Neonatal Death Rates: Lack of Equal Access to Hospital Obstetric Service and Intensive Therapy

Aim: To identify the association between access to obstetric and neonatal hospital service and neonatal death rates. Method: Quantitative and retrospective research retrieved from Declaration of Live Newly-born Children;Declaration of Death;Investigation Chart on Municipal Child Mortality, between 2000 and 2009, at the Nucleus of Information on Mortality Rates. The population studied comprised 537 neonatal deaths and mothers with residence in the municipality, and investigated by the work team of the Committee for the Investigation of Mother-Child Deaths. Data were analyzed in Epi Info 2002? computer program and the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences? was used. Chi-square Test and Fischer’s Exact Test were applied at p < 0.05. Results: 63.7% of 537 neonates were born in hospitals with maternities and neonatal intensive therapy unit;60.7% weighed ≤1.500 grams;76.7% had a pregnancy age of ≤36 weeks;73% died of asphyxia in the 1st minute and 73.5% died during the perinatal period. Throughout the ten years of analysis, access to hospital obstetric service without NITU reduced death rate from 25% in 2000 to 6.8% in 2009. There was a significant statistical association between place of delivery and maternal socio-demographic variables (maternal age bracket p = 0.028;schooling p = 0.000;family income p = 0.000);occupation p = 0.000) and neonatal variables (race/skin color p = 0.007;type of delivery p = 0.000;weight at birth p = 0.000;pregnancy age p = 0.000 and Apgar Score 1st minute p = 0.000 and Apgar Score 5th minute p = 0.007). Conclusion: Although the municipal government provides obstetric services and specialized neonatal care, this right is not extensive to all;gaps at different levels in mother-child care should be identified to reduce neonatal deaths.

Effect of Intensive Therapy of Multiple Factors Intervention on Vascular Complications in Type 2 Diabetes

The effects of intensive versus regular therapy on incidence and progress of microalbuminuria in type 2 diabetes were compared. During a follow-up of 3 years, 96 cases of diabetes mellitus were randomized to intensive and regular therapy groups. HbA 1c goal was same in the two groups, but the goal of blood pressure (Bp) and lipid was more strict in the intensive therapy group than in the regular therapy group. There was statistically significant difference in the incidence and progression of vascular complications between the two groups. Logistic stepwise-regression analysis (odds ration, OR) showed that there was significant difference in the progression of nephropathy (OR 0.24, 95 % CI 0.12-0.76), retinopathy (OR 0.38, 95 % CI 0.16-0.88), peripheral neuropathy (OR 0.42, 95 % CI 0.22-0.86) and autonomic neuropathy (OR 0.29, 95 % CI 0.12-0.86) between the two groups (P<0.01). It was concluded that intensive blood glucose controlling could retard diabetic vascular complications. Intensive therapy of multiple factors interventions (controlling Bp, regulating blood lipid, improving microcirculation) could decrease various risk factors for diabetic vascular complications.

Individualized intensive insulin therapy of diabetes: Not only thegoal, but also the time

Intensive insulin therapy has been extensively used to control blood glucose levels because of its ability to reduce the risk of chronic complications of diabetes.According to current guidelines,intensive glycemic control requires individu-alized glucose goals rather than as low as possible.During intensive therapy,rapid blood glucose reduction can aggravate microvascular and macrovascular complications,and prolonged overuse of insulin can lead to treatment-induced neuropathy and retinopathy,hypoglycemia,obesity,lipodystrophy,and insulin antibody syndrome.Therefore,we need to develop individualized hypoglycemic plans for patients with diabetes,including the time required for blood glucose normalization and the duration of intensive insulin therapy,which deserves further study.

