text:
Women PeaceMakers
Institute for Peace and Justice
Contact: Jennifer Freeman
Phone: (619) 260-7569
Fax: (619) 260-7570
Location: KIPJ Room 121
Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies
5998 Alcala Park
San Diego, CA 92110
Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice
Selected PeaceMakers
2015 Women PeaceMakers
The 2015 Women PeaceMakers will be announced in the coming weeks. They will be in residence at the institute from September 12 to November 21.
For more information, contact Senior Program Officer Jennifer Freeman at email@example.com.
2014 Women PeaceMakers
Robi Damelin — Israel
Robi Damelin is a spokesperson and director of the Women's Group for the Parents Circle – Families Forum (PCFF), a grassroots organization of more than 600 bereaved Palestinians and Israelis who promote reconciliation as an alternative to hatred and revenge.
Damelin moved to Israel from South Africa, where she had been involved in the anti-apartheid movement, in 1967 following the Six-Day War (also known as the Third Arab-Israeli War).
In 2002 her life changed dramatically when her son David was killed by a Palestinian sniper near a settlement during his army reserve service. Her first words to the army officers who appeared at her door to tell her about David were, "You may not kill anyone in the name of my son."
She joined the PCFF after David's death. As a spokesperson, she travels with a Palestinian partner throughout Israel, the West Bank and internationally to share their stories and message of reconciliation. Damelin also returned to South Africa to learn more about reconciliation processes that have been in motion since the end of apartheid, a journey chronicled in the film "One Day After Peace." The sniper who killed David was arrested in 2004, motivating Damelin to begin her own difficult path of reconciliation with him and his family.
As director of the Women's Group of the PCFF, she works with other bereaved women to, as she says, "solidify our choice to use our pain to prevent further bereavement" and "strengthen women's voices as facilitators of reconciliation in their communities." The group's exhibits — photography, culinary arts, embroidery and others — have traveled the world spreading messages of hope and co-existence.
Damelin is also a board member of the Charter for Compassion and initiated the Israeli Palestinian Narratives Project, "History through the Human Eye," through the PCFF. She writes, "I continue on this path inspired by my deep sense of loss, my commitment to building a more peaceful future for Israelis and Palestinians, and my endless love for David."
Nimalka Fernando — Sri Lanka
Nimalka Fernando of Sri Lanka is a prominent human rights defender, lawyer and activist with over 30 years of peacemaking experience. She is a co-chair of South Asians for Human Rights and the president of the International Movement against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism (IMADR) — an organization dedicated to eliminating discrimination and racism, forging international solidarity among discriminated minorities, and advancing the international human rights system.
A Sinhala Christian woman in Sri Lanka, Fernando is of the majority ethnic community but a religious minority — giving her a unique perspective on the bloody conflict that has polarized communities across the island for decades. As a colleague of hers has written, "Through Ms. Fernando's biography it is possible to register key social movements in Sri Lanka, in South Asia, and globally."
Fernando first became involved in human rights work with the Student Christian Movement of Sri Lanka, and then the Movement for Inter-Racial Justice and Equality, which sparked in her an interest in law for social justice. The Voice of Women, the first feminist circle in Sri Lanka composed of professional and progressive women, further influenced Fernando as violence and political tensions continued to rise in the 1980s between the Sinhala government and Tamil separatists.
In frustration with the Sri Lankan legal system that failed to provide redress for egregious human rights abuses, Fernando moved into community development work and full-time activism — exposing her to severe repression by the state which viewed her as pro-Tamil. She was forced out of the country for a time.
While in exile, Fernando worked for the Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development and became engaged in international advocacy at U.N. conferences and through networks working on minority rights. During the peace process mediated by Norway in the early 2000s, Fernando was involved in track-two negotiations and participated in the Tokyo Conference on Reconstruction and Development in Sri Lanka, while continuing her grassroots peacebuilding activities.
Fernando has been a founding member of several organizations, including a network of women's organizations and activists committed to peacebuilding, known as Mothers and Daughters of Lanka. In 2011 she received the Citizen's Peace Award from the National Peace Council of Sri Lanka. She continues to face repression and threats for her fervent calls for accountability for alleged war crimes committed during the war.
Ashima Kaul — India (Kashmir)
Ashima Kaul is a grassroots worker, journalist, policy analyst and social entrepreneur from India's Kashmir Valley. Born and raised in Kashmir as part of the ethnic minority community of Kashmiri Hindu Pandits, she and her family moved out of the valley when she was 15. A decade later, her extended family that remained behind was forcibly displaced to Hindu-majority areas of the region as violence broke out between Kashmiri Muslims and Hindus.
After later trips to Kashmir on journalistic assignments, Kaul was struck and saddened by what had transpired there since she left and decided to act: "I had to recover the dying, bullet-ridden soul of Kashmir, rebuild broken relationships, break the silence of women, give them a voice and establish new spaces for creation of a spirit of trust, solace and healing." Her first step was to facilitate a group dialogue with Muslim and Pandit women, leading to the creation of a formal dialogue group, Athwaas, or "handshake."
In addition to the Kashmir dialogue groups, Athwaas brought together 50 women to advocate for peace from women's perspectives, in a parallel platform from the official peace process initiated in 2005 that excluded women's voices.
Kaul later founded the Yakjah Reconciliation and Development Network. Yakjah, which means "being together," focuses on countering the violence in Kashmir by building relationships between different religious and ethnic groups through dialogue and development projects. The organization has a program on Youth Expression and Leadership, which holds cross-cultural workshops and exchanges across the region to involve young people in peacebuilding and developing their leadership skills. The program has reached over 400 youth so far, and includes a core group of 50 young men and women. As Kaul writes, "The youth form the critical mass. While they do carry the conflict legacy and can be indoctrinated in the name of religion, they also have the potential to lead for change."
Kaul is part of the Women Waging Peace Network of the Institute for Inclusive Security, and is a local correspondent for Insight on Conflict, a website published by the international NGO Peace Direct.
Margaret Arach Orech — Uganda
Margaret Arach Orech is the founder and director of the Uganda Landmine Survivors Association (ULSA). A survivor of a landmine explosion and a subsequent attack by rebels of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), Orech is an ambassador for the Nobel Peace Prize-winning organization the International Campaign to Ban Landmines.
In the late 1990s, while working for the Association of Volunteers in International Service, in Kitgum in northern Uganda, the bus she was riding in hit a landmine and was ambushed by the LRA. Her right leg was shattered from the blast; as the rebels scoured the bodies for survivors, she played dead until the army came nearly an hour later. Orech has worked since that time for the health and rights of fellow survivors of landmines and victims of the war in northern Uganda.
Orech's work with communities affected by the conflict in northern Uganda includes encouraging dialogue and interaction with other survivors of violence, including former rebels. In one case, she came face to face with a young man who was part of the group responsible for the attack that nearly killed her. Showing him compassion upon his expression of remorse, she helped organize a traditional cleansing ceremony to help him begin his slow journey to recovery.
With ULSA, Orech mobilizes survivors in a peer support structure in which they share and develop ideas that address survivors' needs and foster social and economic reintegration into their communities — many of which were displaced for years because of the violence in northern Uganda.
On the international level, Orech is a commissioner for the Interfaith Action for Peace in Africa, and continues to lobby nations to sign and ratify international agreements such as the Mine Ban Treaty, the Convention on Cluster Munitions, and the U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. She has met with heads of state and those in the midst of conflict to advocate on behalf of victims and survivors.
