, De Groot 1984; Balota and Lorch 1986; Neely 1991; McNamara and

, De Groot 1984; Balota and Lorch 1986; Neely 1991; McNamara and Holbrook 2003). Our results provide a clear picture: the two semantic

tasks activated the same left-lateralized fronto-temporal network, recruiting the fusiform gyrus, the cingulate cortex, the IFG, and MFG, irrespective of the presence of a binary decision component. No linguistic task effects could be observed in the LIFG. However, silently thinking about a word’s meaning showed higher Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical activation in inferior parietal brain areas compared to semantic categorization, but no brain area was more active for semantic categorization. Regarding associative priming effects, we found neural associative suppression effects in bilateral superior temporal brain areas, Selleck Dinaciclib occipito-temporal, and medial frontal brain regions independently of the linguistic task. However, one brain area seemed to be selectively

activated as a function of the binary decision process, namely the right Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical IFG. At the behavioral level for semantic categorization, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical there was a significant 30-msec associative priming effect indicating that lexical access was facilitated (cf., Meyer and Schvaneveldt 1971). No inhibition effects were observed as expected for experimental paradigms with short SOAs and low PRPs (cf., Neely 1977). For silently thinking about a word’s meaning, we observed high accuracy rates in the postscanning recognition-test with a significant Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical positive correlation between hits and correct rejections emphasizing that participants

did well process the critical words. Neural associative suppression effects Observation of neural associative suppression Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical effects in a fronto-temporal network across both tasks indicates that semantic processing was facilitated for related compared to unrelated word pairs (Copland et al. 2003; Wheatley et al. 2005; Gold et al. 2006). In the present research, the neuroanatomical activation pattern of associative suppression effects in frontal and temporal brain areas is in line with the assumption that semantic processing necessitates that prefrontal brain regions interact with temporal brain regions (cf., Roskies et al. 2001). We propose that the neural associative Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase suppression effect in the STG and MTG likely reflects facilitated lexical access of the second word of an associatively related word pair at the level of the mental lexicon (cf., Howard et al. 1992; Fiebach et al. 2002). Temporal brain areas are discussed as being involved in accessing, selecting, gating, or retrieving semantic information stored in lexical entries of the mental lexicon (Roskies et al. 2001).

g WHO IV, USA ONS II) This perspective implies the search for s

g. WHO IV, USA ONS II). This perspective implies the search for strategies of need-satisfaction rather than of symptom “sedation”. A3 – Being assisted by a staff in order to make the process of dying more comfortable (both physical and psychological) In general, accepting the

palliative care goal of making the dying process as easy as possible, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical the documents highlight the role of a multidisciplinary team, with special knowledge and skills, in order to deal with the problems and needs of the patients and of their families. B – RELATIONAL AND SOCIAL AREA B1 – Respect of cultural values and individual preferences Among the most important elements of caring are the acknowledgement of personal, social, religious Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical and cultural values and beliefs, of both patients and families, as well as the patients’ choices about the end-of-life caring. This implies paying special attention to their identification, and respecting and not judging them. One of the documents (i.e. AUSTRALIA PCA II) suggests that also deliberate requests of ending life have to be respected, should they reflect

the patient’s wishes. Another document (i.e. USA AAFP I) advocates for the availability of instruments that might permit the empowerment of the patients and the respect Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical of their choices. B2 – Emotional support learn more provided to the family This is a common topic in the relational and social area. Family, in fact, is an object of care, together with the patient. Family must be supported also after patient’s death. Some documents (e.g. USA AAP, UK NCPC, UK SC, AUSTRALIA AMA) emphasize the Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical importance of a support that should include specific measures such as counselling, in order to help the family to successfully cope with the patient’s illness B3 – Good communication between patient/families/close friends/caring staff Communication is a crucial element of care. It must be open, honest, understandable, and must be given in an atmosphere of sensitivity and compassion with adequate emotional support. At the end-of-life, communication Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical concerns the symptoms, their cause and treatment options, as well as issues related to death and dying. Some documents

