Investigate potential clinical benefits and linear energy transfer sparing utilizing proton arc therapy for hepatocellular carcinoma.

Purpose: To investigate the potential clinical benefits and dose-averaged Linear Energy Transfer (LET) sparing, utilizing proton arc plan for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients in comparison with Intensity Modulated Proton Therapy (IMPT).

Methods: Ten HCC patients have been retrospectively selected. Two planning groups were created: Proton Arc plans using Monaco ver.

Particle arc therapy: Status and potential.

There is a rising interest in developing and utilizing arc delivery techniques with charged particle beams, e.g., proton, carbon or other ions, for clinical implementation.

Nail bed trauma reconstruction and artificial nail replacement - a case report.

Nail bed reconstruction is crucial after fingertip trauma, impacting both function and aesthetics. In this article, the authors describe a case of partial distal phalanx amputation of the index finger with laceration of the nail bed's remaining part. A traumatically elevated skin-fat flap covered the exposed bone on the fingertip, preserving finger length and sensitivity on the radial side.

Development of an Inducible, Replication-Competent Assay Cell Line for Titration of Infectious Recombinant Adeno-Associated Virus Vectors.

An important quality attribute of a recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) as a therapeutic vector is its infectivity. Current assays to quantify infectious rAAV rely on coinfection with a helper virus such as adenovirus (Ad), which requires helper virus preparation and introduces additional variability. A simple method that has high sensitivity and removes the need for helper virus would improve assay consistency and facilitate high-throughput applications such as rAAV producer cell line development.

Construction of an rAAV Producer Cell Line through Synthetic Biology.

Recombinant adeno-associated viruses (rAAV) are important gene delivery vehicles for gene therapy applications. Their production relies on plasmid transfection or virus infection of producer cells, which pose a challenge in process scale-up. Here, we describe a template for a transfection-free, helper virus-free rAAV producer cell line using a synthetic biology approach.

Youth-Reported School Connection and Experiences of a Middle School-Based Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment Initiative: Preliminary Results From a Program Evaluation.

Purpose: This study aimed (1) to evaluate the feasibility of a school-based Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) program that expands on traditional SBIRT to support the mental health and well-being of middle school students and (2) to assess its effects on students' connection with adults at school.

Methods: Focus group discussions were conducted with 26 students in grades 6-8 to understand student perspectives about an innovative school-based SBIRT program. A subset of middle school students from the SBIRT program who received a brief intervention (BI) after screening (n = 116) were asked to rate their experience meeting with the interventionist in terms of feeling comfortable, feeling listened to, and talking about their goals.

A structured framework for adaptively incorporating external evidence in sequentially monitored clinical trials.

We present a Bayesian framework for sequential monitoring that allows for use of external data, and that can be applied in a wide range of clinical trial applications. The basis for this framework is the idea that, in many cases, specification of priors used for sequential monitoring and the stopping criteria can be semi-algorithmic byproducts of the trial hypotheses and relevant external data, simplifying the process of prior elicitation. Monitoring priors are defined using the family of generalized normal distributions, which comprise a flexible class of priors, naturally allowing one to construct a prior that is peaked or flat about the parameter values thought to be most likely.

A new insight on structural and some functional aspects of peri-endodermal thickenings, a specific layer in Noccaea caerulescens roots.

Background And Aims: Cell walls of the peri-endodermis, a layer adjacent to the endodermis in alpine pennycress (Noccaea caerulescens) roots, form C-shaped peri-endodermal thickenings (PETs). Despite its specific position close to the endodermis, the assumed similarity of PETs to phi thickenings in many other species, and the fact that N. caerulescens is a well-studied heavy-metal-hyperaccumulating plant, the PET as a root trait is still not understood.

Similar Breast Cancer Risk in Women Older Than 65 Years Initiating Glargine, Detemir, and NPH Insulins.

Objective: To assess whether initiation of insulin glargine (glargine), compared with initiation of NPH or insulin detemir (detemir), was associated with an increased risk of breast cancer in women with diabetes.

Research Design And Methods: This was a retrospective new-user cohort study of female Medicare beneficiaries aged ≥65 years initiating glargine (203,159), detemir (67,012), or NPH (47,388) from September 2006 to September 2015, with follow-up through May 2017. Weighted Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs for incidence of breast cancer according to ever use, cumulative duration of use, cumulative dose of insulin, length of follow-up time, and a combination of dose and length of follow-up time.

Silicification of Root Tissues.

Silicon (Si) is not considered an essential element, however, its tissue concentration can exceed that of many essential elements in several evolutionary distant plant species. Roots take up Si using Si transporters and then translocate it to aboveground organs. In some plant species, root tissues are also places where a high accumulation of Si can be found.

Formation of root silica aggregates in sorghum is an active process of the endodermis.

Silica deposition in plants is a common phenomenon that correlates with plant tolerance to various stresses. Deposition occurs mostly in cell walls, but its mechanism is unclear. Here we show that metabolic processes control the formation of silica aggregates in roots of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.

Silicon Uptake and Localisation in Date Palm () - A Unique Association With Sclerenchyma.