Of her experiences she writes, "My healing was a drawn [out] process, but I was able to overcome and now use the bitter experiences to encourage those who have faced similar situations that there is actually hope after all. … Here I am, today, after that long and difficult road to recovery and the transformation from victim-survivor to peace advocate."


text:
Faculty & Staff
E-Give through FlashLine
- Log into FlashLine
- Click My HR tab
Employment Details box
- Click on United Way E-give
- Follow prompts
United Way of Greater Stark County
Campus Center
Amanda Weyant (ASC)
External Affairs
Kelly Simonis
Main Hall
Ruby Groves (Student Services)
Main Hall (4th Floor)
Barb Elsass & Jeanne Winafeld
Rob Kairis
Recreation & Wellness Center
Stacie Humm
Fine Arts
Denise Evans & Madonna Gay
Conference Center
Gail Thomas
Amanda Weyant
Campaign Co-coordinator
Kelly Simonis
Campaign Co-coordinator
United Way Campaign
2014 UNITED WAY CAMPAIGN: OCT. 1 - 31At Kent State Stark, students, faculty and staff can easily support United Way by pledging or making donations in a variety of ways.
All proceeds collected are donated to the United Way.
- Make your commitment to United Way by donating online through FlashLine or by completing your pledge card. Make it easy with payroll deduction!
- Donate $10 a month and receive the Caring Club Card for discounts at more than 130 local businesses.
- Drop your extra change in the United Way box at the Emporium register.
- Raffle tickets sold through October 30. Winner will be selected on Friday, Oct. 31.
- Tickets are $1 each or $5 for six. Purchase tickets from your building rep.
Buildings compete against each other: Main Hall, Fine Arts, The University Center, Campus Center, Library and External Affairs.
- Each building will put PENNIES into the container within their building and the building with the most pennies at the end of the contest wins.
- However, you can negate the penny count of another team by placing SILVER COINS and PAPER MONEY into another building's container and that amount will be subtracted from their total penny count.
- Send a personal message and a full-size candy bar to colleagues, friends and professors for a $1 each. Boo Grams will be delivered the following week.
- Purchase your Boo Grams from your building rep.
JEANS WEEK: October 13 - 17
- Pay $10 to your building rep to wear jeans all week.
- You'll receive five "I Dress This Way for United Way" stickers allowing you to participate.
THEME WEEK: October 27 - 31
- Pay $10 to your building rep to dress in theme for the week.
- You'll receive five "I Dress This Way for United Way" stickers allowing you to participate.
- Themes:
Monday, Oct. 27: Pajama Day
Tuesday, Oct. 28: Stark County High School Spirit Day
Wednesday, Oct. 29: Mismatch Day
Thursday, Oct. 30: Crazy Hat/Headwear Day
Friday, Oct. 31: Extreme Blue & Gold Friday
11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
Campus Center
- How Many? Candy Guessing Game - $1 per guess, $5 for six guesses
- Prize Wheel - $1 to spin for a chance to win a $10 gift card from an area business
- Raise Dough Bake Sale - $1 per bake sale item, plus free coffee!
- Snap a Selfie with Dr. Seachrist - $1 for a selfie with the dean: #seachristselfie
- 50/50 Raffle - $1 each or $5 for six, winner takes half the pot
Boo Grams - $1 each for full size candy bars

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Kaylan Earls
Feb. 5, 2013
ATHENS, Ga. --- University of Georgia gymnast Kaylan Earls has been named the SEC Specialist of the Week, the league office announced on Tuesday.
Earls scored a career-high 9.95 on beam and a 9.875 on floor to help Georgia post a season-high team score of 197.500 in its win over Alabama on Saturday. The 9.95 gave Earls her first beam title of the season and the team's 197.500 is the second-highest team score in the nation.
"I owe it all to God. I thank Him everyday for his many blessings and being SEC Specialist of the Week is just another blessing," said Earls.
A native of Chicago, Ill., Earls has competed on the beam and floor in all six meets this year. Earls has the team-high on beam this season and ties for team high on floor, with a 9.9.
This is the third consecutive week a Gym Dog has garnered SEC weekly honors, with Brandie Jay and Brittany Rogers being named SEC Freshman of the Week Jan. 23 and Jan. 29, respectively. The last time Georgia gymnasts have received SEC honors three straight weeks was in 2009, when Courtney Kupets took home SEC Gymnast of the Week Jan. 13, Jan. 20 and Jan. 27.
Next up, the No. 6 Gym Dogs travel to Lexington, Ky., to take on No. 18 Kentucky on Friday at 7 p.m. Georgia returns home on Feb. 16, to host No. 1 Florida at 4 p.m


text:
A metal surface, particularly a tinplate surface of a can for canned food, is treated by contact with a solution containing a zirconium compound, particularly ammonium zirconium carbonate or zirconium acetate. An inorganic salt may also be present in the solution. The concentration of the zirconium compound, calculated as ZrO2, is in the range between 0.1 and 10% w/w. The surface is thereafter heated to a temperature in the range between 20° and 300° C. until it is dry. The surface may be cleaned prior to contact with the solution. In this way a coating is provided on the surface which improves the stain resistance of the surface.
1. A method of treating a tinplate surface comprising the steps: wetting said tinplate surface with a solution free of organic polymeric materials and consisting essentially of a solvent, and a zirconium compound selected from the group consisting of ammonium zirconium carbonate and zirconium acetate at a concentration, calculated as ZrO2, in the range between 0.1 and 10% w/w; and thereafter heating said tinplate surface to a temperature in the range between 20° and 300° C. until said surface is dry.
2. A method according to claim 1, wherein said solution also contains a minor amount of an inorganic salt selected from the group consisting of phosphates, silicates and borates.
3. A method according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said zirconium compound is ammonium zirconium carbonate.
4. A method according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said zirconium compound is zirconium acetate.
5. A method according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the concentration of said zirconium compound, calculated as ZrO2, is in the range between 0.2 and 2% w/w.
6. A method according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein said solvent is water.
7. A method according to claim 1 or claim 2, further comprising cleaning said tinplate surface, so as to make it capable of wetting by said solvent, prior to said wetting step.
8. A method according to claim 7, wherein said cleaning step comprises passing a current between said tinplate surface and an auxiliary electrode in said solution.
This invention relates to a method of treating a metal surface, particularly so as to protect the surface from sulphide staining. The invention also includes within its scope a surface which has been so treated and an article, particularly a can, having such a surface.
Untreated tinplate develops a dark irregular stain when in contact with a range of sulphur-bearing natural products under the conditions used in food processing. Sulphur-bearing proteins are present in many foods which are preserved in cans, and after processing the interior surface of the can is often discoloured to a marked degree due to the formation of metal sulphides, while the food in contact with such discoloured areas may itself become stained. The stain appears to be harmless, but is objectionable and should be avoided.
It is common practice to improve corrosion and stain resistance characteristics and paint bonding qualities of a metal surface by depositing on it a protective coating, known as a conversion coating, for example the treatment known as passivation in the tinplate industry. It is also known to subsequently treat the surface having the conversion coating to improve the qualities of the coating.
Conventionally the conversion coating for a variety of metals consists of a solution of phosphoric acid containing zinc oxide, chromic acid or soluble fluorides, depending upon the metal to be treated. Subsequent rinsing treatment usually consists of chromic acid and a soluble fluoride.
