Median age was 59 years. Fourty-five patients were ECOG 0-1. The grade 3-4 toxicity rate was 94%; fatigue (47%) and nausea (40%) were frequent. One patient died after a bowel perforation; a second died of a CVA. The median PFS was 4.9 months; median survival was 11.9 months; 1 year survival was 42%. Locally advanced patients lived 12.8 months; metastatic patients lived 10.2 months. Patients developing grade 3 hypertension were more likely to have a radiologic response (P = .012); survival among the top and bottom quintiles of hypertension

was 14.7 and 6.2 months, respectively. Survival GDC-0973 order correlated with baseline CA 19-9 (P = .004) and radiologic response. The overall response rate was 36%; 34% demonstrated stable disease.\n\nThe GEMOX/bevacizumab

regimen demonstrated an excellent median overall survival but did not meet our objective of a 14 month median survival. Toxicity was significant. We do not recommend further evaluation of this regimen.”
“Attempted suicide may be a different phenomenon in adolescents than in adults. To our knowledge, direct comparisons between these two populations are very scarce. The aim of this study is to analyze the differences between adolescents and adults in methods of attempted suicide, accompanying certainty of death, and intentionality. All cases admitted to one adult (n=173) and one adolescent (n = 104) inpatient unit who attempted suicide in the period from January 2003 through October 2005 were included in a prospective, Stem Cell Compound Library supplier common, national find protocol register, with data on methods, circumstances, and intentionality. The methodology

followed that of the WHO/Euro Multicenter Study on Parasuicide. A stratified analysis was performed using the Mantel-Haenszel procedure in order to control for the effects of gender and diagnosis. Adolescents used significantly more over-the-counter medicines. Adults were significantly more certain of the possible fatal outcome of their attempt and had a significantly more severe intention when harming themselves. Individuals appear to use the methods that are available to them to attempt suicide. Adolescents may display more impulsive and less lethal directed behavior than adults or, alternatively, they are more frequently admitted for less severe attempts. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Purpose: We investigated the dosimetric impact of the interplay effect during RapidArc stereotactic body radiation therapy for lung tumors using flattening filter-free (FFF) beams with different dose rates.\n\nMethods and Materials: Seven tumors with motion <= 20 mm, treated with 10-MV FFF RapidArc, were analyzed. A programmable phantom with sinusoidal longitudinal motion (30-mm diameter “tumor” insert; period = 5 s; individualized amplitude from planning 4-dimensional computed tomography) was used for dynamic dose measurements. Measurements were made with GafChromic EBT III films.

Retention of the C-terminus

or complete lack of this domain is unable to rescue amelogenin null enamel. We conclude that among amelogenins, M180 alone is sufficient for normal enamel mechanical properties and prism patterns, but that additional amelogenin splice products are required to restore enamel thickness.”
“OBJECTIVE To evaluate the frequency and clinical features of endemic and other opportunistic infections in liver or kidney transplant recipients in four transplant centres in different geographical areas of Brazil.\n\nMETHODS Retrospective analysis of medical and laboratory records of four transplant centres on endemic and other opportunistic infections in liver or kidney transplant recipients. Analyses were performed with spss statistical software.\n\nRESULTS From 2001 to 2006, 1046 kidney and 708 liver CX-6258 research buy transplants were registered in all centres. The average age was 42 years. Among 82 (4.7%) cases with infections, the most frequent was tuberculosis (2.0%), followed by systemic protozoal infections (0.7%), toxoplasmosis (0.4%) and visceral leishmaniasis (0.3%). Systemic fungal

infections occurred in 0.6%, of which 0.4% were cryptococcosis and 0.2% were histoplasmosis. Dengue was the only systemic viral infection and was registered in two cases (0.1%), of which one was classified as the classic form and the other as dengue haemorrhagic fever. Nocardiosis was described in one case (0.05%). The infectious CBL0137 datasheet agents most frequently associated with diarrhoea were Blastocystis sp., Schistosoma mansoni and Strongyloides stercoralis.\n\nCONCLUSIONS Opportunistic Infections in transplant patients have a wide spectrum and may vary from asymptomatic to severe infections with high mortality. A better understanding of the epidemiology of endemic pathogens and clinical manifestations can contribute to the establishment of an early diagnosis as well

