Explore the vast range of titles available.

One of the major advantages of proton or ion beams, applied in cancer treatment, is their excellent depth-dose profile exhibiting a low dose in the entrance channel and a distinct dose maximum (Bragg peak) near the end of range in tissue. In the region of the Bragg peak, where the protons or ions are almost stopped, experimental studies with low-energy particle beams and thin biological samples may contribute valuable information on the biological effectiveness in the stopping region. Such experiments, however, require beam optimization and special dosimetry techniques for determining the absolute dose and dose homogeneity for very thin biological samples. At the National Centre of Accelerators in Seville, one of the beam lines at the 3 MV Tandem Accelerator was equipped with a scattering device, a special parallel-plate ionization chamber with very thin electrode foils and target holders for cell cultures. In this work, we present the calibration in absolute dose of EBT3 films [Gafchromic radiotherapy films, http://www.ashland.com/products/gafchromic-radiotherapy-films] for proton energies in the region of the Bragg peak, where the linear energy transfer increases and becomes more significant for radiobiology studies, as well as the response of the EBT3 films for different proton energy values. To irradiate the films in the Bragg peak region, the energy of the beam was degraded passively, by interposing Mylar foils of variable thickness to place the Bragg peak inside the active layer of the film. The results obtained for the beam degraded in Mylar foils are compared with the dose calculated by means of the measurement of the beam fluence with an ionization chamber and the energy loss predicted by srim2008 code.

A luminescence analytical method for the quantification of neonicotinoid pesticides (acetamiprid, clothianidin, dinotefuran, imidacloprid, nitenpyram, thiacloprid, and thiamethoxam) in water samples is proposed. The method is based on the quenching effect that these analytes produce on the time-resolved luminescence signal of terbium ions (excitation/emission wavelengths of 256/545 nm/nm). An enhancement on the analytical signal is observed when surfactants are used in the system. The use of a 0.01 mol·L−1 sodium dodecyl sulfate produced approximately a 30% increase in the sensitivity of the method. Under the optimum conditions, the method presented detection limits between 0.03 and 0.23 µg·mL−1. Interference studies were performed for ions commonly present in waters, observing no interferences. In addition, recovery experiments were performed in different waters, well, spring, and swamp, observing recovery yields close to 100%, with relative standard deviations lower than 4% in all cases. No sample treatment except a filtration step was required. Hence, this method may represent an alternative to other existing methods for the quick and simple analysis of these ubiquitous insecticides in environmental waters.

In this work we present the output factor measurements of a clinical linear accelerator using a silicon strip detector coupled to a new system for complex radiation therapy treatment verification. The objective of these measurements is to validate the system we built for treatment verification. The measurements were performed at the Virgin Macarena University Hospital in Seville. Irradiations were carried out with a Siemens ONCOR™ linac used to deliver radiotherapy treatment for cancer patients. The linac was operating in 6 MV photon mode; the different sizes of the fields were defined with the collimation system provided within the accelerator head. The output factor was measured with the silicon strip detector in two different layouts using two phantoms. In the first, the active area of the detector was placed perpendicular to the beam axis. In the second, the innovation consisted of a cylindrical phantom where the detector was placed in an axial plane with respect to the beam. The measured data were compared with data given by a commercial treatment planning system. Results were shown to be in a very good agreement between the compared set of data.

