Abstract Most studies of the clinicopathological characteristics and prognosis of patients with distant metastasis of salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma (SACC) have used small patient samples. To ...further explore this issue, a descriptive and prognostic study of 467 patients with SACC who were treated from 1963 to 2009 was conducted at a single institution. One hundred and forty-five patients (31.0%) had distant metastases. At least 20% of patients who presented with the early-stage disease and no recurrence developed distant metastasis. The overall 5-, 10-, and 20-year survival rates were 85.6%, 67.4%, and 50.4%, respectively, for patients without distant metastasis, and 69.1%, 45.7%, and 14.3%, respectively, for patients with distant metastasis. The median survival time after distant metastasis was 36 months (range 1–112 months). The prognosis was similar between patients who received treatment for metastasis and those who did not. Patients who were diagnosed with early-stage disease and without local recurrence of the primary tumours could also develop distant metastases. The biological characteristics of adenoid cystic carcinoma were different from those of squamous cell carcinoma. At present, the effectiveness of treatment for distant metastases is not ideal and further research is needed.
The vapor pressure values of common elements are available in the literature over a limited temperature range and the accuracy and reliability of the reported data are not generally available. We ...evaluate the reliability and uncertainty of the available vapor pressure versus temperature data of fifty common pure elements and recommend vapor pressure versus temperature relations. By synthesizing the vapor pressure values from measurements reported in the literature with the values computed using the Clausius Clapeyron relation beyond the boiling point, we extend the vapor pressure range from 10
atm to 10 atm. We use a genetic algorithm to optimize the fitting of the vapor pressure data as a function of temperature over the extended vapor pressure range for each element. The recommended vapor pressure values are compared with the corresponding literature values to examine the reliability of the recommended values.
Refractory high-entropy alloys hold the potential for high-temperature applications beyond the capability of the state-of-the-art Ni-based superalloys, and thus, it is important to study their solid ...solution formation characteristics and mechanical properties. In this study, designed by CALPHAD method, formation of as-cast arc-melted body-centered cubic MoNbTaTiV was experimentally verified using X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The measured density and lattice parameter for MoNbTaTiV are 9.29g/cm3 and 3.224 Å, which obey the rule of mixtures (ROM). The alloy exhibits high hardness at 443 Hv, high yield strength at 1.4 GPa, and good compressive fracture strength at 2.45 GPa with a fracture strain of ∼30% at room temperature. The yield strength and hardness values of this alloy, and other single-phase refractory high-entropy alloys, are estimated using a simple model of solid solution strengthening. Reasonable agreement between modeling prediction and experiments is obtained. In addition, first-principles density functional theory calculations predict an enthalpy of formation of −0.865 kJ/mol for the MoNbTaTiV alloy, with calculated atomic volume and elastic properties (e.g., bulk and elastic moduli) obeying the ROM.
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•MoNbTaTiV exhibits the BCC structure, agreeing with CALPHAD calculations.•Predicted solid solution strengthening agrees well with experiments.•Hardness of BCC high entropy alloys is about three times the yield strength.•Calculated atomic volume and bulk and shear moduli obey the rule of mixtures.
Purpose
GRID therapy is an effective treatment for bulky tumors. Linear accelerator (Linac)‐produced photon beams collimated through blocks or multileaf collimators (MLCs) are the most common methods ...used to deliver this therapy. Utilizing the newest proton delivery method of pencil beam scanning (PBS) can further improve the efficacy of GRID therapy. In this study, we developed a method of delivering GRID therapy using proton PBS, evaluated the dosimetry of this novel technique and applied this method in two clinical cases.
Materials/Methods
In the feasibility study phase, a single PBS proton beam was optimized to heterogeneously irradiate a shallow 20 × 20 × 12 cm3 target volume centered at a 6 cm depth in a water phantom. The beam was constrained to have an identical spot pattern in all layers, creating a “beamlet” at each spot position. Another GRID treatment using PBS was also performed on a deep 15 × 15 × 8 cm3 target volume centered at a 14 cm depth in a water phantom. Dosimetric parameters of both PBS dose distributions were compared with typical photon GRID dose distributions. In the next phase, four patients have been treated at our center with this proton GRID technique. The planning, dosimetry, and measurements for two representative patients are reported.
Results
For the shallow phantom target, the depth–dose curve of the PBS plan was uniform within the target (variation < 5%) and dropped quickly beyond the target (50% at 12.9 cm and 0.5% at 14 cm). The lateral profiles of the PBS plan were comparable to those of photon GRID in terms of valley‐to‐peak ratios. For the deep phantom target, the PBS plan provided smaller valley‐to‐peak ratios than the photon GRID technique. Pretreatment dose verification QA showed close agreement between the measurements and the plan (pass rate > 95% with a gamma index criterion of 3%/3 mm). Patients tolerated the treatment well without significant skin toxicity (radiation dermatitis grade ≤ 1).