as correct treatment aimed at decreasing morbidity and selleck chemical mortality.”
“Restoring function after hand burns is still a great surgical challenge. Reconstitution of elasticity and pliability are of utmost importance for hand function and aesthetics results. Dermal substitutes have been developed and have been used for many years. The dermal substitute Matriderm (R) is an acellular three-dimensional matrix composed of native structurally intact collagen fibrils coated with elastin obtained from bovine dermis. The possibility of a one-stage procedure is profitable in treatment of hand burns. The authors report the case of a 43-year-old man admitted for severe burn by flames to 18% of his total body surface area with complete full thickness injury of left hand. After debridement incisions in emergency, early excision and skin graft using Matriderm were performed. Physical therapy was established at Day 10. At six weeks follow-up, full range of motion was achieved and the patient was able to use his hand in daily activities. (C) 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS.

(C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Diesel exhaust particles (DEPs), a by-product of diesel engine exhaust (DEE), are one of the major components of air borne particulate matter (PM) in the urban environment. DEPs are composed of soot, polycyclic aromatic

hydrocarbons (PAHs), redox active semi-quinones, and transition metals, which are known to produce pro-oxidative and pro-inflammatory effects, thereby leading to oxidative stress-induced ON-01910 manufacturer damage in the lungs. The objective of this study was to determine if N-acetylcysteineamide (NACA), a novel thiol antioxidant, confers protection to animals exposed to DEPs from oxidative stress-induced damage to the lung. To study this, male C57BL/6 mice, pretreated with either NACA (250 mg/kg body selleck chemical weight) or saline, were exposed to DEPs (15 mg/m(3)) or filtered air (1.5-3 h/day) for nine consecutive days. The animals were sacrificed 24 h after the last exposure. NACA-treated animals exposed to DEP had significant decreases in the number of macrophages and the amount of mucus plug formation in the lungs, as compared to the DEP-only exposed animals. In addition, DEP-exposed animals, pretreated with NACA, also experienced significantly lower oxidative stress than

the untreated group, as indicated by the glutathione (GSH), and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels and catalase (CAT) activity. Further, DEP-induced toxicity in the lungs was reversed in NACA-treated animals, as indicated by the lactate dehydrogenase levels. Taken together, these data suggest that the thiol-antioxidant, NACA, can protect the lungs from DEP-induced inflammation and oxidative stress related damage. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“To determine the feasibility and efficacy of transarterial endoleak embolization using the liquid embolic agent ethylene vinyl alcohol copolymer (Onyx).\n\nOver a 7-year period eleven patients (6 women, 5 men; mean age 68 years, range 37-83 years)

underwent transarterial embolization of a type II endoleak after endovascular aortic aneurysm repair using the liquid embolic agent Onyx. Two patients (18 %) had a simple type II endoleak with only one artery in communication with the aneurysm sac, whereas 9 patients (82 %) had a complex DMXAA supplier type II endoleak with multiple communicating vessels. We retrospectively analyzed the technical and clinical success of transarterial type II endoleak embolization with Onyx. Complete embolization of the nidus was defined as technical success. Embolization was considered clinically successful when volume of the aneurysm sac was stable or decreased on follow-up CT scans.\n\nMean follow-up time was 26.0 (range 6-50) months. Clinical success was achieved in 8 of 11 patients (73 %). Transarterial nidus embolization with Onyx was technically successful in 6 of 11 patients (55 %).

Staying in line with a specific diet the patients are thought

to be able to cure AG-014699 DNA Damage inhibitor themselves or at least substantially contribute to cure. However, we did not find any scientific publication of a clinical study which describes positive results regarding survival. On the contrary, data show malnutrition and side effects.\n\nConclusion: There is no indication to consume a “cancer diet”. In some cases adverse effects can occur. Cancer patients who are discussing nutrition should be warned about taking up a “cancer diet”.”
“In an era of increasing antibiotic resistance, reliance on empirical antibiotic therapy for management of acute otitis media (AOM) will eventually become an untenable strategy. New research efforts are needed to identify effective treatment alternatives. In this retrospective

