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Purpose Permanent tattoo marks used in radiation therapy remain for the duration of treatment and essentially for the rest of the patient's life. This study compared the initial positioning setup errors and body image perception between patients with ultraviolet (UV) and conventional dark ink tattoos. Methods and Materials Thirty-four patients from February 2018 to March 2019, who underwent radiation therapy (RT) to the breast or chest wall for ductal carcinoma in situ or breast cancer were prospectively recruited and randomized (1:1) to receive either conventional dark ink or UV ink tattoos. Each patient received the assigned tattoos during computed tomography (CT) simulation and initial treatment setup shifts were compared. A 9-item body-image survey was administered to all patients at 3 time points: CT simulation, last week of RT, and 6 weeks post-RT. Feedback from CT and treatment staff in terms of setup time and challenges were collated. Results The median age of the patient cohort was 46 years old. No statistically significant difference was observed between the mean setup errors for the conventional dark ink group (0.11 cm inferior, 0.01 cm left, 0.11 cm posterior) and UV ink group (0.01 cm superior, 0.01 cm right, 0.06 cm posterior; P = NS). Similar responses were observed in the body-image survey between the 2 groups across all time points (P = NS). The majority of the patients (dark ink 82.3% vs UV ink 88.2%) did not feel less sexually attractive as a result of the tattoo at 6 weeks post-RT. At 6 weeks post-RT, patients in both groups were satisfied with the appearance of the tattoo and did not feel cautious about their choice of clothes (82.4% vs 88.2%; P = NS). In addition, 88.6% of staff (n = 35) felt minimum effect of UV ink on the overall setup time, and 94.3% found no difficulty localizing the UV ink tattoos during patient positioning. Conclusions No difference in setup accuracy was found using UV ink tattoos, and it could be implemented clinically with minimal effect on the existing workflow. Patients expressed high satisfaction and self-confidence with the use of UV ink tattoos.

Purpose:The aim of this study was to evaluate whether RapidPlan (RP) could generate clinically acceptable prostate volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans.Methods:The in-house RP model was used to generate VMAT plans for 50 previously treated prostate cancer patients, with no additional optimisation being performed. The VMAT plans that were generated using the RP model were compared with the patients’ previous, manually optimised clinical plans (MP), none of which had been used for the development of the in-house RP prostate model. Differences between RP and MP in planning target volume (PTV) doses, organs at risk (OAR) sparing, monitor units (MU) and planning time required to produce treatment plans were analysed. Assessment of PTV doses was based on the conformation number (CN), homogeneity index (HI), D2%, D99% and the mean dose of the PTV. The OAR doses evaluated were the rectal V50 Gy, V65 Gy, V70 Gy and the mean dose, the bladder V65 Gy, V70 Gy and the mean dose, and the mean dose to both femurs.Results:D99% and mean dose of the PTV were lower for RP than for MP (p = 0·006 and p = 0·040, respectively).V50 Gy, V65 Gy and the mean dose to rectum were lower in RP than in MP (p < 0·001). V65 Gy, V70 Gy and the mean dose to bladder were lower in RP than in MP (p < 0·001). RP had enhanced the sparing of both femurs (p < 0·001) and significantly reduced the planning time to less than 5% of the time taken with MP. MU in RP was significantly higher than MP by an average of 52·5 MU (p < 0·001) and 46 out of the 50 RP plans were approved by the radiation oncologist.Conclusion:This study has demonstrated that VMAT plans generated using an in-house RP prostate model in a single optimisation for prostate patients were clinically acceptable with comparable or better plan quality compared to MP. RP can add value and improve treatment planning efficiency in a high-throughput radiotherapy department through reduced plan optimisation time while maintaining consistency in the plan quality.

OBJECTIVE To report the long-term clinical outcomes of low-risk (LR) and intermediate-risk (IR) prostate cancer patients treated with low-dose-rate brachytherapy (LDR-BT) and external beam radiation therapy (EBRT). PATIENTS AND METHODS Men with biopsy-proven low- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer received EBRT and LDR-BT in an Asian academic center from 2000 to 2019 were reviewed. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis was performed to compare biochemical failure-free survival (bFFS) and overall survival (OS) between LDR and EBRT in the low- and intermediate-risk cohorts. RESULTS 642 patients (521 EBRT and 121 LDR-BT) with low- and intermediate-risk prostate cancer were included for analysis. In the intermediate-risk group, 5- and 10-year bFFS was 96%, 89% and 86%, 61% for LDR-BT and EBRT, respectively. LDR-BT was associated with a statistically significant improvement of bFFS in the intermediate-risk cohort (HR 2.7, p = 0.02). In the low-risk cohort, no difference of bFFS was found between LDR-BT and EBRT (HR 1.9, p = 0.08). Hormone therapy was more common in EBRT than LDR-BT for intermediate-risk group (71% versus 44%, p

