Dosimetria Física e Controle de Qualidade em Radioterapia

Radiotherapy is a multidisciplinary speciality which uses complex equipment and radiation sources for delivery of treatment, using high-energy ionizing radiation to treat cancer at several stages of complexity. Since radiation therapy is a technique which involves a precalculated radiation dose, it shall be established quality assurance programs that provide an efficient and safety treatment. The International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements (ICRU) report No. 50 has recommended dose uniformity between 5% of the prescribed dose throughout the region of interest. This is one of the most primordial points that justify the importance of a suitable attendance of the equipments quality and performance. For quality control, the medical physicist will be involved with establishing and running a Quality Control Program (QCP). He must adapt or develop the procedures of equipment acceptance and commissioning, besides verifying the use of principles and accepted protocols of national and international reports to assure the correct quality, quantity, and placement of radiation during the performance of a radiological procedure, establishing adequate protocols to ensure accurate patient dosimetry. This present work consists of a description of the activities carried through the Sectors of Radiation Therapy of the Hospital of Clinics of the Campinas State University (Unicamp), particularly in the implementation of the Quality Control Program

Controle de qualidade em radioterapia: dosimetria de fótons em acelerador linear – Mevatron MXT

The treatment of a tumor with ionizing radiation is an ongoing process with well differentiated stages. These ones include the tumor diagnosis and location, the decision on the treatment strategy, the absorbed dose planning and calculation, the treatment administration, the absorbed dose verification and the evaluation of results in short and long terms. The quality of a radiotherapy procedure is closely linked to factors that may be classified as clinical, such as the diagnosis, the tumor location, the treatment strategy chosen and the continuous treatment reassessment; dosimetric or physical, such as the uncertainty in the dose calculation, its optimization and verification, the suitability of the equipment to provide a radiation beam consistent with the treatment planning; finally, others which are related to the practical application of radiotherapy treatment and the handling of the patient. In order to analyze the radiotherapy quality, one should realize that the three aspects (medical, physical or dosimetric and practical application) should be considered in a combined way. This means that numerous actions of the radiotherapists, medical physicists and technicians in radiotherapy should be held jointly and their knowledge level will significantly affect the treatment quality. In this study, the main physical parameters used in dosimetry are defined as well as determined experimentally for a linear accelerator Mevatron - MXT. With this, it is intended to provide recommendations for the physical aspects of Quality Assurance (QA) in the radiotherapy treatments, and these will usually be applied by professionals in Medical Physics. In addition to these instructions, it is recommended that additional texts are prepared to address in detail the clinical aspects of the treatments QA

Sistema de Acelerador Linear Comercial para Radioterapia

This paper presents a study about the operation of the major system’s components of a linear particle acclerator (Linac). It addresses the components mainly responsible for the formation of the beam, through the inclusion of several block diagrams showing the details of the structure. Among the systems discussed may be mentioned the system modulator, automatic frequency control, dosimetry and auxiliary systems. The main objective is the dissemination of basic technology applied in linear accelerators and create literature about this subject in national language. Despite the high complexity and large number of devices that comprise a linear accelerator, it has been developed an easy to understand text that adresses the most relevant issues to the operation of the linear accelerator from the point of view of electrical engineering

Análise de algoritmos computacionais utilizados em sistemas de planejamento de braquiterapia de alta taxa de dose: estudo comparativo com o Código MCNP-5C

In radiotherapy, computational systems are used for radiation dose determination in the treatment’s volume and radiometric parameters quality analysis of equipment and field irradiated. Due to the increasing technological advancement, several research has been performed in brachytherapy for different computational algorithms development which may be incorporated to treatment planning systems, providing greater accuracy and confidence in the dose calculation. Informatics and information technology fields undergo constant updating and refinement, allowing the use Monte Carlo Method to simulate brachytherapy source dose distribution. The methodology formalization employed to dosimetric analysis is based mainly in the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) studies, by Task Group nº 43 (TG-43) and protocols aimed at dosimetry of these radiation sources types. This work aims to analyze the feasibility of using the MCNP-5C (Monte Carlo N-Particle) code to obtain radiometric parameters of brachytherapy sources and so to study the radiation dose variation in the treatment planning. Simulations were performed for the radiation dose variation in the source plan and determined the dosimetric parameters required by TG-43 formalism for the characterization of the two high dose rate iridium-192 sources. The calculated values were compared with the presents in the literature, which were obtained with different Monte Carlo simulations codes. The results showed excellent consistency with the compared codes, enhancing MCNP-5C code the capacity and viability in the sources dosimetry employed in HDR brachytherapy. The method employed may suggest a possible incorporation of this code in the treatment planning systems provided by manufactures together with the equipment, since besides reducing acquisition cost, it can also make the used computational routines more comprehensive, facilitating the brachytherapy ...

