The effect of exemestane on serum lipid profile in postmenopausal women with metastatic breast cancer: a companion study to EORTC Trial 10951, 'Randomized phase II study in first line hormonal treatment for metastatic breast cancer with exemestane or tamoxifen in postmenopausal patients'.

BACKGROUND: The impact of aromatase inhibitors (AIs) on non-cancer-related outcomes, which are known to be affected by oestrogens, has become increasingly important in postmenopausal women with hormone-dependent breast cancer. So far, data related to the effect of AIs on lipid profile in postmenopausal women is scarce. This study, as a companion substudy of an EORTC phase II trial (10951), evaluated the impact of exemestane, a steroidal aromatase inactivator, on the lipid profile of postmenopausal metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The EORTC trial 10951 randomised 122 postmenopausal breast cancer patients to exemestane (E) 25 mg (n = 62) or tamoxifen (T) 20 mg (n = 60) once daily as a first-line treatment in the metastatic setting. Exemestane showed promising results in all the primary efficacy end points of the trial (response rate, clinical benefit rate and response duration), and it was well tolerated with low incidence of serious toxicity. As a secondary end point of this phase II trial, serum triglycerides (TRG), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL), total cholesterol (TC), lipoprotein a (Lip a), and apolipoproteins (Apo) B and A1 were measured at baseline and while on therapy (at 8, 24 and 48 weeks) to assess the impact of exemestane and tamoxifen on serum lipid profiles. Of the 122 randomised patients, those who had baseline and at least one other lipid assessment are included in the present analysis. The patients who received concomitant drugs that could affect lipid profile are included only if these drugs were administered throughout the study treatment. Increase or decrease in lipid parameters within 20% of baseline were considered as non-significant and thus unchanged. RESULTS: Seventy-two patients (36 in both arms) were included in the statistical analysis. The majority of patients had abnormal TC and normal TRG, HDL, Apo A1, Apo B and Lip a levels at baseline. Neither exemestane nor tamoxifen had adverse effects on TC, HDL, Apo A1, Apo B or Lip a levels at 8, 24 and 48 weeks of treatment. Exemestane and tamoxifen had opposite effects on TRG levels: exemestane lowered while tamoxifen increased TRG levels over time. There were too few patients with normal baseline TC and abnormal TRG, HDL, Apo A1, Apo B and Lip a levels to allow for assessment of E's impact on these subsets. The atherogenic risk determined by Apo A1:Apo B and TC:HDL ratios remained unchanged throughout the treatment period in both the E and T arms. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, exemestane has no detrimental effect on cholesterol levels and the atherogenic indices, which are well-known risk factors for coronary artery disease. In addition, it has a beneficial effect on TRG levels. These data, coupled with E's excellent efficacy and tolerability, support further exploration of its potential in the metastatic, adjuvant and chemopreventive setting.

Analysis of the effect of yoga on selective attention and mental concentration in young adults

Gemstone Team Om

EFFECT OF MUSIC ON THE SOUL: INTENT OR INDIFFERENCE IN THE COMPOSITION OF EWAZEN, FETTER, HIDAS, HOVHANESS, PEDERSON AND WILDER

This performance dissertation completed in 2009 by bass trombonist and Doctor of Musical Arts candidate Karl Wiederwohl consists of three live recitals and a written document which serves as a complement to the performances. The document discusses the six composers whose music is performed on the recitals. The document's six chapters respectively discuss each composer's disposition with regard to their purpose in composing music. As a complement to the performances the document gives special attention to each composer's thoughts on affecting listeners through their music. Wiederwohl creates a window into the mentality behind the artistry of Eric Ewazen, David Fetter, Frigyes Hidas, Alan Hovhaness, Tommy Pederson and Alec Wilder. The document serves to inform and enrich the experience of both performers and listeners of these six composers. This is achieved through the document's treatment of the following four questions for each composer: How did each come to be a composer? How did each come to compose in his particular style? Does the composer intend his music to serve a purpose? Does the composer intend his music to serve a purpose, and, if so, does this purpose involve reaching and/or affecting the listener at the deepest level?

Modelling the effect of temperature on product reliability

Reliability of electronic parts is a major concern for many manufacturers, since early failures in the field can cost an enormous amount to repair - in many cases far more than the original cost of the product. A great deal of effort is expended by manufacturers to determine the failure rates for a process or the fraction of parts that will fail in a period of time. It is widely recognized that the traditional approach to reliability predictions for electronic systems are not suitable for today's products. This approach, based on statistical methods only, does not address the physics governing the failure mechanisms in electronic systems. This paper discusses virtual prototyping technologies which can predict the physics taking place and relate this to appropriate failure mechanisms. Simulation results illustrate the effect of temperature on the assembly process of an electronic package and the lifetime of a flip-chip package.

