Stereotactic body radiation therapy for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer: Executive Summary of an ASTRO Evidence-Based Guideline.

Purpose: This guideline presents evidence-based recommendations for stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) in challenging clinical scenarios in early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods And Materials: The American Society for Radiation Oncology convened a task force to perform a systematic literature review on 4 key questions addressing: (1) application of SBRT to operable patients; (2) appropriate use of SBRT in tumors that are centrally located, large, multifocal, or unbiopsied; (3) individual tailoring of SBRT in "high-risk" clinical scenarios; and (4) SBRT as salvage therapy after recurrence. Guideline recommendations were created using a predefined consensus-building methodology supported by American Society for Radiation Oncology-approved tools for grading evidence quality and recommendation strength.

Duration of Androgen Deprivation in Locally Advanced Prostate Cancer: Long-Term Update of NRG Oncology RTOG 9202.

Purpose: Trial RTOG 9202 was a phase 3 randomized trial designed to determine the optimal duration of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) when combined with definitive radiation therapy (RT) in the treatment of locally advanced nonmetastatic adenocarcinoma of the prostate. Long-term follow-up results of this study now available are relevant to the management of this disease.

Methods And Materials: Men (N=1554) with adenocarcinoma of the prostate (cT2c-T4, N0-Nx) with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) <150 ng/mL and no evidence of distant metastasis were randomized (June 1992 to April 1995) to short-term ADT (STAD: 4 months of flutamide 250 mg 3 times per day and goserelin 3.

Design, selection, and development of cyclic peptide ligands for human erythropoietin.

This work presents the selection and characterization of erythropoietin (EPO)-binding cyclic peptide ligands. The sequences were selected by screening a focused library of cyclic depsipeptides cyclo[(N-Ac)Dap(A)-X-X-AE], whose structure and amino acid compositions were tailored to mimic the EPO receptor. The sequences identified through library screening were synthesized on chromatographic resin and characterized via binding-and-elution studies against EPO to select a pool of candidate ligands.

Patient portals and broadband internet inequality.

Background: Patient portals have shown potential for increasing health care quality and efficiency. Internet access and other factors influencing patient portal use could worsen health disparities.

Methods: Observational study of adults with 1 or more visits to the outpatient clinics of an urban public health care system from 2012 to 2015.

Receiver operating curves and dose-volume analysis of late toxicity with stereotactic body radiation therapy for prostate cancer.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve method to determine dose thresholds with late genitourinary (GU) toxicity after stereotactic body radiation therapy for prostate cancer.

Methods And Materials: Seventy-eight patients diagnosed with low- to intermediate-risk prostate cancer and treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy alone were reviewed retrospectively. All patients received a total dose of 38 Gy in 4 fractions with a planning target volume expansion of 2 mm.

Adjuvant and Salvage Radiotherapy after Radical Prostatectomy in Prostate Cancer Patients.

Context: Prostate cancer (PCa) patients found to have adverse pathologic features following radical prostatectomy (RP) are less likely to be cured with surgery alone.

Objective: To analyze the role of postoperative radiotherapy (RT) in patients with aggressive PCa.

Evidence Acquisition: We performed a systematic literature review of the Medline and EMBASE databases.

Encouraging entrepreneurship in university labs: Research activities, research outputs, and early doctorate careers.

This paper investigates how the encouragement of entrepreneurship within university research labs relates with research activities, research outputs, and early doctorate careers. Utilizing a panel survey of 6,840 science & engineering doctoral students at 39 R1 research universities, this study shows that entrepreneurship is widely encouraged across university research labs, ranging from 54% in biomedical engineering to 18% in particle physics, while only a small share of labs openly discourage entrepreneurship, from approximately 3% in engineering to approximately 12% in the life sciences. Within fields, there is no difference between labs that encourage entrepreneurship and those that do not with respect to basic research activity and the number of publications.

The Normal Female Pelvis.

This article provides an overview of ultrasonographic evaluation of the normal female pelvis. Pertinent pelvic anatomy is reviewed, and there is an in-depth discussion of the normal appearance of the uterus and ovaries. In addition, the indications and technique for performing 3-dimensional imaging and saline-infused sonohysterography are covered.

High Levels of Inflammatory Cytokines in the Reproductive Tract of Women with BV and Engaging in Intravaginal Douching: A Cross-Sectional Study of Participants in the Women Interagency HIV Study.

