Analyzing the Relationship between Dose and Geometric Agreement Metrics for Auto-Contouring in Head and Neck Normal Tissues.

This study aimed to determine the relationship between geometric and dosimetric agreement metrics in head and neck (H&N) cancer radiotherapy plans. A total 287 plans were retrospectively analyzed, comparing auto-contoured and clinically used contours using a Dice similarity coefficient (DSC), surface DSC (sDSC), and Hausdorff distance (HD). Organs-at-risk (OARs) with ≥200 cGy dose differences from the clinical contour in terms of D (D0.

A Visualization and Radiation Treatment Plan Quality Scoring Method for Triage in a Population-Based Context.

Purpose: Our purpose was to develop a clinically intuitive and easily understandable scoring method using statistical metrics to visually determine the quality of a radiation treatment plan.

Methods And Materials: Data from 111 patients with head and neck cancer were used to establish a percentile-based scoring system for treatment plan quality evaluation on both a plan-by-plan and objective-by-objective basis. The percentile scores for each clinical objective and the overall treatment plan score were then visualized using a daisy plot.

Investigation of dosimetric effect of beam current fluctuations in synchrotron-based proton PBS continuous scanning.

In proton pencil beam scanning (PBS) continuous delivery, the beam is continuously delivered without interruptions between spots. For synchrotron-based systems, the extracted beam current exhibits a spill structure, and recent publications on beam current measurements have demonstrated significant fluctuations around the nominal values. These fluctuations potentially lead to dose deviations from those calculated assuming a stable beam current.

Copper(II) Ions Originating from CuBTC MOF Act as a Soluble Catalyst in the Friedländer Synthesis.

The copper-based metal-organic framework (MOF), CuBTC (where HBTC = benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxylate), has been reported as a reusable heterogeneous catalyst for the Friedländer synthesis of substituted quinolines, which are desirable targets in the pharmaceutical industry. Because of this application, we further investigated the CuBTC-catalyzed Friedländer synthesis of 3-acetyl-2-methyl-4-phenylquinoline. CuBTC was synthesized in-house and used as a catalyst for the Friedländer synthesis.

Stereotactic body proton therapy for early stage non-small cell lung cancer - Technical challenges and solutions: The MD Anderson experience.

Our randomized clinical study comparing stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) and stereotactic body proton therapy (SBPT) for early stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) was closed prematurely owing to poor enrollment, largely because of lack of volumetric imaging and difficulty in obtaining insurance coverage for the SBPT group. In this article, we describe technology improvements in our new proton therapy center, particularly in image guidance with cone beam CT (CBCT) and CT on rail (CTOR), as well as motion management with real-time gated proton therapy (RGPT) and optical surface imaging. In addition, we have a treatment planning system that provides better treatment plan optimization and more accurate dose calculation.

Detection of Early Myocardial Dysfunction by Imaging Biomarkers in Cancer Patients Undergoing Photon Beam vs. Proton Beam Radiotherapy: A Prospective Study.

We sought to determine acute and subacute changes in cardiac function after proton beam (PBT) and photon beam (PhT) radiotherapy (RT) using conventional and two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (2D-STE) in patients with malignant breast and thoracic tumors. Between March 2016 and March 2017, 70 patients with breast or thoracic cancer were prospectively enrolled and underwent transthoracic echocardiography with comprehensive strain analysis at pretreatment, mid-treatment, end of treatment, and 3 months after RT. PBT was used to treat 44 patients; PhT 26 patients.

Automated contouring and statistical process control for plan quality in a breast clinical trial.

Background And Purpose: Automatic review of breast plan quality for clinical trials is time-consuming and has some unique challenges due to the lack of target contours for some planning techniques. We propose using an auto-contouring model and statistical process control to independently assess planning consistency in retrospective data from a breast radiotherapy clinical trial.

Materials And Methods: A deep learning auto-contouring model was created and tested quantitatively and qualitatively on 104 post-lumpectomy patients' computed tomography images (nnUNet; train/test: 80/20).

Deep learning-based dose prediction to improve the plan quality of volumetric modulated arc therapy for gynecologic cancers.

Background: In recent years, deep-learning models have been used to predict entire three-dimensional dose distributions. However, the usability of dose predictions to improve plan quality should be further investigated.

Purpose: To develop a deep-learning model to predict high-quality dose distributions for volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans for patients with gynecologic cancer and to evaluate their usability in driving plan quality improvements.

The Correlation of Diabetes Mellitus and Urinary Retention From Intravesical OnabotulinumtoxinA Injection for Overactive Bladder.

Importance And Objectives: The objective was to determine whether patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) treated with intravesical onabotulinumtoxinA (BoNT) injection for overactive bladder (OAB) had increased urinary retention requiring clean intermittent catheterization (CIC), as well as the impact of disease duration and severity. We hypothesize that patients with DM will have higher rates of retention after BoNT injection.

Study Design: We performed a retrospective cohort analysis of women in the Kaiser Permanente Southern California Health System who underwent BoNT injection for OAB, excluding women with a history of urinary retention or neurogenic bladder.

Deep Learning-Based Dose Prediction for Automated, Individualized Quality Assurance of Head and Neck Radiation Therapy Plans.

Purpose: This study aimed to use deep learning-based dose prediction to assess head and neck (HN) plan quality and identify suboptimal plans.

Methods And Materials: A total of 245 volumetric modulated arc therapy HN plans were created using RapidPlan knowledge-based planning (KBP). A subset of 112 high-quality plans was selected under the supervision of an HN radiation oncologist.

