Animals were irradiated at 15:00 + or - one hour (20 animals per radiation dose per study). Irradiation was performed using a Pantak HF320 X-ray set (Agfa NDT Ltd, Reading, UK), operated at 300kV, 10mA. The X-ray tube has additional filtration to give a radiation quality of 2.3mm Copper half-value layer (HVL). Mice were restrained in a compartmentalized Perspex (plexiglass) jig, positioned at a distance of 700mm below the focus of the X-ray tube. Each rectangular box is divided to provide twelve ventilated restraints, each holding one animal. Thus, twelve mice were irradiated simultaneously. Dosimetry was checked every two months during which time it has remained within + or - 1% of the original value. QA and control procedures were performed prior to and during each irradiation to confirm dose and energy output remain within range.
Animals received either total-body irradiation (TBI) or partial-body irradiation (PBI). Animals receiving partial-body irradiation were anaesthetized intraperitoneally with Ketamine (Fort Dodge) and Rompun (Bayer) to allow immobilization with the restraint and accurate lead shielding of the appropriate area. Animals receiving PBI had either the head, forelimbs and thorax shielded by placement of a lead sheet over this region of the animal (estimated to protect approximately 40% of the bone barrow, PBI BM40) or the hind limbs fibula, tibia and feet shielded using lead tubes (estimated to protect approximately 5% of the bone barrow, PBI BM5) (Boggs 1984 (link); Taketa et al. 1970 (link)). Irradiation was delivered at a dose rate of 70.0 (PBI BM40) or 79.5 cGy min−1 (TBI, PBI BM5).
Animals received either total-body irradiation (TBI) or partial-body irradiation (PBI). Animals receiving partial-body irradiation were anaesthetized intraperitoneally with Ketamine (Fort Dodge) and Rompun (Bayer) to allow immobilization with the restraint and accurate lead shielding of the appropriate area. Animals receiving PBI had either the head, forelimbs and thorax shielded by placement of a lead sheet over this region of the animal (estimated to protect approximately 40% of the bone barrow, PBI BM40) or the hind limbs fibula, tibia and feet shielded using lead tubes (estimated to protect approximately 5% of the bone barrow, PBI BM5) (Boggs 1984 (link); Taketa et al. 1970 (link)). Irradiation was delivered at a dose rate of 70.0 (PBI BM40) or 79.5 cGy min−1 (TBI, PBI BM5).
