Fabrication of anthropomorphic phantoms for use in total body irradiations studies

Purpose: The aim of this study was to produce a low-cost anatomical model of adult male including lower limbs to evaluate the three-dimensional dose distribution for dosimetry measurements, especially in total body irradiation (TBI) and total skin electron therapy (TSET).Materials and methods: Computed tomography (CT) scan images of the atomic energy organisation RANDO phantom and lower limb CT scan images of 20 healthy persons were averaged. Selections of different body tissues substitute materials and phantom validation were performed according to previous studies worked on construction of radiation therapy phantoms.Results: The dosimetry aspect of the selected substitute materials from all considered methods showed that they were in good agreement with real human tissue, especially bone, with a percentage error of 0·5#x00025;. The results show that the electron densities obtained from the linear attenuation coefficient (reDLAC) for the tissue equivalent material used in the phantom is a better option for validation.Conclusions: This validated phantom has numerous advantages over the origin type of RANDO phantom. Therefore, using it in TBI and TSET dosimetry is recommendable. © 2019 Cambridge University Press

Tumor microenvironment: Interactions and therapy

Tumor microenvironment (TME) is a host for a complex network of heterogeneous stromal cells with overlapping or opposing functions depending on the dominant signals within this milieu. Reciprocal paracrine interactions between cancer cells with cells within the tumor stroma often reshape the TME in favor of the promotion of tumor. These complex interactions require more sophisticated approaches for cancer therapy, and, therefore, advancing knowledge about dominant drivers of cancer within the TME is critical for designing therapeutic schemes. This review will provide knowledge about TME architecture, multiple signaling, and cross communications between cells within this milieu, and its targeting for immunotherapy of cancer. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc

Parental morphine exposure enhances morphine (but not methamphetamine) preference and increases monoamine oxidase-B level in the nucleus accumbens

Opioid addiction is one of the most crucial issues in the world. Opioid abuse by parents makes children more prone to many psychological disorders such as drug addiction. Therefore, this study was carried out to examine the effect of morphine exposure 10 days before gestation on morphine and methamphetamine preference in male offspring. Adult Wistar rats (male and female) received morphine orally for 21 days and were drug free for 10 days. Thereafter, they were allowed to mate with either a morphine-abstinent or drug-naive rat. The male offspring were tested for morphine and methamphetamine preference with a three-bottle choice test. Moreover, the rewarding effects of morphine and methamphetamine were evaluated using a conditioned place preference test. To determine the mechanisms underlying these changes, monoamine oxidase-B (MAO-B) level was measured in the nucleus accumbens (NAC). Offspring of morphine-abstinent mothers and offspring of both-abstinent parents were found to consume morphine more than those of other groups, but in the case of methamphetamine, there were no differences. In addition, the offspring of morphine-abstinent parent(s) did not condition with a high dose of morphine in the conditioned place preference test. Administration of methamphetamine induced conditioning at different doses in controls and offspring of one or two morphine-abstinent parent(s), and there were no effects of parental morphine exposure on the dose of methamphetamine that was required for conditioning. Moreover, the level of MAO-B was increased in the NAC of offspring of morphine-abstinent parents as compared with the control group. These results demonstrate that offspring of a morphine-abstinent mother and a drug-naive father and offspring of two morphine-abstinent parents were more susceptible to opioid but not methamphetamine addiction. Moreover, parental morphine consumption did not have any effect on the reinforcing effect of methamphetamine in their offspring but induced morphine tolerance in the offspring. Although the level of MAO-B was elevated in the NAC, this did not correlate with the methamphetamine preference in offspring