Lectures on conformal field theory and Kac-Moody algebras

This is an introduction to the basic ideas and to a few further selected topics in conformal quantum field theory and in the theory of Kac-Moody algebras.Comment: 59 pages, LaTeX2e, extended version of lectures given at the Graduate Course on Conformal Field Theory and Integrable Models (Budapest, August 1996), to appear in Springer Lecture Notes in Physic

TRNA genes affect chromosome structure and function via local effects

The genome is packaged and organized in an ordered, nonrandom manner, and specific chromatin segments contact nuclear substructures to mediate this organization. tRNA genes (tDNAs) are binding sites for transcription factors and architectural proteins and are thought to play an important role in the organization of the genome. In this study, we investigate the roles of tDNAs in genomic organization and chromosome function by editing a chromosome so that it lacked any tDNAs. Surprisingly our analyses of this tDNA-less chromosome show that loss of tDNAs does not grossly affect chromatin architecture or chromosome tethering and mobility. However, loss of tDNAs affects local nucleosome positioning and the binding of SMC proteins at these loci. The absence of tDNAs also leads to changes in centromere clustering and a reduction in the frequency of long-range HML-HMR heterochromatin clustering with concomitant effects on gene silencing. We propose that the tDNAs primarily affect local chromatin structure, which results in effects on long-range chromosome architecture

MASCC/ISOO clinical practice guidelines for the management of mucositis secondary to cancer therapy

Published online July 28, 2020 in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com)Mucositis is a significant toxicity of cancer therapy with numerous systemic sequelae. The goal of this systematic review was to update the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer and International Society of Oral Oncology (MASCC/ISOO) Clinical Practice Guidelines for the management of mucositis. METHODS: The literature was reviewed systematically to identify interventions for mucositis. Studies were rated according to the presence of major and minor flaws according to previously published criteria. The body of evidence for each intervention and in each treatment setting was assigned a level of evidence based on previously published criteria. Guidelines were developed based on the level of evidence, with 3 possible guideline determinations: recommendation, suggestion, or no guideline possible. RESULTS: The guideline covers evidence from 1197 publications related to oral or gastrointestinal mucositis. Thirteen new guidelines were developed for or against the use of various interventions in specific treatment settings, and 11 previous guidelines were confirmed after aa review of new evidence. Thirteen previously established guidelines were carried over because there was no new evidence for these interventions. CONCLUSIONS: The updated MASCC/ISOO Clinical Practice Guidelines for mucositis provide professional health caregivers with a clinical setting-specific, evidence-based tool to help with the management of mucositis in patients who have cancer. Cancer 2020;126:4423-4431.Sharon Elad, Karis Kin Fong Cheng, ajesh V. Lalla, Noam Yarom, Catherine Hong, Richard M. Logan, Joanne Bowen, Rachel Gibson, Deborah P. Saunders, Yehuda Zadik, Anura Ariyawardana, Maria Elvira Correa, Vinisha Ranna, and Paolo Bossi, for the Mucositis Guidelines Leadership Group of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer and International Society of Oral Oncology (MASCC/ISOO) include: Praveen Arany, Abdul Rahman Al-Azri ... Emma H. Bateman ... Janet K. Coller, Noor Al-Dasooqi, and Hannah Wardill. Other contributors include (in alphabetic order): Suzanne Ameringer ... Dorothy Keefe ... Bronwen Mayo ... Andrea M. Stringer ... et al

Systematic review of basic oral care for the management of oral mucositis in cancer patients and clinical practice guidelines

Purpose: The aim of this study was to update the clinical practice guidelines for the use of basic oral care (BOC) interventions for the prevention and/or treatment of oral mucositis (OM). Methods: A systematic review was conducted by the Mucositis Study Group of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer/International Society for Oral Oncology (MASCC/ISOO). The body of evidence for each intervention in each cancer treatment setting was assigned an evidence level. The findings were added to the database used to develop the 2013 MASCC/ISOO clinical practice guidelines. Based on the evidence level, one of the following three guideline determinations was possible: Recommendation, Suggestion, No guideline possible. Results: A total of 17 new papers across six interventions were examined and merged with a previous database. Based on the literature, the following guidelines were possible. The panel suggests that the implementation of multi-agent combination oral care protocols is beneficial for the prevention of OM during chemotherapy, head and neck (H&N) radiation therapy (RT), and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (Level of Evidence III). The panel suggests that chlorhexidine not be used to prevent OM in patients undergoing H&N RT (Level of Evidence III). No guideline was possible for professional oral care, patient education, saline, and sodium bicarbonate, and expert opinion complemented these guidelines. Conclusions: The evidence supports the use of multi-agent combination oral care protocols in the specific populations listed above. Additional well-designed research is needed on the other BOC interventions prior to guideline formulation. © 2019, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature