Intra-cavity Photodynamic Therapy for malignant tumors of the paranasal sinuses: An in vivo light dosimetry study

Background: Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a promising treatment option for recurrent sinonasal malignancies. However, light administration in this area is challenging given the complex geometry, varying tissue optical properties and difficult accessibility. The goal of this study was to estimate the temporal and spatial variation in fluence and fluence rate during sinonasal mTHPC-mediated PDT. It was investigated whether the predetermined aim to illuminate with a fluence of 20 J⋅cm− 2 and fluence rate of 100 mW⋅cm− 2 was achieved. Methods: In eleven patients the fluence and fluence rates were measured using in vivo light dosimetry at the target location during real-time sinonasal PDT. There was a variance in sinonasal target location and type of light diffuser used. In four patients two isotropic detectors were used within the same cavity. Results: All measurements showed major fluence rate fluctuations within each single isotropic detector probe over time, as well as between probes within the same cavity. The largest fluence rate range measured was 328 mW⋅cm− 2 . Only one probe showed a mean fluence rate of ~100 mW⋅cm− 2 . Taken all probes together, a fluence rate above 80 mW⋅cm− 2 was measured in 31 % of the total light exposure; in 22 % it was less than 20 mW⋅cm− 2 . Thirty-three percent showed a fluence of at least 20 J⋅cm− 2 . Conclusions: The current dosimetry approach for sinonasal intra-cavity PDT shows major temporal and spatial variations in fluence rate and a large variance in light exposure time. The results emphasize the need for improvement of in vivo light dosimetry and dosimetry planning

Elastic interactions of active cells with soft materials

Anchorage-dependent cells collect information on the mechanical properties of the environment through their contractile machineries and use this information to position and orient themselves. Since the probing process is anisotropic, cellular force patterns during active mechanosensing can be modelled as anisotropic force contraction dipoles. Their build-up depends on the mechanical properties of the environment, including elastic rigidity and prestrain. In a finite sized sample, it also depends on sample geometry and boundary conditions through image strain fields. We discuss the interactions of active cells with an elastic environment and compare it to the case of physical force dipoles. Despite marked differences, both cases can be described in the same theoretical framework. We exactly solve the elastic equations for anisotropic force contraction dipoles in different geometries (full space, halfspace and sphere) and with different boundary conditions. These results are then used to predict optimal position and orientation of mechanosensing cells in soft material.Comment: Revtex, 38 pages, 8 Postscript files included; revised version, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev.

On the Degradation of Retained Austenite in Transformation Induced Plasticity Steel

© 2020, The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society and ASM International. A transformation-induced plasticity steel was thermomechanically processed and then transformed to bainite at an isothermal transformation temperature of 723 K for 1800 seconds, which exceeds the time required for completion of the bainite transformation. The formation of lenticular-shaped carbides with a triclinic lattice and internal substructure was found after thermomechanical processing. After 16 years of storage at room temperature, the decomposition of retained austenite into pearlite was observed for the first time at this temperature

Fludarabine-Based Reduced Intensity Conditioning for Stem Cell Transplantation of Fanconi Anemia Patients from Fully Matched Related and Unrelated Donors

AbstractReduced intensity conditioning has been suggested as a desirable therapeutic modality for the treatment of patients with malignant and nonmalignant indications, but it seems particularly attractive for patients with Fanconi anemia due to their increased sensitivity to chemoradiotherapy. Between November 1996 and September 2003, 7 patients (1 male and 6 female; age range, 3-31 years; median age, 9.5) were conditioned with a fludarabine-based protocol for stem cell transplantation without radiation. In vivo T-cell depletion was accomplished with anti-thymocytic globulin or Campath-1H (alemtuzumab). Graft-versus-host disease prophylaxis consisted of low-dose cyclosporine alone. Eight transplantations were carried out for 7 patients using bone marrow, peripheral blood, and/or cord blood as sources of stem cells. All patients received transplants from HLA-A, -B, -C, and -DR matched donors, 5 from family members and 2 from matched unrelated donors. One patient did not engraft her first matched unrelated donor and underwent a second transplantation from another matched unrelated donor, after which she engrafted well. All 7 patients are alive and well, fully reconstituted with donor cells, and with 100% performance status. In conclusion, fludarabine-based preparative protocols are well tolerated, facilitate rapid engraftment with minimal toxicity, and should be considered an essential component of choice for patients with Fanconi anemia

