1. Three-dimensional MRI evaluation of the effect of bladder volume on prostate translocation and distortionŽiga Snoj, Andrew B. Gill, Leonardo Rundo, Nikola Sushentsev, Tristan Barrett, 2020, original scientific article Keywords: prostate translocation, prostate distortion, gland deformation, bladder volume, magnetic resonance imaging, radiation therapy planning
Published in DiRROS: 12.07.2024; Views: 11; Downloads: 9
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2. Phytoplankton assemblage over a 14-year period in the Adriatic Sea : patterns and trendsSanda Skejić, Blanka Milić Roje, Frano Matić, Jasna Arapov, Janja Francé, Mia Bužančić, Ana Bakrač, Maja Straka, Živana Ninčević Gladan, 2024, original scientific article Abstract: Considering the role of phytoplankton in the functioning and health of marine systems, it is important to characterize its responses to a changing environment. The central Adriatic Sea, as a generally oligotrophic area, is a suitable environment to distinguish between regular fluctuations in phytoplankton and those caused by anthropogenic or climatic influences. This study provides a long-term perspective of phytoplankton assemblage in the central eastern Adriatic Sea, with 14 years of continuous time series data collected at two coastal and two offshore stations. The predominant phytoplankton groups were diatoms and phytoflagellates, but their proportion varied depending on the vicinity of the coast, as evidenced also by the distribution of chlorophyll a. In the coastal environment, the phytoplankton biomass was substantially higher, with a higher proportion of microphytoplankton, while small phytoplankton accounted for the majority of biomass in the offshore area. In addition, a decreasing trend in diatom abundance was observed in the coastal waters, while such trend was not so evident in the offshore area. Using a neural gas algorithm, five clusters were defined based on the contribution of the major groups. The observed increase in diversity, especially in dinoflagellates, which outnumber diatom taxa, could be a possible adaptation of dinoflagellates to the increased natural solar radiation in summer and the increased sea surface temperature.
Keywords: phytoplankton community, long-term data, diversity, chlorophyll a, neural gas analysis, solar radiation, Adriatic Sea
Published in DiRROS: 11.07.2024; Views: 30; Downloads: 13
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4. Implant-prosthetic rehabilitation after radiation treatment in head and neck cancer patients : a case-series report of outcomeJasna Cotič, Jure Jamšek, Milan Kuhar, Nataša Ihan Hren, Andrej Kansky, Mutlu Özcan, Peter Jevnikar, 2017, original scientific article Abstract: Background. Slovenia has a high burden of head and neck cancer. Patients are mostly treated with surgery followed by radiation therapy. Advanced surgical and prosthodontic techniques have expanded the rehabilitation options. The aim of the study was to review the outcome of implant-prosthetic treatment after radiation therapy. Patients and methods. Twenty irradiated head and neck cancer patients who received a removable implantsupported denture at the University Medical Centre Ljubljana were included in the study. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, Cox proportional hazard models and logistic regression were used to assess the implant survival and success rate. Results. Twenty patients had 100 implants inserted. The estimated implant survival rate was 96% after 1 year and 87% after 5 years. Failures were mostly observed before loading (91.2%). Implants inserted in the transplanted bone were significantly more likely to fail. Out of 89 implants supporting the dentures, 79 implants (88.7%) were successful, meaning that they were functionally loaded and exhibited no pain, radiolucency or progressive bone loss. Prosthetic treatment was significantly less successful in older patients. The attachment system and the number of implants did not have a statistically significant influence on the success rate. Conclusions. Implant-supported dentures have been shown to be a reliable treatment modality after head and neck cancer surgery and radiation therapy. Possible early failures should be communicated with the patients.
Keywords: head and neck cancer, radiation therapy, dental implants
Published in DiRROS: 03.06.2024; Views: 129; Downloads: 56
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5. Induction gemcitabine in standard dose or prolonged low-dose with cisplatin followed by concurrent radiochemotherapy in locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer : a randomized phase II clinical trialMartina Vrankar, Matjaž Zwitter, Tanja Bavčar-Vodovnik, Ana Milič, Viljem Kovač, 2014, original scientific article Abstract: The optimal combination of chemotherapy with radiation therapy for treatment locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) remains an open issue. This randomized phase II study compared gemcitabine in two different schedules and cisplatin - as induction chemotherapy, followed by radiation therapy concurrent with cisplatin and etoposid. Patients and methods. Eligible patients had microscopically confirmed inoperable non-metastatic non-small cell lung cancer; fulfilled the standard criteria for platin-based chemotherapy; and signed informed consent. Patients were treated with 3 cycles of induction chemotherapy with gemcitabine and cisplatin. Two different aplications of gemcitabine were compared: patients in arm A received gemcitabine at 1250 mg/m2 in a standard half hour i.v. infusion on days 1 and 8; patients in arm B received gemcitabine at 250 mg/m2 in prolonged 6-hours i.v. infusion on days 1 and 8. In both arms, cisplatin 75 mg/m2 on day 2 was administered. All patients continued treatment with radiation therapy with 60-66 Gy concurrent with cisplatin 50 mg/m2 on days 1, 8, 29 and 36 and etoposid 50 mg/m2 on days 1-5 and 29-33. The primary endpoint was response rate (RR) after induction chemotherapy; secondary endpoints were toxicity, progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Results. From September 2005 to