Publications by authors named "Meola A"

Article Synopsis
  • The study focuses on developing a deep learning workflow to predict overall survival in glioblastoma (GBM) patients using pre-resection multiparametric MRI images, addressing the need for timely treatment decisions due to the poor prognosis of GBM.
  • The process involves a series of models for skull-stripping, GBM sub-region segmentation, and survival prediction, using two datasets: a multi-institutional public dataset and an institutional dataset from a clinical trial, which includes various patient data like MRI scans and survival days.
  • Results show the workflow has a strong predictive capability, achieving an AUC of 0.86 for the public dataset and 0.72 for the institutional dataset, successfully classifying patients into long-survivor
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Bladder cancer, which has a rising incidence, is the 10th most common cancer. The transitional cell carcinoma histotype is aggressive and often current therapies are ineffective. We investigated the anti-proliferative effect of quercetin, a natural flavonoid, in combination with the alkylating agent mafosfamide (MFA) on two human bladder cancer cell lines, namely RT112 and J82, representing the progression from low-grade to high-grade tumors, respectively.

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  • Monkeypox virus (MPXV) is causing a global outbreak, raising questions about different antibody responses from vaccination versus actual infection.
  • A study found that convalescent individuals (those who recovered from MPXV) had higher neutralizing antibodies against the virus compared to vaccinated and non-infected people one month after exposure.
  • Both groups experienced a significant decrease in antibody levels after eight months, indicating a need for improved vaccine strategies to ensure longer-lasting immunity and reduce breakthrough infections.
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Mpox is a zoonotic disease endemic in central and west Africa. However, since 2022, human-adapted mpox virus (MPXV) strains are causing large outbreaks spreading outside these regions, leading the World Health Organization to declare public health emergency twice. Tecovirimat, the most widely used drug to treat these infections, blocks viral egress through a poorly understood mechanism.

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Background And Objectives: Hemangiopericytomas are infrequent vascular tumors originating from Zimmermann pericytes. The conventional treatment involves gross total resection, followed by adjuvant radiotherapy. Nevertheless, their tendency to infiltrate dural sinuses, high vascularity, and anatomic complexity pose challenges for radical resection, leading to a significant risk of recurrence.

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: Medulloblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor in children. In recent decades, the therapeutic landscape has undergone significant changes, with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) emerging as a promising treatment for recurrent cases. Our study provides a comprehensive analysis of the long-term efficacy and safety of SRS in recurrent medulloblastomas across both pediatric and adult patients at a single institution.

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Background And Objectives: Ependymoma is commonly classified as World Health Organization grade 2 with the anaplastic variant categorized as grade 3. Incomplete resection or anaplastic features can result in unfavorable outcomes. Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) provides a minimally invasive approach for recurrent ependymomas.

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Article Synopsis
  • * The viral particles have a protein coating made of two specific glycoproteins (Gn and Gc) that help them attach to and fuse with host cells, which are important for developing neutralizing antibodies.
  • * The study describes a method for producing soluble recombinant glycoproteins in various forms, including a stable Gn/Gc complex, using genetically modified Drosophila S2 cells.
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Oligodendroglioma is an uncommon glial tumor known for its extremely rare tendency to metastasize to extracranial areas, particularly to the spinal region. We present a rare case of oligodendroglioma that metastasizes to the spinal cord 14 years after resection of the initial tumor. Furthermore, a systematic review of the relevant literature is conducted following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, encompassing oligodendroglioma cases with extracranial metastases.

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Objective: Leiomyosarcoma (LMS) is a rare, aggressive soft-tissue sarcoma that seldom spreads to the bone. The spine can be either the site of LMS osseous metastases or the primary tumor site. The optimal treatment option for spinal LMS is still unclear.

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Purpose: Hope is important in serious illnesses, as it has been linked to patient quality of life. We aimed to determine factors associated with lower hope scores among patients with central nervous system disease or bone metastases.

Methods And Materials: The Adult Dispositional Hope Scale (AHS) is a 12-item questionnaire that measures hope through 2 qualities: agency (goal-directed energy) and pathways (plan to meet goals).

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Background And Objectives: Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) has been an attractive treatment modality for both cranial and spinal hemangioblastomas, especially for multiple lesions commonly associated with von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease. This study aims to provide the largest long-term analysis of treatment efficacy and adverse effects of SRS for cranial and spinal hemangioblastomas at a single institution.