Effect of sustained intensive therapy with disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs in rheumatoid arthritis:a 5-year real-world consecutive study

Background:Intensive therapy with disease modifying anti-rheumatic drugs(DMARDs)has been reported to improve the outcomes of rheumatoid arthritis(RA).However,real-world study on the effect of intensive therapy on RA sustained remission is still lacking.This study aimed to investigate the outcome of sustained intensive DMARD therapy(SUIT)for RA in a real-world 5-year consecutive cohort.Methods:Based on a consecutive cohort of 610 out-patients with RA,remission of RA was assessed in 541 patients from 2012 to 2017,by dividing into SUIT,non-SUIT,and intermittent SUIT(Int-SUIT)groups.Changes in the disease activity scores were evaluated by 28-joint disease activity score based on erythrocyte sedimentation rate(DAS28-ESR),28-joint disease activity score based on C-reactive protein(DAS28-CRP),and clinical deep remission criteria(CliDR).Cumulative remission rates between different groups were compared using Kaplan-Meier curves and predictive factors of sustained remission were identified by univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis.Results:The remission rates of the SUIT group decreased from 12.0%(65/541)to 5.6%(20/359)based on DAS28-ESR,from 14.0%(76/541)to 7.2%(26/359)based on DAS28-CRP,and from 8.5%(46/541)to 3.1%(11/359)based on CliDR,respectively,with a gradually decreasing trend during the 5 years.The SUIT regimen led to a significantly higher cumulative remission rate than non-SUIT regimen based on DAS28-ESR(39.7%vs.19.5%,P=0.001),DAS28-CRP(42.0%vs.19.6%,P=0.001),and CliDR(24.5%vs.8.7%,P=0.001).The cumulative remission rates of patients treated with SUIT regimen were significantly higher than those treated with Int-SUIT regimen based on DAS28-ESR(39.7%vs.25.7%,P=0.043)and CliDR(24.5%vs.14.2%,P=0.047),but there was no significant difference between the two groups based on DAS28-CRP(42.0%vs.27.4%,P=0.066).Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the use of SUIT regimen was an independent favorable predictor according to different remission definitions(for DAS28-ESR:odds ratio[OR],2.215,95%confidence interval[CI]:1.271–3.861,P=0.005;for DAS28-CRP:OR,1.520,95%CI:1.345–1.783,P=0.002;for CliDR:OR,1.525,95%CI:1.314–1.875,P=0.013).Conclusion:Sustained intensive treatment of RA is an optimal strategy in daily practice and will lead to an increased remission rate.

Influence of Intensive Insulin Therapy on Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor in Patients with Severe Trauma

The influence of early-stage intensive insulin therapy on the plasma levels of vascular en- dothelial growth factor （VEGF） and the related parameters in patients with severe trauma and the clini- cal implication were investigated. Sixty-four cases of severe trauma （injury severity score 〉20） with stress hyperglycemia （blood glucose 〉9 mmol/L） were randomly divided into intensive insulin therapy group and conventional therapy group. ELISA method, radioimmunoassay and density gradient grada- tion one-step process were used to determine plasma VEGF, endothelin-1 （ET-1）, and the number of circulating endothelial cells （CECs） at the day of 0, 2, 3, 5 and 7 after admission. Simultaneously, the changes of CRP concentration in plasma were monitored to evaluate inflammatory response. The results showed that plasma levels of observational indexes in patients receiving early-stage intensive insulin therapy were all significantly lower than those in conventional therapy groups 2, 3, 5 and 7 days after admission [for VEGF （ng/L）, 122.2±23.8 vs. 135.9±26.5, 109.6±27.3 vs. 129.0±18.4, 88.7±18.2 vs. 102.6±27.3, 54.2±26.4 vs. 85.7±35.2, P〈0.05, 0.01, 0.05, 0.05 respectively; for ET-1 （ng/L）, 162.8±23.5 vs. 173.7±13.2, 128.6±17.5 vs. 148.8±22.4, 96.5±14.8 vs. 125.7±14.8, 90.7±16.9 vs. 104.9±22.5, P〈0.05, 0.01, 0.01, 0.01 respectively; for CRP （mg/L）, 23.2±13.8 vs. 31.9±16.5, 13.6±17.3 vs. 23.5±18.4, 8.7±10.2 vs. 15.6±13.3, 5.2±9.4 vs. 10.7±11.2, all P〈0.05; for CECs （/0.9 μL）, 10.9±5.6 vs. 13.9±6.2, 8.5±4.9 vs. 11.3±5.3, 6.3±6.4 vs. 9.4±5.7, 4.8±7.1 vs. 7.8±4.8, all P〈0.05]. It was concluded that intensive insulin therapy could antagonize the endothelium injury after trauma and reduce inflammation response quickly, which was one of important mechanisms by which intensive insulin therapy improves the prognosis of trauma patients.

