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Abstract Background The dose perturbation effect of immobilization devices is often overlooked in intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for breast cancer (BC). This retrospective study assessed the dosimetric effects of supine immobilization devices on the skin using a commercial treatment planning system. Methods Forty women with BC were divided into four groups according to the type of primary surgery: groups A and B included patients with left and right BC, respectively, who received 50 Gy radiotherapy in 25 fractions after radical mastectomy, while groups C and D included patients with left and right BC, respectively, who received breast-conservation surgery (BCS) and 40.05 Gy in 15 fractions as well as a tumor bed simultaneous integrated boost to 45 Gy. A 0.2-cm thick skin contour and two sets of body contours were outlined for each patient. Dose calculations were conducted for the two sets of contours using the same plan. The dose differences were assessed by comparing the dose-volume histogram parameter results and by plan subtraction. Results The supine immobilization devices for BC resulted in significantly increased skin doses, which may ultimately lead to skin toxicity. The mean dose increased by approximately 0.5 and 0.45 Gy in groups A and B after radical mastectomy and by 2.7 and 3.25 Gy in groups C and D after BCS; in groups A–D, the percentages of total normal skin volume receiving equal to or greater than 5 Gy (V5) increased by 0.54, 1.15, 2.67, and 1.94%, respectively, while the V10 increased by 1.27, 1.83, 1.36, and 2.88%; the V20 by 0.85, 1.87, 2.76, and 4.86%; the V30 by 1.3, 1.24, 10.58, and 11.91%; and the V40 by 1.29, 0.65, 10, and 10.51%. The dose encompassing the planning target volume and other organs at risk, showed little distinction between IMRT plans without and with consideration of immobilization devices. Conclusions The supine immobilization devices significantly increased the dose to the skin, especially for patients with BCS. Thus, immobilization devices should be included in the external contour to account for dose attenuation and skin dose increment. Trial registration This study does not report on interventions in human health care.

Abstract Background We aimed to measure ocular biometric characteristics in older cataract patients from western China. Methods Ocular biometry records were retrospectively analyzed for 6933 patients with cataracts (6933 eyes) at least 50 years old who were treated at West China Hospital of Sichuan University. Results Partial coherence laser interferometry gave the following population averages: axial length (AL), 24.32 ± 2.42 mm; anterior chamber depth (ACD), 3.08 ± 0.47 mm; keratometric power (K), 44.23 ± 1.66 diopters; and corneal astigmatism (CA), 1.00 ± 0.92 diopters. The percentage of individuals with AL > 26.5 mm was 13.66%, while the percentage with CA > 1.0 diopters was 35.54%. Mean AL and ACD showed a trend of decrease with increasing age (P

Abstract Acute pancreatitis is characterized by zymogen preactivation. Severe inflammation caused by zymogen activation can eventually lead to multiple organ dysfunctions which contribute to the high mortality rate of severe acute pancreatitis. However, there is no specific treatment available for acute pancreatitis therapy. Here, we show that spautin-1, which effectively inhibits autophagy flux, ameliorated the pathogenesis of acute pancreatitis induced by cerulein or L-arginine. CaMKII phosphorylation due to cytosolic calcium overload was revealed in this paper. It was also demonstrated that autophagic protein aggregates degradation blockade accompanied by impaired autophagy correlated positively with intra-acinar cell digestive aymogen activation stimulated by cerulein or L-arginine. The role of spautin-1 in ameliorating acute pancreatitis was shown here to be associated with impaired autophagy inhibition and Ca2+ overload alleviation. We provide a promising therapy for acute pancreatitis through targeting both impaired autophagy and increased cytosolic calcium.