Análise dosimétrica de aplicadores de Betaterapia

Betatherapy is a special medical technique using a radioactive source of strontium-90 for the treatment of superficial lesions, especially in dermatology and ophthalmology. Strontium-90 sources emit β radiation, which possesses high ionization power, but a very short distance propagation into matter. This work presents a method of dosimetric analysis of betatherapy using strontium- 90-based instrumentation, commonly used against superficial diseases, such as keloid and pterygium, aiming the description of the dosimetry analysis procedures, which can be easily implemented on tradiotherapy services that offers the betatherapy treatment. IBF-MEDIX radiographic films (conventional films) were exposed to betatherapy applicators during different time intervals according to the activity of the source, and afterwards the optical densities (O. D.) of the radiographic images were measured using an optical densitometer MACBETH. Therefore, the parameters used to make the dosimetric analysis in betatherapy were standardized, as the exposure time depended on the geometry and size of the source, providing an efficient and fast method of dosimetric analysis of the betatherapy equipment of the services, the majority of which do not have the scientific structure to perform this study

Avaliação das doses de cães submetidos a exames radiográficos de pulmão

This study aims to determine surface skin doses in dogs (with suspected pulmonary metastasis) submitted to chest X-rays using the technique of thermoluminescence dosimetry. Twenty seven exams from different dogs were performed at the Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia da Universidade Estadual Paulista (FMVZ-UNESP/Botucatu). The doses were evaluated using thermoluminescent dosimeters of calcium sulphate doped with dysprosium (CaSO4:Dy) produced by the Instituto de Pesquisas Energéticas e Nucleares (IPEN-CNEN). The pulmonary metastasis exams are carried out in three projections, one dorsal-ventral and two lateral-lateral. During the procedures the projection thicknesses and source-skin surface distances were registered. To simulate the dog phantom the dosimeters were positioned in a cubic simulator (30x30x30 cm) of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) filled with water and irradiated according to the parameters of projections with the X-ray energies ranging from 45 to 70 kV. To estimate the surface skin dose the dose-response curves were obtained for X-ray energies of 50 and 70 kV using the diagnostic X-ray beam machine of the Instruments Calibration Laboratory of IPEN for doses of 1.5, 2.0, 2.5, 3.5 and 4.0 mGy. The main difficulty of this work was the dog immobilization that is reflected in poor-quality diagnostic imaging and, consequently, demands the repetition of the exams, which contributes to the increase of the doses received by the animals being studied and the clinical staff. The doses evaluated in this type of procedure are between 0.43 and 4.22 mGy. This research has shown to be extremely important for the assessment of doses involved in veterinary diagnostic radiology procedures, and as a parameter in the individual monitoring of pet’s owners who assist the animal positioning and occupationally exposed workers of the Department of Veterinary Radiology

Interaction of biologically-relevant peptides with membrane model systems

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Estudo dos processos de geração e transferência de cargas em corantes cianinas

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Comparação entre o Disease Activity Score-28 e o Juvenile Arthritis Disease Activity Score na artrite idiopática juvenil

