At present, heavy ion is an ideal radiation for cancer treatment, and carbon ion is used in the treatment of many kinds of cancer due to its higher relative biological effect value. In 2019, Wuwei heavy ion center built the first medical heavy ion accelerator-carbon ion radiotherapy system in China, and obtained the registration license from the National Medical Products Administration, and officially received cancer patients in March 2020. This study introduced the development and application of the first carbon ion radiotherapy system in China.
Carbon ; China ; Heavy Ion Radiotherapy ; Heavy Ions ; Humans ; Neoplasms/radiotherapy*

Objective: To obtain precise data on the changes in the levels of 29 cytokines in mice after high or low linear energy transfer (LET) irradiation and to develop an accurate model of radiation exposure based on the cytokine levels after irradiation. Methods: Plasma samples harvested from mice at different time points after carbon-ion or X-ray irradiation were analyzed using meso-scale discovery (MSD), a high-throughput and sensitive electrochemiluminescence measurement technique. Dose estimation equations were set up using multiple linear regression analysis. Results: The relative levels of IL-6 at 1 h, IL-5 and IL-6 at 24 h, and IL-5, IL-6 and IL-15 at 7 d after irradiation with two intensities increased dose-dependently. The minimum measured levels of IL-5, IL-6 and IL-15 were up to 4.0076 pg/mL, 16.4538 pg/mL and 0.4150 pg/mL, respectively. In addition, dose estimation models were established and verified. Conclusions The MSD assay can provide more accurate data regarding the changes in the levels of the cytokines IL-5, IL-6 and IL-15. These cytokines could meet the essential criteria for radiosensitive biomarkers and can be used as radiation indicators. Our prediction models can conveniently and accurately estimate the exposure dose in irradiated organism.
Animals ; Biological Assay ; Biomarkers/blood* ; Carbon ; Cytokines/blood* ; Female ; Heavy Ions ; Linear Energy Transfer ; Linear Models ; Mice ; Radiation Dosage ; Radiation, Ionizing

Compared with conventional high energy X-ray radiotherapy, proton/carbon ion has obvious advantages because of its Bragg peak dose distribution. However, proton heavy ion facility has complex structure, high energy and various radiation types due to various nuclear reaction processes, the radiation protection safety brought by the operation of facilities has gradually attracted attention. Taking the proton/carbon ion radiotherapy facility of Shanghai Proton and Heavy Ion Center as an example, the author mainly analyzed the operation principle of proton/carbon ion treatment facility, the basis of radiation protection, analysis of key radiation source points, etc., so as to provide theoretical support and experience for radiation protection.
China ; Heavy Ion Radiotherapy ; Heavy Ions ; Occupational Exposure/prevention & control* ; Protons ; Radiation Protection ; Radiotherapy

Cancer therapy with accelerated proton or heavy ion beam is the most advanced radiotherapy technology, which is recognized by the international community at present. It is of great practical significance to study the medical proton and heavy ion accelerators and the radiotherapy technology, in order to promote the development of the advanced medical radiotherapy equipments and improve the quality of life of cancer patients in China. After a brief overview of cancer therapy with proton and heavy ion beam, this paper summarized and analyzed the application status of medical proton accelerators and medical heavy ion accelerators at home and abroad, and finally put forward the future development trends of medical proton and heavy ion accelerators and the radiotherapy technology, it can provide a reference for the progress and development strategies of the advanced radiotherapy equipments in China.
China ; Heavy Ions ; Humans ; Neoplasms ; therapy ; Particle Accelerators ; Proton Therapy ; Protons ; Quality of Life

As a natural plant source of artemisinin,a first-line drug against malaria,Artemisia annua directly affects the extraction process of artemisinin and the source of artemisinin. At present,traditional breeding methods combined with tissue culture are often used to breed high-yield artemisinin-containing new varieties of A. annua. However,the breeding method has the disadvantages of low efficiency and continuous selection. In this study,heavy ion beam irradiation technology was used to observe the specific germplasm resources of A. annua,and the morphological characteristics,agronomic traits and artemisinin content were used as indicators to observe the selection materials and materials. The cultivated new varieties were compared with trials and regional trials. In addition,the new variety of A. annua was identified by SRAP molecular marker technology. The results showed that the new variety of A. annua, " Kehao No.1",had an average yield of 235. 0 kg of dry leaf per mu,which was more than 20% higher than that of the control. Especially,the average artemisinin content was 2. 0%,which was 45% higher than that of the control,and the " Kehao No.1" has high anti-white powder disease,high-yield and high-quality new varieties. Therefore,mutagenic breeding of heavy ion beam irradiation can significantly improve the yield and artemisinin content of the " Kehao No. 1" and it has a good promotion value.
Artemisia annua/genetics* ; Artemisinins/analysis* ; Heavy Ions ; Mutagenesis ; Phenotype ; Plant Breeding ; Plants, Medicinal/genetics*