A Quality Improvement Network for Interdisciplinary Training in Developmental Disabilities.

Children with developmental disabilities (DD), such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), have complex health and developmental needs that require multiple service systems and interactions with various professionals across disciplines. The growing number of children and youth identified with ASD or DD, including anxiety and depression, has increased demand for services and need for highly qualified pediatric providers. Federally funded Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and related Disabilities (LEND) programs across the United States address today's health care shortages by providing comprehensive, interdisciplinary training to providers from multiple pediatric disciplines who screen, diagnose, and treat those with ASD and DD.

Psychology and Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics: Interprofessional Collaboration in Clinical Practice.

Providing high-quality clinical services to patients with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDDs) requires interprofessional collaboration. This article highlights the importance of collaboration between psychology and developmental-behavioral pediatrics (DBP) to promote diagnosis, treatment recommendations, and integrated care for patients and their families. Interprofessional collaboration requires health care providers to work together toward solutions, including diagnosis, treatment recommendations, and ongoing care coordination.

High Positive Predictive Value of Multitarget Stool DNA After Aerodigestive Tract Radiotherapy.

Background And Aims: Multitarget stool DNA (mt-sDNA) is approved for average-risk colorectal cancer screening; test performance in persons with prior radiation therapy (RT) has not been studied. RT can induce gastrointestinal bleeding and alter DNA methylation, which may affect mt-sDNA accuracy. Among patients previously treated with RT, we aimed to measure the positive predictive value (PPV) of mt-sDNA and compare these results to historical estimates of mt-sDNA PPV among average-risk patients.

Intranasal Use of Prescription Stimulants Among Adults Aged 18 to 30: Results From A Crowdsourcing Platform.

Objective: Few studies of prescription stimulant non-oral, non-medical use (NMU) (defined by use not as prescribed) have been conducted in adults beyond the college population. The purpose of this study was to characterize prescription stimulant non-oral use, specifically intranasal (IN) use (snorting) in young adults.

Method: Amazon's MTurk platform was used to recruit participants for an online survey.

Feasibility of combining pelvic reconstruction with gynecologic oncology-related surgery.

Introduction And Hypothesis: At our institution, every patient seen by the gynecologic oncology service is screened for pelvic floor dysfunction. This study was aimed at determining if a combined surgical approach by gynecologic oncology and urogynecology services at our institution was feasible and safe for this patient population.

Methods: We performed a retrospective review of patients undergoing combined surgery by gynecologic oncology and urogynecology services at our institution from 2013 to 2021.

Knowledge-based planning for the radiation therapy treatment plan quality assurance for patients with head and neck cancer.

This study aimed to investigate the feasibility of using a knowledge-based planning technique to detect poor quality VMAT plans for patients with head and neck cancer. We created two dose-volume histogram (DVH) prediction models using a commercial knowledge-based planning system (RapidPlan, Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto, CA) from plans generated by manual planning (MP) and automated planning (AP) approaches. DVHs were predicted for evaluation cohort 1 (EC1) of 25 patients and compared with achieved DVHs of MP and AP plans to evaluate prediction accuracy.

Evidence-Informed Milestones for Developmental Surveillance Tools.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Learn the Signs. Act Early. program, funded the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) to convene an expert working group to revise its developmental surveillance checklists.

Design of a 3D patient-specific collision avoidance virtual framework for half-gantry proton therapy system.

Introduction: This study presents a comprehensive collision avoidance framework based on three-dimension (3D) computer-aided design (CAD) modeling, a graphical user interface (GUI) as peripheral to the radiation treatment planning (RTP) environment, and patient-specific plan parameters for intensity-modulated proton therapy (IMPT).

Methods: A stand-alone software application was developed leveraging the Varian scripting application programming interface (API) for RTP database object accessibility. The Collision Avoider software models the Hitachi ProBeat-V half gantry design and the Kuka robotic couch with triangle mesh structures.

Improved Sample Selection and Preparation Methods for Sampling Plans Used to Facilitate Rapid and Reliable Estimation of Aflatoxin in Chicken Feed.

Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), a toxic fungal metabolite associated with human and animal diseases, is a natural contaminant encountered in agricultural commodities, food and feed. Heterogeneity of AFB1 makes risk estimation a challenge. To overcome this, novel sample selection, preparation and extraction steps were designed for representative sampling of chicken feed.

A Multi-Institutional Analysis of Radiation Dosimetric Predictors of Toxicity After Trimodality Therapy for Esophageal Cancer.

Purpose: This multi-institutional review explored associations between radiation dose-volume histogram (DVH) parameters and cardiopulmonary toxicities with trimodality therapy for esophageal cancer.

Methods And Materials: We reviewed 465 consecutive patients with esophageal cancer treated with chemoradiation therapy followed by surgery at 2 tertiary-care institutions between 2007 and 2013. Using logistic regression, we assessed associations between lung and heart DVH parameters and cardiopulmonary toxicities and survival.

Pb-Pb Dating of Terrestrial and Extraterrestrial Samples Using Resonance Ionization Mass Spectrometry.

We are developing an in situ, rock-dating spectrometer for spaceflight called the Chemistry, Organics, and Dating EXperiment (CODEX). CODEX will measure Rb-Sr compositions and determine ages of samples on the Moon or Mars and can be augmented to obtain Pb-Pb ages. Coupling Rb-Sr and Pb-Pb measurements broadens the suite of samples that can be dated and could provide tests of concordance.