Integration of Genotype, Physiological Performance, and Survival in a Lizard (Uta stansburiana) with Alternative Mating Strategies.

Covariation among behavioral and physiological traits is thought to enhance reproductive success and Darwinian fitness. Species that exhibit alternative mating strategies provide excellent opportunities to assess the relative contributions of physiological and behavioral traits to fitness. Male side-blotched lizards (Uta stansburiana) exhibit three heritable throat color morphs that are associated with alternative mating behaviors.

Impact of prone versus supine positioning on small bowel dose with pelvic intensity modulated radiation therapy.

Purpose: To report the results of a prospective study that compares small bowel doses during prone and supine pelvic intensity modulated radiation therapy.

Methods And Materials: Ten patients receiving pelvic radiation therapy each had 2 intensity modulated radiation therapy plans generated: supine and prone on a belly board (PBB). Computed tomography on rails was performed weekly throughout treatment in both positions (10 scans per patient).

Ocean outfall plume characterization using an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle.

A monitoring mission to map and characterize the Point Loma Ocean Outfall (PLOO) wastewater plume using an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) was performed on 3 March 2011. The mobility of an AUV provides a significant advantage in surveying discharge plumes over traditional cast-based methods, and when combined with optical and oceanographic sensors, provides a capability for both detecting plumes and assessing their mixing in the near and far-fields. Unique to this study is the measurement of Colored Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM) in the discharge plume and its application for quantitative estimates of the plume's dilution.

Preoperative radiation therapy for upper rectal cancer T3,T4/Nx: selectivity essential.

This review explores the current available literature regarding the role of neoadjuvant therapy for upper locally advanced rectal cancers (≥10 cm-15 cm). Although there is a paucity of data evaluating the outcomes of preoperative chemoradiation for upper rectal cancers the authors suggest that T3N0 tumors will not likely benefit from radiation and that treatment of T4N0 should be individualized.

The role of radiation therapy in the control of locoregional and metastatic cancer.

High energy X-rays have been used for cancer therapy since their discovery in 1895. Major radiobiological discoveries and technological advances in radiation physics have greatly increased the accuracy of radiation. The recent integration of radiation therapy and imaging systems provides radiation oncologists with sophisticated dose delivery capability allowing continued improvements in the control of loco-regional and metastatic disease while decreasing toxicity.

Prospective phase I study of capecitabine and oxaliplatin concurrent with radiation therapy for the treatment of locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma, and retrospective comparison to concurrent 5-fluorouracil/radiation and gemcitabine/radiation.

Purpose: The aims of this study is to determine the maximum tolerated dose of capecitabine and oxaliplatin (CAPOX) delivered concurrent with radiation therapy (RT) in the treatment of locally advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma and to retrospectively compare outcomes with this regimen to concurrent 5-fluorouracil or capecitabine with RT (5FU-RT) or concurrent gemcitabine-based chemotherapy with RT (GEM-RT).

Materials And Methods: Twelve patients were enrolled in a phase I study using 50.4 Gy RT concurrent with capecitabine chemotherapy (twice daily, 7 days per week) and oxaliplatin (once weekly during weeks 1, 2, 4, and 5).

Do all locally advanced rectal cancers require radiation? A review of literature in the modern era.

Potentially curable rectal cancer is primarily treated with surgical resection. Adjuvant or neoadjuvant radiotherapy is often utilized for patients deemed to be at unacceptable risk for local recurrence. The purpose of this article is to review the pertinent literature and elucidate the role of radiotherapy in patients with an intermediate risk of local recurrence.

Secretion by the nasal salt glands of two insectivorous lizard species is initiated by an ecologically relevant dietary ion, chloride.

Salt glands are used by some vertebrates to excrete hyperosmotic NaCl or KCl solutions in response to dietary salt loads. Control of secretion varies across taxa; some secrete in response to osmotic challenges while others secrete in response to specific dietary ions. We hypothesized that differences in control could be related to different diet-related selective pressures on herbivorous, marine, and insectivorous species.

Overall and progression-free survival and visual and endocrine outcomes for patients with parasellar lesions treated with intensity-modulated stereotactic radiosurgery.

Linear accelerator single-fraction radiosurgery (SRS) for skull base lesions is usually delivered with dynamic conformal arcs (DCAs), but intensity-modulated radiosurgery (IMRS) is another option when SRS dose is limited by proximity of the optic nerve and chiasm. We review the long-term outcome of patients treated with IMRS for parasellar lesions. Fourteen patients with parasellar lesions were treated with IMRS when standard DCA radiosurgery was limited by optic nerve tolerance.

Stereotactic radiosurgery eligibility and selection bias in the treatment of glioblastoma multiforme.

Several single institution studies have shown a survival advantage when a stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) boost followed fractionated external beam radiation (FracRT) in the treatment of glioblastoma (GBM). RTOG 93-05 employed SRS before FracRT and demonstrated no survival benefit. We examined the effect of SRS eligibility before and after FracRT on patient outcome in a group of patients treated with conventional therapy without SRS.

Curative radiation therapy for pancreatic malignancies.

