The New England journal of medicine
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Multicenter Study Clinical Trial
Circulating tumor cells, disease progression, and survival in metastatic breast cancer.
We tested the hypothesis that the level of circulating tumor cells can predict survival in metastatic breast cancer. ⋯ The number of circulating tumor cells before treatment is an independent predictor of progression-free survival and overall survival in patients with metastatic breast cancer.
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Cleft lip or palate (or the two in combination) is a common birth defect that results from a mixture of genetic and environmental factors. We searched for a specific genetic factor contributing to this complex trait by examining large numbers of affected patients and families and evaluating a specific candidate gene. ⋯ DNA-sequence variants associated with IRF6 are major contributors to cleft lip, with or without cleft palate. The contribution of variants in single genes to cleft lip or palate is an important consideration in genetic counseling.
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Tissue-banking organizations in the United States have introduced various review and testing procedures to reduce the risk of the transmission of viral infections from tissue grafts. We estimated the current probability of undetected viremia with hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and human T-lymphotropic virus (HTLV) among tissue donors. ⋯ The prevalence rates of HBV, HCV, HIV, and HTLV infections are lower among tissue donors than in the general population. However, the estimated probability of undetected viremia at the time of tissue donation is higher among tissue donors than among first-time blood donors. The addition of nucleic acid-amplification testing to the screening of tissue donors should reduce the risk of these infections among recipients of donated tissues.