Relevance of Positron-Emission Therapy for Optimization of Treatment of Advanced Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Using Intensive ЕАСОРР-14 Program

Aim. To evaluate the relevance of the positron-emission therapy (PET) for optimization of the therapy of advanced Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL) using the intensive EACOPP-14 program. Materials & Methods. 91 patients with advanced HL (IIX–IIE, III–IV) received the treatment according to the “ЛХМосква1-3” protocol over the period from November 2009 to February 2015, and then the treatment was analyzed. The median age was 29 years (range: 17–50); there were 42 men (46.3 %) and 49 (53.7 %) women. The treatment included 6 cycles of polychemotherapy according to the regimen ЕА(50)СОРР-14 ± radiation therapy. The radiation therapy was performed in 66 patients (72.5 %) after the completion of the chemotherapy. The cumulative focal dose was 30 Gy onto the areas of residual lesions and/or initially large tumor masses. Results. PET performed during the initial HL diagnosing permited to identify new areas of neoplastic lesions without changes in staging and treatment scheme, as well as specify areas and field size of planned radiation consolidation. The paper confirms the prognostic value of the intermediate PET in patients with advanced HL during the intensive first-line chemotherapy. The intensive therapy at the beginning of the treatment program is associated with higher chances for survival for patients with extremely unfavorable prognosis. After completion of the drug therapy, negative PET findings had a higher prognostic value, than the positive ones. The analysis of the relevance of residual tumor dimensions in the PET negative group demonstrated that the relapses were more common, if the residual tumor was more than 4.5 cm (according to CT findings). Conclusion. This study confirmed that it reasonable to discuss the discontinuation of the radiation therapy in patients with advanced HL, negative PET findings and small (< 2.5 cm) residual tumor after the intensive ЕАСОРР-14 program. This tactics permits avoiding a number of delayed complications

Functional Changes in the Snail Statocyst System Elicited by Microgravity

BACKGROUND: The mollusk statocyst is a mechanosensing organ detecting the animal's orientation with respect to gravity. This system has clear similarities to its vertebrate counterparts: a weight-lending mass, an epithelial layer containing small supporting cells and the large sensory hair cells, and an output eliciting compensatory body reflexes to perturbations. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In terrestrial gastropod snail we studied the impact of 16- (Foton M-2) and 12-day (Foton M-3) exposure to microgravity in unmanned orbital missions on: (i) the whole animal behavior (Helix lucorum L.), (ii) the statoreceptor responses to tilt in an isolated neural preparation (Helix lucorum L.), and (iii) the differential expression of the Helix pedal peptide (HPep) and the tetrapeptide FMRFamide genes in neural structures (Helix aspersa L.). Experiments were performed 13-42 hours after return to Earth. Latency of body re-orientation to sudden 90° head-down pitch was significantly reduced in postflight snails indicating an enhanced negative gravitaxis response. Statoreceptor responses to tilt in postflight snails were independent of motion direction, in contrast to a directional preference observed in control animals. Positive relation between tilt velocity and firing rate was observed in both control and postflight snails, but the response magnitude was significantly larger in postflight snails indicating an enhanced sensitivity to acceleration. A significant increase in mRNA expression of the gene encoding HPep, a peptide linked to ciliary beating, in statoreceptors was observed in postflight snails; no differential expression of the gene encoding FMRFamide, a possible neurotransmission modulator, was observed. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Upregulation of statocyst function in snails following microgravity exposure parallels that observed in vertebrates suggesting fundamental principles underlie gravi-sensing and the organism's ability to adapt to gravity changes. This simple animal model offers the possibility to describe general subcellular mechanisms of nervous system's response to conditions on Earth and in space

Structural organization of procerebrums of terrestrial molluscs: Characteristics of neuronal pattern, plasticity, and age peculiarities

In terrestrial snails and slugs, the presence of five types of neurons has been shown: typical granular, horizontal, stellate, apical, and basal cells. A peculiarity of procerebrum neurons is a loop-like segment of the basal process. Granular cells have been established to spread both as cell columns and as single cells. The number of the columns and the number of cells in each column depend on the age and individual peculiarities of the animal. In the course of ontogenesis, there also occur changes of the number of processes-outgrowths of granular cell bodies as well as of the character of thickenings and the type of endings on their main processes. Basal neurons and single granular cells of the columns form several independent tracts running from the procerebrum cell body areas to metacerebrums. The single granular cells, horizontal cells, and a part of basal neurons are considered as associative elements providing formation in procerebrums of the single system that is a basis for the synchronized activity of the whole neuronal complex. A similarity of organization of procerebrums and of associative-integrative centers of higher animals is discussed

Ultrastructure of the area of procerebrum cell bodies in snails and slugs

Ultrastructure of the main neural elements in the cell body area of procerebrums, the higher olfactory centers of terrestrial snails and slugs, was studied. It has been shown that nearly every neuron of the procerebrums contains several types of agranular and granular vesicles used in various interneuronal connections. Several types of classic and non-classic synaptic junctions between granular cell bodies and their main processes as well as between granular cells and various neural fibers coming to this area from other brain regions are described. About 70% of the synapses and synaptic-like junctions are symmetric. Complex synaptic complexes of both divergent and convergent types are observed. it has been established that the coming fibers form numerous, spatially separated, parallel, divergent and partially overlapping, synaptic complexes with the procerebrum neurons clustered in columns. Due to the high degree of convergence of afferent inputs in the procerebrums and the huge amount of symmetric and unidirectional links, procerebrums may represent an integral, highly differentiated, integrative system of the molluscan brain

Jenna Daum, flute

Joseph SchwantnerCharles Rochester YoungRobert MuczynskiAaron CoplandAnne BoydAndre Jolive