ADC histograms predict response to anti-angiogenic therapy in patients with recurrent high-grade glioma.

INTRODUCTION The purpose of this study is to evaluate apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps to distinguish anti-vascular and anti-tumor effects in the course of anti-angiogenic treatment of recurrent high-grade gliomas (rHGG) as compared to standard magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). METHODS This retrospective study analyzed ADC maps from diffusion-weighted MRI in 14 rHGG patients during bevacizumab/irinotecan (B/I) therapy. Applying image segmentation, volumes of contrast-enhanced lesions in T1 sequences and of hyperintense T2 lesions (hT2) were calculated. hT2 were defined as regions of interest (ROI) and registered to corresponding ADC maps (hT2-ADC). Histograms were calculated from hT2-ADC ROIs. Thereafter, histogram asymmetry termed "skewness" was calculated and compared to progression-free survival (PFS) as defined by the Response Assessment Neuro-Oncology (RANO) Working Group criteria. RESULTS At 8-12 weeks follow-up, seven (50%) patients showed a partial response, three (21.4%) patients were stable, and four (28.6%) patients progressed according to RANO criteria. hT2-ADC histograms demonstrated statistically significant changes in skewness in relation to PFS at 6 months. Patients with increasing skewness (n = 11) following B/I therapy had significantly shorter PFS than did patients with decreasing or stable skewness values (n = 3, median percentage change in skewness 54% versus -3%, p = 0.04). CONCLUSION In rHGG patients, the change in ADC histogram skewness may be predictive for treatment response early in the course of anti-angiogenic therapy and more sensitive than treatment assessment based solely on RANO criteria

RNOP-09: Pegylated liposomal doxorubicine and prolonged temozolomide in addition to radiotherapy in newly diagnosed glioblastoma - a phase II study

BACKGROUND: Although Temozolomide is effective against glioblastoma, the prognosis remains dismal and new regimens with synergistic activity are sought for. METHODS: In this phase-I/II trial, pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (Caelyx, PEG-Dox) and prolonged administration of Temozolomide in addition to radiotherapy was investigated in 63 patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma. In phase-I, PEG-Dox was administered in a 3-by-3 dose-escalation regimen. In phase-II, 20 mg/m2 PEG-Dox was given once prior to radiotherapy and on days 1 and 15 of each 28-day cycle starting 4 weeks after radiotherapy. Temozolomide was given in a dose of 75 mg/m2 daily during radiotherapy (60 Gy) and 150-200 mg/m2 on days 1-5 of each 28-day cycle for 12 cycles or until disease progression. RESULTS: The toxicity of the combination of PEG-Dox, prolonged administration of Temozolomide, and radiotherapy was tolerable. The progression free survival after 12 months (PFS-12) was 30.2%, the median overall survival was 17.6 months in all patients including the ones from Phase-I. None of the endpoints differed significantly from the EORTC26981/NCIC-CE.3 data in a post-hoc statistical comparison. CONCLUSION: Together, the investigated combination is tolerable and feasible. Neither the addition of PEG-Dox nor the prolonged administration of Temozolomide resulted in a meaningful improvement of the patient's outcome as compared to the EORTC26981/NCIC-CE.3 data

The Beaker phenomenon and the genomic transformation of northwest Europe

From around 2750 to 2500 bc, Bell Beaker pottery became widespread across western and central Europe, before it disappeared between 2200 and 1800 bc. The forces that propelled its expansion are a matter of long-standing debate, and there is support for both cultural diffusion and migration having a role in this process. Here we present genome-wide data from 400 Neolithic, Copper Age and Bronze Age Europeans, including 226 individuals associated with Beaker-complex artefacts. We detected limited genetic affinity between Beaker-complex-associated individuals from Iberia and central Europe, and thus exclude migration as an important mechanism of spread between these two regions. However, migration had a key role in the further dissemination of the Beaker complex. We document this phenomenon most clearly in Britain, where the spread of the Beaker complex introduced high levels of steppe-related ancestry and was associated with the replacement of approximately 90% of Britain’s gene pool within a few hundred years, continuing the east-to-west expansion that had brought steppe-related ancestry into central and northern Europe over the previous centuries

Language in mind and brain

The question of how human language works is investigated by neuroscientists, psycholinguists and linguists, but there are important differences in their approaches. The aim of the workshop “Language in Mind and Brain” was to bridge the gap between the different research traditions and to explore and expand their common ground in order to contribute to an interdisciplinary, more integrated investigation of human language. Researchers from the fields of neuroscience, cognitive science and linguistics discussed the relation between language, mind and brain in a constructive and cooperative atmosphere. This volume makes selected contributions of the poster session available in an innovative multimedial format. Combining the advantages of traditional publications and digital media, the publication provides short research articles in a traditional edited volume, resizable PDF versions of the posters presented at the workshop and three-minute audio-recordings that guide the listeners through the posters

Optimized h. 264-based bitstream switching for wireless video streaming

In this work we show the suitability of H.264/AVC extended profile for wireless video streaming applications. In particular, we exploit the advanced bitstream switching capabilities of H.264/AVC using SP/SI pictures. Optimized encoders for switching pictures are proposed. Finally, a framework for dynamic switching and frame scheduling is proposed and the performance is shown for H.264/AVC video streaming over EGPRS. 1

Flexible outer ReedSolomon coding on RLC layer for MBMS over GERAN

Abstract — In this work we present the MBMS framework for GERAN. Flexible outer Reed-Solomon coding is introduced in the GERAN MBMS environment. Performance estimations are presented. These performance estimations are used to compare the flexible RS coding scheme with simple repetition schemes. It is shown that at a target C/I of 7.5 dB a maximum throughput of 40 kbit/s can be supported. Applying the flexible Reed-Solomon coding we also show that, e.g. for a C/I of 15dB, even more than 90 kbit/s can be supported by MBMS. I

Joint buffer management and scheduling for wireless video streaming

Abstract. In this paper we revisit strategies for joint radio link buffer management and scheduling for wireless video streaming. Based on previous work [1], we search for an optimal combination of scheduler and drop strategy for different end–to–end streaming options. We will show that a performance gain vs. the two best drop strategies in [1], ie drop the HOL packet or drop the lowest priority packet starting from HOL, is possible: Provided that basic side-information on the video stream structure is available, a more sophisticated strategy removes packets from an HOL group of packets such that the temporal dependencies usually present in video streams are not violated. This advanced buffer management scheme yields significant improvements for almost all investigated scheduling algorithms and streaming options. In addition, we will demonstrate the importance of fairness among users when selecting a suitable scheduler.