Biomedical subjects

X A Li

Publications and source records attributed to X A Li.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed2000

Evaluation of EGS4/PRESTA multiple-scattering algorithms for 90Sr/90Y intravascular brachytherapy dosimetry.

The purpose of this work is to evaluate the EGS4/PRESTA electron multiple-scattering (MS) algorithms for dose calculation in intravascular brachytherapy (IVBT) using a 90Sr/90Y source. The small source size and the small volume of interest in IVBT require very fine spatial resolution, which may break down the constraints of Molière's MS theory as implemented in EGS4. The theory is accurate only when the electron step sizes are large enough to allow the number of collisions omega0 to be much greater than e = 2.7183. When step sizes are too small to allow at least 2.7183 collisions, as may be necessitated by the fine geometry, the algorithm may switch off MS, producing dosimetric artefacts. This study showed that switching off MS could produce a dose deviation of up to 6% when the half-thickness (d/2) of the dose scoring region is comparable with the Moliere minimum step size (t(min) = 2.7183). The effect of switching off MS is negligible if d/2 >> t(min) For the case of omega0 > e, if the electron step sizes are chosen to allow five to 40 collisions, with increasing step size, the doses surrounding the source increase and the error decreases. On the other hand, when larger step sizes are chosen, the dose calculation voxel size must also be increased in order for the calculations to converge. A good compromise between accuracy and applicability for IVBT simulation can be made, if the thickness of the scoring region is 0.1 mm and the electron step sizes are in the range allowing 10 to 30 collisions.

Algorithms↗

PubMed2000

A Monte Carlo calculation of dosimetric parameters of 90Sr/90Y and 192Ir SS sources for intravascular brachytherapy.

The AAPM TG-60 report has proposed various dose calculation parameters for intravascular brachytherapy (IVBT). These parameters include the dose rate constant (or the dose rate at a reference position for a beta-particle emitting source), the radial dose function, and the anisotropy function. In this work, we have used a modified EGS4 Monte Carlo system to calculate these parameters for the two most commonly used IVBT sources (the beta-particle emitting 90Sr/90Y source and the photon emitting 192Ir SS source). To ensure the calculation accuracy, the present calculation was compared with several measurements and calculations reported by other authors. Excellent agreement was found for the results with the photon source. For beta-particle source calculation, the present results for a variety of point sources agree very well with a previous work. The presently calculated radial dose functions for the 90Sr/90Y source are consistent with those of a published work for intermediate radial distances. The dose uniformity in the axial direction was also studied. The contributions of bremsstrahlung photons to total doses for the 90Sr/90Y beta source, and the influence of ignoring electron transport on calculated doses for the 192Ir SS photon source are discussed.

Brachytherapy↗

PubMed2000

Dosimetric perturbations of linear array of beta-emitter seeds and metallic stent in intravascular brachytherapy.

The radiation treatment with catheter-based beta-emitter sources is under clinical trials to prevent restenosis following interventional coronary procedures. There are still large uncertainties in the dose calculation due to the complicated treatment geometry. We present the Monte Carlo simulations to account for the dosimetric perturbations due to neighboring trained seeds, proximal/distal gold markers, and a stainless steel stent. A catheter-based beta-emitter system is modeled using the Monte Carlo code, MCNP4B. Dose distributions and dose rates are calculated in voxels (0.64x0.64x0.5 mm3) around the long cylindrical trains of 90Sr/Y source with and without the stent (at 1.92 mm from the source axis). For the total activity of 70 mCi (2.59x10(9) Bq), the dose around most of the source length (except for edge seeds and gold markers) varies from 40 to 0.23 cGy/s as the radial distance from the source axis (r) increases from 0.64 to 6.4 mm. At the prescription range of r = 1.5-4.0 mm, the dose gradient is very steep and the contribution of neighboring seeds to the dose is significant. The dose enhancement due to neighboring seeds (the so-called "train effect") varies from 9% to 64% as r increases from 0.64 to 5.2 mm. The doses at r = 2 mm from the last edge seed and the gold marker are about 80% and 40% of that of the nonedge seed (8.7 cGy/s), respectively. The dose enhancement due to the secondary electrons and the primary electrons scattered with the stent is shown to be about 9.3% in the voxel including the stent. However, as r increases beyond the stent (r = 2.0-6.4 mm), the dose is slightly reduced by 4%-12%, compared to that without the stent.