analysis, we assessed AOM treatment failure (AOMTF), recurrent AOM (RAOM), and antibiotic prescription rates for groups of AOM episodes managed with either immediate antibiotics (ABX), tympanocentesis + observation (Tap + OBS), or tympanocentesis + immediate antibiotics (Tap + ABX). No significant differences in PARP inhibitor rates of AOMTF or RAOM were observed between any of the treatment groups. The 30-day rate of antibiotic prescriptions written for AOM was significantly lower in the TAP + OBS group (1 prescription per 3.8 episodes) than in the immediate antibiotic therapy groups (1.2 prescriptions per episode), P < .001. The comparative risk of AOMTF was slightly higher among AOM episodes caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae (OR 2.523; CI 1.070-5.944; P = 0.056). Neither the presence of other particular otopathogens, nor the presence of drug-resistant otopathogens,

nor the choice of any particular AOM antibiotic therapy correlated with increased risk of either AOMTF or RAOM. The observed absence of significant differences in clinical outcomes between the various treatment groups in this study is consistent with findings published by other authors: alternative AOM therapies can help reduce reliance on antibiotics without inviting significant Selonsertib clinical trial increases in rates of clinical failure.”
“Objective: To examine differences in patterns of brain activation associated with a race-related social evaluative task for a sample of African American and White American adults. Method: Participants were exposed to images of White American and African American targets embedded in various contexts across three emotional valences: angry/hostile, happy/joyful, and neutral/ambiguous. Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to measure brain activity. Results: Between-group comparisons revealed that African Americans, as compared to White Americans, exhibited activation in the inferior frontal gyrus and parahippocampal gyms to images of happy (vs. neutral) same-race targets.

6 mm, 5 mu m) with mobile phases of methanol Liver X Receptor inhibitor and water at 1 mL/min. The drift tube temperature of evaporative light scattering detector was set to 65 degrees C and nitrogen flow-rate was 2.7 L/min. The method validated was shown to be specific, precise, accurate and linear. Moreover, it

was applied to investigate four samples of E. fischeriana with different extracting methods. Contrast to the dried roots, the fresh roots had much higher content of prostratin which represented much higher inflammatory effects than other diterpenes. The results demonstrated that the dried roots were suitable for the ordinary therapy to avoid intense stimulatory, while the fresh roots could be used in the anticancer treatment. All of the results suggested that comparative analysis of chemical components as biomarker and connecting toxic effects of an herb was helpful for revealing the mechanism of its toxicity, and for guiding safer and better application of the herb in TCM JQ1 clinical trial clinic. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.”
“An experiment was designed to explore the underlying mechanisms of blood disintegration and its subsequent effect on area of origin (AO) calculations. Blood spatter patterns were created through the controlled application

of pressurized air (20-80 kPa) for 0.1 msec onto suspended blood droplets (2.7-3.2 mm diameter). The resulting disintegration process was captured using high-speed photography. Straight-line triangulation resulted in a 50% height overestimation, whereas using the lowest calculated height for each spatter pattern reduced this error to 8%. Incorporation of projectile motion resulted in a 28% height underestimation. The AO xy-coordinate was found to be very accurate with a maximum offset of only 4 mm, while AO size

calculations Histone Methyltransf inhibitor were found to be two-to fivefold greater than expected. Subsequently, reverse triangulation analysis revealed the rotational offset for 26% of stains could not be attributed to measurement error, suggesting that some portion of error is inherent in the disintegration process.”
“In this chapter we review work on neurotrophic factors for midbrain dopaminergic neurons mainly from the past decade, with a focus on neurotrophins and fibroblast growth factors. We summarize data obtained from animal models of Parkinson’s disease, review analyses of neurotrophin, neurotrophin receptor and FGF-2 knockout mice and put these into context with data obtained from patients with Parkinson’s disease and from postmortem studies. We provide a brief overview on several other factors (EGF, TGF-alpha, IGF, CNTF, PDGF, interleukins) and their capacity to promote survival and protect lesioned DAergic neurons. TGF-beta s are reviewed in a separate chapter (Roussa et al, this volume).”
“The plant hormones salicylic acid (SA), jasmonic acid (JA), ethylene (ET), and abscisic acid (ABA) are known to play crucial roles in plant disease and pest resistance.

