Distribution of Glirids in an Alpine national park

In this long-term study, we evaluated the distribution of three species of Glirids: Hazel Dormouse (Muscardinus avellanarius), Garden Dormouse (Eliomys quercinus) and Edible Dormouse (Glis glis) in the Gran Paradiso National Park (Western Italian Alps). The aim was to investigate the ecology, adaptation strategies, and distribution of these dormouse populations along an altitudinal gradient. Monitoring started in 2015 and is still ongoing. We used five different techniques (searching for nests, grids of nest boxes, transects of live traps, nesting tubes, and footprint tunnels), placed along an altitudinal gradient from 700 to 2300 m a.s.l. We found a total of 680 signs of the presence of Hazel Dormouse and 46 individuals, 275 signs and 142 individuals of the Garden Dormouse and 674 signs and 67 individuals of the Edible Dormouse. The three species selected different altitudinal gradients: Edible Dormouse from 800 to 1700 m, with a prevalence between 800-1100 m; Garden Dormouse from 1100 to 2000 m, with a prevalence between 1400-1700 m. The Hazel Dormouse was ubiquitous from 800 to 2032 m, without a clear altitudinal pattern. Edible Dormice were mainly found in deciduous and mixed forests, while Garden Dormice usually occurred in coniferous forests. The Hazel Dormouse seemed to be regularly distributed in all forest types up to the tree limit. These results, obtained from diverse methodologies, permitted comparison between the monitoring protocols, improved knowledge of habitat selection by Glirids in Alpine habitats, as well as providing novel insights within the context of climate change

ErbB in NSCLC as a molecular target: Current evidences and future directions

A number of treatments have been developed for HER1, 2 and 3-driven non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), of which the most successful have been the epidermal growth factor receptor-tyrosine kinase inhibitors in HER1-mutant tumours resulting in highly improved progression-free survival. Human epidermal growth factor (HER)2 and 3-driven tumours represent the minority of NSCLC, and effective therapies in these patients still represent an unmet medical need. The encouraging results seen with anti-HER2 and anti-HER3 monoclonal antibodies need to be validated in larger studies, even if the greatest obstacle is represented by the exiguous number of patients bearing deregulated HER2/3 system and abnormalities of signal transduction pathway. Considering NSCLC tumour heterogeneity, which affects response and resistance to treatment, combined multiparametric approaches, such as liquid biopsy together with radiomics, may provide a better understanding of the tumour dynamics and clonal selection during the treatments

First-principles study of orthorhombic CdTiO3 perovskite

In this work we perform an ab-initio study of CdTiO3 perovskite in its orthorhombic phase using FLAPW method. Our calculations help to decide between the different cristallographic structures proposed for this perovskite from X-Ray measurements. We compute the electric field gradient tensor (EFG) at Cd site and obtain excellent agreement with available experimental information from a perturbed angular correlation (PAC) experiment. We study EFG under an isotropic change of volume and show that in this case the widely used "point charge model approximation" to determine EFG works quite well.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure. Accepted in Physical Review

liquid biopsy as tool to monitor and predict clinical benefit from chemotherapy ct and immunotherapy it in advanced non small cell lung cancer ansclc a prospective study

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The emerging role of cell surface receptor and protein binding radiopharmaceuticals in cancer diagnostics and therapy

Targeting specific cell membrane markers for both diagnostic imaging and radionuclide therapy is a rapidly evolving field in cancer research. Some of these applications have now found a role in routine clinical practice and have been shown to have a significant impact on patient management. Several molecular targets are being investigated in ongoing clinical trials and show promise for future implementation. Advancements in molecular biology have facilitated the identification of new cancer-specific targets for radiopharmaceutical development.This work was supported by Cancer Research UK, the CRUK Cambridge Centre, the CRUK & Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) Cancer Imaging Centre in Cambridge and Manchester, the Mark Foundation for Cancer Research, Addenbrooke's Charitable Trust, the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, Cambridge Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre, CRUK National Cancer Imaging Translational Accelerator (NCITA)

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance myocardial feature tracking detects quantitative wall motion during dobutamine stress

