Is Whole-Brain Radiotherapy for Brain Metastases an Overestimated Therapy? A Retrospective Study of Real-World Data Using Landmark Analyses.

Background: The role of whole-brain radiotherapy for patients with brain metastases is changing as immunotherapy and molecularly targeted therapies advance. However, whole-brain radiotherapy continues to be part of the multimodal concept.

Methods: This retrospective study included 285 patients who received whole-brain radiotherapy for brain metastases, using a median dose of 30 Gy.

Genome Assembly of the Dyeing Poison Frog Provides Insights into the Dynamics of Transposable Element and Genome-Size Evolution.

Genome size varies greatly across the tree of life and transposable elements are an important contributor to this variation. Among vertebrates, amphibians display the greatest variation in genome size, making them ideal models to explore the causes and consequences of genome size variation. However, high-quality genome assemblies for amphibians have, until recently, been rare.

Seasonal variation in telomerase activity and telomere dynamics in a hibernating rodent, the garden dormouse ().

Telomere dynamics in hibernating species are known to reflect seasonal changes in somatic maintenance. Throughout hibernation, the periodic states of rewarming, known as inter-bout euthermia or arousals, are associated with high metabolic costs including shortening of telomeres. In the active season, if high energetic resources are available, telomere length can be restored in preparation for the upcoming winter.

Food availability positively affects the survival and somatic maintenance of hibernating garden dormice (Eliomys quercinus).

Background: Torpor is an energy saving strategy achieved by substantial reductions of metabolic rate and body temperature that enables animals to survive periods of low resource availability. During hibernation (multiday torpor), the frequency of periodic rewarming-characterised by high levels of oxidative stress-is associated with shortening of telomeres, a marker of somatic maintenance.

Objectives: In this study, we determined the impact of ambient temperature on feeding behaviour and telomere dynamics in hibernating garden dormice (Eliomys quercinus) over winter.

Large mammal telomere length variation across ecoregions.

Background: Telomere length provides a physiological proxy for accumulated stress in animals. While there is a growing consensus over how telomere dynamics and their patterns are linked to life history variation and individual experience, knowledge on the impact of exposure to different stressors at a large spatial scale on telomere length is still lacking. How exposure to different stressors at a regional scale interacts with individual differences in life history is also poorly understood.