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A new interception model was integrated in a snowmelt model and for the first time the spatial variability of forest snow was effectively represented due to the inclusion of new forest structure metrics. The model was tested at 1273 field points surrounding Davos, Switzerland, that feature an extremely wide range of canopy and forest structure. The behavior of the new model was compared against a widely applied interception model. Due to the inclusion of novel forest structure parameters (mean distance to canopy and total gap area) in the new model, simulated interception mimicked the horizontal layout of canopy structure, while the standard interception model yielded fairly homogeneous interception estimations even under highly heterogeneous canopy conditions. The large variance of estimated interception between points using the new model translated into significant effects on under-canopy snow water equivalent and snow depth. Precipitation conditions were also analyzed, and further differences between the models were related to storm intensity. In climates characterized by large storm events, the new interception model provides significantly higher interception estimations (i.e., lower under-canopy snow) than the standard model, whereas in climates characterized by small storms events, the new model yields lower interception estimations (i.e., higher under-canopy snow) in areas with moderately sized to large canopy gaps.

Purpose Statistical process control (SPC) is a tool widely used in industrial engineering to monitor and improve processes, allowing early detection and prevention of problems. We retrospectively applied SPC methods on daily Tomotherapy output check in order to assess the possibility to use it as predictive maintenance tool. Methods and materials From January 2014 to September 2017 a total of 1916 daily output check have been performed in static (958) and dynamic (958) modality, using the “cheese” phantom and a ionization chamber inserted into it. In the first case, a static field of 5 cm × 40 cm has been used, while an optimized IMRT plan was considered in the second case. All collected data have been organized per year, and for each year in subgroup of 30 data, representing approximately a month of output checks. Individual (I) and exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) charts have been used to monitoring the long and short term data variability, respectively. The process performance was evaluated by means of capability indices using the Chan method. Results For each year considered in the study, the I- and EWMA-charts have shown the presence of out of control situation referable to specialist interventions. In particular, as reported in the figure below, the EWMA-charts have shown the presence of out of control situations before the interventions. Even if the tolerance suggested by AAPM TG 148 have been respected in the considered period of time, the process performance were in agreement with the scenario considered: the higher the interventions, the worst the results. Conclusion SPC methods are able to effectively detect variation in Tomotherapy output checks. Further investigation will consider on-line daily results.

Summary Background Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is characterized by target-organ fibrosis and microvascular dysfunction, which can be assessed using nailfold capillaroscopy. Dermoscopy is a useful and easily performed method for diagnosing skin lesions. Aim To compare conventional capillaroscopy, using the gold-standard method (conventional stereomicroscope nailfold capillaroscopy; SNFC), with polarized light noncontact dermoscopy (PNCD) and nonpolarized light contact dermoscopy (NPCD), and to evaluate their accuracy in diagnosing characteristic SSc-related alterations. Methods The study enrolled 45 patients with SSc. Capillaroscopy images and photographs were taken with three devices, SNFC, NPCD and PNCD, and these images were randomly analysed by a blinded observer. Results The scleroderma pattern was found in 83% of patients. PNCD and NPCD were highly sensitive in identifying the presence of focal capillary loss (96.4% and 100%, respectively), haemorrhage (96.2% and 92%, respectively), and scleroderma (91.9%, 94.6%), and showed high specificity for haemorrhage and enlarged loops. The intra-observer kappa values for detection of the scleroderma pattern by SNFC images, NPCD and PNCD were moderate to good: (κ = 0.71 (95% CI 0.44–0.95), κ = 0.60 (95% CI 0.35–0.83) and κ = 0.60 (95% CI 0.32–0.86), respectively. Evaluation of haemorrhage presence gave high kappa values for all methods: κ = 0.77 (95% CI 0.57–0.95), κ = 0.90 (95% CI 0.76–1.00) and κ = 0.95 (95% CI 0.85–1.00), respectively. Conclusions Both polarized and nonpolarized dermoscopy are reliable methods for valuation of nailfold capillaroscopy in patients with SSc. They are easy to perform, with good rates of accuracy and results that are comparable with traditional capillaroscopy.

Objective. 1'0 collect information about Ihe patterns ofcare ofdepressed palienls by General Practitioners (GP~) in oulpatient settings. Methodology. A surve...

