Comparison of the rate of healthcare encounters for influenza from source-specific PM before and after tier 3 vehicle standards in New York state.

Background: Influenza healthcare encounters in adults associated with specific sources of PM is an area of active research.

Objective: Following 2017 legislation requiring reductions in emissions from light-duty vehicles, we hypothesized a reduced rate of influenza healthcare encounters would be associated with concentrations of PM from traffic sources in the early implementation period of this regulation (2017-2019).

Methods: We used the Statewide Planning and Research Cooperative System (SPARCS) to study adult patients hospitalized (N = 5328) or treated in the emergency department (N = 18,247) for influenza in New York State.

Short term air pollution exposure during pregnancy and associations with maternal immune markers.

Background: Air pollution exposure during pregnancy has been associated with numerous adverse pregnancy, birth, and child health outcomes. One proposed mechanism underlying these associations is maternal immune activation and dysregulation. We examined associations between PM and NO exposure during pregnancy and immune markers within immune function groups (TH1, TH2, TH17, Innate/Early Activation, Regulatory, Homeostatic, and Proinflammatory), and examined whether those associations changed across pregnancy.

Prenatal maternal immune activation predicts observed fearfulness in infancy.

Fear reactivity is an early emerging temperament trait that predicts longer term behavioral and health outcomes. The current analysis tests the hypothesis, an extension of prior research on maternal immune activation (MIA), that the prenatal maternal immune system is a reliable predictor of observed fear reactivity in infancy. The analysis is based on a prospective longitudinal cohort study that collected data from the first trimester and conducted observational assessments of temperament at approximately 12 months of age ( = 281 infants).

Triggering of ST-elevation myocardial infarction by ultrafine particles in New York: Changes following Tier 3 vehicle introduction.

Background: Previously, we found increased rates of ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) associated with increased ultrafine particle (UFP; <100 nm) concentrations in the previous few hours in Rochester, New York. Relative rates were higher after air quality policies and a recession reduced pollutant concentrations (2014-2016 versus 2005-2013), suggesting PM composition had changed and the same PM mass concentration had become more toxic. Tier 3 light duty vehicles, which should produce less primary organic aerosols and oxidizable gaseous compounds, likely making PM less toxic, were introduced in 2017.

S-Nitrosoglutathione-mediated STAT3 regulation in efficacy of radiotherapy and cisplatin therapy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) is an endogenous nitric oxide (NO) carrier that plays a critical role in redox based NO signaling. Recent studies have reported that GSNO regulates the activities of STAT3 and NF-κB via S-nitrosylation dependent mechanisms. Since STAT3 and NF-κB are key transcription factors involved in tumor progression, chemoresistance, and metastasis of head and neck cancer, we investigated the effect of GSNO in cell culture and mouse xenograft models of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).

Commissioning and validation of BrainLAB cones for 6X FFF and 10X FFF beams on a Varian TrueBeam STx.

Small field dosimetry is a challenging task. The difficulties of small field measurements, particularly stereotactic field size measurements, are highlighted by the large interinstitution variability that can be observed for circular cone collimator commissioning measurements. We believe the best way to improve the consistency of small field measurements is to clearly document and share the results of small field measurements.

Radiation-induced acid ceramidase confers prostate cancer resistance and tumor relapse.

Escape of prostate cancer (PCa) cells from ionizing radiation-induced (IR-induced) killing leads to disease progression and cancer relapse. The influence of sphingolipids, such as ceramide and its metabolite sphingosine 1-phosphate, on signal transduction pathways under cell stress is important to survival adaptation responses. In this study, we demonstrate that ceramide-deacylating enzyme acid ceramidase (AC) was preferentially upregulated in irradiated PCa cells.

Activation of p53 with Nutlin-3a radiosensitizes lung cancer cells via enhancing radiation-induced premature senescence.

Radiotherapy is routinely used for the treatment of lung cancer. However, the mechanisms underlying ionizing radiation (IR)-induced senescence and its role in lung cancer treatment are poorly understood. Here, we show that IR suppresses the proliferation of human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells via an apoptosis-independent mechanism.

SU-E-J-193: Gamma Knife Perfexion End-To-End Testing with a Commercial Stereotactic Phantom.

Purpose: To investigate the use of the Lucy ® Stereotactic Phantom (Standard Imaging, Inc.) for Gamma Knife Perfexion radiosurgery quality assurance of the imaging, treatment planning, and dose delivery processes. End-to-end testing of the Perfexion and Gamma Plan version 10.

SU-E-T-226: Clinical Implementation of a Gravity-Oriented Wedge for Total Body Irradiation.

Purpose: To describe a TBI technique designed within the limits of a small-room geometry and its clinical implementation.

Methods: Following construction of the universal treatment devices, including the double-wedge, beam spoiler table, and patient support table, commissioning consists of measurements to determine the output, tissue-phantom ratio, effective source distance, and off-axis factor. Dose is calculated by applying these factors per patient-specific measurements to arbitrary point in the patient.

Calibration of the Gamma Knife Perfexion using TG-21 and the solid water Leksell dosimetry phantom.

Purpose: To calibrate a Gamma Knife (GK) Perfexion using TG-21 with updated chamber-dependent values for modern microionization chambers in the new solid water Leksell dosimetry phantom. This work illustrates a calibration method using commercially available equipment, instruments, and an established dosimetry protocol that may be adopted at any GK center, thus reducing the interinstitutional variation in GK calibration. The calibration was verified by three third-party dosimetry checks.