Optimizing the planning process in computed tomography-based image-guided adaptive brachytherapy for cervical cancer using a spreadsheet-based daily dose management system.

This study developed a system to reduce the treatment planning time for cervical cancer brachytherapy. An in-house Excel spreadsheet was developed to streamline dosimetric evaluation by combining external beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy doses, while also displaying daily dose constraints, a novel feature of the system. This system was validated in 46 consecutive patients who underwent intracavitary and interstitial brachytherapy using several applicators and required more complex dose calculation procedures than intracavitary brachytherapy alone.

Two Cases and a Review of the Literature Regarding Severe Interstitial Lung Disease Induced by Hangeshashinto.

Hangeshashinto is a traditional Japanese herbal medicine that is widely recognized for its efficacy in relieving mucositis induced by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. We herein present the cases of two patients with head and neck cancer who were clinically diagnosed with severe drug-induced interstitial lung disease (DILD) following Hangeshashinto administration for radiation-induced mucositis. Although Hangeshashinto has beneficial properties, it is also associated with a relatively low incidence of DILD, including some reports of death.

Dose Contribution to the Regional Lymph-Node Metastases and Point B from Intracavity and Interstitial Hybrid Brachytherapy in Locally Advanced Cervical Cancer.

Purpose: Analyzing dose distributions to regional lymph-node metastases (RLNMs) in locally advanced cervical cancer (LACC) patients undergoing intracavitary and interstitial hybrid brachytherapy (IC/IS).

Methods: Dose distributions of eleven LACC patients with 38 RLNMs, and who received 38 IC/IS sessions were analyzed in EQD, considering RLNM positions and ipsilateral interstitial needles; these RLNMs, excepting the para-aortic region, were classified into four groups.

Results: RLNMs had a median of two ipsilateral interstitial needles per session.

Clinical Measurements of Force Exerted on Anterior Teeth in Partial Edentulous Distal Extension.

Purpose: To determine the influence of partial edentulous distal extension and the use of removable partial dental prostheses in partially edentulous areas on the force exerted on the anterior teeth.

Materials And Methods: A total of 83 volunteer patients participated in this study. The occlusal force was measured using an occlusal force measuring sheet in the patient's mouth.

Palliative Radiotherapy Induced Severe Tumor Lysis Syndrome in a Patient With Multiple Myeloma With Skin Involvement: A Case Report and Review of Literature.

Background/aim: Radiotherapy (RT) has been rarely reported as a cause of tumor lysis syndrome (TLS). Therefore, the patient characteristics and details of RT-induced TLS remain unclear, which may delay diagnosis. Herein, we report a case of palliative RT-induced severe TLS in a patient with multiple myeloma (MM) with skin involvement along with literature review.

Force exerted on maxillary anterior teeth in mandibular unilateral and bilateral distal extension partial edentulous situation.

The purpose of this study was to determine the influence of mandibular unilateral and bilateral distal extension partial edentulous situation and the use of removable partial dental prostheses on the force exerted on maxillary anterior teeth. A commercially available jaw model with exchangeable teeth was used. Seven experimental conditions of mandibular distal extension edentulous situation were prepared and a distal extension removable partial dental prosthesis to replace missing posterior teeth was fabricated.

Genome-wide identification of Arabidopsis non-AUG-initiated upstream ORFs with evolutionarily conserved regulatory sequences that control protein expression levels.

This study identified four novel regulatory non-AUG-initiated upstream ORFs (uORFs) with evolutionarily conserved sequences in Arabidopsis and elucidated the mechanism by which a non-AUG-initiated uORF promotes main ORF translation. Upstream open reading frames (uORFs) are short ORFs found in the 5'-untranslated regions (5'-UTRs) of eukaryotic transcripts and can influence the translation of protein-coding main ORFs (mORFs). Recent genome-wide ribosome profiling studies have revealed that hundreds or thousands of uORFs initiate translation at non-AUG start codons.

Customization of a Model For Knowledge-Based Planning to Achieve Ideal Dose Distributions in Volume Modulated arc Therapy for Pancreatic Cancers.

Purpose: To evaluate customizing a knowledge-based planning (KBP) model using dosimetric analysis for volumetric modulated arc therapy for pancreatic cancer.

Materials And Methods: The first model (M1) using 56 plans and the second model (M2) using 31 plans were created in the first 7 months of the study. The ratios of volume of both kidneys overlapping the expanded planning target volume to the total volume of both kidneys (V/V) were calculated in all cases to customize M1.

Metal artifact reduction using iterative CBCT reconstruction algorithm for head and neck radiation therapy: A phantom and clinical study.

Purpose: To investigate whether a novel iterative cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) reconstruction algorithm reduces metal artifacts in head and neck patient images.

