Long-term clinical outcome of intensity-modulated radiotherapy for inoperable non-small cell lung cancer: the MD Anderson experience.

Purpose: In 2007, we published our initial experience in treating inoperable non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). The current report is an update of that experience with long-term follow-up.

Methods And Materials: Patients in this retrospective review were 165 patients who began definitive radiotherapy, with or without chemotherapy, for newly diagnosed, pathologically confirmed NSCLC to a dose of ≥60 Gy from 2005 to 2006.

Catastrophizing and perceived injustice: risk factors for the transition to chronicity after whiplash injury.

Study Design: The article will summarize research that has supported the role of pain catastrophizing and perceived injustice as risk factors for problematic recovery after whiplash injury.

Objective: This article focuses on two psychological variables that have been shown to impact on recovery trajectories after whiplash injury; namely pain catastrophizing and perceived injustice.

Summary Of Background Data: Research has shown that psychological variables play a role in determining the trajectory of recovery after whiplash injury.

A novel method to incorporate the spatial location of the lung dose distribution into predictive radiation pneumonitis modeling.

Purpose: Studies have proposed that patients who receive radiation therapy to the base of the lung are more susceptible to radiation pneumonitis than patients who receive therapy to the apex of the lung. The primary purpose of the present study was to develop a novel method to incorporate the lung dose spatial information into a predictive radiation pneumonitis model. A secondary goal was to apply the method to a 547 lung cancer patient database to determine whether including the spatial information could improve the fit of our model.

External validation of bifactor model of ADHD: explaining heterogeneity in psychiatric comorbidity, cognitive control, and personality trait profiles within DSM-IV ADHD.

The current paper provides external validation of the bifactor model of ADHD by examining associations between ADHD latent factor/profile scores and external validation indices. 548 children (321 boys; 302 with ADHD), 6 to 18 years old, recruited from the community participated in a comprehensive diagnostic procedure. Mothers completed the Child Behavior Checklist, Early Adolescent Temperament Questionnaire, and California Q-Sort.

Comparative analysis of volumetric modulated arc therapy versus intensity modulated radiation therapy for radiotherapy of anal carcinoma.

Purpose: Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT), an evolution of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), utilizes the dynamic modulation of angular dose rate through changes in gantry speed, linear accelerator dose rate, and multileaf collimator motion to deliver a treatment fraction in rotational fashion with improved efficiency and in shorter time. In general, target coverage relative to adjacent organ-at-risk sparing is highly dependent on the complexity of the treatment site. Therefore, we critically evaluated VMAT compared to IMRT for definitive treatment of anal carcinoma with respect to dosimetry and efficiency.

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide induces long-lasting neuroprotection through the induction of activity-dependent signaling via the cyclic AMP response element-binding protein-regulated transcription co-activator 1.

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide (PACAP) is a neuroprotective peptide which exerts its effects mainly through the cAMP-protein kinase A (PKA) pathway. Here, we show that in cortical neurons, PACAP-induced PKA signaling exerts a major part of its neuroprotective effects indirectly, by triggering action potential (AP) firing. Treatment of cortical neurons with PACAP induces a rapid and sustained PKA-dependent increase in AP firing and associated intracellular Ca(2+) transients, which are essential for the anti-apoptotic actions of PACAP.

Investigation of the relationship between gross tumor volume location and pneumonitis rates using a large clinical database of non-small-cell lung cancer patients.

Purpose: Studies have suggested that function may vary throughout the lung, and that patients who have tumors located in the base of the lung are more susceptible to radiation pneumonitis. The purpose of our study was to investigate the relationship between gross tumor volume (GTV) location and pneumonitis rates using a large clinical database of 547 patients with non-small-cell lung cancer.

Methods And Materials: The GTV centroids of all patients were mapped onto one common coordinate system, in which the boundaries of the coordinate system were defined by the extreme points of each individual patient lung.