Background Influenza is an acute viral respiratory illness that causes high morbidity and mortality globally. Therapeutic actions are limited to vaccines and a few anti-viral drugs. Polygala (P.) japonica herba is rich in Polygalasaponin F (PSF, C53H86O23), used for acute bronchitis, pharyngitis, pneumonia, amygdalitis, and respiratory tract infections treatment in China. Hypercytokinemia is often correlated with severe pneumonia caused by several influenza viruses. PSF was reported to have anti-inflammatory effects and its mechanism is associated with the nuclear factor (NF)-κB signaling pathway. The action of PSF to alleviate pulmonary inflammation caused by influenza A virus (IAV) infection requires careful assessment. In the present study, we evaluated the effect and mechanism of PSF on mice with pneumonia caused by influenza H1N1 (A/FM/1/47). Methods Mice were infected intranasally with fifteen 50% mouse lethal challenge doses (MLD50) of influenza virus. BALB/c mice were treated with PSF or oseltamivir (oral administration) for 2 h post-infection and received concomitant treatment for 5 days after infection. On day 6 post-infection, 10 mice per group were killed to collect related samples, measure body weight and lung wet weight, and detect the viral load, cytokine, prostaglandins, pathological changes, and cell pathway protein expression in the lungs. In addition, the survival experiments were carried out to investigate the survival of mice. The expression profile of cell pathway proteins was detected and analyzed using a broad pathway antibody array and confirmed the findings from the array by western blotting. Results Polygalasaponin F and oseltamivir can protect against influenza viral infection in mice. PSF and oseltamivir significantly relieved the signs and symptoms, reduced body weight loss, and improved the survival rate of H1N1-infected mice. Moreover, PSF efficiently decreased the level of interleukin (IL)-1β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, IL-4, interferon (IFN)-γ, thromboxane A2 (TXA2), and prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in lung tissues of mice infected with influenza virus (p

With the significant growth of the semiconductor industry, creating small devices with powerful processing ability and network capabilities are no longer a dream for engineers. Currently, Internet of Things (IoT) has become one of the hottest topics in both industry and academia of wireless communication field. The idea of the Internet of Things (IoT) is to connect every day physical objects such as microwave, doors, lightings and so on. The technical concept of the IoT is to enables these different physical objects to sense information using sensors and sends this information to a server. Industrial IoT is to integrate various technologies to improve business services in different sectors. It implicitly indicates the behavior of machine-to-machine communications. Each of industrial IoT as service domains has its own communication requirements that are measured differently in both such as reliability, Quality of service (QoS), and privacy. According to the development of industrial automation, the industrial Internet of things (IoT) is widely used in smart factories to capture the data and manage the production. One of the most important components of industrial IoT is the wireless sensor network (WSN), which are easy to deploy and use in indoor industrial environments for a IoT of tasks, such as irrigation, machine condition monitoring, and environment monitoring. There are a IoT of works focusing on the WSN in industrial IoT. For example, in, a WSN-based hidden Markov model is proposed to estimate the occupancy in the building (also see other works [1], [2]). In this paper, the research focus on 3-D mobile robot tracking in 5G wireless communication combine to sensor network and mobile robot path planning. The mobile robot can move fast in the three-dimensional (3-D) indoor industrial environment for many tasks such as the monitoring of possible damages on industrial plants [3], data gathering and transmission from wireless communication [4], transportation [5].

Influenza is an acute viral respiratory disease, which can also cause gastroenteritis like symptoms, such as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Immune dysfunction of adipose tissue is involved in the occurrence and prognosis of influenza viral pneumonia. In this study, we analyzed the intestinal and adipose immune responses in mice contracted with influenza virus and found that the impairment of intestinal and adipose immunity response to influenza infection in mice can be restored by puerarin, which is isolated from Gegen (Chinese name).Here, we report that the lung, small intestines(duodenum, ileum, jejunum) and large intestines(colon and rectum) show obvious inflammatory lesions in mice following virus infection, with significantly increased levels of viral load, inflammatory cytokines[interleukin (IL)-6, IL-17,and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-a],Toll 3, 4 and 9, integrin avb3 and a4, decreased sIgA level compared to that of NC group (Pinfluenza virus infection can infect adipose tissue and lead to intestinal adipose immune dysfunction in normal-weight mice. The impairment of intestinal and adipose immunity response to influenza infection in mice could be restored by puerarin.

A commercial deep learning (DL)-based automated segmentation tool (AST) for computed tomography (CT) is evaluated for accuracy and efficiency gain within prostate cancer patients. Thirty patients from six clinics were reviewed with manual- (MC), automated- (AC) and automated and edited (AEC) contouring methods. In the AEC group, created contours (prostate, seminal vesicles, bladder, rectum, femoral heads and penile bulb) were edited, whereas the MC group included empty datasets for MC. In one clinic, lymph node CTV delineations were evaluated for interobserver variability. Compared to MC, the mean time saved using the AST was 12 min for the whole data set (46%) and 12 min for the lymph node CTV (60%), respectively. The delineation consistency between MC and AEC groups according to the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) improved from 0.78 to 0.94 for the whole data set and from 0.76 to 0.91 for the lymph nodes. The mean DSCs between MC and AC for all six clinics were 0.82 for prostate, 0.72 for seminal vesicles, 0.93 for bladder, 0.84 for rectum, 0.69 for femoral heads and 0.51 for penile bulb. This study proves that using a general DL-based AST for CT images saves time and improves consistency.

