Objectives: Small field of view gamma detection and imaging technologies for monitoring in vivo tracer uptake are rapidly expanding and being introduced for bed-side imaging and image guided surgical procedures. The Hybrid Gamma Camera (HGC) has been developed to enhance the localization of targeted radiopharmaceuticals during surgical procedures; for example in sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsies and for bed-side imaging in procedures such as lacrimal drainage imaging and thyroid scanning. In this study, a prototype anthropomorphic head and neck phantom has been designed, constructed, and evaluated using representative modelled medical scenarios to study the capability of the HGC to detect SLNs and image small organs. Methods: An anthropomorphic head and neck phantom has been designed to mimic the adult head and neck including some internal organs and tissues of interest, such as the thyroid gland and sentinel lymph nodes. The design of the head and neck phantom included an adjustable inner jig holding the simulated SLNs and thyroid gland. The simulated thyroid gland was designed and 3D printed taking into consideration the size and the shape of a healthy adult thyroid gland. The inner sealed space of the thyroid was filled with 15MBq of 99mTc through two upper filling valves. Sealed micro-tubes (0.2ml) have been employed to simulate SLNs containing various 99mTc activity concentrations ranging between 0.1MBq and 1MBq, and can be positioned at any desired place in the head and neck region. An active background was simulated through mixing 10MBq of 99mTc solution with the water used to fill the outer shell of the head and neck phantom. Results: The head and neck phantom was employed to simulate a situation where there are four SLNs distributed at two different vertical levels and at two depths within the neck. Contrast to noise ratio (CNR) calculations were performed for the detected SLNs at an 80mm distance between both pinhole collimators (i.e. 0.5mm and 1.0mm diameters) and the surface of the head and neck phantom with a 100s acquisition time. The recorded CNR values for the simulated SLNs are higher when the HGC was fitted with the 1.0mm diameter pinhole collimator. For instance, the recorded CNR values for the superficially simulated SLN containing 0.1MBq of 99mTc using 0.5mm and 1.0mm diameter pinhole collimators are 6.48 and 16.42, respectively (~87% difference). The anatomical context provided by the hybrid imaging aided the localization process of radioactivity accumulation in simulated SLNs. Gamma and hybrid optical images were acquired using the HGC with both available pinhole collimators for the simulated thyroid gland. The thyroid images produced varied in terms of spatial resolution and detectability. The count profiles through the middle of the simulated thyroid gland images provided by both pinhole collimators were obtained. The HGC could clearly differentiate the individual peaks of both thyroid lobes in the gamma image produced by the 0.5mm pinhole collimator. In contrast, the recorded count profile for the acquired image using the 1.0mm diameter pinhole collimator showed broader peaks for both lobes, reflecting the degradation of the spatial resolution with increasing the diameter of the pinhole collimator. Conclusion: The capability of the HGC has been evaluated utilizing a prototype anthropomorphic head and neck phantom, and the gamma and hybrid images obtained demonstrate that it is ideally suited for intraoperative SLNs detection and small organ imaging. The standardization of test phantoms and protocols for SFOV portable gamma systems will provide an opportunity to collect data across various medical centers and research groups. Moreover, it will provide a technical baseline for researchers and clinical practitioners to consider when assessing their SFOV gamma imaging systems. The anthropomorphic head and neck phantom described is cost effective, reproducible, flexible and anatomically representative.
