The Evolution of Lateral Dose Distributions of Helium Ion Beams in Air: From Measurement and Modeling to Their Impact on Treatment Planning

To start clinical trials with the first clinical treatment planning system supporting raster-scanned helium ion therapy, a comprehensive database of beam characteristics and parameters was required for treatment room-specific beam physics modeling at the Heidelberg Ion-Beam Therapy Center (HIT). At six different positions in the air gap along the beam axis, lateral beam profiles were systematically measured for 14 initial beam energies covering the full range of available energies at HIT. The 2D-array of liquid-filled ionization chambers OCTAVIUS from PTW was irradiated by a pencil beam focused at the central axis. With a full geometric representation of HIT’s monitoring chambers and beamline elements in FLUKA, our Monte Carlo beam model matches the measured lateral beam profiles. A second set of measurements with the detector placed in a water tank was used to validate the adjustments of the initial beam parameters assumed in the FLUKA simulation. With a deviation between simulated and measured profiles below ±0.8 mm for all investigated beam energies, the simulated profiles build part of the database for the first clinical treatment planning system for helium ions. The evolution of beamwidth was also compared to similar simulations of the clinically available proton and carbon beam. This allows a choice of treatment modality based on quantitative estimates of the physical beam properties. Finally, we investigated the influence of beamwidth variation on patient treatment plans in order to estimate the relevance and necessary precision limits for lateral beam width models.

A Network Meta-Analysis of the Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Commonly Used Chinese Patent Medicines in the Auxiliary Treatment of Poststroke Depression

Background. Poststroke depression (PSD) is a serious complication of clinical cerebrovascular disease. Patients not only have depression-related emotional symptoms but also have physical symptoms, such as autonomic dysfunction. At the same time, patients with varying degrees of depression will delay the neurological function of stroke patients. The recovery time of cognitive function and limb function will increase the risk of accidental death and even aggravate the mortality of cerebrovascular disease. Through combining data analysis and related literature, seven types of Chinese patent medicines (CPMs) widely used in the clinical treatment of PSD have been screened out. These herbs exhibit some clinical comparability under the conditions that the syndrome type and dosage form are relatively uniform. Therefore, in this study, the network meta-analysis method was used to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the seven CPMs screened out, and the probability ranking was performed to screen the best clinical auxiliary treatment plan of CPM. Methods. We searched the Chinese databases, including CNKI, WANFANG, and VIP, as well as the English databases, including the Cochrane Library, EMBASE, and PubMed, from inception to May 31, 2020, to identify randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on seven kinds of CPMs that were the subjects of the clinical research. The bias risk and quality of the included studies were analyzed with the Cochrane Handbook (version 5.1), ADDIS, and R software, and the results were compared in a network meta-analysis (NMA). Results. In terms of clinical effectiveness, the seven kinds of CPMs all improved clinical curative effects, with Jieyu Anshen capsule adjuvant treatment having the most significant effect [odds ratio (OR) = 5.00, 95% CI (1.72–9.48)]. Wuling capsule AT can effectively reduce the score index of scale factors for the HAMD score, NIHSS score, and TESS score [mean difference (MD) = −3.95, 95% CI (−4.88–3.00); OR = −3.25, 95% CI (−5.46)–1.05); OR = 0.22, 95% CI (0.05–0.79), resp.]. Conclusion. The mechanisms of seven CPMs in the adjuvant treatment of PSD have advantages. In terms of safety and efficacy, the CPMs had better clinical adjuvant treatment performance. Although this study concluded that the Jieyu Anshen capsule is the preferred drug for clinical treatment, a clear conclusion still needs to be verified in a high-quality randomized controlled study. In clinical practice, accurate selection and application can be carried out according to the specific characteristics of patients.

Analysis of the Role of Comprehensive Treatment Model in the Treatment of Prostate Cancer

The incidence of prostate cancer is gradually increasing. There are many methods for clinical treatment of prostate cancer, such as surgical treatment and endocrine treatment. In the case of advanced prostate cancer, we must not only extend patients’ survival times but also enhance their quality of life. Endocrine medications are the most effective therapy for advanced prostate cancer. This research will investigate the therapeutic impact of a complete treatment model in prostate cancer in order to discover a trustworthy clinical treatment model. This research discovered that, as compared to endocrine treatment, radical resection of prostate cancer may diminish and reach lower serum PSA levels in a short amount of time, as well as sustain low PSA levels and delay progression to castration resistance. Moreover, the comprehensive treatment mode can effectively reduce the possibility of complications. The research results show that the comprehensive treatment model can play an important role in the treatment of prostate cancer.

What Do We Know about Antimicrobial Activity of Astaxanthin and Fucoxanthin?

Astaxanthin (AST) and fucoxanthin (FUC) are natural xanthophylls, having multidirectional activity, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer. Both compounds also show antimicrobial activity, which is presented in this review article. There are few papers that have presented the antimicrobial activity of AST. Obtained antimicrobial concentrations of AST (200–4000 µg/mL) are much higher than recommended by the European Food Safety Authority for consumption (2 mg daily). Therefore, we suggest that AST is unlikely to be of use in the clinical treatment of infections. Our knowledge about the antimicrobial activity of FUC is better and this compound acts against many bacteria already in low concentrations 10–250 µg/mL. Toxicological studies on animals present the safety of FUC application in doses 200 mg/kg body weight and higher. Taking available research into consideration, a clinical application of FUC as the antimicrobial substance is real and can be successful. However, this aspect requires further investigation. In this review, we also present potential mechanisms of antibacterial activity of carotenoids, to which AST and FUC belong.