Synaptic input and temperature influence sensory coding in a mechanoreceptor.

Many neurons possess more than one spike initiation zone (SIZ), which adds to their computational power and functional flexibility. Integrating inputs from different origins is especially relevant for sensory neurons that rely on relative spike timing for encoding sensory information. Yet, it is poorly understood if and how the propagation of spikes generated at one SIZ in response to sensory stimulation is affected by synaptic inputs triggering activity of other SIZ, and by environmental factors like temperature.

The added value of chest imaging after neoadjuvant radiotherapy for soft tissue sarcoma of the extremities and trunk wall: A retrospective cohort study.

Introduction: There is no clear evidence regarding the benefit of restaging for distant metastases after neoadjuvant radiotherapy (RTX) in patients with soft tissue sarcoma (STS) of the extremities and trunk wall. This study aimed to determine how often restaging of the chest identified metastatic disease that altered management in these patients.

Methods: We performed a single-centre retrospective study from 2010 to 2020.

A dose-volume constraint (DVC) projection-based algorithm for IMPT inverse planning optimization.

Purpose: Provide a projection-based algorithm to solve the class of optimization problems encountered in intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT). The algorithm can handle percentage dose-volume constraints (DVCs) that are usually found in such problems.

Methods: To seek a feasible solution, the automatic relaxation method was used to project the spot weight vector onto the interval defined by lower and upper bound target dose constraints.

Particle-Tracking Proton Computed Tomography-Data Acquisition, Preprocessing, and Preconditioning.

Proton CT (pCT) is a promising new imaging technique that can reconstruct relative stopping power (RSP) more accurately than x-ray CT in each cubic millimeter voxel of the patient. This, in turn, will result in better proton range accuracy and, therefore, smaller planned tumor volumes (PTV). The hardware description and some reconstructed images have previously been reported.

Associations Between Cytokine Levels and Long-Term Symptom Development in Head and Neck Cancer Patients.

Cytokines have been associated with the development of cancer cachexia. Cytokine dysregulation is thought to cause cachexia and its associated symptoms by negatively affecting physiological homeostasis. Cytokines that have been associated with cachexia are thought to be associated with symptom development.

An Improved Method of Total Variation Superiorization Applied to Reconstruction in Proton Computed Tomography.

Previous work has shown that total variation superiorization (TVS) improves reconstructed image quality in proton computed tomography (pCT). The structure of the TVS algorithm has evolved since then and this paper investigated if this new algorithmic structure provides additional benefits to pCT image quality. Structural and parametric changes introduced to the original TVS algorithm included: (1) inclusion or exclusion of TV reduction requirement, (2) a variable number, N , of TV perturbation steps per feasibility-seeking iteration, and (3) introduction of a perturbation kernel .

Robust Iterative Methods: Convergence and Applications to Proton Computed Tomography.

Robust methods, such as Tikhonov regularization and Bounded data uncertainty, have been used extensively in relatively small problems involving dense matrices for many decades, but have not been used in large-scale iterative methods for image reconstruction in particle imaging until recently. In this case, robust methods may allow more accurate reconstruction of images in the presence of errors of both the energy measurement of the protons and ions but also in the estimated path taken by the proton or ion through the object. Robust systems may also be used when entire blocks of data are missing, or in low-dose reconstructions using a very small number of particles without substantial loss of image quality.

Acute malignant obstruction in patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis: The role of palliative surgery.

Introduction: Patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis who do not have curative treatment options often develop acute obstructive symptoms and when conservative management fails, surgical treatment is the remaining option. However, palliative surgery is associated with high morbidity and mortality and the chance of success is unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate outcomes of palliative surgery and to provide guidance for surgeons, medical oncologists and patients in their decision-making.

Review of evidence for bosentan therapy for treatment of Eisenmenger syndrome.

Background And Purpose: Eisenmenger syndrome (ES) is a rare condition caused by a right-to-left cyanotic shunt. To date, only heart-lung transplant has been shown to be curative. Bosentan is the only medication studied with a double-blind placebo-controlled randomized trial for management of this condition.

