Perceptions on and roadblocks to implementation of standardized nomenclature in radiation oncology: A survey from TG-263U1.

Purpose: AAPM Task Group No. 263U1 (Update to Report No. 263 - Standardizing Nomenclatures in Radiation Oncology) disseminated a survey to receive feedback on utilization, gaps, and means to facilitate further adoption.

Factors Associated With Cardiac Radiation Dose Reduction After Hypofractionated Radiation Therapy for Localized, Left-Sided Breast Cancer in a Large Statewide Quality Consortium.

Purpose: Limiting cardiac radiation dose is important for minimizing long-term cardiac toxicity in patients with left-sided early-stage breast cancer.

Methods And Materials: Prospectively collected dosimetric data were analyzed for patients undergoing moderately hypofractionated radiation therapy to the left breast within the Michigan Radiation Oncology Quality Consortium from 2016 to 2022. The mean heart dose (MHD) goal was progressively tightened from ≤2 Gy in 2016 to MHD ≤ 1.

Pectoralis Muscle Dosimetry and Posttreatment Rehabilitation Utilization for Patients With Early-Stage Breast Cancer.

Purpose: Up to 50% of women treated for localized breast cancer will experience some degree of arm or shoulder morbidity. Although radiation is thought to contribute to this morbidity, the mechanism remains unclear. Prior studies have shown biologic and radiographic changes in the pectoralis muscles after radiation.

Evaluation of Dose Accuracy in the Near-Surface Region for Whole Breast Irradiation Techniques in a Multi-institutional Consortium.

Purpose: To assess the accuracy of dose calculations in the near-surface region for different treatment planning systems (TPSs), treatment techniques, and energies to improve clinical decisions for patients receiving whole breast irradiation (WBI).

Methods And Materials: A portable custom breast phantom was designed for dose measurements in the near-surface regions. Treatment plans of varying complexities were created at 8 institutions using 4 different TPSs on an anonymized patient data set (50 Gy in 25 fractions) and peer reviewed by participants.

Spatiotemporally-controlled transgene expression in hydroxyapatite-fibrin composite scaffolds using high intensity focused ultrasound.

Conventional tissue engineering approaches rely on scaffold-based delivery of exogenous proteins, genes, and/or cells to stimulate regeneration via growth factor signaling. However, scaffold-based approaches do not allow active control of dose, timing, or spatial localization of a delivered growth factor once the scaffold is implanted, yet these are all crucial parameters in promoting tissue regeneration. To address this limitation, we developed a stable cell line containing a heat-activated and rapamycin-dependent gene expression system.

Sequential Payload Release from Acoustically-Responsive Scaffolds Using Focused Ultrasound.

Regenerative processes, such as angiogenesis and osteogenesis, often require multiple growth factors with distinct spatiotemporal patterns and expression sequences. Within tissue engineering, hydrogel scaffolds are commonly used for exogenous growth factor delivery. However, direct incorporation of growth factors within conventional hydrogels does not afford spatiotemporally controlled delivery because release is governed by passive mechanisms that cannot be actively controlled after the scaffold is implanted.

Controlled release of basic fibroblast growth factor for angiogenesis using acoustically-responsive scaffolds.

The clinical translation of pro-angiogenic growth factors for treatment of vascular disease has remained a challenge due to safety and efficacy concerns. Various approaches have been used to design spatiotemporally-controlled delivery systems for growth factors in order to recapitulate aspects of endogenous signaling and thus assist in translation. We have developed acoustically-responsive scaffolds (ARSs), which are fibrin scaffolds doped with a payload-containing, sonosensitive emulsion.

In vitro and in vivo assessment of controlled release and degradation of acoustically responsive scaffolds.

Unlabelled: Spatiotemporally controlled release of growth factors (GFs) is critical for regenerative processes such as angiogenesis. A common strategy is to encapsulate the GF within hydrogels, with release being controlled via diffusion and/or gel degradation (i.e.

In Situ Transfection by Controlled Release of Lipoplexes Using Acoustic Droplet Vaporization.

Localized delivery of nucleic acids to target sites (e.g., diseased tissue) is critical for safe and efficacious gene therapy.

Use of Hydroxyapatite Doping to Enhance Responsiveness of Heat-Inducible Gene Switches to Focused Ultrasound.

Recently, we demonstrated that ultrasound-based hyperthermia can activate cells containing a heat-activated and ligand-inducible gene switch in a spatio-temporally controlled manner. These engineered cells can be incorporated into hydrogel scaffolds (e.g.

Design and Characterization of Fibrin-Based Acoustically Responsive Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering Applications.

Hydrogel scaffolds are used in tissue engineering as a delivery vehicle for regenerative growth factors. Spatiotemporal patterns of growth factor signaling are critical for tissue regeneration, yet most scaffolds afford limited control of growth factor release, especially after implantation. We previously found that acoustic droplet vaporization can control growth factor release from a fibrin scaffold doped with a perfluorocarbon emulsion.

Induction of glucokinase mRNA by dietary phenolic compounds in rat liver cells in vitro.

Diabetes and its complications, including oxidative stress, are major reasons for medical intervention and one of the most frequent causes of death in developed countries. Several lines of data suggest that the use of certain dietary polyphenolic compounds may alter glucose metabolism, thus decreasing the risk for type 2 diabetes. In this paper, we present the effect of phenolic acids (caffeic, chlorogenic, rosmarinic, and ferulic) and extracts from Smallanthus sonchifolius and Prunella vulgaris on glucose production in rat hepatocytes and on glucokinase, glucose-6-phosphatase, and phosphoenol-pyruvate carboxykinase mRNA expression in rat hepatoma Fao cells.

