Epidemiology of Hematologic Malignancies in Real-World Settings: Findings From the Hemato-Oncology Latin America Observational Registry Study.

PURPOSE: Limited information is available on multiple myeloma (MM), chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) management in Latin America. The primary objective of the Hemato-Oncology Latin America (HOLA) study was to describe patient characteristics and treatment patterns of Latin American patients with MM, CLL, and NHL. METHODS: This study was a multicenter, retrospective, medical chart review of patients with MM, CLL, and NHL in Latin America identified between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2015. Included were adults with at least 1 year of follow-up (except in cases of death within 1 year of diagnosis) treated at 30 oncology hospitals (Argentina, 5; Brazil, 9; Chile, 1; Colombia, 5; Mexico, 6; Panama/Guatemala, 4). RESULTS: Of 5,140 patients, 2,967 (57.7%) had NHL, 1,518 (29.5%) MM, and 655 (12.7%) CLL. Median follow-up was 2.2 years for MM, 3.0 years for CLL, and 2.2 years for NHL, and approximately 26% died during the study observation period. Most patients had at least one comorbidity at diagnosis. The most frequent induction regimen was thalidomide-based chemotherapy for MM and chlorambucil with or without prednisone for CLL. Most patients with NHL had diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL; 49.1%) or follicular lymphoma (FL; 19.5%). The majority of patients with DLBCL or FL received rituximab plus cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristine, and prednisone. CONCLUSION: The HOLA study generated an unprecedented level of high-quality, real-world evidence on characteristics and treatment patterns of patients with hematologic malignancies. Regional disparities in patient characteristics may reflect differences in ethnoracial identity and level of access to care. These data provide needed real-world evidence to understand the disease landscape in Latin America and may be used to inform clinical and health policy decision making.

Scattering of a Gaussian beam from a row of cylinders with rectangular cross section.

The transverse magnetic Gaussian beam diffraction from a finite number, equally spaced and rectangular cross section dielectric cylinder row is studied. The infinitely long cylinders' axes are perpendicular to the beam's direction of propagation. The cylinder row, with dielectric constant εc=nc2, is treated as a periodic inhomogeneous film, with period ax and thickness wy, bounded by two semi-infinite homogeneous media. With this restriction, the method is valid only for square or rectangular cross section cylinders. The supercell and the plane wave expansion methods are used to calculate the eigenfrequencies and eigenvectors supported for a one-dimensional photonic crystal. Then, these eigenfrequencies and eigenvectors are used to expand the field in the inhomogeneous film. Numerical results are presented for ax greater than λ (the incident light wavelength), wx (the cylinder width), and wg (Gaussian beam waist). Two cases are studied. In the first (second) case, the unit cell contains one cylinder (a cylinder row), which simulates the scattering from a single cylinder (an inhomogeneous thin film). The total integrated scattering in transmission (reflection) shows three well-defined minima (maxima), which are due to interference effects. Its positions can be approximately obtained with the formula λk=4ncwy/k, with k=3, 4, and 6. The total integrated scattering in transmission decreases linearly as a function of the cylinder number.

Metaloproteinasas de la matriz extracelular y su participación en el proceso de cicatrización / Matrix metalloproteinases and their participation in the healing process

RESUMEN Introducción: las metaloproteinasas son enzimas fundamentales para el mantenimiento estructural de la matriz extracelular, así como para su degradación en situaciones donde se requiere un proceso de reparación tisular. Objetivo: realizar una revisión de los aspectos más actuales de las metaloproteinasas y su papel en la cicatrización. Metodología de búsqueda: se realizó una revisión de 95 artículos, durante el período comprendido entre el 18 de julio de 2015 y 20 de septiembre de 2016 se utilizó las bases de datos Medline, Scopus, Scielo y Science Direct. Resultados: existen seis subfamilias de metaloproteinasas: colagenasas, estromalisinas, elastasas, gelatinasas, matrilisinas y las metaloproteinasas asociadas a la membrana plasmática. Las células endoteliales vasculares las secretan en donde hay daño epitelial y se requiere de un proceso de cicatrización. Conclusiones: las metaloproteinasas son endopeptidasas dependientes de zinc fundamentales para el mantenimiento y degradación de la matriz extracelular. Cuando el mecanismo de regulación falla y las metaloproteinasas tienen una sobreexpresión, ocurren procesos de cicatrización deficientes, condicionando la aparición de heridas crónicas, cicatrices hipertróficas o queloides, pterigión, fibrosis pulmonar y hepática, entre otras condiciones. MÉD.UIS. 2017;30(2):55-62.

ABSTRACT Introduction: Matrix metalloproteinases are essential for structural maintenance of extracellular matrix enzymes, as well as degradation in situations where tissue repair process is warranted. Objective: To review the most current aspects of matrix metalloproteinases and their role in the healing process. Research Methodology: A review of about 95 papers was conducted during the period from July 18, 2015 to September 20, 2016; PubMed, Scopus, Scielo and Science Direct were used. Results: There are six subfamilies of metalloproteinases: collagenases, stromalysins, elastases, gelatinases, matrilysins and metalloproteinases associated with the plasma membrane. Vascular endothelial cells secrete them where there is epithelial damage and a healing process is required. Conclusions: Metalloproteinases are zinc dependent endopeptidases that are essential for the maintenance and degradation of the extracellular matrix. When the adjustment mechanism fails and matrix metalloproteinases are overexpressed, poor healing processes occur, causing problems such as liver chronic wounds, keloids or hypertrophic scars, pterygium, pulmonary and liver fibrosis, among other clinical conditions. MÉD.UIS. 2017;30(2):55-62.

Dichroic rugate filters.

We reduce the sidelobes that are present in the bandpass zones of rugate filters, using antireflection coatings to design dichroic rugate filters. Our designs are based on the formalism of equivalent systems that allow us to consider a rugate filter a simple equivalent layer with equivalent optical admittance and equivalent phase thickness functions. Rugate filters with apodization were considered.

Resonant scattering of light from a glass/Ag/MgF2/air system with rough interfaces and supporting guided modes in attenuated total reflection.

We report experimental results of the resonant scattering of light from a prism-glass/Ag/MgF2/air system with use of the attenuated total reflection technique for p and s polarized light. Two MgF2 film thicknesses were used. The system with the thinner dielectric layer supports two transverse magnetic (TM) and two transverse electric (TE) guided modes at a wavelength of 632.8 nm, and the system with the thicker dielectric layer supports three TM and three TE guided modes. In both cases we found dips in the specular reflection as a function of incident angle that is due to excitation of guided modes in the MgF2 film. The scattered light shows peaks at angles corresponding to the measured excitation of the guided modes. These peaks are due to single-order scattering and occur for any angle of the incident light. All features in the scattering response are enhanced in resonance conditions, and the efficiency of injecting light into the guide is reduced.