Deng YR, Chen XJ, Chen W, et al. Cancer Manag Res. 2019;11:5835-5844. The authors have advised due to an error at the time of figure assembly, Figure 3A on page 5840 is incorrect. The correct Figure ...3 is shown in Download Article. The authors apologize for this error and advise it does not affect the results of the paper. Read the original article
Systematic investigations of pressure drop type oscillations and their thresholds were conducted for steam–water two-phase flow in a uniformly heated, helically coiled tube. Experiments were ...conducted to obtain the critical conditions for the occurrence of pressure drop type dynamic oscillation in a closed-circulation helically coiled tubing steam generator. The study showed that different locations of the tank which provided a compressible gas volume (called compressible volume for short) corresponded to different oscillation initial boundaries as well as different oscillating amplitudes and time periods. Moving compressible volume from the inlet of the steam generator upstream could dramatically suppress the occurrence of pressure drop oscillation. Also, non-uniform heat flux distribution along the evaporating channel could change oscillating boundaries significantly, especially when higher heat flux was applied to the higher mass quality region. A study of pressure drop oscillation in various steam generator inclinations showed that gravity has little influence upon the oscillating boundaries. Based on the experimental observations, a set of new methods was first proposed to eliminate the occurrence of pressure drop oscillation.
The outcome of postoperative high- and intermediate-risk oral cavity cancer (OCC) patients receiving helical tomotherapy (HT) remains limited.
Between November 2006 and November 2012, 53 ...postoperative high- and intermediate-risk OCC patients treated with HT were enrolled.
The 4-year locoregional, local, and regional control rates were 66%, 76.4%, and 94.3%, respectively. The 4-year locoregional control rates of oral tongue and buccal mucosa cancer were 88.3% and 37.1%, respectively (P=0.012). Eleven (20.8%) patients experienced locoregional failure. In-field failure occurred in six of 53 (11.3%) in the primary area and three of 53 (5.7%) in the regional lymph-node area. No marginal failure was noted. Two of 53 (3.8%) experienced out-of-field failure. The rates of grade 3 dermatitis, mucositis, and dysphagia were 11%, 34%, and 13%, respectively. No grade 3 xerostomia was noted. Grade 2 xerostomia was 33% at month 6 and declined to 0 at month 48. A rate of 56% of grade 2 trismus at month 6 was noted, and declined to around 30% after 2 years. No grade 3 trismus was noted after 2 years.
HT as a postoperative modality provided satisfying results, especially for xerostomia and trismus, and was impressive in high- and intermediate-risk OCC patients receiving postoperative HT.
The majority of giant cell tumors of bone (GCTB) occur in adult patients, especially between the ages of 20 and 40. This study aims to investigate the imaging features of GCTBs in pediatric patients ...and compare their characteristics with adult cases.
Fifty-seven cases of patients aged 18 years old or younger were retrospectively analyzed, accounting for 12.8% of GCTBs in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University from 2001 to 2019. One hundred twenty-six adult patients (19 years of age and older) with GCTB occurring in long tubular bones were also included in this study. The following clinical information was identified from the medical records: age, sex, and follow-up data. Imaging features were reviewed by two musculoskeletal radiologists. Patient characteristics and imaging features between the two groups were compared.
A total of 57 patients (32 females, 25 males) were included in the study. The patients' ages ranged from 9 to 18 (median = 17 y). The majority of tumors occurred in tubular bones (n = 38, 66.7%) and the pelvis (n = 8, 14.0%). Imaging features were identified in GCTB cases occurring in the long tubular bones. Compared with adult GCTB patients, pediatric GCTB patients had a larger superior-inferior (SI) diameter (P = 0.005) and smaller left-to-right diameter/SI diameter ratio (P = 0.001). Epiphyseal involvement was relatively less common in pediatric patients with GCTBs than in adult patients (P = 0.009). The median age of patients without epiphyseal involvement was lower than the median age of patients with epiphyseal involvement (11 vs 17 y).
GCTB in the pediatric age group is rare. This study has found that, in pediatric patients with GCTBs, the epiphysis is relatively less involved, and the tumor is more likely to grow longitudinally. These findings are helpful in the diagnosis of GCTBs in the pediatric population.