2% agarose gel, purified and subjected to direct sequencing to screen for mutations. Results: Sequencing analysis resulted in the identification of a mutation within exon 7 of IRF6 that occurred in heterozygous condition in 9% (3/32) of OSCC samples. The wild type codon TTC at position 252 coding for phenylalanine was found to be mutated to TAC that coded for tyrosine (F252Y). Conclusions: The present study identified for the first time a novel mutation within the conserved protein binding domain of IRF6 gene in tissue samples of subjects with OSCC.”
“Inverted papilloma

is generally considered a benign unilateral sinonasal tumor. Its synchronous bilateral multicentric occurrence is extremely rare. A 22-year-old male patient presented with stage III inverted papilloma involving both ethmoid sinuses, both frontal SCH727965 mouse sinuses, and cribriform area. The patient also had a large osteoma emanating from the basal part of the frontal sinus septum, which completely obstructed both nasofrontal recesses, leaving no communication between the sinuses and the nasal cavity. The frontal sinus septum was intact, so there was no communication between the 2 sides either.\n\nFollowing the era of aggressive surgical approaches dominated by lateral rhinotomy

and medial maxillectomy, the advent of endoscopic techniques has dramatically improved visualization of sinus chambers and nasal check details cavity, resulting in lower morbidity and similar results to those achieved with open surgical procedures. In our patient, the concomitant presence of a huge frontal sinus osteoma posed an unacceptable risk for endoscopic resection due to the possible

residual disease in the nasofrontal recess regions.\n\nSurgical resection remains the mainstay treatment and should be tailored in accordance with the localization and spread of disease. The surgeon should be ready to click here use different surgical approaches and, if intraoperatively needed, to modify them accordingly.”
“The three flavonoids including naringenin, hesperetin and apigenin binding to bovine serum albumin (BSA) at pH 7.4 was studied by fluorescence quenching, synchronous fluorescence and UV-vis absorption spectroscopic techniques. The results obtained revealed that naringenin, hesperetin and apigenin strongly quenched the intrinsic fluorescence of BSA. The Stern-Volmer curves suggested that these quenching processes were all static quenching processes. At 291 K, the value and the order of the binding constant were K-A ((naringenin))=4.08 x 10(4) < K-A ((hesperetin))=5,40 x 10(4) approximate to K-A ((apigenin))=5.32 x 10(4) L mol(-1). The main binding force between the flavonoid and BSA was hydrophobic and electrostatic force. According to the Forster theory of non-radiation energy transfer, the binding distances (r(0)) were obtained as 3.36, 3.47 and 3.30 nm for naringenin-BSA, hesperetin-BSA and apigenin-BSA, respectively.

Methods:

PENIS3.1 software was used. The 105 patients with knee osteoarthritis were randomly divided into an abdominal acupuncture group, a conventional acupuncture group and a combined group (abdominal acupuncture plus conventional acupuncture). For the abdominal acupuncture group, the abdominal acupuncture was performed at Zhongwan (CV 12), Guanyuan (CV 4), Wailing (ST 26), Daheng (SP 15), Lower Rheumatism point and Qipang with needles retained for 30 minutes. For the conventional acupuncture group, the acupuncture was practiced at Neixiyan (EX-LE4) and Dubi (ST 35) of the affected limb, Yanglingquan (GB 34), Liangqiu (ST 34), Xuehai (SP 10) and Xiyangguan (GB 33). For the combined group, both methods were applied. Treatment was given once a day, 6 times a week, for 4 weeks. Lysholm knee scoring scale was used to score the functions CH5183284 nmr of knee before and after treatment. Results: Of 35 cases in the abdominal acupuncture group, 8 cases were remarkably relieved, 10 cases relieved, 14 cases improved, and 3 cases failed, the total effective rate was 91.4%. Of 35 cases in the conventional acupuncture group, 7 cases were remarkably relieved, 8 cases relieved, 16 cases improved, and 4 cases failed, the total effective rate was 88.6%. Of 35 cases in the combined group, 13 cases were remarkably relieved, 16 cases relieved, 5 cases improved,

and I cases failed, the total effective rate was 97.1%. There was a remarkable difference in the effect among 3 groups (P<0.05). The difference in scores hypoxia-inducible factor cancer of Lysholm knee scoring scale for knee SB525334 mouse joint after treatment among 3 groups was very significant