Fluid Management in Lung Transplant Patients.

Overall, there is a lack of randomized controlled trials examining the correlation between fluid volume delivery and outcomes in postoperative lung transplant patients. However, using thoracic surgery patients as a guide, the evidence suggests that hypervolemia correlates with pulmonary edema and should be avoided in lung transplant patients. However, it is recognized that patients with hemodynamic instability may require volume for attenuation of this situation, but it can likely be mitigated with the use of inotropic medication to maintain adequate perfusion and avoid the development of edema.

Operation of the Preclinical Head Scanner for Proton CT.

We report on the operation and performance tests of a preclinical head scanner developed for proton computed tomography (pCT). After extensive preclinical testing, pCT is intended to be employed in support of proton therapy treatment planning and pre-treatment verification in patients undergoing particle-beam therapy. In order to assess the performance of the scanner, we have performed CT scans with 200 MeV protons from both the synchrotron of the Loma Linda University Medical Center (LLUMC) and the cyclotron of the Northwestern Medicine Chicago Proton Center (NMCPC).

A Fast Experimental Scanner for Proton CT: Technical Performance and First Experience with Phantom Scans.

We report on the design, fabrication, and first tests of a tomographic scanner developed for proton computed tomography (pCT) of head-sized objects. After extensive preclinical testing, pCT is intended to be employed in support of proton therapy treatment planning and pre-treatment verification in patients undergoing particle-beam therapy. The scanner consists of two silicon-strip telescopes that track individual protons before and after the phantom, and a novel multistage scintillation detector that measures a combination of the residual energy and range of the proton, from which we derive the water equivalent path length (WEPL) of the protons in the scanned object.

A pilot randomized trial evaluating lymphedema self-measurement with bioelectrical impedance, self-care adherence, and health outcomes.

Background: Less than half of breast cancer survivors with lymphedema perform self-care as directed. Effective lymphedema self-care is required to obtain acceptable health outcomes. Self-Regulation Theory suggests that objective self-measurement of physiological conditions is necessary to promote self-regulation/self-care.

200 MeV proton radiography studies with a hand phantom using a prototype proton CT scanner.

Proton radiography has applications in patient alignment and verification procedures for proton beam radiation therapy. In this paper, we report an experiment which used 200 MeV protons to generate proton energy-loss and scattering radiographs of a hand phantom. The experiment used the first-generation proton computed tomography (CT) scanner prototype, which was installed on the research beam line of the clinical proton synchrotron at Loma Linda University Medical Center.

Bioelectrical impedance self-measurement protocol development and daily variation between healthy volunteers and breast cancer survivors with lymphedema.

Background: A significant percentage of breast cancer survivors are at risk for lymphedema for which lifelong self-care is required. Previous studies suggest that less than 50% of breast cancer survivors with lymphedema (BCS-LE) perform prescribed self-care tasks and that even wearing a compression sleeve, the most commonly reported self-care activity, is done irregularly. Reasons for poor self-care adherence include perceived lack of results from self-care (no available arm volume data) and perceived inability to manage the condition.

Whole blood and serum concentrations of metals in a Swedish population-based sample.

Objective: While the potential toxicity of metals in humans is a well-established field of research, there are few studies that examine circulating concentrations of metals in large population-based samples. The aim of this study was to analyze levels of heavy metals and trace elements in both whole blood and serum in an elderly population, and to examine if gender, kidney function, haemoglobin or serum albumin could impact the distribution of metals between whole blood and serum.

Methods: Whole blood and serum samples from 1016 70-year-olds living in Uppsala, Sweden, were analyzed for aluminium, cadmium, cobalt, copper, chromium, mercury, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, lead, and zinc using inductively coupled plasma-sector field mass spectrometry (ICP-SFMS).

Inhibitors of dipeptidyl peptidase IV-like activity mediate antifibrotic effects in normal and keloid-derived skin fibroblasts.

