Neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy (NCRT) is an underutilized treatment in breast cancer but may improve outcomes by impacting the tumor immune microenvironment. The aim of this study was to evaluate NCRT’s impact on recurrence and the role of tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) in treatment response. We hypothesized that NCRT reduces recurrence by upregulating TILs. Patients with locally advanced breast cancer (LABC) were treated with NCRT. Stage IIB to III patients with any molecular subtypes were eligible. The patients were matched for age, stage, and molecular subtype by a propensity score to a concurrent cohort receiving standard neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) followed by adjuvant radiation. The objective of this study was to assess the patients in terms of the pathological complete response (pCR), TIL counts prior to and following treatment, and locoregional recurrence. The median follow-up was 7.2 years. Thirty NCRT patients were successfully matched 1:3 to ninety NCT patients. The NCRT cohort had no regional and locoregional recurrences (p = 0.036, (hazard ratio) HR [0.25], 95% confidence interval (CI) [0.06–0.94] and p = 0.013, HR [0.25], 95% CI [0.08–0.76], respectively), compared to 17.8% of the NCT cohort. The NCRT group had significantly more pCRs, and TILs were increased in the post-treatment pCR specimens. NCRT can improve outcomes in LABC patients, with a higher pCR and significantly lower locoregional recurrence/higher recurrence-free survival. Further trials are needed to evaluate the role of NCRT in all breast cancer patients.

• Book : 32(2)
• Pub. Date : 2025
• Page : pp.85-85
• Keyword :

Abstract Background Brain metastases from Mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) of the parotid gland is extremely rare. To our best knowledge, this is the second report of BM from MEC of parotid gland. Case presentation We report the case of a 61-year-old man who was surgically treated for mucoepidermoid carcinoma classified as T3N1M0 and was admitted because of multiple brain metastases from this tumor. He underwent surgery for cerebellar metastases and underwent adjuvant radiotherapy. Conclusion In this article, the authors report a case of brain metastases from parotid MEC treated by resection and radiation therapy. A review of the literature did not reveal any other cases of this type.

• Book : 40(1)
• Pub. Date : 2025
• Page :
• Keyword :

In the present context of a sharp aggravation of interstate rivalry and escalation of traditional and new threats, the importance of policy, forces and means of strategic deterrence in ensuring Russia’s national security cannot be overstated. Fundamental decisions on the development of strategic deterrence capabilities were made by the Russian leadership back in the late 1990s. These decisions were based on the long-term political and military forecasts first made by the Ministry of Defense and the Defense Council and then furthered by the Security Council of the Russian Federation. This paper examines how these decisions were put into practice in the subsequent years and how they have permeated the concept of strategic deterrence in Russia’s updated national security policy. The first section of the article identifies the key forces and facilities underlying the policy of the Russian Federation in the field of strategic nuclear deterrence. The author emphasizes that this policy is defensive in its nature and in terms of material capacities is based on achievements of Russian science and industry in general and the defense industry in particular. These advancements, in turn, rely on the foundations laid down in the USSR, and at the same time result from the timely modernization of Russia’s nuclear triad. The second section analyzes the role of non-nuclear deterrence in the national security policy of Russia. The author notes that a formidable threat of using a high-precision long-range conventionally-armed carrier within the framework of non-nuclear (‘pre-nuclear’) deterrence can effectively complement the nuclear deterrence system. That said, the author concludes that the solution to the problem of ensuring both nuclear and non-nuclear deterrence requires working out a large number of different scenarios, not only political ones, but also of a purely military, strategic and even tactical nature. It also necessitates the coordinated and systematic work of both military and civilian specialists representing the widest range of applied and fundamental disciplines.

• Book : 16(4)
• Pub. Date : 2025
• Page : pp.11-31
• Keyword :

Abstract Purpose Gamma Knife radiosurgery (GKRS) is a precise and efficacious treatment modality for vestibular schwannoma (VS) with favorable cranial nerve preservation rates. This study aims to better characterize facial nerve (FN) outcomes in VS after GKRS. Methods A query of six medical databases was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Eligible studies exclusively reported VS managed with single-fraction GKRS and included House-Brackmann (HB) scale assessments prior to and following GKRS. Data was analyzed using random-effects modeling, and FN preservation was defined as HB I or II at last follow-up. Results Data was analyzed from 15 articles with 3,155 patients at an mean age of 55.0 years. Mean tumor volume, radiation dose, follow-up, tumor control, and hearing preservation were 4.28 cm3, 13.3 Gy, 59.4 months, 92.7%, and 62.6%, respectively. The pooled FN preservation rate was 92.9%. Mean preoperative tumor volume > 2.5 cm3 and age > 60 years were significantly associated with worse preoperative FN function (p = 0.019, p = 0.023, respectively). Normal FN function (HB = 1) at last follow up was 95.8% for VS volume < 2.5 cm3 and 89.4% with larger volumes (p < 0.001). Doses ≤ 13 Gy were significantly associated with superior FN preservation (96.5%) compared to higher doses (p < 0.001). Tumor control and hearing preservation were not significantly associated with FN preservation. Conclusion This meta-analysis identifies tumor volume and radiation dose as prognostic factors for FN preservation. A FN preservation rate of 93% may be expected at five years after GKRS. This study provides a unique characterization of FN outcome that should be considered in the management of VS.

