The International Atomic Energy Agency action plan on radiation protection of patients and staff in interventional procedures: Achieving change in practice

IntroductionThe International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) organized the 3rd international conference on radiation protection (RP) of patients in December 2017. This paper presents the conclusions on the interventional procedures (IP) session.Material and methodsThe IAEA conference was conducted as a series of plenary sessions followed by various thematic sessions. “Radiation protection of patients and staff in interventional procedures” session keynote speakers presented information on: 1) Risk management of skin injuries, 2) Occupational radiation risks and 3) RP for paediatric patients. Then, a summary of the session-related papers was presented by a rapporteur, followed by an open question-and-answer discussion.ResultsSixty-seven percent (67%) of papers came from Europe. Forty-four percent (44%) were patient studies, 44% were occupational and 12% were combined studies. Occupational studies were mostly on eye lens dosimetry. The rest were on scattered radiation measurements and dose tracking. The majority of patient studies related to patient exposure with only one study on paediatric patients. Automatic patient dose reporting is considered as a first step for dose optimization. Despite efforts, paediatric IP radiation dose data are still scarce. The keynote speakers outlined recent achievements but also challenges in the field. Forecasting technology, task-specific targeted education from educators familiar with the clinical situation, more accurate estimation of lens doses and improved identification of high-risk professional groups are some of the areas they focused on.ConclusionsManufacturers play an important role in making patients safer. Low dose technologies are still expensive and manufacturers should make these affordable in less resourced countries. Automatic patient dose reporting and real-time skin dose map are important for dose optimization. Clinical audit and better QA processes together with more studies on the impact of lens opacities in clinical practice and on paediatric patients are needed.     

免疫细胞浸润在非小细胞肺癌诊断与预后中的应用

免疫细胞浸润对癌症的诊断与预后有着重要意义。文中收集TCGA数据库已收录的非小细胞肺癌肿瘤与正常组织基因表达数据,利用CIBERSORT工具得到22种免疫细胞占比来评估免疫细胞浸润情况。以22种免疫细胞占比为特征,用机器学习方法构建了非小细胞肺癌肿瘤与正常组织的分类模型,其中随机森林方法构建的模型分类效果AUC=0.987、敏感性0.98及特异性0.84。并且用随机森林方法构建的肺腺癌和肺鳞癌肿瘤组织分类模型效果AUC=0.827、敏感性0.75及特异性0.77。用LASSO回归筛选22种免疫细胞特征,保留8种强相关特征组成的免疫细胞评分结合临床特征构建了非小细胞肺癌预后模型。经评估及验证,预后模型C-index=0.71并且3年和5年的校准曲线拟合良好,可以对预后风险度进行准确预测。本研究基于免疫细胞浸润所构建的分类模型与预后模型,旨在对非小细胞肺癌的诊断与预后研究提供新的策略。     

How does the cumulative impacts approach support Maritime Spatial Planning?

Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) needs to incorporate spatial information on human impacts. As human activities and uses increase in marine and coastal waters around the world, pressures in ecosystems are also increasing, leading to multiple adverse effects on different species and habitats. The European Directive on MSP aims to achieve an integrated approach to marine governance, whilst securing and maintaining the healthy status of marine and coastal waters, in accordance with the Marine Strategy Framework Directive. The latter requires Member States to develop assessments not only on pressures and impacts, but also on the state of the marine environment and then take measures towards reaching a Good Environmental Status by 2020.The Portuguese Maritime Spatial Plan – Plano de Ordenamento do Espaço Marítimo (POEM) was developed between 2009 and 2012. In 2014 a law establishing the Basis for the Spatial Planning and Management of the National Maritime Space was enacted and in 2015 the framework for the elaboration of a new national Maritime Spatial Plan, named Situation Plan, was established. Portugal will face, in the next five years, the challenge of planning and managing its marine space, whilst promoting its sustainable use and protection.This study adapted a cumulative effects assessment model to understand how the impacts from multiple threats affect the marine and coastal ecosystems and, how this information can be used to improve the management process. Information was gathered on intensity and distribution of activities and uses for the Portuguese continental subdivision marine area, quantified and mapped their cumulative impacts in marine ecosystems, and overlapped with the POEM. Results show that impacts are spreading from the coast up to the Contiguous Zone. Higher scores appear in Transitional and Coastal Waters in the north (Viana do Castelo/Figueira da Foz), centre (Peniche/Setúbal) and south (Lagos/Faro). In some areas with higher ranks, statutes of nature conservation are already in place, but potential activities may still occur on top of existing ones. This study shows that the adapted model is a helpful tool to clarify ocean planning, identify areas of potential conflicts among users and support the decision making process.     

Cardboard nesting cavities may promote the development of Osmia cornuta and reduce infestation of kleptoparasitic mites

Mason bees (Osmia spp.) are receiving increasing attention as they are very effective pollinators of multiple crops. However, different bee-associated kleptoparasites are known which can be detrimental to the development of the bees’ offspring. To date, clear evidence-based guidelines to control these kleptoparasites are lacking for growers. This study investigates whether different types of artificial nesting materials—cardboard tubes and wooden grooved boards—influence the development of the European orchard bee (Osmia cornuta) as well as the infestation rate of kleptoparasitic mites in the bees’ nest. This preliminary study provides insight that cardboard tubes reduce the infestation rate of mites by 81.8% and as such promote successful development of the European orchard bee by 15.5%. Using cardboard tubes over wooden grooved boards should be advised to growers as an effective management strategy to avoid infestation of kleptoparasitic mites and to enhance successful bee development.     