(e.g. USA ASCO II) claim for a health professionals’ specific training. One of the documents points out that nurses 4-Aminobutyrate aminotransferase should advocate for the communication of the patient’s preferences across the various health-care settings (i.e. CANADA CNA). B4 – Having close people nearby/Family acceptance of the patient’s condition/Not feeling a burden for family and friends Family is acknowledged as a crucial element of end-of-life care, but this care must not become an unbearable burden. The care must be freely and consciously accepted and carried out by the relatives. The appropriate climate for a dying person ought comprehend the following elements: physical and emotional closeness; acceptance of death; providing the patient does not feel her/himself as a burden for the caregivers.

They found that twist was reduced as a result of pericardiotomy a

They found that twist was reduced as a result of pericardiotomy and increased again as a result of resuturing of the pericardium. This was attributed to changes in left ventricular shape that occurred as a result of pericardiotomy. Why Do We Need to Study Twist? Rotation and twist are G007-LK cell line concepts that first became familiar to echocardiographers with the appearance of speckle tracking echocardiography. In what ways this knowledge will Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical be of use in clinical settings remains unclear. In addition, we feel there are several limitations in measuring rotation and twist in routine

clinical practice. For example, there may be an intervender variability of speckle tracking measurements. Three-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography, not two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography, should be used to avoid the effect of the through plane motion. Nonetheless, as previously stated, there can be no doubt that measuring twist will further our understanding of cardiac mechanics. Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical Also, identification of hyper-rotation probably implies Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical subendocardial dysfunction that is caused by various reasons. I await the day when rotation and twist are recognized as new evaluations of cardiac function.
Doxorubicin is a widely-used anticancer agent and the major limitation of its use is dose-related cardiotoxicity.1) At present,

doxorubicin cardiotoxicity Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical is routinely screened noninvasively by measurement of the left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction

(EF), but abnormal observations can be made only when cardiac damage already has reached significant proportions.2) Recently, myocardial apoptosis was suggested as a common mechanism of acute and chronic myocyte loss.3-5) In the pathophysiology of cardiovascular disease, programmed cell death of cardiomyocytes has been suggested to be an important contributor because apoptotic cardiomyocytes have been identified during hypoxia, ischemia, cardiac overload, acute myocardial infarction, end-stage heart failure in vivo, and anthracycline Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical use.6),7) Doxorubicin induces apoptosis in several cell lines and, in a rat model, the kidneys, intestines, and cardiomyocytes.7-9) MTMR9 Therefore, the detection of apoptosis could be an opportunity for the noninvasive exploration of early cardiomyopathy. The detection methods used in most studies evaluating apoptosis of the heart are based on the occurrence of DNA fragmentation, such as the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL) assay and DNA laddering. However, in vivo detection of cell death is not possible with TUNEL or DNA gel electrophoresis.10) One of the earliest events after triggering cell death is the externalization of phosphatidylserine (PS) to the outer leaflet of the plasma membrane of the cell. Detection of PS exposure can be easily achieved by the phospholipid binding protein annexin A5.

39 Summarizing more specifically studies that have analyzed regul

39 Summarizing more specifically studies that have analyzed regulatory, exonic, and intronic regions in a comparable way, an average spacing of about one SNP every 166 bp is observed; including the few studies carried out on coding regions, an average spacing of about,

one SNP every 183 bp is obtained. This is in excellent agreement, with the variation data reported in the most comprehensive gene sequence Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical survey on 313 genes; on average, about, one SNP every 185 bp was detected.33 Describing candidate gene variability in absolute numbers, a. number of variants in the range of 6 to 88 per gene was observed, an average Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical value of about 35 variants given .25-29-31,32,34,39,64,65,68 If completely different sets of genes were considered, average values of about 12 to 15 SNPs per gene (range 0-59) were

obtained.33,36,37,70 Overall, this clearly reflects a higher variability than that reported in the first gene-scanning studies, which surveyed 75 to 106 candidate genes by application of variation detection arrays; about, one SNP every 217 Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical or 346 bp was described.36,37 These estimates of human variation among individuals also reflect a notable difference to the previously most frequently cited values of variation (Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor Library research buy between an individual’s maternal and paternal genomes), ie, one sequence difference approximately every kilobase,35 and the range being one difference every 500 to 2000 bases.36,37,71 Overall, 3′ UTR, exon-intron boundaries, 5′ regulatory, and 5 ‘UTR regions Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical appear to be more variable than coding regions, ranging from one SNP every 142 bp (3′ UTR) to about one SNP every 294 bp (coding regions).33

