To investigate the quantitative distribution of Plasmodiumfalciparum gametocytes into the vector bloodmeal, Anopheles arabiensis mosquitoes were fed on 3 volunteers naturally infected with gametocytes. The content of each mosquito midgut was smeared on a microscope slide and Giemsa stained. The distribution of gametocytes ingested by mosquitoes followed a negative binomial distribution, with ap...

OBJECTIVE We are conducting an open-label phase 1b study on the efficacy of intrathecal (IT) administration of rituximab, provided via an Ommaya reservoir, for the treatment of progressive multiple sclerosis (PMS). The objective of this initial study was to monitor B lymphocytes in peripheral blood (PB) and CSF from the first 10 patients 1 year posttreatment. METHODS Dose titration was perfor...

Background: To determine which radiotherapy parameters are associated with the tumor response of locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients undergoing concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Materials and Methods: Thirty one patients with IIIA/IIIB NSCLC underwent chemoradiotherapy with a median dose of 63 Gy. On our actual treatments, we made radiotherapy planning to cover the planning...

Glucocorticoids improve the symptoms of peripheral nerve disorders, such as carpal tunnel syndrome and peripheral neuropathy. The effects of glucocorticoids are mainly anti-inflammatory, but the mechanisms of their effects in peripheral nerve disorders remain unclear. Schwann cells of the peripheral nerves express glucocorticoid receptors (GR), and glucocorticoids enhance the rate of myelin for...

Introduction: The objective of this work is to study the ability of MRI normoxic polymer gel dosimetry system to be used to verify the calculated dose distribution, in a simple geometry, in clinical radiotherapy. Materials and Methods:  Initially, 2 liters of the normoxic MAGAT polymer gel was prepared and then poured into two cylindrical Perspex phantom (simu...

Introduction: The gamma index is a known parameter for radiotherapy dose verification. Many free and commercial programs have been written for the calculation of this index. However, the verification of the results has been overlooked in many of the programs. The present study tested the validity of three gamma index calculator programs. Material and ...

Background: We used a MapCHECK software-based dimensional dose distribution comparison method capable of evaluating point-to-point geometrical dose differences in volume to determine whether doses obtained from an enhanced computed tomography (CT)-based treatment plan, which better defines the target regions and organs at risk, differs from doses obtained from plain CT and then evaluated the fe...

Background: in radiation treatment of moving targets located in thorax region of patient body, the delivered dose does not match with the planned treatment, resulting in some over and under dosage in the tumor volume, as a function of motion magnitude and frequency. Several efforts have been done to investigate the target motion effects on dose distribution in the target and surrounding normal ...

ntroduction:  Monte  Carlo  simulation  is  the  most  accurate  method  of  simulating  radiation  transport  and  predicting doses at different points of interest in radiotherapy. A great advantage of the Monte Carlo method  compared  to  the  deterministic  methods  is  the  ability  to  deal  accurately  with  any  complex  geometry.  Its  disadvantage is the extremely long computing time r...