Sensitivity analysis of Monte Carlo model of a gantry-mounted passively scattered proton system

PURPOSE: This study aimed to present guidance on the correlation between treatment nozzle and proton source parameters, and dose distribution of a passive double scattering compact proton therapy unit, known as Mevion S250. METHODS: All 24 beam options were modeled using the MCNPX MC code. The calculated physical dose for pristine peak, profiles, and spread out Bragg peak (SOBP) were benchmarked with the measured data. Track-averaged LET (LET RESULTS: For the physical dose distribution, the MCNPX MC model matched measurements data for all the options to within 2 mm and 2% criterion. The Mevion S250 was found to have a LET CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed the importance of considering detailed beam parameters, and identifying those that resulted in large effects on the physical dose distribution and LETs for a compact proton therapy machine

Immunization of Mice with Anthrax Protective Antigen Limits Cardiotoxicity but Not Hepatotoxicity Following Lethal Toxin Challenge

Protective immunity against anthrax is inferred from measurement of vaccine antigen-specific neutralizing antibody titers in serum samples. In animal models, in vivo challenges with toxin and/or spores can also be performed. However, neither of these approaches considers toxin-induced damage to specific organ systems. It is therefore important to determine to what extent anthrax vaccines and existing or candidate adjuvants can provide organ-specific protection against intoxication. We therefore compared the ability of Alum, CpG DNA and the CD1d ligand alpha-galactosylceramide (alphaGC) to enhance protective antigen-specific antibody titers, to protect mice against challenge with lethal toxin, and to block cardiotoxicity and hepatotoxicity. By measurement of serum cardiac Troponin I (cTnI), and hepatic alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and aspartate aminotransferase (AST), it was apparent that neither vaccine modality prevented hepatic intoxication, despite high Ab titers and ultimate survival of the subject. In contrast, cardiotoxicity was greatly diminished by prior immunization. This shows that a vaccine that confers survival following toxin exposure may still have an associated morbidity. We propose that organ-specific intoxication should be monitored routinely during research into new vaccine modalities

Evaluation of a new secondary dose calculation software for Gamma Knife radiosurgery

Current available secondary dose calculation software for Gamma Knife radiosurgery falls short in situations where the target is shallow in depth or when the patient is positioned with a gamma angle other than 90°. In this work, we evaluate a new secondary calculation software which utilizes an innovative method to handle nonstandard gamma angles and image thresholding to render the skull for dose calculation. 800 treatment targets previously treated with our GammaKnife Icon system were imported from our treatment planning system (GammaPlan 11.0.3) and a secondary dose calculation was conducted. The agreement between the new calculations and the TPS were recorded and compared to the original secondary dose calculation agreement with the TPS using a Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test. Further comparisons using a Mann-Whitney test were made for targets treated at a 90° gamma angle against those treated with either a 70 or 110 gamma angle for both the new and commercial secondary dose calculation systems. Correlations between dose deviations from the treatment planning system against average target depth were evaluated using a Kendall\u27s Tau correlation test for both programs. The Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test indicated a significant difference in the agreement between the two secondary calculations and the TPS, with a P-value \u3c 0.0001. With respect to patients treated at nonstandard gamma angles, the new software was largely independent of patient setup, while the commercial software showed a significant dependence (P-value \u3c 0.0001). The new secondary dose calculation software showed a moderate correlation with calculation depth, while the commercial software showed a weak correlation (Tau = -.322 and Tau = -.217 respectively). Overall, the new secondary software has better agreement with the TPS than the commercially available secondary calculation software over a range of diverse treatment geometries

Stereotaxic Exposure of the Central Nucleus of the Amygdala to Corticosterone Increases Colonic Permeability and Reduces Nerve-Mediated Active Ion Transport in Rats

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is characterized by visceral pain and abnormal bowel habits that are worsened during stress. Evidence also suggests altered intestinal barrier function in IBS. Previously, we demonstrated that stereotaxic application of the stress hormone corticosterone (CORT) onto the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA) induces colonic hyperalgesia and anxiety-like behavior in a rat model, however the effect on intestinal permeability and mucosal function remain to be evaluated.Methods: Male Fischer 344 rats underwent bilateral stereotaxic implantation of CORT or inert cholesterol (CHOL)-containing micropellets (30 μg) onto the dorsal margin of the CeA. Seven days later, colonic tissue was isolated to assess tissue permeability in modified Ussing chambers via transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) and macromolecular flux of horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Secretory responses to electrical field stimulation (EFS) of submucosal enteric nerves as well as activation with forskolin were used to assess movements of ions across the isolated colonic tissues. In a separate cohort, colonic histology, and mast cell infiltration was assessed.Key Results: Compared to CHOL-implanted controls, we determined that exposing the CeA to elevated levels of CORT significantly increased macromolecular flux across the colonic epithelial layer without changing TEER. Nerve-mediated but not cAMP-mediated active transport was inhibited in response to elevated amygdala CORT. There were no histological changes or increases in mast cell infiltration within colonic tissue from CORT treated animals.Conclusion and Inferences: These observations support a novel role for the CeA as a modulator of nerve-mediated colonic epithelial function

