171 research outputs found
Moderately HRT vs. CRT for localized prostate cancer using image-guided VMAT with SIB: evaluation of acute and late toxicities
Purpose: This retrospective study aims at investigating the effects of moderately hypofractionated radiation therapy (HRT) on acute and late toxicities as well as on early biochemical control and therapeutic efficiency compared to conventional radiation therapy (CRT) in prostate cancer. Patients and methods: We analyzed 55 HRT patients irradiated with the total dose of 60âŻGy in 20 fractions delivered over 4 weeks. These patients were compared to a control group of 55 patients who received CRT with a total of <78âŻGy in 37â39 fractions delivered over circa 8 weeks. External beam radiation therapy (EBRT) was conducted using daily image-guided (cone beam CT) volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) and a simultaneously integrated boost (SIB) for both groups to protect the rectum. Acute toxicities were evaluated according to Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) v5, whereas chronic toxicities were assessed in accordance with LENT-SOMA. Patient traits were compared by implementing tâtests and WilcoxonâWhitney tests for continuous variables, whereas discrete characteristics were evaluated by applying two-tailed Fisherâs exact tests. In addition, we calculated average treatment effects (ATE). Thereby, propensity score matching (PSM) based on nearest-neighbor matching considering age, comorbidities, and risk stratification as covariates was applied. The statistical analysis was conducted using Stata 14.2 (StataCorp LLC, TX, USA). Results: As confirmed by the descriptive tests, the ATE revealed that the intensity and occurrence of urinary frequency (pâŻ= 0.034) and proctitis (pâŻ= 0.027) significantly decreased for the HRT group, whereas all other acute toxicities did not differ significantly between the HRT and CRT groups. For late toxicities, neither statistical tests nor ATE estimation showed significant differences. Also, no significant difference was found regarding the decrease in prostate specific antigen (PSA) after a median follow-up of 13 months (range 2â28 months), which indicates biochemical freedom from progression. Conclusion: HRT offers several medical and economic advantages and should therefore be considered as a useful alternative to CRT
Fusoselect: cell-cell fusion activity engineered by directed evolution of a retroviral glycoprotein
Membrane fusion plays a key role in many biological processes including vesicle trafficking, synaptic transmission, fertilization or cell entry of enveloped viruses. As a common feature the fusion process is mediated by distinct membrane proteins. We describe here âFusoselect', a universal procedure allowing the identification and engineering of molecular determinants for cell-cell fusion-activity by directed evolution. The system couples cell-cell fusion with the release of retroviral particles, but can principally be applied to membrane proteins of non-viral origin as well. As a model system, we chose a Îł-retroviral envelope protein, which naturally becomes fusion-active through proteolytic processing by the viral protease. The selection process evolved variants that, in contrast to the parental protein, mediated cell-cell fusion in absence of the viral protease. Detailed analysis of the variants revealed molecular determinants for fusion competence in the cytoplasmic tail (CT) of retroviral Env proteins and demonstrated the power of Fusoselec
Fusoselect: cellâcell fusion activity engineered by directed evolution of a retroviral glycoprotein
Membrane fusion plays a key role in many biological processes including vesicle trafficking, synaptic transmission, fertilization or cell entry of enveloped viruses. As a common feature the fusion process is mediated by distinct membrane proteins. We describe here âFusoselectâ, a universal procedure allowing the identification and engineering of molecular determinants for cellâcell fusion-activity by directed evolution. The system couples cellâcell fusion with the release of retroviral particles, but can principally be applied to membrane proteins of non-viral origin as well. As a model system, we chose a Îł-retroviral envelope protein, which naturally becomes fusion-active through proteolytic processing by the viral protease. The selection process evolved variants that, in contrast to the parental protein, mediated cellâcell fusion in absence of the viral protease. Detailed analysis of the variants revealed molecular determinants for fusion competence in the cytoplasmic tail (CT) of retroviral Env proteins and demonstrated the power of Fusoselect
