, al acceso venoso central y manejo de efectos adversos fue menor con XELOX que con FOLFOX-4 (473 € vs 1.175 €, 125 € vs 824 € y 599 € vs 623 €, respectivamente), mientras que el coste farmacológico fue menor con FOLFOX-4 (2.855 € vs 4.020 €). De esta forma, el coste por paciente desde la perspectiva del Sistema Nacional de Salud fue 261 € inferior con XELOX que con FOLFOX-4. Desde la perspectiva de la sociedad, XELOX también presentó un menor coste, siendo la diferencia de 1.215 €. Conclusiones El coste por paciente estimado del tratamiento en primera línea de CCRm con XELOX fue significativamente menor que con FOLFOX-4, pudiendo generar ahorros tanto para el Sistema Nacional de Salud como para la sociedad.

Human molecular genetics, Jan 15, 2014

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of urinary bladder cancer (UBC) have yielded common varian... more Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of urinary bladder cancer (UBC) have yielded common variants at 12 loci that associate with risk of the disease. We report here the results of a GWAS of UBC including 1670 UBC cases and 90 180 controls, followed by replication analysis in additional 5266 UBC cases and 10 456 controls. We tested a dataset containing 34.2 million variants, generated by imputation based on whole-genome sequencing of 2230 Icelanders. Several correlated variants at 20p12, represented by rs62185668, show genome-wide significant association with UBC after combining discovery and replication results (OR = 1.19, P = 1.5 × 10(-11) for rs62185668-A, minor allele frequency = 23.6%). The variants are located in a non-coding region approximately 300 kb upstream from the JAG1 gene, an important component of the Notch signaling pathways that may be oncogenic or tumor suppressive in several forms of cancer. Our results add to the growing number of UBC risk variants discovered t...

Risk, Hazards & Crisis in Public Policy, 2013

ABSTRACT It is critical to assess how the needs and vulnerabilities in rural communities impact t... more ABSTRACT It is critical to assess how the needs and vulnerabilities in rural communities impact the creation of resilience, especially in states that have a large expanse of rural regions. Rural areas present different opportunities and challenges from their urban counterparts for disaster managers. The position rural communities find themselves in after a disaster is different than that of urban communities. Using the Central Florida region as an example, this study examines the characteristics of disaster management in rural communities and ways to strengthen emergency management systems to develop and improve disaster resilience in these communities. Surveys and focus groups were conducted to examine the common traits and problems in existing emergency management systems across the rural regions. Results suggest that collaboration is needed in tackling evolving social, economic, and technological environments, which tend to create new vulnerabilities in rural communities. The adaptive capacity of rural communities is expected to sustain recovery at the individual, organizational, and the community levels. Sustainability is an important element for emergency management in rural communities because the policies and programs that influence the location and character of development can ultimately reduce losses and create resilience to future disasters.

Social Marketing Quarterly, 2010

Programa de Educación Sobre la Obesidad (PESO) was a targeted intervention which intended to rais... more Programa de Educación Sobre la Obesidad (PESO) was a targeted intervention which intended to raise awareness about the obesity epidemic, reduce the proportion of overweight and obese adults, and promote the consumption of fruits and vegetables within the Hispanic community of Seminole County, Florida. It was funded through the Florida Department of Health statewide Hispanic Obesity and Prevention Program. The PESO program utilized a multidisciplinary design to implement and evaluate a nutrition education and obesity reduction program. The 4-month program was a collaborative effort of the Seminole County Health Department, University of Central Florida, and Iglesia Vida Nueva church in Seminole County. We used a social marketing framework to deliver the curriculum and structure some of the lessons. In addition, we utilized this framework to critique, redesign, and make recommendations for future programs.

Journal of Clinical Oncology, 2007

Purpose In the OPTIMOX1 trial, previously untreated patients with advanced colorectal cancer were... more Purpose In the OPTIMOX1 trial, previously untreated patients with advanced colorectal cancer were randomly assigned to two different schedules of leucovorin, fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin that were administered until progression in the control arm or in a stop-and-go fashion in the experimental arm. The randomly assigned treatment groups did not differ significantly in terms of response rate, progression-free survival, and overall survival (OS). However, the impact of oxaliplatin reintroduction on OS was potentially masked by the fact that a large number of patients did not receive the planned oxaliplatin reintroduction or received oxaliplatin after second-line therapy in both treatment groups. Patients and Methods A Cox model was fitted with all significant baseline factors plus time-dependent variables reflecting tumor progression, reintroduction of oxaliplatin, and use of second-line irinotecan. A shared frailty model was fitted with all significant baseline factors plus the numb...

Nature genetics, Jan 22, 2012

To search for sequence variants conferring risk of nonmedullary thyroid cancer, we focused our an... more To search for sequence variants conferring risk of nonmedullary thyroid cancer, we focused our analysis on 22 SNPs with a P < 5 × 10(-8) in a genome-wide association study on levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) in 27,758 Icelanders. Of those, rs965513 has previously been shown to associate with thyroid cancer. The remaining 21 SNPs were genotyped in 561 Icelandic individuals with thyroid cancer (cases) and up to 40,013 controls. Variants suggestively associated with thyroid cancer (P…

Global Change Biology, 2010

Electrochimica Acta, 2007

This study shows the effect of using four-plate, six-plate and concentric cylinder as counter ele... more This study shows the effect of using four-plate, six-plate and concentric cylinder as counter electrodes on the RCE mass transport characterization. The Cu(II)/Cu(0) process in sulfuric acid is employed as the model reaction. Based on the analysis of Sh=aRebSc0.356 correlation, the values of the constant a, associated with shape and cell dimensions, were 0.012, 0.014, and 0.022 for the four-plate, six-plate and concentric cylinder, respectively. This behavior suggests that both, the shape and area of the counter electrode, influence the values of a. The values of b, associated with the hydrodynamic regime, were similar for the six-plate and the concentric counter electrodes, b=0.91; whereas for the four-plate counter electrode, b=0.95. The fact that the four-plate device gives greater values of b suggests that this device has a higher turbulence-promoting action than the others. The mass transport at the RCE with four plates has a performance similar to the concentric counter electrode, which is important from the technical and economics standpoints.

Clinical and Translational Oncology, 2009