Objective: The present study investigates whether the exposure to low-power diode laser induces denaturation in red blood cell (RBC) membrane protein composition, and determines the irradiation time for when denaturation of membrane protein process begins. Background: A low-energy laser has been used extensively in medical applications. Several studies indicated significant positive effects of laser therapy on biological systems. In contrast, other studies reported that laser induced unwanted changes in cell structure and biological systems. The present work studied the effect of irradiation time of low-power diode laser on the structure of membrane proteins of human RBCs. Materials and methods: The RBC suspension was divided into five equa
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Excessive intake of fluoride, mainly through drinking water is a serious health hazard affecting humans worldwide. In this study, the defluoridation capacities of locally available raw waste beef bones have been estimated. Several experimental parameters including contact time, pH, bone dose, fluoride initial concentration, bone grains size, agitation rate, and the effect of co-existence of anions in actual samples of wastewater were studied for fluoride removal from aqueous solutions. Results indicated excellent fluoride removal effeciency up to 99.7% at fluoride initial concentration of 10 mg F/L and 120 min contact time. Maximum fluoride uptake was obtained at neutral pH range 6-7. Fluoride removal kinetic was well described by the ps
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A total of 96 stool samples were collected from children with bloody diarrhea from two hospitals in Baghdad. All samples were surveyed and examined for the presence of the Escherichia coli O157:H7 and differentiate it from other Non -Sorbitol Fermenting Escherichia coli (NSF E. coli). The Bacterial isolates were identifed by using morphological diagnostic methods, Samples were cultured on liquid enrichment medium, incubated at 37C? for 24 hrs, and then cultured on Cefixime Tellurite -Sorbitol MacConkey Agar (CT- SMAC). 32 non-sorbitol fermenting bacterial isolates were obtained of which 11 were identified as Escherichia coli by using traditional biochemical tests and API20E diagnostic system without differentiation between
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This study was carried out to evaluate the hepato-protective property of (Arachis hypogea L.) peanut skin extracts in CCl4 induced hepatotoxicity in mice. The antioxidant activity was measured utilizing 2, 2-diphenyl-1-1 picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging capacity. The results showed that the methanolic extract was the highest free radical scavenging activity than the aqueous extract with values (92.34 ± 0.45 and 87.62 ± 0.44) respectively in 12 mg/mL compared to 89.61 ± 0.34 for Butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT) and 93.25 ± 0.06 for vitamin C, which means that the methanolic extract of peanut skin is superior to BHT. Furthermore, the total phenolic content was analyzed by using Folin-Ciocalteu method, the amount of total phenol in a
... Show MoreBackground: Polycystic ovary syndrome is a heterogeneous disorder and its etiology appears to be complex and multifactorial; characterized by hyperandrogenism, chronic anovulation and infertility. It’s associated with evidence of low-grade chronic inflammation, as indicated by the presence of elevated levels of high sensitive C- reactive protein levels, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α. The source of excess circulating tumor necrosis factor-α in obese Polycystic ovary syndrome patient is likely to be the adipose tissues while in lean women increased visceral adiposity has been proposed as a source of excess tumor necrosis factor-α.Objectives: to evaluate the levels of high sensitive C- reactive protein, tumor necrosis facto
... Show MoreThe current research aims at extracting the standard characteristics of the emotional balance of the university students according to the response theory. This was accomplished by following accredited scientific steps, to achieve this goal, the researcher followed scientific steps in the procedures of the analysis of the scale. She translated the scale from English to Arabic and then made a reverse translation. it was presented to a committee of experts in English to ensure and verify the validity of the paragraphs logically and prove the face validity of the scale, which consists of (30) paragraphs, it was presented to (6) experts who are specialists in the educational and psychological sciences and in the light of their observations ha
... Show Moredue to the presence of chemoresistance and the risk of tumor recurrence and metastasis. There is a pressing necessity to develop efficient treatments to improve response for treatment and increase prolong survival of breast cancer patients. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) has attracted interest for its features as a noninvasive and relatively selective cancer treatment. This method relies on light-activated photosensitizers that, upon absorbing light, generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) with powerful cell-killing outcomes. Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB), a transcription factor, plays a key role in cancer development by regulating cell proliferation, differentiation, and survival. Inhibiting NF-κB can sensitize tumor cells to chemotherapeuti
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Abstract:
Objective: The study aim is to assess knowledge of secondary schools female students regarding dysmenorrhea; find out the effectiveness of education program on secondary schools students and also to identify relationship between education program and certain variables.
Methodology: The quasi-experimental design (pretest and posttest) on one hundred students 4th year in Khawla Bint Al-Azwar secondary school for females at morning shift in Al Nasiriya City, data collection started at 4th March to 18th March 2018. A non-probability (purposive) sample of (100) students (50) student from scientific branch and (50) students from literary branch. Data have been collected through using a questionnaire modeled and made up of