Highlights • An optimal bladder volume and filling protocol is proposed. • The current hydration protocol was well-accepted and tolerated., Background and purpose Inconsistent bladder and rectal volumes have been associated with motion uncertainties during prostate radiotherapy. This study investigates the impact of these volumes to determine the optimal bladder volume. Materials and methods 60 patients from two Asian hospitals were recruited prospectively. 1887 daily cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images were analysed. Intra-fraction motion of the prostate was monitored real-time using a four-dimension transperineal ultrasound (4D TPUS) Clarity® system. The impact of planned bladder volume, adequacy of daily bladder filling, and rectum volume on mean intra-fraction motion of the prostate was analysed. Patients’ ability to comply with the full bladder hydration protocol and level of frustration was assessed using a questionaire. Acute side effects were assessed using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) version 3.0 and quality of life (QoL) assessed using the International Prostate Symptom Score (IPSS). Results The mean (SD) bladder and rectum volumes achieved during daily treatment were 139.7 cm3 (82.4 cm3) and 53.3 cm3 (18 cm3) respectively. Mean (SD) percentage change from planned CT volumes in bladder volume was reduced by 8.2% (48.7%) and rectum volume was increased by 12.4% (42.2%). Linear Mixed effect model analysis revealed a reduction in intra-fraction motion in both the Sup/Inf (p = 0.008) and Ant/Post (p = 0.0001) directions when the daily bladder was filled between 82 and 113% (3rd Quartiles) of the planned CT volumes. A reduction in intra-fraction motion of the prostate in the Ant/Post direction (z-plane) (p = 0.03) was observed when the planned bladder volume was greater than 200 ml. Patients complied well with the hydration protocol with minimal frustration (mean (SD) scores of 2.1 (1.4) and 1.8 (1.2) respectively). There was a moderate positive correlation (0.496) between mean bladder volume and IPSS reported post-treatment urinary straining (p = 0.001). Conclusions A planned bladder volume >200 cm3 and daily filling between 82 and 113%, reduced intra-fraction motion of the prostate. The hydration protocol was well tolerated.

Highlights • Investigates the magnitude of intra-fraction prostate motion using real time monitoring. • A motion-time trend analysis was presented. • A duration-dependent margin was recommended. • Larger margins are required around the prostate in the inferior and posterior directions., Background and purpose During radiotherapy, prostate motion changes over time. Quantifying and accounting for this motion is essential. This study aimed to assess intra-fraction prostate motion and derive duration-dependent planning margins for two treatment techniques. Material and methods A four-dimension (4D) transperineal ultrasound Clarity® system was used to track prostate motion. We analysed 1913 fractions from 60 patients undergoing volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) to the prostate. The mean VMAT treatment duration was 3.4 min. Extended monitoring was conducted weekly to simulate motion during intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) treatment (an additional seven minutes). A motion-time trend analysis was conducted and the mean intra-fraction motion between VMAT and IMRT treatments compared. Duration-dependent margins were calculated and anisotropic margins for VMAT and IMRT treatments were derived. Results There were statistically significant differences in the mean intra-fraction motion between VMAT and the simulated IMRT duration in the inferior (0.1 mm versus 0.3 mm) and posterior (−0.2 versus −0.4 mm) directions respectively (p ≪ 0.01). An intra-fraction motion trend inferiorly and posteriorly was observed. The recommended minimum anisotropic margins are 1.7 mm/2.7 mm (superior/inferior); 0.8 mm (left/right), 1.7 mm/2.9 mm (anterior/posterior) for VMAT treatments and 2.9 mm/4.3 mm (superior/inferior), 1.5 mm (left/right), 2.8 mm/4.8 mm (anterior/posterior) for IMRT treatments. Smaller anisotropic margins were required for VMAT compared to IMRT (differences ranging from 1.2 to 1.6 mm superiorly/inferiorly, 0.7 mm laterally and 1.1–1.9 mm anteriorly/posteriorly). Conclusions VMAT treatment is preferred over IMRT as prostate motion increases with time. Larger margins should be employed in the inferior and posterior directions for both treatment durations. Duration-dependent margins should be applied in the presence of prolonged imaging and verification time.

Background Influenza often leads to acute lung injury (ALI). Few therapeutics options such as vaccines and other antiviral drugs are available. Paeoniflorin is a monoterpene glucoside isolated from the roots of Paeonia lactiflora Pall. that has showed good anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic effects. However, it is not known whether paeoniflorin has an effect on influenza virus-induced ALI. Purpose To investigative the protective effect and potential mechanism of paeoniflorin on ALI induced by influenza A virus (IAV). Study design and methods The anti-influenza activity of paeoniflorin in vitro was investigated. Influenza virus A/FM/1/47 was intranasally infected in mice to induce ALI, and paeoniflorin (50 and 100 mg/kg) was given orally to mice during 5 days, beginning 2 h after infection. On day 6 post-infection, body and lung weights, histology and survival were observed, and the lungs were examined for viral load, cytokine and cellular pathway protein expression. Results Results showed that paeoniflorin (50 and 100 mg/kg) reduced IAV-induced ALI. It reduces pulmonary oedema and improves histopathological changes in the lung, and also diminishes the accumulation of inflammatory cells in the lung. It was shown that paeoniflorin (50 and 100 mg/kg) alleviated IAV-induced ALI, as evidenced by improved survival in infected mice (40% and 50%, respectively), reduced viral titer in lung tissue, improved histological changes, and reduced lung inflammation. Paeoniflorin also improves pulmonary fibrosis by reducing the levels of pulmonary fibrotic markers (collagen type IV, alpha-smooth muscle actin, hyaluronic acid, laminin, and procollagen type III) and downregulating the expression levels of type I collagen (Col I) and type III collagen (Col III) in the lung tissues. Additionally, paeoniflorin inhibits the expression of αvβ3, TGF-β1, Smad2, NF-κB, and p38MAPK in the lung tissues. Conclusion The results showed that paeoniflorin (50 and 100 mg/kg) protected against IAV-induced ALI, and the underlying mechanism may be related to the reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokine production and lung collagen deposition through down-regulation of activation of αvβ3/TGF-β1 pathway in lung tissue.

