ASTRO Journals' Data Sharing Policy and Recommended Best Practices.

Transparency, openness, and reproducibility are important characteristics in scientific publishing. Although many researchers embrace these characteristics, data sharing has yet to become common practice. Nevertheless, data sharing is becoming an increasingly important topic among societies, publishers, researchers, patient advocates, and funders, especially as it pertains to data from clinical trials. In response, ASTRO developed a data policy and guide to best practices for authors submitting to its journals. ASTRO's data sharing policy is that authors should indicate, in data availability statements, if the data are being shared and if so, how the data may be accessed

Gene expression profiles among murine strains segregate with distinct differences in the progression of radiation-induced lung disease.

Molecular mechanisms underlying development of acute pneumonitis and/or late fibrosis following thoracic irradiation remain poorly understood. Here, we hypothesize that heterogeneity in disease progression and phenotypic expression of radiation-induced lung disease (RILD) across murine strains presents an opportunity to better elucidate mechanisms driving tissue response toward pneumonitis and/or fibrosis. Distinct differences in disease progression were observed in age- and sex-matched CBA/J, C57L/J and C57BL/6J mice over 1 year after graded doses of whole-thorax lung irradiation (WTLI). Separately, comparison of gene expression profiles in lung tissue 24 h post-exposure demonstrated \u3e5000 genes to be differentially expressed (P\u3c0.01; \u3etwofold change) between strains with early versus late onset of disease. An immediate divergence in early tissue response between radiation-sensitive and -resistant strains was observed. In pneumonitis-prone C57L/J mice, differentially expressed genes were enriched in proinflammatory pathways, whereas in fibrosis-prone C57BL/6J mice, genes were enriched in pathways involved in purine and pyrimidine synthesis, DNA replication and cell division. At 24 h post-WTLI, different patterns of cellular damage were observed at the ultrastructural level among strains but microscopic damage was not yet evident under light microscopy. These data point toward a fundamental difference in patterns of early pulmonary tissue response to WTLI, consistent with the macroscopic expression of injury manifesting weeks to months after exposure. Understanding the mechanisms underlying development of RILD might lead to more rational selection of therapeutic interventions to mitigate healthy tissue damage

Accuracy of High-Speed Video Analysis to Diagnose Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia

Background: primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a rare genetic disease that impairs motility of cilia. Diagnosis relies on a combination of tests and final decision by multidisciplinary team (MDT). High-speed video microscopy (HSVM) is an important contribution to diagnostic testing, and is the only test that examines cilia motility on the day of patients’ appointment. No study has assessed the accuracy of HSVM. We hypothesised that scientists experienced in cilia assessment by HSVM would accurately diagnose PCD using HSVM alone compared to MDT diagnosis.Methods: we used 720 archived videos from 120 patients referred to three UK PCD diagnostic services in 2015-17. One scientist from each PCD centre reviewed videos, blinded to diagnostic and clinical data, and scored them for final diagnosis using a standardised proforma. We compared the final scoring for each scientist to: a) a report containing final diagnosis from the MDT decision, and b) diagnostic criteria provided in the 2017 ERS PCD diagnostic guidelines.Results: sensitivity and specificity were: a) 96.1% and 100% respectively when compared to MDT decision, and b) 95.7% and 100% respectively when compared to ERS guidelines criteria. Inter-rater reliability between the three scientists was substantial (k=0.7) for ‘PCD positive’, and moderate (k=0.44) for ‘PCD highly unlikely’.Conclusions: specialist scientists accurately diagnosed PCD using HSVM analysis, with high inter-observer agreement. HSVM can be used to reliably counsel patients on their likely diagnosis on the same day as clinic appointment and inform clinicians on initiation of treatment while confirmatory investigations are conducted

Analysis of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms and Radiation Sensitivity of the Lung Assessed With an Objective Radiologic Endpoin

To explore the possibility that underlying genetic susceptibility influences radiation-induced lung injury, we studied pulmonary damage after radiation therapy for lung cancer and single nucleotide polymorphisms implicated in radiation sensitivity. An objective radiologic method (perfusion single photon emission computed tomography) was used to assess radiation sensitivity. An association between single nucleotide polymorphisms in XRCC1 and BRCA1 and radiation sensitivity of the lungs was noted

The ocean sampling day consortium

Ocean Sampling Day was initiated by the EU-funded Micro B3 (Marine Microbial Biodiversity, Bioinformatics, Biotechnology) project to obtain a snapshot of the marine microbial biodiversity and function of the world’s oceans. It is a simultaneous global mega-sequencing campaign aiming to generate the largest standardized microbial data set in a single day. This will be achievable only through the coordinated efforts of an Ocean Sampling Day Consortium, supportive partnerships and networks between sites. This commentary outlines the establishment, function and aims of the Consortium and describes our vision for a sustainable study of marine microbial communities and their embedded functional traits

Effects of antiplatelet therapy on stroke risk by brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases: subgroup analyses of the RESTART randomised, open-label trial

Background Findings from the RESTART trial suggest that starting antiplatelet therapy might reduce the risk of recurrent symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage compared with avoiding antiplatelet therapy. Brain imaging features of intracerebral haemorrhage and cerebral small vessel diseases (such as cerebral microbleeds) are associated with greater risks of recurrent intracerebral haemorrhage. We did subgroup analyses of the RESTART trial to explore whether these brain imaging features modify the effects of antiplatelet therapy