In view of the toxic nature of chromium VI compounds, it would be preferable to use an alternative, non-toxic material to produce a stain-resistant finish to tinplate. This is particularly important in the treatment of drawn plain containers.
Tin sulphide staining generally occurs where the tinplate surface is unprotected by a passivation film of the `cathodic dichromate` type. It takes the form of uneven discolouration of the surface and is expected on unlacquered two-piece containers because the passivation films are destroyed by the forming operations. Iron sulphide forms where the tinplate steel base is exposed in the headspace above a sulphur-bearing food product. The stains are black and can become detached from the tinplate. Unlacquered twopiece cans are highly susceptible to iron sulphide staining because the tin coating applied by the tinplate manufacturers is severely disrupted during the forming operation. Generally, where a product is believed to give rise to iron sulphide staining, lacquers are used to prevent the unsightly black stain forming.
It has been found that zirconium compounds are useful as components in conversion coating systems, which provide metal surfaces with some corrosion protection. The use of zirconium-containing materials, generally in conjunction with conventional phosphating processes is described in, for example, British Patent Specification No. 1,479,638. Some of the treatments described, it is claimed, improve the adhesion to subsequently applied lacquers.
It has also been proposed in British Patent Specifications Nos. 479,681 and 479,746 to prevent sulphide-staining of tinplate by anodic polarisation in dilute ammonia, ammonium carbonate or alkali metal phosphates. It is suggested that this treatment produces a stable tin oxide film that prevents the formation of metal sulphides during processing of food.
The most effective of the above-mentioned treatments involves the use of the toxic chromium VI compounds. The object of the present invention is to obviate the need for toxic chromium compounds whilst providing an equally or more effective treatment method.
According to the invention, a method of treating a metal surface comprises the steps: contacting said surface with a solution free of organic polymeric materials and comprising a solvent and a zirconium compound at a concentration, calculated as ZrO2, in the range between 0.1 and 10% w/w; and thereafter heating said surface to a temperature in the range between 20° and 300° C. until said surface is dry, said surface being capable of wetting by said solvent.
The solution may further comprise an inorganic salt, such as a phosphate, particularly Na3 PO4 or a silicate, particularly Na2 SiO3, or a borate.
The zirconium compound is preferably ammonium zirconium carbonate (hereinafter referred to as AZC), or zirconium acetate, and is preferably at a concentration, calculated as ZrO2, in the range between 0.2 and 2% w/w. The surface is preferably tinplate and the solvent is preferably water.
The method may comprise the further step of cleaning said surface, so as to make it capable of wetting by said solvent, prior to said contacting step. The cleaning step may comprise passing a current between said surface and an auxiliary electrode in said solution.
The invention will now be described by way of example only in the following examples. Two AZC solutions were obtained from a major UK supplier, Magnesium Elektron; one simply AZC, and the other a stabilised form, Bacote 20 containing traces of tartrate and citrate. Both solutions contain 20% w/w ZrO2. Most of the subsequent work involved Bacote 20.
After treatment in the solutions containing the zirconium compounds, the samples underwent a sulphide-staining test. They were placed in a dried pea and brine staining medium and heated to 121° C. in a pressure cooker for one hour. The degree of staining was assessed visually. Some samples were examined in a scanning electron microscope using an X-ray analyser.
To establish the conditions under which a sulphide stain-resistant finish can be produced on drawn tinplate using AZC, the following experiments were made.
Unwashed, drawn and wall-ironed (DWI) can sections were solvent cleaned by immersion in butyl cellosolve, followed by washing in hot (>90° C.) 25% Decon 90 solution and a distilled water rinse. The sections were then immersed in stabilised AZC solutions (0.002 to 20% w/w ZrO2) for a few seconds. The specimens were dried in an oven at 100° C. Similarly cleaned sections were briefly immersed in a dilute AZC solution (0.5% w/w ZrO2) and dried at temperatures ranging from 20° to 300° C.
The effectiveness of each treatment was assessed by subjecting the sample to the sulphide-staining test mentioned above. The results are shown in Table 1.
TABLE 1______________________________________SULPHIDE STAINING OF AZC TREATEDDWI CAN SECTIONS OvenConcentration of AZC Temperature SulphideAs Bacote 20(%) As ZrO2 (%) (°C.) Stain*______________________________________100 20 100 3-450 10 100 3-410 2 100 15 1 100 12.5 0.5 100 11 0.2 100 2-30.5 0.1 100 3-40.1 0.02 100 4-50.01 0.002 100 4-52.5 0.5 20 22.5 0.5 50 12.5 0.5 150 1-22.5 0.5 200 1-22.5 0.5 250 1-22.5 0.5 300 1-2Untreated DWI samples 5______________________________________ *Staining 1 None 2 Slight 3 Borderline acceptability 5 Severe (as received samples)
It is thus apparent that adequate sulphide stain resistance can be achieved by briefly immersing clean tinplate in an AZC solution of ZrO2 content between 0.1 and 10% and drying at temperatures between 20° and 300° C. The ZrO2 content is preferably between 0.2 and 2% w/w.
The results indicate that a protective film was produced on the clean surface when a dilute AZC solution was dried on the drawn tinplate. The film once formed was not destroyed by rinsing the can in water and redrying. The stain resistance did not arise either when undiluted AZC was dried or when the dilute AZC was not dried before staining. Of the specimens examined in the scanning electron microscope after staining, only those that did not stain had detectable zirconium on the surface.
The interaction that produces stain resistance occurs during the decomposition of the dilute AZC solution on the metal surface. A possible explanation of this effect may lie in the strong affinity of zirconium for oxygen. The decomposition of the AZC complex may allow the zirconium to attach to the tin oxides on the surface.
This bonding is likely to be strong and the complex zirconium oxide-tin oxide structure sufficiently stable to prevent sulphide ions reacting with the tin oxide during processing.
Zirconium was detected on the surface of stain-resistant, treated samples. It is most likely that it would be present as an oxide as it is not possible to electrodeposit zirconium metal from aqueous solutions.
Table 2 shows the results obtained when as received (uncleaned) sections cut from 211×400 plain tinplate cans, drawn and redrawn (DRD) using a lubricant, were treated in Bacote 20 and dilute Bacote 20 (1% ZrO2). Only the cathodically polarised specimen, subsequently rinsed in dilute Bacote 20 and dried before staining, had an adequate stain resistance.
TABLE 2______________________________________SULPHUR STAIN RESISTANCE OFDRD CAN SECTIONS TREATEDIN AZC (BACOTE 20) SUL- TREATED IN DRY- PHURSPECIMEN BACOTE 20 RINSE ING STAIN*______________________________________B None -- -- 51 Immersion Dilute B20 Oven 4-52 Cathodic Dilute B20 Oven 23 None Dilute B20 Oven 5______________________________________ *See Table 1
It is therefore apparent that sulphide stain resistance can be conferred to drawn tinplate when a dilute AZC solution dries on a clean surface. If the sample is not cleaned before immersion in AZC, the cathodic polarisation is required to allow adequate wetting of the metal surface. The current does not produce the surface active species, but merely cleans the surface of any corrosion-resistant (oil) coatings which have been applied, for example by the manufacturer, or of any lubricants which have been applied to the surface, e.g. in can-drawing. This electrolytic cleaning need not be carried out separately in an undiluted Bacote 20 solution, but could be carried out in situ in the dilute Bacote 20 solution, thus obviating the need for a separate cleaning step. If the cleaning step is to be carried out separately, then other cleaning means, e.g. solvents could be used.
