15 research outputs found
Lizards from suburban areas learn faster to stay safe
No full textEnhanced cognitive ability is beneficial in unpredictable and harsh environments, as it enables animals to respond with flexibility. For animals living in urbanized areas, local environments not only are altered but can rapidly change during their lifetime. Urban residents are therefore challenged with identifying novel dangers and safe refuges in dynamic environments. We demonstrate that the tropical agamid lizard Psammophilus dorsalis experiences dramatically different habitats not only across the rural to urban spatial scale but also over the short temporal scale of a few years in suburban areas. Differences in environmental stability are expected to affect rates of learning and reversal learning in resident lizards. In testing arenas, lizards from these populations were required to choose a designated 'safe' refuge instead of an 'unsafe' one after simulated predator attacks. The contingency for safety was switched during the reversal learning task. In general, P. dorsalis showed high rates of learning and reversal learning, but lizards from suburban areas were quicker to learn and unlearn the location of the safe refuge than those from rural areas. This demonstrates for the first time to our knowledge that suburban lizards have faster learning and reversal learning skills for a key survival-related behaviour, finding safety in unpredictable environments. © 2019 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved
Comparative studies on structural properties and antimicrobial potential of spinel ferrite nanoparticles synthesized using various methods
No full textAbsence of xenotropic murine leukaemia virus-related virus in UK patients with chronic fatigue syndrome
No full textBackground: Detection of a retrovirus, xenotropic murine leukaemia virus-related virus (XMRV), has recently been reported in 67% of patients with chronic fatigue syndrome. We have studied a total of 170 samples from chronic fatigue syndrome patients from two UK cohorts and 395 controls for evidence of XMRV infection by looking either for the presence of viral nucleic acids using quantitative PCR (limit of detection <16 viral copies) or for the presence of serological responses using a virus neutralisation assay.
Results: We have not identified XMRV DNA in any samples by PCR (0/299). Some serum samples showed XMRV neutralising activity (26/565) but only one of these positive sera came from a CFS patient. Most of the positive sera were also able to neutralise MLV particles pseudotyped with envelope proteins from other viruses, including vesicular stomatitis virus, indicating significant cross-reactivity in serological responses. Four positive samples were specific for XMRV.
Conclusions: No association between XMRV infection and CFS was observed in the samples tested, either by PCR or serological methodologies. The non-specific neutralisation observed in multiple serum samples suggests that it is unlikely that these responses were elicited by XMRV and highlights the danger of over-estimating XMRV frequency based on serological assays. In spite of this, we believe that the detection of neutralising activity that did not inhibit VSV-G pseudotyped MLV in at least four human serum samples indicates that XMRV infection may occur in the general population, although with currently uncertain outcomes
Evaluation of a virtual meeting platform for state-wide oncology education during the COVID-19 pandemic
No full textIntroduction: Due to COVID-19 restrictions, face-to-face educational meetings and conferences have either been delayed or cancelled. Continuing oncology professional education is vital and virtual platforms are increasingly being used to facilitate delivery.
Methods: We organised a virtual meeting for Queensland oncologists, trainees and pharmaceutical representatives to share updates from the American Society of Clinical Oncology 2020 virtual meeting. The meeting was conducted on the Microsoft Teams™ platform on a Saturday as a single-day event, organised in eight separate 45-minute tumour-streamed presentations. An online feedback survey was sent to all attendees following the meeting.
Results: A total of 96 participants attended the live meeting, which comprised report-back presenters, formal discussants, and concurrent sidebar chat interaction. Median number of active participants via chat feature per session was 13 (range, 8–18). Our survey had respondents, of whom 84% attended the live session.
For future meetings, virtual delivery was the most favoured meeting format (by 45% responders), followed by face-to-face weekend event (31%) and dinner meeting (23%).
The main perceived advantages reported of virtual delivery included: facilitation of remote attendance including from regional centres; the sidebar chat format which allowed concurrent, non-interruptive discussion by attendees; and the convenience of selective attendance of sessions of interest.
The most common suggestions for improvement were related to meeting logistics: restructuring content delivery in the interests of time efficiency, and to enable recording for on-demand viewing.
