Reproductive resilience: pathways to gametogenic success in Montipora capitata after bleaching.

Thermal bleaching, or the loss of symbiotic algae that provide most energetic resources for the coral host, is an increasing threat to reefs worldwide and is projected to worsen with climate change. While bleaching is a well-recognized threat, the impact on the process of reproduction in bleaching survivors is not well resolved, despite being central to coral resilience. Montipora capitata can survive bleaching while completing a full gametogenic cycle, offering an ideal system to study gametogenic resilience and physiological tradeoffs.

Statin-mediated reduction in mitochondrial cholesterol primes an anti-inflammatory response in macrophages by upregulating Jmjd3.

Statins are known to be anti-inflammatory, but the mechanism remains poorly understood. Here, we show that macrophages, either treated with statin in vitro or from statin-treated mice, have reduced cholesterol levels and higher expression of , a H3K27me3 demethylase. We provide evidence that lowering cholesterol levels in macrophages suppresses the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) synthase in the inner mitochondrial membrane and changes the proton gradient in the mitochondria.

Newly Diagnosed Mental Health Disorders in Patients With Breast Cancer Receiving Radiation Therapy.

Purpose: Patients with a mental health disorder (MHD) have higher age-adjusted mortality compared with the general population. Few reports investigate factors contributing to MHD among patients with breast cancer receiving radiation therapy. We report the incidence of acquired MHD after the diagnosis of breast cancer and treatment with radiation therapy.

Synergistic response to climate stressors in coral is associated with genotypic variation in baseline expression.

As environments are rapidly reshaped due to climate change, phenotypic plasticity plays an important role in the ability of organisms to persist and is considered an especially important acclimatization mechanism for long-lived sessile organisms such as reef-building corals. Often, this ability of a single genotype to display multiple phenotypes depending on the environment is modulated by changes in gene expression, which can vary in response to environmental changes via two mechanisms: baseline expression and expression plasticity. We used transcriptome-wide expression profiling of eleven genotypes of common-gardened to explore genotypic variation in the expression response to thermal and acidification stress, both individually and in combination.

Clinical Outcomes of Breast-Conserving Surgery with Synchronous 50-kV X-ray Intraoperative Partial Breast Irradiation in Patients Aged 64 Years or Older with Low-Risk Breast Cancer.

Background: Breast-conserving surgery with synchronous 50-kV X-ray intraoperative radiation therapy (TARGIT-IORT) is a convenient form of partial breast irradiation; however, the existing literature supports a wide range of local control rates.

Objectives: We investigated the treatment effectiveness and toxic effects of TARGIT-IORT in a patient cohort aged 64 years or older with low-risk breast cancer.

Design: Retrospective analysis.

Breast Conserving Therapy for Patients With Prior Cosmetic Implant-Based Breast Augmentation: Outcomes and Comparison Against a Matched Cohort.

Introduction: Controversy exists regarding potential increased toxic effects in patients with cosmetic implant-based augmentation (CIBA) who receive radiation therapy. We evaluated acute and chronic toxic effects associated with radiation therapy in women with prior CIBA treated with whole-breast irradiation (WBI) as part of breast conserving therapy (BCT) and compared these results against a cohort of patients without prior breast augmentation who received similar therapy.

Methods: A retrospective review was performed to identify patients with a prior history of CIBA who subsequently underwent BCT with WBI.

Breast Irradiation Is Well Tolerated in Carriers of a Pathogenic ATM Variant.

Purpose: There are mixed and limited data regarding radiation therapy (RT) tolerance in carriers of a germline pathogenic or likely pathogenic (P/LP) ATM variant. We investigated RT-related toxic effects in carriers of an ATM variant who received treatment for breast cancer.

Methods And Materials: We identified 71 patients treated with adjuvant RT for breast cancer who were carriers of a variant in ATM: 15 were classified as P/LP and 56 classified as variants of unknown significance (VUS).

The Calculation of Both Electrostatic and Van der Waals Effects to Probe the Efficiency of Solvent Extraction of Heterocyclic Aromatics from Heavy Oil.

Due to the complex composition and similar structure, the extraction denitrification of aromatic rich oil is faced with the contradiction problem of denitrification efficiency and aromatic loss which cannot be efficiently solved by experiments. However, the complex interactions involved can be analyzed from the perspective of calculation, and the prediction criteria and methods are proposed. Based on rigorous density functional theory calculation data, Simple models based on electrostatic potential (ESP) and Van der Waals potential (VdWP)-based calculations were established and validated.

Near-Surface Dose Correlates With Moist Desquamation and Unplanned Reconstructive Surgery in Patients With Implant-Based Reconstruction Receiving Postmastectomy Radiation Therapy.