Describing candidate gene variability by allele frequency spectra (ie, frequencies of the minor allele), about onethird of the SNPs (30%-38%) were observed only Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical once.33,70,72 For less than one-third of the SNPs (28%32%), the frequency of the minor allele ranged between 1 % and 5%; for about 14% to 17% of the SNPs, the frequency of the minor allele ranged between 5% and 20%; and for the remaining 11% to 13%, the frequency of the minor allele ranged between 20% and 50%. 33,70 Sample sizes of analyzed studies ranged from 82 including Bumetanide four populations33 to an average of about 290 from one population of European descent.70 Of all SNPs, about 21 % were cosmopolitan, implying that both alleles were present, in all populations.33 Regarding the nature of genetic variability, 26% to 44% of all SNPs were found in the coding regions.33,36,37,70 Of all the coding SNPs (cSNPs) identified, 47% to 56% led to replacement, of an amino acid residue and probably impact protein function ,33,36,37,70 reflecting a high level of human protein diversity.

Induction of apoptosis in OST cells by ESA was demonstrated by me

Induction of apoptosis in OST cells by ESA was demonstrated by measuring the expression of caspase-3 (see Figure 3). It was shown that the addition of ESA to OST cells led to apoptosis in cells of sarcoma, because the caspase-3 expression is known to be directly related

to the apoptosis mechanism [29]. Thus, ESA may be used as efficient tumor-targeting ligand and apoptosis inducer in a DDS in a sarcoma therapy. As shown in our previous work, PEGylated Span 80 vesicles with immobilized ESA (abbreviated as EPV) are rather promising drug carriers for the treatment Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical of carcinoma cancers [6]. Therefore, the use of EPV may be expanded to the treatment of sarcoma. The ability of ESA, and EPV, as targeting unit and apoptosis inducer in the case of cells of sarcoma was examined further by flow cytometry as well as cell viability measurements, choosing OST cells as typical sarcoma cell type. As shown with the flow cytometric measurements in Figure 6, targeting of ESA to

OST cells in vitro was observed Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical from the shift of Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical the flow cytometric curve to the right hand side (see Figure 6). Furthermore, Mocetinostat solubility dmso comparing EPV with CV in Figure 7 (as mentioned in Section 3.7.), it was found that the macromolecular structure of PEG on the vesicle surface did not hinder OST cell binding of ESA which was localized on the vesicle surface together with PEG. This is a very important phenomenon. It may be due to the high mobility of both ESA and PEG, because of the high membrane fluidity of Span 80 vesicles, as mentioned previously [19, 30]. Therefore, the use of Span 80 vesicles as DDS is very effective. In addition, EPV showed anticancer activity against OST cells Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical since after an elapsing time of Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical about 48 hours after the

addition of EPV at an ESA concentration of 2μg/mL, the OST cell viability was reduced to almost zero, as shown in Figure 8. It seems that the anticancer activities of ESA against OST cells in the vesicle system (Figure 8) is stronger than those in free ESA system (Figure 1). However, the activities of the two systems cannot be compared directly, because either the incubation time or the ESA concentration Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase was different in the two systems. For example, for a direct comparison of the activities of the two systems against OST cells, the time-course of the viability upon addition of free ESA system (Figure 1(b)) should be measured at [ESA] = 2μg/mL; at this concentration and after an incubation time of 48 hours, the cells were no more viable if the vesicles system was used (Figure 8). Unfortunately, the data obtained from measurements with free ESA at this low concentration showed great variations. On the other hand, we have already examined [4, 6] the cytotoxicity of either ESA or EV for various carcinoma cancer cells and normal cells, followed by examining the binding affinities of ESA and EV to the cells.

