Linking elements to biochemicals: effects of nutrient supply ratios and growth rates on fatty acid composition of phytoplankton species.

Three species of marine phytoplankton, Rhodomonas sp., Isochrysis galbana Parke, and Phaeodactylum tricornutum Bohlin, were cultivated in semicontinuous cultures to test biochemical responses (fatty acids; FAs) to five nitrogen (N):phosphorus (P) supply ratios and four growth rates (dilution rates). The characteristic FA profile was observed for each algal species (representing particular algal class), which remained relatively stable across the entire ranges of N:P supply ratios and growth rates.

Early response as assessed by anatomic imaging does not predict failure-free survival among patients with Group III rhabdomyosarcoma: a report from the Children's Oncology Group.

Background: The prognostic significance of response to induction therapy for rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) by anatomic imaging [computerised tomographic (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan] is controversial. We previously reported no relationship between early response and failure-free survival (FFS) on Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study (IRS)-IV. We repeated the same analysis using a more recent clinical trial as an independent cohort of patients with non-metastatic, initially unresected RMS.

[Tonometric response to acetazolamide in patients with retinal detachment].

Introduction: Acetazolamide reduces intraocular pressure and stimulates absorption of subretinal fluid by the retinal pigment epithelium. Recording the intraocular pressure response to systemic acetazolamide might enable an indirect evaluation of retinal pigment epithelial carbonic anhydrase.

Methods: The intraocular pressure response to a standardized dose of intravenous acetazolamide (5mg/kg) was evaluated in a "case" group of 15 patients undergoing retinal detachment (RD) surgery and in a control group of 15 patients undergoing epiretinal membrane peeling.

Intravitreal triamcinolone injections in non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy.

Background: In non-arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NA-AION), no treatments have demonstrated to be effective in recovering visual loss in randomized clinical trials. Oral steroids have been evaluated, and small series of intravitreal triamcinolone acetonide (IVTA) injection in NA-AION have been reported. The purpose of our study was to report the visual outcome and morphological changes in response to a single IVTA injection as a treatment for patients with NA-AION.

Relapsing optic neuritis: a multicentre study of 62 patients.

Background: Optic neuritis (ON) may be the first symptom of a central nervous system demyelinating, systemic or infectious disease but few patients experience recurrent episodes and have a negative workup.

Objective: This disorder, named relapsing optic neuritis (RON), is poorly described in the literature and still presents a particular challenge in diagnosis and management.

Methods: We describe the clinical, laboratory, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and disability course of RON in a French cohort of 62 patients, based on a multicentre, retrospective, observational study.

Coating with autologous plasma improves biocompatibility of mesh grafts in vitro: development stage of a surgical innovation.

Purpose: To investigate mesh coating modalities with autologous blood components in a recently developed in vitro test system for biocompatibility assessment of alloplastic materials.

Materials And Methods: Seven different mesh types, currently used in various indications, were randomly investigated. Meshes were coated prior to cultivation with autologous peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), platelets, and blood plasma.

The effect of radiation timing on patients with high-risk features of parameningeal rhabdomyosarcoma: an analysis of IRS-IV and D9803.

Purpose: Radiation therapy remains an essential treatment for patients with parameningeal rhabdomyosarcoma (PMRMS), and early radiation therapy may improve local control for patients with intracranial extension (ICE).

Methods And Materials: To address the role of radiation therapy timing in PMRMS in the current era, we reviewed the outcome from 2 recent clinical trials for intermediate-risk RMS: Intergroup Rhabdomyosarcoma Study (IRS)-IV and Children's Oncology Group (COG) D9803. The PMRMS patients on IRS-IV with any high-risk features (cranial nerve palsy [CNP], cranial base bony erosion [CBBE], or ICE) were treated immediately at day 0, and PMRMS patients without any of these 3 features received week 6-9 radiation therapy.

Costimulation improves the killing capability of T cells redirected to tumor cells expressing low levels of CD33: description of a novel modular targeting system.

Owing to their clinical success, there is growing interest in novel bispecific antibodies (bsAbs) for retargeting of T cells to tumor cells including for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). One potential target for retargeting of T cells to AML blasts is the surface molecule CD33. Here we describe a novel modular targeting platform that consists of a universal effector module (EM) and individual target modules (TMs).

High-BMI at diagnosis is associated with inferior survival in patients with osteosarcoma: a report from the Children's Oncology Group.

Background: Body mass index (BMI), at diagnosis has been associated with lower survival and increased toxicity in cancer patients. We analyzed the effect of BMI at diagnosis on therapy related toxicities and outcome in pediatric osteosarcoma patients treated on Children's Oncology Group (COG) trial INT0133.

Procedures: All patients enrolled on COG-INT0133 with height, weight and toxicity information were eligible.

Preoperative L1 and L2 paravertebral block is an effective postoperative analgesia for hip arthroscopy in a multimodal analgesic regimen.

We describe the case of a 30-year-old woman with chronic hip pain secondary to avascular necrosis. She received preoperative L1-L2 paravertebral block for postoperative pain control after arthroscopic hip surgery. Preoperative paravertebral block at the level of L1-L2 provided an effective postoperative analgesia for hip arthroscopy when used in a multimodal approach.

Risk stratification of rhabdomyosarcoma: a moving target.

Known prognostic factors for rhabdomyosarcoma include primary site, stage, group (amount of tumor remaining after initial surgery before chemotherapy), lymph node involvement, age, and histology. These factors are taken into account when determining risk stratification for treatment allocation, with some differences between the European and U.S.

Clinical outcomes of adult patients with relapsed Ewing sarcoma: a 30-year single-institution experience.