Purpose: Postmastectomy radiation therapy (PMRT) reduces disease recurrence in appropriately selected patients but may compromise implant-based reconstruction. We investigated whether near-surface dose correlates with radiation-related toxic effects in these patients.

Methods And Materials: Patients receiving PMRT at a single institution from 2016 to 2019 were retrospectively reviewed.

Structural and Functional Diversity in Rigid Thiosemicarbazones with Extended Aromatic Frameworks: Microwave-Assisted Synthesis and Structural Investigations.

The long-standing interest in thiosemicarbazones (TSCs) has been largely driven by their potential toward theranostic applications including cellular imaging assays and multimodality imaging. We focus herein on the results of our new investigations into: (a) the structural chemistry of a family of rigid mono(thiosemicarbazone) ligands characterized by extended and aromatic backbones and (b) the formation of their corresponding thiosemicarbazonato Zn(II) and Cu(II) metal complexes. The synthesis of new ligands and their Zn(II) complexes was performed using a rapid, efficient and straightforward microwave-assisted method which superseded their preparation by conventional heating.

Statin-mediated reduction in mitochondrial cholesterol primes an anti-inflammatory response in macrophages by upregulating JMJD3.

Stains are known to be anti-inflammatory, but the mechanism remains poorly understood. Here we show that macrophages, either treated with statin in vitro or from statin-treated mice, have reduced cholesterol levels and higher expression of Jmjd3, a H3K27me3 demethylase. We provide evidence that lowering cholesterol levels in macrophages suppresses the ATP synthase in the inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM) and changes the proton gradient in the mitochondria.

Expression plasticity regulates intraspecific variation in the acclimatization potential of a reef-building coral.

Phenotypic plasticity is an important ecological and evolutionary response for organisms experiencing environmental change, but the ubiquity of this capacity within coral species and across symbiont communities is unknown. We exposed ten genotypes of the reef-building coral Montipora capitata with divergent symbiont communities to four thermal pre-exposure profiles and quantified gene expression before stress testing 4 months later. Here we show two pre-exposure profiles significantly enhance thermal tolerance despite broadly different expression patterns and substantial variation in acclimatization potential based on coral genotype.

Clinical Outcomes of Hypofractionated Whole Breast Irradiation in Early Stage, Biologically High-Risk Breast Cancer.

Purpose: Adoption of hypofractionated whole breast irradiation (HWBI) for patients with early-stage, biologically high-risk breast cancer remains relatively low. We compared clinical outcomes of conventionally fractionated whole breast irradiation (CWBI) versus moderate HWBI in this patient population.

Methods And Materials: We queried a prospectively maintained database for patients with early-stage (T1-2, N0, M0) breast cancer who received whole breast irradiation with either CWBI or moderate HWBI at a single institution.

Size-Dependent Microwave Heating and Catalytic Activity of Fine Iron Particles in the Deep Dehydrogenation of Hexadecane.

Knowledge of the electromagnetic microwave radiation-solid matter interaction and ensuing mechanisms at active catalytic sites will enable a deeper understanding of microwave-initiated chemical interactions and processes, and will lead to further optimization of this class of heterogeneous catalysis. Here, we study the fundamental mechanism of the interaction between microwave radiation and solid Fe catalysts and the deep dehydrogenation of a model hydrocarbon, hexadecane. We find that the size-dependent electronic transition of particulate Fe metal from a microwave "reflector" to a microwave "absorber" lies at the heart of efficient metal catalysis in these heterogeneous processes.

Functional, Aromatic, and Fluorinated Monothiosemicarbazones: Investigations into Their Structures and Activity toward the Gallium-68 Incorporation by Microwave Irradiation.

We report on the synthesis and spectroscopic characterization of a new series of coordinating monothiosemicarbazones incorporating aromatic backbones, featuring O/N/S donor centers monosubstituted with different aliphatic, aromatic, fluorinated, and amine-functionalized groups at their N centers. Their ability to bind metal ions such as Zn(II) and Ga(III) was explored, and the formation of two different coordination isomers of the Zn(II) complex was demonstrated by X-ray diffraction studies using synchrotron radiation. These studies showed the planar geometry for the coordinated mono(thiosemicarbazone) ligand and that the metal center can adopt either a heavily distorted tetrahedral Zn center (placed in an N/S/S/N environment, with CN = 4) or a pseudo-octahedral geometry, where the Zn(II) center is in the O/N/S/S/N/O environment, and CN = 6.

Dose to the Left Anterior Descending Artery Correlates With Cardiac Events After Irradiation for Breast Cancer.

