Quantifying the Interactions and Cumulative Effects of Multiple Stressors on Salmonids.

The cumulative effects of human activities and natural pressures pose significant threats to ecosystem functioning and global biodiversity. Assessing the cumulative impact of multiple stressors-whether acting simultaneously or sequentially and directly or indirectly-is challenging due to their complex interactions. Consequently, these interactions may be unintentionally overlooked or disregarded in management decisions.

Major contributors to FLASH sparing efficacy emerge from murine skin studies: dose rate, total dose per fraction, anesthesia and oxygenation.

Background: Normal tissue sparing from radiation damage upon ultra-high dose rate irradiation, known as the FLASH effect with an equivalent tumor response, has been widely reported in murine skin models, and translation of this type of radiotherapy to humans has already begun, with skin sparing being a primary outcome expected.

Methods: This study reviews the status of the field, focusing on the proposed mechanisms and skin response assays, outlining what has become known in terms of input parameters that might control the magnitude of the FLASH effect.

Results: Murine studies have largely focused on acute damage responses, developing over 3-8 weeks, to single doses of FLASH versus conventional dose rate (CDR), suggesting that at dose rates above tens of Gray per second, with a total dose of more than 20 Gy, the FLASH effect is induced.

Cherenkov imaging combined with scintillation dosimetry provides real-time positional and dose monitoring for radiotherapy patients with cardiac implanted electronic devices.

Background And Purpose: Cardiac implanted electronic devices (CIED) require dose monitoring during each fraction of radiotherapy, which can be time consuming and may have delayed read-out times. This study explores the potential of Cherenkov imaging combined with scintillation dosimetry as an alternative verification system.

Methods And Materials: Time-gated, complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (iCMOS) cameras were used to collect video images of anthropomorphic phantoms and patients undergoing radiation treatment near chest wall cardiac devices.

Robust Real-time Segmentation of Bio-Morphological Features in Human Cherenkov Imaging during Radiotherapy via Deep Learning.

Cherenkov imaging enables real-time visualization of megavoltage X-ray or electron beam delivery to the patient during Radiation Therapy (RT). Bio-morphological features, such as vasculature, seen in these images are patient-specific signatures that can be used for verification of positioning and motion management that are essential to precise RT treatment. However until now, no concerted analysis of this biological feature-based tracking was utilized because of the slow speed and accuracy of conventional image processing for feature segmentation.

The impact of breast cancer radiation therapy exposure on the prevalence of breast arterial calcification.

Objectives: Mammographic breast arterial calcification (BAC) is an emerging imaging biomarker of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in women. The purpose of this study was to assess if breast radiation therapy (RT) exposure impacts the screening utility of this imaging biomarker.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included women ages 40-75 years who underwent index screening mammography between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2012.

Visual Dose Monitoring for Whole Breast Radiation Therapy Treatments via Combined Cherenkov Imaging and Scintillation Dosimetry.

Purpose: This study investigates scintillation dosimetry coupled with Cherenkov imaging for in vivo dose monitoring during whole breast radiation therapy (WBRT). Given recent observations of excess dose to the contralateral breast (CB), in vivo dosimetry (IVD) could help ensure accurate dose delivery and decrease risks of secondary cancer. This work presents a rapid, streamlined alternative to traditional IVD, providing direct visualization of measurement location relative to the treatment field on the patient.

FlowAtlas: an interactive tool for high-dimensional immunophenotyping analysis bridging FlowJo with computational tools in Julia.

As the dimensionality, throughput and complexity of cytometry data increases, so does the demand for user-friendly, interactive analysis tools that leverage high-performance machine learning frameworks. Here we introduce FlowAtlas: an interactive web application that enables dimensionality reduction of cytometry data without down-sampling and that is compatible with datasets stained with non-identical panels. FlowAtlas bridges the user-friendly environment of FlowJo and computational tools in Julia developed by the scientific machine learning community, eliminating the need for coding and bioinformatics expertise.

Commissioning an ultra-high-dose-rate electron linac with end-to-end tests.

. The FLASH effect can potentially be used to improve the therapeutic ratio of radiotherapy (RT) through delivery of Ultra-high-dose-rate (UHDR) irradiation. Research is actively being conducted to translate UHDR-RT and for this purpose the Mobetron is capable of producing electron beams at both UHDR and conventional dose rates for FLASH research and translation.

Electron beam response corrections for an ultra-high-dose-rate capable diode dosimeter.

Background: Ultra-high-dose-rate (UHDR) electron beams have been commonly utilized in FLASH studies and the translation of FLASH Radiotherapy (RT) to the clinic. The EDGE diode detector has potential use for UHDR dosimetry albeit with a beam energy dependency observed.

Purpose: The purpose is to present the electron beam response for an EDGE detector in dependence on beam energy, to characterize the EDGE detector's response under UHDR conditions, and to validate correction factors derived from the first detailed Monte Carlo model of the EDGE diode against measurements, particularly under UHDR conditions.

Anesthetic Oxygen Use and Sex Are Critical Factors in the FLASH Sparing Effect.