Purpose Our purpose was to investigate interfraction setup error of the immobilization device required to implement transperineal ultrasound compared with the current, standard immobilization device. Patient comfort and radiation therapist (RT) satisfaction were also assessed. Methods and materials Cone beam computed tomography images were acquired before 4069 fractions from 111 patients (control group, n = 56; intervention group, n = 55) were analyzed. The intervention group was immobilized using the Clarity Immobilization System (CIS), comprising a knee rest with autoscan probe kit and transperineal ultrasound probe (n = 55), and control group using a leg immobilizer (LI) (n = 56). Interfraction setup errors were compared for both groups. Weekly questionnaires using a 10-point visual analog scale were administered to both patient groups to measure and compare patient comfort. RT acceptance for both devices was also compared using a survey. Results There was no significant difference in the magnitude of interfraction cone beam computed tomography–derived setup shifts in the lateral and anteroposterior direction between the LI and CIS ( P = .878 and .690, respectively). However, a significant difference ( P = .003) was observed in the superoinferior direction between the 2 groups of patients. Patient-reported level of comfort and stability demonstrated no significant difference between groups ( P = .994 and .132). RT user acceptance measures for the LI and CIS were ease of handling (100% vs 53.7%), storage (100% vs 61.1%), and cleaning of the devices (100% vs 64.8%), respectively. Conclusions The CIS demonstrated stability and reproducibility in prostate treatment setup comparable to LI. The CIS device had no impact on patient comfort; however, RTs indicated a preference for LI over the CIS mainly because of its weight and bulkiness.

Background Multiorgan dysfunction syndrome contributes to adverse outcomes in advanced heart failure (AdHF) patients after mechanical circulatory support (MCS) implantation and is associated with aberrant leukocyte activity. We tested the hypothesis that preoperative peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) gene expression profiles (GEP) can predict early postoperative improvement or non-improvement in patients undergoing MCS implantation. We believe this information may be useful in developing prognostic biomarkers. Methods & design We conducted a study with 29 patients undergoing MCS-surgery in a tertiary academic medical center from 2012 to 2014. PBMC samples were collected one day before surgery (day -1). Clinical data was collected on day -1 and day 8 postoperatively. Patients were classified by Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score and Model of End-stage Liver Disease Except INR score (measured eight days after surgery): Group I = improving (both scores improved from day -1 to day 8, n = 17) and Group II = not improving (either one or both scores did not improve from day -1 to day 8, n = 12). RNA-sequencing was performed on purified mRNA and analyzed using Next Generation Sequencing Strand. Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified by Mann-Whitney test with Benjamini-Hochberg correction. Preoperative DEGs were used to construct a support vector machine algorithm to predict Group I vs. Group II membership. Results Out of 28 MCS-surgery patients alive 8 days postoperatively, one-year survival was 88% in Group I and 27% in Group II. We identified 28 preoperative DEGs between Group I and II, with an average 93% prediction accuracy. Out of 105 DEGs identified preoperatively between year 1 survivors and non-survivors, 12 genes overlapped with the 28 predictive genes. Conclusions In AdHF patients following MCS implantation, preoperative PBMC-GEP predicts early changes in organ function scores and correlates with long-term outcomes. Therefore, gene expression lends itself to outcome prediction and warrants further studies in larger longitudinal cohorts.

The ferroelectric domain’s structure and its evolution processes induced by DC electric field in 0.92Pb（Zn1/3Nb2/3）O3-0.08PbTiO3（PZNT）crystal is observed using synchrotron radiation white-beam topography. Two organic plates with tinsels covering their surfaces are used as electrodes to employ DC electric field, and the characterizing sample is two PZNT crystal slices whose surface orientation is [111] and [001], respectively. This research results is considered to be useful for demonstrating the electric field induced phase transition in PZNT crystals.

