Impact of urbanization on antimicrobial resistance in soil microbial communities.

Soil is one of the most important reservoirs of antibiotic resistance, global threat that needs to be addressed with the One Health approach. Despite urban parks playing a fundamental role in urban ecosystems, the diffusion, maintenance, and human impact of antibiotic-resistance genes in this substrate are still poorly addressed. To fill in this gap, we adopted a molecular and culturomics approach to study antibiotic resistance in urban parks, accounting for the environmental matrix and the level of urbanization.

A fungal sRNA silences a host plant transcription factor to promote arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis.

Cross-kingdom RNA interference (ckRNAi) is a mechanism of interspecies communication where small RNAs (sRNAs) are transported from one organism to another; these sRNAs silence target genes in trans by loading into host AGO proteins. In this work, we investigated the occurrence of ckRNAi in Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Symbiosis (AMS). We used an in silico prediction analysis to identify a sRNA (Rir2216) from the AM fungus Rhizophagus irregularis and its putative plant gene target, the Medicago truncatula MtWRKY69 transcription factor.

Open-Face Masks in Radiotherapy: Enhancing Therapeutic Strategies for Head and Neck and Brain Cancer Patients-A Comprehensive Scoping Review.

: The main goal of radiotherapy (RT) is to deliver a precise dose to the target while sparing the surrounding normal tissue and minimizing side effects. Appropriate patient immobilization is crucial, especially for head and neck cancer (HNC) and Brain Cancer (BC). Conventional closed-face masks (CFMs), while effective in minimizing head motion, can cause significant discomfort, anxiety, and claustrophobia.

Chromosome-scale pearl millet genomes reveal CLAMT1b as key determinant of strigolactone pattern and Striga susceptibility.

The yield of pearl millet, a resilient cereal crop crucial for African food security, is severely impacted by the root parasitic weed Striga hermonthica, which requires host-released hormones, called strigolactones (SLs), for seed germination. Herein, we identify four SLs present in the Striga-susceptible line SOSAT-C88-P10 (P10) but absent in the resistant 29Aw (Aw). We generate chromosome-scale genome assemblies, including four gapless chromosomes for each line.

Uterus motion analysis for radiotherapy planning optimization. The innovative contribution of on-board hybrid MR imaging.

Introduction: Organ motion (OM) and volumetric changes pose challenges in radiotherapy (RT) for locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC). Magnetic Resonance-guided Radiotherapy (MRgRT) combines improved MRI contrast with adaptive RT plans for daily anatomical changes. Our goal was to analyze cervico-uterine structure (CUS) changes during RT to develop strategies for managing OM.

REPeated mAgnetic resonance Image-guided stereotactic body Radiotherapy (MRIg-reSBRT) for oligometastatic patients: REPAIR, a mono-institutional retrospective study.

Background: Oligo-progression or further recurrence is an open issue in the multi-integrated management of oligometastatic disease (OMD). Re-irradiation with stereotactic body radiotherapy (re-SBRT) technique could represent a valuable treatment option to improve OMD clinical outcomes. MRI-guided allows real-time visualization of the target volumes and online adaptive radiotherapy (oART).

Impact of data transfer between treatment planning systems on dosimetric parameters.

Purpose: In radiotherapy it is often necessary to transfer a patient's DICOM (Digital Imaging and COmmunications in Medicine) dataset from one system to another for re-treatment, plan-summation or registration purposes. The aim of the study is to evaluate effects of dataset transfer between treatment planning systems.

Materials And Methods: Twenty-five patients treated in a 0.

Radiomics-enhanced early regression index for predicting treatment response in rectal cancer: a multi-institutional 0.35 T MRI-guided radiotherapy study.

Purpose: The accurate prediction of treatment response in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) patients undergoing MRI-guided radiotherapy (MRIgRT) is essential for optimising treatment strategies. This multi-institutional study aimed to investigate the potential of radiomics in enhancing the predictive power of a known radiobiological parameter (Early Regression Index, ERI) to evaluate treatment response in LARC patients treated with MRIgRT.

Methods: Patients from three international sites were included and divided into training and validation sets.

Evaluation of clinical parallel workflow in online adaptive MR-guided Radiotherapy: A detailed assessment of treatment session times.

Introduction: Advancements in MRI-guided radiotherapy (MRgRT) enable clinical parallel workflows (CPW) for online adaptive planning (oART), allowing medical physicists (MPs), physicians (MDs), and radiation therapists (RTTs) to perform their tasks simultaneously. This study evaluates the impact of this upgrade on the total treatment time by analyzing each step of the current 0.35T-MRgRT workflow.

The application of virtual environment radiotherapy for RTT training: A scoping review.

Background: Virtual Environment Radiotherapy Training (VERT) is a virtual tool used in radiotherapy with a dual purpose: patient education and student training. This scoping review aims to identify the applications of VERT to acquire new skills in specific activities of Radiation Therapists (RTTs) clinical practice and education as reported in the literature. This scoping review will identify any gaps in this field and provide suggestions for future research.

Mood Lifters for college athletes: a biopsychosocial approach to improving mental health for student-athletes.

Mood Lifters, a biopsychosocial mental wellness program, has been shown to improve mental health in adults and senior citizens. This study examines the efficacy of the adaptation of the original program, hypothesizing that the Mood Lifters - Athlete version would improve collegiate athletes' anxiety and depression. Participants included fifty-two student-athletes recruited through The Invisible Opponent, an organization focused on student-athlete mental health awareness, and directly through an R1 University Athletic Department.

