PURPOSE Proton radiation therapy (PRT) is a standard treatment of uveal melanoma. PRT patients undergo implantation of ocular tantalum markers (OTMs) for treatment planning. Ultra-high-field MRI is a promising technique for 3D tumor visualization and PRT planning. This work examines MR safety and compatibility of OTMs at 7.0 Tesla. METHODS MR safety assessment included deflection angle measur...

BACKGROUND There have been conflicting reports in the literature on association of gene copy number with disease, including CCL3L1 and HIV susceptibility, and β-defensins and Crohn's disease. Quantification of precise gene copy numbers is important in order to define any association of gene copy number with disease. At present, real-time quantitative PCR (QPCR) is the most commonly used method ...

Abstract INTRODUCTION Craniopharyngioma accounts for approximately 4% of childhood central nervous system tumors and has a 5-year overall survival rate exceeding 90%. Survivors craniopharyngioma may experience neurologic sequalae, including visual fine motor deficits, subclinical hearing loss associated with tumor treatment. Contemporary treatment includes radical surgery or more limited proton...

The aim of this study was to investigate influence of delayed gastric emptying on postprandial reflux in esophageal pH. Sixty-nine consecutive patients underwent 24 hour (h) esophageal pH monitoring and gastric emptying. In 24 h esophageal pH monitoring, % postprandial reflux pH<4 for 2 h after each meal (% PRT) was extracted from the 24 h pH profile. After solid test meal (1 mCi, Tc99m) was gi...

Several physical properties of the first four enzymatic activities of the tryptophan pathway were examined using gel filtration and ion exchange chromatography. Five different patterns were noted. Differences in the anthranilate synthetase (AS) and phosphoribosylanthranilate transferase (PRT) defined these patterns. In all the organisms studied phosphoribosylanthranilate isomerase and indolegly...

As well known, signet-ring cell carcinoma (SRCC) is a rare histological subtype of colorectal adenocarcinoma, which has been associated with poor prognosis and resistant to non-surgery therapy compared with common adenocarcinoma. In this study, we assessed the effect of preoperative radiotherapy (PRT) for locally advanced rectal SRCC in a large patient group from the Surveillance, Epidemiology,...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE To evaluate the efficacy of supervised high-intensity progressive resistance training (PRT) on lower extremity strength, function, and disability in older, long-term stroke survivors. METHODS Forty-two volunteers aged 50 years and above, 6 months to 6 years after a single mild to moderate stroke, were randomized into either a control group of upper extremity stretching ...

BACKGROUND Bacterial contamination is a life-threatening risk of blood transfusion, especially with platelet (PLT) transfusions. Bacterial culturing (BCU) of PLTs as well as pathogen reduction (PRT) reduce the likelihood of such contamination. The cost-effectiveness (CE) of these interventions was analyzed after the introduction of the diversion pouch during blood collection. STUDY DESIGN AND...

BACKGROUND Reductions in skeletal muscle mass and increased adiposity are key elements in the aging process and in the pathophysiology of several chronic diseases. Systemic low grade inflammation associated with obesity has been shown to accelerate the age-related decline in skeletal muscle. The aim of this investigation was to determine the effects of 12 months of progressive resistance traini...

BACKGROUND Parkinson's disease (PD) results from a loss of dopamine in the brain, leading to movement dysfunctions such as bradykinesia, postural instability, resting tremor and muscle rigidity. Furthermore, dopamine deficiency in PD has been shown to result in maladaptive plasticity of the primary motor cortex (M1). Progressive resistance training (PRT) is a popular intervention in PD that imp...