The effect of Smallanthus sonchifolius leaf extracts on rat hepatic metabolism.

Smallanthus sonchifolius (yacon), originating from South America, has become popular in Japan and in New Zealand for its tubers which contain beta-1,2-oligofructans as the main saccharides. The plant is also successfully cultivated in Central Europe in the Czech Republic in particular. Its aerial part is used in Japan and in Brazil as a component in medicinal teas; while aqueous leaf extracts have been studied for their hypoglycemic activity in normal and diabetic rats.

Identification of a 16-nucleotide sequence that mediates post-transcriptional regulation of rat CYP2E1 by insulin.

Insulin directly down-regulates the gene expression of the rat CYP2E1 by altering its mRNA stability (De Waziers, I., Garlatti, M., Bouguet, J.

Regulation of adenylyl cyclase activity in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells: effects of protein kinase inhibitors and of a calcium ionophore.

In a previous paper we presented evidence for a negative regulation of adenylyl cyclase activity by tyrosine protein kinase(s) in the human leukemic T cell line Jurkat. In order to examine this point in non malignant cells, we conducted the present study in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC). In these cells, staurosporine, a broad spectrum protein kinase inhibitor, enhanced not only the receptor-mediated, induced by prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), but also the direct (forskolin-induced) stimulation of adenylyl cyclase activity.

Expression of CYP3A in the human liver--evidence that the shift between CYP3A7 and CYP3A4 occurs immediately after birth.

CYP3A isoforms are responsible for the biotransformation of a wide variety of exogenous chemicals and endogenous steroids in human tissues. Two members of the CYP3A subfamily display developmentally regulated expression in the liver; CYP3A7 is expressed in the fetal liver, whereas CYP3A4 is the major cyrochrome P-450 isoform present in the adult liver. To gain insight into the descriptive ontogenesis of CYP3A isoforms during the neonatal period, we have developed several approaches to explore a neonatal liver bank.

Staurosporine and herbimycin A augment agonist-induced elevation of cAMP in Jurkat T-lymphoblasts.

Cross-talk between signalling pathways appears to play an important role in T-lymphocyte activation. In the present work, we have studied the effects of different inhibitors of protein tyrosine kinases or protein serine/ threonine kinases on the agonist-induced cAMP accumulation in the human T-lymphoblast cell line Jurkat. Staurosporine, a potent but nonspecific inhibitor of protein kinases, produced a ten-fold enhancement of the response to PGE2.

T-cell antigen receptor-mediated enhancement of the adenylate cyclase pathway depends on tyrosine protein kinases.

We have examined in the human T-cell line Jurkat the interaction between the activation through the T-cell receptor/CD3 complex and the adenylate cyclase pathway. OKT3, an anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody, did not activate by itself adenylate cyclase but produced a 3-7-fold increase of the cAMP accumulation induced by indirect (chloroadenosine, PGE2) or direct (forskolin) agonists of adenylate cyclase. A more detailed study with forskolin showed that OKT3 enhanced the effect of low concentrations of the agonist without affecting the maximal capacity of cAMP synthesis of the cells.

Influence of adenosine deaminase inhibition on the phosphoinositide turnover in the initial stages of human T cell activation.

An experimental model of adenosine deaminase deficiency was established on the human T cell line Jurkat by using 2'-deoxycoformycin, a strong specific inhibitor of the enzyme. When deoxyadenosine was added to the inhibited cells, the nucleotide profile was modified reproducing that found in lymphocytes from adenosine deaminase-deficient children. The metabolism of phosphoinositides, analyzed by either the release of [3H]inositol phosphates or the breakdown of 32P-prelabeled phosphatidyl inositides, was compared in normal and modified cells where dATP was accumulated.

The effect of adenosine and chloroadenosine on sex differences in the energy metabolism of rat hepatocytes.

The intensity and regulation of metabolic pathways are different depending on the sex of the source animal for hepatocytes isolated from mature rats. In cells from fed animals incubated without exogenous substrate, ATP level and ketone body production are higher in males (+25% and +100%) and lactate production is higher (+64%) in females; oleate enhances mitochondrial pyruvate oxidation in hepatocytes from fed male rats but not from fed females; in cells from starved animals oleate increases gluconeogenesis in both sexes at saturating levels of gluconeogenic substrates. However, at physiological levels (1 mM lactate and 0.

Energy metabolism in adenosine deaminase-inhibited human erythrocytes.

The metabolic changes induced by the deoxycoformycin inhibition of adenosine deaminase were studied in human erythrocytes incubated with nucleosides. 1 Adenosine nucleotide levels and glycolytic rate were increased by adenosine. 2 With deoxyadenosine, the cellular ATP level was reduced when dATP increased and the glycolytic rate was similarly enhanced.

Pyruvate carboxylase deficiencies: complementation studies between "French" and "American" phenotypes in cultured fibroblasts.

Pyruvate carboxylase (PC) deficiencies (McKusick 26615) are heterogeneous clinically and biochemically. We performed a complementation study with fibroblast strains from seven patients, (four patients with "French" phenotype, two patients with "American" phenotype, one patient with biotin responsive multiple carboxylase deficiency, MCD). The six isolated pyruvate carboxylase mutants (two cross-reacting material CRM -ve and four CRM +ve) failed to complement each other, but did complement a form of biotin responsive MCD.