Narcyza Żmichowska: Between “Polish Mother” and Woman Knight

The patriotic ideology of the nineteenth century portrayed women in a stereotypical way as either idealized Polish mothers or women knights. Only such social roles allowed them to appear in the public discourse. The article focuses on the figure of Narcyza Żmichowska, writer, poet and political activist. Both her views and life demonstrate that she did not fit the model of woman proposed in the national-patriarchal discourse but rather subverted it. By rejecting sacrifice and martyrdom, Żmichowska proposed a new feminine identity and a unique vision of [email protected] Serafin-Prusator, mgr, asystent w Instytucie Slawistyki PAN, absolwentka polonistyki UW i Podyplomowych Gender Studies im. Marii Konopnickiej i Marii Dulębianki IBL PAN, członkini Zespołu „Archiwum kobiet” w Instytucie Badań Literackich PAN. Pisze doktorat o wpływie Narcyzy Żmichowskiej na jej uczennice realne i symboliczne. Ostatnio opublikowała tekst Aspazja, w: ...czterdzieści i cztery. Figury literackie. Nowy kanon, red. M. Rudaś-Grodzka, B. Smoleń, K. Nadana-Sokołowska, A. Mrozik, K. Czeczot, A. Nasiłowska, A. Wróbel, E. Serafin-Prusator, Warszawa 2016.Instytut Slawistyki PANBaranowski Ignacy, Pamiętniki Ignacego Baranowskiego: (1840–1862), Poznań: Gebethner i Wolff, 1923.Berg Mikołaj Wasyliewicz, Zapiski o powstanie polskiem 1863–1864 roku, t. 1, Kraków: Spółka Wydawnicza Polska, 1898.Białokur Franciszek, Praca samarytańska i społeczna kobiet polskich w powstaniu styczniowym 1863–1864 roku: materjały do opracowania służby zdrowia w powstaniu styczniowem 1863–1864 r., Warszawa: Nakł. Działu Wydawniczego Warszawskiego Okręgu – Oddziału Polskiego Czerwonego Krzyża, 1928.Borkowska Grażyna, Cudzoziemki. Studia o polskiej prozie kobiecej, Warszawa: Instytut Badań Literackich PAN, 1996.Caban Wiesław, Kobiety i powstanie styczniowe, w: Kobiety i świat polityki, t. 3, cz. 1, red. A. Żarnowska, A. Szwarc, Warszawa: DiG, 1994, s. 59–72.Janion Maria, Kobiety i duch inności, Warszawa: Wydawnictwo Sic!, 2006.Janion Maria, Polonia powielona, w: Polka. Medium, cień, wyobrażenie, red. A. Zawadowska, M. Rudaś-Grodzka, Warszawa: Fundacja Odnawiania Znaczeń, 2006, s. 19–33.Kieniewicz Stefan, Dramaty trzeźwych entuzjastów. O ludziach pracy organicznej, Warszawa: Wiedza Powszechna, 1964.Kowalczyk Izabela, Matki-Polki, chłopcy i cyborgi... Sztuka i feminizm w Polsce, Poznań: Galeria Miejska „Arsenał”, 2010.Kowalczyk Małgorzata Ewa, Sierżant w spódnicy. Historia życia i służby wojskowej Joanny Żubrowej (1782–1852), Łomianki: Wydawnictwo LTW, 2016.Kubis Barbara, Postawy kobiet w wybranych utworach literackich, pamiętnikach i poezji z okresu powstania styczniowego, w: Postawy i aktywność kobiet w czasie powstania styczniowego 1863–1864, red. T. Kulak, J. Dufrat, M. Piotrowska-Marchewa, Wrocław: Chronicon, 2013, s. 211–232.Kurkowska Mirella, Narcyza Żmichowska w środowisku warszawskim lat czterdziestych XIX‘ w., w: Kobiety i świat polityki, t. 3, cz. 1, red. A. Żarnowska, A. Szwarc, Warszawa: DiG, 1994, s. 235–244.Monczka-Ciechomska Magda, Mit kobiety w polskiej kulturze, w: Głos mają kobiety. Teksty feministyczne, red. S. Walczewska, Kraków: Convivium, 1992, s. 95–101.Nietyksza Maria, Tradycyjne i nowe formy aktywności publicznej kobiet w warunkach zaborów, w: Kobieta i świat polityki, red. A. Żarnowska, A, Szwarc, Warszawa: DiG, 1994, s. 83–98.Okoń Waldemar, Wizerunek kobiety czasów powstania styczniowego w sztuce polskiej XIX wieku (wybrane zagadnienia), w: Postawy i aktywność kobiet w czasie powstania styczniowego 1863–1864, red. T. Kulak, J. Dufrat, M. Piotrowska-Marchewa, Wrocław: Chronicon, 2013, s. 191–209.Paczoska Ewa, Postacie pamięci – „Z teki Grottgera” Marii Konopnickiej, w: Miejsca Konopnickiej. Przeżycia – pejzaż – pamięć, red. T. Budrewicz, M. Zięba, Kraków: Wydawnictwo Naukowe Uniwersytetu Pedagogicznego w Krakowie, 2002, s. 133–142.Prokop Jan, Kobieta Polka, w: Słownik literatury polskiej XIX wieku, red. J. Bachórz, A. Kowalczykowa, Wrocław: Ossolineum, 2002, s. 414–417.Rawita-Gawroński Franciszek, Monografie z powstania styczniowego, Warszawa: „Księgarnia Polska” Tow. Polskiej Macierzy Szkolnej, 1928.Romankówna Mirosława, Sprawa Entuzjastek, „Pamiętnik Literacki” 1957, z. 2, s. 516–537.Stępień Marian, Narcyza Żmichowska, Warszawa: PIW, 1968.Walczewska Sławomira, Damy, rycerze i feministki, Kraków: eFka, 2000.Żmichowska Narcyza, Słowo przedwstępne do dzieł dydaktycznych pani Hoffmanowej, w: Pisma Gabryelli, z życiorysem autorki skreślonym przez P. Chmielewskiego, Warszawa: S. Olgelbranda Synowie, 1886, t. 5.Żmichowska Narcyza, Listy, t. 1: W kręgu najbliższych, red. S. Pigoń, oprac. M. Romankówna, Wrocław: Zakład im. Ossolińskich – Wydawnictwo, 1957.Żmichowska Narcyza, Poganka, Wrocław: Zakład Narodowy im. Ossolińskich, 2013.1072

