Management of Hereditary Transthyretin Amyloidosis (ATTRv) Patients and Asymptomatic Carriers in Spain: The EMPATIa Study.

Hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTRv) is an autosomal-dominant systemic disease, where amyloid fibrils accumulate especially in the peripheral and autonomic nervous systems and in the heart. The aim of the present work was to outline the follow-up and type of management received by asymptomatic carriers (ACs) and stage 1 ATTRv patients in Spain. A cross-sectional, non-interventional study was conducted throughout seven experienced hospitals in Spain.

Phloem sap from melon plants contains extracellular vesicles that carry active proteasomes which increase in response to aphid infestation.

The morphogenesis of higher plants requires communication among distant organs throughout vascular tissues (xylem and phloem). Numerous investigations have demonstrated that phloem also act as a distribution route for signalling molecules being observed that different macromolecules translocated by the sap, including nucleic acids and proteins, change under stress situations. The participation of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in this communication has been suggested, although little is known about their role.

Unraveling new players in helminth pathology: extracellular vesicles from Fasciola hepatica and Dicrocoelium dendriticum exert different effects on hepatic stellate cells and hepatocytes.

Fasciola hepatica and Dicrocoelium dendriticum are parasitic trematodes residing in the bile ducts of mammalian hosts, causing, in some cases, impairment of liver function and hepatic fibrosis. Previous studies have shown that extracellular vesicles released by F. hepatica (FhEVs) and D.

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.

Generation and comparison of 3D dosimetric reference datasets for COMS eye plaque brachytherapy using model-based dose calculations.

Purpose: A joint Working Group of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO), and the Australasian Brachytherapy Group (ABG) was created to aid in the transition from the AAPM TG-43 dose calculation formalism, the current standard, to model-based dose calculations. This work establishes the first test cases for low-energy photon-emitting brachytherapy using model-based dose calculation algorithms (MBDCAs).

Acquisition And Validation Methods: Five test cases are developed: (1) a single model 6711 I brachytherapy seed in water, 13 seeds (2) individually and (3) in combination in water, (4) the full Collaborative Ocular Melanoma Study (COMS) 16 mm eye plaque in water, and (5) the full plaque in a realistic eye phantom.

AAPM WGDCAB Report 372: A joint AAPM, ESTRO, ABG, and ABS report on commissioning of model-based dose calculation algorithms in brachytherapy.

The introduction of model-based dose calculation algorithms (MBDCAs) in brachytherapy provides an opportunity for a more accurate dose calculation and opens the possibility for novel, innovative treatment modalities. The joint AAPM, ESTRO, and ABG Task Group 186 (TG-186) report provided guidance to early adopters. However, the commissioning aspect of these algorithms was described only in general terms with no quantitative goals.

A MC-based anthropomorphic test case for commissioning model-based dose calculation in interstitial breast 192-Ir HDR brachytherapy.

Purpose: To provide the first clinical test case for commissioning of Ir brachytherapy model-based dose calculation algorithms (MBDCAs) according to the AAPM TG-186 report workflow.

Acquisition And Validation Methods: A computational patient phantom model was generated from a clinical multi-catheter Ir HDR breast brachytherapy case. Regions of interest (ROIs) were contoured and digitized on the patient CT images and the model was written to a series of DICOM CT images using MATLAB.

Extracellular vesicles from the trematodes Fasciola hepatica and Dicrocoelium dendriticum trigger different responses in human THP-1 macrophages.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) released by the helminths Dicrocoelium dendriticum and Fasciola hepatica are important modulators of the host immune response, contributing to the establishment of the infection. Monocytes and, in particular, macrophages are major regulators of the inflammatory response and are likely responsible for the phagocytosis of most of the parasite EVs. In this study, we isolated EVs from F.

Benchmark of the PenRed Monte Carlo framework for HDR brachytherapy.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to validate the PenRed Monte Carlo framework for clinical applications in brachytherapy. PenRed is a C++ version of Penelope Monte Carlo code with additional tallies and utilities.

Methods And Materials: Six benchmarking scenarios are explored to validate the use of PenRed and its improved bachytherapy-oriented capabilities for HDR brachytherapy.

GEC-ESTRO ACROP recommendations on calibration and traceability of HE HDR-PDR photon-emitting brachytherapy sources at the hospital level.

The vast majority of radiotherapy departments in Europe using brachytherapy (BT) perform temporary implants of high- or pulsed-dose rate (HDR-PDR) sources with photon energies higher than 50 keV. Such techniques are successfully applied to diverse pathologies and clinical scenarios. These recommendations are the result of Working Package 21 (WP-21) initiated within the BRAchytherapy PHYsics Quality Assurance System (BRAPHYQS) GEC-ESTRO working group with a focus on HDR-PDR source calibration.

Extracellular vesicles as a horizontal gene transfer mechanism in Leishmania.

Douanne et al. recently reported horizontal gene transfer (HGT) mediated by extracellular vesicles (EVs) in Leishmania; this constitutes the first report of this phenomenon in parasites. They showed that EVs facilitate the transmission of drug-resistance genes and increased cell fitness in stressful environments, indicating potential clinical application of these findings.

