CABAS: a freely available PC program for fitting calibration curves in chromosome aberration dosimetry

Abstract

The aim of biological dosimetry is to estimate the dose and the associated uncertainty to which an accident victim was exposed. This process requires the use of the maximum-likelihood method for fitting a calibration curve, a procedure that is not implemented in most statistical computer programs. Several laboratories have produced their own programs, but these are frequently not user-friendly and not available to outside users. We developed a software for fitting a linear-quadratic dose-response relationship by the method of maximum-likelihood and for estimating a dose from the number of aberrations observed. The program called as CABAS consists of the main curve-fitting and dose estimating module and modules for calculating the dose in cases of partial body exposure, for estimating the minimum number of cells necessary to detect a given dose of radiation and for calculating the dose in the case of a protracted exposure. The program is freely available at http://www.pu.kielce.pl/ibiol/cabas.

Dose estimation by chromosome aberration analysis and micronucleus assays in victims accidentally exposed to60Co radiation

“…Moreover, the data about the irradiated fraction and dose to the irradiated fraction has been published in another paper from our institute [21]. The use of this program is convenient, and we expect that its use will improve the precision of dose estimates by biological dosimetry in cases of radiation accidents [12].…”

“…Deperas et al [12] developed the CABAS software, which consists of the main curve-fitting and doseestimating module, and modules for calculating the dose in cases of partial body exposure, for estimating the minimum number of cells necessary to detect a given dose of radiation and for calculating the dose in the case of a protracted exposure. Using the CABAS-2 software, we estimated the yield to exposed fraction, the partial body dose and other exposure measurements ( Table 8).…”

RENEB intercomparison exercises analyzing micronuclei (Cytokinesis-block Micronucleus Assay)

“…The MN scores resulting from the assessment of all samples were converted to dose estimates by the participants on the basis of the individual laboratories calibration curves using the software packages 'Dose estimate_v5.1' (Ainsbury and Lloyd 2010) or 'CABAS v2.0' (Deperas et al 2007). A first result in respect to the dose estimations is that all labs, when reporting their data to the coordinating partner, correctly classified which sample was the control, the lowdose, high-dose and partial-body dose.…”

Implementation of a dose–response curve for γ-radiation in the Portuguese population by use of the chromosomal aberration assay

“…With advances in computer applications and inter-disciplinary coll two software tools, CABAS [21] and Dose Estimate [22], have been developed and are now available, which allow one to construct calibration curves, estimate doses and calculate confidence limits for whole-body and partial-body exposures [23].…”