Current evidence suggests that up to 70% of COVID-19 survivors develop post-COVID symptoms during the following months after infection. Fatigue and dyspnea seem to be the most prevalent post-COVID symptoms. To analyze whether a tele-rehabilitation exercise program is able to improve self-perceived physical exertion in patients with post-COVID fatigue and dyspnea. Sixty-eight COVID-19 survivors exhibiting post-COVID fatigue and dyspnea derived to four Primary Health Care centers located in Madrid were enrolled in this quasi-experimental study. A tele-rehabilitation program based on patient education, physical activity, airway clearing, and breathing exercise interventions was structured on eighteen sessions (3 sessions/week). Self-perceived physical exertion during daily living activities, dyspnea severity, health-related quality of life and distance walked and changes in oxygen saturation and heart rate during the 6-Minute walking test were assessed at baseline, after the program and at 1- and 3-months follow-up periods. Daily living activities, dyspnea severity and quality of life improved significantly at all follow-ups (p<0.001). Additionally, a significant increase in oxygen saturation before and after the 6-Minute Walking test was found when compared with baseline (P<0.001). Heart rate adaptations at rest were found during the follow-up periods (P = 0.012). Lower perceived exertion before and after the 6-Minute Walking test were also observed, even if larger distance were walked (P<0.001). Tele-rehabilitation programs could be an effective strategy to reduce post-COVID fatigue and dyspnea in COVID-19 survivors. In addition, it could also reduce the economic burden of acute COVID-19, reaching a greater number of patients and releasing Intensive Unit Care beds for prioritized patients with a severe disease.

It is uncertain whether mercury in fish may counteract the beneficial effects of its n–3 fatty acids. In this case–control study among men, after adjustment for levels of n–3 fatty acids and other coronary risk factors, an increased level of mercury in toenail samples was associated with higher risk of a first myocardial infarction. An increased level of mercury was associated with a higher risk of a first myocardial infarction. Mercury is a highly reactive heavy metal with no known physiologic activity. 1 , 2 Exposure to toxic levels of mercury results in neurologic and renal damage, but the consequences of long-term exposure to low levels of mercury are poorly understood. 1 , 2 Mercury may predispose people to atherosclerotic disease by promoting the production of free radicals or by inactivating several antioxidant mechanisms through binding to thiol-containing molecules or to selenium. 3 – 5 In 1995, Salonen et al. reported an increased risk of coronary heart disease among residents of the Kuopio area in Finland whose hair samples had increased levels of mercury. 6 , 7 The . . .

IntroductionIn primary care, the prevalence of neck pain has increased substantially. Evidence regarding treatment of chronic neck pain (CNP) is scarce, and its effectiveness is not entirely proven in different stages of chronicity, nor for different types of cervical disorders. The goal of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a complex intervention (COGMO intervention) compared with usual practice in primary care physiotherapy to improve neck pain intensity, severity and disability in patients with CNP.Methods and analysisDesign: a pragmatic cluster-randomised clinical trial design with a 12-month follow-up. Setting: primary care. Participants: physiotherapists as randomisation unit, and patients as analysis unit. Inclusion criteria: individuals aged 18 to 65 years suffering from moderate to severe CNP. Sample size expected: 142 patients. Recruitment: patients referred from primary care physicians to physiotherapy. Intervention: pain neuroscience education (PNE), motivational interviewing (MI) and cognition targeted exercise therapy (CTE) compared with the standard treatment in primary care. Outcomes: the main variable is reduction in pain intensity; secondary variables include pain severity, conditioned pain modulation, temporal summation, neck disability, fear/avoidance behaviour, kinesiophobia, catastrophising, therapeutic alliance and quality of life. Sociodemographic information and adherence to the intervention will be recorded. Data collection: baseline, and follow-up at 3, 6 and 12 months. Analysis: it will follow intention-to-treat principles, and difference in percentage of subjects achieving success on the primary endpoint at 12 months. A model with multilevel analysis will be adjusted through logistic regression (being the dependent variable pain intensity, and the independent, the intervention).Ethics and disseminationEthical approval has been awarded by the Regional Ethics Committee of Madrid (code: COGMO-AP) and the primary health care central commission of research (code: 20210011). The results of the study will be disseminated through international peer-reviewed journals, international conferences, press and social media.Trial registration number NCT05785455.

