Investigating Variability in Microbial Fuel Cells.

In scientific studies, replicas should replicate, and identical conditions should produce very similar results which enable parameters to be tested. However, in microbial experiments which use real world mixed inocula to generate a new "adapted" community, this replication is very hard to achieve. The diversity within real-world microbial systems is huge, and when a subsample of this diversity is placed into a reactor vessel or onto a surface to create a biofilm, stochastic processes occur, meaning there is heterogeneity within these new communities.

Phase 1 study of spinal cord constraint relaxation with single session spine stereotactic radiosurgery in the primary management of patients with inoperable, previously irradiated metastatic epidural spinal cord compression.

Background: Patients with previously irradiated metastatic epidural spinal cord compression (MESCC) who are not surgical candidates are at high risk of neurologic deterioration due to disease in the setting of limited treatment options. We seek to establish the feasibility of using salvage spine stereotactic radiosurgery (SSRS) allowing for spinal cord dose constraint relaxation as the primary management of MESCC in inoperable patients monitoring for radiation related toxicity and radiographic local control (LC).

Methods: Inoperable patients with previously irradiated MESCC were enrolled on this prospective Phase 1 single institution protocol.

PATENCY-2 trial of vonapanitase to promote radiocephalic fistula use for hemodialysis and secondary patency.

Objective: Arteriovenous fistulas created for hemodialysis often fail to become usable and are frequently abandoned. This prospective trial evaluated the efficacy of vonapanitase, a recombinant human elastase, in increasing radiocephalic fistula use for hemodialysis and secondary patency.

Methods: PATENCY-2 was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in patients on or approaching the need for hemodialysis undergoing radiocephalic arteriovenous fistula creation.

Phase 1 Study of Spinal Cord Constraint Relaxation With Single Session Spine Stereotactic Radiosurgery in the Primary Management of Patients With Inoperable, Previously Unirradiated Metastatic Epidural Spinal Cord Compression.

Purpose: We seek to establish the feasibility of using spine stereotactic radiosurgery (SSRS), allowing for spinal cord dose constraint relaxation, as the primary management of metastatic epidural spinal cord compression (MESCC) in inoperable patients.

Methods And Materials: Inoperable patients with thoracic MESCC and no history of radiation were enrolled on this prospective phase 1 single-institution protocol. SSRS was delivered to a histology-dependent prescription dose of 18 or 24 Gy.

Melanoma brain metastases harboring BRAF or NRAS mutations are associated with an increased local failure rate following conventional therapy.

Studies on melanoma brain metastases (MBM) with regard to mutational status are lacking. We investigated the outcomes of MBM in molecularly characterized patients for BRAF and NRAS mutations receiving conventional treatment. We investigated associations between outcomes [competing risk of local and distant brain failure (LF, DF) and overall survival (OS)] and clinical/pathological features of patients with known mutation status following initial treatment of MBM.