Nebraska Plant Distribution

Distribution notes based on recent collections and herbarium work are provided for 46 Nebraska plant taxa, including 43 flowering plants, two ferns, and one liverwort. The list includes several plants that are new to the State and provides range extensions within the State for many others. Several previously published distribution records believed to be erroneous are also discussed

Per Axel Rydberg’s Botanical Collecting Trips to Western Nebraska in 1890 and 1891

In the summer of 1891, Per Axel Rydberg and his assistant, Julius Hjalmar Flodman, collected plants in western Nebraska for the United States Department of Agriculture. They collected many first-records for Nebraska as well as some that became type specimens of Rydberg’s and other botanists’ names. In the following autumn and winter, Rydberg made a detailed, typewritten, carbon copied 35-page Report and 37-page List of specimens from that trip; one carbon copy is in the Bessey Herbarium (NEB) at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. It is these documents that we present here, extensively annotated with our geographic clarifications, original and updated nomenclature, and citations of specimens in NEB and elsewhere.https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/zeabook/1039/thumbnail.jp

Nebraska Plant Distribution

Distribution notes based on recent collections and herbarium work are provided for 46 Nebraska plant taxa, including 43 flowering plants, two ferns, and one liverwort. The list includes several plants that are new to the State and provides range extensions within the State for many others. Several previously- published distribution records believed to be erroneous are also discussed

Adjuvant radiotherapy improves progression-free survival in intracranial atypical meningioma

BACKGROUND: Meningiomas are the most common primary tumors of the central nervous system. In patients with WHO grade I meningiomas no adjuvant therapy is recommended after resection. In case of anaplastic meningiomas (WHO grade III), adjuvant fractionated radiotherapy is generally recommended, regardless of the extent of surgical resection. For atypical meningiomas (WHO grade II) optimal postoperative management has not been clearly defined yet. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective analysis of patients treated for intracranial atypical meningioma at Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin from March 1999 to October 2018. Considering the individual circumstances (risk of recurrence, anatomical location, etc.), patients were either advised to follow a wait-and-see approach or to undergo adjuvant radiotherapy. Primary endpoint was progression-free survival (PFS). RESULTS: This analysis included 99 patients with atypical meningioma (WHO grade II). Nineteen patients received adjuvant RT after primary tumor resection (intervention group). The remaining 80 patients did not receive any further adjuvant therapy after surgical resection (control group). Median follow-up was 37 months. Median PFS after primary resection was significantly longer in the intervention group than in the control group (64 m vs. 37 m, p = 0.009, HR = 0.204, 95% CI = 0.062-0.668). The influence of adjuvant RT was confirmed in multivariable analysis (p = 0.041, HR = 0.192, 95% CI = 0.039-0.932). CONCLUSIONS: Our study adds to the evidence that RT can improve PFS in patients with atypical meningioma

New and Corrected Floristic Records for Nebraska

Nineteen species (including eight Eurasian ones) are newly recorded for Nebraska: Alopecurus arundinaceus, Amaranthus californicus, Asclepias asperula, A purpurascens, Cardamine {lexuosa*, Centaurea diffusa, Dipsacus laciniatus, Eriochloa villosa, Euclidium syriacum, Gentiana alba, Geranium viscosissimum, Geum vernum, Goodyera oblongifolia, Haplopappus multicaulis, Heterotheca latifolia, Lathyrus tuberosus, Polygonum douglasii, Scirpus saximontanus, Veronica biloba. Twenty-one others are shown to be more widespread in Nebraska than previously known, one has a more restricted range than previously reported, two (Scirpus smithii, S. torreyi) are deleted from the flora based upon corrected identifications, and the status of some rarely-collected species is updated. Thirty-two additions, two deletions, and two corrections to the recentlypublished flora of Seward County are also presented along with thirteen additions to the flora of Keith County

Applications of Frameless Image-Guided Robotic Stereotactic Radiotherapy and Radiosurgery in Pediatric Neuro-Oncology: A Systematic Review

