0 mg CoCr, 10.0 mg CoCr, a positive control (20.0 mg of nickel) and a negative control (ISOVUE-M-300). The CoCr-alloy and Ni particles had a mean diameter of 0.2 and 0.6 mu m, respectively. Five rabbits per dose group were studied at 12 Epigenetics inhibitor and 24 weeks. Local and

distant tissues were analyzed histologically and quantitatively analyzed immunohistochemically (TNF-alpha and IL-6).

Results Histologically, wear particles were observed in all animals. There was no evidence of toxicity or local irritation noted during macroscopic observations in any CoCr-dosed animals. However, Ni-treated control animals experienced bilateral hind leg paralysis and were euthanized at Day 2. Histopathology of the Ni particle-treated group revealed severe neuropathy. Quantitative immunohistochemistry demonstrated a CoCr-alloy dose-dependent

increase in cytokines (IL-6, TNF-alpha, p < 0.05) at 12 and 24 weeks.

Conclusions Subtle peri-spine inflammation associated with CoCr-alloy implant particles was dose dependent and persistent. Neuropathy can be induced by highly reactive Ni particles. This suggests peri-spine challenge with CoCr-alloy implant debris (e.g., TDA) is consistent with past reports using titanium alloy particles, i.e., mild persistent inflammation.”
“Tuberculosis (TB) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) undergoing treatment with anti-TNF agents is commonly the result of reactivation of latent TB infection (LTBI); Pitavastatin supplier detection and treatment of LTBI is essential before treatment with anti-TNF agents. More than 80% of TB cases associated with biologic therapy are reported in patients aged >60 years. We compared the prevalence of LTBI in RA patients and matched controls according to positive TST and QFT-GIT results and determine their agreement. We also determined the performance of TST and QFT for detection of LTBI in elderly patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and matched controls in a TB-endemic population. There were no significant differences

between RA patients and controls see more for age, sex, BCG vaccination, or history of or contact with TB. 88% of the patients had active RA disease and 2 (1.9%) had indeterminate QFT results. The number of subjects testing positive with QFT was comparable between patients and controls (44.6% vs. 59.1%, respectively), whereas the TST detected significantly less LTBI among RA patients (26.7%) than controls (65.6%). Poor agreement between TST and QFT was seen in RA patients, but in controls good agreement was observed between these tests. These findings suggest there is greater sensitivity of the QFT-GIT to detect LTBI in RA patients. We found a much lower TST positivity in RA patients aged >60 years (8/45; 17%) compared to controls from the same age group (29141; 71%; P < 0.001); this difference persisted for patients aged 40 to 60 (P < 0.001) but not in younger patients (aged 20-40) (45% vs. 36%; P = 0.62).

A significantly higher expression of FoxP3 within the CD4(+) CD25(+) CD127(low) subset for RF and BL compared to AZD5582 supplier the AR group was observed. In conclusion, pre- transplant anti- donor alloreactivity and FoxP3 expression within the CD4(+) CD25(+) CD127(low) subpopulation might prove useful to further define the patient’s risk for AR.”
“PURPOSE: To use anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) to evaluate the stability of a recently released angle-supported phakic intraocular lens (pIOL) in the anterior segment with changes in pupil diameter.

SETTING: Keratoconus Unit, Vissum

Corporation, Alicante, Spain.

METHODS: In this observational cross-sectional study of consecutive eyes with moderate to high myopia, an AcrySof Cachet pIOL was implanted with the aim of minimizing the refractive error SB-715992 datasheet An analysis of the position and stability of the pIOL before and after pharmacologic pupil dilation was performed 3 months postoperatively using the Visante AS-OCT system A measurement protocol that included several anatomic parameters was developed and applied; the parameter values before and after dilation were compared

RESULTS: Twenty eyes of 20 patients ranging in age from 24 to 48 years old were evaluated. The anterior chamber depth

increased significantly with pupil dilation (mean change 0.06 mm +/- 0.08 [SD]) (P< 01) A significant change was also observed in the distance between the center of the cornea at the endothelial plane and the anterior surface of the pIOL (mean change 0 03 +/- 005 mm) (P = 01). The distances between the peripheral edges of the pIOL and the corneal endothelium and the distance between the crystalline lens and the pIOL did not change significantly (P >= 14)

CONCLUSION: The angle-supported pIOL showed excellent intraocular behavior after pupil dilation, with no shortening of the distance between the pIOL and corneal endothelium at the center or peripheral PF-00299804 ic50 edges of the pIOL.