Clinical Effects of Intensive Insulin Therapy Treating Traumatic Shock Combined with Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome

The therapeutic effects of intensive insulin therapy in treatment of traumatic shock combined with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome （MODS） were investigated. A total of 114 patients with traumatic shock combined with MODS were randomly divided into two groups： control group （n=56） treated with conventional therapy, and intensive insulin therapy group （n=58） treated with conventional therapy plus continuous insulin pumping to control the blood glucose level at range of 4.4-6.1 mmol/L. White blood cells （WBC） counts, prothrombin time （PT）, serum creatinine （SCr）, alanine aminotransferase （ALT）, serum albumin and PaO2 were measured before and at the day 1, 3, 5, 7 and 14 after treatment. The incidence of gastrointestinal dysfunction, the incidence of MODS, hospital stay and the mortality were also observed and compared. After intensive insulin therapy, the WBC counts, SCr, ALT and PT were significantly reduced （P0.05）, but the level of serum albumin was significantly increased （P0.05） at the day 3, 5, 7 and 14. In the meantime, the PaO2 was significantly elevated at the day 3, 5 and 7 （P0.01） after intensive insulin therapy. The incidence of gastrointestinal dysfunction, the incidence of MODS, the length of hospital stay and the mortality were markedly decreased （P0.01）. The results suggest early treatment with intensive insulin therapy is effective for traumatic shock combined with MODS and can decrease the length of hospital stay and the mortality.

Intensive Insulin Therapy Has No Effect on Mortality and Morbidity in Cardiac Surgery Patients: A Meta-Analysis

Introduction: Optimal glycemic control in cardiac surgery patients remains a laudable but confusing practice. Existing studies have primarily employed two maintenance strategies using either intensive insulin therapy (IIT) (maintain glucose p = 0.628), ICU LOS (MD = -0.073 days, 95% CI = -0.324 to 0.178;p = 0.568), or hospital LOS (MD = 0.269, 95% CI = -2.158 to 2.696;p = 0.828). No difference in AF rates (RR = 0.887, 95% CI = 0.681 to 1.155;p = 0.375) or deep sternal infection (RR = 0.985, 95% CI = 0.357 to 2.720;p = 0.977) were observed. Conclusion: IIT targeting blood sugar levels of 80 - 120 mg/dl have no effect on perioperative outcomes in cardiac surgery patients. IIT is associated with similar mortality, ICU LOS, hospital LOS, AF rates, and deep sternal infection rates compared to more liberal glycemic strategies. IIT should not replace CIT as the standard of care in cardiac surgery patients.

Effects of intensive control of blood glucose and blood pressure on microvascular complications in patients with type Ⅱ diabetes mellitus

AIM: To evaluate the effects of intensive control of blood glucose and blood pressure on microvascular complications in patients with type Ⅱ diabetes by comparing the therapeutic effects of intensive and standard treatment in patients with type Ⅱ diabetes. METHODS: A total of 107 patients with type Ⅱ diabetes were randomly assigned into intensive and standard treatment groups. Patients in the intensive treatment group received preterax (perindopril/ indapamide) to control blood pressure, and gliclazide (diamicron) MR to control blood glucose. Patients in the standard treatment group received routine medications or placebo. Urinary microalbumin (UMA), urinary creatinine (UCR), the UMA/ UCR ratio, and visual acuity were monitored according to the study design of the ADVANCE trial. Direct ophthalmoscopy and seven-field stereoscopic retinal photography were used to examine the fundi at baseline,and repeated after 5 years of treatment. RESULTS: The characteristics of patients in both groups were well balanced at baseline. After 5 years of treatment, visual acuity was found to be decreased in the standard group (P=0.04), but remained stable in the intensive group. The severity of diabetic retinopathy had not progressed in patients in the intensive group, but had deteriorated in the standard group (P=0.0006). The UMA/UCR ratio was not obviously changed in patients in the intensive group, whereas it was significantly increased in the standard group (P=0.00). CONCLUSION: Intensive control of blood glucose and blood pressure can decrease the incidence or slow the progression of microvascular complications in patients with type Ⅱ diabetes, and maintain stable vision.

