A dosimetric comparative study following RTOG and ESTRO contouring guidelines for breast radiation therapy

PurposeTo compare the dosimetric parameters considering the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) and European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology (ESTRO) guidelines for breast cancer radiotherapy. Two radiotherapy techniques, intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT), were considered.Patients and methodsTwenty-eight patients with left-sided medially-located TanyN2M0 tumors were contoured based on RTOG and ESTRO guidelines. 9-field IMRT, 10-field IMRT, 11-field IMRT, and VMAT treatment plans were applied as radiotherapy (RT) techniques for both contouring sets. The dosimetric parameters of the RT plans were extracted and compared.ResultsComparing dose-volume histogram (DVH) parameters, equivalent uniform dose (EUD), and normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) of OARs across the contouring guidelines and considering each RT technique showed that the only significant differences were higher D_max, D_mean, V₃₀, and V₄₅, EUD, and NTCP of the thyroid in all treatment modalities when the RTOG guideline had been adopted. Using the VMAT technique, PTV's EUD and the tumor control probability (TCP) were considerably higher when the ESTRO guideline was adopted. Moreover, the conformity index (CI) of VMAT plans was significantly higher when the ESTRO guideline was used.ConclusionUnless having higher doses to thyroid when the RTOG guideline was adopted, the doses to other organs-at-risk (OAR) were similar between the two considering guidelines. Moreover, except for higher EUD, TCP, and CI for VMAT when the ESTRO guideline was used, no other significant differences were obtained between dosimetric parameters of target volumes considering the RT techniques and contouring guidelines.     

Efficacy of Therapeutic Exercise on Activities of Daily Living and Cognitive Function Among Older Residents in Long-term Care Facilities: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials

ObjectivesThis study aimed to systematically analyze the efficacy of therapeutic exercise on activities of daily living (ADL) and cognitive function among older residents in long-term care facilities.Data SourcesPubMed, Cochrane Central of Register Trials, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, OTseeker, and Ichushi-Web were searched from inception until December 2018.Study SelectionDatabases were searched to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of therapeutic exercise for long-term care facility residents aged 60 years and older, focusing on ADL and cognitive function as outcomes.Data ExtractionTwo independent reviewers extracted the key information from each eligible study. Two reviewers independently screened and assessed all studies for eligibility, extracting information on study participants, details of interventions, outcome characteristics, and significant outcomes. Any discrepancies were resolved by a third reviewer.Data SynthesisA total of 11 RCTs with 1280 participants were eligible for analyses. Therapeutic exercise had a significant benefit on ADL (standard mean difference [SMD]=0. 22, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.02, 0.42, P=.03). Subgroup analyses indicated that interventions conducted ≥3 days per week [SMD=0.42, 95% CI 0.02, 0.82, P=.04] had a significant benefit on ADL. For cognitive function, group exercise and ≥3 days/week of intervention had a significant benefit (group exercise: mean difference [MD]=3.36, 95% CI 0.91, 5.80, P=.007; ≥3 days/week of intervention: MD=2.28, 95% CI 0.07, 4.49, P=.04).ConclusionsTherapeutic exercise conducted 3 or more days per week may be effective for improving ADL and cognitive function among older residents in long-term care facilities. This meta-analysis suggested that group exercise for cognitive functions was effective. However, the effective method of intervention delivery for ADL was unclear.     

Increase in physical activities in kindergarten children with cerebral palsy by employing MaKey–MaKey-based task systems

In this study, we employed Flash- and Scratch-based multimedia by using a MaKey–MaKey-based task system to increase the motivation level of children with cerebral palsy to perform physical activities. MaKey MaKey is a circuit board that converts physical touch to a digital signal, which is interpreted by a computer as a keyboard message. In this study, we used conductive materials to control this interaction. This study followed single-case design using ABAB models in which A indicated the baseline and B indicated the intervention. The experiment period comprised 1 month and a half. The experimental results demonstrated that in the case of two kindergarten children with cerebral palsy, their scores were considerably increased during the intervention phrases. The developmental applications of the results are also discussed.     