Beta Particles↗

PubMed2000

A systematic evaluation of air cavity dose perturbation in megavoltage x-ray beams.

The EGS4 Monte Carlo radiation transport code was used to systematically study the dose perturbation near planar and cylindrical air cavities in a water medium irradiated by megavoltage x-ray beams. The variables of the problem included x-ray energy, cavity shape and dimension, and depth of the cavity in water. The Monte Carlo code was initially validated against published measurements and its results were found to agree within 2% with the published measurements. The study results indicate that the dose perturbation is strongly dependent on x-ray energy, field size, depth, and size of cavity in water. For example, the Monte Carlo calculations show dose reductions of 42% and 18% at 0.05 and 2 mm, respectively, beyond the air-water interface distal to the radiation source for a 3 cm thick air slab irradiated by a single 5x5 cm2 15 MV beam. The dose reductions are smaller for a parallel-opposed pair of 5x5 cm2 15 MV x-ray beams, being 21% and 11% for the same depths. The combined set of Monte Carlo calculations showed that the dose reduction near an air cavity is greater for: (a) Smaller x-ray field size, (b) higher x-ray energy, (c) larger air-cavity size, and (d) smaller depth in water where the air cavity is situated. A potential clinical application of these results to the treatment of prostate cancer is discussed.

Air↗

PubMed1999

Cloning and characterization of a novel human gene encoding a zinc finger protein with 25 fingers.

This study reports cloning and characterization of a human cDNA encoding a novel human zinc finger protein, ZFD25. ZFD25 cDNA is 6118 bp long and has an open reading frame of 2352 bp that encodes a 783 amino acid protein with 25 C2H2-type zinc fingers. The ZFD25 cDNA also contains a region with high sequence similarity to the Krüppel-associated box A and B domain in the 5'-untranslated region, suggesting that ZFD25 belongs to the Krüppel-associated box zinc finger protein family. The ZFD25 gene was localized to chromosome 7q11.2. Northern blot analysis showed that ZFD25 was expressed in a wide range of human organs. In cultured endothelial cells, the mRNA level was decreased upon serum starvation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1999

Peak scatter factors for high energy photon beams.

The peak scatter factor (PSF) for a photon beam is defined as the ratio of the total dose and the primary dose at the depth of dose maximum. The values of the PSF for photon beams ranging from 60Co to 24 MV are calculated using the EGS4 Monte Carlo technique, to avoid measurement difficulties. The calculation shows that the effect of SSD on PSF for high energy photon beams is not significant for small fields, but can be as high as 1% for large fields. For the 60Co beam, the calculation agrees with the data tabulated on BJR Supplement 25 to within 0.8%. The BJR value (1.054) of 10 x 10 cm2 for 60Co is 0.6% lower than the present value due to the underestimation of scatters from the source capsule and collimators. For a given field size, PSF is varied by up to 2% when beam quality changes from 60Co to 24 MV. For normalized PSF, the values of BJR Supplement 25 (which are assumed to be the same for beams ranging from 60Co to 50 MV) agree well with the present calculation for small field sizes, but are higher than our data by up to 2% for large field sizes. The presently calculated PSFs are related to field size(s) by an empirical expression, PSF = 1 + ms/(s + n), where m and n are the fitting parameters. This equation describes the PSFs within 0.4% (0.15% on average).

Biophysical Phenomena↗

PubMed1999

Calculation of head scatter factors at isocenter or at center of field for any arbitrary jaw setting.