Suppression of collagen and matrix synthesis and inhibition of the fibrogenic cytokine transforming growth factor-beta(1) (TGF-beta(1)) is a major therapeutic goal in the treatment of fibrosis and keloids. Inhibitors of dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DP IV)-like activity affect cell growth and cytokine production and are currently under investigation for the treatment of metabolic, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. We show here that the inhibitors of DP IV-like activity, Lys[Z(NO(2))]-thiazolidide and Lys[Z(NO(2))]-pyrrolidide, suppress proliferation in human skin fibroblasts and keloid-derived skin fibroblasts in vitro.

Point mutations in the S protein connect the sialic acid binding activity with the enteropathogenicity of transmissible gastroenteritis coronavirus.

Enteropathogenic transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV), a porcine coronavirus, is able to agglutinate erythrocytes because of sialic acid binding activity. Competitive inhibitors that may mask the sialic acid binding activity can be inactivated by sialidase treatment of virions. Here, we show that TGEV virions with efficient hemagglutinating activity were also obtained when cells were treated with sialidase prior to infection.

Virus entry into a polarized epithelial cell line (MDCK): similarities and dissimilarities between influenza C virus and bovine coronavirus.

We have analysed the uptake of influenza C virus and bovine coronavirus (BCV) by a polarized epithelial cell line, Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells. Both viruses use N-acetyl-9-O-acetylneuraminic acid as a receptor determinant for attachment to cells. Virus binding assays with immobilized proteins indicated that a glycoprotein of 40 kDa is the major surface protein containing the receptor determinant for the two viruses.

Transmissible gastroenteritis coronavirus, but not the related porcine respiratory coronavirus, has a sialic acid (N-glycolylneuraminic acid) binding activity.

The hemagglutinating activity of transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV), an enteric porcine coronavirus, was analyzed and found to be dependent on the presence of alpha-2,3-linked sialic acid on the erythrocyte surface. N-Glycolylneuraminic acid was recognized more efficiently by TGEV than was N-acetylneuraminic acid. For an efficient hemagglutination reaction the virions had to be treated with sialidase.

Polarized entry of bovine coronavirus in epithelial cells.

Epithelial cells are highly polarized cells divided into an apical and a basolateral plasma membrane. The two domains are composed of a distinct set of proteins and lipids. Concerning virus infection of epithelial cells, the polarity of host cell receptor distribution defines the domain from which infection may be mediated.

Analysis of cellular receptors for human coronavirus OC43.

Bovine coronavirus (BCV), human coronavirus OC43 (HCV-OC43) and hemagglutinating encephalomyelitis virus (HEV) are serologically related viruses that all have hemagglutinating activity. The receptor determinant for attachment to erythrocytes has been shown to be N-acetyl-9-O-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5,9Ac2). We compared the ability of the three coronaviruses to recognize 9-O-acetylated sialic acid and found that they all bind to Neu5,9Ac2 attached to galactose in either A2,3 or A2,6-linkage.

Analysis of the sialic acid-binding activity of the transmissible gastroenteritis virus.

Porcine transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) has been shown to agglutinate erythrocytes using alpha 2,3-linked sialic acid on the cell surface as binding site. The hemagglutinating activity requires the pretreatment of virus with neuraminidase. We obtained evidence that TGEV recognizes not only N-acetylneuraminic acid but also N-glycoloylneuraminic acid, a sialic acid present on many porcine cells.

Recognition of cellular receptors by bovine coronavirus.

Bovine coronavirus (BCV) initiates infection by attachment to cell surface receptors the crucial component of which is N-acetyl-9-O-acetylneuraminic acid. Inactivation of receptors by neuraminidase treatment and restoration of receptors by enzymatic resialylation of asialo-cells is described as a method to determine (i) the type of sialic acid that is recognized; (ii) the linkage specificity of the viral binding activity; (iii) the minimal amount of sialic acid required for virus attachment. Evidence is presented that both glycoproteins and glycolipids can serve as receptors for BCV provided they contain 9-O-acetylated sialic acid.