Publications by authors named "Gantz S"

Article Synopsis
  • Proton Minibeam Radiation Therapy has been promising in enhancing treatment efficacy compared to traditional radiation, but more research into its biological mechanisms is needed.
  • A mechanical collimation setup was developed to produce 250µm minibeams with a 1000µm spacing, with optimization using Monte Carlo simulations conducted at various proton therapy sites.
  • Results showed a peak-to-valley dose ratio (PVDR) of 10 in Dresden and 14 in Seattle, with some discrepancies between dosimetry methods that can be addressed with correction factors.
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Background: The number of patients who have experienced violence is increasing worldwide. These patients have specific psychosocial and forensic needs and can present unique challenges to the health care workers caring for them.

Objective: To identify best practices for the care of patients with injuries from violence in the emergency department or inpatient setting.

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The activation of autonomic and hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) systems occurs interdependently with behavioral adjustments under varying environmental demands. Nevertheless, laboratory rodent studies examining the neural bases of stress responses have generally attributed increments in these systems to be monolithic, regardless of whether an active or passive coping strategy is employed. Using the shock probe defensive burying test (SPDB) to measure stress-coping features naturalistically in male and female rats, we identify a neural pathway whereby activity changes may promote distinctive response patterns of hemodynamic and HPA indices typifying active and passive coping phenotypes.

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Theevolution of radiotherapy necessitates innovative platforms for preclinical investigation, bridging the gap between bench research and clinical applications. Understanding the nuances of radiation response, specifically tailored to proton and photon therapies, is critical for optimizing treatment outcomes. Within this context, preclinicalexperimental setups incorporating image guidance for both photon and proton therapies are pivotal, enabling the translation of findings from small animal models to clinical settings.

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  • Noradrenaline transmission in the brain is key for regulating wakefulness and attention, and abnormalities in this system can lead to disorders related to hyper- and hypo-arousal.
  • Aberrant transmission often interacts with serotonin, as noradrenaline influences serotonin neuron activity through excitatory receptors.
  • Research using brain slice preparation showed that activation of specific noradrenergic inputs can excite serotonin neurons, while inhibitory receptors can dampen this activity, highlighting the complex regulation of serotonin neuron excitability by noradrenergic systems.
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Synovial inflammation in osteoarthritis (OA) is characterized by the release of cartilage-degrading enzymes and inflammatory cytokines. 45S5-bioactive glass (45S5-BG) can modulate inflammation processes; however, its influence on OA-associated inflammation has hardly been investigated. In this study, the effects of 45S5-BG on the release of cartilage-degrading metalloproteinases and cytokines from synovial membrane cells (SM) isolated from patients with knee OA was assessed in vitro.

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  • Psychiatric and obstetric diseases are increasingly interconnected, with shared risks related to G protein-coupled receptor signaling, particularly in the context of RGS2 mutations linked to preeclampsia and depression.
  • Research on RGS2 knockout (KO) mice shows behaviors indicative of anxiety and depression, as well as changes in cerebrovascular structures, with notable sex-specific differences in serotonergic gene expression.
  • Findings highlight that RGS2 KO mice display altered serotonin signaling and increased sensitivity to sertraline, particularly in females, suggesting potential shared biological mechanisms between psychiatric and obstetric disorders that could inform future therapeutic targets.
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The variability of PRP is a major contributor to the lack of evidence regarding the therapeutic effect of PRP in musculoskeletal diseases. In a large study, we are currently investigating factors that may influence PRP variability. Interim results showed that concentrations of IL‑6, but not IGF‑1 or cellular constituents, were significantly decreased in PRP samples from vegans compared with omnivores and tended to be decreased compared to samples from vegetarians.

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. Local magnetic resonance (MR) signal loss was previously observed during proton beam irradiation of free-floating water phantoms at ambient temperature using a research prototype in-beam magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner. The emergence of this MR signal loss was hypothesised to be dependent on beam-induced convection.

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Purpose: The low sensitivity and limitation to water phantoms of convection-dependent MRI magnitude signal-based proton beam visualization hinder its in vivo applicability in MR-integrated proton beam therapy. The purpose of the present study was, therefore, to assess possible contrast mechanisms for MRI phase signal-based proton beam visualization that can potentially be exploited to enhance the sensitivity of the method and extend its applicability to tissue materials.

Methods: To assess whether proton beam-induced magnetic field perturbations, changes in material susceptibility or convection result in detectable changes in the MRI phase signal, water phantom characteristics, experiment timing, and imaging parameters were varied in combined irradiation and imaging experiments using a time-of-flight angiography pulse sequence on a prototype in-beam MRI scanner.

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The main advantage proton beams offer over photon beams in radiation therapy of cancer patients is the dose maximum at their finite range, yielding a reduction in the dose deposited in healthy tissues surrounding the tumor. Since no direct method exists to measure the beam's range during dose delivery, safety margins around the tumor are applied, compromising the dose conformality and reducing the targeting accuracy. Here, we demonstrate that online MRI can visualize the proton beam and reveal its range during irradiation of liquid-filled phantoms.

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Background: Brain damage in childhood can be caused cerebral palsy (CP) or be due to other diseases. Disturbance of muscle tone results in consecutive development of hip subluxation. Hip reconstructive surgery can significantly improve the mobility and quality of care of children.