The purpose of this work is to calculate the head scatter factors for any arbitrary jaw setting by using two different semi-empirical methods. The head scatter factor at the center of field (COF) for any arbitrary jaw setting can be defined as H(COF)(X1,X2,Y1,Y2,r)=DairCOF(XI1,X2,Y1,Y2,r)/ [Dair(5,5,5,5,0)*OAR(r)], where X1, X2, Y1, and Y2 are the jaw positions; r is the distance between COF and isocenter (IC); OAR(r) is the Off-Axis-Ratio; DairCOF(X1,X2,Y1,Y2,r) is the dose in air measured at COF; Dair(5,5,5,5,0) is the dose in air measured at IC for the 10 x 10 cm2 field. In certain clinical situations, doses are prescribed at IC instead of COF for asymmetric fields. In these cases, head scatter factors should be determined at IC. It is found that the head scatter factors at IC for asymmetric fields [H(IC)(X1,X2,Y1,Y2)] are lower than H(COF)(X1,X2,Y1,Y2,r) for the same jaw setting by up to 4%. The values of H(IC)(X1,X2,Y1,Y2) and H(COF)(X1,X2,Y1,Y2,r) for a variety of jaw settings were measured using a miniphantom of 3-cm diameter for a 6- and a 18-MV photon beams. An equivalent square formula, derived presently at the source plane for any jaw setting, was used to calculate H(COF)(X1,X2,Y1,Y2,r). The calculation and the measurement agree within +/-1% (+/-0.5% for most clinical situations). To calculate H(IC)(X1,X2,Y1,Y2), we have generalized the Day's "quarter-field" method, i.e., H(IC)(X1,X2,Y1,Y2) = [H(X1,X1,Y1,Y1) + H(X1,X1,Y2,Y2) + H(X2,X2,Y1,Y1) + H(X2,X2,Y2,Y2)]/4. We found that the calculation and the measurement agree within +/-0.8% for the beams studied.

Calibration↗

PubMed1999

Dose enhancement by a thin foil of high-Z material: a Monte Carlo study.

The purpose of this work is to study the dose enhancement by a thin foil (thickness of 0.2-4 mm) of high-Z material in a water phantom, irradiated by high-energy photon beams. EGS4 Monte Carlo technique was used. Perturbations on the beam spectra due to the presence of the foils, and dose enhancement dependence of photon-beam quality, beam incident angle, atomic number (Z), the thickness and size of the foil, and the depth of the foil situated in the phantom were studied. Analysis of photon and secondary-electron spectra indicates that the dose enhancement near an inhomogeneity interface is primarily due to secondary electrons. A calculation for 1-mm-thick planar lead foil in a water phantom shows that the dose enhancements at 0.25, 1, 2 and 3 mm away from the foil in the backward region were 58%, 37%, 24% and 17%, respectively, for a 15 MV beam. Calculations for a variety of planar foils and photon beams show that dose enhancement: (a) increases with Z; (b) decreases with decreasing foil thickness when the foils are thinner than a certain value (1 mm for lead foil for 15 MV); (c) decreases with decreasing incident photon-beam energies; (d) changes slightly for beam incident angles less than 45 degrees and more prominently for larger angles; (e) increases with size of foil; and (f) is almost independent of the depth at which the foil is situated when the foil is placed beyond the range of secondary electrons. The dose enhancement calculation is also performed for a cylindrically shaped lead foil irradiated by a four-field-box. The dose enhancement of 34%/13% was obtained at 0.25/2 mm away from the cylindrical outer interface for a 15 MV four-field-box.

Algorithms↗

PubMed1998

Serum amyloid P component associates with high density lipoprotein as well as very low density lipoprotein but not with low density lipoprotein.

Serum amyloid P component (SAP) is a glycoprotein in human plasma. We previously showed that SAP is specifically localized in human atherosclerotic lesions, suggesting that SAP may play a role in atherogenesis. In this study, the interactions between human SAP and high density lipoprotein (HDL), low density lipoprotein (LDL) and very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) were investigated by using a solid phase plate assay. Biotinylated SAP bound to immobilized HDL and VLDL in a calcium-dependent, saturable manner. The SAP-HDL and SAP-VLDL bindings reached saturation at 4 nM and 16 nM of SAP, respectively. The bindings were inhibited by native SAP in a dose-dependent manner. No binding between SAP and LDL was found in the presence of calcium or EDTA, which indicates the specificity of SAP-lipoproteins interactions. These results suggest that the function of SAP is related to its capability to interact with lipoproteins and this may have important implications in atherosclerosis and in amyloidosis.

Binding, Competitive↗

PubMed1998

Dosimetric evaluation of a widely used kilovoltage x-ray unit for endocavitary radiotherapy.