In Vivo Verification of Treatment Source Dwell Times in Brachytherapy of Postoperative Endometrial Carcinoma: A Feasibility Study.

(1) Background: In brachytherapy, there are still many manual procedures that can cause adverse events which can be detected with in vivo dosimetry systems. Plastic scintillator dosimeters (PSD) have interesting properties to achieve this objective such as real-time reading, linearity, repeatability, and small size to fit inside brachytherapy catheters. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the performance of a PSD in postoperative endometrial brachytherapy in terms of source dwell time accuracy.

Source strength determination in iridium-192 and cobalt-60 brachytherapy: A European survey on the level of agreement between clinical measurements and manufacturer certificates.

Background And Purpose: Brachytherapy treatment outcomes depend on the accuracy of the delivered dose distribution, which is proportional to the reference air-kerma rate (). Current societal recommendations require the medical physicist to compare the measured values to the manufacturer source calibration certificate. The purpose of this work was to report agreement observed in current clinical practice in the European Union.

A study of Type B uncertainties associated with the photoelectric effect in low-energy Monte Carlo simulations.

To estimate Type B uncertainties in absorbed-dose calculations arising from the different implementations in current state-of-the-art Monte Carlo (MC) codes of low-energy photon cross-sections (<200 keV).MC simulations are carried out using three codes widely used in the low-energy domain: PENELOPE-2018, EGSnrc, and MCNP. Three dosimetry-relevant quantities are considered: mass energy-absorption coefficients for water, air, graphite, and their respective ratios; absorbed dose; and photon-fluence spectra.

Very Heavy Flavored Dibaryons.

We explore the possibility of very heavy dibaryons with three charm quarks and three beauty quarks, bbbccc, using a constituent model which should lead to the correct solution in the limit of hadrons made of heavy quarks. The six-body problem is treated rigorously, in particular taking into account the orbital, color, and spin mixed-symmetry components of the wave function. Unlike a recent claim based on lattice QCD, no bound state is found below the lowest dissociation threshold.

Depth-dose measurement corrections for the surface electronic brachytherapy beams of an Esteyaunit: a Monte Carlo study.

Three different correction factors for measurements with the parallel-plate ionization chamber PTW T34013 on the Esteya electronic brachytherapy unit have been investigated. This chamber type is recommended by AAPM TG-253 for depth-dose measurements in the 69.5 kV x-ray beam generated by the Esteya unit.

Instability training, assessing the impact of level of difficulty on balance: A randomized clinical trial.

Background: Most human movements are executed while in a state of postural instability. For this reason, instability training is a highly-specific method that is intended to improve balance and postural control. This research aimed to determine the effect of instability training on the balance of individuals with similar baseline abilities, who initiated training within different stability conditions.

A Monte Carlo-based dosimetric characterization of Esteya , an electronic surface brachytherapy unit.

Purpose: The purpose of this work is threefold: First, to obtain the phase space of an electronic brachytherapy (eBT) system designed for surface skin treatments. Second, to explore the use of some efficiency enhancing (EFEN) strategies in the determination of the phase space. Third, to use the phase space previously obtained to perform a dosimetric characterization of the Esteya eBT system.

Failure modes and effects analysis of total skin electron irradiation technique.

Purpose: Total skin electron irradiation (TSEI) is a radiotherapy technique which consists of an homogeneous body surface irradiation by electrons. This treatment requires very strict technical and dosimetric conditions, requiring the implementation of multiple controls. Recently, the Task Group 100 report of the AAPM has recommended adapting the quality assurance program of the facility to the risks of their processes.

A generic TG-186 shielded applicator for commissioning model-based dose calculation algorithms for high-dose-rate Ir brachytherapy.

Purpose: A joint working group was created by the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), the European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO), and the Australasian Brachytherapy Group (ABG) with the charge, among others, to develop a set of well-defined test case plans and perform calculations and comparisons with model-based dose calculation algorithms (MBDCAs). Its main goal is to facilitate a smooth transition from the AAPM Task Group No. 43 (TG-43) dose calculation formalism, widely being used in clinical practice for brachytherapy, to the one proposed by Task Group No.

Supplement 2 for the 2004 update of the AAPM Task Group No. 43 Report: Joint recommendations by the AAPM and GEC-ESTRO.

Since the publication of the 2004 update to the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) Task Group No. 43 Report (TG-43U1) and its 2007 supplement (TG-43U1S1), several new low-energy photon-emitting brachytherapy sources have become available. Many of these sources have satisfied the AAPM prerequisites for routine clinical purposes and are posted on the Brachytherapy Source Registry managed jointly by the AAPM and the Imaging and Radiation Oncology Core Houston Quality Assurance Center (IROC Houston).

Towards clinical application of RayStretch for heterogeneity corrections in LDR permanent I prostate brachytherapy.

Purpose: RayStretch is a simple algorithm proposed for heterogeneity corrections in low-dose-rate brachytherapy. It is built on top of TG-43 consensus data, and it has been validated with Monte Carlo (MC) simulations. In this study, we take a real clinical prostate implant with 71 I seeds as reference and we apply RayStretch to analyze its performance in worst-case scenarios.