SRF Report 2006/07 - Glossary of Terms (PDF 127 KB)

Glossary of Terms to the Strategic Resources Framework Report 2006/07

Safe Parenting Handbook (PDF 1.07 Mb)

This handbook was published in conjunction with the 4 Area Child Protection Committees

National Child Measurement Programme: Detailed Analysis of the 2006/07 National Dataset

The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) weighs and measures children in Reception (typically aged 4 - 5 years) and (aged 10 - 11 years) annually. The report highlights the usefulness of the NCMP Dataset in furthering our understanding of underweight, overweight and obesity in children, as well as highlighting some areas where improvements can be made in the programme, or where further analysis and investigation is required. The purpose of this report is not to provide specific local results, but an understanding from national-level analysis that can be used to inform local uses and analysis of NCMP data.

Supporting Healthy Lifestyles: The Natioanl Child Measurement Programme - Guidance for 2006 - 07 school year

The Department of Health is providing a central data store for child obesity data collected by PCTs to be available for live implementation by the end of June 2006. The central data store will be accessible by PCTs via Unify, the DH performance management system.

Tackling health inequalities: 2005-07 policy and data update for the 2010 national target

This document provides an update on progress to meet the health inequalities national target to reduce the gap as measured by infant mortality and life expectancy, by 10% by 2010. It includes an assessment of whether the 70 spearhead area local authorities, which map to 62 PCTs, are on track to meet the life expectancy target.

National Child Measurement Programme. Detailed Analysis of the 2006/07 Dataset

The National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) weighs and measures children in Reception (typically aged 4 - 5 years) and (aged 10 - years) annually. The report highlights the usefulness of the NCMP Dataset in furthering our understanding of underweight, overweight and obesity in children, as well as highlighting some areas where improvements can be made in the programme, or where further analysis and investigation is required. The purpose of this report is not to provide specific local results, but an understanding from national-level analysis that can be used to inform local uses and analysis of NCMP data.

National Child Measurement Programme: Detailed Analysis of the 2006/07 National Dataset

The National Obesity Observatory has produced a new report - National Child Measurement Programme: Detailed Analysis of the 2006/07 National Dataset. The report highlights the usefulness of the NCMP for advancing our understanding of underweight, overweight and obesity in children. The report looks at the effects of socio-demographic and other factors on the reported prevalence of childhood obesity. It also identifies areas where improvements can be made, and where further analysis and investigation are required.

Efficacy of cetuximab in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer might depend on EGFR and PTEN expression: results from a phase II trial (SAKK 08/07).

PURPOSE: The EGF receptor (EGFR) is overexpressed in the majority of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancers (mCRPC) and might represent a valid therapeutic target. The combination of docetaxel and cetuximab, the monoclonal antibody against EGFR, has not been tested in patients with prostate cancer. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: Patients with mCRPC progressing during or within 90 days after at least 12 weeks of docetaxel were included in this phase II trial. Treatment consisted of docetaxel (75 mg/m(2) every 3 weeks or 35 mg/m(2) on days 1, 8, 15 every 4 weeks) in combination with cetuximab (400 mg/m(2) on day 1 and then 250 mg/m(2) weekly). The primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS) at 12 weeks defined as the absence of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), radiographic, or clinical progression. Evaluation of known biomarkers of response and resistance to cetuximab (EGFR, PTEN, amphiregulin, epiregulin) was conducted. RESULTS: Thirty-eight patients were enrolled at 15 Swiss centers. Median age was 68 years and median PSA was 212 ng/mL. PFS at 12 weeks was 34% [95% confidence interval (CI), 19%-52%], PFS at 24 weeks was 20%, and median overall survival (OS) was 13.3 months (95% CI, 7.3-15.4). Seven patients (20%) had a confirmed ≥ 50% and 11 patients (31%) a confirmed ≥ 30% PSA decline. About 47% of enrolled patients experienced grade 3 and 8% grade 4 toxicities. A significantly improved PFS was found in patients with overexpression of EGFR and persistent activity of PTEN. CONCLUSIONS: EGFR inhibition with cetuximab might improve the outcome of patients with mCRPC. A potential correlation between EGFR overexpression, persistent expression of PTEN, and EGFR inhibition should be investigated further.

Prospective analysis of KRAS, BRAF, and PIK3CA mutations and EGFR copy number in patients (pts) with locally advanced rectal cancer: A translational substudy of a clinical trial (SAKK 41/07) evaluating the effect of neoadjuvant chemoradiation (CRT) with or without panitumumab