Conclusion: A virtual meeting platform proved to be convenient method for online oncology education. Based on the satisfaction rates and feedback, it will likely have an ongoing role in future meetings even after the COVID-19 pandemic.No Full Tex
Propranolol reduces IFN-γ driven PD-L1 immunosuppression and improves anti-tumour immunity in ovarian cancer
No full textThe immune system plays an important role in controlling epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). EOC is considered to be a "cold tumour," a tumour that has not triggered a strong response by the immune system. However, tumour infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) and the expression of programmed cell death ligand (PD-L1) are used as prognostic indicators in EOC. Immunotherapy such as PD-(L)1 inhibitors have shown limited benefit in EOC. Since the immune system is affected by behavioural stress and the beta-adrenergic signalling pathway, this study aimed to explore the impact of propranolol (PRO), a beta-blocker, on anti-tumour immunity in both in vitro and in vivo EOC models. Noradrenaline (NA), an adrenergic agonist, did not directly regulate PD-L1 expression but PD-L1 was significantly upregulated by IFN-γ in EOC cell lines. IFN-γ also increased PD-L1 on extracellular vesicles (EVs) released by ID8 cells. PRO significantly decreased IFN-γ levels in primary immune cells activated ex vivo and showed increased viability of the CD8 cell population in an EV-immune cell co-incubation. In addition, PRO reverted PD-L1 upregulation and significantly decreased IL-10 levels in an immune-cancer cell co-culture. Chronic behavioural stress increased metastasis in mice while PRO monotherapy and the combo of PRO and PD-(L)1 inhibitor significantly decreased stress-induced metastasis. The combined therapy also reduced tumour weight compared to the cancer control group and induced anti-tumour T-cell responses with significant CD8 expression in tumour tissues. In conclusion, PRO showed a modulation of the cancer immune response by decreasing IFN-γ production and, in turn, IFN-γ-mediated PD-L1 overexpression. The combined therapy of PRO and PD-(L)1 inhibitor decreased metastasis and improved anti-tumour immunity offering a promising new therapy. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Studies on the Toxicity of TBT and Efficacy of few Therapeutic Treatments in some vital Tissues of Developing Chick
No full textNot availabl
Intensity-modulated proton beam therapy (IMPT) versus intensity-modulated photon therapy (IMRT) for patients with oropharynx cancer – A case matched analysis
No full textAbstractBackgroundOwing to its physical properties, intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT) used for patients with oropharyngeal carcinoma has the ability to reduce the dose to organs at risk compared to intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) while maintaining adequate tumor coverage. Our aim was to compare the clinical outcomes of these two treatment modalities.MethodsWe performed a 1:2 matching of IMPT to IMRT patients. Our study cohort consisted of IMPT patients from a prospective quality of life study and consecutive IMRT patients treated at a single institution during the period 2010–2014. Patients were matched on unilateral/bilateral treatment, disease site, human papillomavirus status, T and N status, smoking status, and receipt of concomitant chemotherapy. Survival analyzes were performed using a Cox model and binary toxicity endpoints using a logistic regression analysis.ResultsFifty IMPT and 100 IMRT patients were included. The median follow-up time was 32months. There were no imbalances in patient/tumor characteristics except for age (mean age 56.8years for IMRT patients and 61.1years for IMPT patients, p-value=0.010). Statistically significant differences were not observed in overall survival (hazard ratio (HR)=0.55; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.12–2.50, p-value=0.44) or in progression-free survival (HR=1.02; 95% CI: 0.41–2.54; p-value=0.96). The age-adjusted odds ratio (OR) for the presence of a gastrostomy (G)-tube during treatment for IMPT vs IMRT were OR=0.53; 95% CI: 0.24–1.15; p-value=0.11 and OR=0.43; 95% CI: 0.16–1.17; p-value=0.10 at 3months after treatment. When considering the pre-planned composite endpoint of grade 3 weight loss or G-tube presence, the ORs were OR=0.44; 95% CI: 0.19–1.0; p-value=0.05 at 3months after treatment and OR=0.23; 95% CI: 0.07–0.73; p-value=0.01 at 1year after treatment.ConclusionOur results suggest that IMPT is associated with reduced rates of feeding tube dependency and severe weight loss without jeopardizing outcome. Prospective multicenter randomized trials are needed to validate such findings
Positron emission tomography/computerised tomography imaging in detecting and managing recurrent cervical cancer: systematic review of evidence, elicitation of subjective probabilities and economic modelling.
No full text© Queen’s Printer and Controller of HMSO 2013. This work was produced by Meads et al. under the terms of a commissioning contract issued by the Secretary of State for
Health. This issue may be freely reproduced for the purposes of private research and study and extracts (or indeed, the full report) may be included in professional journals provided that suitable acknowledgement is made and the reproduction is not associated with any form of advertising.Cancer of the uterine cervix is a common cause of mortality in women. After initial treatment women may be symptom free, but the cancer may recur within a few years. It is uncertain whether it is more clinically effective to survey asymptomatic women for signs of recurrence or to await symptoms or signs before using imaging.National Institute for Health Research Health Technology Assessment programm