It is need for development of new means against influenza virus due to the lack of efficacy of available therapeutic strategies. In previous research, 1,8-cineol exert its inhibition of nuclear factor (NF)-κB, the main regulator of cytokine and chemokine production in influenza, and anti-inflammatory activity. These fact supports and helps establish the hypothesis that 1,8-cineol may have synergism with an antiviral on influenza virus infection. The combined effect of 1,8-cineol with oseltamivir in a mouse type A influenza virus (Victoria/3/75,H3N2) model were examined. We initially tested combinations of 1,8-cineol (30, 60, and 120 mg/kg/day) and oseltamivir (0.1, 0.2, and 0.4 mg/kg/day). In addition, the 0.4 mg/kg/day of oseltamivir combined with 120 mg/kg of 1,8-cineol was selected for further combination studies. Oseltamivir was 30%, 40%, and 60% protective at 0.1, 0.2, and 0.4 mg/kg/d. Combinations of 1,8-cineol (30, 60, and 120 mg/kg/d) and oseltamivir (0.1, 0.2, and 0.4 mg/kg/d) increased the number of survivors and mean survival time (MST) following combination treatment was greater than monotherapy alone. Three dimensional analysis of drug interactions using the MacSynergy method showed a strong synergistic effect of these drug combinations. Survival, MST, lung parameters (lung index, viral titers, and pathology), and cytokines (IL-10, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IFN-γ) expression in lung demonstrated the high effectiveness of the combination. Combined treatment was associated with longer MST and more reduced cytokine levels than oseltamivir alone. These data demonstrate that combinations of 1,8-cineol and oseltamivir have synergistic effect against influenza A virus (H3N2) infection.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to investigate microstructural changes in chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN) rabbit model under diffraction enhanced imaging (DEI) technology of synchrotron radiation (SR). MATERIALS AND METHODS The chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN) models were obtained within two months after 5 New Zealand white rabbits were treated with doxorubicin hydrochloride. Blood exams, urine tests and kidney histological studies were carried out after the 5 rabbits were humanely sacrificed by hyperanesthesia. The kidney tissues were fixed in 4% formalin for one week before DEI experiment, with another 5 normal rabbits used as the control group. The experiment was performed at Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility (BSRF) with a 4W1A beam line (beam energy was 14keV). On routine scanning process, the rocking curve was detected, and slope position on the curve was selected to make a 360° spatial CT scan; DEI reconstruction software was used to generate a 3-dimensional image, from which the difference in grey value between the chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN) group and the control group was measured and analyzed using MATLAB and SPSS. RESULT Without radio-contrast, DEI provided clear visibility of the microstructures including artery, vein, straight collecting ducts, papillary tubules, glomeruli in both the chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN) group and the control group, with a spatial resolution as low as 10μm. MATLAB grey value extraction and SPSS analysis showed that cortex of CGN group (91 to 112) lost more gray value compared to the control group (121 to 141), T tests P < 0.05. Equivalant cortical ROI (data points 450×80) quantitative analysis showed that gross grey value of CGN group (ranking from 55 to 160) was smaller than the control group (ranking from 75 to 175). DEI images correlated well with pathologic images. Morphological changes in the microstructure of contstartabstractCGN kidney was revealed, due to the advantage of phase-contrast imaging (PCI) mechanism, and the diagnostic value of CGN by synchrotron radiation (SR) phase-contrast imaging (PCI) technology was evaluated. CONCLUSION Synchrotron radiation (SR) diffraction enhanced imaging (DEI) experiment makes non-contrast CGN diagnosis possible in the rabbit model studied. With improvement of laboratory equipment and image analyzer in clinical practice, diffraction enhanced imaging (DEI) could fundamentally become a new diagnostic method for CGN.

To determine whether phase-contrast X-ray imaging can be used to visualise directly the accumulated extracellular matrix proteins associated with liver fibrosis in common bile duct ligated mice.Twenty-six-week-old C57BL female mice were randomised into three groups. In groups 1 (n = 5) and 2 (n = 10), common bile duct ligation was conducted to produce secondary biliary cirrhosis. Mouse livers were then excised 15 (group 1) and 40 days (group 2) after the ligation of the common bile duct for imaging. In the control group, the livers of 5 mice were excised 40 days after the sham operation. Images were then acquired using the analyser crystal set at different positions of the rocking curve.The results show that the fibrotic septa and hepatic lobules enclosed by fibrotic septa can be visualised clearly at the whole organ level via phase-contrast X-ray imaging without any contrast agent.These results suggest that phase-contrast X-ray imaging can easily reveal the accumulated extracellular matrix proteins associated with liver fibrosis without using any contrast agent and has great potential in the study of liver fibrosis.

Seasonal influenza A infection results in considerable morbidity and mortality. The limited efficacy of available therapeutic strategies stresses the need for development and study of new molecules against influenza virus (IFV). Patchouli alcohol (PA), the major chemical constituent of Pogostemonis Herba, was previously found to strongly inhibit influenza H1N1 replication in vitro. In the present study, the in vivo anti-IFV effect of PA was investigated. In a mouse model infected with lethal levels of FM1, oral administration of PA (20 mg/kg to 80 mg/kg) for 7 d post IFV infection significantly increased the survival rate and survival time. For IFV infection at nonlethal levels, the quantity of IFV in the lungs 5 d after infection was significantly reduced after PA (20 mg/kg to 80 mg/kg) administration. Anti-IFV IgA, IgM, and IgG titers in serum on day 6 were significantly higher in the PA-treated group than the IFV-control group. Anti-IFV immune response augmentation was further confirmed by the elevated production of CD3+, CD4+, and CD8+ T cell levels in blood. Furthermore, the levels of inflammatory cytokines, including TNF-alpha, IL-10 and IFN-gamma in serum of mice, were regulated. Lung inflammation was reduced significantly after PA administration, and the effect may be mediated, at least in part, by regulating the lung levels of inflammatory cytokines. Thus, oral administration of PA appears to be able to augment protection against IFV infection in mice via enhancement of host immune responses, and attenuation of systemic and pulmonary inflammatory responses.

Diffraction enhanced imaging (DEI) with edge enhancement is suitable for the observation of weakly absorbing objects. The potential ability of the DEI was explored for displaying the microanatomy and pathology of human eyeball in this work. The images of surgical specimens from malignant intraocular tumor of hospitalized patients were taken using the hard X-rays from the topography station of Beamline 4W1A at Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility (BSRF). The obtained radiographic images were analyzed in correlation with those of pathology. The results show that the anatomic and pathologic details of intraocular tumors in human beings can be observed clearly by DEI for the first time, with good visualization of the microscopic details of eyeball ring such as sclera, choroids and other details of intraocular organelles. And the best resolution of DEI images reaches up to the magnitude of several tens of μm. The results suggest that it is capable of exhibiting clearly the details of intraocular tumor using DEI method.