With the increasing occurrence of haze during the summer, the physicochemical characteristics and toxicity differences in PM_2.5 in different seasons are of great concern. Hangzhou is located in an area that has a subtropical monsoon climate where the humidity is very high during both the summer and winter. However, there are limited studies on the seasonal differences in PM_2.5 in these weather conditions. In this test, PM_2.5 samples were collected in the winter and summer, the morphology and chemical composition of PM_2.5 were analyzed, the toxicity of PM_2.5 to human bronchial cells BEAS-2B was compared, and the correlation between PM_2.5 toxicity and the chemical composition was discussed. The results showed that during both the winter and summer, the main compounds in the PM_2.5 samples were water-soluble ions, particularly SO₄^2-, NO₃^-, and NH₄⁺, followed by organic components, while heavy metals were present at lower levels. The higher the mass concentration of PM_2.5, the greater its impact on cell viability and ROS levels. However, when the mass concentration of PM_2.5 was similar, the water extraction from the summer samples showed a greater impact on BEAS-2B than that from the winter samples. The cytotoxicity of PM_2.5 was closely associated with heavy metals and organic pollutants but less related to water-soluble ions.
Air Pollutants/toxicity* ; Bronchi/metabolism* ; Carbon/chemistry* ; Environmental Monitoring ; Humans ; Ions ; Metals, Heavy ; Organic Chemicals ; Particle Size ; Particulate Matter/toxicity* ; Seasons ; Temperature ; Water

OBJECTIVEThe aim of this study was to examine the effect of low dose heavy ion irradiation on the subset percentage and expression of cytokines of peripheral blood lymphocytes(PBL) in patients with pancreatic cancer.

METHODSPBL from 21 patients with pancreatic cancer were divided into three groups: sham, X-ray and ¹²C⁶⁺ irradiation groups, and the cell responses were measured at 24 hours after radiation exposure. The percentages of T and NK cell subsets were detected by flow cytometry. The mRNA expression of interleukin (IL)-2, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interferon (IFN)-γ were examined by real-time quantitative RT-PCR (qRT-PCR). The cytokine protein levels in supernatant of cultured cells were assayed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA).

RESULTSThe percentage of T lymphocyte subsets was significantly increased at 24 hours after exposure to low dose radiation, and the effect was more pronounced in the group receiving 0.05 Gy ¹²C⁶⁺ ion irradiation than that in the group receiving X-ray irradiation [CD3⁺ T cells: (67.15 ± 4.36)% vs. (60.81 ± 8.35)%; CD3⁺ CD4⁺ T cells: (19.02 ± 2.35)% vs. (17.21 ± 2.86)%; CD3⁺ CD8⁺ T cells: (46.59 ± 6.07)% vs. (41.18 ± 6.35)%. (P < 0.05 for all)]. However, there were no significant changes in the CD3⁺ CD4⁺/CD3⁺ CD8⁺ ratio (0.67 for sham, 0.65 for X-ray, and 0.68 for ¹²C⁶⁺ groups) and percentage of NK cell subsets (P > 0.05 for all). Expression levels of IFN-γ mRNA (cycle threshold/CT value was 23.35 ± 3.16 for ¹²C⁶⁺, CT value was 27.25 ± 2.15 for X-ray) and IL-2 (CT value was 24.19 ± 3.56 for ¹²C⁶⁺, CT value was 27.85 ± 4.08 for X-ray) in PBL, and their protein levels in the supernatant were significantly increased at 24 hours after exposure to the low dose radiation (P < 0.05). The effects were more pronounced in the group receiving 0.05 Gy ¹²C⁶⁺ ion irradiation than that in the group receiving X-ray irradiation. However, there was no significant change in the TNF-α production of PBL.

CONCLUSIONSLow dose irradiation may alleviate the immune suppression caused by tumor burden and that the effect is more pronounced for 0.05 Gy high linear energy transfer (LET) ¹²C⁶⁺ irradiation. The percentage of T cell subsets and cytokines production could be used as sensitive indicators of acute response to low dose irradiation.

