BackgroundTo analyse the overall clinical outcome and benefits by applying protocol based image guided adaptive brachytherapy combined with 3D conformal external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) ± chemotherapy (ChT).MethodsTreatment schedule was EBRT with 45–50.4 Gy ± concomitant cisplatin chemotherapy plus 4 × 7 Gy High Dose Rate (HDR) brachytherapy. Patients were treated in the “protocol period” (2001–2008) with the prospective application of the High Risk CTV concept (D90) and dose volume constraints for organs at risk including biological modelling. Dose volume adaptation was performed with the aim of dose escalation in large tumours (prescribed D90 > 85 Gy), often with inserting additional interstitial needles. Dose volume constraints (D2cc) were 70–75 Gy for rectum and sigmoid and 90 Gy for bladder.Late morbidity was prospectively scored, using LENT/SOMA Score. Disease outcome and treatment related late morbidity were evaluated and compared using actuarial analysis.FindingsOne hundred and fifty-six consecutive patients (median age 58 years) with cervix cancer FIGO stages IB–IVA were treated with definitive radiotherapy in curative intent. Histology was squamous cell cancer in 134 patients (86%), tumour size was >5 cm in 103 patients (66%), lymph node involvement in 75 patients (48%). Median follow-up was 42 months for all patients.Interstitial techniques were used in addition to intracavitary brachytherapy in 69/156 (44%) patients. Total prescribed mean dose (D90) was 93 ± 13 Gy, D2cc 86 ± 17 Gy for bladder, 65 ± 9 Gy for rectum and 64 ± 9 Gy for sigmoid.Complete remission was achieved in 151/156 patients (97%). Overall local control at 3 years was 95%; 98% for tumours 2–5 cm, and 92% for tumours >5 cm (p = 0.04), 100% for IB, 96% for IIB, 86% for IIIB. Cancer specific survival at 3 years was overall 74%, 83% for tumours 2–5 cm, 70% for tumours >5 cm, 83% for IB, 84% for IIB, 52% for IIIB. Overall survival at 3 years was in total 68%, 72% for tumours 2–5 cm, 65% for tumours >5 cm, 74% for IB, 78% for IIB, 45% for IIIB.In regard to late morbidity in total 188 grade 1 + 2 and 11 grade 3 + 4 late events were observed in 143 patients. G1 + 2/G3 + 4 events for bladder were n = 32/3, for rectum n = 14/5, for bowel (including sigmoid) n = 3/0, for vagina n = 128/2, respectively.Interpretation3D conformal radiotherapy ± chemotherapy plus image (MRI) guided adaptive intracavitary brachytherapy including needle insertion in advanced disease results in local control rates of 95–100% at 3 years in limited/favourable (IB/IIB) and 85–90% in large/poor response (IIB/III/IV) cervix cancer patients associated with a moderate rate of treatment related morbidity. Compared to the historical Vienna series there is relative reduction in pelvic recurrence by 65–70% and reduction in major morbidity. The local control improvement seems to have impact on CSS and OS. Prospective clinical multi-centre studies are mandatory to evaluate these challenging mono-institutional findings.

Graphical abstract

No abstract

Abstract.To reliably determine the spectroscopic signature of rapidly oscillating chemically peculiar (roAp) stars it is also necessary to investigate a sample of non pulsating chemically peculiar (noAp) as well as presumably "normal" stars. We describe in this study the sample of spectroscopically investigated stars and comment on the techniques used for the analysis. In particular we discuss ionization disequilibria of rare earths in roAp stars that distinguish them from noAp stars. In the light of the recently discovered pulsation of β CrB we see arguments that all magnetic CP2 stars up to a transition temperature of about 8100 K may be pulsating.

-We present new absolute trigonometric parallaxes and proper motions for seven Pop II variable stars: five RR Lyr variables; RZ Cep, XZ Cyg, SU Dra, RR Lyr, UV Oct; and two type 2 Cepheids; VY Pyx and κ Pav. We obtained these results with astrometric data from Fine Guidance Sensors, white-light interferometers on Hubble Space Telescope. We find absolute parallaxes in milliseconds of arc: RZ Cep, 2.12 ± 0.16 mas; XZ Cyg, 1.67 ± 0.17 mas; SU Dra, 1.42 ± 0.16 mas; RR Lyr, 3.77±0.13 mas; UV Oct, 1.71±0.10 mas; VY Pyx, 6.44±0.23 mas; and κ Pav, 5.57±0.28 mas; an average σ π /π = 5.4%. With these parallaxes we compute absolute magnitudes in V and K bandpasses corrected for interstellar extinction and Lutz-Kelker-Hanson bias. Using these RRL absolute magnitudes, we then derive zero-points for M V -[Fe/H] and M K -[Fe/H]-Log P relations. The technique of reduced parallaxes corroborates these results. We employ our new results to determine distances and ages of several Galactic globular clusters and the distance of the LMC. The latter is close to that previously derived from Classical Cepheids uncorrected for any metallicity effect, indicating that any such effect is small. We also discuss the somewhat puzzling results obtained for our two type 2 Cepheids.

Abstract.We have discovered an extraordinarily large mean longitudinal magnetic field of 7.5 kG in the ultra-cool low mass Ap star HD 154708 using FORS 1 in spectropolarimetric mode. From UVES spectra, we have measured a mean magnetic field modulus of 24.5 kG. This is the second-largest mean magnetic field modulus ever measured in an Ap star. Furthermore, it is very likely that this star is one of the coolest and least massive among the Ap stars and is located in the H-R diagram in the same region in which rapidly oscillating Ap stars have been detected. We note that all known roAp stars have much smaller magnetic fields, by at least a factor of three.

Abstract. Generally, chemical peculiarity found for stars on the upper main sequence excludes δ Scuti type pulsation (e.g. Ap and Am stars), but for the group of λ Bootis stars it is just the opposite. This makes them very interesting for asteroseismological investigations. The group of λ Bootis type stars comprises late B-to early F-type, Population I objects which are basically metal weak, in particular the Fe group elements, but with the clear exception of C, N, O and S. The present work is a continuation of the studies by Paunzen et al. ( , 1998, who presented first results on the pulsational characteristics of the λ Bootis stars. Since then, we have observed 22 additional objects; we found eight new pulsators and confirmed another one. Furthermore, new spectroscopic data (Paunzen 2001) allowed us to sort out misidentified candidates and to add true members to the group. From 67 members of this group, only two are not photometrically investigated yet which makes our analysis highly representative. We have compared our results on the pulsational behaviour of the λ Bootis stars with those of a sample of δ Scuti type objects. We find that at least 70% of all λ Bootis type stars inside the classical instability strip pulsate, and they do so with high overtone modes (Q < 0.020 d). Only a few stars, if any, pulsate in the fundamental mode. Our photometric results are in excellent agreement with the spectroscopic work on high-degree nonradial pulsations by Bohlender et al. (1999). Compared to the δ Scuti stars, the cool and hot borders of the instability strip of the λ Bootis stars are shifted by about 25 mmag, towards smaller (b− y) 0 . Using published abundances and the metallicity sensitive indices of the Geneva 7-colour and Strömgren uvbyβ systems, we have derived [Z] values which describe the surface abundance of the heavier elements for the group members. We find that the PeriodLuminosity-Colour relation for the group of λ Bootis stars is within the errors identical with that of the normal δ Scuti stars. No clear evidence for a statistically significant metallicity term was detected.

No abstract