The Implications of Content Analysis for the Interpretation of Unguentaria in Museum Collections

Scent has traditionally been an ephemeral component of rituals in ancient societies, including burial and other practices associated with the anointing of the body (Classen et al. 1994: 43; Houston and Taube 2000: 271). This thesis investigates the possible signifiers and social impact such scents might have had for individuals participating in such rituals by using the little explored approach of sensory archaeology. A discussion of the correlation between olfaction and the triggering of both the experiential and emotional aspects of memory contributes to a broader view of these rituals in the anthropological literature (Classen et al. 1994), while Houston and Taube\u27s work on scent in Mayan rituals provides a framework for applying sensory archaeology to Classical contexts (2000). Vessel contents are used as a proxy in this thesis for reconstructing the particular olfactory atmosphere associated with mortuary ritual in late Greek and early Roman cultural contexts. The residue spectra derived from the visible contents of twenty-seven out of a total of thirty-nine small glass and ceramic vials from collections at the Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM) are compared to other unguentaria residue studies as well as Greek and Roman written sources in which scented unguents, oils, perfumes, creams, and cosmetics are described to test the archaeological classification of this vessel category. Stylistic conventions are tested against data derived from content analysis rather than solely on the basis of assumed function implied by form. The chemical characterization of the contents of these vessels relies on the use of inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). FT-IR was chosen for its successful application in a recent residue study of unguentaria (Ribechini et al. 2008a-b) while ICP-MS analysis was performed based upon its widespread application to the determination of sample origin

Concurrent chemoradiation, adjuvant durvalumab, and KEAP-1/NRF-2 mutations: a happy marriage?

Pathogenesis and treatment of chronic pulmonary disease

Atypical B cells (CD21-CD27-IgD-) correlate with lack of response to checkpoint inhibitor therapy in NSCLC

Introduction: Checkpoint inhibitor (CI) therapy has revolutionized treatment for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, a proportion of patients do not respond to CI therapy for unknown reasons. Although the current paradigm in anti-tumor immunity evolves around T cells, the presence of tertiary lymphoid structures and memory B cells has been positively correlated with response to CI therapy in NSCLC. In addition, double negative (DN) (CD27- IgD-) B cells have been shown to be abundant in NSCLC compared to healthy lung tissue and inversely correlate with the intratumoral presence of memory B cells. Nonetheless, no study has correlated DN B cells to survival in NSCLC. Methods: In this study, we evaluated the presence and phenotype of B cells in peripheral blood with flow cytometry of patients with NSCLC and mesothelioma before receiving CI therapy and correlated these with clinical outcome. Results: Non-responding patients showed decreased frequencies of B cells, yet increased frequencies of antigen-experienced CD21- DN (Atypical) B cells compared to responding patients and HC, which was confirmed in patients with mesothelioma treated with CI therapy. Conclusions: These data show that the frequency of CD21- DN B cells correlates with lack of response to CI therapy in thoracic malignancies. The mechanism by which CD21- DN B cells hamper CI therapy remains unknown. Our findings support the hypothesis that CD21- DN B cells resemble phenotypically identical exhausted B cells that are seen in chronic infection or function as antigen presenting cells that induce regulatory T cells.</p

Substantial Dose-response Relationship with Clinical Outcome for Lung Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT) Delivered via Online Image Guidance

Purpose: To examine potential tumor dose-response relationships with various non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) SBRT fractionation regimens delivered with online CT-based image guidance. American Society for Therapeutic Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) 52nd Annual Meeting October 31 - November 4, San Diego, C

Concurrent chemotherapy (carboplatin, paclitaxel, etoposide) and involved-field radiotherapy in limited stage small cell lung cancer: a Dutch multicenter phase II study

To improve the prognosis of limited stage small cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC) the addition of concurrent thoracic radiotherapy to a platinum-containing regimen is important. In the Netherlands, we initiated a multicenter, phase II study, of the combination of four cycles of carboplatin (AUC 5), paclitaxel (200 mg m−2) and etoposide (2 × 50 mg orally for 5 days) combined with 45 Gy (daily fractions of 1.8 Gy). The radiation was given to the involved field and concurrently with the second and third chemotherapy cycle. Patients with a partial or complete response received prophylactic cranial irradiation to a dose of 30 Gy. From January 1999 to December 2001, 37 of the 38 patients with LS-SCLC entered were eligible for toxicity analysis and response. Grade 3 and 4 haematological toxicity occurred in 57% (21/37) with febrile neutropenia in 24% (9/37). There were no treatment-related deaths or other grade 4 toxicity. Grade 3 toxicities were oesophagitis (27%), radiation pneumonitis (6%), anorexia (14%), nausea (16%), dyspnea (19%) and lethargy (22%). The objective response rate was 92% (95% confidence interval (CI) 80–98%) with a median survival time of 19.5 months (95% CI 12.8–29.2). The 1-, 2- and 5-year survival rate was 70, 47 and 27%, respectively. In field local recurrences occurred in six patients. Distant metastases were observed in 19 patients of which 13 in the brain. This study indicates that combination chemotherapy with concurrent involved-field radiation therapy is an effective treatment for LS-SCLC. Despite PCI, the brain remained the most important site of recurrence

Stereotactic image-guided lung radiotherapy (SBRT) for clinical early-stage NSCLC: a long-term report from a multi-institutional database of patients treated with or without a pathologic diagnosis

PURPOSE: Early stage lung cancer is treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) in patients who are unable or unwilling to undergo surgical resection. Some patients' comorbidities are so severe that they are unable to even undergo a biopsy. A clinical diagnosis without biopsy before SBRT has been used, but there are limited data on its efficacy. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Data on patients treated with SBRT for non-small cell lung cancer, with and without tissue confirmation, were collected from multiple institutions across Europe, Canada, and the United States. Patients with a minimum of 2 years of comprehensive follow up were selected for analysis. Treatment and patient characteristics were compared. Overall survival (OS), disease-free survival (DFS), cause-specific survival (CSS), and rates of local recurrence (LR), regional recurrence (RR), and distant metastasis (DM) were calculated and analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 701 patients were identified, of which 67% had tissue confirmation of their tumors. The 3- and 5-year outcomes for OS, CSS, and DFS were 83.8%, 93.1%, 69%, and 60.6%, 86.7%, 45.5%, respectively. The rates for LR, RR, and DM at 3 and 5 years were 6.4%, 9.3%, 14.3%, and 10.5%, 14.3%, 19.7%, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in survival outcomes or recurrences between the biopsy and no-biopsy cohorts. CONCLUSIONS: SBRT for clinically diagnosed lung cancers is efficacious in appropriately selected patients, with similar outcomes as those with a pathologic diagnosis. Thorough clinical and radiographic evaluations in a multidisciplinary setting are critical to the management of these patients