Objective:To explore the role of Caveolin-1 (CAV-1) in radiation-induced premature senescence of vascular endothelial cells.Methods:A cell model with stable knockdown of CAV-1 was constructed in human microvascular endothelial cells (HMEC-1) by lentiviral transfection using puromycin screening. The cells were divided into NC group and sh-CAV-1 group based on whether they were infected with lentivirus shRNA-CAV-1. The protein expression levels of CAV-1, p53 and p21 were detected by Western blot at 24, 48, and 72 h after 0, 2, and 4 Gy X-ray irradiation. The β-galactosidase staining kit was used to detect β-galactosidase in cells. CCK-8 kit was used to detect cell viability, and vascular endothelial cell function was detected by vascular tube-forming assay.Results:CAV-1 protein expression was significantly decreased at 48 h after 2 and 4 Gy X-ray irradiation ( t=3.50, 3.89, P < 0.05), and β-galactosidase in sh-CAV-1 group was significantly increased at 72 h after 0, 2 and 4 Gy X-ray irradiation ( t=12.91, 11.54, 6.04, P < 0.05) compared with the NC group. Knockdown of CAV-1 resulted in the decrease in the expression level of the cellular senescence-associated protein p53 protein ( t=4.09, 3.13, 3.43, P < 0.05), but increase in the expression level of p21 protein ( t=-3.63, -3.33, -3.06, P < 0.05). Compared with the NC group, knockdown CAV-1 significantly decreased cell viability ( t=2.97-25.89, P<0.05) and reduced vessel-forming capacity ( t=3.39-39.68, P < 0.05). Conclusions:CAV-1 is involved in the process of radiation-induced premature senescence of vascular endothelial cells through positive regulation of p53 and negative regulation of p21.

Sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) is recognized as the most severe ototoxic complication following radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy in patients with head and neck cancers (HNCs). It significantly impairs patients′ quality of life due to the lack of effective drugs. Although advances in radiotherapy techniques have played a crucial role in improving patients′ survival rates and protecting organs at risk, SNHL remains inevitable. This review presents the diagnosis, differential diagnosis, clinical manifestations, assessment criteria, pathogenesis, risk factors, and prophylactic/therapeutic strategies of SNHL, in order to provide novel insights for clinical diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.

FLASH radiotherapy is moving from animal experiments to clinical trials. However, the research on radiation shielding of FLASH radiotherapy rooms has been still in the initial stage. This paper analyses the structural characteristics of the beam pulse of FLASH radiotherapy devices of different technical routes, and discusses the radiation shielding challenges facing the radiotherapy room from FLASH radiotherapy technology based on the current protection standards for the radiotherapy room at home and abroad. The purpose is to provide input to the research on radiation protection of FLASH radiotherapy and to promote the clinical development of FLASH radiotherapy.

Objective:To explore the effect of long noncoding RNA ANK3DT (lncRNA ANK3DT) on DNA damage repair ability and radiosensitivity of cervical cancer HeLa cells.Methods:The effect of lncRNA ANK3DT on the repair efficiency of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) was analyzed by the pre-constructed quantitative assay system based on the CRISPR/Cas9 system targeting homologous recombination (HR) and non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) repair. Clone formation assay, flow cytometry, and immunofluorescence were used to detect the effects of down-regulation of lncRNA ANK3DT on cellular radiosensitivity, apoptosis and G 2/M phase arrest, and DSB repair after X-ray irradiation. Western blot, qPCR, and dual fluorokinase reporter gene plasmid was used to detect the effects of lncRNA ANK3DT on the HR repair-related protein CtIP expression and transcriptional regulation. Results:Down-regulation of lncRNA ANK3DT significantly inhibited HR repair and had no effect on NHEJ repair. The expression of lncRNA ANK3DT was significantly increased in HeLa cells at 24, 48, 72 h after X-ray irradiation ( t=-23.39, -88.83, -52.42, P<0.05). Down-regulation of lncRNA ANK3DT inhibited X-ray-induced DSB repair and increased apoptosis levels ( t=-14.63, P <0.05), prolonged G 2/M phase block ( t=-19.50, P <0.05), increased the radiosensitivity of HeLa cells (radiosensitization ratio=1.21), inhibited the CtIP promoter activity and decreased its mRNA and protein expression. Conclusions:lncRNA ANK3DT affects HR repair by regulating CtIP transcription, and down-regulation of lncRNA ANK3DT increases the radiosensitivity of HeLa cells by inhibiting DSB repair after ionizing radiation.

Objective:To investigate the effect of circular RNAs (circRNAs) expressions in peripheral blood of residents around radon hot springs.Methods:Totally 51 residents around radon hot springs were selected as the radon hot sping group, and another 51 residents around non-radon hot springs were selected as the control group. Questionnaires were used to collect demographic information and the radon exposure levels in the two groups. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to detect the relative expressions of selected circRNA candidates in peripheral blood of the two groups. Mann-Whitney U test was used to compare the differences in the relative expressions of the circRNAs between the two groups. Results:The cumulative doses of radon exposure per capita for residents around radon hot springs was (111.47±99.03) mSv, with dose range 3.32-458.68 mSv. The difference in the relative expressions of hsa_circ_0040573 between the two groups was statistically significant ( Z=-2.88, P<0.05). The expression of hsa_circ_0040573 was suppressed by radon exposure ( t=-2.52, P<0.05) with a dose-dependent manner ( H=12.21, P<0.05). Conclusion:Hsa_circ_0040573 has a potential to serve as a radiological response biomarker for radon exposure, contributing to early diagnosis and monitoring of health risks associated with radon exposure.