A DWI can section, cleaned as described in Example 1, was immersed in a solution of zirconium acetate at a concentration (calculated as ZrO2) of 0.5% w/w and then dried in an oven at 100° C. The sample was then subjected to the sulphide-staining test and showed a resultant staining (referring to the scale in Table 1) of 2.
Conventionally, tinplate when received from the manufacturers has already been subjected to a passivation treatment, and in the previous Examples such passivated tinplate was used, the drawing processes described in those Examples destroying the effectiveness of any coatings on the tinplate.
In this Example unpassivated undrawn electrolytic tinplate was solvent-cleaned, as described in Example 1, then immersed in an AZC solution (0.5% w/w ZrO2), and then dried in an oven at 100° C. When subjected to the sulphide-staining test, this sample showed a staining of 1 (refferring again to the scale in Table 1). A control, being as received unpassivated undrawn tinplate, which was not treated with AZC, when subjected to the same test showed a staining of 5.
211×400 DRD (drawn and redrawn) cans were cleaned internally by cathodic treatment in 5 g/l solution of Na2 CO3, washed in distilled water and filled with the zirconium-containing solution. This solution was allowed to contact the whole can wall briefly before being poured out and reused. The cans were dried in an oven at 120° C.
The results are shown in the Table 3 below.
TABLE 3______________________________________ Degree of SulphideSolution Composition Staining*ZrO2 content % Inorganic % Tin Iron______________________________________2 Na3 PO4 1.5 1 22 Na3 PO4 1 1 12 Na2 SiO3 1 1 22 Na2 SiO3 0.75 2 21 Na2 SiO3 0.75 1 12 -- 1 42 Na2 B4 O7 1 2 32 K2 B4 O7 1 2-3 1-22 NaH2 PO4 1 2 42 KH2 PO4 1 2 42 NH4 H2 PO4 1 1-2 4______________________________________ *Degree of sulphide staining 1 Negligible 2 Slight 3 Borderline acceptability 4 Moderate 5 Severe
The above results indicate that additions of inorganic salts, particularly sodium silicate or trisodium phosphate can improve the iron sulphide staining resistance of drawn tinplate without seriously impairing the tin sulphide stain performance.
Although in the above Examples, reference has been made to immersion of the surface in the solution containing a zirconium compound, it will be apparent that any other means, for example spraying, of contacting the surface with the solution are equally feasible.
Summarising, zirconium compounds, particularly AZC and zirconium acetate, are capable of giving acceptable sulphide stain resistance to clean tinplate. The mechanism is not electrolytic and the only requirement is that a dilute AZC solution should dry in contact with the surface. The addition to the zirconium-containing solution of inorganic salts is also shown to be advantageous.
An immediate application for the invention might be in the treatment of DWI food cans, as either a replacement for chromate in the washer or preferably in place of the oil in the bodymaker. The latter course, if feasible, would reduce the size of the washer required. DWI food cans, successfully treated with AZC or zirconium acetate, would not require internal spray lacquering for some applications, and the cost of the lacquer could be saved.
The use of zirconium compounds to replace chromates in tinplate strip passivation would remove the cost of electricity and the equipment needed to provide a current and that required to ensure removal of toxic materials from the rinse water.
The method of the present invention is thus advantageous both practically and economically.
Citas de patentes
Citada por
Imagen original


text:
This week we've got Sanky guest posting. One of the five partners at AllofUs, an London based interactive design agency that looks at how technology can work with other creative disciplines.
Providing one of the best answers to the question, "What do your parents think you do?", check out that and the rest of his answers and posts by clicking the link below.


text:
Various improvements including:
Faster Listing display for all types of zip file (& HTML)
The Clipseek program now detects presence of 7za.EXE in \!filscrpt directory, and uses it to reveal the contents of zip,7z,GZIP,BZIP2,TAR files
7za.EXE is the Command line version 4.57 of 7-Zip
7-Zip Copyright (C) 1999-2007 Igor Pavlov.
7-Zip is a file archiver with high compression ratio.
7za.exe is a standalone command line version of 7-Zip.
Features of 7za.exe:
- High compression ratio in new 7z format
- Supported formats:
- Packing / unpacking: 7z, ZIP, GZIP, BZIP2 and TAR
- Unpacking only: Z
- Highest compression ratio for ZIP and GZIP formats.
- Fast compression and decompression
- Strong AES-256 encryption in 7z and ZIP formats.
7za.exe is a free software distributed under the GNU LGPL + BSD LICENSE for AES part.
Source code of 7za.exe and 7-Zip can be found at
7za.exe can work in Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista.
The Clipseek program still detects presence of WZUNZIP.EXE in
\!filscrpt directory, and uses it to reveal the contents of
ARJ,LZH,GZ,ACE,UUE,BZ2,JAR,ISO files.
WinZip(R) Command Line Support Add-On Version 1.0 (build 3181)
Copyright (C) 1991-2000 WinZip Computing, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
This WinZip Add-on requires WinZip 8.0


text:
Morriston Hospital staff 'chasing their tails' on the day man with learning difficulties died
Posted: May 02, 2013|
STAFF on a Morriston Hospital ward were so busy they were "running around chasing their tails" on the day a man with learning difficulties died, an inquest has been told.
And the inquest into the death of Paul Ridd was also told that his carers, who had joined the 53-year-old's family at his bedside, were asked by busy staff if they were able to carry out tasks for which they had not been trained.
Giving video evidence to the hearing at Swansea Civic Centre was Dr Charles Turton, an advisor to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman which upheld a number of complaints made by Mr Ridd's family about his treatment.
Asked whether the shortcomings in treatment amounted to gross failings, he said: "There were a number of shortcomings.
"Individually I do not think any were gross.
"My difficulty is whether or not taking them on the whole amounts to gross failings.
"I would say it is very, very close to gross. If it was in my team, I would have been profoundly uncomfortable about the care he had received".
Mr Ridd, of Ynysmaerdy Road, Briton Ferry, was admitted to the hospital's intensive therapy unit (ITU) on New Year's Eve 2008 for an operation on his perforated bowel. He died on January 23 due to secretions on his lungs which caused respiratory problems.
Lyn Williams, a manager for former support organisation Prospects, told the inquest he had known Paul for five years having cared for him, and that he had learning difficulties, epilepsy, and was non-verbal in his communication.
Describing Paul as "a character", he said that leading up to his death he had repeatedly asked staff for an air mattress, and that he had not been toileted.
Mr Ridd's carers were asked to change a bag containing his waste, and he added: "Support staff would have been willing to do anything, as long as there had been training provided."
A portmortem report concluded that the cause of death had been due to respiratory failure, with retention of secretions.
The inquest was also told that Mr Ridd had undergone a tracheostomy, and that secretions from his throat needed to be removed with regular suctions, but questions arose over whether the instructions were passed on when he was transferred from the ITU after 19 days to another ward.
Dr David Hope, ITU consultant, told the hearing he had made the instructions for suctions every two to four hours, which would have been recorded in his medical documents, but they had not been picked up in the handover process when transferring him from ITU to Ward G, as his condition appeared to be improving.
But he added that strict procedures had been introduced into Abertawe Bro Morgannwg University Health Board hospitals since Mr Ridd's death in an attempt to prevent a recurrence.
In his evidence, Dr Turton first praised the treatment Mr Ridd had received in the weeks before his death.