Objectives: We aimed to determine the prognostic factors that influence the outcome of adult patients who have disease relapse after treatment for localized Ewing sarcoma.

Methods: We retrospectively searched for the records of patients aged 18 years and older with localized Ewing sarcoma at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, from 1977 to 2007, who had disease relapse after initial treatment. Patient records were reviewed to analyze factors affecting survival.

Highly accelerated T1-weighted abdominal imaging using 2-dimensional controlled aliasing in parallel imaging results in higher acceleration: a comparison with generalized autocalibrating partially parallel acquisitions parallel imaging.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and technical quality of an abdominal 3-dimensional interpolated breath-hold (volumetric interpolated breath-hold examination [VIBE]) magnetic resonance examination using the new parallel acquisition technique, controlled aliasing in parallel imaging results in higher acceleration (CAIPIRINHA).

Materials And Methods: In this institutional review board-approved study, 15 volunteers underwent an abdominal magnetic resonance imaging examination including axial unenhanced 3-dimensional VIBE sequences with the conventional parallel acquisition technique, generalized autocalibrating partially parallel acquisitions parallel imaging (GRAPPA), with an acceleration factor (R) of 2, 3, 4, and 2 × 2 in comparison with a CAIPIRINHA-VIBE sequence with an acceleration factor of 2 × 2. Images were evaluated regarding the overall image quality, liver edge sharpness, and parallel imaging artifacts.

A young adult with sarcosinemia. No benefit from long duration treatment with memantine.

Sarcosinemia is a rare inborn error of metabolism that is characterised by an increased level of sarcosine (N-methylglycine) in the plasma and urine. The enzymatic block results from a deficiency of sarcosine dehydrogenase (SarDH), a liver mitochondrial matrix enzyme that converts sarcosine into glycine. Although this condition may remain inapparent until later life, it has been reported in rare cases to lead to neurodevelopmental disability.

Combined treatment with pazopanib and vinflunine in patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma refractory after first-line therapy.

The role of pazopanib in the second-line setting of refractory metastatic transitional cell carcinoma of the urothelium has not been defined clearly. The aim of this phase I/II trial was to assess the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of combining pazopanib and vinflunine in patients with metastatic transitional cell carcinoma of the urothelium after failure of first-line platinum-containing therapy. From May 2011 to December 2011, five patients were enrolled in this trial.

Retargeting of regulatory T cells to surface-inducible autoantigen La/SS-B.

The nuclear autoantigen La can be detected on the surface of dying cells. Here we present an assay which enables us to show that La protein is not limited to the surface of dying cells but will be released upon stress-induced cell death. As released La protein tightly binds to the surface of neighboring intact cells we asked the question whether or not La protein could serve as a stress-inducible target e.

Does body mass index at diagnosis or weight change during therapy predict toxicity or survival in intermediate risk rhabdomyosarcoma? A report from the Children's Oncology Group Soft Tissue Sarcoma Committee.

Background: Weight loss prevalence and its impact on toxicities and survival in intermediate risk rhabdomyosarcoma (IRMS) patients are unknown. We evaluated the association between weight change during therapy and number of toxicities, hospital days, infections, and overall survival and between baseline body mass index (BMI) and survival in patients treated on Children's Oncology Group trial D9803.

Procedure: Four hundred sixty-eight IRMS patients age ≥2 and <21 years treated on D9803 had required data.

Schwann cell-mediated delivery of glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor restores erectile function after cavernous nerve injury.

Objectives: To evaluate the time-course of functional recovery after cavernous nerve injury using glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor-transduced Schwann cell-seeded silicon tubes.

Methods: Sections of the cavernous nerves were excised bilaterally (5 mm), followed by immediate bilateral surgical repair. A total of 20 study nerves per group were reconstructed by interposition of empty silicon tubes and silicon tubes seeded with either glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor-overexpressing or green fluorescent protein-expressing Schwann cells.

Validation of LC-TOF-MS screening for drugs, metabolites, and collateral compounds in forensic toxicology specimens.

Liquid chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry (LC-TOF-MS) analysis provides an expansive technique for identifying many known and unknown analytes. This study developed a screening method that utilizes automated solid-phase extraction to purify a wide array of analytes involving stimulants, benzodiazepines, opiates, muscle relaxants, hypnotics, antihistamines, antidepressants and newer synthetic "Spice/K2" cannabinoids and cathinone "bath salt" designer drugs. The extract was applied to LC-TOF-MS analysis, implementing a 13 min chromatography gradient with mobile phases of ammonium formate and methanol using positive mode electrospray.

The clinical case for proton beam therapy.

Over the past 20 years, several proton beam treatment programs have been implemented throughout the United States. Increasingly, the number of new programs under development is growing. Proton beam therapy has the potential for improving tumor control and survival through dose escalation.

Novel humanized and highly efficient bispecific antibodies mediate killing of prostate stem cell antigen-expressing tumor cells by CD8+ and CD4+ T cells.

Prostate cancer is the most common noncutaneous malignancy in men. The prostate stem cell Ag (PSCA) is a promising target for immunotherapy of advanced disease. Based on a novel mAb directed to PSCA, we established and compared a series of murine and humanized anti-CD3-anti-PSCA single-chain bispecific Abs.

[Optical coherence tomography in neuro-ophthalmology].

Introduction: Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a potential tool for diagnosis and follow-up in diseases of the anterior visual pathway in that it provides a reproducible and reliable quantification of retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) thickness. A review of the literature was conducted to define the utility of OCT in neuro-ophthalmology.

Materials And Methods: The clinical applications of RNFL thickness measurement by OCT time domain were analyzed.