A systematic review and meta-analysis of utility estimates in melanoma.

BACKGROUND: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in melanoma is affected by cancer stage. Previous studies have reported limited data on utility-based HRQOL. OBJECTIVES: To determine pooled estimates of utility-based HRQOL (utilities) for people with American Joint Cancer Committee stage I/II, III or IV melanoma for use in economic evaluations. METHODS: We performed a systematic review, meta-analysis and metaregression of utilities for patients with melanoma. HRQOL scores reported with the QLQ-C30, SF-36, SF-12, FACT-G and FACT-M instruments were converted to utilities using published mapping algorithms. Meta-analysis was used to calculate mean utilities. Metaregression was used to examine the effects of baseline patient and study characteristics. RESULTS: We identified 33 studies reporting 213 utilities. From meta-analyses, the mean utility for stage I/II melanoma was 0·97 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0·90-0·98]; for stage III melanoma it was 0·77 (95% CI 0·70-0·83); for stage III/IV 0·76 (95% CI 0·76-0·77); and for stage IV melanoma 0·76 (95% CI 0·71-0·81). The difference in utility between stage III and stage IV was not statistically significant (P = 0·52). For patients with stage I/II, the utility estimate at the time of surgery was 0·77 (95% CI 0·75-0·79), and at 3-12 months postsurgery it was 0·85 (95% CI 0·84-0·86). Utility estimates for patients with stage IV melanoma were 0·65 (95% CI 0·62-0·69) during the first 3 months of treatment and 0·83 (95% CI 0·81-0·86) at 4-12 months on treatment. For patients with stage IV melanoma treated with chemotherapy, the utility estimate was 0·52 (95% CI 0·51-0·52), while for those treated with targeted therapy it was 0·83 (95% CI 0·82-0·85). CONCLUSIONS: These robust, evidence-based estimates of health state utility can be used in economic evaluations of new treatments for patients with early-stage or advanced-stage melanoma.

The genus Ranatra Fabricius (Heteroptera: Nepidae) in Borneo, with a redescription of Ranatra spinifrons Montandon and the description of a new species.

The type of Ranatra spinifrons Montandon, 1910 is redescribed and this taxon is reported from Brunei for the first time. Ranatra heoki sp.n. is described from Sarawak and belongs to the Ranatra gracilis group (sensu Lansbury, 1972). The present paper also provides the first records of the following species for Borneo: Ranatra parmata Mayr, 1865 (from Sabah and Kalimantan); Ranatra rafflesi Tran Polhemus, 2012 (from Sarawak). The latter is also reported from Sumatra for the first time. Ranatra longipes longipes Stål, 1861, previously known from Kalimantan and Sabah, is now reported from Sarawak for the first time. Thus, six species of Ranatra are currently known from Borneo.

A study of the genus Aphelocheirus (Hemiptera: Nepomorpha: Aphelocheiridae) from northern Vietnam, with descriptions of three new species.

Three new species, Aphelocheirus (s.str.) apicalis sp.n., A. (s.str.) flavinotatus sp.n., and A. (s.str.) sapa, sp.n. are described from northern Vietnam. Aphelocheirus (s.str.) lahu Polhemus & Polhemus, 1988 is reported from Vietnam for the first time. Additional distribution records of A. (s.str.) gularis Horváth, 1918 and A. (s.str.) inops Horváth, 1918 are provided.

Three new species of the water strider genus Rhyacobates Esaki, 1923 (Hemiptera: Gerridae) from Vietnam.

Three new species: Rhyacobates zetteli sp.n., R. angustus sp.n., and R. constrictus sp.n., all from mountainous areas of northern Vietnam, are described. With these new taxa, a total of six species of Rhyacobates has been recorded from       Vietnam. A key to species of Rhyacobates occurring in Vietnam is provided.

Factors influencing the performance of peptide mapping by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography.

Factors controlling the performance of peptide mapping on reversed-phase columns were systematically evaluated. Performance criteria included resolution (peak capacity and selectivity), system reproducibility, sensitivity and analysis speed. Column configuration, characteristics of packing materials, mobile phase composition, operating variables and instrumental designs were found to influence the performance of peptide mapping. Considerations for peptide identification techniques are discussed.

Free solution capillary electrophoresis and micellar electrokinetic resolution of amino acid enantiomers and peptide isomers with L- and D-Marfey's reagents.