Endoparasites observed within invertebrates used as live food items for captive wild birds: Overview and potential risks

To monitor and evaluate potential risks to birds’ health, invertebrate species that have been used as live food items had their body contents searched for endoparasites. The contents of approximately 10,000 invertebrates were analyzed. A principal component analysis was performed to study the relationship between the presence/absence of endoparasites and the characteristics of the invertebrates. In most of them, including the species preferred by birds such as caterpillars, waxworms, mealworms, most grasshoppers, and spiders, no organism was identified. Such findings suggest a low potential for parasite transmission associated with its consumption by birds. Although they had unknown or even unlikely implications for the birds’ health, gregarines, oxyurides Leidynema sp., and digenetic trematodes Monolecithotrema sp. were found in samples from woodlice, cockroaches, and centipedes, respectively. The only avian parasites observed in this study were Heterakis gallinarum in samples from earthworms and Acuaria spiralis from woodlice. Suggestively, soil invertebrates showed a higher prevalence of endoparasites and may represent a higher potential risk in comparison to the other categories of invertebrates sampled herein. Detritivory and collected origin were also explanatory variables related to the presence of endoparasites in the current study.     

Effects of Application Strategies of Fumigant and Nonfumigant Nematicides on Cantaloupe Grown in Deep Sand Soils in Florida

A 2-year study was conducted in which three treatment tactics of oxamyl (at planting application, application every 2 weeks, and rescue applications, as determined by crop symptoms) were compared to fumigant treatments with methyl bromide, 1,3-dichloropropene (1,3-D), and 1,3-D plus chloropicrin for management of Meloidogyne spp. In 2002, treatments that included 1,3-D produced higher yields as determined both by number and weight of marketable fruit. All treatment tactics relying solely on oxamyl, at planting, scheduled treatments, and rescue, were not different from untreated controls for both marketable yield and number of fruit. Gall ratings in 2002 were lowest for 1,3-D at the 112-liters/ha rate, followed by 1,3-D at 84 liters/ha with and without oxamyl. All treatments of oxamyl, except when combined with 1,3-D, had gall ratings not different from untreated plots. In 2004, treatments of methyl bromide and 1,3-D plus chloropicrin had the highest total number of both marketable fruit and highest marketable yields. All treatment strategies relying solely on oxamyl had yields equivalent to the untreated controls. Mean root-gall ratings were lowest for methyl bromide plus chloropicrin and 1,3-D plus chloropicrin treatments. Root-gall ratings for all treatment tactics relying solely on oxamyl were not different from untreated controls.     

Novel strategies for assessing and managing the risks posed by invasive alien species to global crop production and biodiversity

International actions to combat the threat posed by invasive alien species (IAS) to crops and biodiversity have intensified in recent years. The formulation of 15 guiding principles on IAS by the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) stimulated the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) to review its role in protecting biodiversity. IPPC standards now demonstrate clearly that the risks posed by any organism that is directly or indirectly injurious to cultivated or uncultivated plants can be assessed and managed under the IPPC. Since the IPPC, unlike the CBD, constitutes an international legal instrument recognised by the World Trade Organization, greater protection from the introduction of IAS is now available. However, phytosanitary measures can only be enacted if they can be justified by risk analysis and we outline some novel strategies to improve the assessment and management of the risks posed by IAS, highlighting some of the key challenges which remain.     

Principles for linking fish habitat to fisheries management and conservation

A set of eight simple ecological and social principles is proposed that could enhance the understanding of what constitutes fish 'habitat' and, if implemented, could contribute to improved management and conservation strategies. The habitat principles are a small, interrelated sub‐set that may be coupled with additional ones to formulate comprehensive guidelines for management and conservation strategies. It is proposed that: 1) habitat can be created by keystone species and interactions among species; 2) the productivity of aquatic and riparian habitat is interlinked by reciprocal exchanges of material; 3) the riparian zone is fish habitat; 4) fishless headwater streams are inseparable from fish‐bearing rivers downstream; 5) habitats can be coupled – in rivers, lakes, estuaries and oceans, and in time; 6) habitats change over hours to centuries; 7) fish production is dynamic due to biocomplexity, in species and in habitats; 8) management and conservation strategies must evolve in response to present conditions, but especially to the anticipated future. It is contended that the long‐term resilience of native fish communities in catchments shared by humans depends on incorporating these principles into management and conservation strategies. Further, traditional strategies poorly reflect the dynamic nature of habitat, the true extent of habitat, or the intrinsic complexity in societal perspectives. Forward‐thinking fish management and conservation plans view habitat as more than water. They are multilayered, ranging from pools to catchments to ecoregions, and from hours to seasons to centuries. They embrace, as a fundamental premise, that habitat evolves through both natural and anthropogenic processes, and that patterns of change may be as important as other habitat attributes.