The multilevel organization of vicarious pain responses: effects of pain cues and empathy traits on spinal nociception and acute pain.

The shared-representation model of empathy suggests that vicarious pain processes rely partly on the activation of brain systems underlying self-pain in the observer. Here, we tested the hypothesis that self-pain may be facilitated by the vicarious priming of neural systems underlying pain perception. Pictures illustrating painful agents applied to the hand or the foot (sensory information), or painful facial expressions (emotional information) were shown to 43 participants to test the effects of vicarious pain on the nociceptive flexion reflex (NFR) of the lower limb and pain intensity and unpleasantness produced by transcutaneous electrical stimulation applied over the sural nerve.

Systematic review: the presenting international normalised ratio (INR) as a predictor of outcome in patients with upper nonvariceal gastrointestinal bleeding.

Background: The prognostic value of an elevated international normalised ratio (INR) as part of initial risk stratification in nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding (NVUGIB) remains poorly characterised.

Aim: To assess the usefulness of the initial INR in patients with NVUGIB.

Method: After a systematic review, we included the presenting INR and other validated prognosticators in multivariable models predicting rebleeding and mortality.

Judgments about pain intensity and pain genuineness: the role of pain behavior and judgmental heuristics.

Unlabelled: The primary objective of the present study was to examine the relative importance of pain behaviors and judgmental heuristics (eg, gender stereotypes) in observers' inferences about pain intensity and pain genuineness. Participants (n = 90) observed video depictions of chronic pain patients performing a physically challenging task and were asked to make inferences of pain intensity and pain genuineness. Analyses indicated that observers relied on judgmental heuristics and pain behaviors both when making inferences about pain intensity and when making inferences about pain genuineness.

Integrating theory and method in the study of positive youth development: the sample case of gender-specificity and longitudinal stability of the dimensions of intention self-regulation (selection, optimization, and compensation).

The study of positive youth development (PYD) rests on the integration of sound developmental theory with rigorous developmental methods, To illustrate this link, we focused on the Selection (S), Optimization (O), and Compensation (C; SOC) model of intentional self regulation, a key individual-level component of the individual context relations involved in the PYD process, and assessed the dimensional structure of the SOC questionnaire, which includes indices of Elective Selection, Loss-Based Selection, Optimization, and Compensation. Using cross-sectional and longitudinal data from Grades 10 and 11 of the 4-H Study of PYD, we estimated three models through bifactor data analysis, a procedure that allows indicators to load both on their specific latent variables and on a superordinate factor that comprises the construct under study. The first model estimated was a standard bifactor model, computed separately for the 10th and 11 graders.

Alcohol use and pregnancy consensus clinical guidelines.

Objective: to establish national standards of care for the screening and recording of alcohol use and counselling on alcohol use of women of child-bearing age and pregnant women based on the most up-to-date evidence.

Evidence: published literature was retrieved through searches of PubMed, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library in May 2009 using appropriate controlled vocabulary (e.g.

A randomized, controlled clinical trial of in virtuo and in vivo exposure for spider phobia.

The present study compared the efficacy of virtual reality (VR) in virtuo exposure and in vivo exposure in the treatment of spider phobia. Two treatment conditions were compared to a waiting-list condition. A 3-month follow-up evaluation was conducted in order to assess the durability of the treatment effects.

The structure of childhood disruptive behaviors.

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) frequently co-occur. Comorbidity of these 2 childhood disruptive behavior domains has not been satisfactorily explained at either a structural or etiological level. The current study evaluated a bifactor model, which allows for a "g" factor in addition to distinct component factors, in relation to other models to improve understanding of the structural relationship between ADHD and ODD.

A quality assurance procedure to evaluate cone-beam CT image center congruence with the radiation isocenter of a linear accelerator.

