High-Content and Semi-Automated Quantification of Responses to Estrogenic Chemicals Using a Novel Translucent Transgenic Zebrafish.

Rapid embryogenesis, together with genetic similarities with mammals, and the desire to reduce mammalian testing, are major incentives for using the zebrafish model in chemical screening and testing. Transgenic zebrafish, engineered for identifying target gene expression through expression of fluorophores, have considerable potential for both high-content and high-throughput testing of chemicals for endocrine activity. Here we generated an estrogen responsive transgenic zebrafish model in a pigment-free "Casper" phenotype, facilitating identification of target tissues and quantification of these responses in whole intact fish.

An automated electronic system for managing radiation treatment plan peer review reduces missed reviews at a large, high-volume academic center.

Background: Assuring quality in cancer care through peer review has become increasingly important in radiation oncology. In 2012, our department implemented an automated electronic system for managing radiation treatment plan peer review. The purpose of this study was to compare the overall impact of this electronic system to our previous manual, paper-based system.

DABAM: an open-source database of X-ray mirrors metrology.

An open-source database containing metrology data for X-ray mirrors is presented. It makes available metrology data (mirror heights and slopes profiles) that can be used with simulation tools for calculating the effects of optical surface errors in the performances of an optical instrument, such as a synchrotron beamline. A typical case is the degradation of the intensity profile at the focal position in a beamline due to mirror surface errors.

First Clinical Investigation of Cone Beam Computed Tomography and Deformable Registration for Adaptive Proton Therapy for Lung Cancer.

Purpose: An adaptive proton therapy workflow using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) is proposed. It consists of an online evaluation of a fast range-corrected dose distribution based on a virtual CT (vCT) scan. This can be followed by more accurate offline dose recalculation on the vCT scan, which can trigger a rescan CT (rCT) for replanning.

Epidemiological, evolutionary, and economic determinants of eradication tails.

Despite modern medical interventions, infectious diseases continue to generate huge socio-economic losses. The benefits of eradicating a disease are therefore high. While successful with smallpox and rinderpest, many other eradication attempts have failed.

Use of Survivorship Care Plans and Analysis of Patient-Reported Outcomes in Multinational Patients With Lung Cancer.

Purpose: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death and is a significant source of morbidity. Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) have been shown to be prognostic for survival. We have analyzed emerging patterns of longitudinal PROs collected in the development of survivorship care plans (SCPs).

Branchial nitrogen cycle symbionts can remove ammonia in fish gills.

Knowledge of the mechanisms by which fish excrete their metabolic nitrogenous waste and insights into nitrogen cycling in aquaculture systems is of utmost importance to improve the sustainable commercial production of fish. In fish, most nitrogenous waste is excreted via the gills as ammonia, a potentially toxic nitrogenous compound. In this study; activity assays, physiological experiments, molecular analysis and microscopy were used to show that the gills of fish harbor a unique combination of hitherto overlooked nitrogen-cycle microorganisms that can theoretically detoxify excreted ammonia by converting it into inert dinitrogen gas.

Feasibility Study of an Electronic Interface Between Internet-Based Survivorship Care Plans and Electronic Medical Records.

Purpose: Survivorship care plans (SCPs) are recommended for all cancer survivors. Myriad barriers to implementation exist. This study was performed to evaluate the feasibility of interface development between an SCP and an electronic medical record (EMR).

Structure of the Pds5-Scc1 Complex and Implications for Cohesin Function.

Sister chromatid cohesion is a fundamental prerequisite to faithful genome segregation. Cohesion is precisely regulated by accessory factors that modulate the stability with which the cohesin complex embraces chromosomes. One of these factors, Pds5, engages cohesin through Scc1 and is both a facilitator of cohesion, and, conversely also mediates the release of cohesin from chromatin.

A Prospective Study of Proton Beam Reirradiation for Esophageal Cancer.

Purpose: Reirradiation to the esophagus carries a significant risk of complications. Proton therapy may offer an advantage in the reirradiation setting due to the lack of exit dose and potential sparing of previously radiated normal tissues.

Methods And Materials: Between June 2010 and February 2014, 14 patients with a history of thoracic radiation and newly diagnosed or locally recurrent esophageal cancer began proton beam reirradiation on a prospective trial.

Frequency dependence 3.0: an attempt at codifying the evolutionary ecology perspective.

The fitness concept and perforce the definition of frequency independent fitnesses from population genetics is closely tied to discrete time population models with non-overlapping generations. Evolutionary ecologists generally focus on trait evolution through repeated mutant substitutions in populations with complicated life histories. This goes with using the per capita invasion speed of mutants as their fitness.

