Removal of scatter radiation in paediatric cardiac catheterisation: a randomised controlled clinical trial.

Objective: This study sought to determine if DNA integrity was compromised by ionising radiation from paediatric cardiac catheterisations and if dose optimisation techniques allowed DNA integrity to be maintained.

Materials And Methods: Children were imaged using either: (i) an anti-scatter grid (current departmental protocol), (ii) no anti-scatter grid or, (iii) no anti-scatter grid and a 15 cm air-gap between the child and the x-ray detector. Dose area product and image quality were assessed, lifetime attributable cancer risk estimates were calculated and DNA double-strand breakages quantified using the γH2AX assay.

Prostate cancer treated with brachytherapy; an exploratory study of dose-dependent biomarkers and quality of life.

Background: Low-dose-rate permanent prostate brachytherapy (PPB) is an attractive treatment option for patients with localised prostate cancer with excellent outcomes. As standard CT-based post-implant dosimetry often correlates poorly with late treatment-related toxicity, this exploratory (proof of concept) study was conducted to investigate correlations between radiation - induced DNA damage biomarker levels, and acute and late bowel, urinary, and sexual toxicity.

Methods: Twelve patients treated with I PPB monotherapy (145Gy) for prostate cancer were included in this prospective study.

Assessment of DNA double-strand breaks induced by intravascular iodinated contrast media following in vitro irradiation and in vivo, during paediatric cardiac catheterization.

Paediatric cardiac catheterizations may result in the administration of substantial amounts of iodinated contrast media and ionizing radiation. The aim of this work was to investigate the effect of iodinated contrast media in combination with in vitro and in vivo X-ray radiation on lymphocyte DNA. Six concentrations of iodine (15, 17.

Alpha particles induce pan-nuclear phosphorylation of H2AX in primary human lymphocytes mediated through ATM.

The use of high linear energy transfer radiations in the form of carbon ions in heavy ion beam lines or alpha particles in new radionuclide treatments has increased substantially over the past decade and will continue to do so due to the favourable dose distributions they can offer versus conventional therapies. Previously it has been shown that exposure to heavy ions induces pan-nuclear phosphorylation of several DNA repair proteins such as H2AX and ATM in vitro. Here we describe similar effects of alpha particles on ex vivo irradiated primary human peripheral blood lymphocytes.

Combined analysis of gamma-H2AX/53BP1 foci and caspase activation in lymphocyte subsets detects recent and more remote radiation exposures.

Analysis of gamma-H2AX foci in blood lymphocytes is a promising approach for rapid dose estimation to support patient triage after a radiation accident but has one major drawback: the rapid decline of foci levels post-exposure cause major uncertainties in situations where the exact timing between exposure and blood sampling is unknown. To address this issue, radiation-induced apoptosis (RIA) in lymphocytes was investigated using fluorogenic inhibitors of caspases (FLICA) as an independent biomarker for radiation exposure, which may complement the gamma-H2AX assay. Ex vivo X-irradiated peripheral blood lymphocytes from 17 volunteers showed dose- and time-dependent increases in radiation-induced apoptosis over the first 3 days after exposure, albeit with considerable interindividual variation.

Gamma-H2AX-based dose estimation for whole and partial body radiation exposure.

Most human exposures to ionising radiation are partial body exposures. However, to date only limited tools are available for rapid and accurate estimation of the dose distribution and the extent of the body spared from the exposure. These parameters are of great importance for emergency triage and clinical management of exposed individuals.

gamma-H2AX as protein biomarker for radiation exposure.

For large scale exposures of the human population to ionising radiation, there is a need for cost-effective high throughput assessment of radiation exposure levels from biological samples to allow triage decisions to be made. Here we discuss the usefulness of the DNA damage marker gamma-H2AX for this purpose. Foci of gamma-H2AX form in response to radiation-induced DNA doublestrand breaks and can be quantified by immunofluorescence microscopy or flow cytometry.