A quality assurance (QA) procedure was developed to evaluate the congruence between the cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) image center and the radiation isocenter on a Varian Trilogy linac. In contrast to the published QA procedures, this method did not require a ball bearing (BB) phantom to be placed exactly at the radiation isocenter through precalibrated room lasers or light field crosshairs. The only requirement was that the BB phantom be in a stationary position near the radiation isocenter during the image acquisition process.

Prokinetics in acute upper GI bleeding: a meta-analysis.

Background: Recent data suggest that administration of prokinetics before gastroscopy may be useful in patients with acute upper GI bleeding (UGIB). Published studies are limited in the number of subjects evaluated, and the conclusions are disparate.

Objective: To assess the evidence of administering prokinetic agents before EGD in acute UGIB.

The persistence of pain behaviors in patients with chronic back pain is independent of pain and psychological factors.

The primary purpose of the present study was to examine the temporal stability of communicative and protective pain behaviors in patients with chronic back pain. The study also examined whether the stability of pain behaviors could be accounted for by patients' levels of pain severity, catastrophizing, or fear of movement. Patients (n=70) were filmed on two separate occasions (i.

Effect of statin therapy on colorectal cancer.

Hydroxymethylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase inhibitors, also called statins, are commonly prescribed medications that lower serum cholesterol and decrease cardiac morbidity and mortality. They also possess beneficial effects beyond their cholesterol-lowering properties. Preclinical data suggest statins exhibit pleiotropic antineoplastic effects in a variety of tumours, but clinical studies have provided conflicting data as to whether statins influence the risk of cancer.

The dopamine receptor D4 gene (DRD4) moderates family environmental effects on ADHD.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a prime candidate for exploration of gene-by-environment interaction (i.e., G x E), particularly in relation to dopamine system genes, due to strong evidence that dopamine systems are dysregulated in the disorder.

Bayesian variable selection in cost-effectiveness analysis.

Linear regression models are often used to represent the cost and effectiveness of medical treatment. The covariates used may include sociodemographic variables, such as age, gender or race; clinical variables, such as initial health status, years of treatment or the existence of concomitant illnesses; and a binary variable indicating the treatment received. However, most studies estimate only one model, which usually includes all the covariates.

Processing speed weakness in children and adolescents with non-hyperactive but inattentive ADHD (ADD).

DSM-IV-TR defines ADHD-Predominantly Inattentive as allowing up to five symptoms of hyperactivity/impulsivity, while theories of the inattentive type usually assume a group that is hypoactive and characterized by processing speed and cognitive interference deficits. In a community-recruited sample of 572 children and adolescents, a pure inattentive subtype of ADHD (ADD) was defined as those who met DSM-IV-TR criteria for ADHD-PI but had two or fewer hyperactive/impulsive symptoms. Processing and output speeds of those with ADD were compared to those identified with DSM-IV-TR ADHD combined type and non-ADHD controls.

A simple method to quantify the coincidence between portal image graticules and radiation field centers or radiation isocenter.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop a computerized method to quantify the coincidence between portal image graticules and radiation field centers or radiation isocenter. Three types of graticules were included in this study: Megavoltage (MV) mechanical graticule, MV electronic portal imaging device digital graticule, and kilovoltage (kV) on-board imaging digital graticule.

Methods: A metal ball bearing (BB) was imaged with MV and kV x-ray beams in a procedure similar to a Winston-Lutz test.

Revisiting the latent structure of ADHD: is there a 'g' factor?

Background: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is presumed to be heterogeneous, but the best way to describe this heterogeneity remains unclear. Considerable evidence has accrued suggesting that inattention versus hyperactivity-impulsivity symptom domains predict distinct clinical outcomes and may have partially distinct etiological influence. As a result, some conceptualizations emphasize two distinct inputs to the syndrome.

Radiation dose-volume effects in the lung.

The three-dimensional dose, volume, and outcome data for lung are reviewed in detail. The rate of symptomatic pneumonitis is related to many dosimetric parameters, and there are no evident threshold "tolerance dose-volume" levels. There are strong volume and fractionation effects.