Financial Disclosure: No author has a financial or proprietary interest in any material or method mentioned.

J Cataract Refract Surg 2010; 36.1517-1522 (C)

2010 ASCRS and ESCRS”
“In an abrasive chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process, materials were considered to be removed by abrasive sliding and rolling. Abrasive sliding has been investigated by many molecular dynamics (MD) studies; while abrasive rolling was usually considered to be negligible and therefore was rarely investigated. In this paper, an MD simulation was used to study the effects of abrasive rolling on material removal and surface finish in the CMP process. As the silica particle rolled across the silicon substrate, some atoms of the substrate were dragged out from their original positions and adhered to the silica particle, leaving some atomic vacancies on the substrate surface. Meanwhile, a high quality surface could be obtained.

This study supports the findings noted in recent clinical studies suggesting E2 decreases infectious complications but may be associated with poorer outcomes if complications occur.”
“The small antral follicles (SAFs) from the ovarian medulla can be a potential source of oocytes for infertility patients, but little GS-4997 is known about their ability to yield mature oocytes. This study evaluated the response of these SAFs to a stimulatory bolus of human corionic gonadotropin (hCG) in vitro.

Oocyte nuclear maturation and hormone production (estradiol [E2], progesterone [P4]), antimullerian hormone

[AMH]) by individual intact SAFs (n = 91; > 0.5 mm; n = 5 monkeys) was evaluated after 34 h of culture

in the absence (control) or presence of hCG.

Of the total cohort (n = 91), 49 % of SAFs contained degenerating oocytes. The percentage of healthy oocytes able to reinitiate meiosis to the metaphase I (MI) and MII was greater (p < 0.05) after hCG compared to controls. E2, P4 and AMH levels were higher (p < 0.05) in SAF cultures containing germinal vesicle (GV) oocytes compared to those with MII oocytes regardless of hCG exposure. SAF with MI oocytes produced more E2, but less (p < 0.05) P4 and AMH compared to SAFs containing GV oocytes (p < 0.05). Follicles a parts per thousand yen1 mm produced more (p < 0.05) E2, whereas follicle diameter did not correlate with P4 or AMH levels. Only P4 increased (p < 0.05) in

response to hCG, regardless of follicle size or oocyte maturity. SAFs containing degenerating Torin 1 solubility dmso BAY 80-6946 order oocytes produced similar levels of E2, P4 and AMH compared to SAFs containing healthy oocytes.

These data indicate, for the first time, that oocytes within primate SAFs can reinitiate meiosis in vitro in the absence of hCG, but nuclear maturation is enhanced in SAFs cultured with hCG. Oocyte nuclear maturation within SAFs in is associated with decreased E2, P4 and AMH levels. Furthermore, hormone content within the culture media does not necessarily reflect oocyte quality.”
“Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death for women. For almost 3 decades, more women than men have died from CVD, with the most recent annual statistics on mortality reporting that CVD accounted for 421 918 deaths among women in the United States. Although there have been significant declines in coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality for females, these reductions lag behind those seen in men. In addition, where there has been a decrease in mortality from CHD across all age groups over time in men, in the youngest women (age <55 years) there has been a notable increase in mortality from CHD. There are differences in the prevalence, symptoms, and pathophysiology of myocardial ischemia that occurs in women compared with men.

Results. The prevalence of cannabis use among patients prescribed chronic opioid therapy in these studies ranged from 6.2% to 39%, compared with 5.8% in the general United States population. Furthermore, cannabis use in chronic opioid patients shows statistically significant associations Selleckchem A 1155463 with present and future aberrant opioid-related behaviors.

Conclusion. Cannabis use is prevalent

in patients prescribed chronic opioid therapy and is associated with opioid misuse. Further research is necessary to clarify the strength and the nature of the association between cannabis use and opioid misuse, and to address additional questions about the consequences of cannabis use in the context of chronic opioid therapy.”
“Objective: Patients with moderate-to-severe mixed hearing losses (MHLs) are hard to provide sufficient benefit with currently available conventional

hearing aids. Here, the long-term safety of a direct acoustic cochlear stimulator (DACS) and the effectiveness compared with conventional “”high-performance” hearing aids were investigated.