Helical tomotherapy and volumetric modulated arc therapy:New therapeutic arms in the breast cancer radiotherapy

AIM To analyse clinical and dosimetric results of helical tomotherapy(HT) and volumetric modulated arc therapy(VMAT) in complex adjuvant breast and nodes irradiation.METHODS Seventy-three patients were included(31 HT and 42 VMAT). Dose were 63.8 Gy(HT) and 63.2 Gy(VMAT) in the tumour bed, 52.2 Gy in the breast, 50.4 Gy in supraclavicular nodes(SCN) and internal mammary chain(IMC) with HT and 52.2 Gy and 49.3 Gy in IMC and SCN with VMAT in 29 fractions. Margins to particle tracking velocimetry were greater in the VMAT cohort(7 mm vs 5 mm).RESULTS For the HT cohort, the coverage of clinical target volumes was as follows: Tumour bed: 99.4% ± 2.4%; breast: 98.4% ± 4.3%; SCN: 99.5% ± 1.2%; IMC:96.5% ± 13.9%. For the VMAT cohort, the coverage was as follows: Tumour bed: 99.7% ± 0.5%, breast: 99.3% ± 0.7%; SCN: 99.6% ± 1.4%; IMC: 99.3% ± 3%. For ipsilateral lung, Dmean and V20 were 13.6 ± 1.2 Gy, 21.1% ± 5%(HT) and 13.6 ± 1.4 Gy, 20.1% ± 3.2%(VMAT). Dmean and V30 of the heart were 7.4 ± 1.4 Gy, 1% ± 1%(HT) and 10.3 ± 4.2 Gy, 2.5% ± 3.9%(VMAT). For controlateral breast Dmean was 3.6 ± 0.2 Gy(HT) and 4.6 ± 0.9 Gy(VMAT). Acute skin toxicity grade 3 was 5% in the two cohorts.CONCLUSION HT and VMAT in complex adjuvant breast irradiation allow a good coverage of target volumes with an acceptable acute tolerance. A longer follow-up is needed to assess the impact of low doses to healthy tissues.

Treatment of Massive Low-Grade Chondrosarcoma of Nasal Septum with Helical Tomotherapy: A Case Report

Chondrosarcomas are malignant bone tumors which develop as a cartilaginous differentiation of primary mesenchymal cells and the second most frequently seen malignant tumor of the bone after osteosarcoma. These malignancies are slowly growing non-epithelial tumors with unknown etiology and most frequently seen during the 4 decades of life. They are frequently localized on pelvis, ribs and long bones. Nasal septum CSs are very rarely seen malignancies. They originate from septal mucosa or cartilage and it is difficult to make a diagnosis unless they reach a certain size. A few cases of CSs with nasal septum have been reported in the literature. In cases of CSs, surgery is the gold standard treatment modality;however in surgically unresectable cases or close to margins, radiotherapy plays a significant role in primary and adjuvant treatment. Based on the position of the tumor in head and neck and extremely closeness of the tumor to vital organs as optic nerve, chiasm and brain, image guided-intensity modulated radiation therapy (IG-IMRT) becomes very effective and reliable modalities and may be a favorable treatment alternative.

Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced gastric cancer with bulky lymph node metastasis:Five case reports

BACKGROUND Neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy(NACRT)has not been accepted as a general therapy for gastric cancer because of its localized effect and toxicity for radiosensitive organs.However,if radiation therapy could compensate for the limited or inadequate treatment choices available for elderly patients and/or those at high risk,the available therapeutic options for advanced gastric cancer might increase.From this perspective,we present our experiences of five patients with advanced gastric cancer in whom we used NACRT therapy with interesting results.CASE SUMMARY We admitted five patients with clinical Stage III gastric cancer and bulky lymph node metastasis or adjacent organ invasion at the time of diagnosis.A total of 50 Gy of preoperative intensity modulated radiation therapy was delivered to the patients in doses of 2.0 Gy/d,together with a regimen of concomitant chemotherapy comprising two courses of oral tegafur/gimeracil/oteracil(S-1;65 mg/m2 per day)for three consecutive weeks followed by two weeks of rest,starting at the same time as radiotherapy.All patients underwent no residual tumor resection and a pathological complete response of the primary tumors was achieved in two patients.The incidence of hematological toxicity was low,although the digestive toxicities of anorexia and diarrhea developed in three of the five patients,necessitating termination of radiation therapy at 30 Gy and S-1 at three weeks.However,even 30 Gy of irradiation and half the dose of S-1 resulted in sufficient downstaging,indicating that even a reduced amount of NACRT could confer considerable effects.CONCLUSION Slightly reduced NACRT might be useful and safe for patients with locally advanced gastric cancer.