Purpose The Diffusing Alpha-emitters Radiation Therapy (DaRT) is a novel brachytherapy technique employing 224-Radium enriched seeds releasing short-lived alpha-emitting atoms into the tumor [1] . 1 st patient in Europe was enrolled and treated at IRST and medical physicists provided a tool to plan the brachytherapy treatment in order toimprove the precision and safety of seed insertion. Methods Given the novelty of the technique we refer to an article for its general description (1). The patient underwent a 18-FDG PET ⧹ CT for both metabolic uptake control and lesion definition. A sterile patch was applied on the skin lesion just before the image acquisition and an adhesive fiberglass mesh (spaced by 2 mm) tape was then placed above. The Radiotherapist contoured the lesion and marked possible entrance points for the needles with a radio opaque ink marker. According to the radio opaque marks and metabolic uptake the CTV was defined and with any commercial brachytherapy TPS it is possible to simulate and adjust the spatial seeds distribution. The method described was previously tested on home-made phantom. Before the treatment the template was placed again on the patient and seeds were inserted accordingly to the plan using special applicators. Finally, correct positioning of the seeds was checked again with a post-treatment CT scan. Results The template was correctly placed in position and it was clearly visible in CT(fig1). Through the TPS it was possible to visualize entrance points for the applicator as suggested by the radiotherapist and eventually improve the coverage of the tumor by adding additional seeds. The post-treatment CT allows to evaluate the correspondence between the planned and actual seeds position. Conclusions The procedure implemented in IRST is robust and complete; the method for template definition is a promising tool supporting the Radiotherapoist for precise and safe DaRT delivery.

Poster: "ECR 2018 / C-1887 / Robustness of textural features in ADC Magnetic Resonance imaging maps among different contouring for prostate cancer patients " by: "G. Feliciani1, E. Menghi1, F. Albarello 1, S. Barbieri2, F. scabbia2, F. Ansaloni1, G. Parenti1, A. sarnelli3, M. Giganti2; 1Ravenna/IT, 2Ferrara/IT, 3Meldola (FC)/IT"

Radioactive materials are treated and transformed mainly in nuclear industries. However, non-nuclear industries use raw materials containing significant levels of natural radionuclides; the processing of these materials can expose workers and people living near such sites to radiation levels well above the natural background. This radioactivity is due to nuclides belonging to the 238 U and 232 Th decay chains and to 40 K. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and gamma-ray spectrometry have been used together to determine uranium and thorium concentration and the conditions of secular equilibrium in their decay chains for samples from ceramic and phosphate-fertiliser plants. In fact, the knowledge of the secular equilibrium conditions is necessary in order to make correct assumptions for the dose assessment. The results indicate that the secular equilibrium is verified for the samples from ceramic plants, whereas a situation of disequilibrium between parents and daughters of the natural chains is detected in phosphate fertilisers.

This paper describes a novel approach to the simulation of conservation systems based on redundant variables constraints. This allows the imposition of more physical conditions to obtain a better determination of the reconstruction problem. The results achieved for a passive scalar transport and a Burgers equation test case are illustrated. Reported numerical simulations of simple 2D incompressible flows also indicate the good quality of the proposed approach. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Sharm El Sheik (Egypt)

Several germline mutations and sequence variants in cancer predisposition genes have been described. Among these, the CDKN2A p.A148T variant appears to be frequent in patients with melanoma, at least in certain ethnic groups. In this case-control study, we evaluated 127 patients with cutaneous melanoma and 128 controls from Southern Brazil, the region with the highest melanoma incidence rates in the country. Using PCR-RFLP, we demonstrate that CDKN2A p.A148T variant was significantly more frequent in patients with melanoma than in controls (12.6% vs 3.9%; P=0.009). There was no association between presence of the polymorphism and tumor thickness, site of the primary tumor, melanoma subtype, age at diagnosis, quantitative and qualitative number of nevi. Patients with a positive family of history for other cancers were particularly prone to carry the CDKN2A p.A148T allele. All patients with p.A148T-positive melanoma reported European ancestry, especially German, and this was confirmed using a panel of ancestry-informative INDELs. Our data suggest that CDKN2A p.A148T is a melanoma susceptibility allele in Southern Brazil and is particularly common in patients with melanoma of predominantly European ancestry.

