Survival Outcomes Associated With First-Line Procarbazine, CCNU, and Vincristine or Temozolomide in Combination With Radiotherapy in IDH-Mutant 1p/19q-Codeleted Grade 3 Oligodendroglioma.

Purpose: Patients with IDH-mutant 1p/19q-codeleted grade 3 oligodendroglioma (O3) benefit from adding alkylating agent chemotherapy to radiotherapy (RT). However, the optimal chemotherapy regimen between procarbazine, 1-(2-Chloroethyl)-3-cyclohexyl-1-nitrosourea (CCNU), and vincristine (PCV) and temozolomide (TMZ) remains unclear given the lack of randomized trial data comparing both regimens.

Methods: The objective was to assess the overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) associated with first-line PCV/RT versus TMZ/RT in patients newly diagnosed with O3.

Randomised, siteless study to compare systematic atrial fibrillation screening using enrichment by a risk prediction model with standard care in a Swedish population aged ≥ 65 years: CONSIDERING-AF study design.

Introduction: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia and confers an increased risk of mortality, stroke, heart failure and cognitive decline. There is growing interest in AF screening; however, the most suitable population and device for AF detection remains to be elucidated. Here, we present the design of the CONSIDERING-AF (deteCtiON and Stroke preventIon by moDEl scRreenING for Atrial Fibrillation) study.

T2-Fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) pseudoprogression in patients with anaplastic oligodendrogliomas treated with procarbazine, lomustine and vincristine (PCV) chemotherapy alone.

Background: Pseudoprogression in gliomas has been extensively described after radiotherapy with or without chemotherapy, but not after chemotherapy alone. Here we describe the occurrence of pseudoprogression in patients with anaplastic oligodendrogliomas treated with postoperative procarbazine, lomustine and vincristine (PCV) chemotherapy alone.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical and radiological files of patients with 1p/19q codeleted, IDH-mutant anaplastic oligodendrogliomas treated with PCV chemotherapy alone who presented magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) modifications suggestive of tumour progression and in whom the final diagnosis was a pseudoprogression.

Descriptive and retrospective analysis of diffuse glioma patients with symptomatic SARS-CoV2 infection during the first wave of the pandemic.

Background: Little is known about diffuse glioma patients infected by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2).

Methods: We performed a descriptive and retrospective analysis of 41 diffuse glioma patients with symptomatic SARS-CoV2 infection during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Results: Confusion with or without fever was the most common neurological symptom (32%) supporting SARS-CoV2 testing in glioma patients with acute and unexplained confusion.

Sustained Tumor Control With MAPK Inhibition in V600-Mutant Adult Glial and Glioneuronal Tumors.

Objective: To assess whether RAF and MEK inhibitors (RAFi/MEKi) can provide long-term clinical benefit in adult patients with V600-mutant glial and glioneuronal tumors (GGNTs), we analyzed tumor response and long-term outcome in a retrospective cohort.

Methods: We performed a retrospective search in the institutional databases of 6 neuro-oncology departments for adult patients with recurrent or disseminated V600-mutant GGNTs treated with RAFi/MEKi.

Results: Twenty-eight adults with recurrent or disseminated V600-mutant gangliogliomas (n = 9), pleomorphic xanthoastrocytomas (n = 9), and diffuse gliomas (n = 10) were included in the study.

Mechanisms and therapeutic implications of hypermutation in gliomas.

A high tumour mutational burden (hypermutation) is observed in some gliomas; however, the mechanisms by which hypermutation develops and whether it predicts the response to immunotherapy are poorly understood. Here we comprehensively analyse the molecular determinants of mutational burden and signatures in 10,294 gliomas. We delineate two main pathways to hypermutation: a de novo pathway associated with constitutional defects in DNA polymerase and mismatch repair (MMR) genes, and a more common post-treatment pathway, associated with acquired resistance driven by MMR defects in chemotherapy-sensitive gliomas that recur after treatment with the chemotherapy drug temozolomide.

Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors and aerobic exercise synergistically protect against liver injury in ovariectomized rats.

Menopause increases the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). We investigated the effect of incretin and/ or exercise on the hepatic fat accumulation in ovariectomized rats. Rats were divided into five groups: Group 1: Control rats, Group 2: Ovariectomized rats, Group 3: Ovariectomized rats + Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor (DPPi) (30 mg/kg/day, orally), Group 4: Ovariectomized rats + swimming, and Group 5: Ovariectomized rats + swimming + DPPi.

Pretreatment Hemoglobin as an Independent Prognostic Factor in Primary Central Nervous System Lymphomas.

Background: Primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL) is a rare subtype of extranodal lymphoma. Despite established clinical prognostic scoring such as that of the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) and the International Extranodal Lymphoma Study Group, outcome prediction needs to be improved. Several studies have indicated an association between changes in hematologic laboratory parameters with patient outcomes in PCNSL.

Parameter Estimation Based on Sigmoid Transform in Wideband Bistatic MIMO Radar System under Impulsive Noise Environment.

Since second-order statistics-based methods rely heavily on Gaussianity assumption and fractional lower-order statistics-based methods depend on a priori knowledge of non-Gaussian noise, there remains a void in wideband bistatic multiple-input/multiple-output (MIMO) radar systems under impulsive noise. In this paper, a novel method based on Sigmoid transform was used to estimate target parameters, which do not need a priori knowledge of the noise in an impulsive noise environment. Firstly, a novel wideband ambiguity function, termed Sigmoid wideband ambiguity function (Sigmoid-WBAF), is proposed to estimate the Doppler stretch and time delay by searching the peak of the Sigmoid-WBAF.

