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.
The importance of the research comes from dealing with the problem of lack of traffic awareness, which causes accidents and the occurrence of human and material losses, and the research aims to study the role of satellite channels in forming traffic awareness among the public, and a sample was chosen from Baghdad consisting of (280) individuals, male and female, and used the questionnaire tool. To obtain the data, which included several questions, the results were analyzed statistically and several results were reached, the most important of which is that there is an interest among the public in following traffic programs at a rate of one to two hours to receive information through traffic programs and to identify and apply gener
... Show MoreIn the current research, we investigated the absorption spectrum for R590 and C480 dyes in ethanol solvent for different dye solution concentrations of 10-4, 10-5 and 10-6M. These dyes have been prepared and studied before and after gamma irradiation (first, second ionization) using cesium-137 source with absorbed doses of 18.36 Gy (time exposure of 10 days) and 73.44 Gy (with time exposure of 40 days). We noticed that the absorption intensity was decreased with decreasing concentration, before gamma irradiation while the absorption spectrum peak shifted towards the short wavelength (blue shift). It was also found that the intensity of absorption spectrum increased and shifted the absorption spectrum peak towards the long wavelength (red
... Show MoreThe aim: to evaluate combined microscopy techniques for determining the morphological and optical properties of methadone hydrochloride (MDN) crystals. Materials and methods: MDN crystal formation was optimized using a closed container method and crystals were characterized using polarized light microscope (PLM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal microscopy (CM). SEM and CM were used to determine MDN crystal thickness and study its relationship with crystal retardation colours using the Michel-Levy Birefringence approach. Results: Dimensions (mean±SD) of diamond shaped MDN crystals were confirmed using SEM and CM. Crystals were 46.4±15.2 Vs 32.0±8.3 µm long, 28.03±8.2 Vs 20.85±5.5 µm wide, and 6.62±
... Show MoreTannin acyl hydrolase as the common name of tannase is an inducible extracellular enzyme that causes the hydrolysis of galloyl ester and depside bonds in tannins, yielding gallic acid and glucose. The main objective of this study is to find a novel gallic acid and tannase produced by
Lying is considered a dangerous tendency among children if it has become a habit. It results in many social problems, such as child’s loss of confidence, lack of others’ respect to him, and his lack of respect to the desired values of the society, such as honesty and trust. Consequently, he will be led to a deviation when he becomes old; especially if the child’s socially unaccepted behavior has not been directed. The research, thus, aims to examine the causes of lying in the most important stage of children’s life; that is, between (4-6) years. Such an aim helps to know about the individual reasons of lying among males and females from teachers’ perspectives. To meet the objective of the study, a number of (128) children
... Show MoreThe novel was generally distinguished from other literary arts in its connection with the living reality as an imaginative practice that relies on political, economic, social, intellectual and cultural references and as a crucial tool in reading cultural references and dive deep into reality. As every novelist has a vision to embody this reality. As every novelist has a vision to embody this reality. The novel of ("Exceeded border by Hammed Al-Kafa’i) is a considered a fertile field for presenting social issues in their apparent structure and revealing the cultural patterns behind them which lies in its deep structure. The novel here moves its characters in its imaginary world in a way that it becomes more capable of adaptation and crysta
... Show MoreHydrogels are hydrophilic biocompatible polymers that can be used as a drug delivery material in different medical branches, including vital pulp therapy. The aim of this study is to characterize the physical and biological properties of the newly developed formula as a candidate direct pulp-capping material. The hydrogel composite was prepared from natural and synthetic origins (polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), hyaluronic acid (HA), and sodium alginate (SA)) with the incorporation of bioactive Moringa. Different formulas of hydrogel containing different concentrations were evaluated for physicochemical (FTIR, XRD, SEM, degradation, and swelling), mechanical (viscosity, folding endurance, film thickness), and biological (antioxidant, antibacterial,
... Show MoreThe Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) basically targets US citizens’ accounts hold at foreign banks and financial institutions blush, seems and non-financial sector by the Act:( retirement plan companies, investment funds, hedge funds and family investment companies.)
The non Compliance of Foreign of financial institutions act will lead to financial looses and harm regarding reputation, especially for the countries that rely on foreign relations in their financial and banking activities, in addition to deducting 30 % of their total incomes and sales coming from the USA. These institutions can avoid it by entering into agreement with the Internal Revenue Service's to be foreign financial institutions complied with the a
... Show More