X-ray diffraction enhanced imaging (DEI) is applied to inspect internal structures of weakly absorbing low-Z sample. How to extract phase information from raw images measured in different positions of rocking curve is the key problem of DEI. In this paper, we present an effective extraction method called polynomial curve fitting method, in order to extract accurate information angular in a fast speed. It is compared with the existing methods such as multiple-images statistical method and Gaussian curve fitting method. The experiments results on a plastic cylinder and a black ant at the Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility prove that the polynomial curve fitting method can obtain most approximate refraction-angle values and its computation speed is 10 times faster than the Gaussian curve fitting method.

Based on the refraction theory of the lens, the SU-8 photoresist hard X-ray hourglass lenses with three different structure parameters are fabricated. The mask-back exposure technique is introduced to fabricate the lenses. The focusing performance of this device is tested at Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility (BSRF). At the distance of 1.65m from the lenses, an obviously focusing performance in one dimension is observed. The relative intensity of the lenses with the largest gain is about 217.7, the gain of the lens is about 1.15, and the dimension of the focus is about 33µm. The focusing performance of this device can be improved through the developing of the mask-back exposure technique.

Based on the 360° computing method of refractive angle for parallel beam diffraction enhanced imaging computed tomography (DE-CT) technique, a new algorithm used to calculate the refractive angle for fan-beam DE-CT technique is developed. The refractive index gradient can be obtained by using the new algorithm with projection data of an object in the range of 0 – 360°, and the new algorithm only needs to set the analyser at half slope position of the rocking curve.

A planning margin ⩽3 mm is employed in some head-and-neck IMRT cases due to the proximity of critical structures. This study aims to explore the need to redefine the action-level in the head-and-neck imaging protocol in consideration of the intra-fraction movement.This is a local study of 18 patients treated using the same immobilisation system and setup protocol. Post-treatment orthogonal pair of kilovoltage X-ray images was acquired on the first three days of treatment. 106 sets of pre- and post-treatment kV X-ray images acquired over 53 fractions were analysed against the treatment planning DRR for calculation of intra-fraction movement.Individual mean intra-fraction movement in all directions ranged from -1.8 to 1.1 mm. Population mean (median) intra-fraction movement in the x-, y-, and z-planes were -0.1 mm (0 mm), -0.3 mm (-0.3 mm) and -0.2 mm (-0.2 mm) respectively. Intra-fraction movement in all three dimensions, x-, y- and z-planes were considered statistically significant (p0.05). 7 out of 53 fractions (13.2%) were highlighted as the combined magnitude of the intra-fraction motion with the uncorrected pre-treatment setup errors had exceeded the boundaries of given margins.3 mm-AL was not adequate to account for intra-fraction movement when the CTV-PTV margin was ⩽3 mm and should be excluded from the routine imaging protocol and daily image-guided radiotherapy should be employed. Adjusting the action-level to 2 mm would allow a more confident approach in delivery of the prescribed dose in head-and-neck IMRT cases.

X-ray Talbot-Lau interferometer has been used most widely to perform X-ray phase-contrast imaging with a conventional low-brilliance X-ray source, it yields high-sensitivity phase and dark-field images of sample producing low absorption contrast, thus bearing tremendous potential for future clinical diagnosis. In this manuscript, while changing accelerating voltage of the X-ray tube from 35KV to 45KV, X-ray phase-contrast imaging of a test sample were performed at each integer KV position to investigate the characteristic of an X-ray Talbot-Lau interferometer (located in the Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University, Japan) vs. tube voltage. Experimental results and data analysis show that this X-ray Talbot-Lau interferometer is insensitive to the tube accelerating voltage within a certain range, fringe visibility around 44% is maintained in the aforementioned tube voltage range. This experimental research implies that potential new dual energy phase-contrast X-ray imaging strategy and rough refraction spectrum measurement is feasible with this X-ray Talbot-Lau interferometer., Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures.(English improved and discussion part revised)

Artificial bee colony (ABC) algorithm is one of the most recent swarm intelligence based algorithms, which has been shown to be competitive to other population-based algorithms. However, there is still an insufficiency in ABC regarding its solution search equation, which is good at exploration but poor at exploitation. To overcome this problem, we propose a novel artificial bee colony algorithm based on particle swarm search mechanism. In this algorithm, for improving the convergence speed, the initial population is generated by using good point set theory rather than random selection firstly. Secondly, in order to enhance the exploitation ability, the employed bee, onlookers, and scouts utilize the mechanism of PSO to search new candidate solutions. Finally, for further improving the searching ability, the chaotic search operator is adopted in the best solution of the current iteration. Our algorithm is tested on some well-known benchmark functions and compared with other algorithms. Results show that our algorithm has good performance.

Reconstructing x-ray hologram with visible light, without enlargement of it, can simplify the process of its reconstrution greatly. For lensless Fourier transform (LLFT) x-ray holography, there is no spherical aberration in it and the spacing of its interference fringes is relatively large. Therefore, it is possible to reconstruct hologram of this type directly with visible light. The effects of aberrations and emulsion shrinkage on the resolution of LLFT x-ray hologram, the conditions for perfect reconstructing of the recorded information are analyzed, and the results of corresponding numerical analyses are also given. As a result, the feasibility for direct reconstructing of LLFT x-ray hologram with visible light is verified theoretically. In addition, the longitudinal resolution in x-ray holography is analyzed, and the conditions for longitudinal resolving in x-ray holography are given from the relationship between longitudinal and transverse resolution.

A novel optical-fiber sensor based on air-gap long-period fiber grating with a coated zinc-oxide thin-film is proposed for detecting the diallyl disulfide and thiol, which are the main volatile organic compounds ingredients of the pepper.