Study Design: Prospective, within patient reference, nonrandomized, interventional multicenter clinical study performed at these 3 centers: Medical University Hannover, University of Heidelberg, and Helios Hospital Krefeld.

Patients and Intervention: Ten otosclerosis patients with severe-to-profound MHL were preoperatively fitted with state-of-the-art conventional hearing aids (HA). After 2 months of testing conventional HA, 9 of the patients decided to be implanted with a DACS.

Main Outcome Measures: Air conduction (AC) and www.selleckchem.com/products/bmn-673.html bone conduction (BC) aided and unaided thresholds, speech discrimination

before and after implantation and at 3, 6, and 12 months after activation. The subjective benefit was assessed by the Abbreviated Profile of Hearing Aid Benefit (APHAB).

Results: Preoperative hearing thresholds were preserved over the 12 month observation time after activation. Average functional gain (0.5-4 kHz) achieved with conventional HA was 47 dB compared with 56 dB with the DACS. Speech-in-noise tests revealed a lower SNR for DACS (3.1 dB) than for the HA (6.6 dB) and patients were more satisfied with the DACS.

Conclusion: The DACS significantly improved hearing, speech intelligibility, and satisfaction in patients with a severe-to-profound mixed hearing loss and can be considered selleck kinase inhibitor a safe and useful alternative to conventional hearing aids.”
“We developed a new individually customized contrast-injection protocol for coronary computed tomography (CT) angiography based on the time-attenuation response in a test bolus, and investigated its clinical applicability. We scanned 60 patients with suspected coronary diseases using a 64-detector CT scanner, who were randomly assigned to one of two protocols. In protocol 1 (P1), we estimated the contrast dose to yield a peak aortic attenuation of 400 HU based on the time-attenuation response to a small test-bolus injection (0.

Conclusion: The major determinant of QOL in patients with epilepsy is AS rather than ORE or WCE status. (C) 2010 Elsevier signaling pathway Inc. All rights reserved.”
“A statistical investigation of off-track errors for shingled and conventional writing was carried out to reveal the behavior at high track densities. The remanent data width in shingled writing was wider than that in conventional writing for the same average track pitch. Comparison of the distributions

of the calculated remanent data width showed that for conventional writing erroneous tracks were generated when the track was squeezed by both neighboring tracks, i.e., double-squeezing. Shingled writing has an advantage in that this double-squeezing does not occur and therefore a higher track density is achievable. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3563037]“
“The increased mortality in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is mainly caused by cardiovascular disease (CVD). Several risk factors for CVD are present in patients with ESRD, including a mixed dyslipidemia, specific for the uremic state. Randomized controlled trials in patients with ESRD are sparse and some cholesterol-lowering randomized controlled trials have had negative www.selleckchem.com/products/s63845.html results. Both epidemiological and interventional data support a cardioprotective effect of an increased intake of n-3

polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-3 PUFA). Several mechanisms could explain why n-3 PUFA have a beneficial effect on patients with CVD. Thus, the effects on lipids and triglycerides are especially well described. In patients with ESRD the effect of n-3 PUFA has only been sparsely studied. This article will provide an update on existing

data concerning treatment with n-3 PUFA in patients with ESRD with a special focus on lipids and lipoproteins.”
“We have investigated the effect of stack structures on tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) properties in perpendicular anisotropy MgO-based magnetic tunnel junctions (p-MTJs) with CoFe/Pd multilayer and CoFeB insertion. By adopting Ta and Ru cap-layers, the TMR ratios of 113 and 106% are obtained at annealing temperature (T(a)) of 325 degrees C, selleck products respectively. Particularly, the Ru cap-layer is effective in realizing a TMR ratio of 100% at T(a) = 350 degrees C. By replacing (Co(25)Fe(75))(80)B(20) with (Co(25)Fe(75))(85)B(15), the TMR ratio increased quickly at low Ta, reaching a maximum of 120% at T(a) = 300 degrees C. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3554092]“
“Here we describe the clinical characteristics of children with isolated midline spikes, comparing patients with and without epilepsy, and examining the evolution of midline spikes on repeat EEGs. EEGs and clinical information of 69 patients with isolated midline spikes identified from our EEG database were reviewed. Forty-three patients had a history of seizures.