Purpose: Although global heart dose has been associated with late cardiac toxic effects in patients who received radiation therapy for breast cancer, data detailing the clinical significance of cardiac substructure dosimetry are limited. We investigated whether dose to the left anterior descending artery (LAD) correlates with adverse cardiac events.

Methods And Materials: We identified 375 consecutively treated female patients from 2012 to 2018 who received left-sided breast or chest wall irradiation (with or without regional nodal irradiation).

Evaluation of Dose Accuracy in the Near-Surface Region for Whole Breast Irradiation Techniques in a Multi-institutional Consortium.

Purpose: To assess the accuracy of dose calculations in the near-surface region for different treatment planning systems (TPSs), treatment techniques, and energies to improve clinical decisions for patients receiving whole breast irradiation (WBI).

Methods And Materials: A portable custom breast phantom was designed for dose measurements in the near-surface regions. Treatment plans of varying complexities were created at 8 institutions using 4 different TPSs on an anonymized patient data set (50 Gy in 25 fractions) and peer reviewed by participants.

The Impact of Chemotherapy on Toxic Effects and Cosmetic Outcome in Patients Receiving Whole Breast Irradiation: An Analysis Within a Statewide Quality Consortium.

Purpose: We investigated whether the use of chemotherapy before whole breast irradiation (WBI) using either conventional fractionation (CWBI) or hypofractionation (HWBI) is associated with increased toxic effects or worse cosmetic outcome compared with WBI alone.

Methods And Materials: We identified 6754 patients who received WBI alone (without a third field covering the superior axillary and supraclavicular nodal regions) with data prospectively collected in a statewide consortium. We reported rates of 4 toxic effects: physician-reported acute moist desquamation, patient-reported acute moderate/severe breast pain, a composite acute toxic effect measure (including moist desquamation and either patient- or physician-reported moderate/significant breast pain), and physician-reported impaired cosmetic outcome at 1 year after WBI.

Catalytic Activity of Various Carbons during the Microwave-Initiated Deep Dehydrogenation of Hexadecane.

Carbon materials have been widely used as microwave susceptors in many chemical processes because they are highly effective at transforming incoming electromagnetic energy for local (hot spot) heating. This property raises the intriguing possibility of using the all-pervasive carbonaceous deposits in operating heterogeneous catalytic processes to augment the catalytic performance of microwave-initiated reactions. Here, the catalytic activities of a range of carbon materials, together with carbon residues produced from a "test" reaction-the dehydrogenation of hexadecane under microwave-initiated heterogeneous catalytic processes, have been investigated.

Disease Control After Hypofractionation Versus Conventional Fractionation for Triple Negative Breast Cancer: Comparative Effectiveness in a Large Observational Cohort.

Purpose: Questions remain about whether moderately hypofractionated whole-breast irradiation is appropriate for patients with triple-negative breast cancer.

Methods And Materials: Using the prospective database of a multicenter, collaborative quality improvement consortium, we identified patients with node-negative, triple-negative breast cancer who received whole-breast irradiation with either moderate hypofractionation or conventional fractionation. Using inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW), we compared outcomes using the Kaplan-Meier product-limit estimation method with Cox regression models estimating the hazard ratio for time-to-event endpoints between groups.

Comparative Effectiveness Analysis of 3D-Conformal Radiation Therapy Versus Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) in a Prospective Multicenter Cohort of Patients With Breast Cancer.

Purpose: Simple intensity modulation of radiation therapy reduces acute toxicity compared with 2-dimensional techniques in adjuvant breast cancer treatment, but it remains unknown whether more complex or inverse-planned intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) offers an advantage over forward-planned, 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT).

Methods And Materials: Using prospective data regarding patients receiving adjuvant whole breast radiation therapy without nodal irradiation at 23 institutions from 2011 to 2018, we compared the incidence of acute toxicity (moderate-severe pain or moist desquamation) in patients receiving 3DCRT versus IMRT (either inverse planned or, if forward-planned, using ≥5 segments per gantry angle). We evaluated associations between technique and toxicity using multivariable models with inverse-probability-of-treatment weighting, adjusting for treatment facility as a random effect.

A Field Primer for Monitoring Benthic Ecosystems using Structure-from-Motion Photogrammetry.

Structure-from-motion (SfM) photogrammetry is a technique used to generate three-dimensional (3D) reconstructions from a sequence of two-dimensional (2D) images. SfM methods are becoming increasingly popular as a noninvasive way to monitor many systems, including anthropogenic and natural landscapes, geologic structures, and both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Here, a detailed protocol is provided for collecting SfM imagery to generate 3D models of benthic habitats.