• Book : 167(1)
• Pub. Date : 2025
• Page :
• Keyword :

This article analyzes the propagation of electromagnetic waves in multilayer systems using the transfer matrix method (TMM). Some fundamental optical properties, which include transmittance and reflectance, are examined in dielectric materials and photonic crystals; the influence on radiation propagation associated to some system variables, including the number of layers, their thickness, and stratified deposition, is analyzed. Our main results include the identification of transmission and reflection bands, the influence of the system geometry and periodicity on the optical efficiency, and the viability of the TMM, which can be accomplished by comparing our results with experimental data. In addition, sets of optimal configurations of multilayer systems are presented that show how transmittance is maximized within the optical spectrum. These findings highlight the versatility of the TMM in order to design coatings of high transmittance (or reflectance) and advanced photonic devices, which have several applications, including the areas of photovoltaic cells and optical sensors.

• Book : (70)
• Pub. Date : 2025
• Page : pp.77-100
• Keyword :

• Book : ()
• Pub. Date : 2025
• Page :
• Keyword :

ABSTRACTA dry air atmospheric pressure volume dielectric barrier discharge is employed to fix nitrogen in water. Producing nitrate for use as nitrogen fertilizer is the primary motivation. A 0D chemistry model is developed and informed by the electrical, and geometric characteristics of the device and the plasma gas temperature. Modeled ozone and nitrate densities are compared to those measured experimentally in the plasma effluent and treated liquid for a range of gas temperatures. Modeled and measured ozone densities are in good agreement; however, the model lacks the liquid chemistry to properly represent the measured nitrate density. A gas temperature‐based shift from ozone to producing regimes is observed in both experiment and model, and the reactions responsible are evaluated.

• Book : ()
• Pub. Date : 2025
• Page :
• Keyword :

• Book : 752()
• Pub. Date : 2025
• Page : pp.151450-151450
• Keyword :

Though extensive experiments have been performed in the past to measure electron emission properties under electron beam bombardment, reliable measured data for clean and smooth surfaces are still lacking for most elemental solids. In this study, we have conducted a comprehensive Monte Carlo simulation to examine electron emission yields, including secondary electron yield (SEY), backscattering coefficient (BSC), and total electron yield (TEY), for germanium. The uncertainties associated with theoretical calculations have also been assessed with a total of 4608 scattering models by considering several dominant factors that can influence the calculated yields, i.e., optical energy loss function dataset, work function data, dielectric function model for electron inelastic scattering, and scattering potential for electron elastic scattering. Our results indicate that the work function value significantly affects the simulated SEY, and the energy loss function dataset and elastic scattering potential moderately influence both SEY and BSC. Our simulated BSC data are somewhat higher than most of the experimental measurements, while the simulated SEY data are mostly lower than the experimental data within the estimated theoretical uncertainty. This study highlights the critical need for establishing an accurate database of electron emission yields using theoretical modeling, considering particularly the unreliability of the previous experimental data caused by surface contamination during measurements.

• Book : 137(6)
• Pub. Date : 2025
• Page :
• Keyword :

This research note presents the properties of the F(R,T)-gravity model in combination with magnetized strange quark matter. We obtain the equation of state for the magnetized strange quark matter in the F(R,T)-gravity model endowed with the Lagrangian through of Ricci curvature. We also examine the Ricci solitons supported by a time-like conformal vector field in F(R,T)-gravity, attached with magnetized strange quark matter fluid. Within this ongoing research, we give an estimate of the total quark pressure and total density in the phantom barrier and the radiation epochs of the Universe. Finally, using Ricci solitons, we study the various energy conditions, some black holes criteria, and Penrose’s singularity theorem for magnetized strange quark matter fluid spacetime coupled with the F(R,T)-gravity model.

• Book : 13(4)
• Pub. Date : 2025
• Page : pp.586-586
• Keyword :