A Novel Parameter Estimation Method Based on a Tuneable Sigmoid in Alpha-Stable Distribution Noise Environments.

In this paper, a novel method, that employs a fractional Fourier transform and a tuneable Sigmoid transform, is proposed, in order to estimate the Doppler stretch and time delay of wideband echoes for a linear frequency modulation (LFM) pulse radar in an alpha-stable distribution noise environment. Two novel functions, a tuneable Sigmoid fractional correlation function (TS-FC) and a tuneable Sigmoid fractional power spectrum density (TS-FPSD), are presented in this paper. The novel algorithm based on the TS-FPSD is then proposed to estimate the Doppler stretch and the time delay.

Prion protein stabilizes amyloid-β (Aβ) oligomers and enhances Aβ neurotoxicity in a model of Alzheimer's disease.

The cellular prion protein (PrP) can act as a cell-surface receptor for β-amyloid (Aβ) peptide; however, a role for PrP in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is contested. Here, we expressed a range of Aβ isoforms and PrP in the brain. We found that co-expression of Aβ and PrP significantly reduces the lifespan, disrupts circadian rhythms, and increases Aβ deposition in the fly brain.

N-Terminally Truncated Amyloid-β Cofibrillizes with its Full-Length Counterpart: Implications for Alzheimer's Disease.

Amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) isoforms of different lengths and aggregation propensities coexist in vivo. These different isoforms are able to nucleate or frustrate the assembly of each other. N-terminally truncated Aβ and Aβ make up one fifth of plaque load yet nothing is known about their interaction with full-length Aβ .

Contrast-associated transient cortical blindness: three cases with MRI and electrophysiology findings.

Transient cortical blindness (TCB) is a rare but striking complication following contrast agent injection. TCB might be secondary to a direct toxicity of the contrast agent, leading to an osmotic disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB), with a preferential involvement of the posterior circulation and occipital cortex. We report a series of three patients with contrast medium-associated TCB (intra-arterial injection of non-ionic contrast agent during diagnostic cerebral angiography for two of them and coronary angioplasty for the other one).

Advanced Unsupervised Classification Methods to Detect Anomalies on Earthen Levees Using Polarimetric SAR Imagery.

Fully polarimetric Synthetic Aperture Radar (polSAR) data analysis has wide applications for terrain and ground cover classification. The dynamics of surface and subsurface water events can lead to slope instability resulting in slough slides on earthen levees. Early detection of these anomalies by a remote sensing approach could save time versus direct assessment.

The Rapid Exchange of Zinc(2+) Enables Trace Levels to Profoundly Influence Amyloid-β Misfolding and Dominates Assembly Outcomes in Cu(2+)/Zn(2+) Mixtures.

The misfolding and self-assembly of amyloid-β (Aβ) into oligomers and fibres is fundamental to Alzheimer's disease pathology. Alzheimer's disease is a multifaceted disease. One factor that is thought to have a significant role in disease aetiology is Zn(2+) homeostasis, which is disrupted in the brains of Alzheimer's disease sufferers and has been shown to modulate Alzheimer's symptoms in animal models.

A Comparison of Three Fluorophores for the Detection of Amyloid Fibers and Prefibrillar Oligomeric Assemblies. ThT (Thioflavin T); ANS (1-Anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonic Acid); and bisANS (4,4'-Dianilino-1,1'-binaphthyl-5,5'-disulfonic Acid).

Amyloid fiber formation is a key event in many misfolding disorders. The ability to monitor the kinetics of fiber formation and other prefibrillar assemblies is therefore crucial for understanding these diseases. Here we compare three fluorescent probes for their ability to monitor fiber formation, ANS (1-anilinonaphthalene-8-sulfonic acid) and bis-ANS (4,4'-dianilino-1,1'-binaphthyl-5,5'-disulfonic acid) along with the more widely used thioflavin T (ThT).

Cu²⁺ accentuates distinct misfolding of Aβ₁₋₄₀ and Aβ₁₋₄₂ peptides, and potentiates membrane disruption.

Central to Alzheimer's disease is the misfolding of amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptide, which generates an assorted population of amorphous aggregates, oligomers and fibres. Metal ion homoeostasis is disrupted in the brains of sufferers of Alzheimer's disease and causes heightened Alzheimer's disease phenotype in animal models. In the present study, we demonstrate that substochiometric Cu²⁺ affects the misfolding pathway of Aβ₁₋₄₀, and the more toxic Aβ₁₋₄₂, in markedly different ways.

Bioactivity and structural properties of chimeric analogs of the starfish SALMFamide neuropeptides S1 and S2.

The starfish SALMFamide neuropeptides S1 (GFNSALMFamide) and S2 (SGPYSFNSGLTFamide) are the prototypical members of a family of neuropeptides that act as muscle relaxants in echinoderms. Comparison of the bioactivity of S1 and S2 as muscle relaxants has revealed that S2 is ten times more potent than S1. Here we investigated a structural basis for this difference in potency by comparing the bioactivity and solution conformations (using NMR and CD spectroscopy) of S1 and S2 with three chimeric analogs of these peptides.