Methods: We evaluated the clinical and radiological outcomes of patients with hemangioblastomas treated with CyberKnife SRS at our institute from 1998 to 2022.

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Purpose: Belzutifan is a Hypoxia Inducible Factor 2-alpha inhibitor approved in 2021 by the FDA for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in patients with Von-Hippel Landau (VHL) disease. These patients can also present with central nervous system (CNS) hemangioblastomas (HBs). We aim to study the effectiveness and adverse effects of belzutifan for CNS HBs, by reporting our preliminary institutional experience.

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Four endemic seasonal human coronaviruses causing common colds circulate worldwide: HKU1, 229E, NL63 and OC43 (ref. ). After binding to cellular receptors, coronavirus spike proteins are primed for fusion by transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) or endosomal cathepsins.

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The success of mRNA-based vaccines during the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the value of this new platform for vaccine development against infectious disease. However, the CD8 T cell response remains modest with mRNA vaccines, and these do not induce mucosal immunity, which would be needed to prevent viral spread in the healthy population. To address this drawback, we developed a dendritic cell targeting mucosal vaccination vector, the homopentameric STxB.

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Introduction: Patchy alopecia is a common adverse effect of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) on the calvarium and/or scalp, yet no guidelines exist for its prevention. This study aims to investigate the incidence and outcomes of patchy alopecia following SRS for patients with calvarial or scalp lesions and establish preventive guidelines.

Methods: The study included 20 patients who underwent CyberKnife SRS for calvarial or scalp lesions, resulting in a total of 30 treated lesions.

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Introduction Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common malignant adult brain tumor and is invariably fatal. The standard treatment for GBM involves resection where possible, followed by chemoradiation per Stupp's protocol. We frequently use stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) as a single-fraction treatment for small (volume ≤ 1cc) nodular recurrent GBM to the contrast-enhancing target on T1 MRI scan.

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Background: Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a paroxysmal, unilateral, brief, shock-like pain in ≥1 divisions of the trigeminal nerve. It can result from multiple causes; however, TN secondary to stroke is very rare.

Methods: We present the case of TN secondary to pontine infarction treated with incremental doses of neuropathic pain medication for >5 years before conservative management failed.

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Solid tumors metastasizing to the brain are a frequent occurrence with an estimated incidence of approximately 30% of all cases. The longstanding conventional standard of care comprises surgical resection and whole-brain radiotherapy (WBRT); however, this approach is associated with limited long-term survival and local control outcomes. Consequently, stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) has emerged as a potential alternative approach.

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How infection by a viral variant showing antigenic drift impacts a preformed mature human memory B cell (MBC) repertoire remains an open question. Here, we studied the MBC response up to 6 months after SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.1 breakthrough infection in individuals previously vaccinated with three doses of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine.

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Objective: Esthesioneuroblastoma (ENB), also known as olfactory neuroblastoma, is a rare, malignant tumor of neuroectodermal origin that arises from the olfactory neuroepithelium. In this study the authors present the first series in the literature on distant brain metastases (BMs) secondary to ENB that were treated with stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of SRS for this indication.

Methods: A retrospective analysis of clinical and radiological outcomes of patients with ENB who underwent CyberKnife (CK) SRS at a single center was conducted.

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Objective: Brain metastases (BMs) secondary to sarcoma are rare, and their incidence ranges from 1% to 8% of all bone and soft tissue sarcomas. Although stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) is widely used for BMs, only a few papers have reported on SRS for sarcoma metastasizing to the brain. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of SRS for sarcoma BM.

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Background: The seasonal human coronaviruses (HCoV) NL63, 229E, OC43, and HKU1 are globally endemic, yet the majority of HCoV infections remain undiagnosed.

Methods: In a cross-sectional study, 2389 serum samples were collected from children and adults in France in 2020. In a longitudinal cohort study, 2520 samples were collected from 898 French individuals followed up between 2020 and 2021.

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Brain and spinal metastases are common in cancer patients and are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Continued advancement in the systemic care of cancer has increased the life expectancy of patients, and consequently, the incidence of brain and spine metastasis has increased. There has been an increase in the understanding of oncogenic mutations, and research has also demonstrated spatial and temporal mutations in patients that may drive overall treatment resistance and failure.

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