Evidence suggests that leukocyte type 12-lipoxygenase (12-LO) plays an important role in cell growth. However, the role of 12-LO in cardiac cell growth has not been tested. We have now stably ...overexpressed 12-LO cDNA in rat fetal cardiac fibroblasts to evaluate the role of the 12-LO pathway in cardiac cell growth. Overexpression of 12-LO increased cell (3)Hleucine incorporation by 2.1+/-0.1-fold (P<0.01) and cell protein content by 2.2+/-0. 3-fold (P<0.01) over mock-transfected cells. These findings were confirmed in additional clones. Baicalein, a 12-LO enzyme inhibitor, dose-dependently inhibited serum-induced leucine incorporation in cardiac fibroblast cells as well as partially inhibited leucine incorporation in cells overexpressing 12-LO. 12-LO overexpression also caused cell (3)Hthymidine incorporation to increase by 3.4+/-0.3-fold (P<0.01). Cell flow cytometry analysis showed that the size of 12-LO-overexpressing cells was markedly enlarged compared with that of mock-transfected cells. The fibronectin content of the 12-LO-overexpressing cardiac fibroblasts was also significantly increased. We next evaluated the effects of 12-LO RNA overexpression on kinase pathways linked to cellular growth. The overexpression of 12-LO enhanced extracellular signal-regulated kinase activity (4. 1+/-0.5-fold), c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase activity (2.9+/-0.5-fold), and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase activity (2.2+/-0.3-fold). Pretreatment with SB202190 (100 nmol/L), a specific inhibitor of p38, prevented the increases in protein content of 12-LO-overexpressing cardiac fibroblast cells. These data clearly demonstrate that the overexpression of 12-LO causes cell growth of cardiac fibroblasts, thus supporting the role of 12-LO as a novel growth-promoting pathway in the heart.
Purpose:
To quantitatively compare intensity-modulated radiosurgery (IMRS) using 3-mm mini-multileaf collimation with gamma knife radiosurgery (GKRS) plans for irregularly shaped skull base lesions ...in direct proximity to organs at risk (OAR).
Methods and Materials:
Ten challenging skull base lesions originally treated with GKRS were selected for comparison with IMRS using inverse treatment planning and 3-mm mini-multileaf collimation operating in step-and-shoot delivery mode. The lesions ranged in volume from 1.6 to 32.2 cm
3 and were treated with 9–20 GK isocenters (mean 13.2). The IMRS plans were designed with the intent to, at minimum, match the GKRS plans with regard to OAR sparing and target coverage. For each case, IMRS plans were generated using 9 coplanar, 11 equally spaced noncoplanar, and 11 OAR-avoidant noncoplanar beams; the best of these approaches with respect to target conformality, sparing of OAR, and maintaining coverage was selected for comparison with the original GKRS plan.
Results:
Assuming no patient motion or setup error, IMRS provided comparable target coverage and sparing of OAR and an improved conformity index at the prescription isodose contour but sometimes less conformity at lower isodose contours compared with the actual GKRS plan. All IMRS plans produced less target dose heterogeneity and shorter estimated treatment times compared with the GKRS plans.
Conclusion:
Compared with GKRS for complex skull base lesions, IMRS plans using a 3-mm mini-multileaf collimator achieved comparable or sometimes improved target coverage, conformity, and critical structure sparing with shorter estimated treatment times.
This study demonstrates the first use of surface plasmon resonance (SPR) technology for the rapid, sensitive and label-free detection of whole B. anthracis spores. The approach involves the use of an ...SPR biosensor (Biacore 3000), and a monoclonal antibody which was raised against the B. anthracis spore (mAb 8G3). By means of subtractive inhibition assays, whole B. anthracis spores with concentrations as low as 10(4) colony-forming units (CFU) ml(-1) can be detected within 40 min, and other related Bacillus spores, even in high concentrations, can be differentiated from B. anthracis spores.
Two types of experimental systems with and without Bacillus sp. which could produce extracellular carbonic anhydrase (CA) were studied to determine the effects of bacteria and bacterially produced CA ...in calcite precipitation. The results showed that the precipitation rate of Ca2+ was significantly faster in the experimental system with the bacteria than that without the bacteria. The X-ray diffractometry and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) results showed that calcite was the dominant mineral phase, and FESEM analysis indicated that there were some bacterial imprints on the surface of calcite crystals in the experimental system with the bacteria. These results suggested that bacteria themselves could serve as nucleation sites for calcite precipitation. On the other hand, the precipitation rate of Ca2+ in the absence of CA inhibitor was faster than that in the presence of CA inhibitor for both experimental systems, which implied that bacterially produced CA may promote calcite precipitation as an activator.
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