Medium-term feasibility of the management of the invasive crayfish Procambarus clarkii with the sterile males release technique.

Background: The sterile male release technique (SMRT) is a useful method applied for controlling invasive and pest species. However, the use of X-rays can lead to negative effects on the survival and health conditions of sterilized males.

Results: This study was set up to evaluate the functional integrity of physiological, morphological and behavioural responses in males of the red swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkii (Girard, 1852), exposed to a dose of 40 Gy of ionizing radiation.

Evaluation of localized region-based segmentation algorithms for CT-based delineation of organs at risk in radiotherapy.

Background And Purpose: In radiation therapy, defining the precise borders of cancerous tissues and adjacent normal organs has a significant effect on the therapy outcome. Deformable models offer a unique and robust approach to medical image segmentation. The objective of this study was to investigate the reliability of segmenting organs-at-risk (OARs) using three well-known local region-based level-set techniques.

Same strategy for pitfalls of radiotherapy in different anatomical districts.

Oral mucositis (OM) and radiodermatitis (RD) are serious side effects of radiotherapy (RT), often leading to its suspension, need for analgesics, and enteral/parenteral nutrition. Laser therapy is becoming a recommended treatment option. This prospective study aimed at demonstrating the beneficial effect of class IV laser therapy (HPLT) on RT-induced OM, an off-label use of HPLT to treat RD in breast cancer patients.

In vivo dosimetry and shielding disk alignment verification by EBT3 GAFCHROMIC film in breast IOERT treatment.

Intraoperative electron radiation therapy (IOERT) cannot usually benefit, as conventional external radiotherapy, from software systems of treatment planning based on computed tomography and from common dose verify procedures. For this reason, in vivo film dosimetry (IVFD) proves to be an effective methodology to evaluate the actual radiation dose delivered to the target. A practical method for IVFD during breast IOERT was carried out to improve information on the dose actually delivered to the tumor target and on the alignment of the shielding disk with respect to the electron beam.

Evaluation of nutritional status in head and neck radio-treated patients affected by oral mucositis: efficacy of class IV laser therapy.

Purpose: To retrospectively evaluate the role of class IV laser therapy in the amelioration of nutritional status of patients affected by oral mucositis due to radiotherapy of the head and neck region during oncological treatment.

Methods: Sixty-three oncological patients were included in this study. All patients were affected by tumors in the head and neck region and had developed oral mucositis during radiotherapy.

Three-dimensional reconstruction of nucleolar components by electron microscope tomography.

The nucleus is a complex volume constituted of numerous subcompartments in which specific functions take place due to a specific spatial organization of their molecular components. To understand how these molecules are spatially organized within these machineries, it is necessary to investigate their three-dimensional organization at high resolution. To reach this goal, electron tomography appears to be a method of choice; it can generate tomograms with a resolution of a few nanometers by using multiple projections of a tilted section several hundred to several thousand nanometers in thickness imaged by transmission electron microscopy (TEM).

Oral vinorelbine and cisplatin as induction chemotherapy and concomitant chemo-radiotherapy in stage III non-small cell lung cancer: final results of an international phase II trial.

Introduction: Cisplatin in combination with vinorelbine has reported an optimal activity/tolerance ratio when used in combination with radiotherapy in locally advanced unresectable non-small cell lung cancer. The currently available oral formulation of vinorelbine should be easier to use assuming a similar activity profile. An international phase II trial with vinorelbine oral and cisplatin as induction followed by oral vinorelbine and cisplatin with concomitant radiotherapy was implemented to evaluate the efficacy in terms of objective response (OR) following this combination as primary end point and duration or response, progression-free survival, overall survival, and safety as secondary endpoints.

Electron tomography of amplified nanogold immunolabelling: Improvement of quality based on alignment of projections with sinograms and use of post-reconstruction deconvolution.

Electron tomography of immunolabelled proteins identified with amplified nanogold particles imaged by Scanning and Transmission Electron Microscopy within thick sections is a powerful method to investigate the three-dimensional organization of complex cellular machineries. In order to increase the overall quality of the reconstructed cube, we have developed two methods that improve the tomographic reconstruction process. We first performed a very precise alignment of the projections before reconstruction with a technique using sinograms.

Three-dimensional organization of pKi-67: a comparative fluorescence and electron tomography study using FluoroNanogold.

The monoclonal antibody (MAb) Ki-67 is routinely used in clinical studies to estimate the growth fraction of tumors. However, the role of pKi-67, the protein detected by the Ki-67 MAb, remains elusive, although some biochemical data strongly suggest that it might organize chromatin. To better understand the functional organization of pKi-67, we studied its three-dimensional distribution in interphase cells by confocal microscopy and electron tomography.

Three-dimensional organization of active rRNA genes within the nucleolus.

In this work, we have localized transcribing rRNA genes at the ultrastructural level and described their three-dimensional organization within the nucleolus by electron tomography. Isolated nucleoli, which exhibit a reduced transcriptional rate, were used to determine the sites of initial BrUTP incorporation (i.e.

What is the current role of radiation therapy in the treatment of skin carcinomas?

