Brachytherapy for Soft Tissue Sarcoma: Maintaining Local Control While Minimizing Complications.

Background: This study aims to assess the clinical and oncologic outcomes of high-dose brachytherapy (BRT) versus both preoperative and postoperative external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) in the setting of high-grade soft tissue sarcoma.

Methods: This is a retrospective cohort study of 144 patients treated surgically for soft tissue sarcoma at the same institution from 2010 to 2021. Patients treated for a soft tissue sarcoma with surgery and radiation therapy in the form of BRT, Neoadjuvant EBRT (Neo-EBRT) or adjuvant EBRT (AD-EBRT) were included.

What empathizers do: Empathy and the selection of everyday interpersonal emotion regulation strategies.

Background: Empathic behavior is crucial in promoting positive social outcomes and strengthening interpersonal bonds. Research on how empathy modulates responses to others' emotions remains scarce yet is fundamental for elucidating mechanisms of impaired social functioning in psychopathology and its treatment.

Methods: Two ecological momentary assessment studies (Ns = 125 and 204) investigated participants' empathy and usage of interpersonal emotion regulation strategies in 5537 social interactions.

Interpersonal emotion regulation and depressive symptoms in parent-adolescent dyads: A daily-diary investigation.

Deficient parental extrinsic (IER, how people regulate others' emotions) is a known risk factor for adolescent depression. Although IER and depression development are transactional, dyadic processes, previous work has almost exclusively focused on how parental IER is associated with adolescent depression. The association between parental IER and adolescent depression, and the associations between adolescent IER and adolescent and parental depression have received little attention.

Large Nodular Fasciitis of the Shoulder Presenting as Soft Tissue Sarcoma: A Case Report.

Case: This case report describes a patient who presented with clinical and radiographic features of a soft tissue sarcoma of the shoulder. Despite having a painless and relatively large mass, a biopsy and resection revealed nodular fasciitis (NF).

Conclusion: This is an unusual case of a painless 10 cm mass that histopathologically was diagnosed as NF in the upper extremity with proximity to the axillary nerve and posterior humeral circumflex vessels.

Hip Preservation and Capanna Reconstruction for Pediatric Proximal Femur Ewing Sarcoma: A Report of 2 Cases.

Case: This is a first report describing preservation of the femoral head by transcervical resection of proximal femoral Ewing sarcoma in 2 pediatric patients. A unique Capanna reconstruction supported joint salvage. At 1 year, Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument and Pediatric Toronto Extremity Salvage Score outcomes were excellent.

Empathy is associated with interpersonal emotion regulation goals in everyday life.

Responding to the emotions of the people around us is a phenomenon traversing human lives; however, research has only recently started exploring the predictors of interpersonal emotion regulation (IER). In two ecological momentary assessment studies conducted in 2021 and 2022, we tested whether facets of empathy (i.e.

Coral reefs in peril in a record-breaking year.

Climate change and its impacts on coral reefs have reached unchartered territory.

The microbial profile of infected endoprosthetic reconstructions after wide excision for patients with musculoskeletal tumors: A call for pathogen-based practices.

Background And Objectives: Periprosthetic infection is a devastating complication following endoprosthetic reconstruction. This study utilized a large database of endoprostheses to describe the incidence, risk factors, and microbial profile of such infections to better catalogue and understand these catastrophic events.

Methods: A retrospective review of endoprosthetic reconstructions for an oncologic indication from January 1, 1981 to December 31, 2020 was performed.

Ecosystem resilience to invasion and drought: Insights after 24 years in a rare never-grazed grassland.

Understanding the resilience of ecosystems globally is hampered by the complex and interacting drivers of change characteristic of the Anthropocene. This is true for drylands of the western US, where widespread alteration of disturbance regimes and spread of invasive non-native species occurred with westward expansion during the 1800s, including the introduction of domestic livestock and spread of Bromus tectorum, an invasive non-native annual grass. In addition, this region has experienced a multi-decadal drought not seen for at least 1200 years with potentially large and interacting impacts on native plant communities.

Proximal Femur Replacements for an Oncologic Indication Offer a Durable Endoprosthetic Reconstruction Option: A 40-year Experience.