Regional wall motion abnormalities at rest and stress in patients with end-stage renal disease diagnosed by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging
Impact of device processing on the surface properties and the biocompatibility of AlGaN/GaN HEMT sensors
Integration fluktuierender erneuerbarer Energien durch konvergente Nutzung von Strom- und Gasnetzen - Konvergenz Strom- und Gasnetze (KonStGas) - Abschlussbericht
FĂŒr die Energiewende in Deutschland ist zeitnah ein nennenswerter Ausbau der Stromnetze auf Transport- und Verteilnetzebene erforderlich. Mittel- bis langfristig werden fĂŒr die Umstellung der Strom- und Energieversorgung auf erneuerbaren Energien (EE) zusĂ€tzlich groĂe SpeicherkapazitĂ€ten benötigt. Dabei sind kostengĂŒnstige und mit minimalen Energieverlusten verbundene Speicher- und Erzeugungstechnologien anzustreben. LösungsansĂ€tze dafĂŒr werden bisher ĂŒberwiegend auf der Stromseite diskutiert. Chancen, die sich aus der Kopplung von Strom- und Gasnetzen ergeben, werden kaum wahrgenommen. Das erhebliche Lösungspotential der vorhandenen Gasinfrastruktur und -Anwendungstechnologien mittels Power-to-Gas sowie die damit verbundenen Auswirkungen auf eine nachhaltige Gestaltung der Energiewende finden zu wenig Beachtung.
Vor diesem Hintergrund hatte das Forschungsvorhaben "Integration fluktuierender erneuerbarer Energien durch konvergente Nutzung von Strom und Gasnetzen - Konvergenz Strom- und Gasnetze" zum Ziel, unter BerĂŒcksichtigung der Kopplung von Strom- und Gasnetzen, (1) die Potenziale zur Aufnahme, Speicherung und Verteilung von EE zu bestimmen, (2) die dynamischen Energieströme aus Angebot und Nachfrage in der gesamten Energieversorgungsstruktur zu modellieren, (3) die Kopplung volkswirtschaftlich zu analysieren und (4) Handlungsempfehlungen fĂŒr den Ausbau der Netzinfrastrukturen und die Entwicklung eines zukĂŒnftigen Energiemarktes abzuleiten
Galactic Core-Collapse Supernovae at IceCube: âFire Drillâ Data Challenges and follow-up
The next Galactic core-collapse supernova (CCSN) presents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make astrophysical measurements using neutrinos, gravitational waves, and electromagnetic radiation. CCSNe local to the Milky Way are extremely rare, so it is paramount that detectors are prepared to observe the signal when it arrives. The IceCube Neutrino Observatory, a gigaton water Cherenkov detector below the South Pole, is sensitive to the burst of neutrinos released by a Galactic CCSN at a level >10Ï. This burst of neutrinos precedes optical emission by hours to days, enabling neutrinos to serve as an early warning for follow-up observation. IceCube\u27s detection capabilities make it a cornerstone of the global network of neutrino detectors monitoring for Galactic CCSNe, the SuperNova Early Warning System (SNEWS 2.0). In this contribution, we describe IceCube\u27s sensitivity to Galactic CCSNe and strategies for operational readiness, including "fire drill" data challenges. We also discuss coordination with SNEWS 2.0
All-Energy Search for Solar Atmospheric Neutrinos with IceCube
The interaction of cosmic rays with the solar atmosphere generates a secondary flux of mesons that decay into photons and neutrinos â the so-called solar atmospheric flux. Although the gamma-ray component of this flux has been observed in Fermi-LAT and HAWC Observatory data, the neutrino component remains undetected. The energy distribution of those neutrinos follows a soft spectrum that extends from the GeV to the multi-TeV range, making large Cherenkov neutrino telescopes a suitable for probing this flux. In this contribution, we will discuss current progress of a search for the solar neutrino flux by the IceCube Neutrino Observatory using all available data since 2011. Compared to the previous analysis which considered only high-energy muon neutrino tracks, we will additionally consider events produced by all flavors of neutrinos down to GeV-scale energies. These new events should improve our analysis sensitivity since the flux falls quickly with energy. Determining the magnitude of the neutrino flux is essential, since it is an irreducible background to indirect solar dark matter searches
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