The effect of curing on the performance of ACF bonded chip-on-flex assemblies after thermal ageing

Purpose – Anisotropic conductive film (ACF) is now an attractive technology for direct mounting of chips onto the substrate as an alternative to lead-free solders. However, despite its various advantages over other technologies, it also has many unresolved reliability issues. For instance, the performance of ACF assembly in high temperature applications is questionable. The purpose of this paper is to study the effect of bonding temperatures on the curing of ACFs, and their mechanical and electrical performance after high temperature ageing. Design/methodology/approach – In the work presented in this paper, the curing degree of an ACF at different bonding temperatures was measured using a differential scanning calorimeter. The adhesion strength and the contact resistance of ACF bonded chip-on-flex assembly were measured before and after thermal ageing and the results were correlated with the curing degree of ACF. The ACF was an epoxy-based adhesive in which Au-Ni coated polymer particles were randomly dispersed. Findings – The results showed that higher bonding temperatures had resulted in better ACF curing and stronger adhesion. After ageing, the adhesion strength increased for the samples bonded at lower temperatures and decreased for the samples bonded at higher temperatures. ACF assemblies with higher degrees of curing showed smaller increases in contact resistance after ageing. Conduction gaps at the bump-particle and/or particle-pad interfaces were found with the help of scanning electron microscopy and are thought to be the root cause of the increase in contact resistance. Originality/value – The present study focuses on the effect of bonding temperatures on the curing of ACFs, and their adhesion strength and electrical performances after high temperature ageing. The results of this study may help the development of ACFs with higher heat resistance, so that ACFs can be considered as an alternative to lead-free solders.

The effect of bonds on loyalty towards auditors: the mediating role of commitment

The study examines the impact of knowledge and social bonds on commitment and behavioural loyalty in auditor-client relationships. A model is proposed and tested using data collected from stock exchange company executives in the UK. The results show the significant effects of the knowledge and social bonds on commitment. Commitment is shown to be a mediating variable, which influences word-of-mouth and continuance but not the purchase of non-audit services. In the light of these findings, suggestions are provided to auditors in developing relationship bonds and managing the relationship at the firm level.

Kinetic studies of the effect of varnish on water loss by glass-ionomer cements

OBJECTIVES: This paper reports a study of the water loss behaviour of two commercial glass-ionomer cements coated with varnishes. METHODS: For each cement (Fuji IX Fast or Chemflex), specimens (6mmdiameterx2mm depth) were prepared and cured for 10min at 37 degrees C. They were exposed to a desiccating environment over H(2)SO(4) either uncoated or coated with the appropriate varnish (Fuji Varnish, a solvent-based lacquer, or Fuji Coat, a light-cured varnish). Four specimens were prepared for each material. They were weighed at hourly intervals for 6h, daily for up to 5 days, then weekly thereafter until equilibration. RESULTS: Unlike the uncoated specimens, water loss from varnished cements was not Fickian, but followed the form: mass loss=A/t+B, where t is time, A and B are constants specific to each cement/varnish combination. A varied from 1.22 to 1.30 (mean 1.26, standard deviation 0.04), whereas B varied from 1.54 to 2.09 (mean -1.83, standard deviation 0.29). At equilibrium, varnished specimens lost much less water than unvarnished ones (p>0.01) but there was no significant difference between the solvent-based and the light-cured varnishes. SIGNIFICANCE: Varnishes protect immature glass-ionomer cements from drying out by altering the mechanism of water loss. This slows the rate of drying but does not necessarily change the total amount of water retained. It confirms that, in clinical use, glass-ionomer restoratives should be varnished to allow them to mature satisfactorily.

Effect of temperature on slumping behaviour of lead-free solder paste and its rheological simulation

Variation in temperature can have a significant impact on the rheological characterisation of solder pastes used in the electronic assembly of surface mount devices. This paper concerns the study of the effect of temperature on slumping characteristics of lead-free solder pastes. The identification of the slumping characteristics can help in the correlation of the pastes characteristics to its printing performance. Further issues, which aid in justifying the undertaking of such a study, include the temperature differences identified both at the squeegee during the print, and during reflow. Due to these temperature variations, it is imperative to understand how slump differs with a temperature gradient

Effect Of Temperature On The Respiration Rate Of Meiofauna

The effect of temperature on respiration rate has been established, using Cartesian divers, for the meiofaunal sabellid polychaeteManayunkia aestuarina, the free-living nematodeSphaerolaimus hirsutus and the harpacticoid copepodTachidius discipes from a mudflat in the Lynher estuary, Cornwall, U.K. Over the temperature range normally experienced in the field, i.e. 5–20° C the size-compensated respiration rate (R c) was related to the temperature (T) in °C by the equation Log10 R c=-0.635+0.0339T forManayunkia, Log10 R c=0.180+0.0069T forSphaerolaimus and Log10 R c=-0.428+0.0337T forTachidius, being equivalent toQ 10 values of 2.19, 1.17 and 2.17 respectively. In order to derive the temperature response forManayunkia a relationship was first established between respiration rate and body size: Log10 R=0.05+0.75 Log10 V whereR=respiration in nl·O2·ind-1·h-1 andV=body volume in nl. TheQ 10 values are compared with values for other species derived from the literature. From these limited data a dichotomy emerges: species with aQ 10≏2 which apparently feed on diatoms and bacteria, the abundance of which are subject to large short term variability, and species withQ 10≏1 apparently dependent on more stable food sources.