Folliculectomy for the treatment of pre-ovulatory follicular stasis in three illegally captured West Coast green geckos () to enable wild rehabilitation.

Case History: In 2023, the New Zealand Department of Conservation seized 63 endemic reptiles that were being held without a permit. This group included three adult female West Coast green geckos ( that had been illegally removed from the wild 2 years earlier. They had been held in an outdoor enclosure with a pair of goldstripe geckos ().

Extreme tolerance for nocturnal emergence at low body temperatures in a high-latitude lizard: implications for future climate warming.

High-latitude lizards live in environments where ambient air temperature at night is frequently below retreat temperatures, which likely has implications for nocturnal emergence and activity. However, patterns of lizard activity at night under current temperate climates are poorly understood, a situation that limits our understanding of potential effects of climate change. We investigated patterns of nocturnal emergence and activity in the cold-adapted, viviparous gecko ( 'Otago/Southland').

Feasibility of using a dual isocentre technique for treating cervical cancer on the 1.5 T MR-Linac.

Patients treated for cervical cancer exhibit large inter and intra-fraction anatomical changes. The Unity MR-Linac (MRL) can image these patients with MR prior to and during treatment which enables daily plan adaptation. However, the MRL has a limited treatment field in the sup/inf direction of 22 cm which can restrict the treatment of patients who require longer treatment fields.

An Exploratory Study Provides Insights into MMP9 and Aβ Levels in the Vitreous and Blood across Different Ages and in a Subset of AMD Patients.

Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP9) and total amyloid-beta (Aβ) are prospective biomarkers of ocular ageing and retinopathy. These were quantified by ELISA in the vitreous and blood from controls ( = 55) and in a subset of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients ( = 12) for insights and possible additional links between the ocular and systemic compartments. Vitreous MMP9 levels in control and AMD groups were 932.

Amplifying the Patient Voice: A Survey of Practitioners' Use of Patient-reported Outcome Measures Across Radiotherapy Providers in England.

Aims: The NHS England Radiotherapy Service Specification calls for routine use of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). However, barriers exist at patient, healthcare professional and service levels. The aim of the present study was to determine the current use of PROMs within radiotherapy services in England.

Palliative radiotherapy in cancers of female genital tract: Outcomes and prognostic factors.

Background And Purpose: Metastatic and incurable cancers of the gynaecological tract (FGTC) represent a major global health burden. Systemic treatment has modest efficacy and radiotherapy is often used for local symptoms. This study combines experience from two large UK centres in palliative radiotherapy for gynaecological cancers.

The impact of an educational tool in cervix image registration across three imaging modalities.

Objectives: Accurate image registration is vital in cervical cancer where changes in both planning target volume (PTV) and organs at risk (OARs) can make decisions regarding image registration complicated. This work aims to determine the impact of a dedicated educational tool compared with experience gained in MR-guided radiotherapy (MRgRT).

Methods: 10 therapeutic radiographers acted as observers and were split into two groups based on previous experience with MRgRT and Monaco treatment planning system.

Developing and validating a multivariable prediction model which predicts progression of intermediate to late age-related macular degeneration-the PINNACLE trial protocol.

Aims: Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is characterised by a progressive loss of central vision. Intermediate AMD is a risk factor for progression to advanced stages categorised as geographic atrophy (GA) and neovascular AMD. However, rates of progression to advanced stages vary between individuals.

An International Expert Delphi Consensus to Develop Dedicated Geriatric Radiation Oncology Curriculum Learning Outcomes.

Purpose: The management of older adults with cancer is rapidly becoming a significant challenge in radiation oncology (RO) practice. The education of future radiation oncologists in geriatric oncology is fundamental to ensuring that older adults receive high-quality care. Currently RO trainees receive little training and education in geriatric oncology.

Posterior scoliosis correction with thoracoplasty: effect on pulmonary function with a mean follow-up of 4.8 years.

Purpose: To perform a study to investigate the influence of posterior scoliosis surgery and thoracoplasty on pulmonary function.

Methods: This was a retrospective observational study of 37 patients with AIS who underwent posterior instrumented surgical correction with thoracoplasty. There was a minimum of 2 years follow-up.