CD4-CD8 Ratio ; CD4-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; metabolism ; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes ; metabolism ; Cytokines ; metabolism ; Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation ; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay ; Flow Cytometry ; Heavy Ions ; Humans ; Interleukin-2 ; metabolism ; Killer Cells, Natural ; Lymphocytes ; metabolism ; radiation effects ; Pancreatic Neoplasms ; metabolism ; radiotherapy ; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha ; metabolism

OBJECTIVETo investigate the effect of simulated microgravity and carbon ion irradiation (CIR) on spermatogenic cell apoptosis and sperm DNA damage to the testis of male Swiss Webster mice, and assess the risk associated with space environment.

METHODSSperm DNA damage indicated by DNA fragmentation index (DFI) and high DNA stainability (HDS) was measured by sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA). Apoptosis of spermatogenic cells was detected by annexin V-propidium iodide assay. Bax (the expression levels of p53) and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) were measured by immunoblotting; p53 and PCNA were located by immunohistology.

RESULTSHDS, DFI, apoptosis index, and the expression levels of p53 and Bax were detected to be significantly higher in the experimental groups (P<0.05) compared with those in the control group; however, the PCNA expression varied to a certain degree. p53- and PCNA- positive expression were detected in each group, mainly in relation to the spermatogonic cells and spermatocytes.

CONCLUSIONThe findings of the present study demonstrated that simulated microgravity and CIR can induce spermatogenic cell apoptosis and sperm DNA damage. Sperm DNA damage may be one of the underlying mechanisms behind male fertility decline under space environment. These findings may provide a scientific basis for protecting astronauts and space traveler's health and safety.

Animals ; Apoptosis ; radiation effects ; Carbon ; Cell Proliferation ; radiation effects ; DNA Damage ; Heavy Ions ; adverse effects ; Immunohistochemistry ; Male ; Mice ; Random Allocation ; Sperm Count ; Spermatogenesis ; radiation effects ; Spermatozoa ; radiation effects ; Testis ; radiation effects ; Weightlessness Simulation

Nannochloropsis has been considered as a promising feedstock for biodiesel production in recent years. To improve its lipid productivity, heavy-ion irradiation mutagenesis, an effectively breeding method used in plants and microorganisms was applied in Nannochloropsis oceanica OZ-1. After large-scale screening using Imaging-PAM and microplate-reader, two mutants (HP-1 and HP-2) with higher growth rate were isolated from the wild type N. oceanica. Subsequently analysis showed that after 18 days of cultivation biomass accumulation of the HP-1 and HP-2 mutant was increased by 18% and 26% respectively compare to the wild type. Total lipid productivity of the HP-1 and HP-2 mutant was 295 mg/(L x d) and 275 mg/(L x d), respectively, whereas that of the wild type was 247 mg/(L x d). Both mutants showed significantly advantage over their wild type concerning biomass accumulation and lipid productivity.
Heavy Ions ; Lipids ; biosynthesis ; Microalgae ; growth & development ; metabolism ; radiation effects ; Mutagenesis ; genetics ; Mutation ; genetics ; Stramenopiles ; genetics ; metabolism ; radiation effects

OBJECTIVETo investigate the changes in serum interleukin-2 (IL-2) level in a hamster model bearing cheek pouch carcinoma after heavy ion beams irradiation.

METHODSThe serum levels of IL-2 were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbant assay in 40 hamsters bearing cheek pouch carcinoma before and after exposure to heavy ion beam irradiation, with 8 normal animals as control.

RESULTSSerum IL-2 level was 0.16∓0.01 in the tumor-bearing hamsters before the irradiation, lower than that in the control group. After heavy ion beams irradiation at 4, 6, 8, and 12 Gy, serum IL-2 levels in the tumor-bearing hamsters were 0.18∓0.04, 0.22∓0.05, 0.15∓0.03, and 0.13∓0.04, respectively, showing a peak level after irradiation at 6 Gy and an obvious decrease following irradiation at greater doses.

CONCLUSIONHeavy ion beam irradiation causes alterations in serum IL-2 level with a dose-effect relation between them in hamsters bearing cheek pouch carcinoma.

Animals ; Cheek ; pathology ; Cricetinae ; Female ; Heavy Ions ; therapeutic use ; Interleukin-2 ; blood ; Male ; Mesocricetus ; Mouth Neoplasms ; blood ; radiotherapy