A new approach for improving cordycepin productivity in surface liquid culture of Cordyceps militaris using high‐energy ion beam irradiation

Aims: To obtain a higher cordycepin production using Cordyceps militaris mutant obtained by a new mutagenesis technique called ‘ion beam’. Methods and Results: Successful irradiation of C. militaris NBRC 9787 by a proton beam with high energy was performed, and 30 classes of 8‐azaadenine‐ and 28 classes of 8‐azaaguanine‐resistant mutants were obtained on mutant screening, of which seven classes were selected as promising preliminary mutants having an antibacterial ability as an index of cordycepin production. In a surface liquid culture technique, some of the 8‐azaadenine‐resistant mutants gave a better performance for the cordycepin productivity; in contrast, among the 8‐azaaguanine‐resistant mutants, it was shown that mutant no. G81‐3 was much better than the control in the metabolic rate of glucose and the cordycepin productivity. In primary optimization using the enriched medium, the cordycepin production was 3·1 and 1·8 g l^?1 on 21‐day culture for mutant no. G81‐3 and the control, respectively. The cordycepin production obtained by the mutant was 72% more than the control. Conclusions: The mutant obtained by proton beam irradiation had higher productivity of cordycepin than that of the control. Significance and Impact of the Study: The mutant obtained by irradiation had a superior production performance of cordycepin, and therefore, it could be used in the realm of applied industrial biotechnology for the large‐scale production of cordycepin.     

氮离子注入诱变选育恩拉霉素高产菌株

利用氮离子注入对链霉菌的诱变效应,筛选高产恩拉霉素的变异菌株。利用不同剂量的氮离子对杀真菌放线菌S.fungicidicus NL629-3菌株进行诱变处理,研究低能氮离子注入对其存活率及产恩拉霉素能力的影响。低能氮离子注入剂量在60×1013ions/cm2时对链霉菌的诱变效应显著,试验得到了5株恩拉霉素产量较高的突变菌株,其中N3-643菌株经连续传代4次,遗传稳定性较好,其摇瓶发酵水平较对照提高了41%,放大发酵生产后平均发酵水平提高25.8%。离子注入诱变是获得高产恩拉霉素突变菌株的有效方法。     

Monte Carlo simulation of the dose distribution of ICRP adult reference computational phantoms for acquisitions with a 320 detector-row cone-beam CT scanner

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to develop and validate a Monte Carlo (MC) simulation tool for patient dose assessment for a 320 detector-row CT scanner, based on the recommendations of International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP). Additionally, the simulation was applied on four clinical acquisition protocols, with and without automatic tube current modulation (TCM).MethodsThe MC simulation was based on EGS4 code and was developed specifically for a 320 detector-row cone-beam CT scanner. The ICRP adult reference phantoms were used as patient models. Dose measurements were performed free-in-air and also in four CTDI phantoms: 150 mm and 350 mm long CT head and CT body phantoms. The MC program was validated by comparing simulations results with these actual measurements acquired under the same conditions. The measurements agreed with the simulations across all conditions within 5%. Patient dose assessment was performed for four clinical axial acquisitions using the ICRP adult reference phantoms, one of them using TCM.ResultsThe results were nearly always lower than those obtained from other dose calculator tools or published in other studies, which were obtained using mathematical phantoms in different CT systems. For the protocol with TCM organ doses were reduced by between 28 and 36%, compared to the results obtained using a fixed mA value.ConclusionsThe developed simulation program provides a useful tool for assessing doses in a 320 detector-row cone-beam CT scanner using ICRP adult reference computational phantoms and is ready to be applied to more complex protocols.     

从文献统计看我国离子束生物技术的发展

本文检索了1994-2003年间离子束技术在生物领域的应用研究文章,并从文献量,研究材料及研究的水平,期刊,离子源和基金来源等五个方面对其进行了统计和分析。统计结果表明,我国离子束生物技术在国家和地方政府院校的支持下得到了较快发展,其中微生物领域的发展最快;进入21世纪,地方政府院校开始逐渐加大对离子束生物技术的支持,并出现了有企业人员参与研究和企业基金支持的文献;文献内容主要是应用研究,基础研究较为匮乏。在综合分析数据的基础上,展望了我国离子束生物技术的未来发展趋势。     

Proton beam therapy with concurrent chemotherapy is feasible in children with newly diagnosed rhabdomyosarcoma

BackgroundThe optimal treatment for rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) requires multidisciplinary treatment with chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy. Surgery and radiotherapy are integral to the local control (LC) of RMS. However, postsurgical and radiotherapy-related complications could develop according to the local therapy and tumor location. In this study, we conducted a single-center analysis of the outcomes and toxicity of multidisciplinary treatment using proton beam therapy (PBT) for pediatric RMS.Materials and methodsRMS patients aged younger than 20 years whose RMS was newly diagnosed and who underwent PBT at University of Tsukuba Hospital (UTH) during the period from 2009 to 2019 were enrolled in this study. The patients’ clinical information was collected by retrospective medical record review.ResultsForty-eight patients were included. The 3-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rates of all the patients were 68.8% and 94.2%, respectively. The 3-year PFS rates achieved with radical resection, conservative resection, and biopsy only were 65.3%, 83.3%, and 67.6%, respectively (p = 0.721). The 3-year LC rates achieved with radical resection, conservative resection, and biopsy only were 90.9%, 83.3%, and 72.9%, respectively (p = 0.548). Grade 3 or higher mucositis/dermatitis occurred in 14 patients. Although the days of opioid use due to mucositis/dermatitis during the chemotherapy with PBT were longer than those during the chemotherapy without PBT [6.1 and 1.6 (mean), respectively, p = 0.001], the frequencies of fever and elevation of C-reactive protein were equivalent.ConclusionsMultidisciplinary therapy containing PBT was feasible and provided a relatively fair 3-year PFS, even in children with newly diagnosed RMS without severe toxicity.     

