Aim of the study Our objective was to quantify the accuracy of dose calculation in the build-up region of the tangential field of the breast for a TiGRT treatment planning system (TPS). Material and methods Thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) chips were arranged in a RANDO phantom for the dose measurement. TiGRT TPS was also used for the dose calculation. Finally, confidence limit values were o...

AIMS We tested the hypothesis that dyssynchrony of left ventricular (LV) myocardial deformation evaluated by ultrasound can predict success of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) in patients with heart failure (HF). METHODS AND RESULTS Thirty-seven patients with dilated cardiomyopathy, New York Heart Association class III-IV, LV ejection fraction (EF) < or =35%, QRS > 120 ms were studied ...

Upon partial degradation of polar organic micropollutants during activated sludge treatment, transformation products (TPs) may be formed that enter the aquatic environment in the treated effluent. However, TPs are rarely considered in prospective environmental risk assessments of wastewater-relevant compound classes such as pharmaceuticals and biocides. Here, we suggest and evaluate a tiered pr...

The first quality assurance process for validating dose-volume histogram data involving brachytherapy procedures in radiation therapy is presented. The process is demonstrated using both low dose-rate and high dose-rate radionuclide sources. A rectangular cuboid was contoured in five commercially available brachytherapy treatment planning systems. A single radioactive source commissioned for QA...

Realistic 3D face model is desired in various applications such as face recognition, games, avatars, animations, and etc. Construction of 3D face model is composed of 1) building a face shape model and 2) rendering the face shape model. Thus, building a realistic 3D face shape model is an essential step for realistic 3D face model. Recently, 3D morphable model is successfully introduced to deal...

Heat shock factors (HSFs) are transcriptional regulators of the heat shock response. The major target of HSFs are the genes encoding heat shock proteins (HSPs), which are known to have a protective function that counteracts cytotoxic effects. To identify other HSF target genes, which may be important determinants for the generation of stress tolerance in Arabidopsis, we screened a library enric...

The aim of this work was to compare the evolution of chronic chagasic untreated patients (UTPs) with that of benznidazole or nifurtimox-treated patients (TPs). A longitudinal study from a low endemic area (Santa Fe city, Argentina) was performed during an average period of 14 years. Serological and parasitological analyses with clinical exams, ECG and X-chest ray were carried out. At the onset,...

Axenically grown Arabidopsis thaliana plants were analysed for the occurrence of trehalose. Using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis, trehalose was unambiguously identified in extracts from Arabidopsis inflorescences. In a variety of organisms, the synthesis of trehalose is catalysed by trehalose-6-phosphate synthase (TPS; EC 2.4.1.15) and trehalose-6-phosphate phosphatase (T...

Plants, such as Arabidopsis thaliana and Selaginella lepidophylla, contain genes homologous with the trehalose-6-phosphate synthase (TPS) genes of bacteria and fungi. Most plants do not accumulate trehalose with the desert resurrection plant S. lepidophylla, being a notable exception. Overexpression of the plant genes in a Saccharomyces cerevisiae tps1 mutant results in very low TPS-catalytic a...

BACKGROUND Scattered radiation can be assessed by in vivo dosimetry. Thyroid tissue is sensitive to radiation, even at doses <10 cGy. This study compared the scattered dose to the thyroid measured by thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs) and the estimated one by treatment planning system (TPS). METHODS During radiotherapy to sites other than the thyroid of 16 children and adolescents, seventy-t...