Conclusions
Proton GRID therapy using a PBS delivery method was successfully developed and implemented clinically. Proton GRID therapy offers many advantages over photon GRID techniques. The use of protons provides a more uniform beamlet dose within the tumor and spares normal tissues located beyond the tumor. This new PBS method will also reduce the dose to proximal organs when treating a deep‐seated tumor.
Summary
This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy of low‐level laser therapy (LLLT) in the treatment of temporomandibular disorders (TMDs). We searched electronic databases and references ...lists of relevant articles, retrieved all of the published randomised controlled trials in regard to these issues and then performed a meta‐analysis. Fourteen highly qualified RCTs reporting on a total of 454 patients, which evaluated the effectiveness of LLLT for patients suffering from TMDs were retrieved. The results indicated that LLLT was not better than placebo in reducing chronic TMD pain (weighted mean difference = −19·39; 95% confidence interval = −40·80–2·03; P < 0·00001; I2 = 99%). However, the LLLT provided significant better functional outcomes in terms of maximum active vertical opening (MAVO) (weighted mean difference = 4·18; 95% confidence interval = 0·73–7·63; P = 0·006; I2 = 73%), maximum passive vertical opening (MPVO) (weighted mean difference = 6·73; 95% confidence interval = 01·34–12·13; P = 0·06; I2 = 73%), protrusion excursion (PE) (weighted mean difference = 1·81; 95% confidence interval = 0·79–2·83; P = 0·59; I2 = 0%) and right lateral excursion (RLE) (weighted mean difference = 2·86; 95% confidence interval = 1·27–4·45; P = 0·01; I2 = 73%). The results of our meta‐analysis have provided the best evidence on the efficacy of LLLT in the treatment of TMDs. This study indicates that using LLLT has limited efficacy in reducing pain in patients with TMDs. However, LLLT can significantly improve the functional outcomes of patients with TMDs.
The genus Chaetomium fungi are considered to be a rich source of novel and bioactive secondary metabolites of great importance. Up till now, a variety of more than 200 secondary metabolites belonging ...to diverse structural types of chaetoglobosins, epipolythiodioxopiperazines, azaphilones, xanthones, anthraquinones, chromones, depsidones, terpenoids, and steroids have been discovered. Most of these fungal metabolites exhibited antitumor, cytotoxic, antimalarial, enzyme inhibitory, antibiotic, and other activities. This review covers the extraction, structure elucidation, structural diversity, and biological activities of natural products isolated from about 30 fungi associated with marine- and terrestrial- origins, and highlights some bioactive compounds as well as their mechanisms of action and structure-activity relationships.
Highly fluorescent CdTe@SiO2 core–shell‐structured spheres (see Figure) are prepared via hydrolysis and condensation of tetraethyl orthosilicate in water‐in‐oil emulsions. Systematic results reveal ...that the electrostatic interactions between negatively charged CdTe nanocrystals (NCs) and silica intermediates play a critical role in determining the final structures of the resultant particles. Following this mechanism, the number of CdTe NCs encapsulated in silica spheres is successfully tuned.
The objective of this study was to assess the activity of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-13 (interleukin-13) in blocking high-fat diet-induced obesity and obesity-associated insulin resistance and ...liver steatosis.
C57BL/6 mice were fed a high-fat diet and received hydrodynamic delivery of plasmids carrying the mouse Il-13 or Gfp (control) gene. IL-13 blood protein levels, food consumption and body weight of mice were continuously monitored for 8 weeks. Fat and lean masses of treated and control animals were determined at the end of the experiment. Serum concentrations of glucose, insulin and lipids were determined, and mRNA levels of macrophage marker genes in adipose tissue and genes involved in energy metabolism were examined using real-time PCR. Glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity tests were performed to determine glucose homeostasis. Histochemistry and lipid assays were performed to determine the hepatic lipid accumulation.
Blood concentration of IL-13 was 20 ng ml(-1) 1 week after gene delivery and declined with time. Overexpression of Il-13 prevented high-fat diet-induced weight gain without affecting food consumption. Mice that underwent Il-13 gene transfer showed regular body weight and normal serum concentrations of glucose and insulin, and less lipid accumulation in the liver. Overexpression of Il-13 blocked macrophage infiltration in adipose tissue and suppressed high-fat diet-induced expression of inflammatory F4/80, Cd68 and Mcp1, and elevated the expression of Ucp1 (uncoupling protein 1 gene) responsible for energy expenditure.
These results suggest that suppression of diet-induced inflammation by IL-13 is an effective strategy in preventing diet-induced obesity and obesity-associated insulin resistance and fatty liver.
In this paper, we complete the classification of the caps in
PG
(
n
,
q
)
having the property that on every tangent line
L
, there exists a unique point distinct from the tangency point though which ...there is at least one secant line. The examples include the Coxeter cap in
PG
(
5
,
3
)
related to the Mathieu group
M
12
, a set of three noncollinear points in
PG
(
2
,
q
)
and some examples related to hyperovals of projective planes.
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