(P<0.01). Conclusion: Abdominal acupuncture has reliable effect for knee osteoarthritis and it has the synergized function when combined with conventional acupuncture.”
“The mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) supernatant is well known as a rich source of autologous cytokines and universally used for tissue regeneration in current clinical medicine. However, the limitation of conditioned medium used in open-wound repair compels the need to find a more sophisticated way to take advantage of the trophic factors of MSCs. We have now fabricated a three-dimensional membrane from freeze-dried bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells-conditioned medium (FBMSC-CM) using a simple freeze-dried protocol. Scanning electron microscopy images showed the microstructure of the FBMSC-CM membrane (FBMSC-CMM) resembling a mesh containing growth factors. ELISA was used to test the paracrine factors retained in the FBMSC-CMM, and the results indicated that FBMSC-CMM withheld over 80% of the paracrine factors. Live/dead assays were adopted to test the toxicity of the FBMSC-CMM on cultured rat dermal fibroblasts, and the results confirmed its biological safety with low toxicity.

“
“Purpose: To investigate whether intraoperative endolaser retinopexy around the sclerotomy site during pars plana vitrectomy can prevent the postoperative complication of retinal detachment (RD).\n\nMethods:

Two hundred and seventy-eight patients who had undergone 20-gauge pars plana vitrectomy for various vitreoretinal disorders were investigated retrospectively. Patients who had rhegmatogenous RD and who underwent panretinal photocoagulation for diabetic Nutlin-3a price retinopathy were excluded. In Group 1, 152 patients had not undergone laser retinopexy around the sclerotomy site, and in Group 2, 126 patients had undergone laser retinopexy around the sclerotomy site. The incidence rates of postoperative RD were compared.\n\nResults: In Group 1, 7 cases (4.6%) of RD developed: 6 cases (3.9%) of sclerotomy-related retinal breaks, and 1 of a sclerotomy-unrelated retinal break. In Group 2, superior RD developed in 1 case (0.8%), but no sclerotomy-related retinal break was observed.\n\nConclusion: Endolaser

retinopexy around the sclerotomy site is relatively simple to perform, without inducing particular complications. PCI-34051 It is expected to reduce the development of postoperative RD (4.6% vs. 0.8%; P = 0.08) and especially sclerotomy-related RD (3.9% vs. 0%; P = 0.03). RETINA 31: 1772-1776, 2011″
“Introduction. It has been shown that obesity is a risk factor for Obstructive Sleep Apneas (OSA) and that it could be related to insulin resistance (IR).\n\nObjective. To establish the frequency of OSA in obese children and adolescents with suggestive symptoms of sleep disordered breathing (SDB) by polisomnografic study (PSG) and to clinically characterize the groups

with and without OSA, and their association with IR.\n\nPatients, material and methods. Descriptive, retrospective, cross-sectional study in patients with obesity and symptoms of SDB examined in the Hospital Nacional de Pediatria “Prof. Dr. Juan P. Garrahan” Veliparib in vivo between october/2002 and july/2008 to whom PGS had been done.\n\nAnthropometric and oral glucose tolerance test data were obtained and indices of insulin resistance derived from the homeostatic model were calculated.\n\nWe assessed the presence of OSA defined as apnea-hypopnea Index >= 1 Student’s and Chi Square Tests were used, establishing a level of significance of 0.05.\n\nResults. A total of 58 children were studied (59% M), average age 8.8 +/- 3.5 and Score Z-IMC 2.8 +/- 0.7. In 55.2% of cases, OSA was confirmed, independently of the degree of obesity. 56.9% presented IR. The patients were divided in groups according to the presence or not of OSA. There were no significant differences in age nor in Score Z-IMC. The patients with OSA presented greater frequency of tonsil hypertrophy (p=0.01, OR= 6.86) and IR (p= 0.01, OR= 4,44) and less insulin sensitivity (p= 0.04).\n\nConclusions. Both IR and the presence of tonsil hypertrophy were predictors of OSA.