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In this article, we review contemporary evidence that GluD receptors are functional ion channels whose depolarizing currents contribute to their biological functions, akin to all other members of the ionotropic glutamate receptor (iGluR) family.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study explores the ion channel function of delta glutamate receptors (GluD1), particularly focusing on tonic currents generated by these receptors.
  • Researchers found that ongoing G-protein-coupled receptor (GqPCR) activity does not influence the tonic currents carried by GluD1, which is contrary to previous assumptions.
  • Additionally, these tonic currents are regulated by external calcium levels rather than the presence of glycine or D-serine, indicating GluD1's role in enhancing subthreshold neuronal excitability.
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Stray radiation produced by ultra-high dose-rates (UHDR) proton pencil beams is characterized using ASIC-chip semiconductor pixel detectors. A proton pencil beam with an energy of 220 MeV was utilized to deliver dose rates (DR) ranging from conventional radiotherapy DRs up to 270 Gy/s. A MiniPIX Timepix3 detector equipped with a silicon sensor and integrated readout electronics was used.

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Background And Purpose: Proton therapy has become a popular treatment modality in the field of radiooncology due to higher spatial dose conformity compared to conventional radiotherapy, which holds the potential to spare normal tissue. Nevertheless, unresolved research questions, such as the much debated relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of protons, call for preclinical research, especially regarding studies. To mimic clinical workflows, high-precision small animal irradiation setups with image-guidance are needed.

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Closed reduction followed by spica casting is a conservative treatment for developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can verify proper closed reduction of the dysplastic hip. Our aim was to find prognostic factors in the first MRI to predict the possible outcome of the initial treatment success by means of ultrasound monitoring according to Graf and the further development of the hip dysplasia or risk of recurrence in the radiological follow-up examinations.

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Background: Various dietary supplements have been reported to enhance muscular perfusion in athletes practicing resistance training, especially through modulation of nitric oxide signaling.

Objectives: The aim of this study was therefore to investigate selected 'NO-boosting' supplements in a real-life setting i) to generate novel hypotheses and perfusion estimates for power calculation in view of a definitive trial and ii) to assess the feasibility of the study design with particular focus on the use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) for perfusion quantification.

Methods: Thirty young male athletes (24 ± 4 years) regularly practicing resistance training were enrolled in this three-arm, placebo(PL)-controlled crossover trial with ingestion of two commercially available supplements: an amino acid combination (AA) (containing 3 g of L-arginine-hydrochloride and 8 g of L-citrulline-malate) and 300 mg of a specific green tea extract (GTE).

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Osteoarthritis (OA) is no longer considered a purely degenerative disease. OA is defined as a disease of the entire joint, in which inflammation occurs in various joint tissues. The overall aim of this study was to analyze the presence and polarization of CD8 T cell subsets in OA knee joints, in relation to the OA stage and compartment (synovial fluid (SF), synovial membrane (SM,) peripheral blood (PB)).

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Activity of dorsal raphe neurons is controlled by noradrenaline afferents. In this brain region, noradrenaline activates Gα-coupled α1-adrenergic receptors (α1-A), causing action potential (AP) firing and serotonin release. , electrical stimulation elicits vesicular noradrenaline release and subsequent activation of α1-A to produce an EPSC (α1-A-EPSC).

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Topic: The development of the Critical Care Beacon Collaborative to achieve meaningful recognition.

Clinical Relevance: Recognizing nurses for contributions to their work environment and care delivery is important for their professional and personal fulfillment, job satisfaction, and retention; such recognition can occur at the individual, unit, or organizational level. The American Nurses Credentialing Center's Magnet Recognition Program acknowledges nursing excellence at the organizational level.

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Sinoatrial node myocytes (SAMs) act as cardiac pacemaker cells by firing spontaneous action potentials (APs) that initiate each heartbeat. The funny current (I) is critical for the generation of these spontaneous APs; however, its precise role during the pacemaking cycle remains unresolved. Here, we used the AP-clamp technique to quantify I during the cardiac cycle in mouse SAMs.

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Ultrapotent chemogenetics, including the chloride-permeable inhibitory PSAM-GlyR receptor, were recently proposed as a powerful strategy to selectively control neuronal activity in awake, behaving animals. We aimed to validate the inhibitory function of PSAM-GlyR in dopamine D1 receptor-expressing medium spiny neurons (D1-MSNs) in the ventral striatum. Activation of PSAM-GlyR with the uPSEM ligand enhanced rather than suppressed the activity of D1-MSNs in vivo as indicated by increased c-fos expression in D1-MSNs and in vitro as indicated by cell-attached recordings from D1-MSNs in mouse brain slices.

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For the first time, a low-field open magnetic resonance (MR) scanner was combined with a proton pencil beam scanning (PBS) research beamline. The aim of this study was to characterize the magnetic fringe fields produced by the PBS system and measure their effects on MR image quality during simultaneous PBS irradiation and image acquisition. A magnetic field camera measured the change in central resonance frequency (Δf ) and magnetic field homogeneity (ΔMFH) of the B field of the MR scanner during operation of the beam transport and scanning magnets.

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