Calibration of Gafchromic EBT Film Using the Microtek ScanMaker 9800XL Plus Flatbed Scanner with a Modified One Red-Channel after Three-Channel Method.

Purpose: Using the Microtek ScanMaker 9800XL Plus (9800XL) flatbed scanner, a method is presented to accurately calibrate EBT film, which cannot be calibrated simply using a general three-channel method because of the nonhomogeneous scanning.

Materials And Methods: Through the percentage-depth-dose method, 6-MV photon beams with two different monitor units were delivered to eight EBT2 films, each of which was tightly sandwiched in a 30-cm cubic polystyrene phantom and positioned parallel to the central axis of the beam. Before and after irradiation, all films were scanned using the Microtek 9800XL scanner and the pixel values (PVs) were measured along the central axis of the beam on the film and fitted to the corresponding depth doses.

expression of thrombospondin-1 suppresses the formation of peritoneal adhesion in rats.

Background: Formation of intraperitoneal adhesions is one of the major complications after abdominal surgery, which may lead to bowel obstruction. Thrombospondin 1 (TSP-1) is an extracellular matrix modulating glycoprotein during tissue regeneration and collagen deposition.

Aim: To evaluated the therapeutic potential of overexpressed TSP-1 in suppressing pelvic adhesion formations in rat models.

Ir-192 Calibration in Air with Farmer Chamber for HDR Brachytherapy.

A comprehensive review for the in-air calibration of an Ir-192 high-dose-rate brachytherapy source in terms of air kerma strength (AKS) and reference air kerma rate (RAKR) using the Farmer chamber was conducted. The reviewed calibration methods include the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) calibration standard in the UK, the 7-distance technique with the standard calibration of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and Accredited Dosimetry Calibration Laboratory in the US, the calibration conducted in Australia following recommendations of the International Atomic Energy Agency with the chamber primarily calibrated by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency, the calibration conducted in India following the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Medizinische Physik recommendation, and the convenient empirical method used in Taiwan. The calibrated AKS (or RAKR) and uncertainty obtained using Farmer chambers are similar to those obtained using well chambers.

Calibration of EBT2 film using a red-channel PDD method in combination with a modified three-channel technique.

Purpose: Ashland Inc. EBT2 and EBT3 films are widely used in quality assurance for radiation therapy; however, there remains a relatively high degree of uncertainty [B. Hartmann, M.

Dependency of EBT2 film calibration curve on postirradiation time.

Purpose: The Ashland Inc. product EBT2 film model is a widely used quality assurance tool, especially for verification of 2-dimensional dose distributions. In general, the calibration film and the dose measurement film are irradiated, scanned, and calibrated at the same postirradiation time (PIT), 1-2 days after the films are irradiated.

Intensity-modulated radiotherapy improves outcomes in postoperative patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity.

Objectives: We compared the outcomes and survival rates of patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma receiving postoperative conventional radiotherapy (RT) or intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT).

Materials And Methods: From January 2005 to September 2008, medical records of 131 consecutive patients with oral cancer receiving postoperative radiotherapy in the Department of Radiation Oncology of National Cheng Kung University Hospital were reviewed. Patients were divided into two groups according to the administration of postoperative conventional RT or IMRT.

Arsenic trioxide and radiation enhance apoptotic effects in HL-60 cells through increased ROS generation and regulation of JNK and p38 MAPK signaling pathways.

The induction of apoptotic cell death is a significant mechanism of tumor cells under the influence of radio-/chemotherapy, and resistance to these treatments has been linked to some cancer cell lines with a low propensity for apoptosis. The present study aimed to investigate the enhanced effects and mechanisms in apoptosis and the cycle distribution of HL-60 cells, a human leukemia cell line lacking a functional p53 protein, after combination treatment with arsenic trioxide (ATO) and irradiation (IR). Our results indicated that combined treatment led to increased cytotoxicity and apoptotic cell death in HL-60 cells, which was correlated with the activation of cdc-2 and increased expression of cyclin B, the induction of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, the loss of mitochondria membrane potential, and the activation of caspase-3.

Combination treatment with arsenic trioxide and irradiation enhances apoptotic effects in U937 cells through increased mitotic arrest and ROS generation.