Contains fulltext : 96698.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)BACKGROUND: Dobutamine stress cardiovascular magnetic resonance (DS-CMR) is an established tool to assess hibernating myocardium and ischemia. Analysis is typically based on visual assessment with considerable operator dependency. CMR myocardial feature tracking (CMR-FT) is a recently introduced technique for tissue voxel motion tracking on standard steady-state free precession (SSFP) images to derive circumferential and radial myocardial mechanics.We sought to determine the feasibility and reproducibility of CMR-FT for quantitative wall motion assessment during intermediate dose DS-CMR. METHODS: 10 healthy subjects were studied at 1.5 Tesla. Myocardial strain parameters were derived from SSFP cine images using dedicated CMR-FT software (Diogenes MRI prototype; Tomtec; Germany). Right ventricular (RV) and left ventricular (LV) longitudinal strain (EllRV and EllLV) and LV long-axis radial strain (ErrLAX) were derived from a 4-chamber view at rest. LV short-axis circumferential strain (EccSAX) and ErrSAX; LV ejection fraction (EF) and volumes were analyzed at rest and during dobutamine stress (10 and 20 mug . kg(1). min(1)). RESULTS: In all volunteers strain parameters could be derived from the SSFP images at rest and stress. EccSAX values showed significantly increased contraction with DSMR (rest: -24.1 +/- 6.7; 10 mug: -32.7 +/- 11.4; 20 mug: -39.2 +/- 15.2; p < 0.05). ErrSAX increased significantly with dobutamine (rest: 19.6 +/- 14.6; 10 mug: 31.8 +/- 20.9; 20 mug: 42.4 +/- 25.5; p < 0.05). In parallel with these changes; EF increased significantly with dobutamine (rest: 56.9 +/- 4.4%; 10 mug: 70.7 +/- 8.1; 20 mug: 76.8 +/- 4.6; p < 0.05). Observer variability was best for LV circumferential strain (EccSAX ) and worst for RV longitudinal strain (EllRV) as determined by 95% confidence intervals of the difference. CONCLUSIONS: CMR-FT reliably detects quantitative wall motion and strain derived from SSFP cine imaging that corresponds to inotropic stimulation. The current implementation may need improvement to reduce observer-induced variance. Within a given CMR lab; this novel technique holds promise of easy and fast quantification of wall mechanics and strain

A Non-Invasive method of quantifying pancreatic volume in mice using micro-MRI

In experimental models of pancreatic growth and recovery, changes in pancreatic size are assessed by euthanizing a large cohort of animals at varying time points and measuring organ mass. However, to ascertain this information in clinical practice, patients with pancreatic disorders routinely undergo non-invasive cross-sectional imaging of the pancreas using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT). The aim of the current study was to develop a thinsliced, optimized sequence protocol using a high field MRI to accurately calculate pancreatic volumes in the most common experimental animal, the mouse. Using a 7 Telsa Bruker micro-MRI system, we performed abdominal imaging in whole-fixed mice in three standard planes: axial, sagittal, and coronal. The contour of the pancreas was traced using Vitrea software and then transformed into a 3-dimensional (3D) reconstruction, from which volumetric measurements were calculated. Images were optimized using heart perfusion-fixation, T1 sequence analysis, and 0.2 to 0.4 mm thick slices. As proof of principle, increases in pancreatic volume among mice of different ages correlated tightly with increasing body weight. In summary, this is the first study to measure pancreatic volumes in mice, using a high field 7 Tesla micro-MRI and a thin-sliced, optimized sequence protocol. We anticipate that micro-MRI will improve the ability to non-invasively quantify changes in pancreatic size and will dramatically reduce the number of animals required to serially assess pancreatic growth and recovery.© 2014 Paredes et al

Detection limit of 89 Zr-labeled T cells for cellular tracking: an in vitro imaging approach using clinical PET/CT and PET/MRI

