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(1) Background: The relationship between processing speed (PS) and psychological adjustment in the healthy population is well established, as is that between low socio-economic status (SES) and psychological distress. While PS is one of the most impaired functions in pediatric brain tumor survivors (PBTSs), previous research has demonstrated that low SES may be a predictor of increased psychosocial risk in PBTSs. Given the psychological adjustment difficulties observed in PBTS, in the current study we aimed to explore the relationship between SES and psychological functioning, considering the contribution of PS as a mediator. (2) Methods: demographic and clinical data of 80 children (age range: 4–17 y.o.) were retrospectively collected. Psychological measures were the parent-compiled versions of the Child Behavioral Checklist (CBCL) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Mediation analysis models were performed on psychological measures with and without the inclusion of covariates. (3) Results: The influence of SES on the CBCL total index was mediated by PS. Furthermore, PS was found to have a mediating effect on the relationship between SES and internalizing problems but not on the relationship between SES and externalizing problems. (4) Conclusions: The results suggest that PS may be a rehabilitation target for the prevention of psychological distress and should be addressed especially for PBTSs who live in a disadvantaged situation.

Enrolling medulloblastoma(MB) patients in the PNET5 protocol is a daily problem in Italy; since June 2015, 59 cases have been enrolled in 13 centres. So far, 44 of the 103 patients claiming for eligibility did not enter the protocol: 13 metastases, 5 for residual, 20 having exclusion criteria, 4 insufficient frozen material, 2 failure to comply with the correct procedures. No case was lost due to delayed centralization, which is respected even with committing weekends; review of the radiation plan was performed on Saturday for 2 cases, and radiotherapy began on the same day. We made some procedural changes to meet expected deadlines; each local centre notifies the national coordinator of a possible case's existence at MRI diagnosis, of the expected surgery date as well as its realization. MRI imaging is reviewed within 2 days after centralization. Paediatricians notify the national coordinator and pathology/biology reference centre of the MB diagnosis; the shipment of frozen tissue, blood and FFPE is booked. A slot is reserved to priority perform the central pathology review, as well as central molecular diagnosis of genetically defined subgroup (WHO classification) upon receipt of the frozen material. Upon receipt of the FFPE and frozen material, the national reference centre undertakes a double-check with the national coordinator and the local treatment centre to validate the eligibility. Within the 7th day from the receipt of the material: IHC, MYC/MYCN, Monosomy 6, beta-catenin mutation and methylation array are performed. Priority execution of somatic (blood control) sequencing of the PTCH, SUFU, and TP53 genes is also triggered for SHH-activated MB, with the deadline on the 15th day. So far we have had 99% agreement between molecular subgrouping and methylation array. CONCLUSIONS: PNET5 requirements are multiple and changing over time; difficulties may and must be overcome by mutual fast collaboration.

Background UltraViolet-C (UV-C) lamps may be used to supplement current hospital cleaning and disinfection of surfaces contaminated by SARS-CoV-2. Our aim is to provide some practical indications for the correct use of UV-C lamps. Methods We studied three UV-C lamps, measuring their spatial irradiance and emission over time. We quantify the error that is committed by calculating the irradiation time based exclusively on the technical data of the lamps or by making direct irradiance measurements. Finally, we tested specific dosimeters for UV-C. Results Our results show that the spatial emission of UV-C lamps is strongly dependent on the power of the lamps and on the design of their reflectors. Only by optimizing the positioning and calculating the exposure time correctly, is it possible to dispense the dose necessary to obtain SARS-CoV-2 inactivation. In the absence of suitable equipment for measuring irradiance, the calculated irradiation time can be underestimated. We therefore consider it precautionary to increase the calculated times by at least 20%. Conclusion To use UV-C lamps effectively, it is necessary to follow a few simple precepts when choosing, positioning and verifying the lamps. In the absence of instruments dedicated to direct verification of irradiance, photochromic UV-C dosimeters may represent a useful tool for easily verifying that a proper UV-C dose has been delivered.

