Comparison of dose volume histograms for supine and prone position in patients irradiated for prostate cancer—A preliminary study

AbstractAimTo compare DVHs for OARs in two different positions – prone and supine – for prostate cancer patients irradiated with a Tomotherapy unit.BackgroundIn the era of dose escalation, the choice of optimal patient immobilization plays an essential role in radiotherapy of prostate cancer.Materials and methodsThe study included 24 patients who were allocated to 3 risk groups based on D’Amico criteria; 12 patients represented a low or intermediate and 12 a high risk group.For each patient two treatment plans were performed: one in the supine and one in the prone position. PTV included the prostate, seminal vesicles and lymph nodes for the high risk group and the prostate and seminal vesicles for the intermediate or low risk groups. DVHs for the two positions were compared according to parameters: Dmean, D70, D50 and D20 for the bladder and rectum and Dmean, D10 for the intestine. The position accuracy was verified using daily MVCT.ResultsProne position was associated with lower doses in OARs, especially in the rectum. Despite the fact that in the entire group the differences between tested parameters were not large, the Dmean and D10 for the intestine were statistically significant. In the case of irradiation only to the prostate and seminal vesicles, the prone position allowed for substantial reduction of all tested DVH parameters in the bladder and rectum, except D20 for bladder. Moreover, the Dmean and D50 parameter differences for the bladder were statistically significant.No significant differences between positions reproducibility were demonstrated.ConclusionIn patients irradiated to prostate and seminal vesicles, the prone position may support sparing of the rectum and bladder.The reproducibility of position arrangement in both positions is comparable

Vibrational Spectroscopic Map, Vibrational Spectroscopy, and Intermolecular Interaction

© 2020 American Chemical Society. Vibrational spectroscopy is an essential tool in chemical analyses, biological assays, and studies of functional materials. Over the past decade, various coherent nonlinear vibrational spectroscopic techniques have been developed and enabled researchers to study time-correlations of the fluctuating frequencies that are directly related to solute-solvent dynamics, dynamical changes in molecular conformations and local electrostatic environments, chemical and biochemical reactions, protein structural dynamics and functions, characteristic processes of functional materials, and so on. In order to gain incisive and quantitative information on the local electrostatic environment, molecular conformation, protein structure and interprotein contacts, ligand binding kinetics, and electric and optical properties of functional materials, a variety of vibrational probes have been developed and site-specifically incorporated into molecular, biological, and material systems for time-resolved vibrational spectroscopic investigation. However, still, an all-encompassing theory that describes the vibrational solvatochromism, electrochromism, and dynamic fluctuation of vibrational frequencies has not been completely established mainly due to the intrinsic complexity of intermolecular interactions in condensed phases. In particular, the amount of data obtained from the linear and nonlinear vibrational spectroscopic experiments has been rapidly increasing, but the lack of a quantitative method to interpret these measurements has been one major obstacle in broadening the applications of these methods. Among various theoretical models, one of the most successful approaches is a semiempirical model generally referred to as the vibrational spectroscopic map that is based on a rigorous theory of intermolecular interactions. Recently, genetic algorithm, neural network, and machine learning approaches have been applied to the development of vibrational solvatochromism theory. In this review, we provide comprehensive descriptions of the theoretical foundation and various examples showing its extraordinary successes in the interpretations of experimental observations. In addition, a brief introduction to a newly created repository Web site (http://frequencymap.org) for vibrational spectroscopic maps is presented. We anticipate that a combination of the vibrational frequency map approach and state-of-the-art multidimensional vibrational spectroscopy will be one of the most fruitful ways to study the structure and dynamics of chemical, biological, and functional molecular systems in the future

On the Origins of Large Interaction-Induced First Hyperpolarizabilities in Hydrogen-Bonded π‑Electronic Complexes