The relationship between noise variance and spatial resolution in grating-based x-ray phase computed tomography (PCT) imaging is investigated with reverse projection extraction method, and the noise variances of the reconstructed absorption coefficient and refractive index decrement are compared. For the differential phase contrast method, the noise variance in the differential projection images follows the same inverse-square law with spatial resolution as in conventional absorption-based x-ray imaging projections. However, both theoretical analysis and simulations demonstrate that in PCT the noise variance of the reconstructed refractive index decrement scales with spatial resolution follows an inverse linear relationship at fixed slice thickness, while the noise variance of the reconstructed absorption coefficient conforms with the inverse cubic law. The results indicate that, for the same noise variance level, PCT imaging may enable higher spatial resolution than conventional absorption computed tomography (ACT), while ACT benefits more from degraded spatial resolution. This could be a useful guidance in imaging the inner structure of the sample in higher spatial resolution.

X-ray wideband in-line holography, a new X-ray holography geometry using a zone plate, is proposed. The temporal coherence requirement in this geometry can be very low.

Objective. Basing on the coherence character of the Synchrotron radiation (SR), the mouse kidney study is performed using the propagation-based phase-contrast imaging (PCI) technology which as one approach of the phase contrasts imaging (PCI). The aim of this paper was to visualize the kidney at different ages and evaluate the latent value of aging mechanism with SR phase contrast imaging technology. Methods. The experiments were performed at the BL13W1 line of the SSRF (the Shanghai synchrotron radiation facility), the samples were soaked in 10% formalin solution, the mouse kidneys at different ages were imaged on the shelf in the propagation-based phase-contrast imaging setup and captured with CCD. The captured images were analyzed and compared. Results. When the distance is 50 cm between the samples and imaging plate, good contrast and high resolution were obtained in the propagation-based phase-contrast imaging (PCI), as such renal capsule revealed well, and the resolution reach to 30 micron; there is significant difference in the shape and vessels structures among the mouse kidneys at different age. Conclusion. The PCI is good for the applying of main light element organization imaging, the difference in shape and vessels structure between the young and old mouse kidney maybe indicated at some extent with the propagation-based phase-contrast imaging technology.

Two phase extraction methods which are based separately on phase-stepping and shifting curve are mainly used in phase-sensitive imaging in gating interferometry to determine the x-ray phase shift induced by an object in the beam. In this paper, the authors perform a full comparative analysis and present the main virtues and limitations of these two methods according to the theoretical analysis of the grating interferometry.

The parabolic compound X-ray refractive lenses are a kind of novel optical components, especially suitable for hard X-rays. Due to their parabolic profiles they are free of spherical aberration and are proper devices for sub-micrometer focusing and imaging. The focusing performance of the parabolic compound X-ray refractive lenses is studied theoretically and experimentally in this paper. Firstly, the derivation of the exact focal length formula using matrix optics method and a criterion of the thin lens approximation are described. And the intensity distribution near focus, limiting focal spot size, effective aperture and transmittance are deduced based on the diffraction theory. Several parabolic compound X-ray refractive lenses with PMMA material were fabricated by means of deep X-ray lithography. Then the X-ray microbeam experimental system was built on the 4W1A beamline of Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility （BSRF） based on the parabolic compound X-ray refractive lenses we fabricated. The focusing performances of three PMMA parabolic compound X-ray refractive lenses were measured and analyzed under 8 keV monochromatic X-rays. According to the experimental results, it is concluded that the PMMA parabolic compound X-ray refractive lenses promises good hard X-ray focusing performance.

X-ray refraction contrast CT is the computer tomography based on phase contrast. When the biological samples are taken from organs or tissues，X-ray refraction contrast CT provides more internal subtle details compared with conventional absorption CT images and it is considered a novel and very promising imaging technique. The iterative and analytical algorithms are the two main strategies in computer tomography. In the field of X-ray refraction contrast CT several analytical algorithms have been reported in the past. However the algorithm using iterative method have not been proposed. In this study，we tested the application of iterative algorithm in X-ray refraction contrast CT image reconstruction，investigated the influence of the order in which data are accessed in algebraic reconstruction techniques，and satisfactory CT images were obtained. Our data demonstrated that when biological samples are imaged or the complete projective data are not available，our iterative algorithm showed significant advantage over the analytical algorithms. It effectively reduces the number of the projection data，exposure time，as well as the radiation damage to the biology samples.

In this work,we make a theoretical analysis of X_ray grating phase contrast imaging (XGPCI) and give an equation to show the relationship between the transmittance and the relative shift of the two gratings,which was named as the shift curve.According to this equation,we develop a new method to retrieve phase information from the experimental data in theory.Finally,we analyze the influence of the experimental setup to the resolution of the image.

Based on the unique advantages of synchrotron radiation X-ray with high resolution and collimation，and the advantage of nondestructive observation of computed-tomography technique，synchrotron radiation computed tomography technique is widely used in many fields. In this paper，the errors caused by light source such as unevenness，supersaturation and super penetration are studied for synchrotron radiation computed tomography technique，and its three basic error forms are given. Numerical simulation results confirm this analysis.

Diffraction enhanced imaging is a new X-ray radiographic imaging method using monochromatic X-rays from a synchrotron source which produces high contrast and spatial resolution images of thick absorbing objects. Use of this method in medicine, material science and industrial applications in non-destructive testing is highlighted at present. The purpose of this study is to discuss diffraction enhanced imaging computer tomography which combines computer tomography (CT) and diffraction enhanced imaging (DEI) method. Comparison between DEI-CT images with conventional X-ray CT images shows that the DEI-CT imaging technique gives not only surface information but also the internal structure of organs or soft tissues with high contrast. The obtained images show the micro-structures details of DEI-CT.

