Controversies in neuro-oncology: Focal proton versus photon radiation therapy for adult brain tumors.

Radiation therapy (RT) plays a fundamental role in the treatment of malignant and benign brain tumors. Current state-of-the-art photon- and proton-based RT combines more conformal dose distribution of target volumes and accurate dose delivery while limiting the adverse radiation effects. PubMed was systematically searched from from 2000 to October 2023 to identify studies reporting outcomes related to treatment of central nervous system (CNS)/skull base tumors with PT in adults.

The effects of ACE inhibitor Enalapril on Mytilus galloprovincialis: Insights into morphological and functional responses.

In the last decades, pharmaceuticals have emerged as a new class of environmental contaminants. Antihypertensives, including angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, are of special concern due to their increased consumption over the past years. However, the available data on their putative effects on the health of aquatic animals, as well as the possible interaction with biological systems are still poorly understood.

Dosimetric and NTCP advantages of robust proton therapy over robust VMAT for Stage III NSCLC in the immunotherapy era.

Aims: To assess the robustness and to define the dosimetric and NTCP advantages of pencil-beam-scanning proton therapy (PBSPT) compared with VMAT for unresectable Stage III non-small lung cancer (NSCLC) in the immunotherapy era.

Material And Methods: 10 patients were re-planned with VMAT and PBSPT using: 1) ITV-based robust optimization with 0.5 cm setup uncertainties and (for PBSPT) 3.

Re-irradiation for recurrent intracranial meningiomas: Analysis of clinical outcomes and prognostic factors.

Purpose: Re-irradiation (re-RT) for recurrent intracranial meningiomas is hindered by the limited radiation tolerance of surrounding tissue and the risk of side effects. This study aimed at assessing outcomes, toxicities and prognostic factors in a cohort of patients with recurrent meningiomas re-treated with different RT modalities.

Materials And Methods: A multi-institutional database from 8 Italian centers including intracranial recurrent meningioma (RM) patients who underwent re-RT with different modalities (SRS, SRT, PT, EBRT) was collected.

Functional, structural, and molecular remodelling of the goldfish (Carassius auratus) heart under moderate hypoxia.

The goldfish (Carassius auratus) is known for its physiologic ability to survive even long periods of oxygen limitation (hypoxia), adapting the cardiac performance to the requirements of peripheral tissue perfusion. We here investigated the effects of short-term moderate hypoxia on the heart, focusing on ventricular adaptation, in terms of hemodynamics and structural traits. Functional evaluations revealed that animals exposed to 4 days of environmental hypoxia increased the hemodynamic performance evaluated on ex vivo cardiac preparations.

Morpho-functional changes of lungfish Protopterus dolloi skin in the shift from freshwater to aestivating conditions.

African dipnoi (Protopterus sp.) are obligate air-breathing fish that, during dry season, may experience a period of dormancy named aestivation. Aestivation is characterized by complete reliance on pulmonary breathing, general decrease of metabolism and down-regulation of respiratory and cardiovascular functions.

Automation of pencil beam scanning proton treatment planning for intracranial tumours.

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of comprehensive automation of an intra-cranial proton treatment planning.

Materials And Methods: Class solution (CS) beam configuration selection allows the user to identify predefined beam configuration based on target localization; automatic CS (aCS) will then explore all the possible CS beam geometries. Ten patients, already used for the evaluation of the automatic selection of the beam configuration, have been also employed to training an algorithm based on the computation of a benchmark dose exploit automatic general planning solution (GPS) optimization with a wish list approach for the planning optimization.

Multidisciplinary Management of Craniopharyngiomas in Children: A Single Center Experience.

Background: Craniopharyngioma (CP) is a rare brain tumor involving the sellar region. The best management is still debated. Gross total resection (GTR) is considered the best option to improve recurrence-free survival, but considerable long-term sequelae with a significant impact on quality of life have been reported.

Is it beneficial to use apertures in proton radiosurgery with a scanning beam? A dosimetric comparison in neurinoma and meningioma patients.

Purpose: To assess the dosimetric advantages of apertures in intracranial single fraction proton radiosurgery.

Materials And Methods: Six neuroma and 10 meningioma patients were investigated. For each patient, six plans were computed, with two spot spacing and three aperture settings (no apertures, 5 and 8 mm margin between aperture and clinical target volume [CTV]).

Predict Treatment Response by Magnetic Resonance Diffusion Weighted Imaging: A Preliminary Study on 46 Meningiomas Treated with Proton-Therapy.

Objective: a considerable subgroup of meningiomas (MN) exhibit indolent and insidious growth. Strategies to detect earlier treatment responses based on tumour biology rather than on size can be useful. We aimed to characterize therapy-induced changes in the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) of MN treated with proton-therapy (PT), determining whether the pre- and early post-treatment ADC values may predict tumour response.

Multicomponent T relaxometry reveals early myelin white matter changes induced by proton radiation treatment.

Purpose: To investigate MRI myelin water imaging (MWI) by multicomponent T relaxometry as a quantitative imaging biomarker for brain radiation-induced changes and to compare it with DTI.