Characterization of crop residues from false banana/Ensete ventricosum/in Ethiopia in view of a full-resource valorization

Research ArticleFalse banana /Ensete ventricosum [Welw.] Cheesman/ is exploited as a food crop in Ethiopia where it represents an important staple food. The plant is harvested and large amounts of biomass residues are originated, mainly from the pseudo stem (i.e., fiber bundles obtained from the leaf sheaths after being scrapped to produce starchy food) and the inflorescence stalk. These materials were studied in relation to their summative chemical composition, composition of lignin, lipophilic and polar extracts. Moreover, their structural characteristics, in view of their valorization, were scrutinized. The analytical studies were performed with the aid of FTIR, GC/MS, Py-GC/MS and SEM. The fiber bundles are aggregates of mainly long and slender fibers with low ash, extractives and lignin contents (3.8%. 4.4% and 10.5% respectively) and high holocellulose and α-cellulose contents (87.5% and 59.6% respectively). The hemicelluloses in the fibers are mostly highly acetylated xylans and the lignin is of the H-type (H:G:S, 1:0.7:0.8). This lignin composition is in line with the FTIR peaks at 1670 cm-1 and 1250 cm-1.The inflorescence stalk has high ash content (12.3% in the main stalk and 24.6% in fines) with a major proportion of potassium, high extractives (25.9%), and low lignin and α-cellulose contents (5.8% and 17.9% respectively). The stalk includes numerous starch granules in the cellular structure with the predominant presence of parenchyma. The potential valorization routes for these materials are clearly different. The fiber bundles could be used as a fiber source for paper pulp production with the possibility of a prior hemicelluloses removal while the inflorescence stalk has nutritional value for food and fodder. Furthermore, it can also be used for sugar fermentation productsinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Haemonchus contortus Acetylcholine Receptors of the DEG-3 Subfamily and Their Role in Sensitivity to Monepantel

Gastro-intestinal nematodes in ruminants, especially Haemonchus contortus, are a global threat to sheep and cattle farming. The emergence of drug resistance, and even multi-drug resistance to the currently available classes of broad spectrum anthelmintics, further stresses the need for new drugs active against gastro-intestinal nematodes. A novel chemical class of synthetic anthelmintics, the Amino-Acetonitrile Derivatives (AADs), was recently discovered and the drug candidate AAD-1566 (monepantel) was chosen for further development. Studies with Caenorhabditis elegans suggested that the AADs act via nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR) of the nematode-specific DEG-3 subfamily. Here we identify nAChR genes of the DEG-3 subfamily from H. contortus and investigate their role in AAD sensitivity. Using a novel in vitro selection procedure, mutant H. contortus populations of reduced sensitivity to AAD-1566 were obtained. Sequencing of full-length nAChR coding sequences from AAD-susceptible H. contortus and their AAD-1566-mutant progeny revealed 2 genes to be affected. In the gene monepantel-1 (Hco-mptl-1, formerly named Hc-acr-23H), a panel of mutations was observed exclusively in the AAD-mutant nematodes, including deletions at intron-exon boundaries that result in mis-spliced transcripts and premature stop codons. In the gene Hco-des-2H, the same 135 bp insertion in the 5′ UTR created additional, out of frame start codons in 2 independent H. contortus AAD-mutants. Furthermore, the AAD mutants exhibited altered expression levels of the DEG-3 subfamily nAChR genes Hco-mptl-1, Hco-des-2H and Hco-deg-3H as quantified by real-time PCR. These results indicate that Hco-MPTL-1 and other nAChR subunits of the DEG-3 subfamily constitute a target for AAD action against H. contortus and that loss-of-function mutations in the corresponding genes may reduce the sensitivity to AADs

AFM study of morphology and mechanical properties of a chimeric 2 spider silk and bone sialoprotein protein for bone regeneration

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to assess a new chimeric protein consisting of a fusion protein of the consensus repeat for Nephila clavipes spider dragline protein and bone sialoprotein (6merþBSP). The elastic modulus of this protein in film form was assessed through force curves, and film surface roughness was also determined. The results showed a significant difference among the elastic modulus of the chimeric silk protein, 6merþBSP, and control films consisting of only the silk component (6mer). The behavior of the 6merþBSP and 6mer proteins in aqueous solution in the presence of calcium (Ca) ions was also assessed to determine interactions between the inorganic and organic components related to bone interactions, anchoring, and biomaterial network formation. The results demonstrated the formation of protein networks in the presence of Ca2þ ions, characteristics that may be important in the context of controlling materials assembly and properties related to bone formation with this new chimeric silk-BSP protein.Silvia Games thanks the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for supporting her Ph.D. grant, SFRH/BD/28603/2006. This work was carried out under the scope of the European NoE EXPERTISSUES (NMP3-CT-2004-500283), the Chimera project (PTDC/EBB-EBI/109093/2008) funded by the FCT agency, the NIH (P41 EB002520) Tissue Engineering Resource Center, and the NIH (EB003210 and DE017207)