Objective:To explore the application of machine learning (ML) models based on radiomics and dosiomics to the assessment of hematologic toxicity (HT) in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer, and to preliminarily explore the comprehensive application of multi-omics features.Methods:A retrospective study was conducted on the clinical data, planning computed tomography (CT) images, and dose files of 205 patients with locally advanced cervical cancer who received concurrent chemoradiotherapy at the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, from January 2022 to June 2023. Patients were categorized according to the severity of HT. Radiomics and dosiomics features were extracted from the same regions of interest (ROIs), followed by feature selection utilizing a random forest algorithm. Then, radiomics, dosiomics, and hybrid models were established based on extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost). The classification performance of these models was assessed by calculating their sensitivity, specificity, and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC).Results:The radiomics model yielded sensitivity, specificity, and AUC of 0.42, 0.86, and 0.78, respectively. The dosiomics model exhibited sensitivity, specificity, and AUC of 0.50, 0.90, and 0.74, respectively. In contrast, the hybrid model achieved sensitivity, specificity, and AUC of 0.50, 0.83, and 0.83, respectively. These findings suggest that the hybrid model possessed an enhanced classification capability compared to the individual radiomics and dosiomics models.Conclusions:It is feasible to use ML models based on radiomics and dosiomics to conduct the classification and prediction of HT in patients with locally advanced cervical cancer treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Furthermore, integrating both radiomics features and dosiomics features can improve the classification performance of relevant prediction models, thus holding application potentials to optimize treatment strategies for patients with locally advanced cervical cancer.

Objective:To investigate the contents of natural radionuclides in agricultural soils in some of Gansu Hexi area to accumulate the relevant basic data.Methods:A stratified sampling method was used to collect 146 soil samples in the area. ORTEC P-type HPGE gamma spectrometry system was used to measure radionuclides. The measurement data were collated and analyzed.Results:The activity concentrations measured were 232Th 18.94-108.39 Bq/kg, 226Ra 14.37-79.20 Bq/kg and 40K 440.03-1 358.18 Bq/kg, in turn with the mean values of (68.22±16.32), (47.90±11.12) and (763.90±133.93) Bq/kg, respectively. The difference in activity concentrations of 232Th, 226Ra and 40K in agricultural soils in different areas was statistically significant( H=50.87, 45.14, 40.28, P<0.05). Conclusions:The study on the activity concentrations of natural radionuclides in agricultural soils provides basic information for the transfer of radionuclides to crops, which needs further investigation, monitoring and analysis.

Objective:To investigate the doses received by radiation workers from external and internal exposures during the production of 125I seed source, and to provide scientific basis for accurate evaluation of the annual doses of radiation workers. Methods:The production site and radiation workers of a 125I seed source production enterprise were determined as the survey objects. An AT1121 X/γ dosimeter was used to measure the ambient dose equivalent rate on the operation site such as welding and cleaning of the seed source, and the dose received by workers from external exposure was estimated. LiF (Mg, Cu, P) TLD dosimeters were used to measure the external doses to workers in a specific period. The doses obtained by the two method were compared and analyzed. The RG-50 air sampler and TC-30 iodine box were used to collect the workplace air, The activity concentration of 125I in the air was measured by using of the BE5030 high-purity germanium gamma spectrometer to estimate the internal dose to workers. The evaluation of doses was performed in accordance with the national standards GBZ 128-2019 and GBZ 129-2016. Results:The estimated annual dose to the worker′ hands is 24.5 mSv/year. The estimated maximum dose was 2.61 mSv/year. The maximum value of individual dose monitored was 2.42 mSv/year, basically consistent with the measured value on the basis of considering the actual work rotation. The maximum estimate of committed effective dose from internal exposure was 1.55 mSv, by a factor of up to 17 times the estimated external dose at the corresponding post.Conclusions:The radiation dose to the radiation workers’ hands is relatively high in the production of 125I seed source, so the protective measures for hands should be effectively strengthened. Meanwhile, the internal dose to the workers in the production process of 125I seed source should not be negelected. The ventilation of the site should be strengthened, the air flow direction should be planned, and the 125I activity concentration in the air should be regularly monitored.

Given the escalating number of cancer patients and the consequent rise in demand for radiation therapy in China, there is an urgent need to establish and improve a talent cultivation system for radiation dosimetrists. The United States, with an early-established cultivation system for radiation dosimetrists, boasts relatively mature and comprehensive systems of academic education and qualification certification. This study summarized and analyzed the educational and certification patterns for radiation dosimetrists in the United States based on public data from relevant institutions, related literature, and interviews with American radiation dosimetrists. Meanwhile, this study delved into and assessed the shortcomings in China′s radiation dosimetry education, examination, certification, and career advancement pathways. Furthermore, this study offered suggestions and recommendations for constructing a novel pattern tailored to the cultivation of radiation dosimetrists in China, in order to facilitate the high-quality development of the medical dosimetry discipline.

Radiation-induced adverse reactions in organs at risk(OAR) is recognized as a significant factor limiting doses to clinical target volumes(CTV). Magnetic ferrite nanoparticles, distinguished by their unique physicochemical properties such as ease of modification and high biocompatibility, have been extensively investigated in the biomedical field. This article reviews the latest advances in research on the application of magnetic ferrite nanoparticles in radiotherapy, focusing on their magnetothermal effect, dose enhancement effect, promotion of ferroptosis, regulation of the cell cycle, and improvement in image-guided quality. Furthermore, this article provides an outlook for future research.