Oral capecitabine achieved an at least equivalent efficacy compared with IV 5-FU/LV. Capecitabine demonstrated clinically meaningful safety advantages and the convenience of an oral agent.

Trastuzumab plus anastrozole improves outcomes for patients with HER2/hormone receptor-copositive MBC compared with anastrozole alone, although adverse events and serious adverse events were more frequent with the combination.

Sixty-one patients with essential thrombocythemia (ET) were followed from 1974 through 1987 at the Medizinische Poliklinik. Fifty-one patients (84%) presented with thromboembolic complications, and eight patients (13%) with hemorrhages. In seven patients (12%), a thrombocytosis was detected accidentally. Disturbances of the microcirculation (67%), mainly of the fingers and toes (53%), were the most frequent thromboembolic symptoms. The mean age of all patients was 58 years (male patients, 61 years; female patients, 56 years). The average platelet count at diagnosis was 897,000/microliter. The average maximal platelet count was 1.231 X 10(6)/microliter (range, 500,000/microliter to 4 X 10(6)/microliter). Seventy-two percent had a moderate leukocytosis (average, 12,400/microliter), 34% a splenomegaly, 29% a hepatomegaly. Signs of hypermetabolism were infrequent, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and uric acid elevations, if present, were moderate. Bleeding time and viscosity were normal in most patients. Spontaneous platelet aggregation was increased in 81% of patients (n = 40). Platelet aggregation studies with the aggregation inducing substances adenosine diphosphonate (ADP), platelet activating factor (PAF), thrombin, collagen, and adrenalin showed hypoaggregation in most patients. Adrenalin-induced aggregation distinguished best between ET-patients and reactive thrombocytosis showing hypoaggregation in all ET-patients tested (n = 16) and in none of 22 controls. Bone marrow studies were performed in 57 patients. The histologic studies (done in 49 patients) were consistent with a chronic myeloproliferative disorder in all cases. In 41 cases (84%) the picture of a megakaryocytic myelosis was found, in 12 of these a granulocyte-rich form of megakaryocytic myelosis. Cytologic studies only (eight patients) did not differentiate ET well from reactive thrombocytosis. Platelet aggregation studies and bone marrow histology may be of help in the diagnosis of difficult cases of thrombocytosis. The Philadelphia status was negative in all cases studied (14 patients). Fourteen patients died. The causes of death were thromboembolic complications in probably 11 and acute leukemia in two patients. The probability of 10-year survival is 64% after a mean follow-up time of approximately 5 years. It appears that considering the average age of ET patients at diagnosis, life expectancy is close to normal.

The microwave spectra of the 3,4- (syn and anti), 2,5- (syn), and 3,5-dimethylbenzaldehyde (DMBA) molecules have been recorded for the first time in the 2-26.5 GHz frequency range, using the high resolution COBRA-FTMW spectrometer in Hannover. The experimental assignments and fits are supplemented by ab initio quantum chemical calculations of the conformational energy landscape and dipole moment components. The analysis of the spectra of the four observed isomers, including spectroscopic constants and large amplitude motion parameters, are presented in this paper. The DMBA isomers belong to a series of similar molecules obtained formally by adding one or more methyl group(s) at the aromatic ring. These molecules serve as prototype systems for the development of the theoretical model of asymmetric top molecules having C(s) symmetry while containing in addition two nonequivalent methyl tops (C(3v)), exhibiting different barrier heights and coupling terms. Thus, the DMBA isomers represent good species for testing the recently written two-top internal rotors BELGI program.

No abstract

The simplest tricyclic aromatic nitrogen heterocyclic molecules 5,6-benzoquinoline and 7,8-benzoquinoline are possible candidates for detection of aromatic systems in the interstellar medium. Therefore the pure rotational spectra have been recorded using frequency-scanned Stark modulated, jet-cooled millimetre wave absorption spectroscopy (48-87 GHz) and Fourier Transform Microwave (FT-MW) spectroscopy (2-26 GHz) of a supersonic rotationally cold molecular jet. Guided by theoretical molecular orbital predictions, spectral analysis of mm-wave spectra, and higher resolution FT-MW spectroscopy provided accurate rotational and centrifugal distortion constants together with N nuclear quadrupole coupling constants for both species. The tricyclic frames of these species undergo low energy out-of-plane zero-point vibrations resulting in deviations from the moments of inertia that the rigid structure would exhibit. The determined inertial defects, along with those of similar species are used to develop an empirical formula for calculation of inertial defects of aromatic ring systems. The predictive ability of the formula is shown to be excellent in general for planar species with a number of pronounced out-of-plane vibrations. The resultant constants for the benzoquinolines are of sufficient accuracy to be used in astrophysical searches for planar aromatic heterocycles.

No abstract

Succinonitrile is a material of plastic crystal nature arising from the low energy barrier between synclinal and antiperiplanar isomerization around the central C-C bond, while its high polarity makes it an efficient solvent for a wide variety of salts including ionic liquids. A prediction of the equilibrium dihedral angle - in the absence of experimental data - suffers from the shallow potential energy curve and electron diffraction results contain large standard errors. Here, to provide accurate structural data, the Fourier transform microwave spectrum and the mm-wave spectrum of the major isotopologues of synclinal succinonitrile have been measured, assigned and fitted to produce rotational, centrifugal distortion and quadrupole coupling constants. The mm-wave spectrum of the (13)C and (15)N singly substituted isotopologues in natural abundance has been assigned together with that of the chemically singly substituted (2)H isotopologues. The resultant rotational constants have been used to calculate the substitution geometry for succinonitrile. All parameters and constants are compared with theoretical values computed at the B3LYP, MP2 and CCSD/cc-pVTZ levels of theory. The dihedral angle of succinonitrile, which is a strong driver of the plastic crystal nature of succinonitrile, is found to be 66(2)° best comparable to CCSD/cc-pVTZ predictions and noticeably different from the 60° expected without substituent effects.