COMIRI - COMplexity Index of interventional Radiotherapy (brachytherapy) Implants: assessment of procedures based on type, equipment, and team.

Historically, several classification systems have been used for brachytherapy, and they were based on the type of clinical purpose, type of implant and timing of the implant, dose-rate, and type of loading for treatment delivery. However, over the last decades, there have been some major technological advancements, including the introduction of image-guidance and possibility to modulate the dose delivered, which have led several authors (in order to highlight the differences between old technique and new approach) to label it in a different way by replacing "brachytherapy" with "interventional radiotherapy". Modern interventional procedures involve several key aspects, which contribute to the complexity of implant phase, such as implant type, imaging used during the procedure, and role of multi-disciplinary team in operating room.

Capillary-Driven Separate Gas-Liquid Transport: Alleviating Mass Transport Losses for Efficient Hydrogen Evolution.

Developing earth-abundant transition metal electrodes with high activity and durability is crucial for efficient and cost-effective hydrogen production. However, numerous studies in the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) primarily focus on improving the inherent activity of catalysts, and the critical influence of gas-liquid countercurrent transport behavior is often overlooked. In this study, we introduce the concept of separate-path gas-liquid transport to alleviate mass transport losses for the HER by developing a novel hierarchical porous Ni-doped cobalt phosphide electrode (CoNi-P@Ni).

Lignin-Derived Sustainable Nano-Platforms: A Multifunctional Solution for an Efficient Dye Removal.

In contrast to conventional non-biobased adsorbents, lignin emerges as a cost-effective and environmentally benign alternative for water treatment. This study identifies unexpected and unpredicted multifunctional properties of lignin nanoparticles (LNPs). LNPs, which are prepared by simple physical processes, demonstrated for the first time to behave as multifunctional materials able to adsorb and photodegrade methylene blue (MB) in aqueous medium upon UV irradiation.

Characterization of Plastic Scintillator Detector for In Vivo Dosimetry in Gynecologic Brachytherapy.

(1) Background: High dose gradients and manual steps in brachytherapy treatment procedures can lead to dose errors which make the use of in vivo dosimetry (IVD) highly recommended for verifying brachytherapy treatments. A new procedure was presented to obtain a calibration factor which allows fast and robust calibration of plastic scintillation detector (PSD) probes for the geometry of a compact phantom using Monte Carlo simulations. Additionally, characterization of PSD energy, angular, and temperature dependences was performed.

GEC-ESTRO survey of Ru eye applicator practice for ocular melanoma - Physicist survey.

Aim: Ru eye plaque brachytherapy (BT, interventional radiotherapy) is an eye-preserving treatment for uveal melanoma performed in about 100 clinics worldwide. Despite this relatively low number, there is a considerable variation in clinical practice. In 2022, the BRAPHYQS and Head & Neck and Skin GEC-ESTRO working groups conducted a survey to map the current clinical practice.

Dosimetric impact of applying a model-based dose calculation algorithm for skin cancer brachytherapy (interventional radiotherapy).

Purpose: Brachytherapy (BT, interventional radiotherapy) is a well-established radiotherapy technique capable of delivering high doses to tumors while sparing organs at risk (OARs). Currently, the clinically accepted dose calculation algorithm used is TG-43. In the TG-186 report, new model-based dose calculation algorithms (MBDCA), such as Elekta's advanced collapsed cone engine (ACE), have been introduced, although their clinical application is yet to be fully realized.

Magnetic resonance imaging based neurosurgical planning on hololens 2: A feasibility study in a paediatric hospital.

Objective: The goal of this work is to show how to implement a mixed reality application (app) for neurosurgery planning based on neuroimaging data, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of its design.

Methods: Our workflow explains how to handle neuroimaging data, including how to load morphological, functional and diffusion tensor imaging data into a mixed reality environment, thus creating a first guide of this kind. Brain magnetic resonance imaging data from a paediatric patient were acquired using a 3 T Siemens Magnetom Skyra scanner.

Interventional Radiotherapy (Brachytherapy) for Nasal Vestibule: Novel Strategies to Prevent Side Effects.

