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.
This research will deal in a simple way with the concept of urban expansion and taking the decision to sign the spatial signature of residential investment projects in order to reach through them in a real way to the extent of the proportionality of the decision taken, in light of the fulfillment of the conditions that must be met in the matter of making the decision of the spatial signature of the residential investment project and the extent of commitment to them, in which the conditions are: (Ease of access to services and transportation, adequacy of services, commitment to urban land uses) when establishing the investment project represented by the Al-Ayad residential project in the Hittin neighborhood of Al
... Show MoreIn dieser Kurzgeschichte werden die Züge der Trümmerliteratur präzis dargestellt. Die wurde von Heinrich Böll im Jahr 1958 geschrieben. In der vorliegenden Arbeit konzentriere ich mich auf vielfältige Stoffe in Bezug auf die Lage nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg. So gab ich dieser Arbeit einen besonderen Titel, der die Dimensionen dieser Kurzgeschichte heißt. Ich meine hier, die profunde Interpretation dieses Werkes, denn ich fand zwar hinter einigen Wörtern eine ganze Geschichte, die uns der Erzähler dadurch zeigen wollte.
So teilte ich diese Wörter (Grab, Schatten, Last, Schrei) als Dimensionen, von denen diese Arbeit umgekreist wird.
Diese Arbeit besteht aus vier Kapiteln, die aufeinander aufgebaut sind. Im ersten K
... Show MoreAbstract. In this research, the uranium concentration in (16) water samples collected from some agricultural areas surrounded with AlTuwitha nuclear site in Baghdad-Iraq was measured by using a CR-39 detector. The concentration of uranium in this study was from (0.6 ± 0.33mg/l) to (2.51 ± 0.49 mg/l), and the weighted average for the concentrations (1.262 ± 0.402 mg/l). The results showed it is a concentration of uranium level in water samples studied is higher than the allowed limit recommended by WHO and ICRP.
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Background: Complete seal of the root canal system following its chemo-mechanical debridement plays a pivotal role for achieving successful endodontic treatment. This can be established by reducing the gaps between the core filling material and root canal wall. Aim: To assess and compare the dislocation resistance of root canals obturated with GuttaFusion® and TotalFill BC sealer versus single cone obturation technique and TotalFill BC sealer after instrumentation of the canals with WaveOne, ProTaper Next and ProTaper Universal system. Material and Method: Sixty extracted human permanent mandibular premolars were conducted in the current study. The teeth were decorated and left the root with 15mm length; the roots were divided randomly i
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Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a frequent gram-negative bacterium that causes nosocomial infections, affecting more than 100 million patients annually worldwide. Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from E. coli binds to toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and its co-receptor’s cluster of differentiation protein 14 (CD14) and myeloid differentiation factor 2 (MD2), collectively known as the LPS receptor complex. LPCAT2 participates in lipid-raft assembly by phospholipid remodelling. Previous research has proven that LPCAT2 co-localises in lipid rafts with TLR4 and regulates macrophage inflammatory response. However, no published evidence exists of the influence of LPCAT2 on the gene expression of the LPS receptor complex induced by smooth or rough b
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The Vulnerable Indian Roofed Turtle Pangshura tecta (Gray, 1831) (Testudines: Geoemydidae) occurs in the Sub-Himalayan lowlands of India, Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan. Little is known about its natural history, no studies have been conducted revealing its natural predators. In this study, a group of Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos Wagler, 1827 (Passeriformes: Corvidae) was observed hunting and predating on an Indian Roofed Turtle carcass in the bank of river Kuakhai, Bhubaneswar, India. The first record of this predation behaviour is reported and substantiated by photographic evidence.
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The research amid to find out the extent of Iraqi oil companies commitment to implement internal control procedures in accordance with the updated COSO framework. As the research problem was represented in the fact that many of the internal control procedures applied in the Iraqi oil companies are incompatible with most modern international frameworks for internal control, including the integrated COSO framework, issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Tradeway Committee. The research followed the quantitative approach to handling and analysing data by designing a checklist to represent the research tool for collecting data. The study population was represented in the Iraqi oil companies, while the study sample
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The research aimed to identify “The impact of an instructional-learning design based on the brain- compatible model in systemic thinking among first intermediate grade female students in Mathematics”, in the day schools of the second Karkh Educational directorate.In order to achieve the research objective, the following null hypothesis was formulated:There is no statistically significant difference at the significance level (0.05) among the average scores of the experimental group students who will be taught by applying an (instructional- learning) design based to on the brain–compatible model and the average scores of the control group students who will be taught through the traditional method in the systemic thinking test.The resear
... Show MoreBackground: Strangles is a highly contagious equine respiratory disease caused by Streptococcus equi subsp. equi. It is a globally significant pathogen and one of the most common infectious agents in horses. In Iraq, no sequencing data on this pathogen are available, and only two molecular studies have been published to date. This study provides preliminary insights into strain diversity and provides a foundation for future large-scale investigations. Aim: This study aimed to investigate the molecular characteristics, identify SeM gene alleles, and perform a phylogenetic analysis of S. equi isolates from horses in Baghdad, Iraq. Methods: We analyzed 59 Streptococcus spp. isolates previously obtained from equine clinical sample
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