The clinical significance of metastatic breast carcinoma to intramammary lymph node
BREAST JOURNAL
Authors: Khoury, Thaer; Fang, Yisheng; Karabakhtsian, Rouzan; Desouki, Mohamed Mokhtar; Nayak, Anupma; Hanna, Mathew; Sanati, Souzan; Peng, Xuan; Yan, Li; Li, Xiaoxian; Fadare, Oluwole; Ambrosone, Christine; Jabbour, Nashwan; Gaudioso, Carmelo
Abstract
The incidence of involved intramammary lymph node (intra-MLN) with breast carcinoma (BC) is rare. Its clinical significance and impact on the clinical decision making is unclear. A total of 113 BC cases with at least one positive intra-MLN were collected from 11 academic institutions. The inclusion criteria were subsequent axillary lymph node dissection, and the availability of information on T-stage, size of node metastasis, extranodal extension status, biomarkers status, and clinical follow-up. Stage 4 cases and/or neo-adjuvant treated patients were excluded. AJCC TN-stage was calculated twice, with and without intra-MLN. Five-year overall survival (OS) and relapse (local and/or distant)-free survival (RFS) were calculated and correlated with the clinicopathologic variables. Excluding intra-MLN, TN-stage correlated with OS (P = .016) but not with RFS (P = .19). However, when intra-MLN was included, TN-stage correlated with both OS (P < .001) and RFS (P = .016). In the multivariate analysis, when intra-MLN was excluded, only radiation therapy (RT) correlated with RFS (HR = 0.19, 95% CI: 0.054-0.66, P = .009). However, when intra-MLN was included in the TN-stage both RT (HR = 0.13, 95% CI: 0.04-0.45, P = .001) and TN-stage 3 (HR = 8.92, 95% CI: 1.47-54, P = .017) correlated with RFS. Tumor multifocality was the only variable correlated with OS when the intra-MLN involvement was excluded. When intra-MLN was included, multifocality became insignificant but TN-stage 3 correlated with OS (HR = 8.59, 95% CI: 1.06-69.71, P = .044). Positive intra-MLN is an independent factor in predicting both RFS and OS.
Volatile Esters and Fusel Alcohol Concentrations in Beer Optimized by Modulation of Main Fermentation Parameters in an Industrial Plant
PROCESSES
Authors: Kucharczyk, Krzysztof; Zyla, Krzysztof; Tuszynski, Tadeusz
Abstract
Contents of selected volatile esters and fusel alcohols and their relation to the sensory quality of a bottom-fermented lager beer fermented under high-gravity conditions (15.5 degrees P) were analyzed using response surface methodology (RSM, Box-Behnken design). The influence of various pitching rates (6-10 mln cells/mL), aeration levels (8-12 mgO(2)/mL), times (4.5-13.5 h) of filling CCTs (cylindroconical fermentation tanks; 3850 hL), and fermentation temperatures (8.5-11.5 degrees C) on the contents of selected esters, as well as on concentrations of amyl alcohols and on the sum of higher alcohols in beer, was determined in a commercial brewery fermentation plant. Beers produced throughout the experiments met or exceeded all criteria established for a commercial, marketed beer. Statistical analyses of the results revealed that within the studied ranges of process parameters, models with diversified significance described the concentrations of volatiles in beer. The multiple response optimization procedure analyses showed that the values of process parameters that minimized higher alcohols in beer (97.9 mg/L) and maximized its ethyl acetate (22.0 mg/L) and isoamyl acetate (2.09 mg/L) contents, as well as maximized the sensory quality of beer, (66.4 pts) were the following: Pitching rate 10 mln cells per mL; fermentation temperature 11.5 degrees C; aeration level 8.8 mg/L; and CCT filling time 4.5 h.