Wind of change: a diurnal skink thermoregulates between cooler set-points and for an increased amount of time in the presence of wind.

Wind has the potential to dramatically alter the thermal landscape of habitats, and consequently, to affect how ectotherms thermoregulate. However, few studies have directly assessed if wind alters thermoregulation by ectotherms. We compared the thermoregulation of a heliothermic New Zealand skink under three treatments: no wind, wind at 2 m s-1 and wind at 6 m s-1.

Epigenetic Age Acceleration Is Not Associated with Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

DNA methylation age (DNAm age) estimation is a powerful biomarker of human ageing. To date, epigenetic clocks have not been evaluated in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Here, we perform genome-wide DNA methylation analyses in blood of AMD patients with a documented smoking history (14 AMD, 16 Normal), identifying loci of differential methylation (DML) with a relaxed -value criterion ( ≤ 10).

International efforts in geriatric radiation oncology.

Introduction: Geriatric assessment (GA) has been recommended to form part of treatment decision making for older adults with cancer. However despite consensus guidelines from various organizations, GA does not appear to be a part of routine practice in radiation oncology. The aim of the current study was to explore the implementation of GA in radiation oncology.

The effect of systemic levels of TNF-alpha and complement pathway activity on outcomes of VEGF inhibition in neovascular AMD.

Background/objectives: Systemic levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and activated complement components affect the risk and/or progression of neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This study investigated the effect of serum pro-inflammatory cytokine levels and complement pathway activity on the clinical response to vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibition in neovascular AMD.

Methods: Sixty-five patients with a new diagnosis of neovascular AMD were observed over a six-month period in a single-centre, longitudinal cohort study.

Hormone treatment does not reliably induce spermiation or mating in Hamilton’s frog from the archaic leiopelmatid lineage.

Amidst a global amphibian decline, captive breeding has become an important component of many conservation management programs. Some species fail to readily reproduce in captivity, including leiopelmatid frogs, an archaic lineage endemic to New Zealand. Assisted reproductive technologies can improve the reproductive potential and genetic management of captive programs.

A nocturnally foraging gecko of the high-latitude alpine zone: Extreme tolerance of cold nights, with cryptic basking by day.

Lizards that inhabit high-latitude alpine zones are exposed to extreme temperatures and long winters and most are diurnal heliotherms. Yet some poorly known nocturnal species exist in such locations, including several viviparous geckos from New Zealand. We studied the orange-spotted gecko (Mokopirirakau 'Roy's Peak'), a cryptic, nocturnal and viviparous lizard known only from the alpine zone (1150-1800 m a.

Prevalence and phenotype associations of complement factor I mutations in geographic atrophy.

Rare variants in the complement factor I (CFI) gene, associated with low serum factor I (FI) levels, are strong risk factors for developing the advanced stages of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). No studies have been undertaken on the prevalence of disease-causing CFI mutations in patients with geographic atrophy (GA) secondary to AMD. A multicenter, cross-sectional, noninterventional study was undertaken to identify the prevalence of pathogenic rare CFI gene variants in an unselected cohort of patients with GA and low FI levels.

The rare C9 P167S risk variant for age-related macular degeneration increases polymerization of the terminal component of the complement cascade.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a complex neurodegenerative eye disease with behavioral and genetic etiology and is the leading cause of irreversible vision loss among elderly Caucasians. Functionally significant genetic variants in the alternative pathway of complement have been strongly linked to disease. More recently, a rare variant in the terminal pathway of complement has been associated with increased risk, Complement component 9 (C9) P167S.

Oligomeric Aβ Induces an AMD-Like Phenotype and Accumulates in Lysosomes to Impair RPE Function.

Alzheimer's disease-associated amyloid beta (Aβ) proteins accumulate in the outer retina with increasing age and in eyes of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) patients. To study Aβ-induced retinopathy, wild-type mice were injected with nanomolar human oligomeric Aβ, which recapitulate the Aβ burden reported in human donor eyes. In vitro studies investigated the cellular effects of Aβ in endothelial and retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells.