Evaluation of cumulative dose distributions from external beam radiation therapy using CT-to-CBCT deformable image registration (DIR) for cervical cancer patients.

Purpose: To investigate dose differences between the planning CT (pCT) and dose calculated on pre-treatment verification CBCTs using DIR and dose summation for cervical cancer patients.

Methods: Cervical cancer patients treated at our institution with 45 Gy EBRT undergo a pCT and 5 CBCTs, once every five fractions of treatment. A free-form intensity-based DIR in MIM was performed between the pCT and each CBCT using the "Merged CBCT" feature to generate an extended FOV-CBCT (mCBCT).

A Transgenic Mouse Model to Selectively Identify α Na,K-ATPase Expressing Cells in the Nervous System.

The α Na,K-ATPase (αNKA) is one of four known α isoforms of the mammalian transporter. A deficiency in αNKA is linked to severe movement control disorders. Understanding the pathogenesis of these disorders is limited by an incomplete knowledge of αNKA expression in the brain as well as the challenges associated with identifying living cells that express the isoform for subsequent electrophysiological studies.

Efficacy and Safety of Low-Dose Iodine Plaque Brachytherapy for Juxtapapillary Choroidal Melanoma.

Purpose: To evaluate low- vs high-dose plaque brachytherapy for juxtapapillary choroidal melanoma.

Design: Retrospective interventional case series.

Methods: Setting: Single institution.

State programs assisting pharmacy professionals with substance use disorders.

Objectives: To identify which states currently have substance use disorder (SUD) programs to facilitate the return of pharmacy professionals (including technicians, interns, and student pharmacists) to active practice, to identify the operational structures used by the states in providing these services and compare them with those reported previously, and to compile the most current and accurate contact information for each state SUD program.

Methods: Information specific to each state program was identified from Internet resources including state pharmacy associations, licensing boards, and professional associations. Each state's site was evaluated for currency within 2016-2017.

Simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) for treatment of gynecologic carcinoma: Intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) vs volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) radiotherapy.

The aim of this study was to quantitatively compare dosimetric criteria between intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans for patients undergoing radiation treatment of gynecologic carcinoma with a simultaneous integrated boost (SIB) technique. IMRT and VMAT plans were retrospectively analyzed for 20 patients. The elective volume was planned to receive 45 Gy in 25 fractions of 1.

Electrophysiological and Immunohistochemical Evidence for an Increase in GABAergic Inputs and HCN Channels in Purkinje Cells that Survive Developmental Ethanol Exposure.

Ethanol exposures during the early postnatal period of the rat result in significant death of Purkinje cells (PCs). The magnitude, time-course, and lobular specificity of PC death have been well characterized in several studies. Additionally, significant reduction of climbing fiber inputs to the surviving PCs has been characterized.

The fine temporal structure of the rat licking pattern: what causes the variabiliy in the interlick intervals and how is it affected by the drinking solution?

Licking is a repetitive behavior controlled by a central pattern generator. Even though interlick intervals (ILIs) within bursts of licks are considered fairly regular, the conditions that affect their variability are unknown. We analyzed the licking pattern in rats that licked water, 10% sucrose solution, or 10% ethanol solution, in 90-min recording sessions after 4h of water deprivation.

Implementing and integrating a clinically driven electronic medical record for radiation oncology in a large medical enterprise.

Purpose/objective: While our department is heavily invested in computer-based treatment planning, we historically relied on paper-based charts for management of Radiation Oncology patients. In early 2009, we initiated the process of conversion to an electronic medical record (EMR) eliminating the need for paper charts. Key goals included the ability to readily access information wherever and whenever needed, without compromising safety, treatment quality, confidentiality, or productivity.

A comparison of clinical and dosimetric outcomes in patients receiving partial breast irradiation with photon-only versus mixed photon/electron treatment plans.

Several series evaluating external-beam partial breast irradiation (PBI) have linked negative cosmetic outcomes to large normal tissue treatment volumes. We compared patients treated with PBI whose treatment plans included only photons to those whose plans incorporated electrons. Twenty-seven patients were identified: median age 67 years, pT1 82%, pN0 56%, margin negative 100%.

Olivary climbing fiber alterations in PN40 rat cerebellum following postnatal ethanol exposure.

Developmental ethanol exposure in rats during postnatal days (PN) 4-6 is known to cause significant loss of the cerebellar Purkinje cells. It is not known what happens to the surviving neurons as they continue to develop. This study was designed to quantify the interactions between the olivary climbing fibers and the Purkinje cells when the cerebellar circuits have matured.

Sublethal total body irradiation leads to early cerebellar damage and oxidative stress.

The present study aimed at identifying early damage index in the cerebellum following total body irradiation (TBI). Adult male CD2F1 mice (n=18) with or without TBI challenge (8.5 Gy irradiation) were assessed for histology and expression of selected immunohistochemical markers including malondiadehyde (MDA), 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG), protein 53 (p53), vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGF-R2), CD45, calbindin D-28k (CB- 28) and vesicular glutamate transport-2 (VGLUT2) in cerebellar folia II to IV.

The utility of non-axial treatment beam orientations for lower lobe lung cancers.

Traditional treatment beams for non-small-cell lung cancer are limited to the axial plane. For many tumor geometries, non-axial orientations appear to reduce the dose to normal tissues (e.g.

Regional lung density changes after radiation therapy for tumors in and around thorax.

Purpose: To study the temporal nature of regional lung density changes and to assess whether the dose-dependent nature of these changes is associated with patient- and treatment-associated factors.

Methods And Materials: Between 1991 and 2004, 118 patients with interpretable pre- and post-radiation therapy (RT) chest computed tomography (CT) scans were evaluated. Changes in regional lung density were related to regional dose to define a dose-response curve (DRC) for RT-induced lung injury using three-dimensional planning tools and image fusion.