中国2012-2014年肺结核病空间分布特征分析

目的 分析我国2012-2014年肺结核发病的空间分布模式,识别聚集区域,为肺结核防控提供理论依据。方法 应用地理信息系统（GIS）建立我国2012-2014年肺结核发病数据库,绘制空间分布地图,并进行趋势分析和空间自相关分析,探索其空间分布规律以及发病热点区域。结果 三维趋势分析图显示2012-2014年全国肺结核发病由西向东逐渐降低,在南北分布上呈微弱的"U"形分布;全局自相关结果显示,2012-2014年全局Moran''s I指数分别为0.366、0.364、0.358 （P<0.01）,提示我国肺结核发病在地域分布上存在空间聚集性;采用ArcGIS软件分析Getis-OrdGi局部热点,结果显示,肺结核发病存在11个聚集区域,其中3个为"热点"区域,分别为新疆、西藏、青海;8个为"冷点"区域,分别为北京、天津、上海、河北、内蒙古、山西、山东、江苏。结论 我国肺结核发病具有明显的空间聚集性,高危地区主要集中在西北部的新疆以及青藏高原地区。     

Aggravating factors for melasma: a prospective study in 197 Tunisian patients

Background Melasma is a frequent cause of consultations at dermatology departments by dark‐skinned patients in Tunisia. Objective To investigate factors that influence melasma severity in a large Tunisian population. Methods A total of 197 patients (188 women and 9 men), who attended Tunis Military Hospital for a consultation were included prospectively from August 2005 to August 2006. Disease severity was estimated using the Melasma Area and Severity Index (MASI). Aggravating factors were investigated using multiple logistic regressions. Results Of the women included, 14% presented phototype III, 45% phototype IV and 41% phototype V; 76% presented a centrofacial melasma phenotype, 23% a malar and 1% a mandibular phenotype. About 60% developed melasma before thirty. Sun exposure was reported as a triggering factor by 51% of women and as an aggravating factor by 84%. Pregnancy was reported as an aggravating factor by 51% of women who had been pregnant, and oral contraceptive use reported by 38% of women exposed to oral contraceptives. The risk of severe melasma was about three times higher for women with age at onset under 30, phototype V and major lifetime sun exposure and about 8 times higher for women exposed to oral contraceptives. Conclusion This study identifies a number of factors associated with the severity of melasma. Further epidemiological studies in this type of population, in particular, to investigate triggering factors, are justified by the aesthetic damage caused by melasma in dark‐skinned patients, lack of efficacy of existing treatments, non‐compliance with photoprotection recommendations and the challenge of treatment.     

Combined assessment of attentional reserve and cognitive‐motor effort under various levels of challenge with a dry EEG system

A novel ERP approach was proposed to index variations in mental workload, particularly in attentional reserve, which is complementary to EEG spectral content thought to reflect mental effort. To our knowledge, no study has assessed mental effort and attentional reserve simultaneously in EEG gel‐based and, importantly, dry systems, which are particularly well suited for real‐world settings. Therefore, by systematically considering ERP, EEG spectral, and importantly the combination of both, this study examined if a small set of dry EEG electrodes could detect changes in both spectral and ERP metrics to assess the mental workload under various challenges with a similar fidelity to their gel‐based counterparts in a laboratory setting. By employing both EEG gel‐based and dry systems, the ERP and spectral markers were computed while participants executed a visuomotor task under three levels of challenge. For both EEG systems, more challenging levels of difficulty were associated with concomitant changes in ERP amplitude, and spectral power reflected a reduction of the attentional reserve and an increase in cognitive‐motor effort, respectively. Those variations in attentional reserve and cognitive‐motor effort collectively indexed mental workload with nearly identical fidelity for both gel‐based and dry EEG systems. These findings promise to assess the mental workload in situations where the use of dry EEG systems could be advantageously employed to examine human cognitive‐motor performance.