Mitomycin C and capecitabine: An additional option as an advanced line therapy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND In recent years survival of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer(mCRC),though still limited,has improved significantly;clearly,when the disease becomes refractory to standard regimens,additional treatment options are needed.Studies have shown that mitomycin C(MMC),an antitumor antibiotic,and capecitabine,a precursor of 5-fluorouracil,may act synergistically in combination.The efficacy of MMC/capecitabine has been demonstrated in the first-line setting,but only a few small studies have tested it in the advanced-line setting,with contradictory results.received a median of 2 MMC/capecitabine cycles(range 0.5-9.0).Thirty-four patients(28.6%)experienced grade≥3 toxicity,including 2(1.7%)with grade 4;there was no drug-related mortality.The objective response rate was 0.8%,and the disease control rate,24.4%.Median progression-free survival(PFS)was 2.1 mo(range 0.2-20.3),and median overall survival,4.8 mo(range 0.2-27.5).The 6-month overall survival rate was 44%;8.7%of patients remained progression-free.Factors associated with longer PFS were lower gamma-glutamyl transferase level(P=0.030)and primary tumor location in the left colon(P=0.017).Factors associated with longer overall survival were lower gamma-glutamyl transferase level(P=0.022),left-colon tumor location(P=0.044),low-to-moderate histological grade(P=0.012),Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status 0-1(P=0.036),and normal bilirubin level(P=0.047).CONCLUSION MMC/capecitabine is an active,available,and relatively safe regimen for use beyond standard lines of therapy in mCRC.Several clinical and laboratory parameters can identify patients more likely to benefit.

Determination of the High Temperature Stress Tolerances of Bread Wheat Genotypes

Thirty bread wheat genotypes were used as material during the 2014-2015 cropping season. The experimental layout was a randomized complete block design with 3 replications. The sowing rate was 500 seeds square meter. Sowing was done in plots of 6 rows （1.2 m × 5 m, spaced 20 cm apart） in Namlk Kemal University, Faculty of Agriculture, Field Crops Department experimental area. Two sowing times were performed. First sowing was made in November suggested usual （standard） and second one was made in January as delayed sown in order to push growing stages of plants into periods in which heat stress is expected will be effected. Sowing times were allotted to main-plots while genotypes were allotted to sub-plots. When the bread wheat varieties and lines used in the experiment are evaluated in terms of tolerance to high temperature, it was shown that Dropia and Nota varieties and CIMMYT-HTN 2014/15-2, CIMMYT-HTN 2014/15 -6, CIMMYT-HTN 2014/15 - 10 lines were better tolerance to high temperature. However, it was noticed that these genotypes were not included in the first groups in terms of grain yield. It is possible to utilize these genotypes as a genitor in cross-breeding programs for breeding studies for tolerance to high temperatures.

Evaluation of Rice Seedling Tolerance to Constant and Intermittent Low Temperature Stress

M202, IR50 and advanced backcross （BC4F6） lines carrying the cold tolerance QTLs qCTS4 and qCTS12 were evaluated using three low temperature stress assays （constant, intermittent and constant with recovery period）. Under constant stress, two BC4F6 lines （MIb 4853-9 and MIb 6885-2） exhibited differences in seedling growth and accumulation of stress-related compounds although both carry the two QTLs in the IRS0 background. Differences between these lines were also observed in the constant with recovery period assay, although both of them performed comparably under intermittent stress, MIb 6885-2 performed more similarly to M202 in the constant and constant with recovery period assays, suggesting that this line contains an introgressed region（s） not present in MIb 4853-9. The three assays were also applied to assess variations in cold tolerance in a set of diverse germplasms. Performance metrics and visual ratings were comparable for evaluating tolerance to constant stress. However, differences in response to intermittent stress were more evident from growth and total chlorophyll measurements than from visual ratings. With regard to the constant with recovery period assay, about 15% of the germplasm accessions did not recover. However, some lines which exhibited chilling injuries of comparable severity were able to overcome them. This recovery phenotype may improve rice performance in the field and warrant further investigation.

Predicting upslope expansion of sub-alpine forest in the Makalu Barun National Park, Eastern Nepal, with a hybrid cartographic model

The natural upper boundary of a forest（forest line） in mountain environments is an indicator of climate conditions. An increase in global average temperatures has resulted in an upward advance of the forest line. This advance may result in fragmentation of the alpine ecosystem and a loss of biodiversity. Therefore, it is important to identify potential areas where current forests can advance under scenarios of future climate change. I used expert knowledge and cartographic modeling to create a hybrid cartographic model considering five topographic variables to predict areas where forest line can expand in the future.The prediction accuracy of the model is around 82%. The model is able to predict areas above the current forest line that are suitable or unsuitable for future forest advance.Further inclusion of high-resolution satellite imagery and digital elevation models, as well as field-based information into the model can help to improve the model accuracy.