Unlabelled: Interventional radiotherapy (brachytherapy) has become the new therapeutic standard in the management of early stages nasal vestibule tumors; in fact it allows for high local control rates and low toxicity profiles. However, since more and more patients will receive interventional radiotherapy (brachytherapy) as primary treatment, it is desirable to implement novel strategies to reduce the dose to organs at risk with the future aim to result in further lowering long-term side effects.

Materials And Methods: We were able to identify two different strategies to reduce dose to the treatment volume, including the implantation technique (the implant can be interstitial, endocavitary or mixed and the catheters may be placed either using the Paris system rules or the anatomical approach) and the dose distribution within the implant (the most commonly used parameter to consider is the dose non-uniformity ratio).

Frequency-Dependent Squeezed Vacuum Source for the Advanced Virgo Gravitational-Wave Detector.

In this Letter, we present the design and performance of the frequency-dependent squeezed vacuum source that will be used for the broadband quantum noise reduction of the Advanced Virgo Plus gravitational-wave detector in the upcoming observation run. The frequency-dependent squeezed field is generated by a phase rotation of a frequency-independent squeezed state through a 285 m long, high-finesse, near-detuned optical resonator. With about 8.

Multilayer intensity modulated contact interventional radiotherapy (brachytherapy): Stretching the therapeutic window in skin cancer.

Interventional radiotherapy (IRT, brachytherapy) is a highly effective treatment method for non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC). Traditionally, the maximum depth of NMSC lesions considered eligible for contact IRT was 5 mm; however, following several national surveys and recent recommendations, such cut-off, lesions thicker than 5 mm may be treated by contact IRT. The use of image guidance in defining the actual depth in treating NMSC to correctly identify clinical target volume (CTV) and prevent unnecessary toxicity is of paramount importance.

Multiparametric imaging guided HDR interventional radiotherapy (brachytherapy) boost in localized prostate cancer: a multidisciplinary experience.

Objective: The aim of this study was to report a monoinstitutional multidisciplinary experience about the use of multiparametric imaging to identify the areas with higher risk of relapse in localized prostate cancer, with the purpose of allowing a biologically planned target dose escalation.

Patients And Methods: We performed a retrospective evaluation of patients diagnosed with prostate cancer who received treatments at our Interventional Oncology Center with interstitial interventional radiotherapy from 2014 to 2022. Inclusion criteria were histologically confirmed localized prostate cancer; and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) risk class unfavorable intermediate or high/very high risk.

Non-Conventional Peptide Self-Assembly into a Conductive Supramolecular Rope.

Structures composed of alternating α and β amino acids can give rise to peculiar secondary structural motifs, which could self-assemble into complex structures of controlled geometries. This work describes the self-assembly properties of an α,β-peptide, containing three units of H2-(2-F-Phe)-h-PheGly-OH, able to self-organize on surfaces into a fascinating supramolecular rope. This material was characterized by AFM, electronic conduction and fluorescence measurements.

Laser Ablation Nanoarchitectonics of Au-Cu Alloys Deposited on TiO Photocatalyst Films for Switchable Hydrogen Evolution from Formic Acid Dehydrogenation.

The regulation of H evolution from formic acid dehydrogenation using recyclable photocatalyst films is an essential approach for on-demand H production. We have successfully generated Au-Cu nanoalloys using a laser ablation method and deposited them on TiO photocatalyst films (Au Cu /TiO). The Au-Cu/TiO films were employed as photocatalysts for H production from formic acid dehydrogenation under light-emitting diode (LED) irradiation (365 nm).

ORIFICE (Interventional Radiotherapy for Face Aesthetic Preservation) Study: Results of Interdisciplinary Assessment of Interstitial Interventional Radiotherapy (Brachytherapy) for Periorificial Face Cancer.

(1) Background: Periorificial face cancer (PFC), defined as both squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and basal cell carcinoma (BCC) arising around the eyelids, the nose vestibule and the lips, has very high incidence rates worldwide. The aim of our retrospective analysis, focusing on local control (LC) and patients' degree of satisfaction with the cosmetic outcome, is to present the results of a single institutional series of patients affected by PFC and treated by interventional radiotherapy (brachytherapy-IRT). (2) Methods: We retrospectively evaluated patients affected by PFC who were treated at our Interventional Oncology Center (IOC) with interstitial IRT from 2012 to 2021 with doses and volumes specific for each subsite considered.

