Role of GADD45a in murine models of radiation- and bleomycin-induced lung injury.

We previously reported protective effects of GADD45a (growth arrest and DNA damage-inducible gene 45 alpha) in murine ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) via effects on Akt-mediated endothelial cell signaling. In the present study we investigated the role of GADD45a in separate murine models of radiation- and bleomycin-induced lung injury. Initial studies of wild-type mice subjected to single-dose thoracic radiation (10 Gy) confirmed a significant increase in lung GADD45a expression within 24 h and persistent at 6 wk.

Validation of temporal optimization effects for a single fraction of radiation in vitro.

Purpose: To experimentally validate how temporal modification of the applied dose pattern within a single fraction of radiation therapy affects cell survival.

Method And Materials: Using the linear-quadratic model, we have previously demonstrated that the greatest difference in cell survival results from comparing a temporal dose pattern delivering the highest doses during the middle of a fraction and the lowest at the beginning and end ("Triangle") to one with the lowest doses at the middle and the highest at the beginning and end ("V-shaped"). Also, these differences would be greatest in situations with low alpha/beta and large dose/fraction and fraction length.

Characterization of a novel phantom for three-dimensional in vitro cell experiments.

A novel intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) phantom for use in three-dimensional in vitro cell experiments, based on a commercially available system (CIRS Inc., Norfolk, VA), was designed and fabricated. The water-equivalent plastic phantom can, with a set of water-equivalent plastic inserts, enclose 1-3 multi-well tissue culture plates.

Feasibility study for linac-based intensity modulated total marrow irradiation.

Total body irradiation (TBI) is used as a preconditioning regimen prior to bone marrow transplant for treatment of hematologic malignancies. During TBI, large volumes of normal tissue are irradiated, and this can lead to toxicities, most significantly in the lungs. Intensity modulated total marrow irradiation (IMTMI) may be able to reduce these toxicities by directly targeting the bone marrow while minimizing the dose to critical structures.

A dosimetric analysis of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) as an alternative to adjuvant high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy in early endometrial cancer patients.

Purpose: To evaluate the role of intensity-modulated radiation treatment (IMRT) as an alternative to high-dose-rate (HDR) brachytherapy in the treatment of the vagina in postoperative early endometrial cancer patients after surgery.

Methods And Materials: Planning computed tomography (CT) scans of 10 patients previously treated with HDR were used in this study. In all cases, a dose of 700 cGy/fraction was prescribed at a distance of 0.

Monte Carlo calculations of output factors for clinically shaped electron fields.

We report on the use of the EGS4/BEAM Monte Carlo technique to predict the output factors for clinically relevant, irregularly shaped inserts as they intercept a linear accelerator's electron beams. The output factor for a particular combination--energy, cone, insert, and source-to-surface distance (SSD)--is defined in accordance with AAPM TG-25 as the product of cone correction factor and insert correction factor, evaluated at the depth of maximum dose. Since cone correction factors are easily obtained, we focus our investigation on the insert correction factors (ICFs).