Selecting radiotherapy dose distributions by means of constrained optimization problems.

The main steps in planning radiotherapy consist in selecting for any patient diagnosed with a solid tumor (i) a prescribed radiation dose on the tumor, (ii) bounds on the radiation side effects on nearby organs at risk and (iii) a fractionation scheme specifying the number and frequency of therapeutic sessions during treatment. The goal of any radiotherapy treatment is to deliver on the tumor a radiation dose as close as possible to that selected in (i), while at the same time conforming to the constraints prescribed in (ii). To this day, considerable uncertainties remain concerning the best manner in which such issues should be addressed.

Estimating dose painting effects in radiotherapy: a mathematical model.

Tumor heterogeneity is widely considered to be a determinant factor in tumor progression and in particular in its recurrence after therapy. Unfortunately, current medical techniques are unable to deduce clinically relevant information about tumor heterogeneity by means of non-invasive methods. As a consequence, when radiotherapy is used as a treatment of choice, radiation dosimetries are prescribed under the assumption that the malignancy targeted is of a homogeneous nature.

Emergence of enteric viruses in production chickens is a concern for avian health.

Several viruses have been identified in recent years in the intestinal contents of chickens and turkeys with enteric problems, which have been observed in commercial farms worldwide, including Brazil. Molecular detection of these viruses in Brazil can transform to a big threat for poultry production due to risk for intestinal integrity. This disease is characterized by severely delayed growth, low uniformity, lethargy, watery diarrhea, delayed feed consumption, and a decreased conversion rate.

Posttranslational nitro-glycative modifications of albumin in Alzheimer's disease: implications in cytotoxicity and amyloid-β peptide aggregation.

Glycation and nitrotyrosination are pathological posttranslational modifications that make proteins prone to losing their physiological properties. Since both modifications are increased in Alzheimer's disease (AD) due to amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) accumulation, we have studied their effect on albumin, the most abundant protein in cerebrospinal fluid and blood. Brain and plasmatic levels of glycated and nitrated albumin were significantly higher in AD patients than in controls.

Functional characterization of a novel frameshift mutation in the C-terminus of the Nav1.5 channel underlying a Brugada syndrome with variable expression in a Spanish family.

Introduction: We functionally analyzed a frameshift mutation in the SCN5A gene encoding cardiac Na(+) channels (Nav1.5) found in a proband with repeated episodes of ventricular fibrillation who presented bradycardia and paroxysmal atrial fibrillation. Seven relatives also carry the mutation and showed a Brugada syndrome with an incomplete and variable expression.

New potential therapeutic approach for the treatment of B-Cell malignancies using chlorambucil/hydroxychloroquine-loaded anti-CD20 nanoparticles.

Current B-cell disorder treatments take advantage of dose-intensive chemotherapy regimens and immunotherapy via use of monoclonal antibodies. Unfortunately, they may lead to insufficient tumor distribution of therapeutic agents, and often cause adverse effects on patients. In this contribution, we propose a novel therapeutic approach in which relatively high doses of Hydroxychloroquine and Chlorambucil were loaded into biodegradable nanoparticles coated with an anti-CD20 antibody.

Dietary diversity of formal and informal residents in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Background: This paper considers the question of dietary diversity as a proxy for nutrition insecurity in communities living in the inner city and the urban informal periphery in Johannesburg. It argues that the issue of nutrition insecurity demands urgent and immediate attention by policy makers.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was undertaken for households from urban informal (n = 195) and urban formal (n = 292) areas in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Intracellular Ca(2+) remodeling during the phenotypic journey of human coronary smooth muscle cells.

Vascular smooth muscle cells undergo phenotypic switches after damage which may contribute to proliferative disorders of the vessel wall. This process has been related to remodeling of Ca(2+) channels. We have tested the ability of cultured human coronary artery smooth muscle cells (hCASMCs) to return from a proliferative to a quiescent behavior and the contribution of intracellular Ca(2+) remodeling to the process.

Microbicide activity of clove essential oil (Eugenia caryophyllata).

Clove essential oil, used as an antiseptic in oral infections, inhibits Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria as well as yeast. The influence of clove essential oil concentration, temperature and organic matter, in the antimicrobial activity of clove essential oil, was studied in this paper, through the determination of bacterial death kinetics. Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the microorganisms selected for a biological test.

Delphinidin activates NFAT and induces IL-2 production through SOCE in T cells.

Delphinidin is an anthocyanidin that possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects; however, some reports suggest that delphinidin has pro-inflammatory properties. For this reason, we assessed the effect of delphinidin on cytokine production in T cells. We demonstrated that delphinidin increased the cytosolic-free Ca(2+) concentration by releasing Ca(2+) from intracellular stores and increasing Ca(2+) entry.

Convection-enhanced delivery and in vivo imaging of polymeric nanoparticles for the treatment of malignant glioma.

Unlabelled: A major obstacle to the management of malignant glioma is the inability to effectively deliver therapeutic agent to the tumor. In this study, we describe a polymeric nanoparticle vector that not only delivers viable therapeutic, but can also be tracked in vivo using MRI. Nanoparticles, produced by a non-emulsion technique, were fabricated to carry iron oxide within the shell and the chemotherapeutic agent, temozolomide (TMZ), as the payload.

Female-specific hypertension loci on rat chromosome 13.

A 3.7-Mb region of rat chromosome 13 (45.2-49.