Method: An anthropomorphic phantom and 35 patients with dental metal prostheses or implants were analyzed. All CBCT images were acquired using a TrueBeam linear accelerator and reconstructed with a Feldkamp-Davis-Kress algorithm-based CBCT (FDK-CBCT) and an iterative CBCT algorithm.

Plasma instability inside solenoid with laser ion source.

Using a solenoid with a laser ion source can suppress divergence of the expanding plasma; however, it has been found that the plasma becomes unstable in a certain magnetic field region. In the previous research, instability of the plasma after the solenoid was found. In this study, we investigated how the plasma instability changes inside the solenoid.

Phase control of a z-current-driven plasma column.

A dynamic mitigation is presented for sausage and kink instability growths of a z-current-driven magnetized plasma column. In this Rapid Communication we found that a wobbling motion of the z-current electron axis induces a phase-controlled perturbation, so that the growths of the sausage and kink instabilities are successfully and remarkably mitigated. In general, plasma instabilities emerge from perturbations, and the perturbation phase is normally unknown.

Evaluation method of beam instability in laser ion source using solenoid.

In a laser ion source using solenoid field confinement, it is known that an ion beam becomes unstable in the certain range of a magnetic field. Although it is essential to quantify the instability when discussing the unstable region of the beam, it is difficult to evaluate the beam instability by peak current or the amount of charge because an irregular change of temporal profile occurs in addition to the shot-by-shot fluctuation of amplitude. In this study, I propose the most appropriate method to evaluate the beam instability using the difference from an average waveform.

Zr beam production for isobar experiment in relativistic heavy ion collider.

To investigate the chiral magnetic effect, Zr and Ru beams were accelerated at the relativistic heavy ion collider (RHIC) during Run-18 at Brookhaven National Laboratory. The Zr beam was provided from the electron beam ion source (EBIS) injector, which consists of a laser ion source, an EBIS high charge state ion breeder, a 300 keV/u radio frequency quadrupole, and a 2 MeV/u interdigital H type drift tube linear accelerator (IH-DTL). The natural abundance of Zr is only 2.

Stereotactic body radiation therapy planning for liver tumors using functional images from dual-energy computed tomography.

Purpose: This study aimed to generate a functional image of the liver using dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) and a functional-image-based stereotactic body radiation therapy plan to minimize the dose to the volume of the functional liver (V).

Material And Methods: A normalized iodine density (NID) map was generated for fifteen patients with liver tumors. The volume of liver with an NID < 0.

Determination of optimal virtual monochromatic energy level for target delineation of brain metastases in radiosurgery using dual-energy CT.

Objective: Determination of the optimal energy level of virtual monochromatic image (VMI) for brain metastases in contrast-enhanced dual-energy CT (DECT) for radiosurgery and assessment of the subjective and objective image quality of VMI at the optimal energy level.

Methods: 20 patients (total of 42 metastases) underwent contrast-enhanced DECT. Spectral image analysis of VMIs at energy levels ranging from 40 to 140 keV in 1 keV increments was performed to determine the optimal VMI (VMI) as the one corresponding to the highest contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) between brain parenchyma and the metastases.

A Third-Generation Adaptive Statistical Iterative Reconstruction for Contrast-Enhanced 4-Dimensional Dual-Energy Computed Tomography for Pancreatic Cancer.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess the objective and subjective qualities of the contrast-enhanced 4-dimensional dual-energy computed tomography using adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR) and ASiR-V.

Methods: The virtual monochromatic images at 60 keV were reconstructed using filtered back projection, ASiR, and ASiR-V (10%-100%) for 14 patients with pancreatic cancer. The contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) was calculated, and the subjective measurements were compared based on a 5-point score scale.

Volumetric modulated arc therapy treatment planning based on virtual monochromatic images for head and neck cancer: effect of the contrast-enhanced agent on dose distribution.

Virtual monochromatic images (VMIs) at a lower energy level can improve image quality but the computed tomography (CT) number of iodine contained in the contrast-enhanced agent is dramatically increased. We assessed the effect of the use of contrast-enhanced agent on the dose distributions in volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) planning for head and neck cancer (HNC). Based on the VMIs at 40 keV (VMI ), 60 keV(VMI ), and 77 keV (VMI ) of a tissue characterization phantom, lookup tables (LUTs) were created.

Effect of a saline flush technique for head and neck imaging in dual-energy CT: improvement of image quality and perivenous artefact reduction using virtual monochromatic imaging.

Aim: To evaluate the effect of the saline flush (SF) technique on the depiction of lesions and the reduction of perivenous artefacts in the head and neck region using dual-energy computed tomography (CT) with virtual monochromatic imaging (VMI).

Materials And Methods: Fifty patients with head and neck cancer were divided into two groups: group A, without a SF and group B, with a 30-ml SF. All images were acquired using fast kilovolt-switching CT (Revolution HD, GE Healthcare, Milwaukee, WI, USA).