Surgery is generally considered as the only curative therapy for pancreatic cancer; however, even with optimal surgery, long-term cure is achieved in very few patients, thus highlighting the need for adjuvant therapies. Radiation therapy, usually in combination with chemotherapy, plays a role in the setting of unresectable, nonmetastatic pancreatic cancer. Its role in the adjuvant setting remains controversial and as yet undefined.

The role of radiation therapy in pancreas cancer.

The role of radiation therapy in pancreatic cancer continues to be investigated. Its use in the adjuvant setting remains controversial. Its use is more generally accepted in borderline resectable disease, but prospective data are sparse.

Principles and techniques of radiation therapy for esophageal and gastroesophageal junction cancers.

Radiation therapy serves an integral role in the primary and adjuvant treatment of esophagus cancer. Radiation techniques continue to improve, providing more accurate localization of the tumor while limiting dose to normal structures. This article reviews current practices and recommendations for radiation therapy technique for esophageal and gastroesophageal malignancies.

Conformity of LINAC-based stereotactic radiosurgery using dynamic conformal arcs and micro-multileaf collimator.

Purpose: To assess the conformity of dynamic conformal arc linear accelerator-based stereotactic radiosurgery and to describe a standardized method of isodose surface (IDS) selection.

Methods And Materials: In 174 targets, the conformity index (CI) at the prescription IDS used for treatment was calculated as CI = (PIV/PVTV)/(PVTV/TV), where TV is the target volume, PIV (prescription isodose volume) is the total volume encompassed by the prescription IDS, and PVTV is the TV encompassed by the IDS. In addition, a "standardized" prescription IDS (sIDS) was chosen according to the following criteria: 95% of the TV was encompassed by the PIV and 99% of TV was covered by 95% of the prescription dose.

Gonadotropin hormone modulation of testosterone, immune function, performance, and behavioral trade-offs among male morphs of the lizard Uta stansburiana.

Sexual selection predicts that trade-offs maintain trait variation in alternative reproductive strategies. Experiments often focus on testosterone (T), but the gonadotropins follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone may provide a clearer understanding of the pleiotropic relationships among traits. We assess the activational role of gonadotropins on T and corticosterone regulation in traits expressed by polymorphic male side-blotched lizards Uta stansburiana.

Radiation therapy is associated with improved survival in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma: results of a study from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) registry data.

Background: The role of adjuvant radiation therapy in pancreatic cancer is controversial. For the current study, the authors evaluated the effect of preoperative and postoperative radiation therapy on survival in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Methods: The analysis included 3008 patients who were reported to the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registry of the National Cancer Institute from 1988 to 2002 who had adenocarcinoma of the pancreas and who underwent cancer-directed surgery.

Topoisomerase II alpha expression correlates with diminished disease-free survival in invasive breast cancer.

Purpose: Topoisomerase II alpha (Topo II alpha) plays a role in DNA replication and is the molecular target for anthracyline-based chemotherapy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between Topo II alpha expression and survival in patients with invasive breast cancer.

Methods And Materials: Formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tumor specimens from 24 women with invasive breast cancer were stained for Topo II alpha expression.

Self-recognition, color signals, and cycles of greenbeard mutualism and altruism.

Altruism presents a challenge to evolutionary theory because selection should favor selfish over caring strategies. Greenbeard altruism resolves this paradox by allowing cooperators to identify individuals carrying similar alleles producing a form of genic selection. In side-blotched lizards, genetically similar but unrelated blue male morphs settle on adjacent territories and cooperate.

Role of radiation therapy in gastric adenocarcinoma.

Outcomes in patients with gastric cancer in the United States remain disappointing, with a five-year overall survival rate of approximately 23%. Given high rates of local-regional control following surgery, a strong rationale exists for the use of adjuvant radiation therapy. Randomized trials have shown superior local control with adjuvant radiotherapy and improved overall survival with adjuvant chemoradiation.

Role of stereotactic radiosurgery in the treatment of brain metastases.

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is a highly conformal form of radiation therapy designed to deliver a high dose in a single treatment to the target volume while sparing adjacent normal tissues. Its role in the treatment of brain metastases continues to be defined, but the recently reported RTOG 95-08 trial demonstrated a survival benefit with the addition of SRS to whole-brain radiation therapy in select patients with a single brain metastasis, as well as a local control and palliative benefit in select patients with 1 to 3 brain metastases. The authors review the role of SRS in the treatment of brain metastases and discuss the use of SRS with or without whole-brain radiation therapy, optimal dose of SRS, SRS delivery methods, and selection of appropriate patients for SRS.

Survival after attempted surgical resection and intraoperative radiation therapy for pancreatic and periampullary adenocarcinoma.

Purpose: To evaluate a single institution's experience with intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT) in combination with attempted surgical resection for pancreatic and periampullary adenocarcinoma.

Methods And Materials: From May 1986 until June 2001, 77 patients at LDS Hospital underwent attempted surgical resection and IORT for pancreatic or periampullary adenocarcinoma. A potentially curative resection was defined as surgery with negative or microscopic positive margins.