Somatic symptoms of depressive disorders in inpatient care and pr

Somatic symptoms of depressive disorders in inpatient care and primary care In a clinical study, Hamilton reported that

somatic symptoms prevailed in a great majority of depressed patients.12 Somatic symptoms, particularly somatic anxiety and fatigue, were documented in up to 80% of a sample of 260 women and 239 men suffering from major depression. These somatic symptoms very frequently had an underlying psychopathologically relevant hypochondriasis, both in women and men. This study confirmed earlier studies showing that depressive disorders with Obeticholic Acid research buy predominantly somatic presentation were likely Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical to be the most common form of depression, both in inpatient and outpatient care.13,14 Hagnell and Rorsman stressed the Indicative significance of somatic symptoms in depressed primary care patients regarding their risk of suicide.15 Epidemiological studies designed to establish prevalence figures for depressive disorders Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical In primary care during recent years have uniformly demonstrated

that depressive disorders are highly prevalent at this level of medical care.16-19 For the great majority of depressed patients seeking professional help in the official health care system, general practitioners and internists are the decisive interface for diagnosis and treatment of depression.20 Primary-care patients with depression very Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical often present with somatic complaints. This seems to be more the rule than the exception

worldwide.21,22 Two of the three most common symptoms reported during a current depressive episode were somatic (tlred/no energy/listless: 73%, broken sleep/decreased sleep: 63%) as shown by the European Study Society study (DEPRES II).23 This study, however, also underlined that 65% of the depressed primary Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical care patients suffered from a concomitant medical condition pointing to some likely difficulties In differential diagnosis. The multlcenter International study (n =1146) conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) confirmed that two thirds of the patients presented their depressive mood with somatic symptoms exclusively, and more than half complained of multiple medically unexplained somatic symptoms.24 In another primary care study, Kirmayer et al arrived at a similar finding of patients presenting their depressive or anxiety ADAMTS5 disorders exclusively with somatic symptoms in an overwhelming majority (73%). The identified somatic symptoms were the main reason for the initial visit to the primary care physician.25 In a US study in 573 patients with the diagnosis of major depression, two thirds (69%) complained of general aches and pains, hinting at a close relationship between pain symptoms and depression.26 The diagnostic situation In primary care frequently manifests Itself, however, as somewhat more complicated.

This is in stark contrast to the male, who can produce upwards of

This is in stark contrast to the male, who can produce upwards of 100 million sperm a day. Changes in Sexual Function in the Aging Male Studies have consistently shown that increasing male age is associated with an increased time to pregnancy and decreased pregnancy rates. However, only a few studies have examined these outcomes while adjusting for female

Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical age. Ford and colleagues performed a secondary data analysis of the Avon Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood, a large population-based study in the United Kingdom. Surveys from 8559 pregnancies were used to determine the Lonafarnib effect of age on time to pregnancy. After adjusting for female age, conception during a 12-month period was 30% less likely for men over age 40 years as compared with men younger than age 30 years.9 In addition to female age, coital frequency and sexual Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical functioning are variables that affect time to conception and pregnancy rates. Decreased sexual activity can decrease the chances of conception,10 and erectile dysfunction Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical (ED) increases with age.11 Decreased coital frequency with age is due in part to diminished sexual functioning; however, sexual dysfunction itself has no known influence on germ cells and its impact on infertility

can be overcome by measures of assisted reproductive technology.12 In a study of 1290 men aged 40 to 70 years who enrolled in the Massachusetts Male Aging Study (MMAS), sexual functioning and coital frequency were assessed. Between ages 40 and 70, the probability of having severe ED increased threefold and the probability of moderate ED increased twofold.13 In the same