Aims And Background: In recent years several radiation therapy units have recorded a decline in the number of referrals for the treatment of skin carcinomas. This study aims to ascertain whether this decline has also affected the radiation therapy unit of Trieste and, if so, to consider the possible reasons.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all cases of non-melanoma skin cancer treated in our unit from January 1986 to December 1999.

Haploidentical bone marrow transplantation in leukemia and genetic diseases.

From 1986 to June 2000, sixty children suffering from acute and chronic leukemia (n = 42, 33 of which in resistant relapse), genetic diseases (n = 11), aplastic anemia (n = 2, one of which with platelet refractoriness and bleeding), myelodysplasia (n = 5) received an haploidentical bone marrow, mismatched for 2-3 HLA loci. The donor's marrow was treated in vitro with vincristine and methylprednisolone to obtain a functional T depletion (MLC and CTL inhibition, functional blockade of Th1 and Th2). The prevalence of infectious complications and GVHD was similar to that recorded in matched unrelated donor (MUD) transplants.

Quantitative immunolocalization of a P29 protein (GRA7), a new antigen of toxoplasma gondii.

Ultrastructural localization of a P29 protein of Toxoplasma gondii was examined on thin sections by an immunogold technique using a P29 antigen-specific monoclonal antibody (5-241-178). Immunolocalization of the P29 protein in extracellular tachyzoites demonstrated that this antigen was present in the dense granules. Thus, we have identified this P29 antigen as the seventh protein (GRA7) to be localized to the dense granules of T.

The three-dimensional study of chromosomes and upstream binding factor-immunolabeled nucleolar organizer regions demonstrates their nonrandom spatial arrangement during mitosis.

The volumic rearrangement of both chromosomes and immunolabeled upstream binding factor in entire well-preserved mitotic cells was studied by confocal microscopy. By using high-quality three-dimensional visualization and tomography, it was possible to investigate interactively the volumic organization of chromosome sets and to focus on their internal characteristics. More particularly, this study demonstrates the nonrandom positioning of metaphase chromosomes bearing nucleolar organizer regions as revealed by their positive upstream binding factor immunolabeling.

Electron tomography of metaphase nucleolar organizer regions: evidence for a twisted-loop organization.

Metaphase nucleolar organizer regions (NORs), one of four types of chromosome bands, are located on human acrocentric chromosomes. They contain r-chromatin, i.e.

Membrane-type matrix metalloproteinase-1 expression at the site of human placentation.

Human trophoblast implantation is a highly regulated process of invasion that requires action of proteolytic enzymes to degrade extracellular matrix components of the endometrium. Among these enzymes, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) seem to be particularly important in this degradative process. We previously showed that gelatinase A is extensively expressed in vivo in the human placenta.

Kinetics study of the localization and quantitation of target antigens of immunoglobulin a antibodies in acquired and congenital toxoplasmosis.

The cellular distribution (localization and quantitation) of the target parasite's antigens in the tachyzoite along the IgA kinetics was determined in the course of acquired toxoplasmosis and congenital toxoplasmosis. In the case of acquired toxoplasmosis, throughout the IgA kinetics a correlation was noted between the membrane and submembrane immunolabeling and the results of the immunocapture and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay IgA (ELISA-A) tests. The rhoptries' immunolabeling remained higher.

Identification of antileucoprotease in remodelled human adult nasal surface epithelium.

Antileucoprotease (ALP) is generally considered as a specific marker for glandular serous cells, and plays a major role in the defence of the respiratory tract against proteolytic damage. Nevertheless, several studies have identified ALP in bronchial and bronchiolar surface epithelial cells, and also an increased number of ALP-containing cells in bronchiolar tissue during the development of pulmonary diseases. In order to define more clearly whether the surface epithelium might be involved in the defence of the respiratory mucosa, we have investigated the expression of ALP by cells of the nasal surface epithelium.

[Interstitial brachytherapy in carcinoma of the lip. Case histories and results].

Squamous cell carcinomas of the lip can be treated by surgery or radiation therapy. Since local control rates exceed 90% with both treatment modalities, therapy is chosen according to functional and cosmetic results, to the patient's wishes and to the physician's medical policy. This study was aimed at retrospectively reviewing our local control results and patterns of failure relative to survival as well as evaluating the results according to technical surgical variables.

Subcellular localization and quantitative analysis of Toxoplasma gondii target antigens of specific immunoglobulins G, M, A, and E.

The target antigens of specific immunoglobulins G, M, A, and E from patients with acquired acute toxoplasmosis were determined using immunocytochemistry. The relative repartition of these antigens in four cellular compartments of Toxoplasma (membrane complex, apical area, rhoptries, and dense granules) was quantitatively evaluated. Rhoptry antigens mainly react positively with IgA.

Applications of medium-voltage STEM for the 3-D study of organelles within very thick sections.

Scanning transmission electron microscopy at 300kV enables the visualization of nucleolar silver-stained structures within thick sections (3-8 microns) of Epon-embedded cells at high tilt angles (-50 degrees; +50 degrees). Thick sections coated with gold particles were used to determine the best conditions for obtaining images with high contrast and good resolution. For a 6-microns-thick section the values of thinning and shrinkage under the beam are 35 to 10%, respectively.