He said: "It was good care. But for the timely resuscitation, he would not have survived as long.
"The care was good in the emergency department and surgery would have been an extremely challenging operation."
But he said there were shortcomings below basic standards of care expected, and highlighted a lack of involvement with an intensive care outreach team.
Coroner Philip Rogers, chairing the inquest, asked him whether he would have expected to find such a team in a hospital the size of Morriston at the time of Mr Ridd's death in 2009.
Dr Turton said: "Yes.
"They would have been present in large hospitals."
The Ombudsman's report highlighted failings in the transfer from ITU to Ward G, and that observations had not been taken with necessary frequency.
It noted that Mr Ridd's consultant had clearly asked for attention from physiotherapists and speech and language therapists, but "it was not recorded this had happened" and that inadequate actions had been taken on the basis of deteriorating observations.
Dr Turton added: "It is unfortunate that after so much excellent care over three weeks, things went wrong at the end."
The inquest continues today.


text:
Sherlyn Chopra 2156
Sherlyn Chopra 2156
Popular Search Terms: sherlyn chopra, sherlyn, sherlyn chopra image
Please Note: Images may have been watermarked to prevent other sites from hotlinking or scraping.
Uploaded by : Minnie
Join India Forums for free to comment on this story. Have an account already?
Use Quick Login to comment.
View: 4859 Comments: 0
Celebrity : Sherlyn Chopra
Forum Code
HTML Embed Code


text:
Microsoft has come to terms with the big box store Best Buy and soon, we will see 600 Best Buy locations house a Microsoft store within a store. This is quite a retail expansion plan for Microsoft and of the 600 new locations that will be opening, the majority of them or 500, will be within the United States while the remaining 100 locations will be in Canada at either Best Buy or their sister company Future Shop.
It's believed that the rollout of these 600 new locations will be completed by the fall and we can expect these Windows Stores to range in size from 1,500 square feet and 2,200 square feet. The rollout of these new stores will also see some increase in complement as 1,200 employees will be trained to work in the stores. As these are Microsoft stores, you can bet that the focus will be solely on Microsoft products and we can expect them to carry the usual suspects including Windows PCs, phones, tablets, and gaming consoles such as the Xbox 360 and the Xbox One when it becomes available. These stores will also carry Microsoft software including the Office suite of products. It's a good move for Microsoft to open these stores as it allows them to expand their presence within the retail market quickly and with a lower cost then if they were to move forward without Best Buy as their partner.


text:
Sacred Duty
Discussing contemporary religion and culture with Ken Chitwood
Posts filtered on Category
A Common Thread: Religion, Elephants & Killing the Ivory Trade
There are 7 billion people in the world and counting and every one of them has a worldview, a lens through which the purpose and meaning of life is derived. These individuals gather together with others who have similar beliefs, establishing the more than 730 religions in the world and 3,200 different sects. But with such […] [Read More]
Houston tea shop serves up spirituality, offers path of peace
Driving down Shepherd Dr. is a stressful scenario. The constant congestion and occasional construction can push drivers to their wits' end. However, just down Alabama St., a block from the hectic pace of Shepherd, is a cafe offering tranquility. The Path of Tea, an organic tea house founded in 2006 by Thia and Chris McKann, […] [Read More]


text:
Text marketing is the new way to market, and if your retail business has yet to get started, time is being wasted. This form of marketing is quickly replacing text message marketing, helping increase awareness of the establishment while also building loyal brand customers. There
If you've yet to implement SMS marketing into your business plan, this is the year to do it. Text message marketing is the perfect way to market your brand and gain a loyal following of customers. This form of marketing works for almost any type
text message marketing. After you're done reading the stats, it will be clear to you exactly why it's rising as one of the most popular
SMS marketing providers continues to increase as well, making it more and more


text:
An interstitial brachytherapy apparatus of the invention delivers radioactive emissions in an asymmetric fashion to target tissue surrounding a surgical extraction site. The apparatus includes an expandable outer surface element defining an apparatus spatial volume, a radiation source disposed within the apparatus volume, and a means for providing predetermined asymmetric isodose curves within the target tissue. In one configuration, asymmetric isodose curves are created in the target tissue by shaping or locating the radiation source so as to be asymmetrically placed with respect to a longitudinal axis of the apparatus. In other configurations, asymmetric radiopaque shielding is provided between the radiation source and the target tissue. A surgical procedure using the apparatus is also described.
1. An interstitial brachytherapy apparatus for treating target tissue surrounding a surgical extraction comprising:
an expandable outer surface defining a three-dimensional apparatus volume configured to fill an interstitial void created by the surgical extraction of diseased tissue and define an inner boundary of the target tissue being treated;
a radiation source disposed completely within the expandable outer surface and located so as to be spaced apart from the apparatus volume, the radiation source further being asymmetrically located and arranged within the expandable surface to provide predetermined asymmetric isodose curves with respect to the apparatus volume.
2. A surgical apparatus for providing radiation treatment to target tissue comprising:
an expandable outer surface defining an apparatus volume;
a radiation source replaceably disposable within the expandable outer surface, the radiation source comprising a plurality of solid radiation sources arranged to provide predetermined asymmetric isodose curves within the target tissue, the plurality of solid radiation sources being provided in a spaced apart relationship on a single elongate member, the single elongate member being shaped to provide asymmetric placement of the spaced apart solid radiation sources with respect to a longitudinal axis through the apparatus volume.
3. The apparatus of
4. The apparatus of
5. A surgical apparatus for providing radiation treatment to target tissue comprising:
an expandable outer surface defining an apparatus volume;
a radiation source replaceably disposable within the expandable outer surface, the radiation source comprising a plurality of solid radiation sources arranged to provide predetermined asymmetric isodose curves within the target tissue, wherein at least one of the plurality of solid radiation sources has a different specific activity from at least one other solid radiation source.
6. A surgical apparatus for providing radiation treatment to target tissue comprising:
an expandable outer surface defining an apparatus volume;
a radiation source replaceably disposable within the expandable outer surface, the radiation source comprising a plurality of solid radiation sources arranged to provide predetermined asymmetric isodose curves within the target tissue, the plurality of radiation sources being provided on at least two elongate members extending into the apparatus volume, at least one of the elongate members being shaped to provide asymmetric placement of a radiation source with respect to a longitudinal axis through the apparatus volume.
7. The apparatus of
8. The apparatus of
9. An interstitial brachytherapy apparatus for treating target tissue surrounding a surgical extraction comprising:
an expandable outer surface having a base and defining a three-dimensional apparatus volume configured to fill an interstitial void created by the surgical extraction of diseased tissue and define an inner boundary of the target tissue being treated;
a radiation source disposed completely within and spaced apart from the expandable outer surface; and
an asymmetric radiation shield spaced apart from the radiation source, the asymmetric radiation shield providing predetermined asymmetric isodose curves with respect to the apparatus volume.
10. The apparatus of
11. The apparatus of
12. The apparatus of
13. The apparatus of
14. The apparatus of
This application is a continuation-in-part of co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/293,524, filed Apr. 15, 1999, pending which is a continuation-in-part U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/900,021, filed Jul. 24, 1997 (now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 5,913,813 to Williams et al.); the contents of these applications are specifically incorporated herein by reference.
The, invention relates generally to an apparatus for use in treating proliferative tissue disorders, and more particularly to an apparatus for the treatment of such disorders in the body by the application of radiation.