cohort followed for an average of 9 years, coital frequency was assessed in 1085 men. After adjusting for baseline sexual Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical function, men engaged in sexual activity an average of 6.5 times per month prior to age 40. This frequency decreased by one to two times per month after age 50 and by another one to two times per month after age 60.14 In a survey study of 1976 British women controlled for female age, coital frequency, social history, and weight, an even stronger age effect on pregnancy rate was found than in the study by Ford and colleagues. This study reported a five times greater increase PD184352 (CI-1040) in time to pregnancy in men aged 45 years and older compared with men aged < 25 years. The increased time to pregnancy was similar even when restricting the analysis to men whose female partners were aged < 25 years.15 To evaluate pregnancy rates in different age groups, a French study examined 901 cycles of intrauterine artificial insemination. They found that the most significant factor contributing to probability of pregnancy was the age of the male partner. After six cycles, men aged ≥ 35 years had fertility rates of 25% compared with fertility rates of 52% in men aged < 35 years, representing a 52% decrease in fertility rate.

Hence it is wrong to regard revelation as a substitute or supplem

Hence it is wrong to regard revelation as a substitute or supplement for natural knowledge or consider Scriptures a body of information on the nature of the world or its history.15 One should be aware of the paradox evoked when one

regards the Torah as superior only to the extent that the information provided to him is more reliable than his biology book. Information obtained from historical, physical, or biological inquiry that satisfy human curiosity should be deemed within the realm of the profane. If the “Holy Scriptures” were a source of information, it would be problematic to see their sacredness. Therefore, any literal reading of the first chapters of Genesis is misguided, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical whether to show Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical that the Torah is wrong (evolution is a process of millions of years rather than six days) or when modern science is used to validate the Torah (such as the assertion of the biblical statement “and there was light” by the “scientific discovery that the universe began with the sudden appearance of an enormous ‘ball of light’ … dubbed ‘the big bang’”).16 It is arrogant for us to determine that we are at the center of a 5,770-year-old world, capable of understanding all of “divine” creation from words written in a few paragraphs

in the book of Genesis. Nevertheless, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical Steinberg is, of course, entitled to his fundamentalist position regarding how to read the Torah. Conversely, one cannot accept the claim that his perspective is the unified view of Halakhic Judaism. In fact, throughout his article, Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical Steinberg considers Judaism as representing a significant unity of beliefs which includes a particular conception of man, of the world, or of Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical its history. This view is clearly erroneous as any analysis of Jewish intellectual history can prove. Jewish doctrines and principles were so diverse and dependent upon different schools of thought pertinent to their epoch that they can hardly be alleged

to present any significant unity. Hence, Judaism all as a historical entity was not constituted by its set of beliefs or philosophical opinions. (I argue that the core of the Rabbinic Judaism is its religious practice determined by the Halakha. However, I do not argue that there is no system of belief behind its practice, but instead that it is not intended to be a picture of the world. It is just a framework in which one conducts practices that are supposed to be appropriate. See also Jacob.17) In truth, articles of faith were the subject of fierce dispute throughout Jewish intellectual history. Even the interpretation of the idea of divine unity by rabbinic thinkers is characterized by direct oppositions. The primary document of Jewish faith, the Shema, opens with the verse “Hear O PARP inhibitor Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One”.

LH subsequently stimulates secretion of T, predominantly by the t

LH subsequently stimulates secretion of T, predominantly by the testes (Figure 1).11,12 Sustained pituitary overstimulation eventually downregulates and desensitizes GnRH receptors, causing a decrease in hormone levels.13 The overall effect of ADT on hormone levels in prostate cancer differs between treatments. Selleckchem AZD0530 Orchiectomy reduces T and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) but is accompanied by significant rises in both LH and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH).14,15 GnRH agonists cause an initial surge in LH, FSH, T, and DHT; over time these hormones are suppressed. 16 However, FSH gradually rises during GnRH agonist treatment

and results in a FSH “escape.”17 Figure 1 Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical secreted in pulses from the hypothalamus, stimulates release of luteinizing hormone (LH) from the pituitary gland, along with adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and prolactin. LH subsequently stimulates secretion … Hence, these distinct modes of action of GnRH agonists produce Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical different clinical effects. The initial agonist-induced T surge can exacerbate clinical symptoms (clinical flare) in advanced prostate cancer.18 An appreciable proportion of patients (~ 12%) receiving GnRH agonists

