Five-Fraction Proton Therapy for the Treatment of Skull Base Chordomas and Chondrosarcomas: Early Results of a Prospective Series and Description of a Clinical Trial.

(1) Background: Our purpose is to describe the design of a phase II clinical trial on 5-fraction proton therapy for chordomas and chondrosarcomas of the skull base and to present early results in terms of local control and clinical tolerance of the first prospective series. (2) Methods: A dose of 37.5 GyRBE in five fractions was proposed for chordomas and 35 GyRBE in five fractions for chondrosarcomas. The established inclusion criteria are age ≥ 18 years, Karnofsky Performance Status ≥ 70%, clinical target volume up to 50 cc, and compliance with dose restrictions to the critical organs. Pencil beam scanning was used for treatment planning, employing four to six beams. (3) Results: A total of 11 patients (6 chordomas and 5 chondrosarcomas) were included. The median follow-up was 12 months (9-15 months) with 100% local control. Acute grade I-II headache (64%), grade I asthenia and alopecia (45%), grade I nausea (27%), and grade I dysphagia (18%) were described. Late toxicity was present in two patients with grade 3 temporal lobe necrosis. (4) Conclusions: Hypofractionated proton therapy is showing encouraging preliminary results. However, to fully assess the efficacy of this therapeutic approach, future trials with adequate sample sizes and extended follow-ups are necessary.

Image guided SBRT for multiple liver metastases with ExacTrac® Adaptive Gating.

AIM: To report the outcome and toxicity of sequential stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) for multiple liver metastases in patients treated with ExacTrac Adaptive Gating. BACKGROUND: In selected patients with a limited number of liver metastases, SBRT has been evaluated as a safe and effective treatment, with minimal toxicity and high rates of local control. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From April 2008 to October 2013, 21 patients with multiple (3-14) liver metastases (n = 101) were treated sequentially with SBRT at our institution. Maximum tumor diameter was 7.5 cm. Prior to treatment, internal markers were placed inside or near the tumor. CT or PET-CT simulation was used for the definition of gross tumor volume (GTV). Median planning target volume was 32.3 cc (3.6-139.3 cc). Treatment consisted of 3 fractions (12-20 Gy/fraction) or 5 fractions (10 Gy/fraction), prescribed to the 90-95% of the PTV volume. Daily intra-fraction image guidance was performed with ExacTrac Adaptive Gating. Regular follow-up included CT or PET-CT imaging. RESULTS: After a median of 23.2 months, the estimated local control rate was 94.4%, 80.6%, 65% and 65% after 1, 2, 3 and 4 years; the median overall survival was 62 months (95% CI 49.12-74.87) and the actuarial survival reached at 60 months was 57.6%. The univariate data analysis revealed that only primary histology other than colorectal adenocarcinoma was shown as an independent significant prognostic factor for local control (p = 0.022). Number of treated metastases did not modify significantly the overall survival (p = 0.51). No toxicity higher than G3 (1 patient with chest wall pain) and no radiation-induced liver disease were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Sequential SBRT with ExacTrac Adaptive Gating for multiple liver metastases can be considered an effective, safe therapeutic option, with a low treatment-related toxicity. Excellent rates of local control and survival were obtained.

Effects of enrichment with polyunsaturated fatty acids (omega-3 and conjugated linoleic acid) on consumer liking of beef aged for 7 or 21 d evaluated at different locations.

The effect of different animal diets supplemented with linseed (source of omega-3 fatty acids: n-3) and/or conjugated linoleic acid (CON: control, LIN: 10% linseed, CLA: 2% conjugated linoleic acid, LINCLA: 10% linseed plus 2% CLA) on consumer liking of beef aged for 7 or 21 d was assessed in 3 Spanish cities. Overall, tenderness, juiciness, and flavor liking of beef were evaluated by consumers (n = 720) using 9-point scales. Hedonic scores assigned by consumers did not differ (P > 0.05) for beef from animals fed the different diets and aged for 7 or 21 d. Consumer scores showed an increasing trend in beef liking with aging time. Consumers from Pamplona assigned lower (P < 0.05) hedonic scores for beef liking than consumers from Barcelona and Zaragoza. Linseed and/or CLA can be fed to improve the fatty acid profile in beef with minimal impact on consumer liking. Consumer ratings seem to depend on regional tastes and preferences.

Effect of marination and microwave heating on the quality of Semimembranosus and Semitendinosus muscles from Friesian mature cows.

Semimembranosus (SM) and Semitendinosus (ST) muscles from 8 mature cows were used to evaluate the effect of marination, power of microwave heating, and internal temperature of cooking on the quality of calibrated beef roasts. Four treatments, using combinations of power (182W and 654W) and temperature (60 and 80°C) were applied to marinated (10% added brine: salt, sodium lactate, lactose, and ascorbate) and control roasts from SM (15×5×3cm) and ST (10×4×3cm) muscles in a 2×2×2 factorial arrangement. Microwave cooking was heterogeneous resulting in a gradient of temperatures within the roasts. Either high or low microwave power were appropriate for cooking ST roasts, but SM roasts cooked at 654W showed higher cooking losses, and lighter and less red cooked color than 182W. Cooking to 80°C increased cooking and color losses in both muscles and decreased tenderness of SM roasts compared with 60°C. Marination can be used successfully to enhance beef tenderness of ST and SM muscles cooked in microwave.

Model studies on the efficacy of protein homogenates from raw pork muscle and dry-cured ham in binding selected flavor compounds.

The binding of sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar proteins extracted from postrigor pork muscle and from 7 and 12 months dry-cured hams with volatile compounds such as 3-methyl-butanal, 2-methyl-butanal, 2-pentanone, hexanal, methional, and octanal was studied using solid phase microextraction and gas chromatography analysis. The binding ability of sarcoplasmic proteins from pork muscle was higher than the ability shown by 7 and 12 months dry-cured ham sarcoplasmic homogenates and also higher than the binding ability of myofibrillar homogenates. The effect of the ionic strength on the binding was also studied. This effect was more important on myofibrillar proteins due to its ability to produce changes on the protein conformation that affect their binding ability. However, the sarcoplasmic protein binding ability was more related to the small compounds present in this homogenate than with the aqueous phase ionic strength.