Purpose: Ultra High Dose-Rate (UHDR) radiation has been reported to spare normal tissue, compared with Conventional Dose-Rate (CDR) radiation. However, important work remains to be done to improve the reproducibility of the FLASH effect. A better understanding of the biologic factors that modulate the FLASH effect may shed light on the mechanism of FLASH sparing.

Technical note: Visual, rapid, scintillation point dosimetry for in vivo MV photon beam radiotherapy treatments.

Background: While careful planning and pre-treatment checks are performed to ensure patient safety during external beam radiation therapy (EBRT), inevitable daily variations mean that in vivo dosimetry (IVD) is the only way to attain the true delivered dose. Several countries outside the US require daily IVD for quality assurance. However, elsewhere, the manual labor and time considerations of traditional in vivo dosimeters may be preventing frequent use of IVD in the clinic.

First Monte Carlo beam model for ultra-high dose rate radiotherapy with a compact electron LINAC.

Background: FLASH radiotherapy based on ultra-high dose rate (UHDR) is actively being studied by the radiotherapy community. Dedicated UHDR electron devices are currently a mainstay for FLASH studies.

Purpose: To present the first Monte Carlo (MC) electron beam model for the UHDR capable Mobetron (FLASH-IQ) as a dose calculation and treatment planning platform for preclinical research and FLASH-radiotherapy (RT) clinical trials.

Data Resource Profile: The Hospital Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration (HEPMA) National Data Collection in Scotland.

Introduction: To support both electronic prescribing and documentation of medicines administration in secondary care, hospitals in Scotland are currently implementing the Hospital Electronic Prescribing and Medicines Administration (HEPMA) software. Driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, agreements have been put in place to centrally collate data stemming from the operational HEPMA system. The aim was to develop a national data resource based on records created in secondary care, in line with pre-existing collections of data from primary care.

Neoadjuvant Therapies Do Not Reduce Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) Expression or EGFR-Targeted Fluorescence in a Murine Model of Soft-Tissue Sarcomas.

Purpose: ABY-029, an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-targeted, synthetic Affibody peptide labeled with a near-infrared fluorophore, is under investigation for fluorescence-guided surgery of sarcomas. To date, studies using ABY-029 have occurred in tumors naïve to chemotherapy (CTx) and radiation therapy (RTx), although these neoadjuvant therapies are frequently used for sarcoma treatment in humans. The goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of CTx and RTx on tumor EGFR expression and ABY-029 fluorescence of human soft-tissue sarcoma xenografts in a murine model.

Intention to use digital mental health solutions: A cross-sectional survey of university students attitudes and perceptions toward online therapy, mental health apps, and chatbots.

Background: Globally, the high prevalence of mental disorders among university students is a growing public health problem, yet a small minority of students with mental health problems receive treatment. Digital mental health solutions could bridge treatment gaps and overcome many barriers students face accessing treatment. However, there is scant evidence, especially in South Africa (SA), relating to university students' use of and intention to use digital mental health solutions or their attitudes towards these technologies.

Anesthetic oxygen use and sex are critical factors in the FLASH sparing effect.

Introduction: Ultra-high dose-rate (UHDR) radiation has been reported to spare normal tissue compared to conventional dose-rate (CDR) radiation. However, reproducibility of the FLASH effect remains challenging due to varying dose ranges, radiation beam structure, and in-vivo endpoints. A better understanding of these inconsistencies may shed light on the mechanism of FLASH sparing.

Enhancing Physician Advocacy Through Collaboration With Government Relations: Report From the Health Policy Scholars Program.

Objective: To explore barriers, facilitators, and benefits of collaboration between academic pediatricians and institutional offices of government relations (OGR) to enhance policy advocacy efforts.

Methods: The Academic Pediatric Associations' Health Policy Scholars met with the government relations team in their affiliated institutions as part of their experiential learning curriculum. Afterward, they submitted written reflections, which were coded and analyzed using inductive qualitative content analysis to identify key themes.

The Health Care Provider's Role in Addressing Adolescent Relationship Abuse.

Adolescent relationship abuse (ARA) is highly prevalent across all sociodemographic groups with negative outcomes in multiple domains of health. Using a healing-centered engagement approach, health care providers can support healthy adolescent relationships and connect ARA survivors to resources and supports to ensure health and well-being. Essential components of health care support for adolescents experiencing ARA include validation of disclosure, assessing safety, a warm hand-off to advocacy resources, addressing immediate and long-term health needs, and connection to a trusted adult.

A process framework for integrating stressor-response functions into cumulative effects models.

Stressor-response (SR) functions quantify ecological responses to natural environmental variation or anthropogenic stressors. They are also core drivers of cumulative effects (CE) models, which are increasingly recognized as essential management tools to grapple with the diffuse footprint of human impacts. Here, we provide a process framework for the identification, development, and integration of SR functions into CE models, and highlight their consequential properties, behaviour, criteria for selecting appropriate stressors and responses, and general approaches for deriving them.