Multicenter randomized crossover trial evaluating the provox luna in laryngectomized subjects

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the relative compliance and the dermatological and pulmonary outcomes when the Provox Luna system (Atos Medical, Malmö, Sweden) is added during the night to the usual tracheastoma care of laryngectomized subjects. Methods: This wa

Crossovers in Unitary Fermi Systems

Universality and crossover is described for attractive and repulsive interactions where, respectively, the BCS-BEC crossover takes place and a ferromagnetic phase transition is claimed. Crossovers are also described for optical lattices and multicomponent systems. The crossovers, universal parameters and phase transitions are described within the Leggett and NSR models and calculated in detail within the Jastrow-Slater approximation. The physics of ultracold Fermi atoms is applied to neutron, nuclear and quark matter, nuclei and electrons in solids whenever possible. Specifically, the differences between optical lattices and cuprates is discussed w.r.t. antiferromagnetic, d-wave superfluid phases and phase separation.Comment: 50 pages, 15 figures. Contribution to Lecture Notes in Physics "BCS-BEC crossover and the Unitary Fermi Gas" edited by W. Zwerge

Meta-analysis of 49 549 individuals imputed with the 1000 Genomes Project reveals an exonic damaging variant in ANGPTL4 determining fasting TG levels

Background So far, more than 170 loci have been associated with circulating lipid levels through genomewide association studies (GWAS). These associations are largely driven by common variants, their function is often not known, and many are likely to be markers for the causal variants. In this study we aimed to identify more new rare and low-frequency functional variants associated with circulating lipid levels. Methods We used the 1000 Genomes Project as a reference panel for the imputations of GWAS data from ~60 000 individuals in the discovery stage and ~90 000 samples in the replication stage. Results Our study resu

Physical activity attenuates the influence of FTO variants on obesity risk: A meta-analysis of 218,166 adults and 19,268 children

Background: The FTO gene harbors the strongest known susceptibility locus for obesity. While many individual studies have suggested that physical activity (PA) may attenuate the effect of FTO on obesity risk, other studies have not been able to confirm this interaction. To confirm or refute unambiguously whether PA attenuates the association of FTO with obesity risk, we meta-analyzed data from 45 studies of adults (n = 218,166) and nine studies of children and adolescents (n = 19,268). Methods and Findings: All studies identified to have data on the FTO rs9939609 variant (or any proxy [r2>0.8]) and PA were invited to participate, regardless of ethnicity or age of the participants. PA was standardized by categorizing it into a dichotomous variable (physically inactive versus active) in each study. Overall, 25% of adults and 13% of children were categorized as inactive. Interaction analyses were performed within each study by including the FTO×PA interaction term in an additive model, adjusting for age and sex. Subsequently, random effects meta-analysis was used to pool the interaction terms. In adults, the minor (A-) allele of rs9939609 increased the odds of obesity by 1.23-fold/allele (95% CI 1.20-1.26), but PA attenuated this effect (pinteraction= 0.001). More specifically, the minor allele of rs9939609 increased the odds of obesity less in the physically active group (odds ratio = 1.22/allele, 95% CI 1.19-1.25) than in the inactive group (odds ratio = 1.30/allele, 95% CI 1.24-1.36). No such interaction was found in children and adolescents. Concl

Search for leptophobic Z ' bosons decaying into four-lepton final states in proton-proton collisions at root s=8 TeV

Peer reviewe