Understanding an ice stream in Greenland at the EastGRIP camp: An international-multidisciplinary effort and knowledge transfer among scientists

The East Greenland Ice-core Project (EastGRIP) aims to retrieve a 2650m long ice core by drilling through the Northeast Greenland Ice Stream (NEGIS). Scientists from a variety of physical sciences and engineers hope to gain new knowledge on ice stream dynamics and about the past climate. The project has many partners from all around the world, who contribute to the science, logistics and economics of the project. Most of the data is processed and analysed in the field. As there is limited capacity in the field camp, scientists and technical staff are encouraged to learn different working techniques to support their project partners. The community also invites scientists, who work on theoretical aspects on the ice stream to communicate the perspective on the procedures and challenges of data collection in the field. And so it happens that earth system modellers learn how to drill an ice core or non-scientific staff helps with the preparation of the ice core samples. Also, the project partners are motivated to bring together scientists at early stages in their careers to gain fieldwork experience. Once each season the field camp also welcomes high school students and teachers as a part of a joint science and education programme

PO-1052 Cyberknife stereotactic radiotherapy for vestibular schwannomas :a single institution experience

peer reviewedPurpose or Objective : Report our experience of fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy Cyberknife (CK) for vestibular schwannoma (VS) in order to asses the posttreatment clinical symptoms, tumor control and post treatment auditory function. Materials and Methods : Retrospective analysis of 45 VS patients treated by CK from 2010 to 2016, classified in location and size according to Portman-Bebear and Koos (PBK) and according to 2 audiometric scales: the International Bureau of Audiophonology (BIAP) and the Gardner Robertson scale (GR). Data including CK treatment parameters, pre and post CK clinical signs, pre and post CK tumor volumes and auditory parameters were collected and examinated. Results : 80% of the pre CK clinical symptoms of our 45 patients improve in post-CK and 20% increase slightly. 77.3% of patients, with a mean post CK magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) follow-up of 31.5 months, had an excellent tumor control. Excluding 2 patients who died in post CK and 8 pre CK cophosis patients, 21 (60%) of the remaining 35 BIAP patients, with a mean audiometric post CK follow-up of 33.65 months, maintained a good pre CK comparable audiometric stabilization. The other fourteen BIAP patients (40%) experienced variable hearing impairment (33.3% had slight increased hearing thresholds from 10 to 24dB in pure tone audiometry) which is not related to a pre CK high tumor volume (tV).3. Good health and well-bein

Coronary evaginations and peri-scaffold aneurysms following implantation of bioresorbable scaffolds: incidence, outcome, and optical coherence tomography analysis of possible mechanisms

Background Peri-stent coronary evaginations may disturb flow and have been proposed as possible risk factor for late stent thrombosis. We describe incidence, predictors, and possible mechanisms of coronary evaginations 12 months after implantation of bioresorbable vascular scaffolds (BVS).Methods and results One hundred and two BVS implanted in 90 patients (age 63 ± 13 years, 71 males, 14 diabetics) were analysed with angiography and optical coherence tomography (OCT) 12 months after implantation. Evaginations were identified as any hollow in the luminal vessel contour between well-apposed struts and were classified as major when extending ≥3 mm with a depth ≥10% of the BVS diameter. Fifty-five (54%) of the BVS (50(56%) of the patients) had at least one evagination (6.1 ± 6.2 evaginations per BVS), with a mean volume of 1.9 ± 1.9 mm³. Major evaginations were only found in one patient, and in-BVS aneurysms in three patients (4BVS). The presence of evaginations was strongly associated with that of malapposition (P = 0.003) and strut fractures (P = 0.01). No association could be shown between the presence and volume of the evaginations and any clinical variable or the presence of uncovered struts (P > 0.5). Peri-strut low- intensity areas (PSLIA) were present in 29 (53%) of the BVS with evaginations and 12 (26%) of those without (P = 0.0049); their presence was independently associated with the presence, the number (P P = 0.004) and with that of strut fracture. Conclusions Optical coherence tomography-detected evaginations are relatively common after BVS implantation, but, as for modern drug-eluting metallic stents, major evaginations are very rare. Optical coherence tomography evidence of immature neointima and strut fractures were associated with more severe development of evaginations