Mutual invadability near evolutionarily singular strategies for multivariate traits, with special reference to the strongly convergence stable case.

Over the last two decades evolutionary branching has emerged as a possible mathematical paradigm for explaining the origination of phenotypic diversity. Although branching is well understood for one-dimensional trait spaces, a similarly detailed understanding for higher dimensional trait spaces is sadly lacking. This note aims at getting a research program of the ground leading to such an understanding.

The canonical equation of adaptive dynamics for life histories: from fitness-returns to selection gradients and Pontryagin's maximum principle.

This paper should be read as addendum to Dieckmann et al. (J Theor Biol 241:370-389, 2006) and Parvinen et al. (J Math Biol 67: 509-533, 2013).

In Vivo Quantification of Peroxisome Tethering to Chloroplasts in Tobacco Epidermal Cells Using Optical Tweezers.

Peroxisomes are highly motile organelles that display a range of motions within a short time frame. In static snapshots, they can be juxtaposed to chloroplasts, which has led to the hypothesis that they are physically interacting. Here, using optical tweezers, we tested the dynamic physical interaction in vivo.

Cancer survivors' perspectives on delivery of survivorship care by primary care physicians: an internet-based survey.

Background: Helping cancer survivors to transition from active treatment to long-term survivorship requires coordinated efforts by both oncologists and primary care physicians (PCPs). This study aims to evaluate cancer survivors' perspectives on PCP-delivered survivorship care.

Methods: We conducted an Internet-based cross-sectional survey of cancer survivors via www.

Site-adapted admixed tree species reduce drought susceptibility of mature European beech.

Some forest-related studies on possible effects of climate change conclude that growth potential of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) might be impaired by the predicted increase in future serious drought events during the growing season. Other recent research suggests that not only multiyear increment rates but also growth resistance and recovery of beech during, respectively, after dry years may differ between pure and mixed stands.

Long-lasting effects of dexamethasone on immune cells and wound healing in the zebrafish.

This study assessed the lasting impact of dexamethasone (DEX) exposure during early development on tissue repair capacity at later life stages (5, 14, and 24 days post fertilization [dpf]) in zebrafish larvae. Using the caudal fin amputation model, we show that prior exposure to DEX significantly delays but does not prevent wound healing at all life stages studied. DEX-induced impairments on wound healing were fully restored to normal levels with longer post amputation recovery time.

Adjuvant Radiation Therapy Treatment Time Impacts Overall Survival in Gastric Cancer.

Purpose: Prolonged radiation therapy treatment time (RTT) is associated with worse survival in several tumor types. This study investigated whether delays during adjuvant radiation therapy impact overall survival (OS) in gastric cancer.

Methods And Materials: The National Cancer Data Base was queried for patients with resected gastric cancer who received adjuvant radiation therapy with National Comprehensive Cancer Network--recommended doses (45 or 50.

Late effects in survivors of central nervous system tumors: reports by patients and proxies.

Purpose: With the 5-year survival of patients with brain tumors increasing as treatment modalities are optimized, there are a large number of brain cancer survivors who experience long-term sequelae of their treatment. Patient-reported outcomes represent an important and often unrecorded aspect of survivorship.

Methods: An Internet-based survivorship care plan tool which allowed patients or their proxies to answer a series of questions about the patient's illness course was used to collect patient-reported toxicity data for 254 individuals who had undergone treatment for brain cancer.

Telemedicine in a Dutch intensive care unit: A descriptive study of the first results.

Introduction: Tele-intensive care (teleIC) can be used to increase the level of care in the intensive care unit (ICU) with the tele-intensivist being at a remote site. In this study we describe the implementation and outcomes, including patient and family satisfaction, of the first Dutch teleIC.

Methods: In a retrospective analysis the patient characteristics are described with a focus on patient outcomes and patient and family satisfaction.

Scales tell a story on the stress history of fish.

Fish faced with stressful stimuli launch an endocrine stress response through activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal (HPI-) axis to release cortisol into the blood. Scientifically validated biomarkers to capture systemic cortisol exposure over longer periods of time are of utmost importance to assess chronic stress in governmental, wildlife, aquaculture and scientific settings. Here we demonstrate that cortisol in scales of common carp (Cyprinus carpio L.

Influenza and humidity--Why a bit more damp may be good for you!

Influenza viruses cause much winter-time morbidity and death in temperate regions. We still do not understand why 'flu is more common in winter. Since the 1960s, investigators have studied the role of relative humidity and temperature on viral survival, transmission and infection rates but results have demonstrated only inconclusive trends.