Prostate specific antigen bounce after intensity-modulated radiation therapy in an Asian population

Objective:Serum prostate specific antigen(PSA)is commonly used to evaluate treatment response after definitive radiation therapy(RT).However,PSA levels can temporarily rise without a clear reason,termed“PSA bounce”,and often engender great anxiety for both patients and physicians.The present study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors that predict“PSA bounce”after intensity-modulated radiation therapy(IMRT),and the relevance to biochemical failure and cancer recurrence in an Asian population.Methods:We retrospectively reviewed 206 patients who received IMRT for prostate cancer from 2004 to 2012 in the National Cancer Centre Singapore.These patients were followed up with regular PSA monitoring.We defined“PSA bounce”as a rise of 0.1 ng/mL,followed by two consecutive falls.Patients with biochemical failure(PSA nadir t 2 ng/mL)were further evaluated for cancer recurrence.Results:Sixty-one patients(29.6%)experienced“PSA bounce”,at a median time of 16 months and lasted for 12 months.Age remained the most consistent predictor of the incidence,duration and extent of“PSA bounce”.Other contributory factors included baseline PSA,Gleason score and PSA nadir.Hormonal therapy and prostate volume did not affect this phenomenon.Sixteen patients(7.8%)developed biochemical recurrence,at median time of 32 months,of which 11 were confirmed to have metastatic disease.The median follow-up time was 71 months.

Proton beam therapy of periorbital sinonasal squamous cell carcinoma: Two case reports and review of literature

BACKGROUND Sinonasal malignancies are rare but demanding due to complex anatomy,usually late diagnosis,and inconsistent therapy strategy based on multimodality approaches.Squamous cell carcinoma(SCC)is the most common histology,with poorer prognosis.In the setting of orbital invasion,an orbital exenteration may be required.However,in case of primary rejection of disfiguring surgery or unresectable disease,proton beam therapy(PBT)should be largely considered,allowing for better sparing of neighboring critical structures and improved outcomes by dose escalation.CASE SUMMARY A 62-year-old male presented with a recurrent SCC in the nasal septum abutting frontal skull base and bilateral orbits at 7 mo after primary partial nasal amputation.Because of refusal of face-deforming surgery and considerable adverse effects of conventional radiotherapy,the patient underwent a PBT by hyperfractionated accelerated scheme,resulting in complete response and moderate toxicities.After 2 years,a nasal reconstruction was implemented with satisfactory appearance and recurrence-freedom to date.Another patient with an initially extended sinonasal SCC,invading right orbit and facial soft tissue,declined an orbital exenteration and was treated with a normofractionated PBT to the gross tumor and elective cervical lymphatics.The follow-up showed a continuous tumor remission with reasonable late toxicities,such as cataract and telangiectasia on the right.Despite T4a stage and disapproval of concurrent chemotherapy owing to individual choice,both patients still achieved outstanding treatment outcomes with PBT alone.CONCLUSION PBT enabled orbit preservation and excellent tumor control without severe adverse effects on both presented patients with locally advanced sinonasal SCC.

Intensity Modulated Proton Therapy for Re-Irradiation of Bulky Loco-Regional Recurrent Breast Cancer: A Case Report

Patients with recurrent breast cancer to chest wall, who had previous irradiation, are difficult to manage and have limited options. Several reports described the use of photon therapy, hyperthermia, and brachytherapy. This is a case report of a 72-year-old female with Stage IIIA (pT3N1M0) invasive ductal carcinoma of the right breast status post modified radical mastectomy. The patient developed recurrence to the chest wall and one internal mammary lymph node one year later. She received 3-D conformal photon radiation therapy for this recurrence. Two years later, she had progression of the recurrence at the right chest wall and axillary and internal mammary lymph nodes. She was treated with intensity modulated proton therapy (IMPT) for a total of 6600 cGy in 33 fractions. However, four months later, she was found to have biopsy-proven isolated metastatic disease at her right bicep, which was again treated with IMPT for a dose of 6000 cGy in 20 fractions. Proton beam therapy was used in this case to spare dose to the brachial plexus, heart and lung while optimally irradiating the recurrent tumors. At last follow up, the patient is alive and has been disease free for 39 months. This report describes the technique and dosimetry for this unique case, which also reviewed recent series of re-irradiation using proton beam.