Arsenic compounds have been used as anti-cancer agents in traditional Chinese medicine. Ionizing radiation (IR) is one of the most effective tools in the clinical treatment of cancer. The induction of apoptotic cell death is a significant mechanism of tumor cells under the influence of radio-/chemotherapy, and resistance to these treatments has been linked to some cancer cell lines with a low propensity for apoptosis.

Oral-facial-digital syndrome with vaginal atresia, hydronephrosis and congenital cardiac defect.

Orofaciodigital syndromes (OFDS) are a group of diseases classified according to the phenotype and the mode of inheritance. We report on a female patient with ocular hypertelorism, broad nasal root, midline cleft of the upper lip, lobulated tongue, polydactyly of both hands, polysyndactyly of the right big toe and fifth toe, and polydactyly of the left foot. These clinical manifestations resembled OFDS type I.

Laparoscopic repair of delayed-onset ureter injury.

Ureter injury is typically a rare complication, albeit with serious sequelae, of a hysterectomy procedure, especially after laparoscopic hysterectomy. Herein we report on a successful laparoscopic reanastomosis of the ureter conducted at the ureterovesical junction.

Right coronary artery originating from distal left circumflex artery in a patient with an unusual type of isolated single coronary artery.

Single coronary artery is a rare congenital anomaly and is commonly associated with other congenital cardiac malformations. This report describes a 42-year-old man with an isolated single coronary artery, in whom the right coronary artery did not originate from the aorta but rather from the distal left circumflex artery. This patient did not have any other cardiovascular anomaly.

Modelling the wedge shape for the virtual wedge.

We present a method to model the virtual wedge shape in a 3D treatment planning system as a physical wedge. The virtual wedge shape was determined using the measured dose profile of the virtual wedge at a chosen reference depth. The differences between the calculated and the measured dose profiles for the virtual wedge were within 0.

Emergence of Klebsiella pneumoniae isolates producing inducible DHA-1 beta-lactamase in a university hospital in Taiwan.

Ten nonrepetitive clinical isolates of Klebsiella pneumoniae exhibiting an unusual inducible beta-lactam resistance phenotype were identified between January 1999 and September 2001 in a university hospital in Taiwan. In the presence of 2 micro g of clavulanic acid, the isolates showed a one to four twofold concentration increase in the MICs of ceftazidime, cefotaxime, and aztreonam but remained susceptible to cefepime (MICs, View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Use of polymerase chain reaction for early detection and management of hepatitis C virus infection after needlestick injury.

Infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a matter of great concern because of its potentially grave consequences. Instead of relying on the conventional anti-HCV antibody test to detect HCV infection after needlestick incidents, we used the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to achieve earlier detection, to manage a patient more effectively, and to exclude possible infection more quickly. Fourteen incidents were studied in which the source patients were positive for both the anti-HCV antibody and HCV RNA, and the exposed subjects were negative for anti-HCV antibody at the time of the incidents.

Endoscopic t4-sympathetic block by clamping (ESB4) in treatment of hyperhidrosis palmaris et axillaris--experiences of 165 cases.

Prevention of postoperative complications becomes relatively important when surgical procedures are easy to learn and perform. Endoscopic Thoracic Sympathetic Surgery (ETS), which is now more accessible to surgeons after the 2nd International Symposium of Thoracic Sympathicotomy, would be the typical examples in surgery. Reflex sweating is one of the famous and annoying complications that surgeons endeavor to avoid but in vain in ETS.

Technical innovation to calibrate the gantry angle indicators of linear accelerators.

Finding the actual zero degree of the gantry angle is important in order to perform the mechanical quality assurance (QA) of linear accelerators. To determine real zero, we must locate a "good surface" which could be defined as a plane on the surface of the gantry head that is perpendicular to the direction of radiation. The actual gantry angle could then be defined as the angle between vertical, as indicated by a plumb bob, and the direction of the beam axis that could be indicated by the position of a BB placed in the central axis and its shadow.

Low triglyceride levels affect calculation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol values.

The Friedewald formula for the calculation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) values is fairly accurate provided the triglyceride value is less than 400 mg/dL. It is not clear whether the estimation is also valid in the presence of low triglyceride and high cholesterol levels. We describe herein a patient with a low triglyceride value of approximately 50 mg/dL, a high cholesterol level, and a discrepant LDL-C level.