Purpose To study a robust and reproducible procedure to investigate a relation between focal brain radiotherapy (RT) low doses, neurocognitive impairment and late White Matter and Gray Matter alterations, as shown by Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), in children. Methods and materials Forty-five patients (23 males and 22 females, median age at RT 6.2 years, median age at evaluations 11.1 years) who had received focal RT for brain tumors were recruited for DTI exams and neurocognitive tests. Patients’ brains were parceled in 116 regions of interest (ROIs) using an available segmented atlas. After the development of an ad hoc, home-made, multimodal and highly deformable registration framework, we collected mean RT doses and DTI metrics values for each ROI. The pattern of association between cognitive scores or domains and dose or DTI values was assessed in each ROI through both considering and excluding ROIs with mean doses higher than 75% of the prescription. Subsequently, a preliminary threshold value of dose discriminating patients with and without neurocognitive impairment was selected for the most relevant associations. Results The workflow allowed us to identify 10 ROIs where RT dose and DTI metrics were significantly associated with cognitive tests results (p Conclusion This analysis, despite being conducted on a retrospective cohort of children, shows that the identification of critical brain structures and respective radiation dose thresholds is achievable by combining, with appropriate methodological tools, the large amount of data arising from different sources. This supported the design of a prospective study to gain stronger evidence.

The potential virucidal effects of UV-C irradiation on SARS-CoV-2 were experimentally evaluated for different illumination doses and virus concentrations (1000, 5, 0.05 MOI). At a virus density comparable to that observed in SARS-CoV-2 infection, an UV-C dose of just 3.7 mJ/cm2 was sufficient to achieve a more than 3-log inactivation without any sign of viral replication. Moreover, a complete inactivation at all viral concentrations was observed with 16.9 mJ/cm2. These results could explain the epidemiological trends of COVID-19 and are important for the development of novel sterilizing methods to contain SARS-CoV-2 infection.

To evaluate the effects of display pixel pitch and maximum luminance on intra- and inter-observer reproducibility and observer performance when evaluating chest lesions and bone fractures. This was a multi-institutional study for a retrospective interpretation of selected digital radiography images. Overall, 82 images were selected by senior radiologists, including 50 cases of chest lesions and 32 cases of bone fractures. These images were displayed at two pixel pitches (0.212 and 0.165 mm size pixels) and two maximum luminance values (250 and 500 cd/m2) and reviewed twice by senior and junior radiologists. All the observers had to indicate the likelihood of the presence of the lesions and to rate the relative confidence of their assessment. Cohen Kappa statistic was computed to estimate the reproducibility in correctly identifying lesions; for multi-reader-multi-case (MRMC) analysis, weighted Jackknife Alternative Free-response Receiver Operating Characteristic (wJAFROC) statistical tools was applied. The intra-radiologist and inter-observer reproducibility values were the highest for the 0.165 mm size pixel at 500 cd/m2 display, for both chest lesions and bone fractures evaluations. As regards chest lesions, observer performances were significantly greater with 0.165 mm size pixel display at 500 cd/m2 than with lower maximum luminance and/or larger pixel pitch displays. Concerning bone fractures, the performance obtained with 0.212 mm size pixel display at 250 cd/m2 was statistically lower than that obtained with 0.165 mm sixe pixel display at 500 cd/m2. Our results indicate that an increased maximum luminance level and a decreased pixel pitch of medical-grade display improve the accuracy of detecting both chest lesions and bone fractures.

The potential virucidal effects of UV-C irradiation on SARS-CoV-2 were experimentally evaluated for different illumination doses and virus concentrations (1000, 5, 0.05 MOI). Both virus inactivation and replication inhibition were investigated as a function of these parameters.At a virus density comparable to that observed in SARS-CoV-2 infection, an UV-C dose of just 3.7 mJ/cm2 was sufficient to achieve a 3-log inactivation,and complete inhibition of all viral concentrations was observed with 16.9 mJ/cm2. These results could explain the epidemiological trends of COVID-19 and are important for the development of novel sterilizing methods to contain SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Survival of pediatric patients with brain tumor has increased over the past 20 years, and increasing evidence of iatrogenic toxicities has been reported. In follow-ups, images are acquired at different time points where substantial changes of brain morphology occur, due to childhood physiological development and treatment effects. To address the image registration complexity, we propose two multi-metric approaches (Mplus, Mdot), combining mutual information (MI) and normalized gradient field filter (NGF). The registration performance of the proposed metrics was assessed on a simulated dataset (Brainweb) and compared with those obtained by MI and NGF separately, using mean magnitude and mean angular errors. The most promising metric (Mplus) was then selected and tested on a retrospective dataset comprising 45 pediatric patients who underwent focal radiotherapy for brain cancer. The quality of the realignment was scored by a radiation oncologist using a perceived misalignment metric (PM). All patients but one were assessed as PM ≤ 2 (good alignment), but the remaining one, severely affected by hydrocephalus and pneumocephalus at the first MRI acquisition, scored PM = 5 (unacceptable). These preliminary findings suggest that Mplus might improve the registration accuracy in complex applications such as pediatric oncology, when data are acquired throughout the years of follow-up, and is worth investigating.

