57 research outputs found
Intra-arterial chemoradiation for T3-4 oral cavity cancer: Treatment outcomes in comparison to oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal carcinoma
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Surgery followed by radiotherapy is the standard of care for resectable locally advanced oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). We report the treatment outcomes of patients with T3-T4 SCC of the oral cavity treated with chemoradiation, an alternative approach.</p> <p>Patients and methods</p> <p>From a series of 240 patients with stage III-IV carcinoma of the upper aerodigestive tract who were treated consecutively according to the RADPLAT protocol, a subset analysis of 155 patients with T3-T4 SCC (Oral cavity SCC N = 22, oropharynx SCC N = 94 and hypopharynx SCC N = 39), was performed. The goal was to test the hypothesis that oral cavity SCC treated with chemoradiation has similar outcomes to the two comparison sites.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>With a median follow-up of 58 months, local disease control was 69% and the overall survival was 37%. In comparison, local disease control for the oropharynx and hypopharynx groups was 86% and 79% respectively. The overall survival rate for the oropharyngeal and hypopharyngeal groups were 41% and 6% respectively</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Patients with locally advanced oral cavity cancer treated with the chemoradiation protocol RADPLAT have outcomes that are equal or better compared to patients with similar disease involving the oropharynx and hypopharynx</p
The global Alzheimer's Association round robin study on plasma amyloid β methods
Introduction: Blood-based assays to measure brain amyloid beta (Aβ) deposition are an attractive alternative to the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-based assays currently used in clinical settings. In this study, we examined different blood-based assays to measure Aβ and how they compare among centers and assays. Methods: Aliquots from 81 plasma samples were distributed to 10 participating centers. Seven immunological assays and four mass-spectrometric methods were used to measure plasma Aβ concentrations. Results: Correlations were weak for Aβ42 while Aβ40 correlations were stronger. The ratio Aβ42/Aβ40 did not improve the correlations and showed weak correlations. Discussion: The poor correlations for Aβ42 in plasma might have several potential explanations, such as the high levels of plasma proteins (compared to CSF), sensitivity to pre-analytical sample handling and specificity, and cross-reactivity of different antibodies. Different methods might also measure different pools of plasma Aβ42. We, however, hypothesize that greater correlations might be seen in future studies because many of the methods have been refined during completion of this study
Detection of equine herpesvirus-4 and physiological stress patterns in young Thoroughbreds consigned to a South African auction sale
BACKGROUND : The prevalence of equine herpesvirus types-1 and -4 (EHV-1 and -4) in South African Thoroughbreds
at auction sales is currently undefined. Commingling of young Thoroughbreds from various populations together
with physiological stress related to their transport and confinement at a sales complex, may be associated with
shedding and transmission of EHV-1 and -4. This prospective cohort study sampled 90 young Thoroughbreds
consigned from eight farms, originating from three provinces representative of the South African Thoroughbred
breeding demographic to a sales complex. Nasal swabs for quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction
(qPCR) assay to detect EHV-1 and -4 nucleic acid and blood samples for enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay
for EHV-1 and -4 antibodies were collected from all horses on arrival and departure. Additional nasal swabs for
qPCR were obtained serially from those displaying pyrexia and, or nasal discharge. Daily faecal samples were
used for determination of faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) concentrations as a measurement of physiological
stress and these values were modelled to determine the factors best explaining FGM variability.
RESULTS : EHV-4 nucleic acid was detected in 14.4 % and EHV-1 from none of the animals in the study population.
Most (93.3 %) and very few (1.1 %) of this population showed antibodies indicating prior exposure to EHV-4 and
EHV-1 respectively. Pyrexia and nasal discharge were poor predictors for detecting EHV-4 nucleic acid. The horses’
FGM concentrations increased following arrival before decreasing for most of the remaining study period including the
auction process. Model averaging showed that variation in FGM concentrations was best explained by days post-arrival
and transport duration.