fail to achieve castrate T levels ≤ 50 ng/dL.19 T microsurges associated with repeat injections also occur with agonists.19 In a Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical study with goserelin, microsurges (T surges above a castration threshold of 18.5 ng/dL after ≥ 1 repeat injection) occurred in 17.7% to 27% of patients.20 The clinical implications of microsurges are currently unclear. Loss of GnRH receptor sensitivity during long-term agonist therapy can allow renewed T production manifesting as a late breakthrough T escape.19,21 Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical GnRH agonists usually cause partial FSH suppression.22,23 FSH stimulates prostate cancer cell growth in vitro.24 FSH receptors are present on prostate tumors25 and the

surface of tumor blood vessels 26; they are expressed at higher levels on prostate versus Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical normal tissue.27 FSH signaling may also contribute to progression of CRPC.28 FSH promotes RANK (receptor activator of nuclear factor κB) expression on CD141+ cells, indicating the acquisition of osteoclast precursor cell characteristics.29 The exact significance of the role of FSH is still being defined. Long-term T control has been suggested to reduce mortality risk among patients with old metastatic disease.10 In 129 patients with metastatic prostate cancer receiving a GnRH agonist, those with high T levels at 6 months had a 1.33-fold increase in mortality risk.10 How May Changing Prostate Cancer Screening Guidelines Impact Use of AdT? PSA is the most utilized biomarker for diagnosing prostate cancer. It is a serine protease inhibitor that was discovered and purified in 1979.30 Thirteen years later, two large studies reported the utility of using PSA screening for prostate cancer.

After failure of first line therapy, however, the options contin

After failure of first line therapy, however, the options continue to be even more limited. There are currently no widely accepted treatments beyond first line. The only regimen to show evidence of survival benefit in a context of a randomized trial in this setting is oxaliplatin/5-FU/leucovorin (OFF), which improved overall survival to

4.8 months from 2.3 months with best supportive care (4). Nab-paclitaxel (trade name, Abraxane), is paclitaxel bound to nano-particle albumin, a first drug of this type. Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical Nab-paclitaxel was initially developed to avoid hypersensitivity reactions that resulted from solvents such as cremephor that are used to dissolve paclitaxel. Nab-paclitaxel has been approved by the Food and Drug Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical Romidepsin concentration Administration since 2004 for use in metastatic breast cancer as well as metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (5,6). In addition to eliminating hypersensitivity reaction, it has also been postulated that uptake of albumin by tumor cells may allow improved intra-tumoral delivery of nab-paclitaxel. This may be especially relevant in pancreatic cancer given the dense stromal component of this malignancy

that has been postulated as being central to its chemoresistance (7). In fact, a protein present in stroma of many pancreatic adenocarcinomas, secreted protein Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical acidic and rich in cysteine (SPARC), may help serve as an albumin-binding Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical protein that sequesters nab-paclitaxel to concentrate the drug intratumorally (8). Nab-paclitaxel was first used in pancreatic cancer two years ago in combination with gemcitabine in the setting of a phase I-II study, where it was found to be tolerable with substantial activity (9). The results of a phase III trial comparing gemcitabine to gemcitabine combined with nab-paclitaxel were recently presented in abstract form showing improved

survival of two months from 6.7 to 8.5 months with the combination Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical therapy in previously untreated patients with advanced pancreatic cancer (10). In the second line setting, a small phase II study has also shown evidence of activity of nab-paclitaxel monotherapy in patients who have progressed through gemcitabine (11). This study involved 19 patients and showed an overall survival of 7.3 months. 36.8% of patients had stable or partial response on best imaging in this study. No other data is available, to the best of these our knowledge, however, on the use of nab-paclitaxel monotherapy in refractory pancreatic cancer, which is an area of dire need. Here, we report the results of a retrospective and prospective registry study documenting our experience with nab-paclitaxel monotherapy in heavily pretreated pancreatic cancer patients. Materials and methods Patient population Patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma at Washington University in St.