Pediatric radiotherapy (RT) is a highly specialized field, requiring great experience to delineate correctly tumor targets and organs at risk. To reduce treatment failures related to planning inaccuracies and to obtain robust clinical results despite the limited numbers of enrolled pediatric patients, the SIOP PNET5MB clinical trial on medulloblastoma requires a real-time, pre-radiation review of the RT treatment (craniospinal irradiation and boost plan) under the direct responsibility of the national coordinator center. Here we describe the centralized radiotherapy quality assurance (QA) program developed in Italy for this purpose. Using the software package VODCA (MSS, Hagendorn, Switzerland, www.vodca.ch ), we developed a cloud platform able to handle computed tomography (CT) images and RT objects and to support the complete workflow required by the review process in the context of the SIOP PNET5 trial. All Italian centers participating in the PNET5 trial adopted the proposed QA system. 24 patients were successfully enrolled and reviewed. For 15 patients (62.5%), one or more plan revisions were requested for the craniospinal irradiation plan and for 11 patients (45.8%) plan revisions were requested for the boost. RT was delivered after the plan was centrally approved for all enrolled patients. So far, in Italy, no patients have been excluded from PNET5 due to dosimetric incompliance to the protocol or for exceeding the RT starting time limit. The cloud platform successfully supported the trial workflow, producing official review documents. This efficient QA was crucial to guarantee optimized treatments and protocol compliance for all pediatric patients enrolled in the SIOP protocol.

Fiber-optic-coupled scintillation dosimeters are characterized by their small active volume if compared to other existing systems. However, they potentially show a greater stem effect, especially in external beam radiotherapy where the Cerenkov effect is not negligible. In brachytherapy, due to the lower energies and the shorter high dose range of the employed sources, the impact of the stem effect to the detector accuracy might be low. In this work, the stem effect of a Ce3+ doped SiO2 scintillation detector coupled to a SiO2 optical fiber was studied for high dose rate brachytherapy applications. Measurements were performed in a water phantom at changing source-detector mutual positions. The same irradiations were performed with a passive optical fiber, which doesn't have the dosimeter at its end. The relative contribution of the passive fiber with respect to the uncorrected readings of the detector in each one of the investigated source dwell positions was evaluated. Furthermore, the dosimeter was calibrated both neglecting and correcting its response for the passive fiber readings. The obtained absolute dose measurements were then compared to the dose calculations resulting from the treatment planning system. Dosimeter uncertainties with and without taking into account the passive fiber readings were generally below 2.8% and 4.3%, respectively. However, a particular exception results when the source is positioned near to the optical fiber, where the detector underestimates the dose (-8%) or at source-detector longitudinal distances higher than 3cm. The obtained results show that the proposed dosimeter might be adopted in high dose rate prostate brachytherapy with satisfactory accuracy, without the need for any stem effect correction. However, accuracy further improves by subtraction of the noise signal produced by the passive optical fiber. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

Rationale and Objectives This study evaluates the influence of the calibrated luminance level of medical displays in the detectability of microcalcifications and spiculated lesions in digital breast tomosynthesis images. Materials and Methods Four models of medical displays with calibrated maximum and minimum luminance, respectively, ranging from 500 to 1000 cd/m 2 and from 0.5 to 1.0 cd/m 2 , were investigated. Forty-eight studies were selected by a senior radiologist: 16 with microcalcifications, 16 with spiculated lesions, and 16 without lesions. All images were anonymized and blindly evaluated by one senior and two junior radiologists. For each study, lesion presence or absence and localization statements, interpretative difficulty level, and overall quality were reported. Cohen's kappa statistic was computed between monitors and within or between radiologists to estimate the reproducibility in correctly identifying lesions; for multireader-multicase analysis, the weighted jackknife alternative free-response receiver operating characteristic statistical tool was applied. Results Intraradiologist reproducibility ranged from 0.75 to 1.00. Interreader as well as reader-truth agreement values were >0.80 and higher with the two 1000 cd/m 2 luminance displays than with the lower luminance displays for each radiologist. Performances in the detectability of breast lesions were significantly greater with the 1000 cd/m 2 luminance displays when compared to the display with the lowest luminance value ( P value Conclusions Our findings highlight the role of display luminance level on the accuracy of detecting breast lesions.