Background: Proximal femur replacements (PFRs) are an effective surgical option to treat primary and metastatic tumors causing large bony defects in the proximal femur. Given the relative rarity of these indications, current studies on PFR for oncologic indications are generally limited by patient volume or relatively short-term follow-up. Because recent advances in systemic therapy have improved the prognosis of patients who undergo limb salvage surgery for musculoskeletal tumors, data on the long-term durability of endoprosthetic reconstructions have become increasingly important.

Treatment of Angular Deformity and Limb Length Discrepancy With a Retrograde Femur Magnetic Intramedullary Nail: A Fixator-assisted, Blocking Screw Technique.

Background: Fixator-assisted nailing techniques that incorporate magnetic internal lengthening nails (MILNs) permit acute deformity correction and then gradual limb lengthening without needing postoperative external fixators.

Purposes: We sought to investigate the safety and accuracy of a fixator-assisted, blocking screw technique using retrograde MILNs for the correction of LLD and limb malalignment.

Methods: Forty-one patients (13 patients with genu varum and 28 patients with genu valgum) with LLD treated with fixator-assisted, blocking screw retrograde MILN reconstruction were included.

Cumulative burden of late, major surgical intervention in survivors of childhood cancer: a report from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS) cohort.

Background: Multimodal cancer therapy places childhood cancer survivors at increased risk for chronic health conditions, subsequent malignancies, and premature mortality as they age. We aimed to estimate the cumulative burden of late (>5 years from cancer diagnosis), major surgical interventions among childhood cancer survivors, compared with their siblings, and to examine associations between specific childhood cancer treatments and the burden of late surgical interventions.

Methods: We analysed data from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study (CCSS), a retrospective cohort study with longitudinal prospective follow-up of 5-year survivors of childhood cancer (diagnosed before age 21 years) treated at 31 institutions in the USA, with a comparison group of nearest-age siblings of survivors selected by simple random sampling.

Droughting a megadrought: Ecological consequences of a decade of experimental drought atop aridification on the Colorado Plateau.

Global dryland vegetation communities will likely change as ongoing drought conditions shift regional climates towards a more arid future. Additional aridification of drylands can impact plant and ground cover, biogeochemical cycles, and plant-soil feedbacks, yet how and when these crucial ecosystem components will respond to drought intensification requires further investigation. Using a long-term precipitation reduction experiment (35% reduction) conducted across the Colorado Plateau and spanning 10 years into a 20+ year regional megadrought, we explored how vegetation cover, soil conditions, and growing season nitrogen (N) availability are impacted by drying climate conditions.

One-Stage Synovectomies Result in Improved Short-Term Outcomes Compared to Two-Stage Synovectomies of Diffuse-Type Tenosynovial Giant Cell Tumor (D-TGCT) of the Knee: A Multicenter, Retrospective, Cohort Study.

Diffuse-type tenosynovial giant cell tumors' (D-TGCTs) intra- and extra-articular expansion about the knee often necessitates an anterior and posterior surgical approach to facilitate an extensive synovectomy. There is no consensus on whether two-sided synovectomies should be performed in one or two stages. This retrospective study included 191 D-TGCT patients from nine sarcoma centers worldwide to compare the postoperative short-term outcomes between both treatments.

Management of Segmental Tibial Bone Defects With the Magnetic Motorized Intramedullary Transport Nail: A Case Series.

Critical-sized bone defects in the tibia can arise as sequelae of trauma, infection, tumor, or the treatment of congenital limb deficiencies. Treatment of these defects often requires bone transport, which has traditionally been accomplished using circular external fixators. The development of a bone transport nail facilitated tibia reconstruction through distraction osteogenesis using an all-internal device, thus avoiding the complications associated with chronic external fixation.

Complementary Effects of Surgery and Pexidartinib in the Management of Patients with Complex Diffuse-Tenosynovial Giant Cell Tumor.

Tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TGCT) is a rare neoplasm of the joint synovium that has a wide clinical spectrum including pain and stiffness in the affected joint, joint swelling, periarticular erosions, and cartilage loss, which can severely impact quality of life. The mainstay treatment for TGCT has been surgery involving partial or total synovectomy using arthroscopic or open techniques. However, surgical resection alone is associated with high recurrence rates, particularly in diffuse-TGCT (D-TGCT) cases.