November 2010, 106 patients were recruited to this study. No statistically signifficant differences were found in RR after induction chemotherapy between the two arms (48.1% and 57.4%, p = 0.34). Toxicity profile was comparable and mild with grade 3/4 neutropenia as primary toxicity in both arms. One patient in arm B suffered from acute peripheral ischemia grade 4 and an amputation of lower limb was needed. With a median follow-up of 69.3 months, progression-free survival and median survival in arm A were 15.7 and 24.8 months compared to 18.9 and 28.6 months in arm B. The figures for 1- and 3-year overall survival were 73.1% and 30.8% in arm A, and 81.5 % and 44.4% in arm B, respectively. Conclusions. Among the two cisplatin-based doublets of induction chemotherapy for inoperable NSCLC, both schedules of gemcitabine have a comparable toxicity profile. Figures for RR, PFS and OS are among the best reported in current literature. While there is a trend towards better efficacy of the treament with prolonged infusion of gemcitabine, the difference between the two arms did not reach statistical significance
Keywords: induction chemotherapy, non-small cell lung cancer, radiation therapy, randomized clinical trial
Published in DiRROS: 11.04.2024; Views: 438; Downloads: 319
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8. Advanced method for efficient functionalization of polymers by intermediate free-radical formation with vacuum-ultraviolet radiation and producing superhydrophilic surfacesAlenka Vesel, Rok Zaplotnik, Miran Mozetič, Nina Recek, 2023, original scientific article Abstract: An efficient approach for tailoring surface properties of polymers is presented, which enables rapid modification leading to superhydrophilic properties. The approach is based on vacuum-ultraviolet radiation (VUV) pretreatment of the surface to create reactive dangling bonds. This step is followed by a second treatment using neutral oxygen atoms that react with the dangling bonds and form functional groups. The beneficial effect of VUV pretreatment for enhanced functionalization was clearly demonstrated by comparing VUV pretreatment in plasmas created in different gases, i.e., hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen, which differ in the intensity of VUV/UV radiation. The emission intensity of VUV radiation for all gases was measured by vacuum ultraviolet spectroscopy. It was shown that VUV has a strong influence on the treatment time and final surface wettability. A superhydrophilic surface was obtained only if using VUV pretreatment. Furthermore, the treatment time was significantly reduced to only a second of treatment. These findings show that such an approach may be used to enhance the surface reaction efficiency for further grafting of chemical groups.
Keywords: plasma treatment, vacuum-ultraviolet radiation treatment, surface functionalization, polymer polyvinyl chloride, vacuum-ultraviolet spectroscopy, vacuum-ultraviolet photons
Published in DiRROS: 06.06.2023; Views: 558; Downloads: 263
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9. Effects of desiccation and freezing on microbial ionizing radiation survivability : considerations for Mars sample returnWilliam H. Horne, Tine Grebenc, Rok Tkavc, Cene Gostinčar, Nina Gunde-Cimerman, 2022, original scientific article Abstract: Increasingly, national space agencies are expanding their goals to include Mars exploration with sample return. To better protect Earth and its biosphere from potential extraterrestrial sources of contamination, as set forth in the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, international efforts to develop planetary protection measures strive to understand the danger of cross-contamination processes in Mars sample return missions. We aim to better understand the impact of the martian surface on microbial dormancy and survivability. Radiation resistance of microbes is a key parameter in considering survivability of microbes over geologic times on the frigid, arid surface of Mars that is bombarded by solar and galactic cosmic radiation. We tested the influence of desiccation and freezing on the ionizing radiation survival of six model microorganisms: vegetative cells of two bacteria (Deinococcus radiodurans, Escherichia coli) and a strain of budding yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae); and vegetative cells and endospores of three Bacillus bacteria (B. subtilis, B. megaterium, B. thuringiensis). Desiccation and freezing greatly increased radiation survival of vegetative polyploid microorganisms when applied separately, and when combined, desiccation and freezing increased radiation survival even more so. Thus, the radiation survival threshold of polyploid D. radiodurans cells can be extended from the already high value of 25 kGy in liquid culture to an astonishing 140 kGy when the cells are both desiccated and frozen. However, such synergistic radioprotective effects of desiccation and freezing were not observed in monogenomic or digenomic Bacillus cells and endospores, which are generally sterilized by 12 kGy. This difference is associated with a critical requirement for survivability under radiation, that is, repair of genome damage caused by radiation. Deinococcus radiodurans and S. cerevisiae accumulate similarly high levels of the Mn antioxidants that are required for extreme radiation resistance, as do endospores, though they greatly exceed spores in radioresistance because they contain multiple identical genome copies, which in D. radiodurans are joined by persistent Holliday junctions. We estimate ionizing radiation survival limits of polyploid DNA-based life-forms to be hundreds of millions of years of background radiation while buried in the martian subsurface. Our findings imply that forward contamination of Mars will essentially be permanent, and backward contamination is a possibility if life ever existed on Mars.
Keywords: ionizing radiation, life on Mars, astrobiology, radiation, fungi, bacteria, radiotolerance
Published in DiRROS: 03.11.2022; Views: 707; Downloads: 335
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