Date palm () can accumulate as much as 1% silicon (Si), but not much is known about the mechanisms inherent to this process. Here, we investigated in detail the uptake, accumulation and distribution of Si in date palms, and the phylogeny of Si transporter genes in plants. We characterized the PdNIP2 transporter following heterologous expression in oocytes and used qPCR to determine the relative expression of Si transporter genes.

The method of long-term catheterization of the vena jugularis in pigs.

Introduction: The pig is one of the most valuable in vivo models in biomedical research, however with only a few well-accessible veins suitable for venipuncture. Moreover, most of the known methods of blood collection are suitable only for a limited time period. The aim of the study was to verify an improved method of long-term catheterization of the jugular vein in pigs.

A practical Bayesian adaptive design incorporating data from historical controls.

In this paper, we develop the fixed-borrowing adaptive design, a Bayesian adaptive design which facilitates information borrowing from a historical trial using subject-level control data while assuring a reasonable upper bound on the maximum type I error rate and lower bound on the minimum power. First, one constructs an informative power prior from the historical data to be used for design and analysis of the new trial. At an interim analysis opportunity, one evaluates the degree of prior-data conflict.

Formation of silica aggregates in sorghum root endodermis is predetermined by cell wall architecture and development.

Background And Aims: Deposition of silica in plant cell walls improves their mechanical properties and helps plants to withstand various stress conditions. Its mechanism is still not understood and silica-cell wall interactions are elusive. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of silica deposition on the development and structure of sorghum root endodermis and to identify the cell wall components involved in silicification.

Silicification in Grasses: Variation between Different Cell Types.

Plants take up silicon as mono-silicic acid, which is released to soil by the weathering of silicate minerals. Silicic acid can be taken up by plant roots passively or actively, and later it is deposited in its polymerized form as amorphous hydrated silica. Major silica depositions in grasses occur in root endodermis, leaf epidermal cells, and outer epidermal cells of inflorescence bracts.

The role of quantitative safety evaluation in regulatory decision making of drugs.

Evaluation of safety is a critical component of drug review at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Statisticians are playing an increasingly visible role in quantitative safety evaluation and regulatory decision-making. This article reviews the history and the recent events relating to quantitative drug safety evaluation at the FDA.

Seeing is believing: good graphic design principles for medical research.

Have you noticed when you browse a book, journal, study report, or product label how your eye is drawn to figures more than to words and tables? Statistical graphs are powerful ways to transparently and succinctly communicate the key points of medical research. Furthermore, the graphic design itself adds to the clarity of the messages in the data. The goal of this paper is to provide a mechanism for selecting the appropriate graph to thoughtfully construct quality deliverables using good graphic design principles.

New method for visualization of silica phytoliths in Sorghum bicolor roots by fluorescence microscopy revealed silicate concentration-dependent phytolith formation.

Silica phytoliths are microscopic structures of amorphous hydrated silica (SiO2 · nH2O) formed by specialized plant cells. Besides their biological roles, physical, chemical, and structural properties of biogenic silica offer a wide spectrum of applications in many fields of industry and technology. Therefore, processes involved in their formation recently become a very interesting topic to study.

Brush head composition, wear profile, and cleaning efficacy: an assessment of three electric brush heads using in vitro methods.

Objective: The objective of this research was to evaluate a current store brand (SB) brush head for composition/physical characteristics, Wear Index (WI), and cleaning efficacy versus the previous SB brush head refill design (SB control) and the Oral-B Precision Clean brush head (positive control, PC).

Methods: This research consisted of three parts: 1) Analytical analysis using Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectrometry to evaluate the chemical composition of the current SB brush head bristles relative to the SB control. In addition, physical parameters such as bristle count and diameter were determined.

Intramolecular hydrogen bonding motifs in deprotonated glycine peptides by cryogenic ion infrared spectroscopy.

The infrared spectra of deprotonated glycine peptides, (Gn-H)(-) with n = 1-4, in the 1200-3500 cm(-1) spectral region are presented. Comparisons between the experimental and calculated spectra reveal the chain length dependent hydrogen bonding motifs that define the geometries of these species. First, an interaction between the terminal carboxylate and the neighboring amide N-H is present in all the peptide structures.

Transition from intravenous or subcutaneous prostacyclin therapy to inhaled treprostinil in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension: a retrospective case series.

What Is Known And Objective: Inhaled treprostinil represents an attractive alternative to the other available prostacyclin formulations by obviating the use of continuous infusions and its associated risks. Published evidence describing the process of transition from infusion prostacyclin therapy to inhaled treprostinil is limited. The purpose of this report is to describe an inpatient protocol for transitioning patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) from intravenous (IV) or subcutaneous (SQ) prostacyclin therapy to inhaled treprostinil.

Optimism and challenge for science-based conservation of migratory species in and out of U.S. National Parks.

Public agencies sometimes seek outside guidance when capacity to achieve their mission is limited. Through a cooperative agreement and collaborations with the U.S.

No association of abacavir use with myocardial infarction: findings of an FDA meta-analysis.

Background: Several studies have reported an association between abacavir (ABC) exposure and increased risk of myocardial infarction (MI) among HIV-infected individuals. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and a pooled analysis by GlaxoSmithKline, however, do not support this association. To better estimate the effect of ABC use on risk of MI, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted a trial-level meta-analysis of RCTs in which ABC use was randomized as part of a combined antiretroviral regimen.