Radiation recall dermatitis after oral cyclophosphamide

peer reviewedRadiation recall dermatitis is an inflammatory skin reaction occurring in a previously irradiated field following the delivery of a promoting agent. It has been described after a number of antineoplastic agents such as gemcitabine, taxanes, anthracyclines. We report the case of a 50-year-old man with metastatic prostate cancer who developed two consecutive radiation recall dermatitis episodes triggered by oral cyclophosphamide. They occurred 4 to 5 weeks after palliative radiotherapy on bone metastasis. Spontaneous resolution was observed within 6 weeks after discontinuation of cyclophosphamide and with local supportive care. To our knowledge this is the first reported case of radiation recall dermatitis after oral cyclophosphamide

Radiotherapy in breast cancer: current standards of treatment, prediction of local recurrence and open questions

K

y a-t-il une place pour la radiothérapie en fin de vie ?

peer reviewedPrès de 50 % des patients atteints d’un cancer bénéficient, à un moment de leur trajet de soins, d’une irradiation. Celle-ci peut être administrée avec une intention curative ou palliative, en fonction de l’extension de la maladie, de l’état général du patient et de sa volonté. Le but d’une irradiation palliative, sera de contrôler localement la tumeur ou la métastase et, donc, de ralentir l’évolution du cancer. La radiothérapie peut également être utile pour supprimer un symptôme et, ainsi, être un des traitements de confort en fin de vie. La dose totale, la dose par fraction ainsi que la technique d’irradiation sont adaptées à l’intention du traitement. Cet article passe en revue les principales indications d’irradiation en fin de vie

Human skull shape and masticatory induced stress : objective comparison through the use of non-rigid registration

Variation in masticatory induced stress, caused by shape changes in the human skull, is quantified in this article. A comparison on masticatory induced stress is presented subject to a variation in human skull shape. Non-rigid registration is employed to obtain appropriate computational domain representations. This procedure allows the isolation of shape from other variations that could affect the results. An added benefit, revealed through the use of non-rigid registration to acquire appropriate domain representation, is the possibility of direct and objective comparison and manipulation. The effect of mapping uncertainty on the direct comparison is also quantified. As shown in this study, exact difference values are not necessarily obtained, but a non-rigid map between subject shapes and numerical results gives an objective indication on the location of differences.http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)2040-7947ai201

Correction: A lineage-specific rapid diagnostic test (Chagas Sero K-SeT) identifies Brazilian Trypanosoma cruzi II/V/VI reservoir hosts among diverse mammalian orders.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0227828.]

A lineage-specific rapid diagnostic test (Chagas Sero K-SeT) identifies Brazilian Trypanosoma cruzi II/V/VI reservoir hosts among diverse mammalian orders.

Trypanosoma cruzi, the protozoan agent of Chagas disease in the Americas, is comprised of six genetic lineages (TcI-TcVI) and a possible seventh (TcBat, related to TcI). Identification of T. cruzi lineages infecting reservoir mammalian species is fundamental to resolving transmission cycles. However, this is hindered by the limited sensitivity and technical complexity of parasite isolation and genotyping. An alternative approach is serology using T. cruzi lineage-specific epitopes, such as those of the trypomastigote small surface antigen (TSSA). For surveillance of T. cruzi lineage infections in mammal species from diverse Brazilian regions, we apply a novel rapid diagnostic test (RDT, Chagas Sero K-SeT), which incorporates the TSSA peptide epitope specific to TcII/V/VI (TSSApep-II/V/VI) and Protein G detection of antibodies. Chagas Sero K-SeT RDT results with sera from experimentally infected mice, from tamarin primates (Leontopithecus spp.) and from canines (Canis familiaris) were concordant with corresponding TSSApep-II/V/VI ELISAs. The Chagas Sero K-Set detected TcII/V/VI infections in Leontopithecus spp. from the Atlantic forest (n = 46), in C. familiaris (n = 16) and Thrichomys laurentius (n = 2) from Caatinga biome and Chiroptera (n = 1) from Acre, Amazonia. The Chagas Sero K-SeT RDT is directly applicable to TcII/V/VI-specific serological surveillance of T. cruzi infection in several different mammalian Orders. It can replace ELISAs and provides efficient, point-of-sampling, low-cost detection of TcII/V/VI infections, with at least equivalent sensitivity, although some mammals may be difficult to trap, and, not unexpectedly, Chagas Sero K-SeT could not recognise feline IgG. Knowledge of sylvatic hosts of T. cruzi can be expanded, new reservoir species discovered, and the ecology of transmission cycles clarified, particularly with adaptation to further mammalian Orders