Integration of rice apocarotenoid profile and expression pattern of Carotenoid Cleavage Dioxygenases reveals a positive effect of β-ionone on mycorrhization.

Carotenoids are susceptible to degrading processes initiated by oxidative cleavage reactions mediated by Carotenoid Cleavage Dioxygenases that break their backbone, leading to products called apocarotenoids. These carotenoid-derived metabolites include the phytohormones abscisic acid and strigolactones, and different signaling molecules and growth regulators, which are utilized by plants to coordinate many aspects of their life. Several apocarotenoids have been recruited for the communication between plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and as regulators of the establishment of AM symbiosis.

Motion and dosimetric criteria for selecting gating technique for apical lung lesions in magnetic resonance guided radiotherapy.

Introduction: Patients treatment compliance increases during free-breathing (FB) treatment, taking generally less time and fatigue with respect to deep inspiration breath-hold (DIBH). This study quantifies the gross target volume (GTV) motion on cine-MRI of apical lung lesions undergoing a SBRT in a MR-Linac and supports the patient specific treatment gating pre-selection.

Material And Methods: A total of 12 patients were retrospectively enrolled in this study.

Why we should care about gas pockets in online adaptive MRgRT: a dosimetric evaluation.

Introduction: Contouring of gas pockets is a time consuming step in the workflow of adaptive radiotherapy. We would like to better understand which gas pockets electronic densitiy should be used and the dosimetric impact on adaptive MRgRT treatment.

Materials And Methods: 21 CT scans of patients undergoing SBRT were retrospectively evaluated.

Disruption of the rice unravels specific functions of canonical strigolactones.

Strigolactones (SLs) regulate many developmental processes, including shoot-branching/tillering, and mediate rhizospheric interactions. SLs originate from carlactone (CL) and are structurally diverse, divided into a canonical and a noncanonical subfamily. Rice contains two canonical SLs, 4-deoxyorobanchol (4DO) and orobanchol (Oro), which are common in different plant species.

THeragnostic utilities for neoplastic DisEases of the rectum by MRI guided radiotherapy (THUNDER 2) phase II trial: interim safety analysis.

Background: The THUNDER-2 phase II single institutional trial investigates the benefits of MRI-guided radiotherapy (MRIgRT) in treating locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC). This study focuses on evaluating the impact of escalating radiation therapy dose in non-responder patients using the Early Tumour Regression Index (ERI) for predicting complete response (CR). The trial's primary endpoint is to increase the CR rate in non-responders by 10% and assess the feasibility of the delta radiomics-based MRIgRT predictive model.

Treatment for graduate students: Blunting the emotional toll of postgraduate education.

Objectives: Graduate students are at greater risk of developing mental health concerns than other adults in their age group. Despite the need for care within this population, there is a lack of literature on accessible interventions designed specifically to meet the needs of graduate students. The present study examines the efficacy of a novel intervention: Mood Lifters for Graduate Students (ML-GS).

An investigation into the effectiveness of Mood Lifters in the context of trauma exposure.

A large proportion of adults experiencing mental health problems do not receive care due to structural and attitudinal barriers. Mood Lifters (ML) is an evidence-based mental wellness program designed to reduce depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms. This study aims to extend the literature by examining whether ML reduces posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and if childhood trauma (CT) affects treatment outcomes.

Delta Radiomic Analysis of Mesorectum to Predict Treatment Response and Prognosis in Locally Advanced Rectal Cancer.

Background: The aim of this study is to evaluate the delta radiomics approach based on mesorectal radiomic features to develop a model for predicting pathological complete response (pCR) and 2-year disease-free survival (2yDFS) in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (nCRT).

Methods: Pre- and post-nCRT MRIs of LARC patients treated at a single institution from May 2008 to November 2016 were retrospectively collected. Radiomic features were extracted from the GTV and mesorectum.

From "surviving to thriving": Mood Lifters - a wellness program for parents of medically complex children.

Objectives: Parents of medically complex children juggle unique demands associated with caring for chronically ill children, many of which negatively impact their mental wellbeing. Despite this, parents of medically complex children often forgo mental health support due to concerns with costs, time, stigma, and accessibility. There is limited research on evidence-based interventions addressing such barriers for these caregivers.

MRI-derived radiomics to guide post-operative management of glioblastoma: Implication for personalized radiation treatment volume delineation.

Background: The glioblastoma's bad prognosis is primarily due to intra-tumor heterogeneity, demonstrated from several studies that collected molecular biology, cytogenetic data and more recently radiomic features for a better prognostic stratification. The GLIFA project (GLIoblastoma Feature Analysis) is a multicentric project planned to investigate the role of radiomic analysis in GB management, to verify if radiomic features in the tissue around the resection cavity may guide the radiation target volume delineation.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively analyze from three centers radiomic features extracted from 90 patients with total or near total resection, who completed the standard adjuvant treatment and for whom we had post-operative images available for features extraction.

Radiomics to predict immunotherapy efficacy in advanced renal cell carcinoma: A retrospective study.

Immunotherapy has become a cornerstone for the treatment of renal cell carcinoma. Nevertheless, some patients are resistant to immune checkpoint inhibitors. The possibility to identify patients who cannot benefit from immunotherapy is a relevant clinical challenge.

Radiomics could predict surgery at 10 years in Crohn's disease.

Background: Predicting clinical outcomes represents a major challenge in Crohn's disease (CD). Radiomics provides a method to extract quantitative features from medical images and may successfully predict clinical course.

Aims: The aim of this pilot study is to evaluate the use of radiomics to predict 10-year surgery for CD patients.