High levels of inflammatory cytokines in the genital tract suggest mucosal vulnerability and increased risk of HIV and sexually transmitted infection (STI) acquisition. Intravaginal douching is associated with bacterial vaginosis (BV) in women in the United States, and both douching and BV are linked to HIV and STI acquisition. This study evaluates inflammatory cytokines in the genital tract to increase understanding of the effects of both BV and intravaginal douching to the vaginal mucosa.

Correction: Endoscopic Gold Fiducial Marker Placement into the Bladder Wall to Optimize Radiotherapy Targeting for Bladder-Preserving Management of Muscle-Invasive Bladder Cancer: Feasibility and Initial Outcomes.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Alpha plus beta annealed and aged Ti-15 Mo alloy for high strength implant applications.

Management of femur fractures requires titanium alloy implants that provide a good combination of static strength and ductility plus sufficient high cycle fatigue strength to resist repetitive loading. A research program was initiated to determine whether aging treatments could increase the strength of alpha + beta Ti-15Mo while maintaining acceptable tensile ductility. A pilot heat treating study indicated the best combination of strength and ductility was obtained using an α + β annealing temperature of 705°C ± 10°C followed by an aging treatment of 482°C ± 10°C.

Interfraction Anatomical Variability Can Lead to Significantly Increased Rectal Dose for Patients Undergoing Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer.

Stereotactic body radiotherapy for prostate cancer is rapidly growing in popularity. Stereotactic body radiotherapy plans mimic those of high-dose rate brachytherapy, with tight margins and inhomogeneous dose distributions. The impact of interfraction anatomical changes on the dose received by organs at risk under these conditions has not been well documented.

What Patients With Severe Mental Illness Transitioning From Hospital to Community Have to Say About Care and Shared Decision-Making.

Shared decision-making (SDM) has been slow to disseminate in mental health. We conducted focus groups with ten individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) treated in a 90 day, outpatient transitional care clinic. Parallel groups were held with family caregivers (n = 8).

An Evaluation of Robotic and Conventional IMRT for Prostate Cancer: Potential for Dose Escalation.

This study compares conventional and robotic intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) plans for prostate boost treatments and provides clinical insight into the strengths and weaknesses of each. The potential for dose escalation with robotic IMRT is further investigated using the "critical volume tolerance" method proposed by Roach et al. Three clinically acceptable treatment plans were generated for 10 prostate boost patients: (1) a robotic IMRT plan using fixed cones, (2) a robotic IMRT plan using the Iris variable aperture collimator, and (3) a conventional linac based IMRT (c-IMRT) plan.

Merkel Cell Carcinoma: When Does Size Matter for Radiotherapy?

Merkel cell carcinoma is a very aggressive, rare cancer of the skin. It has a high propensity for local, regional, and distant recurrence and has recently been associated with a viral etiology from the recently diagnosed Merkel Cell Polyoma Virus. The optimal management remains controversial.

Redesign of a spine board: Proof of concept evaluation.

Sacral pressure ulcers are a significant problem in individuals following spinal cord injury (SCI) and are felt to be in part due to the high interface-pressures applied to the body while lying on a standard spine board (SSB) during emergency transport. The aim of the present study was to assess the interface pressures and sensing areas between the body and the SSB and two proof of concept spine board prototypes (P-1 and P-2). Ten able-bodied individuals were assessed on each board.

Outcomes of hypofractionated stereotactic body radiotherapy boost for intermediate and high-risk prostate cancer.

Background And Purpose: Treatment of intermediate and high-risk prostate cancer with a high BED has been shown to increase recurrence free survival (RFS). While high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy, given as a boost is effective in delivering a high BED, many patients are not candidates for the procedure or wish to avoid an invasive procedure. We evaluated the use of stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) as a boost, with dosimetry modeled after HDR-boost.

Prostate Cancer, Version 1.2016.

The NCCN Guidelines for Prostate Cancer address staging and risk assessment after an initial diagnosis of prostate cancer and management options for localized, regional, and metastatic disease. Recommendations for disease monitoring, treatment of recurrent disease, and systemic therapy for metastatic castration-recurrent prostate cancer also are included. This article summarizes the NCCN Prostate Cancer Panel's most significant discussions for the 2016 update of the guidelines, which include refinement of risk stratification methods and new options for the treatment of men with high-risk and very-high-risk disease and progressive castration-naïve disease.