Diffraction enhanced imaging (DEI) with two crystals has been recently performed at the 4W1A beamline at the Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility (BSRF). In the first experiments, images collected with a set up where the rotation axis of the crystal was perpendieular to the orbit, show a higher quality with respect to those taken with a geometry with the rotation axis of the monochromatic crystal parallel to the orbit. When the rotation axis of the crystal is perpendicular to the orbit plane, e.g. to the polarization plane of the synchrotron radiation, the influence of both vibration and thermal expansion of the first crystal can be significantly reduced, allowing the collection of better images. In this work, a systematic comparison is male between two geometrical arrangements of crystals in DEI framework with respect to the reflectivity of crystals, spacial resolution, angular resolution and image contrast.

The interactions between X-ray and the sample and crystals were investigated, and the influence of small angle scattering on images was emphatically analyzed in diffraction enhanced imaging in this paper. Not only were the additional noise term caused by small angle scattering introduced, and more general DEI equation established, but also expressions of absorption contrast, extinction contrast and refraction contrast were given for the peak image and the middle slope image. With the new DEI equation, the contrasts of two kinds of resultant images (apparent absorption image and refraction image) were discussed.

A new x_ray imaging technique, diffraction_enhanced imaging, has been recently developed in Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility(BSRF). Diffraction_enhanced i maging is a radiographic technique that derives contrast from an object’s absor ption, refraction gradient and small_angle scatter properties(extinction). This imaging method may improve image quality for medical applications, industrial ra diography for non_destructive testing and x_ray computed tomography.

Diffraction_enhanced imaging by using two crystals has been recently developed i n x_ray topogrphy station in Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility. In this art icle the analysis for the influence of the thermal expansion of the first crysta l on the diffraction enhanced imaging is presented. The conclusion is that the i nfluence of the thermal expansion of the first crystal can be avoided and much b etter images can be obtained when the axes of crystals are placed vertically to the polarization plane of the synchrotron radiation. The experimental results co nfirmed this analysis.

The inside source hologram reconstruction algorithm based on discrete Fourier transform was investigated in detail, and how to calculate the contribution of whole spherical hologram to the reconstructed image of atoms was demonstrated in this algorithm, which was previously regarded to be capable of calculating only half of the spherical hologram. Using the sampling theorem in this issue, we are able to examine such essential factors as the sampling rate of the hologram, domain and resolution of reconstructed image.

The reflectivity of grazing soft x-ray planar mirror is studied.The Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility-3W1B beam line with beam current 40—120 mA,the storage ring electron energy 2 GeV,photon energy 50—1500 eV are used.We have improved the calibration method.The x-ray diode detectors of planar mirror facility are replaced by AXUV-100.Therefore,2 to 3 orders of magnitude for the ratio of signal to noise can be increased,and the calibration region from (150—270 eV)to (50—1500 eV)is expanded.The reflectivity calibration curves for C,Si,Ni,and Au planar mirror in different grazing angles are given.Finally,the values obtained in experiment and calculation are compared and analyzed.

The conventional holography met with three unsolvable difficulties,such as coherence of light source,spatial resolution and sensitivity of detector,when applied in atomic imaging. This paper is intended to explain how the inside source holography can overcome all these difficulties,and to investigate the recording and reconstruction procedures of the inside source holography. The reconstruction formula of inside source spherical hologram and the δ-functions describing reconstructed atomic images in spherical-symmetrical and energy-irrelevent approximations of atomic scattering factor are deduced

Based on the principle of x-ray fluorescence holography, we numerically simulate d an iron single crystal model of a body-centred cubic lattice. From the fluores cence hologram produced numerically, the Fe atomic images were reconstructed. Th e atomic images of the (001),(100),(010) crystallographic planes were consistent with the corresponding atomic positions of the model. The result indicates that one can obtain internal structure images of single crystals at atomic-resolutio n by using x-ray fluorescence holography.

Absolute diffraction efficiencies of a transmission grating at a photon energy of 844eV have been calibrated on synchrotron radiation source.With the aid of grating model,all structure parameters of the grating are obtained and absolute diffraction efficiencies for soft X-rays in the range of 100—2000eV are calculated and discussed.

A theoretical method to obtain the soft X-ray multilayer monochromater of-better energy resolution is put forward. The basic point is to choose the alternating elements with new criterions instead of general choosing method of high-and low z elements. Moreover, a simple and practicable multilayer designing method to achieve high reflectivity was presented. The some results of soft X-ray multilayer monochromater study in recent years on Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility (BSRF) have been given out.

Some main factors having influence on the resolution of X-ray holograms are analyzed theoretically. The smalles resolving distance of X-ray lensless Fourier transform holograms can not be less than the radius of the focus spot of the X-ray condenser or the filter aperture used in recording, and the resolution of X-ray in-line holograms can not be higher than the cutoff frequency of recording material, under the condition that X-ray is perfectly coherent. Relationships between the coherent length required by X-ray lensless Fourier transform holography and the resolution, and the radius of the object are quadric; and the coherent length requested by X-ray in-line holography is proportional to the square of the resolution and does not change with the size of object, under the condition that X-ray is partially coherent. With the resolution of X-ray holograms raised, the reguired coherent length will be increased by a large amount.