Methods: Sixteen patients underwent fractionated proton therapy (PT) receiving dose to the healthy tissue because of direct or indirect (base skull tumors) irradiation. MWI was performed by a multi-echo sequence with 32 equally spaced echoes (10-320 ms).

Magnetic Resonance Imaging during Proton Therapy Irradiation Allows for the Early Response Assessment of Pediatric Chordoma.

Chordoma in pediatric patients is very rare. Proton therapy has become a gold standard in the treatment of these neoplasms, as high dose escalation can be achieved regarding the target while maximizing the sparing of the healthy tissues near the tumor. The aim of the work was to assess the evolution of morphological sequences during treatment using T1/T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for the early response assessment of a of the skull base in a pediatric patient who had undergone surgical excision.

Quantitative Multicomponent T2 Relaxation Showed Greater Sensitivity Than Flair Imaging to Detect Subtle Alterations at the Periphery of Lower Grade Gliomas.

Purpose: To demonstrate that quantitative multicomponent T2 relaxation can be more sensitive than conventional FLAIR imaging for detecting cerebral tissue abnormalities.

Methods: Six patients affected by lower-grade non-enhancing gliomas underwent T2 relaxation and FLAIR imaging before a radiation treatment by proton therapy (PT) and were examined at follow-up. The T2 decay signal obtained by a thirty-two-echo sequence was decomposed into three main components, attributing to each component a different T2 range: water trapped in the lipid bilayer membrane of myelin, intra/extracellular water and cerebrospinal fluid.

The heart of the adult goldfish Carassius auratus as a target of Bisphenol A: a multifaceted analysis.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a contaminant whose presence in aquatic environments is increasing. In fish embryos and larvae, it severely affects cardiac development; however, its influence on the heart function of adult fish has been scarcely analyzed. This study investigated the effects of the in vivo exposure to BPA on heart physiology, morphology, and oxidative balance in the goldfish Carassius auratus.

Morpho-functional remodelling of the adult zebrafish (Danio rerio) heart in response to waterborne angiotensin II exposure.

Angiotensin II (AngII), the principal effector of the Renin-Angiotensin System, is a pluripotent humoral agent whose biological actions include short-term modulations and long-term adaptations. In fish, short-term cardio-tropic effects of AngII are documented, but information on the role of AngII in long-term cardiac remodelling is not fully understood. Here, we describe a direct approach to disclose long-term morpho-functional effects of AngII on the zebrafish heart.

The NOS/NO system in an example of extreme adaptation: The African lungfish.

African dipnoi (lungfish) are aestivating fish and obligate air breathers that, throughout their complex life cycle, undergo remarkable morpho-functional organ readjustment from biochemical to morphological level. In the present review we summarize the changes of the NOS/NO (Nitric Oxide Synthase/Nitric Oxide) system occurring in lungs, gills, kidney, heart, and myotomal muscle of African lungfish of the genus Protopterus (P. dolloi and P.

Proton therapy re-irradiation preserves health-related quality of life in large recurrent glioblastoma.

Purpose: Proton therapy could minimize the risk of side effects and, therefore, reduce the possible detrimental effect on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of re-irradiation. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of re-irradiation with active scanning proton therapy on recurrent glioblastoma (GBM) in terms of HRQOL scored by the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ)-C30 and EORTC Quality of Life Questionnaire Brain Cancer Module (QLQ-BN20).

Methods: Thirty-three patients with recurrent GBM were re-irradiated with active scanning proton therapy.

Clinical implementation in proton therapy of multi-field optimization by a hybrid method combining conventional PTV with robust optimization.

To implement a robust multi-field optimization (MFO) technique compatible with the application of a Monte Carlo (MC) algorithm and to evaluate its robustness. Nine patients (three brain, five head-and-neck, one spine) underwent proton treatment generated by a novel robust MFO technique. A hybrid (hMFO) approach was implemented, planning dose coverage on isotropic PTV compensating for setup errors, whereas range calibration uncertainties are incorporated into PTV robust optimization process.

Modelling the risk of radiation induced alopecia in brain tumor patients treated with scanned proton beams.

Purpose: To develop normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) models for radiation-induced alopecia (RIA) in brain tumor patients treated with proton therapy (PT).

Methods And Materials: We analyzed 116 brain tumor adult patients undergoing scanning beam PT (median dose 54 GyRBE; range 36-72) for CTCAE v.4 grade 2 (G2) acute (≤90 days), late (>90 days) and permanent (>12 months) RIA.

Quercetin and its derivative Q2 modulate chromatin dynamics in adipogenesis and Q2 prevents obesity and metabolic disorders in rats.

Recently the attention of the scientific community has focused on the ability of polyphenols to counteract adverse epigenetic regulation involved in the development of complex conditions such as obesity. The aim of this study was to investigate the epigenetic mechanisms underlying the anti-adiposity effect of Quercetin (3,3',4',5,7-pentahydroxyflavone) and of one of its derivatives, Q2 in which the OH groups have been replaced by acetyl groups. In 3 T3-L1 preadipocytes, Quercetin and Q2 treatment induce chromatin remodeling and histone modifications at the 5' regulatory region of the two main adipogenic genes, c/EBPα and PPARγ.