Initial experience of hypofractionated radiation retreatment with true beam and flattening filter free beam in selected case reports of recurrent nasopharyngeal carcinoma

AimTo show our preliminary experience in using TrueBeam with RapidArc technology and FFF beam for stereotactic re-irradiation of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.BackgroundThanks to new advanced techniques, as well as intensity modulated radiation therapy, it is possible to approach head and neck recurrences in selected patients. Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT) in its RapidArc^® format, permits to reduce significantly the time to deliver complex intensity modulated plans, allowing to treat hypofractionated regimes within a few minutes. With TrueBeam it is possible to perform photon beams without usage of the flattening filter. It seems possible to expect a reduction of out-of-field dose when flattening filter free (FFF) beams are used. While research into the physics domain for FFF beams is increasing, there are very few clinical data where FFF beams are applied in clinical practice.Materials and methodsWe present here the cases of 4 patients with local or regional recurrence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma. All patients were treated using TrueBeam with RapidArc technology and FFF beam for stereotactic hypofractionated re-irradiation.ResultsAll patients concluded SBRT and showed good tolerability. During follow-up, complete response at imaging evaluation (PET and/or MRI) for all treated patients was documented.ConclusionsOur preliminary experience using TrueBeam with RapidArc technology and FFF beam for stereotactic hypofractionated re-irradiation of nasopharyngeal carcinoma was safe and effective in all 4 treated patients. Longer follow-up and a larger population of study is needed to confirm these promising results.     

低剂量率下高线性能量转移碳离子束辐照人类唾液腺细胞的存活效应

利用日本千叶重离子医用加速器 HIMAC 提供的碳离子束,对人类唾液腺细胞 (HSG) 在剂量率为 0.5 Gy/h 的低剂量率条件下进行了辐照,运用标准的克隆形成法得到了 3 种不同剂量平均线性能量转移 (LET) 碳离子束辐照 HSG 细胞的剂量存活效应 . 与先前 HSG 细胞在治癌剂量率 (1~5 Gy/min) 下对相近剂量平均 LET 碳离子束辐照的剂量存活效应数据相比, HSG 细胞对高 LET 碳离子束辐射表现出明显的剂量率效应 . 为在相同条件下得到碳离子束对 HSG 细胞的相对生物学效应 (RBE) ,利用 60Co-γ射线在剂量率为 0.5 Gy/h 的条件下辐照了 HSG 细胞,得到该细胞系对低 LET 射线响应的剂量存活效应 . 与先前在治癌剂量率下得到的 RBE 值相比,低剂量率条件下得到的 RBE 值总体减小 . 由实验发现的剂量率效应及低剂量率条件下 RBE 值的减小,表明由高 LET 碳离子束造成的辐射损伤在低剂量率条件下也存在着显著的修复效应 . 据此,对辐射造成细胞致死的原因进行了探讨 .     

不同离子辐照对离体质粒DNA损伤与转化活性的影响

利用 30Kev的N+ 、Ar+ 离子辐照离体质粒DNA ,分析了不同离子对DNA单双链断裂及转化活性的影响。结果表明 :N+ 、Ar+ 离子辐照均可引起质粒DNA单双链断裂和转化活性的变化 ,且随着辐照剂量的增加 ,单双链断裂频率增加 ,转化活性下降。Ar+对离体质粒DNA比N+ 具有更强的单双链断裂效应 ,且从 9× 10 15Ar+ cm2 剂量开始 ,质粒可完全丧失转化活性。质粒转化活性的大小与DNA单双链断裂频率呈正相关     

Importance of discards of a beam trawl fishery as input of organic matter into nursery areas within the Tagus estuary

The brown-shrimp beam trawl fishery carried out within the Tagus estuary produces discards due to the little commercial interest of most of the species caught. Between 1994 and 1996, monthly samples were collected in the two major fishing areas within the Tagus estuary, using a beam trawl, in order to estimate the amount of fish and crustaceans caught per unit of effort. The fishing effort of the commercial fleet was determined based on surveys of professional fishermen. Mortality estimates of discards were also evaluated experimentally. The main fish and crustacean species discarded after capture were Crangon crangon (Linnaeus, 1758), Liza ramada (Risso, 1826), Carcinus maenas (Linnaues, 1758) and Pomatoschistus minutus (Pallas, 1770). The estimated total amount of fishery discards in the upper part of the Tagus estuary is approximately 1500 tonnes per year, which represents ca. 90% of the captures. The mortality rate of the fishes and crustaceans discarded varied according to species and season, with the highest rates during Summer months. Considering nitrogen and carbon content of the main discarded species, an input of particulate organic matter of more than 140 tonnes of carbon and 35 tonnes of nitrogen per year were estimated for these estuarine areas.