Visual function and morphological changes in the macular area of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus after intensive insulin therapy

Background Intensive insulin therapy has been found to lessen the progress of diabetic retinopathy （DR） to some extent,while it has also been implicated to be responsible for decrease of DR.We investigated visual function and morphological changes in the macular area in short-term follow-up of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus after intensive insulin therapy.Methods This was a prospective clinical study of nonproliferative DR patients （102 eyes,120 patients） undergoing intensive insulin therapy.The Contrast Glare Tester （Takagi CGT-1000） was used to examine contrast sensitivity （CS） and Heidelberg Retina Tomograph （HRT） Ⅱ and Stratus Model 3000 OCT were used to observe the changes of morphology in the macular area.Follow-up times were pre-intensive therapy,3 and 6 months post-intensive therapy.Results CS at low and middle frequencies was higher at 3 and 6 months post-therapy compared with pre-therapy （P 〈0.05）.Significant differences in CS at low frequency were found between 6 and 3 months post-therapy （P 〈0.05）.Macular edema index was lower in the first,second,and third rings of the macular area after intensive therapy compared with pre-therapy （P 〈0.05）.Compared with 3 months post-therapy,the macular edema index was lower in the first,second,and third rings of the macular area at 6 months post-therapy （P 〉0.05）.No significant differences in the thickness of the first,second,and third rings of the macular area were detected between 3 and 6 months post-therapy and pre-therapy （P〉0.05）.Conclusion CS and macular edema indexes were significantly improved in nonproliferative diabetic retinopathy patients after intensive insulin therapy,but thickness of the macular area was unchanged.

Restenosis of a drug eluting stent on the previous bioresorbable vascular scaffold successfully treated with a drug-coated balloon: A case report

BACKGROUND The in-stent restenosis(ISR)rates are reportedly inconsistent despite the increased use of second-generation drug eluting stent(DES).Although bioresorbable vascular scaffold(BVS)have substantial advantages with respect to vascular restoration,the rate of scaffold thrombosis is higher with BVS than with DES.Optimal treatment strategies have not been established for DES-ISR to date.CASE SUMMARY We report on a case of a 60-year-old man patient with acute coronary syndrome.He had a history of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction associated with very late scaffold thrombosis and treated with a DES.Coronary angiography revealed significant stenosis,suggesting DES-ISR on the previous BVS.Optical coherence tomography(OCT)identified a plaque rupture and a disrupted scaffold strut in the neointimal proliferation of DES.To treat the DES-ISR on the previous BVS,we opted for a drug-coated balloon(DCB)after a balloon angioplasty using a semi-compliant and non-compliant balloon.The patient did not experience adverse cardiovascular events on using a DCB following the use of intensive dual antiplatelet therapy and statin for 24 mo.CONCLUSION This case highlights the importance of OCT as an imaging modality for characterizing the mechanism of target lesion failure.The use of a DCB following the administration of optimal pharmacologic therapy may be an optimal strategy for the treatment and prevention of recurrent BVS thrombosis and DES-ISR.

Dose Distribution Verifications of IMRT for NPC

In order to explore a dose distribution verification procedure of intensity modulated radiation therapy （IMRT） for nasopharyngeal carcinoma （NPC） and establish its evaluation criteria, we performed 35 two-dimensional （2D） patient-specific IMRT verifications over the year i006. The percent of pixels passing 7 and the normalized agreement test （NAT） index were mainly used to represent the agreement between the measured and computed dose distributions with three criteria （2%/2 mm, 3%/3 mm and 5%/3 mm） as recommended in the literature. The results were that all cases passed through verifications with three criteria except that the NAT index of one case was beyond the limitation, and the three tolerance levels of 2%/2mm, 3%/3 mm and 5%/3 mm produced similar clinical verification results but led to different percent of pixels passing Y and NAT index. Our data showed that the percent of pixels passing y and the NAT index were complementary to evaluate future IMRT verifications as two significant metrics. Due to the influence of the noise and the trait of the software, we considered an IMRT plan as acceptable in case of the percent ofpixels passing y 〉95% and the NAT index 〈5 with the 5%/3 mm criteria for IMRT patient-specific quality assurance （QA）.