BackgroundStudies suggest a paucity of and lack of prioritisation in mental health research from low- and middle-income (LAMI) countries.AimsTo investigate research priorities in mental health among researchers and other stakeholders in LAMI countries.MethodWe used a two-stage design that included identification, through literature searches and snowball technique, of researchers and stakeholders in 114 countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean; and a mail survey on priorities in research.ResultsThe study identified broad agreement between researchers and stakeholders and across regions regarding research priorities. Epidemiology (burden and risk factors), health systems and social science ranked highest for type of research. Depression/anxiety, substance use disorders and psychoses; and children and adolescents, women, and people exposed to violence/trauma were prioritised among the disorders and population groups respectively. Important criteria for prioritising research were burden of disease, social justice, and availability of funds. Stakeholder groups differed in the importance they gave to the personal interest of researchers as a criterion for prioritising research. Researchers' and stakeholders' priorities were consistent with burden of disease estimates, however suicide was underprioritised compared with its burden. Researchers' and stakeholders' priorities were also largely congruent with the researchers' projects.ConclusionsThe results of this first ever conducted survey of researchers and stakeholders regarding research priorities in mental health suggest that it should be possible to develop consensus at regional and international levels regarding the research agenda that is necessary to support health system objectives in LAMI countries.

Here we present an overview of the experimental evidence and of the conceptual basis for the involvement of lamins and nuclear envelope proteins in a group of genetic diseases collectively referred to as laminopathies. Some of these diseases affect a specific tissue (skeletal and/or cardiac muscles, subcutaneous fat, peripheral nerves), while others affect a variety of tissues; this suggests that the pathogenic mechanism of laminopathies could reside in the alteration of basic mechanisms affecting gene expression. On the other hand, a common feature of cells from laminopathic patients is represented by nuclear shape alterations and heterochromatin rearrangements. The definition of the role of lamins in the fine regulation of heterochromatin organization may help understanding not only the pathogenic mechanism of laminopathies but also the molecular basis of cell differentiation and ageng.

The existence of a nuclear polyphosphoinositol metabolism independent from that at the plasma membrane is now widely recognized. Specific changes in the nuclear phosphatidylinositol (Ptdlns) metabolism have been implicated in cell growth, differentiation, and neoplastic transformation. Here we shall review the main features of nuclear inositol lipid signaling through type I IGF receptor, focusing the attention on the role of inositide-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) beta1 in cell proliferation and differentiation, given its peculiar localization in the nuclear compartment.

We compare the prevalence of obsessive-compulsive symptoms in schizophrenic patients in treatment with clozapine and those who receive classic antipsychotic drugs.Outpatients with schizophrenia treated with clozapine (n = 56) or classic antipsychotic drugs (n = 54) at the Honorio Delgado-Hideyo Noguchi Specialized Institute in Mental Health (Lima-Peru), were evaluated for the presence of obsessive-compulsive symptoms by means of the Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Module of Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV and Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms Checklist.46.4 % of patients treated with clozapine presented obsessive-compulsive symptoms while this occurred in 20.4 % of those with classic antipsychotic drugs (p = 0.005). In addition, 21.4 % of patients with clozapine and 13 % of those treated with classic antipsychotics presented obsessive-compulsive disorder according to DSM-IV criteria (p = 0.31).In schizophrenic patients, treatment with clozapine is associated with a higher rate of obsessive-compulsive symptoms than treatment with classic antipsychotic drugs.

To assess sexual risk behavior for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and other sexually transmitted diseases (STD) in males with psychotic disorders and to compare it to that of the patients without these disorders.We used a structured interview to collect information regarding sexual risk behavior, knowledge about HIV/AIDS, history of STD and drug use. We included 106 patients with psychotic disorders from a psychiatric institution and 89 control medical out-patients from a general hospital.Among psychotic patients, 70.8% declared that they had had sexual intercourse at some time in their lives and 37.7% during the last year. The psychotic patients had significantly less knowledge about HIV/AIDS than the controls and they had a smaller proportion of stable sexual partners and greater frequency of sexual risk behaviors, such as inconsistent condom use and sexual intercourse with prostitutes. In psychotic patients, inconsistent condom use was associated with more hospitalizations.Although patients with psychotic disorders have reduced sexual activity, they present greater frequency of sexual risk behaviors that predispose them to acquire HIV infection and other STD.

The objective of this study is to validate a version in Spanish of the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) in Peruvian women with less than 1 year of delivery.We administered the EPDS and the SCID section for diagnosis of major depression according to DSM-IV criteria to 321 women within the first year of postpartum.We found that the optimum cut-off score of the EPDS for the studied population was 13.5. With this value the sensitivity was 84.21% and the specificity 79.47% for diagnosis of major depression. No woman with score lower than 7.5 had major depression (sensitivity and negative predictive value were 100%). The correlation coefficient between the EPDS score and the number of criterion A symptoms for major depression according to DSM-IV was 0.4478. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.7043. The items that had more predictive power for postpartum depression were those regarding worries, ability to cope, panic, cry and optimism.The version in Spanish of the EPDS performed adequately in Peruvian women.