Comparative assessment of radiation therapy-induced vasculitis using [18F]FDG-PET/CT in patients with non-small cell lung cancer treated with proton versus photon radiotherapy.

PURPOSE: To assess radiation therapy (RT)-induced vasculitis in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) by examining changes in the uptake of 18F-fluoro-D-deoxyglucose ([18F]FDG) by positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) images of the ascending aorta (AA), descending aorta (DA), and aortic arch (AoA) before and after proton and photon RT. METHOD: Thirty-five consecutive locally advanced NSCLC patients were definitively treated with proton (n = 27) or photon (n = 8) RT and concurrent chemotherapy. The patients were prospectively enrolled to undergo [18F]FDG-PET/CT imaging before and 3 months after RT. An adaptive contrast-oriented thresholding algorithm was applied to generate mean standardized uptake values (SUVmean) for regions of interest (ROIs) 3 mm outside and 3 mm inside the outer perimeter of the AA, DA, and AoA. These ROIs were employed to exclusively select the aortic wall and remove the influence of blood pool activity. SUVmeans before and after RT were compared using two-tailed paired t-tests. RESULTS: RT treatments were associated with increased SUVmeans in the AA, DA, and AoA-1.9%, 0.3%, and 1.3% for proton and 15.8%, 9.5%, and 15.5% for photon, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference in the ∆SUVmean (post-RT SUVmean - pre-RT SUVmean) in patients treated with photon RT when compared to ∆SUVmean in patients treated with proton RT in the AA (p = 0.043) and AoA (p = 0.015). There was an average increase in SUVmean that was related to dose for photon patients (across structures), but that was not seen for proton patients, although the increase was not statistically significant. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that patients treated with photon RT for NSCLC may exhibit significantly more RT-induced inflammation (measured as ∆SUVmean) in the AA and AoA when compared to patients who received proton RT. Knowledge gained from further analyses in larger cohorts could aid in treatment planning and help prevent the significant morbidity and mortality associated with RT-induced vascular complications. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02135679.

A preliminary report on pain thresholds in bulimia nervosa during a bulimic episode.

Subjects with bulimia nervosa (BN) have been shown to exhibit abnormal satiety responses. Short-term satiety is largely mediated by afferent vagal activity. Activation of afferent vagal fibers has also been found to stimulate a descending pain inhibitory pathway that leads to elevation in somatosensory pain thresholds. Therefore, the study of pain thresholds in BN subjects may lead to a better understanding of afferent vagal function in this disorder. In this preliminary study, pressure pain thresholds were assessed in nine subjects with BN on 3 consecutive days during a binge-eating and vomiting (B/V) episode, during a normal meal, and after an overnight fast. A significant time versus condition effect was found with a significant change in the pain threshold in BN subjects under the B/V condition only. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that vagal afferent activation by a B/V episode also activates the descending pain inhibitory pathway.

Evaluation of the USDA Protocol for Detection of Listeria monocytogenes.

This study compared the recovery of Listeria monocytogenes from Fraser broth incubated 26 h versus 48 h. L. monocytogenes was isolated from 60 of 1,088 samples analyzed. Samples included meat products and environmental swabs from meat and dairy plants. Recovery of L. monocytogenes occurred in two samples after 48 h incubation but not at 26 h, resulting in 3.3% false negatives at 26 h. L. monocytogenes was detected in two samples at 26 h incubation in which the Fraser broth did not blacken. A 6.7% incidence of false negatives resulted if one considers only blackened Fraser broth. Additionally, 659 of the primary enrichments were streaked directly onto selective media. This procedure recovered L. monocytogenes in 76.7% of the total number of samples positive; failure to recover L. monocytogenes occurred in eight Fraser broth enrichments from positive primary enrichments.

A Survey of 18 Dry Dairy Product Processing Plant Environments for Salmonella , Listeria and Yersinia.

An environmental microbiological surveillance program was conducted throughout the dry milk industry in cooperation with the American Dairy Products Institute (ADPI). The purpose of the survey was to determine the frequency and location of certain pathogenic microorganisms in dry milk and whey processing plant environments. A total of 402 samples were collected from 18 plants by each respective plant's personnel. All plants participated on a voluntary basis in response to a request sent to all ADPI members. All 410 samples were tested for Listeria spp., 245 samples were tested for Salmonella , and 312 samples were tested for Yersinia . Of the total, five samples collected from five separate plants were positive for either Salmonella or Listeria . Two samples were positive for Listeria (one for L. monocytogenes ), and three samples were positive for Salmonella . None was positive for Yersinia . Four out of the five positive samples were taken from drains in receiving, dryer, and butter production areas of the plants. The fifth positive sample was collected from a prefilter to a dryer.