Malignant tumors are often treated by surgical resection of the tumor to remove as much of the tumor as possible. Infiltration of the tumor cells into normal tissue surrounding the tumor, however, can limit the therapeutic value of surgical resection because the, infiltration can be difficult or impossible to treat surgically. Radiation therapy can be used to supplement surgical resection by targeting the residual tumor margin after resection, with the goal of reducing its size or stabilizing it. Radiation therapy can be administered through one of several methods, or a combination of methods, including external-beam radiation, stereotactic radiosurgery, and permanent or temporary interstitial brachytherapy. The term "brachytherapy," as used herein, refers to radiation therapy delivered by a spatially confined radioactive material inserted into the body at or near a tumor or other proliferative tissue disease site. Owing to the proximity of the radiation source, brachytherapy offers the advantage of delivering a more localized dose to the target tissue region.
For example, brachytherapy is performed by implanting radiation sources directly into the tissue to be treated. Brachytherapy is most appropriate where 1) malignant tumor regrowth occurs locally, within 2 or 3 cm of the original boundary of the primary tumor site; 2) radiation therapy is a proven treatment for controlling the growth of the malignant tumor; and 3) there is a radiation dose-response relationship for the malignant tumor, but the dose that can be given safely with conventional external beam radiotherapy is limited by the tolerance or normal tissue. In brachytherapy, radiation doses are highest in close proximity to the radiotherapeutic source, providing a high tumor dose while sparing surrounding normal tissue. Interstitial brachytherapy is useful for treating malignant brain and breast tumors, among others.
Interstitial brachytherapy is traditionally carried out using radioactive seeds such as 125I seeds. These seeds, however, produce inhomogeneous dose distributions. In order to achieve a minimum prescribed dosage throughout a target region of tissue, high activity seeds must be used, resulting in very high doses being delivered in some regions in proximity to the seed or seeds which can cause radionecrosis in healthy tissue. One attempt to address this problem, at least with respect to limiting dosages to critical organs near the radioactive seed site, has been to provide a shield directly on a portion of the seed or on an applicator that holds the seed to shield the particularly sensitive tissue. (E.g., Nath et al., Development of an 241Am Applicator for Intracavitary Irradiation of Gynecologic Cancers, Intl. J. Radiation Oncology Biol. Phys., Vol., 14, pp. 969-978.) While this approach may be appropriate for some applications, it may still be overly "hot" for treating proximate tissue on the unshielded side of the seed, while not providing an effective dose on the shielded side of the seed.
Williams U.S. Pat. No. 5,429,582, entitled "Tumor Treatment," describes a method and apparatus for treating tissue surrounding a surgically excised tumor with radioactive emissions to kill any cancer cells that may be present in the tissue surrounding the excised tumor. In order to implement the radioactive emissions, Williams provides a catheter having an inflatable balloon at its distal end that defines a distensible reservoir. Following surgical removal of a tumor, the surgeon introduces the balloon catheter into the surgically created pocket left following removal of the tumor. The balloon is then inflated by injecting a fluid having one or more radionuclides into the distensible reservoir via a lumen in the catheter.
The apparatus described in Williams solves some of the problems found when using radioactive seeds for interstitial brachytherapy, but leaves some problems unresolved. The absorbed dose rate at a target point exterior to a radioactive source is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the radiation source and the target point. s a result, where the radioactive source has sufficient activity to deliver a prescribed dose, say 2 centimeters into the target tissue, the tissue directly adjacent the wall of the distensible reservoir, where the distance to the radioactive source is very small, may still be overly "hot" to the point where healthy tissue necrosis may result. In general, the amount of radiation desired by the physician is a certain minimum amount that is delivered to a region up to about two centimeters away from the wall of the excised tumor. It is desirable to keep the radiation that is delivered to the tissue in the target treatment region within a narrow absorbed dose range to prevent over-exposure to tissue at or near the reservoir wall, while still delivering the minimum prescribed dose at the maximum prescribed distance from the reservoir wall. It is also desirable, at least in some applications, to provide these advantages while tailoring the radiation dosage to avoid fully dosing sensitive tissue or to reduce the amount of radiation that escapes the patient's body.
There its still a need for an instrument which can be used to deliver radiation from a radioactive source to target tissue within the human body with a desired intensity and at a predetermined distance from the radiation source without over-exposure of body tissues disposed between the radiation source and the target, and with the ability to shape the radiation dose to protect sensitive tissue or to protect against radiation exposure outside of the patient's body which may affect healthcare providers or others who might come close to the patient.
The present invention solves the problems described above by providing an interstitial brachytherapy apparatus for delivering radioactive emissions in an asymmnetric fashion to target tissue surrounding a surgical extraction site. The apparatus includes an expandable outer surface element defining an apparatus spatial volume, a radiation source disposed within the apparatus volume, and a means for providing predetermined asymmnetric isodose profile within the target tissue.
In one configuration, asymmetric isodose curves are created in the target tissue by shaping or locating the radiation source so as to be asymmetrically placed with respect to a longitudinal axis of the apparatus. In one example of an apparatus having this configuration, an inner volume containing a liquid radioisotope is asymmetrically placed within the apparatus volume so as to result in an isodose profile in the target tissue that is asymmetric about the longitudinal axis of the apparatus.
In another example, the radiation source comprises a plurality of spaced apart solid radioactive particles disposed within the apparatus volume and arranged to provide a predetermined asymmetric isodose curve within the target tissue. In one particular example, the plurality of spaced apart radioactive particles are provided on a single elongate member that is shaped so that some of the radioactive particles are farther from the longitudinal axis of the apparatus than others. In other particular examples, a plurality of members carrying radioactive particles are provided with at least one of the members being shaped so as to place at least one radioactive particle asymmetrically with respect to the longitudinal axis of the apparatus.
An interstitial brachytherapy apparatus of the invention may also be implemented in a device having an expandable outer surface defining an apparatus volume, a radiation source disposed within and spaced apart from the expandable outer surface, and at least one asymmnetric radiation shield spaced apart from the radiation source, the asymmetric radiation shielding resulting in predetermined asymmetric isodose curves with in the target tissue. In one embodiment, radiopaque shielding is provided on a portion of the expandable outer surface. In another embodiment, the radiation source is encompassed within a second, inner surface within the apparatus volume, with radiopaque shielding provided on at least a portion of the inner surface. In still further embodiments, one or more radiation shields are spaced apart from the radiation source and within the apparatus volume to achieve the desired asymmetric isodose distribution within the target tissue.
The invention also provides a method for treating a proliferating tissue disease using interstitial brachytherapy at an internal body location. The method includes surgically creating access to the proliferating tissue within a patient and surgically resecting at least a portion of the proliferating tissue to create a resection cavity within body tissue. An interstitial brachytherapy apparatus for delivering radioactive emissions as described above is then provided and intra-operatively placed into the resection cavity. After a prescribed absorbed dose has been delivered to tissue surrounding the apparatus, the apparatus is removed. The radioactive source material may be placed into the interstitial brachytherapy apparatus after the apparatus is placed in the resection cavity, and may be removed before the apparatus is removed. The method has particular applications to brain and breast cancers.
