The combination of both approaches as first-line assessment of liver fibrosis could avoid the performance of liver biopsy in the majority of patients with chronic hepatitis C, a strategy that deserves further evaluation in patients with hepatitis NVP-BSK805 B or HIV-HCV coinfection. Transient elastography also appears to be an excellent tool for early detection of cirrhosis and may have prognostic value in this setting. Guidelines are now awaited for the use of noninvasive methods in clinical practice.”
“Purpose:

There is reluctance in providing incurable cancer patients with recordings of their consultation. In this pilot-study, we explored the feasibility and utility of providing consultation recordings when patients are told a new diagnosis of non-curable cancer, and the impact of the recordings on quality

of life and the openness this website to discuss cancer-related issues in the family.

Method: Seventeen patients with a new diagnosis of incurable oesophageal or head and neck cancer were randomized to receive a CD (n = 10) or no CD (n = 7) of their consultation in which the diagnosis was told and the decision to provide only palliative care was discussed. Data were collected before consultation and 1 week and 1 month afterwards. After 1 month, patients allocated to the control group were offered to receiving the CD of their consultation as well.

Results: No major technical or procedural problems were STA-9090 encountered. Three-quarters of the patients appreciated receiving the CD, which was listened to by 8/10 patients and by 10/10 others in the CD group. After 1 month, two-thirds of the patients in the control group also asked to receive the CD. We found a trend towards a poorer quality of life but an improved openness to discuss cancer-related issues, in the CD group.

Conclusion: The

provision of a CD recording on the consultation in which the transition from a curative to a palliative care stage was communicated is feasible and was well-received by most cancer patients and their family. These findings require however verification in a study with a larger sample size. (C) 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd.”
“In maize, human selection for yellow endosperm has led to diversification of grain carotenoid content and composition. This variation has remained largely untapped in modern breeding programs that have focused nearly exclusively on yield gains. In this paper, we show that carotenoid accumulation patterns differ in maize embryo and endosperm tissues, and that this tissue-specific accumulation is largely mediated through differential expression of genes encoding lycopene beta-cyclase and lycopene epsilon-cyclase (LcyB and LcyE).