In this article we elucidate the origins of interaction-induced linear and nonlinear electro-optic properties of model hydrogen-bonded π-electronic complexes. In particular we report on contributions due to various interaction energy terms to excess dipole moments (Δμ), electric dipole polarizabilities (Δα), and first hyperpolarizabilities (Δβ), focusing on the latter. The analysis of intermolecular interaction-induced electric properties is performed for selected model systems including quasi-linear dimers of urea, diformamide, 4-pyridone, 4-nitroaniline, and the complex of hydrogen fluoride with nitroacetylene. The nature of intermolecular interactions as well as of the Δμ and Δα is very similar in all studied complexes. However, partitioning of Δβ into physically well-defined components reveals that the origins of this term, the magnitude of which is often comparable to the hyperpolarizabilities of isolated monomers, are different in each case. Our results indicate that, even though hydrogen bonding usually diminishes the nonlinear response of interacting species, the first hyperpolarizability of complexes with the nitro group acting as a proton acceptor is substantially increased, essentially due to field-induced changes of electrostatic interactions between subsystems. However, in the remaining complexes the origins of Δβ are much more involved. Even though at large intermolecular separations the origins of interaction-induced electric properties are essentially due to the field-induced electrostatic and induction interactions, in the vicinity of van der Waals minimum the overlap effects cannot be neglected since they may substantially alter the predicted excess properties or even determine their magnitude and sign. On the other hand the Δβ contribution due to dispersion interactions is usually negligible. Interestingly, the values of interaction-induced first hyperpolarizability in some cases depend strongly on the intermolecular separation in the vicinity of equilibrium geometry

Distributed Multipolar Expansion Approach to Calculation of Excitation Energy Transfer Couplings

We propose a new approach for estimating the electrostatic part of the excitation energy transfer (EET) coupling between electronically excited chromophores based on the transition density-derived cumulative atomic multipole moments (TrCAMM). In this approach, the transition potential of a chromophore is expressed in terms of truncated distributed multipolar expansion and analytical formulas for the TrCAMMs are derived. The accuracy and computational feasibility of the proposed approach is tested against the exact Coulombic couplings, and various multipole expansion truncation schemes are analyzed. The results of preliminary calculations show that the TrCAMM approach is capable of reproducing the exact Coulombic EET couplings accurately and efficiently and is superior to other widely used schemes: the transition charges from electrostatic potential (TrESP) and the transition density cube (TDC) method. © 2015 American Chemical Society6

Vibrational Probes: From Small Molecule Solvatochromism Theory and Experiments to Applications in Complex Systems

