A novel phantom is presented for 'full system' dosimetric audit comparing planned and delivered dose distributions in HDR gynaecological brachytherapy, using clinical treatment applicators. The brachytherapy applicator dosimetry test object consists of a near full-scatter water tank with applicator and film supports constructed of Solid Water, accommodating any typical cervix applicator. Film d...

Radiochromic and radiographic films are widely used for radiation dosimetry due to the advantage of high spatial resolution and two-dimensional dose measurement. Different types of scanners, including various models of flatbed scanners, have been used as part of the dosimetry readout procedure. This paper focuses on the characterization of the EBT2 film response in combination with a Microtek S...

Accidents involving human exposure to radiation can cause severe health effects which may require extensive medical resources. Particularly in mass-casualty events, the rapid identification and classification of potentially overexposed individuals into medical treatment groups is of prime importance. For this purpose, clinical signs and symptoms and biological dosimetry methods are the two main...

PURPOSE Well-known defect of TG-43 based algorithms used in brachytherapy is a lack of information about interaction cross-sections, which are determined not only by electron density but also by atomic number. TG-186 recommendations with using of MBDCA (model-based dose calculation algorithm), accurate tissues segmentation, and the structure's elemental composition continue to create difficulti...

The maintenance of honesty in a badge-of-status system is not fully understood, despite numerous empirical and theoretical studies. Our experiment examined the relationship between a status signal and winter survival, and the long-term costs of cheating, by manipulating badge size in male house sparrows, Passer domesticus. The effect of badge-size manipulation on survival was complex owing to t...

BACKGROUND Exposure to radiation is a hazard of invasive cardiology. To minimise the risk it is essential to keep the doses received as low as possible. AIM To assess the effect on cardiologist radiation exposure and the quality of coronary artery opacification of the use of a remotely controlled mechanical pump for coronary arteriography. A secondary aim was to assess any disadvantages and s...

 ABSTRACTBackgrounds: MD-55-2 is one of the Radiochromic film models with the sensitivity suitable for dose measurements ranging from 5 to 100 Gy.  However, this lower limit makes the film impractical for its applications in many areas such as brachytherapy source dosimetry.Materials and methods: In this project, the useful range of the film has been extended by using a multilayer film techniqu...

Introduction Interaluminal brachytherapy is one of the important methods of esophageal cancer treatment. The effect of applicator attenuation is not considered in dose calculation method released by AAPM-TG43. In this study, the effect of High-Dose Rate (HDR) brachytherapy esophageal applicator on dose distribution was surveyed in HDR brachytherapy. Materials and Methods A cylindrical PMMA phan...

Aims Invasive cardiologists are the most exposed to ionizing radiation among health professionals and show an increased rate of somatic DNA damage. To evaluate the effects of chronic low-dose exposure to ionizing radiation on redox state and apoptotic activation. Methods and results We enrolled 10 healthy exposed professionals (all interventional cardiologists, Group II, exposed: age = 38 ± 5 ...

PURPOSE The Valencia HDR applicators are accessories of the microSelectron HDR afterloading system (Nucletron) shaped as truncated cones. The base of the cone is either 2 or 3 cm diameter. They are intended to treat skin lesions, being the typical prescription depth 3 mm. In patients with eyelid lesions, an internal shielding is very useful to reduce the dose to the ocular globe. The purpose of...