Background: CyberKnife-based robotic radiosurgery (RRS) is a widely used treatment modality for various benign and malignant tumors of the central nervous system (CNS) in adults due to its high precision, favorable safety profile, and efficacy. Although RRS is emerging in pediatric neuro-oncology, scientific evidence for treatment indications, treatment parameters, and patient outcomes is scarce. This systematic review summarizes the current experience and evidence for RRS and robotic stereotactic radiotherapy (RSRT) in pediatric neuro-oncology. Methods: We performed a systematic review based on the databases Ovid Medline, Embase, Cochrane Library, and PubMed to identify studies and published articles reporting on RRS and RSRT treatments in pediatric neuro-oncology. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were applied herein. Articles were included if they described the application of RRS and RSRT in pediatric neuro-oncological patients. The quality of the articles was assessed based on their evidence level and their risk for bias using the original as well as an adapted version of the Newcastle Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale (NOS). Only articles published until 1 August 2021, were included. Results: A total of 23 articles were included after final review and removal of duplicates. Articles reported on a broad variety of CNS entities with various treatment indications. A majority of publications lacked substantial sample sizes and a prospective study design. Several reports included adult patients, thereby limiting the possibility of data extraction and analysis of pediatric patients. RRS and RSRT were mostly used in the setting of adjuvant, palliative, and salvage treatments with decent local control rates and acceptable short-to-intermediate-term toxicity. However, follow-up durations were limited. The evidence level was IV for all studies; the NOS score ranged between four and six, while the overall risk of bias was moderate to low. Conclusion: Publications on RRS and RSRT and their application in pediatric neuro-oncology are rare and lack high-quality evidence with respect to entity-related treatment standards and long-term outcomes. The limited data suggest that RRS and RSRT could be efficient treatment modalities, especially for children who are unsuitable for surgical interventions, suffer from tumor recurrences, or require palliative treatments. Nevertheless, the potential short-term and long-term adverse events must be kept in mind when choosing such a treatment. Prospective studies are necessary to determine the actual utility of RRS and RSRT in pediatric neuro-oncology

New Records of Native and Introduced Plants from Nebraska

Recent field work in Nebraska by staff of the University of Nebraska Herbarium has produced a number of records of previously uncollected specimens and has confirmed the presence of species collected only a few times long ago. Some of the records are of American species which are indigenous to Nebraska or which have recently spread to the state, while other records are of foreign species which are thoroughly established in the wild. Some of these are potentially serious weeds, though none have reached that stage yet. All specimens cited are deposited in the University Herbarium in Nebraska Hall, Lincoln, except that those marked with an asterisk are at the University of Nebraska at Omaha. Typha domingensis Pers. Typhaceae. Lancaster Co., Pawnee Lake, in extensive Typha marsh on west side, 18 September 1974, Kaul 2426. This extends the range north from Kansas. Potamogeton crispus L. Potamogetonaceae. Dodge Co., Fremont State Lakes, 22 June 1969, Sutherland 2383*. Morrill Co., Bridgeport State Lake, in shallow water along shore, 7 July 1974, Churchill 3848. Pawnee Co., Burchard Lake, submerged along inlet, 28 July 1973, Churchill 2039. Sherman Co., Beaver Creek State Wayside, shallow water, 31 May 1973, Churchill 777. This species is thoroughly established in the northeastern. states and in California, and it appears to be spreading rapidly in Nebraska man-made lakes. Vallisneria americana Michx. Hydrocharitaceae. Cherry Co., east end of Ballard\u27s Marsh, 9 July 1973, Churchill 1652. This is our second record for the state, the first being Kiener 27528, 21 Lake, Cherry Co., 27 August 1951. This submerged aquatic is abundant in eastern and northern states but in Nebraska, where it is at the western edge of its range, it is rare. It is an important duck food. Aegilops cylindrica Host. Poaceae. Douglas Co., Omaha, at 44th & Cass St., along tracks, 17 June 1971, Sutherland 2983. Lancaster Co., at 19th & Vine St. along tracks, Lincoln, 29 June 1972, Churchill 249. This plant was introduced from Europe and is becoming a bad weed in some states, though not in Nebraska