Background: Prognostic and predictive markers are of great importance for future study designs and essential for the interpretation of clinical trials incorporating an EGFR-inhibitor. The current study prospectively assessed and validated KRAS, BRAF and PIK3CA mutations in rectal cancer patients screened for the trial SAKK41/07 of concomitant preoperative radio-chemotherapy with or without panitumumab.Methods: Macrodissection was performed on pretreatment formalin fixed paraffin embedded biopsy tissue sections to arrive at a minimum of 50% of tumor cells. DNA was extracted with the Maxwell 16 FFPE Tissue LEV DNA purification kit. After PCR amplification, mutations were identified by pyrosequencing. We prospectively analysed pretreatment biopsy material from 149 rectal cancer pts biopsies for KRAS (exon 2 codon 12 [2-12] and 13 [2-13], exon 3 codon 59 [3-59]) and 61 [3-61], exon 4 codon 117 [4-117] and 146 [4-146]). Sixty-eight pts (KRASwt exon 2, 3 only) were further analysed for BRAF (exon 15 codon 600) and PIK3CA (exon 9 codon 542, 545 and 546, exon 20 codon 1043 [20-1043] and 1047 [20-1047]) mutations, and EGFR copy number by qPCR. For the calculation of the EGFR copy number, we used KRAS copy number as internal reference standard. The calculation was done on the basis of the two standard curves relative quantification method.Results: In 149 screened pts with rectal cancer, the prevalence of KRAS mutations was 36%. Among the 68 pts enrolled in SAKK 41/07 based on initially presumed KRASwt status (exon 2/codons 12+13), 18 pts (26%) had a total of 23 mutations in the RAS/PIK3CA-pathways upon validation analysis. Twelve pts had a KRAS mutation, 7 pts had a PIK3CA mutation, 3 pts had a NRAS mutation, 1 patient a BRAF mutation. Surprisingly, five of these pts had double- mutations, including 4 pts with KRAS plus PIK3CA mutations, and 1 pt with NRAS plus PIK3CA mutations. The median normalized EGFR copy number was 1. Neither mutations of KRAS, BRAF, and PIK3CA, nor EGFR copy number were statistically associated with the primary study endpoint pCR (pathological complete regression).Conclusions: The prevalence of KRAS mutations in rectal and in colon cancer appears to be similar. BRAF mutations are rare; PIK3CA mutations are more common (10%). EGFR copy number is not increased in rectal cancer. A considerable number or KRAS exon 2 wt tumors harbored KRAS exon 3+4 mutations. Further study is needed to determine if KRAS testing should include exons 2-4.

Influence of IFNL3/4 Polymorphisms on the Incidence of Cytomegalovirus Infection After Solid-Organ Transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Polymorphisms in IFNL3 and IFNL4, the genes encoding interferon λ3 and interferon λ4, respectively, have been associated with reduced hepatitis C virus clearance. We explored the role of such polymorphisms on the incidence of cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection in solid-organ transplant recipients. METHODS: White patients participating in the Swiss Transplant Cohort Study in 2008-2011 were included. A novel functional TT/-G polymorphism (rs368234815) in the CpG region upstream of IFNL3 was investigated. RESULTS: A total of 840 solid-organ transplant recipients at risk for CMV infection were included, among whom 373 (44%) received antiviral prophylaxis. The 12-month cumulative incidence of CMV replication and disease were 0.44 and 0.08 cases, respectively. Patient homozygous for the minor rs368234815 allele (-G/-G) tended to have a higher cumulative incidence of CMV replication (subdistribution hazard ratio [SHR], 1.30 [95% confidence interval {CI}, .97-1.74]; P = .07), compared with other patients (TT/TT or TT/-G). The association was significant among patients followed by a preemptive approach (SHR, 1.46 [95% CI, 1.01-2.12]; P = .047), especially in patients receiving an organ from a seropositive donor (SHR, 1.92 [95% CI, 1.30-2.85]; P = .001), but not among those who received antiviral prophylaxis (SHR, 1.13 [95% CI, .70-1.83]; P = .6). These associations remained significant in multivariate competing risk regression models. CONCLUSIONS: Polymorphisms in the IFNL3/4 region influence susceptibility to CMV replication in solid-organ transplant recipients, particularly in patients not receiving antiviral prophylaxis.

Caracterização Sócio-cultural e a Prática de Educação Física da População Discente : “Caso Escola Secundária Manuel Lopes – Ano Lectivo 2006/07”

Este trabalho está orientado para abordar a aplicação de um conjunto de instrumentos e da sua consequente análise, perceber as inter-relações sociais, culturais e desportivo que se estabelecem entre os alunos, sobretudo ao nível do ambiente escolar. Aproveitando uma necessidade da escola constatada após conversas com elementos da direcção, apercebendo das vantagens de caracterizar os alunos, no que respeita à envolvência sócio-cultural, bem como condições de trabalho em casa e na aula de educação física e acompanhamento escolar por parte dos encarregados de educação. A partir deste conhecimento, procurar definir um conjunto de estratégias de actuação futuras, as quais deverão estar o mais possível adaptadas às necessidades e carências educativas destes alunos. Tais estratégias deverão potencializar dinâmica de grupo e desenvolver o sucesso educativo. Este estudo visa obter informação no que respeita à envolvência familiar, hábitos de estudo e forma de ocupação dos tempos livres e prática de educação física, por parte dos alunos, o que poderá apoiar a direcção da escola, bem como Subdirecção Administrativa e os restantes órgãos, no sentido de fornecer novos dados nesta matéria para optimizar os meios existentes e criar novos mecanismos que conduzam à melhoria da qualidade de ensino oferecida pela escola, respondendo assim às reais necessidades da comunidade escolar e da população envolvente.

SMARTNews, Summer 07

News from the Iowa Careers Consortium