The foregoing features, objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment, especially when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
FIG. 1 is a side view of an interstitial brachytherapy apparatus of the invention for delivering asymmetric radioactive doses to body tissue;
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 2—2 in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a side view of an additional embodiment of an interstitial brachytherapy apparatus of the invention;
FIG. 3A is an end view of the interstitial brachytherapy apparatus of FIG. 3;
FIG. 4 is a side view of an additional embodiment of an interstitial brachytherapy apparatus of the invention;
FIG. 5 is a side view of an interstitial brachytherapy apparatus of the invention configured for use with a liquid radiation source.
FIG. 6 is a side view of an interstitial brachytherapy device of the invention employing radiopaque coatings;
FIG. 7 is a side view of an interstitial brachytherapy device of the invention employing radiopaque coating and a liquid radiation source; and
FIGS. 8 and 9 are end views of interstitial brachytherapy devices of the invention employing radiopaque shields.
A surgical instrument 10 for providing radiation treatment to proliferative tissue in a living patient is illustrated in FIG. 1. Surgical instrument 10 includes a tubular body member 12 having first and second lumens 14 and 16 (FIG. 2) extending from proximal ports 18 and 20 in a molded hub 22. The first lumen 14 carries a radioactive source 24 and second lumen 16 communicates with inflation port 26 formed through the side wall of the tube 12.
Affixed to the tubular body 12 proximate the distal end 28 thereof is an outer spatial volume 30 defined by an outer polymeric film barrier 32 that is appropriately spaced from the radioactive source 24. Outer volume 30 encompasses inflation port 26. With no limitation intended, the distensible polymeric film walls may comprise a biocompatible, radiation resistant polymer, such as silastic rubbers, polyurethanes, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyester, or PVC. The outer spatial volume 30 may be filled with air, saline or, alternatively, a radiation absorbing fluid, such as a contrast media used in angiography. Alternatively, the surface of outer volume 30 need not be a solid material. For example the surface of the outer volume 30 could be an expandable cage formed from a shape memory metal, such as nitinol, or a suitable plastic, such as an expandable polyethylene cage. Such a cage can be formed in the desired shape to conform to a particular isodose profile, contracted for delivery to the target site in vivo, then expanded to cause the tissue surrounding the surgically resected region to take the appropriate shape. The size of the outer spatial volume 30 generally will correspond approximately to the amount of tissue resected. For some applications, the size of the outer spatial volume 30 may be slightly smaller than the resected volume while for other applications, the outer spatial volume will be slightly larger than the resected volume, allowing the expandable surface of the outer spatial volume to urge tissue on the surface of the resected region into the appropriate shape to promote an even dose distribution around the outer spatial volume in the target tissue. In typical applications, the outer spatial volume has a diameter of approximately 2 to 6 centimeters.
Radiation source 24 comprises a wire 34 having one or more solid radioactive particles 36 located on the wire 34. For example, radioactive micro spheres of the type available from the 3M Company of St. Paul, Minn., may be used as the solid radioactive particles. Such a solid radioactive particle configuration offers an advantage in that it allows a wider range of radionuclides than if one is limited to liquids. Solid radionuclides that could be used with the delivery device of the present invention are currently generally available as brachytherapy radiation sources. Examples of radioactive materials which can be selected by a person of ordinary skills in the art for use with the present invention may be found in Tables 1 to 4 of PCT Publication WO 97/19723, which is hereby incorporated by reference.
The, radioactive source 24 can either be preloaded into the catheter at the time of manufacture, or loaded into the device after it has been implanted into the space formerly occupied by the excised tumor. If loaded after implantation, the solid radiation emitting material 36 can be inserted through lumen 14 on a wire 34, for example using an afterloader (not shown).
Radiation source 24 has an asymmetric configuration with respect to a longitudinal axis 38 of the instrument 10. That is, radiation source 24 is shaped so as to result in an isodose profile 40 that varies radially about the longitudinal axis 38. More simply, the isodose profile 40 of FIG. 1 has a shorter radius from the longitudinal axis 38 on the top side of the instrument 10 as shown in FIG. 1 than on the bottom side. The asymmetrically shaped isodose curve 40 may be created by providing a plurality of solid radioactive particles 36 on a curved wire 34 in a spaced apart relationship. This configuration will result in certain of the solid radioactive particles 36 being farther from the longitudinal axis 38 of the instrument 10 than others, and will result in the illustrated asymmetric isodose profile 40. One way to provide the illustrated radioactive source 24 configuration is to form wire 34 from a solid or tubular shape memory alloy such as nickel-titanium alloys known in the art to have such properties. Wire 34 can then be preformed to the desired shape, can be compressed into a substantially straight configuration to pass through lumen 14, and will resume its desired shape once inside volume 30 where wire 34 will be free from steric constraints imposed inside the lumen 14. The resulting asymmetric isodose curve 40 can be further tailored by using solid radioactive particles 36 having differing specific activities to achieve the desired dosing.
In,one embodiment, volume 30 and barrier 32 act to separate target tissue from the radiation source 24. Ideally, radiation therapy should make use the inherent difference in radiosensitivity between the tumor and the adjacent normal tissues to destroy cancerous tissue while causing minimal disruption to surrounding normal tissues. At high doses of radiation, however, the percentage of exposed cells that survive treatment decreases with first-order kinetics in proportion to increasing radiation dose. With increasing cell death comes increasing risk of necrosis or tissue death in healthy tissue that is treated with a high dose of radiation. Accordingly, it is desirable to keep the maximum radiation dose delivered by the brachytherapy apparatus as low as possible while still delivering the desired therapeutic dose to the desired range of tissue. One method for achieving this result is to provide a "hotter" radiation source in a spaced apart relationship to the target tissue. In this way, because the intensity of the radiation emitted by a source drops with the square of the distance from the source, the effective dosage may be maintained below necrosis levels in target tissue closest to the interstitial brachytherapy apparatus while providing the required dosage to a greater depth into the target tissue. (See, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 5,913,813 which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.) The capability of the apparatus of the invention to deliver absorbed doses deeper into the target tissue than prior interstitial brachytherapy devices while controlling the dose in proximity to the apparatus to reduce or eliminate the risk of healthy tissue necrosis allows for the use of brachytherapy in a greater number of cases.
For example, it is desirable to provide an interstitial brachytherapy device configured to provide a dose in a therapeutic range, say between 40 to 60 Gray, at a distance between 0.5 and 1.0 cm from the outer spatial volume for an outer spatial volume having a diameter of 4.0 cm and being in contact with the resection cavity wall. In a typical embodiment, the radioactive source material ranges from approximately 150 to 450 mCi in activity and encompasses most of the target treatment area with a 0.4 to 0.6 Gray/hour isodose contour. At this treatment rate, treatment may be completed in approximately 3 to 7 days, or more commonly, in approximately 3 to 5 days.
In some applications, the desired dosing profile is consistent with the shape of the outer volume 30. That is, the absorbed dose within the target tissue at points equidistant from the surface 32 of the outer spatial volume 30 should be substantially uniform in substantially every direction. Put another way, the three dimensional isodose profiles generated by the radiation source should be substantially similar in shape to the outer spatial volume 30. Where the apparatus of the invention is deployed in soft tissue, it may also be important for the surface 32 of the outer spatial volume 30 to be sufficiently firm so as to force the target tissue to take on the shape of the surface 30 so that the desired relationship between the isodose profiles and the target tissue is achieved
While the interstitial brachytherapy device 10 of FIG. 1 may employ these techniques to positive effect, this device specifically alters the isodose profile for applications where particularly sensitive tissue or other concerns result in a desire to limit the dosage on one or more sides of the device as illustrated by isodose curve 40.