Women\u27s Egodocuments in Women\u27s Archive Database

During our presentation we are going to present the project “Women’s Archives”, which is being carried out since 2013 at the Institute of Literary Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences under the leadership of prof. Monika Rudaś-Grodzka. The project aims to create a database and launch a digital archive of unpublished life writing written by women who lived in the territories of historic Poland since the sixteenth century to the present. The database resulting from the project will include women’s manuscripts traced down on the basis of research in various archives in contemporary Poland and other European countries, with a particular emphasis on the areas associated with Polish culture through their status as its former territories (parts of Lithuania, Ukraine, Belarus and Russia). The manuscripts in the online catalogue are indexed according to criteria essential for future analysis of their content, such as authorship, place and time of origin, literary genre, plus a number of keywords that primarily come from gender studies and are related to such disciplines as the history of customs, anthropology, sociology, history, political science, pedagogy, and cultural and literary studies. The catalogue, which is now available only to the members of the project team, will serve as the basis for a digital archive, which will be developed in the future (in 2018) as a website accessible to anyone. It seems to us that the importance of the project “Archives of Women” cannot be overstated. The database, searchable by multiple criteria, including thematic criteria, and including information on existing manuscripts by women, will be helpful to all scholars interested in the history of literature, cultural history, cultural anthropology, as well as gender issues in Poland and related territories. During our speech we would like to present our projecting detail: it’s aims, inspirations, methods of work, problems. Furthermore, we would like to introduce the most valuable discoveries found during archival research conducted by the team of “Women’s Archive” and thematic sections of the archive. Moreover we will discuss technical solutions applied in our database

Using proton-pump inhibitors among hemodialysis patients - single academic dialysis center’s preliminary experience

Introduction: Proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) are a class of drugs which decrease gastric acid production, their overuse is becoming increasingly common. Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate medical indications for PPIs in a cohort of prevalent hemodialysis (HD) patients and their awareness about the medical effects of these drugs. Materials and methods: The study was performed in 78 HD patients enrolled in a chronic dialysis program in a single academic dialysis unit. The study was based on medical history obtained from the patients (survey about drugs they take with intention of revealing PPIs, indications for the treatment, their awareness of the mechanism of action of these drugs).Results: 46 patients (59%) took or have been taking PPIs. Almost half (49%; n=22) had no clear medical indications for the drugs. Prescription of PPIs without medical indications was more common among nephrologists (27%), when compared with gastroenterologists (5%; p<0.05). Only 29% (n=13) of patients taking PPIs were aware of the mechanism of action of the drugs. Conclusions: Results of this study reveal the problem of PPI overuse among HD patients. Gastroenterologists usually prescribed PPIs according to medical indications. Lack of patients’ knowledge about the indications for PPI therapy is overwhelming