“
“Natural variation in early parental care may contribute to long-term changes in behavior in the offspring. Here we investigate the role CHIR-99021 supplier of variable early care in biparental prairie voles (Microtus ochrogaster). Total amounts of parental care were initially quantified for 24 breeder pairs and pairs were ranked in relation to

one another based on total contact. Consistency in key components of care suggested a trait-like quality to parental care. Based on this ranking, breeder pairs from the top (high-contact) and bottom (low-contact) quartiles were selected to produce high- and low-contact offspring to investigate adolescent behavior after varying early care. Parental care of subject offspring was again observed postnatally. Offspring of high-contact parents spent more time passively selleck chemicals nursing and received more paternal non-huddling contact while low-contact offspring spent more time actively nursing and received more paternal huddling and pseudohuddling in the first postnatal days (PNDs). Low-contact offspring also displayed faster rates of development on a number of physical markers. Post-weaning, offspring were evaluated on anxiety-like behavior, social behavior and pre-pulse

inhibition (PPI) to a tactile and an acoustic startle. High-contact offspring spent more time sniffing a juvenile and less time autogrooming. With an infant, high-contact offspring spent more time in non-huddling contact and less time autogrooming and retrieving than did low-contact offspring. Considering sexes separately, high-contact females spent more time sniffing a

novel juvenile than low-contact females. High-contact males spent more time in non-huddling contact with an infant than low-contact males; while low-contact females retrieved infants more than high-contact females. In both measures of social behavior, high-contact males spent less time autogrooming than low-contact males. These results CBL0137 mouse suggest a relationship between early-life care and differences in social behavior in adolescence.”
“Background: Many prognostic models have been developed. Different types of models, i.e. prognostic factor and outcome prediction studies, serve different purposes, which should be reflected in how the results are summarized in reviews. Therefore we set out to investigate how authors of reviews synthesize and report the results of primary outcome prediction studies.

Methods: Outcome prediction reviews published in MEDLINE between October 2005 and March 2011 were eligible and 127 Systematic reviews with the aim to summarize outcome prediction studies written in English were identified for inclusion. Characteristics of the reviews and the primary studies that were included were independently assessed by 2 review authors, using standardized forms.

We developed mice with constitutive and tissue-specific CCM2 deletions to investigate CCM2 function in vivo. Constitutive deletion of CCM2 leads to early embryonic death. Deletion of CCM2 from neuroglial precursor cells does not lead to cerebrovascular defects, whereas CCM2 is required 4-Hydroxytamoxifen molecular weight in endothelial cells for proper vascular development. Deletion of CCM2 from endothelial cells severely affects angiogenesis, leading to morphogenic defects in the major arterial and venous blood vessels and in the heart, and results in embryonic lethality

at mid-gestation. These findings establish the essential role of endothelial CCM2 for proper vascular development and strongly suggest that the endothelial cell is the primary target in the cascade of events leading from CCM2 mutations to CCM cerebrovascular lesions.”
“Using nationally representative data, this paper investigates the experience of crisis pregnancy (CP) among Irish and non-Irish adults living in Ireland in 2010.

To generate a detailed profile

of Irish and non-Irish adults living in Ireland who have had an experience of CP and to investigate the differences in the experiences of CP between Irish and non-Irish selleck chemicals adults.

A national cross-sectional telephone survey methodology recruited 3,002 adult (18-45 years) participants (69 % response). Descriptive statistics and Chi-square analysis were used to compare the differences between the Irish (n = 334) and non-Irish sample (n = 57) with an experience of CP.

The majority of respondents with an experience of CP

had a higher education level and were aged between 18 and 25 years. Significant differences, in terms of outcome of CP, were also found between groups; with more Irish respondents choosing parenthood over abortion, compared with their non-Irish counterparts.

