High symptom improvement and local tumor control using stereotactic radiotherapy when given early after diagnosis of meningioma. A multicentre study.

Purpose: The goal of the present study was to analyze long-term results of fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (SRT) in patients with a meningioma.

Methods And Materials: A total of 72 patients treated between 1996 and 2008 in MAASTRO clinic (n = 45) and University Hospital Zurich (n = 27) were included. SRT was given as primary treatment (n = 46), postoperatively (n = 19) or at recurrence (n = 7); 49 tumours (68%) were located in the skull base.

The essential role of the clinical research nurse (CRN).

In an age of increasing focus on expanding the opportunity of clinical research trial participation to broader patient populations, the clinical research nurse (CRN) has become an essential member of the clinical research team. The CRN is responsible for many roles and aspects of clinical trial management. Clarification of these roles and responsibilities will be provided in this article.

An experimental approach to measure mass diffusion in rat tumor tissue.

The objective of this research is to evaluate the usefulness of a macroscopic, fluorescent, imaging technique to quantify spatiotemporal mass transport parameters in in vitro solid tumor tissues taken from rat models. Fluorescent images captured during the experiments are digitally analyzed to determine the concentration of a fluorescent marker dye as it diffuses into tissue specimens taken from rat tumors. The collected concentration data are used to estimate local diffusion coefficients.

Experimental studies of the effects of abnormal venous valves on fluid flow.

The effects of variations in the venous valve anatomy are studied experimentally using an artificial system that mimics the bicuspid valves normally found in veins in the lower extremities. The artificial valves are constructed from thin-walled, latex tubing and polyurethane film. The experimental variables in the study are the gap width between the leaflet attachments at the vein wall and the ratio of the sinus depth to vein diameter.