In this paper we present the dosimetric data of a Therapax DTX300 kilovoltage x-ray unit for endocavitary rectal irradiation. The unit if operated at tube voltage of 40-60 kVp (30 mA) with an added filtration of 0.2-0.4 mm Al generates acceptable beam qualities comparable to those of the original Papillon technique. Relative dosimetric measurements were performed at the cone end (37.2 cm SSD) of a 3 cm diameter rectal cone using various detectors to ensure the accuracy. A Monte Carlo method was used to calculate correction factors for the diode used in the percentage depth-dose (PDD) measurement, and to study the effect of the detector size on the beam profile. The PDD data were determined using the diode measurement corrected for its energy and angular response. It was found that the PTW N23342 and Markus parallel-plate chamber can be used directly to measure the PDD for this beam quality with 2% uncertainty. Measurement and Monte Carlo results have shown that the detector size has a significant effect on the penumbral profile. Film and diode detectors have a better spatial resolution compared to ionization chambers, but they may give an incorrect profile tail due to either nonlinear response at low energy or angular dependence. This can be corrected using the ionization-chamber measurement, based on the Monte Carlo analysis. The isodose distributions for this x-ray unit are presented.

Brachytherapy↗

PubMed1998

Study of dosimetry consistency for kilovoltage x-ray beams.

In this paper, the consistency of kilovoltage (tube potentials between 40 and 300 kV) x-ray beam dosimetry using the "in-air" method and the in-phantom measurement has been studied. The procedures for the measurement of the central-axis depth-dose curve, which serve as a link between the dose at the reference depth to the dose elsewhere in a phantom, were examined. The uncertainties on the measured dose distributions were analyzed with the emphasis on the surface dose measurement. The Monte Carlo method was used to calculate the perturbation correction factors for a photon diode and a NACP plane-parallel ionization chamber at different depths in a water phantom irradiated by 100-300 kV (2.43 mm Al-3.67 mm Cu half-value layer) x-ray beams. The depth-dose curves measured with these two detectors, after correcting for the perturbation effect (up to 15% corrections), agreed with each other to within 1.5%. Comparisons of the doses at the phantom surface and at 2 cm depth in water for photon beams of 100-300 kV tube potential obtained using the "backscatter" method and those using the "in-phantom" measurement have shown that the "in-air" method can be equally applied to this energy range if the depth-dose curve can be measured accurately. To this end, measured depth ionization curves require depth-dependent correction factors.

Humans↗

PubMed1997

Measurement of percentage depth dose and lateral beam profile for kilovoltage x-ray therapy beams.

In this work, nine commonly used dosimetry detectors have been investigated to determine suitable relative dosimeters for kilovoltage x-ray beams. By comparison with the Monte Carlo calculated data, it was determined that for the detectors studied the PTW N23342, Markus and NACP parallel-plate chambers are more suitable for the measurement of percentage depth dose (PDD) data for this beam quality range with an uncertainty of about 3%. A diode detector may be used to measure the PDD for the 100 kVp beam, but it is not suitable for higher energies (300 kVp). The Capintec parallel-plate chamber may be adequate for medium-energy photons, but it has a slightly higher uncertainty for low-energy x-rays (100 kVp). For the measurement of beam profiles, diode and film yield incorrect profile tails, which can be corrected using the RK ionization chamber.

Humans↗

PubMed1997

Characteristics of orthovoltage x-ray therapy beams at extended SSD for applicators with end plates.

The effects of extended SSD (ESSD) on orthovoltage x-ray therapy dosimetry have been studied for a Therapax DXT300 treatment unit with several open- and close-ended cones. For the open-ended cones, the beam output and percentage depth dose (PDD) at ESSD can be accurately estimated from the measured data at the nominal SSD (NSSD) by an inverse square law (ISL) and a divergence factor for gaps (distance from cone end to point of interest) up to 15 cm. In the case of close-ended applicators (with an end plate of 3.2 mm thick PMMA), extending SSD results in significant changes in output and in PDDs, but has little effect on beam penumbra and flatness for gaps up to 15 cm. The output at ESSD calculated by applying the ISL with the NSSD is found to be as much as 9% different from the measurement for the close-ended cone. The output at ESSD can, however, be calculated accurately by applying the ISL with an effective SSD or using a measured gap factor. The change in the PDDs with SSD can be calculated from a geometric divergence using a pseudo SSD which is approximately equal to 60% of the effective SSD determined in air. The calculated PDD curves at ESSD using this divergence factor agree well with measurements (within +/- 1% for beams of 100-300 kVp with cone size ranging from 10 x 10 to 20 x 20 cm2 and gap distance up to 15 cm).

Humans↗

PubMed1997

Practical approach to electron beam dosimetry at extended SSD.