This paper presents a unique profile of Irish and non-Irish adults living in Ireland with an experience of CP. Enhanced promotion of longer-acting contraceptives to all younger adults, and targeted awareness raising of post-abortion services among the non-Irish community, is recommended.”
“Emulsion-polymerized poly(styrene-rand-butyl acrylate) (St-BA) copolymers exhibit damping capabilities over a wide temperature range with changes in the monomer ratio. Blending copolymers of different compositions results in a multiclamping peak, selleck compound further widening the effective damping temperature range. Adding carbon black (CB) reduces the peak damping intensity but enhances damping at higher temperatures. The addition of dodecyl benzene sulfonic acid to an St-BA/CB aqueous dispersion improves the dispersion of CB in the polymer, reducing the percolation threshold and improving the conductivity while slightly affecting the mechanical behavior. The electrical properties of the St-BA/CB system are affected by the copolymer composition, influencing the polymer surface tension. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The leakage current behavior was systematically analyzed from quantum mechanical transport simulations. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3605527]“
“Hereditary hemochromatosis (HH) refers to several inherited disorders of iron metabolism

leading to tissue iron overload. Classical HH is associated with mutations in HFE (C282Y homozygotes or C282Y/H63D compound heterozygotes) and is almost exclusively found in populations of northern European descent. Non-HFE-associated HH is caused by mutations in other click here recently identified genes involved in iron metabolism. Hepcidin is an iron regulatory hormone that inhibits ferroportin-mediated iron export from enterocytes and macrophages. Defective hepcidin gene expression or function may underlie most forms of HH. Target organs and tissues affected by HH include the liver, heart, pancreas, joints, and skin, with cirrhosis and diabetes mellitus representing late signs of disease Screening Library order in patients with markedly

elevated liver iron concentration. Recently, we have encountered the rare representation of this disease of the oral cavity associated with generalized burning sensation of the tongue. The diagnosis was established accidently, from the lab investigations, otherwise the patient was healthy and free from classical signs and symptoms of the disease. The patient was adequately treated by phlebotomy. To conclude, all patients with a chief complaint of burning sensation of the oral cavity and tongue should be adequately screened for hereditary hemochromatosis to prevent the associated mortality and morbidity with the hemochromatosis. (Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 2011;111:e1-e5)”
“BACKGROUND: Right ventricular (RV) failure is a significant complication after implantation of a left ventricular assist device (LVAD). It is therefore important to

identify patients at risk a priori. However, prognostic models derived from multivariate analyses have had limited predictive power.

METHODS: This study retrospectively analyzed the records of 183 LVAD recipients between May 1996 and October 2009; of these, 27 later required a RVAD (RVAD(+)) and 156 remained on LVAD only (RVAD(-)) until transplant buy SB431542 or death. A decision tree model was constructed to represent combinatorial non-linear relationships of the pre-operative data that are predictive of the need for RVAD support.

RESULTS: An optimal set of 8 pre-operative variables were identified: transpulmonary gradient, age, right atrial pressure, international normalized ratio, heart rate, white blood cell count, alanine aminotransferase, and the number of inotropic agents. The resultant decision tree, which consisted of 28 branches and 15 leaves, identified RVAD(+) patients with 85% sensitivity, RVAD(-) patients with 83% specificity, and exhibited an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.87.

OEF,

CBF, and OMI were obtained from the whole brain, gray matter (GM), and white matter (WM) at each gas inhalation state. Similar to previous positron emission tomography findings, our study consistently demonstrated a 10-12% decrease in OEF with a 10% increase of CBF and a stable OMI during carbogen inhalation. Moreover, GM/WM ratio in CBF and OMI remained constant during air and carbogen breathing. Selleck Dorsomorphin In addition, OEF, CBF, and OMI were highly reproducible if the same inhaled gas was used. In summary, our results demonstrate that noninvasive MR measurements can provide reproducible measurements of OEF, CBF, and OMI in normal subjects under normal and altered physiological conditions.”
“The objective of this study was to report an unusual case of primary antiphospholipid syndrome (APS)-associated severe necrotizing pancreatitis. Since the APS was first recognized in the 1980s, a number of manifestations of the disorder have been described. We report primary APS presenting as severe necrotizing

