Each Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) plan needs to be tested and verified before any treatment to check its quality. Octavius 4D-1500 phantom detector is a modern and qualified device for quality assurance procedure. This study aims to compare the common dosimetric criteria 3%/3 mm with 2%/2 mm for H&N plans for the IMRT technique. Twenty-five patients with head and neck (H&N) tumor were with 6MV x-ray photon beam using Monaco 5.1 treatment planning software and exported to Elekta synergy linear accelerator then tested for pretreatment verification study using Octavius 4D-1500 phantom detector. The difference between planned and measured dose were assessed by using local and global gamma index (GI) analysis method at threshold 10%. The DD/DTA criteria are performed with 3%/3 mm and 2%/2 mm. A significant difference is shown between the measured and calculated point dose for the treatment plans. A comparison made between the gamma passing rate between the 2%/2 mm and 3%/3 mm shows a significant difference for local and global which shows that the 2%/2 mm are more sensitive to dose variation than 3%/3 mm. The total monitor unit (MU) shows a negative linear relationship with both criteria and %GP types. A significant correlation is shown between the total MU and global %GP at 2%/2 mm criterion. The conclusion of the study indicates that 2%/2 mm criterion is more sensitive to the dose distribution changes than the 3%/3 mm. The total number of monitor units should be taken into consideration during the planning of H&N tumors using the IMRT plans.
The aim of this work is to evaluate some mechanical and physical
properties (i.e. the impact strength, hardness, flexural strength,
thermal conductivity and diffusion coefficient) of
(epoxy/polyurethane) blend reinforced with nano silica powder (2%
wt.). Hand lay-up technique was used to manufacture the composite
and a magnetic stirrer for blending the components. Results showed
that water had affected the bending flexural strength and hardness,
while impact strength increased and thermal conductivity decreased.
In addition to the above mentioned tests, the diffusion coefficient
was calculated using Fick’s 2nd law.
Medulloblastomas and ependymomas are the most common malignant brain tumors in children. However genetic abnormalities associated with their development and prognosis remain unclear. Recently two gene fusions, KIAA1549–BRAF and SRGAP3–RAF1 have been detected in a number of brain tumours. We report here our development and validation of RT-RQPCR assays to detect various isoforms of these two fusion genes in formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) tissues of medulloblastoma and ependymoma. We examined these fusion genes in 44 paediatric brain tumours, 33 medulloblastomas and 11 ependymomas. We detected both fusion transcripts in 8/33, 5/33 SRGAP3 ex10/RAF1 ex10, and 3/33 KIAA1549 ex16/BRAF ex9, meduloblastomas but none in the 11 ep
... Show MoreThe aim of this research is to prepare a set of complexes with the general formula [M(HMB)n] , where M=VO (II) , Cr(III) and Cu(II) while n=2,3,2 respectively resulting from the reaction of anew ligand [N'-(2-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzyl)-4-methylbenzohydrazide] (HMB) derived from the reaction of the tow substances (4-methylbenzohydrazide and 2-hydroxy-3-methoxy benzaldehyde) with metal ions. The prepared compounds were identified by several spectroscopic methods such as Infrared, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Electronic Spectra. From the results of the measurements, it was suggested that the prepared complexes have different geometries such as square planar (Cu), square pyramidal (VO) and octahedral (Cr). DFT simulations backed up
... Show MoreThe study objectives were to 1) explore the real-world experience of hospital pharmacists with the differences in effectiveness safety, and interchangeability between biosimilar medicines and their reference biological counterparts, 2) reveal pharmacist recommendations to enhance the safety of biopharmaceutical medicines in public hospitals.
The study has a mixed-method design where the core component was qualitative (interviews) and the supplemental component was quantitative (adverse drug reaction, ADR, reports). This qualitative component included semi-structured (mostly face-to-face) interviews involving hospital pharmacists from different hospitals with experience with biological or biosimilar medicines. The interviews were c
... Show MoreIn this study, sawdust as a cheap method and abundant raw material was utilized to produce active carbon (SDAC). Physiochemical activation was utilized where potassium hydroxide used as a chemical activating agent and carbon dioxide was used as a physical activating agent. Taguchi method of experimental design was used to find the optimum conditions of SDAC production. The produced SDAC was characterized using SEM to investigate surface morphology and BET to estimate the specific surface area. SDAC was used in aqueous lead ions adsorption. Adsorption process was modeled statistically and represented by an empirical model. The highest specific surface area of SDAC was 688.3 m2/gm. Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms were used to
... Show MoreBackground: Bladder cancer (BC) is the most common malignant tumor in the urinary tract and the tenth most common malignancy worldwide. Exosomes are 40–100 nm-diameter nanovesicles that are either released straight from the plasma membrane during budding or merged with the plasma membrane by multivesicular bodies. Objectives: To assess the proportion of serum and urinary Exosome levels in urinary bladder cancer patients, as well as their impact on the disease. Methods: From January 2023 to June 2023, a total of 45 samples of blood and urine were collected from individuals diagnosed with bladder cancer at the Ghazi Hariri Hospital for Specialized Surgery. They included 45 male and female patients, varying in age, as well as 45 heal
... Show MoreAntibiotics are essential for treating infectious diseases, but their overuse and adverse effects are raising concerns about global public health. The pervasiveness of antibiotic contamination in aquatic environments has drawn increased attention in recent years. The primary concern regarding the release of antibiotics into the environment is the potential for microorganisms to become resistant to antibiotics. This review article summarizes the analytical methods used to determine the presence of trimethoprim and metronidazole in various environmental samples. These antibiotics have traditionally been analyzed using tandem mass spectrometry or high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry; fluorescence or ultrav
... Show MoreBackground: Legionella pneumophila (L. pneumophila) is gram-negative bacterium, which causes Legionnaires’ disease as well as Pontiac fever. Objective: To determine the frequency of Legionella pneumophila in pneumonic patients, to determine the clinical utility of diagnosing Legionella pneumonia by urinary antigen testing (LPUAT) in terms of sensitivity and specificity, to compares the results obtained from patients by urinary antigen test with q Real Time PCR (RT PCR) using serum samples and to determine the frequency of serogroup 1 and other serogroups of L. pneumophila. Methods: A total of 100 pneumonic patients (community acquired pneumonia) were enrolled in this study during a period between October 2016 to April 2017; 92 sam
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