A prospective real-world study of the diffuse-type tenosynovial giant cell tumor patient journey: A 2-year observational analysis.

Background And Objectives: Diffuse-tenosynovial giant cell tumor (D-TGCT) is a rare, locally aggressive, typically benign neoplasm affecting mainly large joints, representing a wide clinical spectrum. We provide a picture of the treatment journey of D-TGCT patients as a 2-year observational follow-up.

Methods: The TGCT Observational Platform Project registry was a multinational, multicenter, prospective observational study at tertiary sarcoma centers spanning seven European countries and two US sites.

Is High-dose Radiation Therapy Associated With Early Revision Due to Aseptic Loosening in Patients With a Sarcoma of the Lower Extremities Reconstructed With a Cemented Endoprosthesis?

Background: The durability of endoprostheses after limb salvage surgery is influenced by surgical factors (resection length, implant location, and residual bone quality), implant design (modular versus custom design, rotating versus fixed hinge, coating, collars, and the use of cross pins), and host factors (patient's immune status, activity levels, and age). In general, radiation therapy increases the risk of fractures, infection, delayed wound healing, and impaired osseointegration. Several studies have shown exposure to radiation to be associated with higher endoprosthesis revision rates and higher periprosthetic infection rates, but results are inconsistent.

What Is the Long-term Survivorship of Primary and Revision Cemented Distal Femoral Replacements for Limb Salvage of Patients With Sarcoma?

Background: Cemented endoprosthetic reconstruction after resection of primary bone sarcomas has been in common use for decades. Although multiple studies have reported the survivorship of primary endoprostheses, implant survivorship after revision surgery is less well established. Given that earlier advances in systemic therapy improved survival of patients with sarcoma, the usage of revision endoprostheses can be expected to increase and, as such, understanding revision implant survivorship will help to inform patient and surgeon expectations.

What Are Risk Factors for and Outcomes of Late Amputation After Treatment for Lower Extremity Sarcoma: A Childhood Cancer Survivor Study Report.

Background: Although pediatric lower extremity sarcoma once was routinely treated with amputation, multiagent chemotherapy as well as the evolution of tumor resection and reconstruction techniques have enabled the wide adoption of limb salvage surgery (LSS). Even though infection and tumor recurrence are established risk factors for early amputation (< 5 years) after LSS, the frequency of and factors associated with late amputation (≥ 5 years from diagnosis) in children with sarcomas are not known. Additionally, the resulting psychosocial and physical outcomes of these patients compared with those treated with primary amputation or LSS that was not complicated by subsequent amputation are not well studied.

Survival of Patients With Primary Osseous Malignancies of the Mobile Spine Is Associated With Access to "Standard Treatment" Protocols.

Introduction: Malignancies of the mobile spine carry high morbidity and mortality. This study sought to examine factors associated with receipt of "standard" treatment and survival for patients with primary mobile spine tumors in the California Cancer Registry (CCR).

Methods: The CCR (1988 to 2016) data were obtained for patients with primary tumors of the mobile spine and at least 1-year follow-up.

Decline in biological soil crust N-fixing lichens linked to increasing summertime temperatures.

Biological soil crusts (biocrusts), comprised of mosses, lichens, and cyanobacteria, are key components to many dryland communities. Climate change and other anthropogenic disturbances are thought to cause a decline in mosses and lichens, yet few long-term studies exist to track potential shifts in these sensitive soil-surface communities. Using a unique long-term observational dataset from a temperate dryland with initial observations dating back to 1967, we examine the effects of 53 y of observed environmental variation and Bromus tectorum invasion on biocrust communities in a grassland never grazed by domestic livestock.

Increased IL-6 expression precedes reliable viral detection in the rhesus macaque brain during acute SIV infection.

Knowledge of immune activation in the brain during acute HIV infection is crucial for the prevention and treatment of HIV-associated neurological disorders. We determined regional brain (basal ganglia, thalamus, and frontal cortex) immune and virological profiles at 7 and 14 days post infection (dpi) with SIVmac239 in rhesus macaques. The basal ganglia and thalamus had detectable viruses earlier (7 dpi) than the frontal cortex (14 dpi) and contained higher quantities of viruses than the latter.