Funder: GlaxoSmithKline; doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100004330Abstract: Purpose: Tracking cells in vivo using imaging can provide non-invasive information to understand the pharmacology, efficacy, and safety of novel cell therapies. Zirconium-89 (t1/2 = 78.4 h) has recently been used to synthesize [89Zr]Zr(oxinate)4 for cell tracking using positron emission tomography (PET). This work presents an in vitro approach to estimate the detection limit for in vivo PET imaging of Jurkat T cells directly labeled with [89Zr]Zr(oxinate)4 utilizing clinical PET/CT and PET/MRI. Methods: Jurkat T cells were labeled with varying concentrations of [89Zr]Zr(oxinate)4 to generate different cell-specific activities (0.43–31.91 kBq/106 cells). Different concentrations of labeled cell suspensions (104, 105, and 106 cells) were seeded on 6-well plates and into a 3 × 3 cubic-well plate with 1 cm3 cubic wells as a gel matrix. Plates were imaged on clinical PET/CT and PET/MRI scanners for 30 min. The total activity in each well was determined by drawing volumes of interest over each well on PET images. The total cell-associated activity was measured using a well counter and correlated with imaging data. Simulations for non-specific signal were performed to model the effect of non-specific radioactivity on detection. Results: Using this in vitro model, the lowest cell number that could be visualized on 6-well plate images was 6.8 × 104, when the specific activity was 27.8 kBq/106 cells. For the 3 × 3 cubic-well, a plate of 3.3 × 104 cells could be detected on images with a specific activity of 15.4 kBq/106 cells. Conclusion: The results show the feasibility of detecting [89Zr]Zr(oxinate)4-labeled Jurkat T cells on clinical PET systems. The results provide a best-case scenario, as in vivo detection using PET/CT or PET/MRI will be affected by cell number, specific activity per cell, the density of cells within the target volume, and non-specific signal. This work has important implications for cell labeling studies in patients, particularly when using radiosensitive cells (e.g., T cells), which require detection of low cell numbers while minimizing radiation dose per cell

Gastric and intestinal barrier impairment in tropical enteropathy and HIV: limited impact of micronutrient supplementation during a randomised controlled trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although micronutrient supplementation can reduce morbidity and mortality due to diarrhoea, nutritional influences on intestinal host defence are poorly understood. We tested the hypothesis that micronutrient supplementation can enhance barrier function of the gut.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We carried out two sub-studies nested within a randomised, double-blind placebo-controlled trial of daily micronutrient supplementation in an urban community in Lusaka, Zambia. In the first sub-study, gastric pH was measured in 203 participants. In the second sub-study, mucosal permeability, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and anti-LPS antibodies, and serum soluble tumour necrosis factor receptor p55 (sTNFR55) concentrations were measured in 87 participants. Up to three stool samples were also analysed microbiologically for detection of asymptomatic intestinal infection. Gastric histology was subsequently analysed in a third subset (n = 37) to assist in interpretation of the pH data. Informed consent was obtained from all participants after a three-stage information and consent process.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Hypochlorhydria (fasting gastric pH > 4.0) was present in 75 (37%) of participants. In multivariate analysis, HIV infection (OR 4.1; 95%CI 2.2-7.8; <it>P </it>< 0.001) was associated with hypochlorhydria, but taking anti-retroviral treatment (OR 0.16; 0.04-0.67; <it>P </it>= 0.01) and allocation to micronutrient supplementation (OR 0.53; 0.28-0.99; <it>P </it>< 0.05) were protective. Hypochlorhydria was associated with increased risk of salmonellosis. Mild (grade 1) gastric atrophy was found in 5 participants, irrespective of <it>Helicobacter pylori </it>or HIV status. Intestinal permeability, LPS concentrations in serum, anti-LPS IgG, and sTNFR55 concentrations did not differ significantly between micronutrient and placebo groups. Anti-LPS IgM was reduced in the micronutrient recipients (<it>P <</it>0.05).</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We found evidence of a specific effect of HIV on gastric pH which was readily reversed by anti-retroviral therapy and not mediated by gastric atrophy. Micronutrients had a modest impact on gastric pH and one marker of bacterial translocation.</p> <p>Trial Registration</p> <p>Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN31173864</p