ABSTRACT
Objective The diagnosis of allergic diseases mainly relies on the allergen skin test or in vitro specific IgE test. This study was to explore the diagnostic efficiency of EUROLine and its application in southern China by reference to the standard method of the immunoenzymatic capsulated hydrophilic carrier polymer (ImmunoCAP).Methods Using the EUROLine system, we examined 12 common specific IgEs (sIgE) from 283 patients with multiple sensitizations in the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, including cockroach (i6), dog dander (e2), cat dander (e1), Mugwort (w6), ragweed (w1), dust mites (ds1), chicken protein (f1), milk (f2), crab (f23), shrimp (f24), peanut (f13) and soybean (f14).Results EUROLine showed that house dust mite allergens were the main aeroallergens in southern China, with a positive rate of 66.3%, while egg white had the highest positive rate (53.2%) in food allergens. The overall rate of the allergens detected by EUROLine was consistent to that of ImmunoCAP by 60.8%-90.1%, the positive rate by 63.3%-93.6%, and the negative rate by 54.5%-95.2%. The Kappa value of EUROLine was 0.203-0.702 in detecting each allergen and >0.6 with cat hair, egg white, peanut, milk and mugwort. The rank correlation coefficient between ImmunoCAP and EUROLine was >0.7 for dust mite combination, cat hair, mugwort, egg white, milk, peanut and crab allergens, with the highest consistency rate for egg white (93.17% \[191/205\]), the lowest for shrimp (70.83% \[170/240\]), and an overall consistency rate of 82.68% (1542/1865).Conclusion The EUROLine system has a high diagnostic performance, and it is inexpensive, efficient and applicable in the detection of allergens in southern China.
ABSTRACT
Objective To evaluate the dose distribution in clinical target volume (CTV) and organs-at-risk (OARs) in three dimension therapy plans in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of tongue receiving postoperative intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) or conventional radiotherapy (CRT) by dosimetric study. Methods Thirty-five patients with squamous cell carcinoma of tongue were divided into CRT group(n=17) and IMRT group(n=18). All patients underwent head-and-neck immobilization with a thermoplastic mask and planning CT scan, and target volume and OARs were contoured. Dose calculation and plan optimization were performed. All three dimension plans passed quality assurance before treatment. The dosimetry of therapy plans with IMRT or CRT in target volume and OARs dose distribution was compared by dose-volume histogram (DVH), conformity index (CI) and homogeneous index (HI). Results There were significant differences in D95 (isodose line to cover 95 percent target volume), CI, HI, minimum dose and maximum dose in CTV of therapy plans between patients with IMRT and CRT(P < 0.01), and there was no significant difference in mean dose of CTV(P > 0.05). The radiation dose on salivary glands (both parotid glands and contralateral submandibular gland) in patients with IMRT was significantly lower than that in patients with CRT(P < 0.01). Conclusion Compared with dose distribution of CRT plans, there are more advantages in improving dose distribution at the target volume and sparing salivary glands in IMRT therapy plans in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of tongue.