Separation of amino acid enantiomers and peptide isomers has been made possible through the use of Marfey's reagent and high-performance capillary electrophoresis (HPCE). Samples of amino acids and peptides were first derivatized with Marfey's reagent and subsequently analyzed by HPCE. Different modes of separation were investigated including free solution and micellar electrokinetic chromatography. The use of micellar electrokinetic chromatography in combination with L- and D-Marfey's reagent offered unequivocal means to confirm the presence of D-amino acid in an unknown sample. This method is also particularly useful for the analysis of peptide isomers.

Quantitative mapping of the N-linked sialyloligosaccharides of recombinant erythropoietin: combination of direct high-performance anion-exchange chromatography and 2-aminopyridine derivatization.

A rapid quantitative analysis of the sialylated N-linked oligosaccharides of recombinant erythropoietin (EPO) expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells has been developed. The procedure utilizes a glycoamidase (glycopeptidase F) to release all of the N-linked oligosaccharides from the native glycoprotein, followed by direct chromatographic analysis using high-performance anion-exchange chromatography (HPAEC) with pulsed amperometric detection. The eight sialyloligosaccharides isolated from HPAEC were characterized by derivatizing with 2-aminopyridine followed by two-dimensional HPLC mapping of the pyridylaminated asialooligosaccharides (Tomiya et al., 1988, Anal. Biochem. 171, 73-90). Seven kinds of complex-type asialooligosaccharides were identified ranging from a biantennary structure to N-acetyllactosamine-extended tetraantennary structure. Approximately 3% of the terminal galactose residues of the oligosaccharides released from EPO were not sialylated whereas 97% contained an alpha(2-->3)-linked sialic acid. Quantitative oligosaccharide mapping of four different lots of EPO from CHO cells was performed to quantify the molar balance and distribution of the N-linked oligosaccharides. The sialyloligosaccharides were distributed with approximately 5% disialylated (single type), 20% trisialylated (six types), and 75% tetrasialylated (four types) oligosaccharides with an average molar recovery of 85% starting from 750 pmol of EPO.

Separation of carbohydrate-mediated microheterogeneity of recombinant human erythropoietin by free solution capillary electrophoresis. Effects of pH, buffer type and organic additives.

Free solution capillary electrophoresis has been investigated as an alternative to isoelectric focusing for the separation of the glycoforms of recombinant human erythropoietin (r-HuEPO), a primary regulator of erythropoiesis. A systematic approach was used to study the effect of pH, buffer type and organic modifiers on the resolution of the microheterogeneity of erythropoietin. The main factors for improving the resolution were the regulation of the electroosmotic flow of the running buffer and the reduction of solute-wall interaction. The best resolution of the glycoforms of r-HuEPO was obtained with a mixed buffer pH 4.0 (100 mM acetate-phosphate, 10 h preequilibration time).

Bone mineral density of the lumbar vertebrae in children and adolescents with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

To test the hypothesis that bone mineral density (BMD) is lower in children with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), we measured BMD of the lumbar vertebrae (L-2 to L-4) by dual-photon absorptiometry in 31 boys and 25 girls, mean age 12.3 years, with IDDM of varying clinical duration (range 0.1 to 14.8 years). Mean standard deviation scores (z scores) were determined for L-2-L-4 BMD, weight, height, weight percentile, and weight-adjusted L-2-L-4 BMD index (L-2-L-4 BMD/weight), with reference data from a previously described white, nondiabetic, age-matched control group (n = 221). Compared with nondiabetic control subjects, male patients with short-term IDDM and all female patients with IDDM did not have significantly different L-2-L-4 BMD, weight, weight percentile, height, or BMD index. Boys with IDDM longer than 1 year had significantly lower weight, weight percentile, and height than did age-matched control subjects. When L-2-L-4 BMD of boys with long-term diabetes was corrected for weight, the L-2-L-4 BMD index was significantly greater than that of control subjects, indicating that weight was disproportionately lower than BMD. There were no significant linear correlations between metabolic control and L-2-L-4 BMD. When L-2-L-4 BMD was adjusted for differences in body weight, spinal BMD values in children with IDDM were not lower than in control subjects. These findings indicate that in children with IDDM, as in previously studied nondiabetic youths, body weight and spinal BMD are highly correlated; although BMD is reduced in some children with diabetes, the reduction parallels reductions in growth, and may simply reflect a normal response of the skeleton to a lower weight-bearing load.