In a further embodiment of the brachytherapy device 50 of the invention, illustrated in FIG. 3, three solid radiation particles 52 are provided in a linear portion 54 of radiation source 56, while two additional radiation particles 52 are provided on co-planar extending portions 58, 60 of radiation source 56. An end view of the device 50 of FIG. 3 is shown in FIG. 3A with extending portions 58, 60 provided in a single plane 62, and resulting in isodose profile 64. A second inner, expandable surface 66 can also be provided within outer surface 68; the inner surface 66 enclosing the entirety of radiation source 56.
By providing extending portions 58, 60 having radioactive particles in the indicated co-planar relationship, areas of reduced dosage can be created on opposed sides of the device while maintaining symmetric dosing in all other directions. Of course, the number of sources and their configuration can be changed to create a desired asymmetric dosage. For example, an additional source could be added, for example above plane 62, to result in a symmetric isodose profile in all directions except the direction below the plane 62 which would have a lower dosage.
An additional device 80 of the invention, shown in FIG. 4, includes a radiation source 82 that is made up of three wires 84, 86, 88, each having a plurality of solid radiation particles. Wire 86 is a straight wire extending along the longitudinal axis 90 of the device, while wires 84, 88 each curve as wire 34 described above with respect to FIG. 1. Wires 84, 88 are coplanar, resulting in an isodose profile 92 that is similar to isodose profile 64 of FIG. 3A. That is, the isodose profile will be symmetric in the plane in which the wires 84, 88 are disposed, but will have areas of reduced dosage in directions transverse to that plane (i.e., in FIG. 4, in the directions into and out of the page). As with the device 50 of FIGS. 3 and 3A, device 80 can be configured with more or fewer wires 84, 86, 88, and can be provided in configurations other than the depicted co-planar configuration in order to achieve desired asymmetric isodose profiles.
The asymmetric dosing effect achieved by the devices described above can also be achieved using a liquid radiation source. For example, device 100, illustrated in FIG. 5, has an outer surface 102 defining an outer volume 104 and an inner surface 106 defining an inner volume 108. The inner surface 106 is asymmetrically shaped or located with respect to the longitudinal axis 110 of the device 100 so as to result in the desired asymmetric dosing when the inner volume 108 is filled with a radioactive fluid. The inner volume 108 is spaced apart from the outer surface 102 and can be filled with a material containing a predetermined radionuclide, for example, I-125, I-131, Yb-169 or other source of radiation, such as radionuclides that emit photons, beta particles, gamma radiation, or other therapeutic rays. The radioactive material contained within the inner volume 108 can be a fluid made from any solution of radionuclide(s), e.g., a solution of Ir-192, I-125 or I-131. A radioactive fluid can also be produced using a slurry of a suitable fluid containing small particles of solid radionuclides, such as Au-198, Y-90. Moreover, the radionuclide(s) can be embodied in a gel. One radioactive material useful in the invention is lotrex™, a sterile single use, non-pyrogenic solution containing sodium 3-(125I)iodo-4-hydroxybenzenesulfonate (125I-HIBS), available from Proxima Therapeutics, Inc. of Alpharetta, Ga. The inner volume 108 may be filled with radioactive fluid through port 112. Similarly, outer volume 104 can be filled on inflated using port 114.
A desired asymmetric dosing profile having the dosing characteristics described above may also be created by using asymmetric shielding between the radiation source and the target tissue as illustrated in FIGS. 6 through 9. In the device 120 of FIG. 6, a balloon 122 is located on the distal end of catheter 124. Radioactive particles 126 are disposed along the longitudinal axis 128 of the device. A portion of the surface, either inner or outer, of balloon 122 is coated with a radiopaque material 130 to result in asymmetric isodose curve 132. Radiopaque materials suitable for coating onto a polymeric surface of balloon 122 include, for example, barium, tungsten, bismuth, tantalum and tin.
A further device 140 having radiopaque shielding 142 is illustrated in FIG. 7. Device 140 includes an outer volume surface 144 and an inner volume surface 146. Inner surface 146 may contain a liquid radiation source, or may enclose one or more solid particles as used in device 120 (FIG. 6). In device 140, the radiopaque material 142 is coated onto a portion of either the inner or outer side of the inner volume surface 146, resulting in a desired asymmetric isodose profile 148.
Additional devices 160, 180 of the invention having radiation shielding 162 are illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 9, respectively. In these devices 160, 180, one or more radiation shields 162 are provided between and spaced apart from a radiation source (not shown) located along a longitudinal axis 164 of the device and the target tissue, which will be located outside of expandable surface 166. The radiation source can include a liquid or a solid radiation source as described above. Shields 162 can be formed from radiopaque materials including those described above with respect to the radiopaque coating and can extend longitudinally from a base on the device located within the expandable surface 166.
As shown in FIG. 8, device 160 has two radiation shields 162 on opposed sides of catheter 168. This configuration results in lower radiation dosing on the two sides of the device 160 on which the shields 162 are located as shown by isodose curve 170. Device 180 (FIG. 9) has a single radiation shield 162 resulting in an asymmetric isodose curve 182 as shown. A person or ordinary skill in the art will recognize that other configurations may be employed to achieve desired isodose curves.
The interstitial brachytherapy apparatus of the invention can be used in the treatment of a variety of malignant tumors, and is especially useful for in the treatment of brain and breast tumors.
Many breast cancer patients are candidates for breast conservation surgery, also known as lumpectomy, a procedure that is generally performed on early stage, smaller tumors. Breast conservation surgery is typically followed by postoperative radiation therapy Studies report that 80% of breast cancer recurrences after conservation surgery occur near the original tumor site, strongly suggesting that a tumor bed "boost" of local radiation to administer a strong direct dose may be effective in killing any remaining cancer and preventing recurrence at the original site. The apparatus described herein can be used for either the primary or boost therapy. Numerous studies and clinical trials have established equivalence of survival for appropriate patients treated with conservation surgery plus radiation therapy compared to mastectomy.
Surgery and radiation therapy are also the standard treatments for malignant solid brain tumors. The goal of surgery is to remove as much of the tumor as possible without damaging vital brain tissue. The ability to remove the entire malignant tumor is limited by its tendency to infiltrate adjacent normal tissue. Partial removal reduces the amount of tumor to be treated by radiation therapy and, under some circumstances, helps to relieve symptoms by reducing pressure on the brain.
A method according to the invention for treating these and other malignancies begins by surgical resection of a tumor site to remove at least a portion of the cancerous tumor and create a resection cavity. Following tumor resection, but prior to closing the surgical site, the surgeon intra-operatively places an interstitial brachytherapy catheter apparatus, having an inner spatial volume and an outer spatial volume as described above but without having the radioactive source material loaded, into the tumor resection cavity. Once the patient has sufficiently recovered from the surgery, the interstitial brachytherapy catheter is loaded with a radiation source. The radioactive source dwells in the catheter until the prescribed dose of radiotherapy is delivered, typically for approximately a week or less. The radiation source is then retrieved and the catheter is removed. The radiation treatment may end upon removal of the brachytherapy apparatus, or the brachytherapy may be supplemented by further doses of radiation supplied externally.
It will be understood that the foregoing is only illustrative of the principles of the invention, and that various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention, including, but not limited to, combinations of elements from different embodiments found herein. All references cited herein are expressly incorporated by reference in their entirety.
Patent Citations
Non-Patent Citations
Referenced by
Legal Events
Original Image