Association between RT-induced changes in lung tissue density and global lung function.

Purpose: To assess the association between radiotherapy (RT)-induced changes in computed tomography (CT)-defined lung tissue density and pulmonary function tests (PFTs).

Methods And Materials: Patients undergoing incidental partial lung RT were prospectively assessed for global (PFTs) and regional (CT and single photon emission CT [SPECT]) lung function before and, serially, after RT. The percent reductions in the PFT and the average changes in lung density were compared (Pearson correlations) in the overall group and subgroups stratified according to various clinical factors.

Dose-dependent effects of radiation therapy on cerebral blood flow, metabolism, and neurocognitive dysfunction.

Purpose: A prospective study was performed to formally relate dose-dependent radiologically defined changes in normal brain induced by radiotherapy (RT) to neurocognitive dysfunction in subjects with primary brain tumors.

Methods And Materials: Adult patients receiving three-dimensional RT for central nervous system (CNS) tumors were enrolled. Positron emission tomography (PET) scanning and neuropsychological testing were performed before RT and 3 weeks and 6 months after treatment.

The impact of advanced technologies on treatment deviations in radiation treatment delivery.

Purpose: To assess the impact of new technologies on deviation rates in radiation therapy (RT).

Methods And Materials: Treatment delivery deviations in RT were prospectively monitored during a time of technology upgrade. In January 2003, our department had three accelerators, none with "modern" technologies (e.

Impact of patient-specific factors, irradiated left ventricular volume, and treatment set-up errors on the development of myocardial perfusion defects after radiation therapy for left-sided breast cancer.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess the impact of patient-specific factors, left ventricle (LV) volume, and treatment set-up errors on the rate of perfusion defects 6 to 60 months post-radiation therapy (RT) in patients receiving tangential RT for left-sided breast cancer.

Methods And Materials: Between 1998 and 2005, a total of 153 patients were enrolled onto an institutional review board-approved prospective study and had pre- and serial post-RT (6-60 months) cardiac perfusion scans to assess for perfusion defects. Of the patients, 108 had normal pre-RT perfusion scans and available follow-up data.

Does transforming growth factor-beta1 predict for radiation-induced pneumonitis in patients treated for lung cancer?

The purpose of the study was to reassess the utility of transforming growth factor-beta-1 (TGF-beta1) together with dosimetric and tumor parameters as a predictor for radiation pneumonitis (RP). Of the 121 patients studied, 32 (26.4%) developed grade > or =1 RP, and 27 (22.

Is there an increased risk of local recurrence under the heart block in patients with left-sided breast cancer?

Unlabelled: Tangential radiotherapy for left-sided breast cancer may be cardiotoxic. Shaping the field with a heart block reduces cardiac exposure but may under-dose the breast and/or chest wall. We compared the incidence and location of local recurrences in patients irradiated with and without a heart block.

Patterns of failure after resection of non-small-cell lung cancer: implications for postoperative radiation therapy volumes.

Purpose: To analyze local-regional patterns of failure after surgical resection of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods And Materials: This retrospective analysis included 61 patients who underwent resection of NSCLC at Duke University Medical Center. Inclusion into the study required the following: margin-negative resection, no neoadjuvant/adjuvant radiation therapy (RT), first recurrence involving a local-regional site, and imaging studies available for review.

Predictors of severe gastrointestinal toxicity after external beam radiotherapy and interstitial brachytherapy for advanced or recurrent gynecologic malignancies.

Purpose: The aim of this retrospective review of patients with gynecologic malignancies treated with external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) and interstitial brachytherapy was to determine the rate of Grade > or =2 rectovaginal fistula and Grade > or =4 small bowel obstruction as defined by the National Cancer Institute Common Toxicity Criteria for Adverse Events, version 3.0.

Methods And Materials: Thirty-six patients with primary and recurrent gynecologic cancers were treated with EBRT and interstitial brachytherapy.

Are oxidative mechanisms primary in ethanol induced Purkinje neuron death of the neonatal rat?

Rat cerebellar Purkinje neurons are vulnerable to ethanol exposure during the brain growth spurt, especially during early postnatal exposure. A prominent hypothesis is that ethanol induces oxidative types of alterations that result in the neurodegeneration. The purpose of this study was to test this hypothesis in two ways.

Preliminary report of the 6-minute walk test as a predictor of radiation-induced pulmonary toxicity.

Purpose: To assess the 6-minute walk test (6MWT) as a predictor of radiation therapy-induced lung injury (RTLI).

Methods And Materials: The 6MWT is a simple, economical, and reproducible test that measures both how far a person can walk in 6 min and any associated changes in vital signs. As part of a prospective trial to study RTLI, a pre-RT 6MWT was performed in 41 patients.

An artificial neural network for predicting the incidence of radiation pneumonitis.

A method to predict radiation-induced pneumonitis (RP) using an artificial neural network (ANN) was investigated. A retrospective study was applied to the clinical data from 142 patients who have been treated with three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy for tumors in the thoracic region. These data were classified, based on their treatment outcome, into two patient clusters: with RP (Np=26) and without RP (Np= 116).

Predicting radiotherapy-induced cardiac perfusion defects.

The purpose of this work is to compare the efficacy of mathematical models in predicting the occurrence of radiotherapy-induced left ventricular perfusion defects assessed using single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). The basis of this study is data from 73 left-sided breast/ chestwall patients treated with tangential photon fields. The mathematical models compared were three commonly used parametric models [Lyman normal tissue complication probability (LNTCP), relative serialty (RS), generalized equivalent uniform dose (gEUD)] and a nonparametric model (Linear discriminant analysis--LDA).