Talon cusps are rare morphological features of the anterior dentition that represent a spectrum of lingual cingulum diversity. In this paper, talon cusp prevalence is described in two Archaic period North American samples, Windover Pond (Florida) and Buckeye Knoll (Texas). Given the early date of these cemeteries (∼7500 BP), these specimens represent the oldest reported cases of lingual talon cusp in the New World, and perhaps globally. Windover preserves three cases of talon cusp (representing three different individuals) affecting the permanent maxillary lateral incisors. The sample frequencies were 1.8% and 3.1% for the left and right maxillary lateral incisors, respectively. Buckeye Knoll preserves four cases of talon cusp representing three individuals. Talon cusps at this site were distributed throughout the maxillary anterior dentition, including a permanent maxillary central incisor, bilateral permanent maxillary lateral incisors, and a deciduous maxillary lateral incisor. The multicomponent nature of this site complicates sample frequency calculation with by‐tooth estimates ranging from 3.6% to 25%. This paper discusses the difficulties with comparative frequency estimation, resulting from a proliferation of terminology that is discipline‐specific. Understanding the evolutionary basis and significance of dental morphological variation requires an inclusive approach to the comparative literature that focuses on homology within the context of odontogenetic process. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2011. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

BACKGROUND Advanced lung cancer (LC) patients and their families report low self-efficacy for self-care/caregiving and high rates of distress, yet few programs exist to address their supportive care needs during treatment. OBJECTIVE This pilot study examined the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a 6-session telephone-based dyadic psychosocial intervention that we developed for advanced LC patients and their caregivers. The program is grounded by Self-determination Theory (SDT), which emphasizes the importance of competence (self-efficacy), autonomy (sense of choice/volition), and relatedness (sense of belonging/connection) for psychological functioning. Primary outcomes were psychological functioning (depression/anxiety) and caregiver burden. Secondary outcomes were the SDT constructs of competence, autonomy, and relatedness. METHODS Thirty-nine advanced LC patients who were within one month of treatment initiation (baseline) and their caregivers (51% spouses/partners) completed surveys and were randomized to the intervention or usual medical care. Eight weeks post-baseline, they completed follow-up surveys. RESULTS Solid recruitment (60%) and low attrition rates demonstrated feasibility. Strong program evaluations (X̄=8.6 out of 10) and homework completion rates (88%) supported acceptability. Participants receiving intervention evidenced significant (p<.0001) improvements in depression, anxiety, and caregiver burden relative to usual medical care. Large effect sizes (d>1.2) favoring the intervention were also found for patient and caregiver competence and relatedness, and for caregiver autonomous motivation for providing care. CONCLUSION These findings support intervention feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy. By empowering families with skills to coordinate care and meet the challenges of LC together, this intervention holds great promise for improving palliative/supportive care services in cancer.

Our data suggest that individuals in whom gefitinib is efficacious are more likely to have adenocarcinomas of the bronchioloalveolar subtype and to be never smokers. These observations may provide clues to mechanisms determining sensitivity to this agent and suggest that NSCLC has a different biology in patients who never smoked and those with bronchioloalveolar carcinoma.

Solid tumors, beyond mere accumulation of cancer cells, form a complex ecosystem consisting of normal epithelial cells, fibroblasts, blood and lymphatic vessels, structural components, and infiltrating hematopoietic cells including myeloid and lymphoid elements that impact tumor growth, tumor spreading, and clinical outcome. The composition of the immune microenvironment is diverse, including various populations of T cells, B cells, dendritic cells, natural killer cells, myeloid-derived suppressor cells, neutrophils, or macrophages. The immune contexture describes the density, location, and organization of these immune cells within solid tumors. In lung cancer, which is the deadliest type of cancer, and particularly in non-small cell lung cancer, its most prevalent form, reports have described some of the interactions between the tumor and the host. These data, in addition to articles on various types of tumors, provide a greater understanding of the tumor-host microenvironment interaction and stimulate the development of prognostic and predictive biomarkers, the identification of novel target antigens for therapeutic intervention, and the implementation of tools for long-term management of patients with cancer.