Somatic MYH7, MYBPC3, TPM1, TNNT2 and TNNI3 mutations in sporadic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Background: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a clinically heterogeneous genetic heart disease characterized by left ventricular hypertrophy in the absence of another disease that could explain the wall thickening. Elucidation of the genetic basis of HCM lead to the identification of several genes encoding sarcomeric proteins, such as MYH7, MYBPC3, TPM1, TNNT2, and TNNI3. Sarcomeric genes are mutated in approximately 40% of HCM patients and a possible explanation for the incomplete yield of mutation-positive HCM may be somatic mutations.

[Factors associated with dental consultation in children in Talca (Chile) and in Chilean immigrants in Montreal (Canada)].

Objective: To identify the factors that influence the use of dental services in 4-7-year-olds and in 10-13-year-olds resident in the cities of Talca (Chile) and Montreal (Canada).

Methods: A nonprobabilistic cross-sectional study was carried out in 147 boys and girls in Talca and in 94 boys and girls in Montreal between 2009 and 2011. Sociodemographic variables were recorded in parents and children, including age and sex.

Enteric viruses in Brazilian turkey flocks: single and multiple virus infection frequency according to age and clinical signs of intestinal disease.

Poult enteritis complex has been associated with enteritis and reduction in growth rates in commercial turkeys worldwide. Intestinal samples from 76 turkey flocks from different Brazilian states affected or not with intestinal disorders were evaluated for the presence of adenovirus groups 1 and 2 (TAV), astrovirus types 1 and 2 (TAstV-1 and TAstV-2), turkey coronavirus (TCoV), reovirus, rotavirus, and avian nephritis virus (ANV) using PCR. The percentage of positive samples was categorized according to the geographic origin, age of the flocks, and presence of clinical signs of intestinal disease.

Exome sequencing reveals a homozygous mutation in TWINKLE as the cause of multisystemic failure including renal tubulopathy in three siblings.

Three deceased infants from a Pakistani consanguineous family presented with a similar phenotype of cholestatic liver disease, hypotonia, severe failure to thrive, recurrent vomiting, renal tubulopathy, and a progressive neurodegenerative course. Mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome was considered in view of multisystem involvement. Exome sequencing, revealed a homozygous novel mutation c.

Autophagy genes are required for normal lipid levels in C. elegans.

Autophagy is a cellular catabolic process in which various cytosolic components are degraded. For example, autophagy can mediate lipolysis of neutral lipid droplets. In contrast, we here report that autophagy is required to facilitate normal levels of neutral lipids in C.

Treatment for Wear and Osteolysis in Well-Fixed Uncemented TKR.

Background. Traditionally, osteolysis around total knee replacements (TKRs) is treated with complete revision. In certain subsets, polyethylene insert exchange and bone grafting may be applicable.

p.D1690N Nav1.5 rescues p.G1748D mutation gating defects in a compound heterozygous Brugada syndrome patient.

Background: We identified 2 compound heterozygous mutations (p.D1690N and p.G1748D) in the SCN5A gene encoding cardiac Na(+) channels (Nav1.

Novel mithramycins abrogate the involvement of protein factors in the transcription of cell cycle control genes.

The effects of mithramycin SK (MSK) and demycarosyl-3D-β-D-digitoxosyl-mithramycin SK (DIG-MSK; EC-8042), two novel analogs of the antitumor antibiotic mithramycin A, on gene transcription were examined in human HCT116 colon carcinoma cells by quantitative real-time PCR of 89 genes mainly involved in cell cycle control. Each one of the analogs down-regulated a different set of genes, while only five genes were down-regulated by both compounds. Moreover, other genes were significantly up-regulated, among them p21(WAF1)/CDKN1A which is involved in halting cells at the G1 and G2/M checkpoints.

Estimation of neutron-equivalent dose in organs of patients undergoing radiotherapy by the use of a novel online digital detector.

Neutron peripheral contamination in patients undergoing high-energy photon radiotherapy is considered as a risk factor for secondary cancer induction. Organ-specific neutron-equivalent dose estimation is therefore essential for a reasonable assessment of these associated risks. This work aimed to develop a method to estimate neutron-equivalent doses in multiple organs of radiotherapy patients.

Defining and measuring construct of interprofessional professionalism.

The Interprofessional Professionalism Collaborative (IPC), convened in 2006, currently consists of 11 national organizations representing health professions programs at the doctoral entry level, and is developing a framework of "interprofessional professionalism" (IPP) around observable behaviors that illustrate what professionalism looks like in the context of interprofessional collaborations focused on patient-, client-, and family-centered care. IPC's goal is to create tools to foster and measure these behaviors in health professionals and students. This paper describes the work of IPC to date and its future plans.

SU-E-T-391: Modelling Peripheral Photon Dose in TomoTherapy Treatments.

Purpose: The delivery of the therapeutic radiation dose to the tumour in photon radiotherapy, also implies dose deposition in distant organs (peripheral dose) related to secondary cancers induction (Hall and Wuu, Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 56:83-88, 2003). Therefore, peripheral dose estimation in MU-demanding techniques, such as Helical TomoTherapy (HT), becomes relevant. TLD measurements and Monte Carlo modelling were compared by D'Agostino (Strahlenther Onkol 187:693, 2011).

Lipase-catalyzed preparation of chromomycin A₃ analogues and biological evaluation for anticancer activity.

Several acyl derivatives of the aureolic acid chromomycin A(3) were obtained via lipase-catalyzed acylation. Lipase B from Candida antarctica (CAL-B) was found to be the only active biocatalyst, directing the acylation regioselectively towards the terminal secondary hydroxyl group of the aglycone side chain. All new chromomycin A(3) derivatives showed antitumor activity at the micromolar or lower level concentration.