pancreatitis. This is the first such case to date that fulfills the revised Sapporo classification criteria. A 38-year-old previously healthy woman presented with new-onset hypertensive emergency and acute kidney injury. She subsequently developed severe epigastric pain attributable CGP 41251 to necrotizing pancreatitis selleck screening library and extensive splenic infarcts. Biopsies of both the pancreas and kidney revealed thrombotic microangiopathy. Her lupus anticoagulant was positive on both weeks 1 and 12 of her disease

course. A diagnosis of primary APS was made. Despite 6 months of aggressive care, she died of sepsis.”
“Anesthesiologists occasionally encounter bradycardia during abdominal surgery and recognize the phenomenon as a vagal reflex. The presence of bradycardia implies efferent vagal dominance in the autonomic nervous system during this vagal reflex. In this study, we investigated the effect of abdominal surgical manipulation on autonomic nervous activity, using heart rate variability analysis. Abdominal surgical manipulation decreased the heart rate and enhanced not only the high-frequency power (0.15-0.4 Hz) but also the low-frequency power (0.04-0.15 Hz) calculated from the power spectral density of heart rate variability. Our results suggest that both vagal tone and sympathetic tone could be activated during the vagal reflex caused by abdominal surgical manipulation.”
“Perinatal arterial ischemic stroke (AIS) is an important cause of long-term morbidity in children. Thus, there is an urgent need to better understand the mechanisms of stroke in newborns in order to develop effective treatment and prevention strategies. The purpose of this study was to assess brain perfusion within the first month of life in newborns with AIS.

Materials and Methods: This study was approved by the institutional ethics committee, and informed consent was obtained from all patients. Extrahepatic metastases were diagnosed in 257 patients with HCC by using dual-tracer (carbon 11 [(11)C]

acetate and fluorine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose [FDG]) PET/CT. Metastatic bone lesions were identified with visual inspection and semiquantitative assessment and confirmed with histopathologic examination and/or supported by findings at other radiologic examinations or serial PET/CT.

Results: The frequency of bone metastasis from HCC was 19% (49 GSK2118436 mw of 257 patients; eight patients had histopathologic proof and 41 had imaging proof). Metastasis isolated to bone (group 1, 30 of 257 patients [12%]) was more common than metastasis to bone and other sites (group 2, 19 of 257 patients [7%]). At lesion-based analysis of group 1 (71 index lesions; mean lesion size +/- standard deviation, 3.25 cm +/- 1.88), (11)C acetate PET was more sensitive than FDG PET (93% [66 of 71 lesions] vs 62% [44 of 71 lesions], respectively; P < .05). The combined sensitivity was 97% (69 of 71 lesions) with dual-tracer PET and 72% (51 of 71 lesions) with CT. At patient-based analysis, (11)C acetate PET had an incremental value of 23% (seven of 30 patients) over FDG PET. At lesion-based analysis of group 2, FDG PET was more

sensitive than (11)C acetate PET (87% [33 of 38 lesions] vs 50% [19 of 38 lesions], respectively; P < .05). Tracer avidities of metastatic SCH772984 cost bone lesions were closely correlated with that of their corresponding primary HCC tumors. The median survival time was longer in group 1 than in group 2 (18 months vs 11 months, respectively; P < .05).

Conclusion: Isolated bone metastasis from HCC may not be as uncommon as previously believed. The detection of these metastases can be significantly enhanced with (11)C acetate PET compared with check details FDG PET alone. Identification of this group of

patients also seems to have prognostic importance. (C)RSNA, 2010″
“Aim: To evaluate the cost utility and budget impact of second-line gefitinib for non-small cell lung cancer from a Thai payer perspective.

Methods: A Markov model with three health states (pre-progression, post-progression and death) was constructed to estimate direct medical costs and outcomes comparing four treatment options, i.e., gefitinib, erlotinib, pemetrexed and docetaxel. The model followed patients for 2 years with discount rate of 3% annually. Clinical inputs and patients’ characteristics were based on a randomized phase III trial (INTEREST). Costs were based on reference prices published by the Ministry of Public Health, Thailand, and other information related to treatment from expert opinion and presented in 2010. Deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed to determine the impact of model parameters on results.

Results: In the base case model, gefitinib and erlotinib yielded equal quality-adjusted life years (QALY) but 0.