Growth, Electronic and Electrical Characterization of Ge-Rich Ge-Sb-Te Alloy.

In this study, we deposit a Ge-rich Ge-Sb-Te alloy by physical vapor deposition (PVD) in the amorphous phase on silicon substrates. We study in-situ, by X-ray and ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopies (XPS and UPS), the electronic properties and carefully ascertain the alloy composition to be GST 29 20 28. Subsequently, Raman spectroscopy is employed to corroborate the results from the photoemission study.

Interface Formation during the Growth of Phase Change Material Heterostructures Based on Ge-Rich Ge-Sb-Te Alloys.

In this study, we present a full characterization of the electronic properties of phase change material (PCM) double-layered heterostructures deposited on silicon substrates. Thin films of amorphous Ge-rich Ge-Sb-Te (GGST) alloys were grown by physical vapor deposition on SbTe and on GeSbTe layers. The two heterostructures were characterized in situ by X-ray and ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopies (XPS and UPS) during the formation of the interface between the first and the second layer (top GGST film).

Gap Opening in Double-Sided Highly Hydrogenated Free-Standing Graphene.

Conversion of free-standing graphene into pure graphane─where each C atom is sp bound to a hydrogen atom─has not been achieved so far, in spite of numerous experimental attempts. Here, we obtain an unprecedented level of hydrogenation (≈90% of sp bonds) by exposing fully free-standing nanoporous samples─constituted by a single to a few veils of smoothly rippled graphene─to atomic hydrogen in ultrahigh vacuum. Such a controlled hydrogenation of high-quality and high-specific-area samples converts the original conductive graphene into a wide gap semiconductor, with the valence band maximum (VBM) ∼ 3.

Radiological and clinical findings in uveal melanoma treated by plaque interventional radiotherapy (brachytherapy): Visual atlas and literature review on response assessment.

Uveal melanoma (UM) is the most common intra-ocular tumor in Caucasian adults and may derive from melanocytes. Historically, the first therapeutic approach to treat UM has been surgical removal of the eye, with obvious consequences in terms of function, cosmesis, and psychological impact on patients. Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study (COMS) introduced the first uniform approach to perform interventional radiotherapy (IRT - brachytherapy) procedure in a standardized way that allowed to demonstrate equivalence of IRT with enucleation in terms of overall survival.

Constraints on Cosmic Strings Using Data from the Third Advanced LIGO-Virgo Observing Run.

We search for gravitational-wave signals produced by cosmic strings in the Advanced LIGO and Virgo full O3 dataset. Search results are presented for gravitational waves produced by cosmic string loop features such as cusps, kinks, and, for the first time, kink-kink collisions. A template-based search for short-duration transient signals does not yield a detection.

Non-melanoma Skin Cancer Treated by Contact High-dose-rate Radiotherapy (Brachytherapy): A Mono-institutional Series and Literature Review.

Background/aim: Non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSC) are the most common neoplasms worldwide and their incidence has been proven to increase in recent years and their treatment should aim at cancer cure as well as cosmetic and functional results. The aim of the study was to report the results of our mono-institutional series of high-dose-rate radiotherapy (cHDR-RT) in NMSC, based on a homogenous technique and two different treatment schedules.

Patients And Methods: All patients affected by NMSC who were consecutively evaluated and treated at our Interventional Oncology Center from October 2018 to August 2020, were included.

Formulation matters! A spectroscopic and molecular dynamics investigation on the peptide CIGB552 as itself and in its therapeutical formulation.

Synthetic therapeutic peptides (STP) are intensively studied as new-generation drugs, characterized by high purity, biocompatibility, selectivity and stereochemical control. However, most of the studies are focussed on the bioactivity of STP without considering how the formulation actually used for therapy administration could alter the physico-chemical properties of the active principle. The aggregation properties of a 20-mer STP (Ac-His-Ala-Arg-Ile-Lys-D-Pro-Thr-Phe-Arg-Arg-D-Leu-Lys-Trp-Lys-Tyr-Lys-Gly-Lys-Phe-Trp-NH ), showing antitumor activity, were investigated by optical spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy imaging, as itself (CIGB552) and in its therapeutic formulation (CIGB552TF).