Due to the complexity and the many steps involved in a high dose rate brachytherapy process, radiation dose delivered to the patient during the treatment is susceptible to many inaccuracies and may not accurately match the planned dose. In vivo dosimetry is a reliable solution to compare planned and delivered dose distributions, representing therefore a valid tool to systematically perform a quality control of the radiotherapic process and eventually increment treatment accuracy. In this study, Fricke gel dosimetric catheters (FGDC) were investigated to perform dose distribution measurements of a brachytherapy implant. The brachytherapy implant was established in a water phantom with five flexible plastic needles and irradiation was performed with a high dose rate remote afterloading device provided with an Ir-192 radioactive source. Comparison between dose distributions measured with ten FGDC located in the proximity of the implant needles and calculated by the treatment planning system shows very good agreement for seven out of ten dosimeters, whereas the remaining three show a local underestimation of the dose. In phantom results indicate that Fricke gel dosimetric catheters might be valid candidates for performing in vivo dosimetry in high dose rate brachytherapy. However, further measurements are still required to validate this dosimetric method.

Purpose Investigate late radiation damages after focal radiotherapy (RT) for childhood brain cancer in terms of neurocognitive outcome. Methods 45 retrospective children (age at RT:median = 6.2 years, range 1.1–22.5, age at valuations:median = 11.1 years, range 4.4–25.9) who received focal RT at our Institution with at least 3-years follow-up without relapse, were recruited to undergo cognitive, neuropsychological and psychological testing. Planning CT images were retrieved and patients’ brains were parceled in 116 regions of interest (ROIs) using the Tzourio-Mazoyer atlas [1] and a dedicated home-made, multimodal, highly deformable registration framework specifically developed for the study. Mean RT dose value was collected for each ROI. The pattern of association between the categorized cognitive tests scores and RT dose was assessed in each ROI through the Kruskal Wallis test. Subsequently, the preliminary threshold of RT dose (optimal cut-off value) discriminating patients with and without neurocognitive changes (impaired/non-impaired patients), was selected by using a Receiver Operating Characteristic curve (ROC). Results The statistical analysis allowed us to identify the ROIs where mean dose values and cognitive tests results were significantly related. For the 29 ROIs showing the most significant associations, preliminary threshold dose values related to a specific cognitive or neuropsychological damage were obtained, ranging from 3.5 to 29.8 Gy. As an example, Figure1 shows the distributions of dose values in the ROI “Frontal_ Sup_Orb_ R” for patients with impaired/non-impaired performances in a specific cognitive test (Processing Speed Index, WISC III). Conclusions The preliminary analysis of the retrospective children suggested that the main aim (identify brain structures highly susceptible to radiation damages and the respective radiation dose thresholds) is achievable, justifying a prospective study currently open to children enrollment. Partially funded by AIRC.

The evaluation of incoherent artificial optical radiation (AOR) exposure in hospital environments is a complex task due to the variety of sources available. This study has been designed to provide a proposal for the precautionary assessment of the related risk. This survey suggested that, in our Institution, at least three kinds of AOR sources required specific investigations: ambient lighting, theatre operating lighting and ultraviolet radiation (UVR) sources. For each kind of evaluated sources a specific measurement approach was developed. All irradiance measurements were made using a commercial spectroradiometer. The obtained results were compared with the appropriate exposure limit values (ELVs) defined in the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) guidelines and adopted by the European Directive 2006/25/EC. The risk related to the evaluated AOR exposure was finally assessed according to our risk matrix. According to our results, the emission of ambient lighting in the actual exposure conditions was always in accordance with the ELVs and the related risk was classifiable as not relevant. The risk related to the exposure to theatre operating lighting resulted not negligible, especially when two or more sources were used with focal spots overlapping on reflective objects. UVR sources emission may represent a health hazard depending, in particular, on the set up of the device containing the source. In case of laminar flow cabinets and closed transilluminators, if the UVR source is well contained within an enclosure with interlock, it presents no risk of exposure. Otherwise, the emission arising from UVR lamps, open transilluminators or sources not provided with interlock, may represent a risk classifiable as high even in the actual working conditions. The personal protective equipment used by workers were also assessed and their suitability was discussed.