They feature short intramolecular in-plane Ag-Au interactions, are stable as octanuclear species in solution, and show promising luminescence properties.”
“Histoplasmosis has emerged as an important opportunistic fungal infection in immunocompromised patients. Histoplasma is a

dimorphic fungus that primarily involves lung and the environmental reservoir is soil. GSK2126458 Although several cases of histoplasmosis have been reported in India but cytological diagnosis was made in a few cases. We are presenting two cases of histoplasmosis diagnosed on fine-needle aspiration cytology. In the first case, pulmonary histoplasmosis was diagnosed on transbronchial needle aspiration of lung in a 41-year-old immunocompetent male, while second case was of disseminated histoplasmosis in 40-year-old immunocompromised female diagnosed on cytology of cervical lymph node. FNAC is a simple, safe, and rapid technique to

establish the initial diagnosis, thus promoting early treatment and favorable outcome especially in the immunocompromised patients. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2011; (c) 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.”
“Ocular neuromyotonia is an episodic involuntary contraction of one or more of the extraocular muscles resulting from spontaneous neural discharges of the oculomotor selleck chemicals nerve. It is characterized by symptomatic diplopia for the duration of the contraction and occurs either spontaneously or after a sustained eccentric gaze. Although the mechanism of ocular neuromyotonia is not fully understood, primary or secondary aberrant regeneration and consequent ephaptic transmission generally are held to

be involved. We report the case of a patient with right oculomotor neuromyotonia accompanied by lid ptosis on abduction of the left eye who was successfully treated with oral carbamazepine.”
“BACKGROUND: The control of California red scale, Aonidiella aurantii (Maskell), has encountered many difficulties, which has raised interest in alternative control methods. Up to now, the A. aurantii sex pheromone has been Adriamycin order used only for monitoring. In a previous work the authors described a biodegradable mesoporous pheromone dispenser for mating disruption. To verify the efficacy of these dispensers, three field trials were conducted, and the results are shown in this paper.\n\nRESULTS: The study of the release profile of these dispensers revealed a mean pheromone emission value of 269 mu g day(-1) and levels of residual pheromone of 10% at the end of 250 days. During the second flight, an A. aurantii male catch reduction of 98% was achieved in the mating disruption plot of trial 1,93.5% in trial 2 and 76.7% in trial 3. During the third flight, reductions were 94.1, 82.9 and 68.1% in trials 1, 2 and 3 respectively.

(c) 2014 Wiley Periodicals,

Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015, 132, 41265.”
“Farrar et al (1) demonstrate that modifying an oncolytic virus (OV) so that it produces excess protein when it infects a cancer cell is a process that can be detected both in vitro and in vivo in infected cancer cells by using chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. The effect is at the limits of MR imaging detection (approximately 1%), but experience with functional MR imaging of the brain, with comparably small effects, should give pause to anyone who immediately writes this observation off as an exercise in wishful thinking. OVs are improving in their specificity, virulence, Stattic and ability to induce immune responses. Now, they have been modified to express proteins that are detectable with CEST Galardin solubility dmso MR imaging early after delivery into a tumor. This is clearly a surprising

and hopeful development in the long road of OVs from the laboratory to the clinic.”
“Dendrimeric platforms such as Multiple antigen peptides (MAPS) are regarded as one of the most efficacious approaches for antigenic presentation. Originally described as available by stepwise solid-phase peptide synthesis (SPPS), MAPS have also been prepared by chemical (thioether, oxime, hydrazone) ligation of appropriately functionalized tetra- or octavalent polylysine scaffolds with the peptide antigen to be multiply displayed. In this work, the advantages and limitations of two of the most frequent methods of MAP preparation,

namely, chemoselective thioether ligation in Solution, and all-solid-phase synthesis, Vorinostat in vivo have been tested in the case of a particularly troublesome epitope model, the ectodomain of protein M2 from influenza virus (M2e). The strong tendency of M2e to self-associate is a serious inconvenient for conjugation in solution, which as a result fails to produce the target MAPS with the specified number of M2e copies. In contrast, the fully stepwise SPPS approach is shown to be quite practical, especially when 6-aminohexanoic acid spacer units providing increased internal flexibility are inserted at each branching point.”
“BACKGROUND: Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) promoter methylation may be responsible for the loss of EGFR expression in neoplastic cells. The primary aim of our study was to verify a possible correlation between EGFR gene promoter methylation and clinical outcome in metastatic colorectal cancer patients receiving chemotherapy with irinotecan and cetuximab.\n\nMETHODS: Colorectal samples from patients treated with irinotecan-cetuximab were analysed for EGFR promoter methylation and EGFR immunohistochemistry.\n\nRESULTS: Fifty-two patients were analysed. Thirty patients (58%) showed EGFR promoter hypermethylation.