CONCLUSIONS : In this study population, sales consignment was associated with limited detection of EHV-4 nucleic
acid in nasal secretions, with most showing prior exposure to EHV-4 and very few to EHV-1. The physiological stress
response shown by most reflected the combination of stressors associated with transport and arrival and these are
key areas for future investigation into management practices to enhance health and welfare of young Thoroughbreds
during sales consignment.Racing South Africa (Pty) Ltd, the
Equine Research Centre and Departments of Companion Animal Clinical
Studies and Production Animal Clinical Studies, Faculty of Veterinary Science,
University of Pretoria, South Africa.http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcvetresam201
Role of high dose rate interstitial brachytherapy in early and locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of buccal mucosa
New Insight into the Colonization Processes of Common Voles: Inferences from Molecular and Fossil Evidence
Elucidating the colonization processes associated with Quaternary climatic cycles is important in order to understand the distribution of biodiversity and the evolutionary potential of temperate plant and animal species. In Europe, general evolutionary scenarios have been defined from genetic evidence. Recently, these scenarios have been challenged with genetic as well as fossil data. The origins of the modern distributions of most temperate plant and animal species could predate the Last Glacial Maximum. The glacial survival of such populations may have occurred in either southern (Mediterranean regions) and/or northern (Carpathians) refugia. Here, a phylogeographic analysis of a widespread European small mammal (Microtus arvalis) is conducted with a multidisciplinary approach. Genetic, fossil and ecological traits are used to assess the evolutionary history of this vole. Regardless of whether the European distribution of the five previously identified evolutionary lineages is corroborated, this combined analysis brings to light several colonization processes of M. arvalis. The species' dispersal was relatively gradual with glacial survival in small favourable habitats in Western Europe (from Germany to Spain) while in the rest of Europe, because of periglacial conditions, dispersal was less regular with bottleneck events followed by postglacial expansions. Our study demonstrates that the evolutionary history of European temperate small mammals is indeed much more complex than previously suggested. Species can experience heterogeneous evolutionary histories over their geographic range. Multidisciplinary approaches should therefore be preferentially chosen in prospective studies, the better to understand the impact of climatic change on past and present biodiversity
Tree diversity and species identity effects on soil fungi, protists and animals are context dependent
Plant species richness and the presence of certain influential species (sampling effect) drive the stability and functionality of ecosystems as well as primary production and biomass of consumers. However, little is known about these floristic effects on richness and community composition of soil biota in forest habitats owing to methodological constraints. We developed a DNA metabarcoding approach to identify the major eukaryote groups directly from soil with roughly species-level resolution. Using this method, we examined the effects of tree diversity and individual tree species on soil microbial biomass and taxonomic richness of soil biota in two experimental study systems in Finland and Estonia and accounted for edaphic variables and spatial autocorrelation. Our analyses revealed that the effects of tree diversity and individual species on soil biota are largely context dependent. Multiple regression and structural equation modelling suggested that biomass, soil pH, nutrients and tree species directly affect richness of different taxonomic groups. The community composition of most soil organisms was strongly correlated due to similar response to environmental predictors rather than causal relationships. On a local scale, soil resources and tree species have stronger effect on diversity of soil biota than tree species richness per se
Systematic review and meta-analysis of the complications of salvage total laryngectomy
Background and objectives: Management paradigms in laryngeal cancer have shifted to "organ preservation" chemoradiotherapy protocols. hi the event of treatment failure, salvage total laryngectomy remains the only curative treatment option. However a comprehensive review of the complications of this procedure has not been reported. Methods: A systematic review of the literature was performed using keywords "salvage laryngectomy" to retrieve relevant publications between January 2000 and August 2015. Results: Of the 407 articles retrieved from the literature search, 50 studies encompassing 3292 patients were included. Forty-nine studies reported pharyngocutaneous fistula which occurred in 859 patients (pooled incidence 28.9%; 95% confidence intervals 25.5-32.5%). Twenty-four studies reported complications in addition to PCF and these included wound complications (infection, dehiscence and necrosis), dysphagia, bleeding, and pharyngeal and stomal stenosis. Conclusions: Overall complication rate was 67.5%, Pharyngocutaneous fistula was the commonest complication with a pooled incidence of 28.9%. Crown Copyright (C) 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
Picture Archive and Communication System (PACS) in the detection of fish bone: An animal study
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