Introduction: the assessment of the activity of rheumatoid arthritis and juvenile idiopathic arthritis is made by means of different tools, respectively DAS-28 and JADAS.Objective: To compare DAS-28 and JADAS with scores of 71, 27 and 10 joint counts in juvenile idiopathic arthritis.Method: A secondary analysis of a phase III placebo-controlled trial, testing safety and efficacy of abatacept was conducted in 8 patients with 178 assessment visits. Joint count scores for active and limited joints, physician's and parents'global assessment by 0-10 cm Visual Analog Scale, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate normalized to 0-10 scale, in all visits. The comparison among the activity indices in different observations was made through Anova or adjusted gamma model. The paired observations between DAS-28 and JADAS 71, 27 and 10, respectively, were analyzed by linear regression.Results: There were significant differences among individual measures, except for ESR, in the first four months of biological treatment, when five of the eight patients reached ACR-Pedi 30, with improvement. The indices of DAS-28, JADAS 71, 27 and 10 also showed significant difference during follow-up. Linear regression adjusted model between DAS-28 and JADAS resulted in mathematical formulas for conversion: [DAS-28 = 0.0709 (JADAS 71) + 1.267] (R-2 = 0.49); [DAS-28 = 0.084 (JADAS 27) + 1.7404] (R-2 = 0.47) and [DAS-28 = 0.1129 (JADAS-10) + 1.5748] (R-2 = 0.50).Conclusion: The conversion of scores of DAS-28 and JADAS 71, 27 and 10 for this mathematical model would allow equivalent application of both in adolescents with arthritis. (C) 2014 Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

New LLLT protocol to speed up the bone healing process-histometric and immunohistochemical analysis in rat calvarial bone defect

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Antiferromagnetic resonance of polycrystalline BiMn2O5

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Non ohmic gigahertz conductivity in pressed pellets of ClO4 doped poly(3-methylthiophene)

ESR measurements In pressed pellets of doped Poly(3-Methylthiophene)(P3MT) were performed at 10 K and 50 K after cooling the system slowly from room temperature to 110 K, quenching to 77 K and then to 10 K. ESR line asymmetry (A/B) as a function of microwave power was observed and 9.4 GHz conductivity was obtained from Dyson's theory. The data is discussed in terms of Charge-Density Wave (CDW) depinning. At 50 K the threshold electric field is estimated to be less than 1 V/cm. At 10 K a subtle pinning of the CDW was observed around 15 mW.

325 degrees C thermoluminescence peak growth in quartz related to oxygen vacancies

The thermoluminescence intensity as a function of gamma-ray dose of the 325 degreesC peak, in quartz grains extracted from sea sediments and from fluvial aeolic dunes, is studied. It is found that the response curve at low doses has a concavity directed opposite to that of quartz grains extracted from archaeological potteries. To explain this behavior a model is proposed here based on oxygen vacancies and [AlO4/h](0) centers. The experimentally observed ESR intensity of E-I'-centers as a function of radiation dose can also be explained by this model.

Relationship between head and neck cancer therapy and some genetic endpoints

Head and neck cancer (HNC) is the sixth most common human malignancy worldwide. The main forms of treatment for HNC are surgery, radiotherapy (RT) and chemotherapy (CT). However, the choice of therapy depends on the tumor staging and approaches, which are aimed at organ preservation. Because of systemic RT and CT genotoxicity, one of the important side effects is a secondary cancer that can result from the activity of radiation and antineoplastic drugs on healthy cells. Ionizing radiation can affect the DNA, causing single and double-strand breaks, DNA-protein crosslinks and oxidative damage. The severity of radiotoxicity can be directly associated with the radiation dosimetry and the dose-volume differences. Regarding CT, cisplatin is still the standard protocol for the treatment of squamous cell carcinoma, the most common cancer located in the oral cavity. However, simultaneous treatment with cisplatin, bleomycin and 5-fluorouracil or treatment with paclitaxel and cisplatin are also used. These drugs can interact with the DNA, causing DNA crosslinks, double and single-strand breaks and changes in gene expression. Currently, the late effects of therapy have become a recurring problem, mainly due to the increased survival of HNC patients. Herein, we present an update of the systemic activity of RT and CT for HNC, with a focus on their toxicogenetic and toxicogenomic effects.

Structure of copper complexes adsorbed on a silica gel surface chemically modified with benzimidazole

Silica gel having a particle size between 0.2 and 0.05 mm and a specific surface area, S BET = 473 m 2 g -1, was chemically modified with benzimidazole. Adsorption isotherms of CuX 2 (X = Cl, Br or ClO 4) from ethanol and acetone solutions were studied at 298 K. The metal is bonded to the surface through the free nitrogen atom of the attached benzimidazole. The average number of ligands co-ordinated to the central metal ion was shown to depend on the solid surface loading by the solute. At low loading the electronic and ESR spectral parameters indicated that the copper ion is in a distorted-tetragonal symmetry field.