Treatment of Vasculogenic Erectile Dysfunction with Piezowave2 Device. Application of Low Intensity Shockwaves Using Novel Linear Shockwave Tissue Coverage (LSTC-ED®) Technique. A Prospective, Multicentric, Placebo-Controlled Study

Low intensity shockwave (LiSW) treatment is known to improve revascularization. The method has been evaluated and is used to treat vasculogenic erectile dysfunction (ED). The present study aimed to demonstrate the efficacy of a linear focused piezoelectric shockwave device (Richard Wolf/ELvationPiezowave2) to treat patients with vasculogenic ED using a novel linear shockwave tissue coverage LSTC-ED® technique. A total of 75 patients were treated using the Piezowave2 device and the LSTC-ED® technique. Patients’ erectile function was evaluated using the modified IIEF-5 (International Index of Erectile Function) scale at the beginning of treatment and at 1 month post treatment;patients were additionally questioned using our own Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (TSQ). The study also included a group of 50 patients treated by placebo;the outcomes of both groups were compared. The average IIEF-5 score of patients in the treatment group increased from 14.4 at baseline to 18.6 at 1 month post treatment. According to the IIEF-5 scale, treatment was successful in 81.33% of patients (61/75). According to the Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (answers 1 to 3 of the TSQ), treatment was successful in 77.3% of patients (58/75). In the placebo group of 50 patients only 5 patients showed an improvement based on IIEF score, and 8 reported an improvement based on their answers to the TSQ. No significant adverse effects were observed during treatment or in the follow-up period. The Piezowave2 device and the LSTC-ED® technique proved to be suitable and effective to treat erectile dysfunction.

Research Progress of Two-d imensional Matrix Detectors in IMRT Dose Verification

With the continuous development of science and technolog ies in China,radiotherapy technology in medical field has been very significant ly developing,and intensity modulated radiation therapy(IMRT)technology has been the most widely used.This paper first introduces the components and types of two-dimensional matrix detector,two-dimensional ionization chamber matrix detector and two-dimensional semiconductor matrix detector,then analyzes the dosimetric characteristics of the two-dimensional matrix detector.In the end,the various applications of the two-dimensional matrix detector are analyzed and discussed in detail.The paper aims to promote the two-dimensional matrix detector’s development in the field of radiotherapy in China.

A Systematic Approach to Patient-Specific Quality Assurance for Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy

We developed the first non-commercial treatment planning system for volumetric modulated arc therapy(VMAT) in the United States. Because VMAT involves multi-parameter modulations, it is imperative to develop a comprehensive, rigorous and yet, practical procedure for routine patient-specific quality assurance(QA). In this paper, we presented our own approach as being currently implemented in our institution.Our patient-specific QA procedure involves multi-levels: pre-treatment QA,on-treatment QA, and posttreatment QA. The pre-treatment QA focuses on dosimetry verification, which is done with the commercial Map CHECK in Map PHAN mounted on an isocentric mounting fixture(IMF). This method is also referred to the fixed-gantry technique,i.e., the beams always remain perpendicular to the detector plane. The on-treatment QA involves in vivo optically stimulated luminescent dosimetry(OSLD).Prior to the treatment, two nano Dot TM OSLD dosimeters are placed on the patient abdomen under 1 cm bolus at the isocenter location. The irradiated dosimeters are then read by a nano Dot TM reader and the average reading of the two is calculated. The post-treatment QA involves the analysis of the Dyna Log and DLog files. The Dyna Log is a treatment log file that contains the planned and actual leaf positions at a given gantry angle. The DLog is a treatment log file that contains the planned segmented treatment table(STT) and the corresponding segment boundary samples, i.e., the actual delivered MU and gantry angle increment at each control point.