Conspectus The vibrational frequency of a chosen normal mode is one of the most accurately measurable spectroscopic properties of molecules in condensed phases. Accordingly, infrared absorption and Raman scattering spectroscopy have provided valuable information on both distributions and ensemble-average values of molecular vibrational frequencies, and these frequencies are now routinely used to investigate structure, conformation, and even absolute configuration of chemical and biological molecules of interest. Recent advancements in coherent time-domain nonlinear vibrational spectroscopy have allowed the study of heterogeneous distributions of local structures and thermally driven ultrafast fluctuations of vibrational frequencies. To fully utilize IR probe functional groups for quantitative bioassays, a variety of biological and chemical techniques have been developed to site-specifically introduce vibrational probe groups into proteins and nucleic acids. These IR-probe-labeled biomolecules and chemically reactive systems are subject to linear and nonlinear vibrational spectroscopic investigations and provide information on the local electric field, conformational changes, site-site protein contacts, and/or function-defining features of biomolecules. A rapidly expanding library of data from such experiments requires an interpretive method with atom-level chemical accuracy. However, despite prolonged efforts to develop an all-encompassing theory for describing vibrational solvatochromism and electrochromism as well as dynamic fluctuations of instantaneous vibrational frequencies, purely empirical and highly approximate theoretical models have often been used to interpret experimental results. They are, in many cases, based on the simple assumption that the vibrational frequency of an IR reporter is solely dictated by electric potential or field distribution around the vibrational chromophore. Such simplified description of vibrational solvatochromism generally referred to as vibrational Stark effect theory has been considered to be quite appealing and, even in some cases, e.g., carbonyl stretch modes in amide, ester, ketone, and carbonate compounds or proteins, it works quantitatively well, which makes it highly useful in determining the strength of local electric field around the IR chromophore. However, noting that the vibrational frequency shift results from changes of solute-solvent intermolecular interaction potential along its normal coordinate, Pauli exclusion repulsion, polarization, charge transfer, and dispersion interactions, in addition to the electrostatic interaction between distributed charges of both vibrational chromophore and solvent molecules, are to be properly included in the theoretical description of vibrational solvatochromism. Since the electrostatic and nonelectrostatic intermolecular interaction components have distinctively different distance and orientation dependences, they affect the solvatochromic vibrational properties in a completely different manner. Over the past few years, we have developed a systematic approach to simulating vibrational solvatochromic data based on the effective fragment potential approach, one of the most accurate and rigorous theories on intermolecular interactions. We have further elucidated the interplay of local electric field with the general vibrational solvatochromism of small IR probes in either solvents or complicated biological systems, with emphasis on contributions from non-Coulombic intermolecular interactions to vibrational frequency shifts and fluctuations. With its rigorous foundation and close relation to quantitative interpretation of experimental data, this and related theoretical approaches and experiments will be of use in studying and quantifying the structure and dynamics of biomolecules with unprecedented time and spatial resolution when combined with time-resolved vibrational spectroscopy and chemically sensitive vibrational imaging techniques.111

The role of mobile crisis teams in preventing hospitalization in the community model of psychiatric care

Powstanie zespołów mobilnych wiąże się z reformą psychiatrycznej opieki zdrowotnej i zmianie modelu leczenia z udzielania opieki w dużych szpitalach psychiatrycznych na rzecz działań realizowanych na poziomie społeczności lokalnej. Zespoły mobilne uzupełniają model podstawowy o usługi docierające do osób, które bez ich wsparcia mogłyby nie uzyskać pomocy, przez co są bardzo istotnym i innowacyjnym elementem środowiskowego modelu opieki psychiatrycznej, pełniącym wiodącą rolę w procesie zdrowienia osób z doświadczeniem kryzysu psychicznego. Głównym celem działalności zespołów mobilnych jest mobilizowanie osób z doświadczeniem kryzysu psychicznego do rozwiązywania swoich problemów w sytuacjach, w których jest to możliwe i osiągalne. W artykule przedstawiono kontekst historyczno-kulturowy wraz z rolą zespołów mobilnych w opiece psychiatrycznej. Przedstawiono  korzyści płynące z udzielenia pomocy bezpośrednio w środowisku klienta oraz scharakteryzowano zadania zespołów mobilnych oraz ich współpracę z otoczeniem społecznym i asystentami zdrowienia.The emergence of mobile teams is associated with the reform of psychiatric health care and a change in the treatment model from providing care in large psychiatric hospitals to activities implemented at the local community level. Mobile teams complement the basic model with services that reach people who, without their support, might not receive help, which makes them a very important and innovative element of the community model of psychiatric care, playing a leading role in the recovery process of people experiencing a mental crisis. The main goal of the activity of mobile teams is to mobilize people with the experience of mental crisis to solve their problems in situations where it is possible and achievable. The article presents the historical and cultural context along with the role of mobile teams in psychiatric care. The benefits of providing assistance directly in the client's environment are presented, and the tasks of mobile teams and their cooperation with the social environment and healing assistants are characterized

Following local light-induced structure changes and dynamics of the photoreceptor PYP with the thiocyanate IR label

Blankenburg L, Schröder L, Habenstein F, Błasiak B, Kottke T, Bredenbeck J. Following local light-induced structure changes and dynamics of the photoreceptor PYP with the thiocyanate IR label. Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics. 2019;21(12):6622-6634