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Improving radiotherapy services in low-income countries in the Asia-Pacific region LMICs had just started introducing the new technologies and treatment techniques of linac-based treatment, but the lack of trained RTTs and ROMPs severely compromised the delivery of safe, accurate and effective treatment. The Windeyer Fellowship Award by the College commemorates the career of the late Sir Brian Windeyer (1904-1994).1 He was the first radium registrar at RPAH, Sydney in 1928, and he trained at the Radium Institute in Paris and then spent his career in radiotherapy at the Middlesex Hospital, London. [Extracted from the article]

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2015 to 2030 includes a specific goal for health (Sustainable Development Goal [SDG] 3) with 13 targets, including SDG3.4 for the control and treatment of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), namely, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, and chronic lung disease. There is considerable concern that SDG3.4 may not be achieved. The WHO Best Buys for NCDs has emphasized prevention, and although crucial, it alone will not achieve the 30% reduction in NCDs by 2030. Likewise, a strengthened health system is required as all NCDs are likely to require hospital facilities and community services for optimal management. This is a major problem for low-resource countries (LRCs) —that is, low-income countries and lower-middle-income countries—as most currently have a poorly developed health system, including cancer services, in need of upgrading. This is a result of the extreme poverty of LRCs, where 40% to 80% of the population live on less than USD $1.25 per day, with the average health spending by governments in low-income countries at $110 per person per year. In this article, we outline a comprehensive national cancer services plan for LRCs. Surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy for cancer treatment also require input from other specialties, such as anesthesia, pathology, laboratory medicine, a blood bank, and diagnostic radiology. This will provide a focus for adding additional specialties, including cardiology, respiratory medicine, and psychiatry, to support the management of all NCDs and to contribute to the overall strengthening of the health system. The national cancer services plan for LRCs will require significant funding and input from both in-country and overseas experts in health, cancer, and finance working collaboratively. Success will depend on thoughtful strategic planning and providing the right balance of overseas support and guidance, but ensuring that there is in-country ownership and control of the program is essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

♦ Following the UK governmental decision to cease fast reactor operations and research in 1994, the focus of Dounreay has moved from fast reactor research and development to decommissioning and waste management. ♦ The waste at Dounreay is highly diverse due to the range of the historical operations carried out on the site. ♦ Using the Waste Informed Decommissioning approach has many benefits - projects will be responsible for generating waste that is well understood via early characterisation and have it packaged in a form that is suitable for disposal that can be demonstrably optimised. Improvements to waste segregation and decontamination of waste by the project teams prior to packing will ensure that the most efficient destination for each item of waste is reached. ♦ The challenge now is to re-focus the culture again at Dounreay to allow waste to be thought of as the fruits of the labour rather than the leftovers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2015 to 2030 includes a specific goal for health (Sustainable Development Goal [SDG] 3) with 13 targets, including SDG3.4 for the control and treatment of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), namely, cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, and chronic lung disease. There is considerable concern that SDG3.4 may not be achieved. The WHO Best Buys for NCDs has emphasized prevention, and although crucial, it alone will not achieve the 30% reduction in NCDs by 2030. Likewise, a strengthened health system is required as all NCDs are likely to require hospital facilities and community services for optimal management. This is a major problem for low-resource countries (LRCs) —that is, low-income countries and lower-middle-income countries—as most currently have a poorly developed health system, including cancer services, in need of upgrading. This is a result of the extreme poverty of LRCs, where 40% to 80% of the population live on less than USD $1.25 per day, with the average health spending by governments in low-income countries at $110 per person per year. In this article, we outline a comprehensive national cancer services plan for LRCs. Surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy for cancer treatment also require input from other specialties, such as anesthesia, pathology, laboratory medicine, a blood bank, and diagnostic radiology. This will provide a focus for adding additional specialties, including cardiology, respiratory medicine, and psychiatry, to support the management of all NCDs and to contribute to the overall strengthening of the health system. The national cancer services plan for LRCs will require significant funding and input from both in-country and overseas experts in health, cancer, and finance working collaboratively. Success will depend on thoughtful strategic planning and providing the right balance of overseas support and guidance, but ensuring that there is in-country ownership and control of the program is essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An obituary for surgeon and radiation oncologist Derek Oliver Berg is presented.

Degradation of cliff-top habitats due to industrial activity is infrequent, leading to unique challenges when activity ceases and a site requires remediation. Dounreay, an ex-nuclear power facility on the north coast of Scotland, is currently being decommissioned prior to complete demolition of all buildings. A small area of the site will then be covered in a 1000 mm capping layer to prevent contamination of bioreceptors at the surface from below ground contaminants. Topsoil replacement is frequently used in such instances, however, limited availability of topsoil in the region means that other materials are sought to mitigate against undesirable ecological and economic costs. We tested combinations of differentially graded rocks and topsoil to assess their suitability in supporting re-vegetation. The vegetation response was measured as richness (numbers of species), ground cover, species diversity, and biomass. Wider ecosystem function was assessed by measuring invertebrate numbers and diversity, and comparing these to locally relevant reference site data. Fine crushed rock supported native vegetation establishment and growth, though cover, diversity, and biomass (after three years) were significantly below levels found when topsoil was used instead. Initial establishment on the fine crushed rock may be limited by the low water retention and nutrient availability of the material. We suggest that a rich heterogeneous habitat able to support a wide range of native vegetation and invertebrates may be provided by mixing topsoil with the fine crushed rock in the future. This mosaic combination would also allow for significant ecological and financial cost savings (against topsoil only remediation) and could be tested on larger scales. • Vegetation returns on crushed rock surface layer without topsoil addition. • Invertebrate numbers recover well on crushed rock surface vegetation. • Opportunist colonisers generally outcompeted by targeted sown vegetation. • Phosphate addition could speed up vegetation recovery on crushed rock surface layer. • Remediation using fine crushed rock could reduce financial and carbon costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]