This paper presents a practical approach to clinical dosimetry for electron beams at extended source-to-surface distance (SSD). Characteristics of electron beams from a Siemens MD-2 accelerator are presented at a nominal SSD of 100 cm and an extended SSD of 115 cm. Relative output factors are measured at both 100 and 115 cm SSDs for a range of square field sizes for each beam energy. The change of output with SSD does not follow the inverse square law, if the nominal SSD is used. This deviation is larger for lower beam energy and smaller field sizes. An effective SSD, SSDeff, has been determined at dmax for each beam energy as a function of field size. A comprehensive approach to treatment time calculations is proposed.

Electrons↗

PubMed1997

The effect of dose rate dependence of p-type silicon detectors on linac relative dosimetry.

Cumulative radiation damage to silicon semiconductor diode detectors can induce dose rate dependent sensitivity, a concern in the pulsed beam of a linac. Two p-Si diode photon detectors were used in this study, diodes A and B. Both were preirradiated by the supplier to 5 kGy, with diode A receiving an estimated 8 kGy from measurements, and diode B, 25 kGy. At 6 MV, the PDD measured with diode B was lower (by 4.4% at a depth of 25 cm) than diode A. Using SSD to vary the dose per pulse from 0.02 to 0.64 mGy/pulse, diode A was dose rate independent (within 2%), while the sensitivity of diode B changed by 13%. Silicon diode detectors should be checked regularly against ionization chambers in the pulsed beam of a linac, especially older high-resistivity diodes that have accumulated dose from high-energy photon beams.

Biophysical Phenomena↗

PubMed1997

[Establishment of a new rat model of portal hypertension by intraportal injection of microspheres].

Microspheres were injected intraportally to block intrahepatic portal radicals and to produce a new rat model of portal hypertention. Different sized microspheres (15 microns, 40 microns, 80 microns) were injected into the portal vein. The resultant changes in arterial, portal, hepatic venous and splenic pulp pressures were monitored. The results showed that a small-dose injection of 80 microns microspheres (1.8 x 10(5)) produced a steady state portal venous pressure of 2.53 +/- 0.17 kPa, and all rats showed a normal arterial pressure. This volume of 80 microns microspheres was considered as the suitable dose for the induction of portal hypertention in the model. Besides, numerous microspheres were found in the pulmonary vascular bed, suggesting the existence of intrahepatic portal-systemic shunts in the normal rat liver.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Immunohistochemical localization of C-reactive protein-binding sites in human atherosclerotic aortic lesions by a modified streptavidin-biotin-staining method.

One-step fluorescein-conjugated polyclonal antibody technique has shown that C-reactive protein (CRP) was located only extracellularly in human atherosclerotic lesions. In this report a more sensitive streptavidin-biotin technique was applied to detect the localization of CRP in human atherosclerotic lesions. Immunohistochemical staining with polyclonal and monoclonal anti-human CRP antibodies both produced a brown color extracellularly in the necrotic lesions, and intracellularly in CD68+ foam cells. The latter suggests an uptake of CRP-lipid complexes by macrophages. The staining is human CRP-specific because it was eliminated by preabsorption of the monoclonal antibody with pure human CRP, or by substitution of the primary antibody with non-immune rabbit serum. By overlaid CRP-binding study, a positive stain was observed on intimal smooth muscle cells and foam cells, suggesting that they have CRP-binding sites unless the CRP-binding activity was generated de novo through the fixation procedure. Accordingly, it is hypothesized that CRP may facilitate the uptake of lipids by macrophages accumulating in atherosclerotic lesions. Further, CRP might participate in cytolysis, which enlarges the necrotic area, and/or in phagocytosis that scavenges the necrotic tissue.

Actins↗

PubMed1995

Lateral electron equilibrium and electron contamination in measurements of head-scatter factors using miniphantoms and brass caps.

The head-scatter factor (Sh) can be measured with a narrow miniphantom or a metal cap provided it is completely covered by the photon beam and its lateral size is thick enough to prevent electron contamination contributions. The effects of lateral electron equilibrium (LEE) and electron contamination on the Sh values were studied. The EGS4 Monte Carlo technique was used to calculate the minimum beam radii (rLEE) required to achieve complete LEE for photon beams ranging from 60Co to 24 MV. The measurement shows that the error introduced to the Sh value due to lateral electron disequilibrium is negligible. The radii of the miniphantoms or the sidewall thicknesses of the caps can be reduced below rLEE provided they are thick enough to prevent the effect of electron contamination.

Biophysical Phenomena↗