Nuclear fragmentation processes are relevant in different fields of basic research and applied physics and are of particular interest for tumor therapy and for space radiation protection applications. The FIRST (Fragmentation of Ions Relevant for Space and Therapy) experiment at SIS accelerator of GSI laboratory in Darmstadt, has been designed for the measurement of different ions fragmentation cross sections at different energies between 100 and 1000 MeV/nucleon. The experiment is performed by an international collaboration made of institutions from Germany, France, Italy and Spain. The experimental apparatus is partly based on an already existing setup made of the ALADIN magnet, the MUSIC IV TPC, the LAND2 neutron detector and the TOFWALL scintillator TOF system, integrated with newly designed detectors in the interaction Region (IR) around the carbon removable target: a scintillator Start Counter, a Beam Monitor drift chamber, a silicon Vertex Detector and a Proton Tagger for detection of light fragments emitted at large angles (KENTROS). The scientific program of the FIRST experiment started on summer 2011 with the study of the 400 MeV/nucleon 12C beam fragmentation on thin (8mm) carbon target.

The Mar Muerto Lagoon System was divided into three sectors (A, B, and C). Spatial variability of artisanal shrimp catch (Ct) can be mostly explained with a spatial layout of sediments (SLS). Mud was dominant on sand in the A and B sectors, and sand was dominant on mud in the C sector. Higher Ct was recorded in the B sector, while in the border area between the B and C sectors, the Ct was low. The Ct was lower in the rest of the C sector and in the A sector. According to available literature, the A sector is the innermost sector with extreme variations in water surface temperature (WST) and salinity (S). The C sector constantly receives the marine influence of the Gulf of Tehuantepec, with low variations in WST and S. The B sector is reported to have an intense river discharge with higher seasonal variations in WST and S. The SLS was not the only variable that influenced spatial variation of the Ct. In the B sector, higher Ct could be explained with dominance and persistence of mud, and magnitude changes were related to seasonal variations in WST and S. Although mud was dominant in the A sector, the Ct was lower, due to extreme variations in WST and S. In the rest of the C sector the Ct was lower, due to dominance and persistence of sand.

We set out to determine the efficiency of two motivational interventions (brief and intensive) in adolescent smokers, based on obtaining cognitive dissonance and seeking to help them stop smoking. A multicenter randomized experimental study was carried out at five high schools. Individual anti-smoking interventions were applied at the schools, the participants being adolescent smokers (≤ 20 years) who wished to quit smoking. Exclusion criteria were use of anti-smoking drugs, severe psychiatric illness and pregnancy. Informed consent was obtained and a questionnaire recorded demographic variables and alcohol/tobacco/other drug use. Two motivational interventions were carried out at each school by GP, in accordance with a stratified randomization procedure: intensive (four sessions, progressive reduction of smoking) and brief (single session, immediate cessation of smoking). Smoking abstinence was confirmed by co-oximetry at 1, 6 and 12 months after the intervention, with analysis by intention to treat. A total of 92 adolescents participated, with a mean age of 15.4 ± 1.0 years; no differences at the beginning of the interventions: daily smokers accounted for 82% of the sample, with low dependence (62%) and moderate-high motivation to quit smoking (88%). Seventy-eight per cent used alcohol and 21% other drugs. Family functioning and social support were normal in the majority. 47% received the intensive intervention. Abstinence was achieved by 64% ± 5.0 by the first month (20% better in intensive intervention), 42% ± 5.2 by the sixth month and 27% ± 4.6 by the twelfth month (without differences). The brief intervention appears to be more efficient, while more research is needed to determine the profile of those adolescents who would benefit from intensive intervention.

To identify the determinants of p,p'-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethane (p,p'-DDE) in adipose tissue in subjects who participated in a cross-sectional study, we analyzed fatty acids, antioxidants, and p,p'-DDE in aspirates of adipose tissue of 328 postmenopausal women from 5 European countries. The overall mean of p,p'-DDE concentration was 1.66 μg/g of fatty acids (95% confidence interval = 1.46, 1.88). In a multiple-regression analysis, the main predictors of log 10 (p,p'-DDE) were center of recruitment (p < .0001), adipose arachidic acid (p = .001), and adipose retinol (p = .04). These factors explained 14.9% of the overall variability of log 10 (p,p'-DDE). In our subjects, adipose tissue p,p'-DDE concentrations were only weakly related with biomarkers reflecting intake of fish and other foods. This result is consistent with the notion that p,p'-DDE exists in different foods and, given the widespread contamination of the food chain, is relatively evenly distributed among foods.