Radiation protection knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) in interventional radiology

Objectives: Due to increasing cardiac disease and its mortality rate, the frequency of cardiac imaging has grown and, as a result, interventional cardiologists potentially receive high radiation doses in cardiac examinations. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) level of radiation protection (RP) among interventional radiology staff in Iranian health care centers across the country. Methods: We used a validated questionnaire survey consisting of 30 multiple-choice questions to perform a cross-sectional study. Participants were healthcare personnel working professionally with radiation at different levels (i.e., secretary, radiology technologists, nurse, and physician). The questionnaire was divided into three sections to assess KAP regarding RP. Results: Significant differences exist in RP KAP mean scores based on educational age (p 0.050). We found a significant difference between RP KAP mean scores and different regions (p < 0.050). Conclusions: Educational and practice age, sex, type of hospital, and geographical region affect he KAP of interventional radiology staff regarding RP. Since many of the subjective radiation harms for both medical team and patients, this can be easily controlled and prevented; a checkup for personnel of interventional radiology departments, considering samples from different parts of the country with different levels of education, continuous training, and practical courses may help map the status of KAP. The results of this study may also help authorized health physics officers design strategic plans to enhance the quality of such services in radiation departments. © 2018, Oman Medical Specialty Board. All rights reserved

Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice of operating room personnelss in selected hospitals of Iran about radiation protection

Introduction: Radiation protection in hospitals is a very important topic due to some economical, health, human and moral considerations. In order to promote a radiological protection program in hospitals, it is very important to have a good knowledge and attitude, as well as proper practice of personnels in this area. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the current status regarding knowledge, attitude and practice of operating room personnels about radiation protection in Iran. Materials and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed on 332 operating room personnels with multi-stage selection in hospitals on the knowledge, attitude and practice at different cities in Iran. To do so, the operating room staff was considered as a statistical society during 2015-2016. The respondents to the questionnaire included physicists, nurses, apprentice and secretaries in different hospitals with low, medium and large number of beds. The selected provinces included: Alborz, East Azarbaijan, Tehran, Khorasan Razavi, Semnan, Qom, Golestan, Gilan, Kurdistan, Kermanshah and Mazandaran. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 16 and one-way ANOVA test (P<0.05). Results: The findings of this study indicate that there is a significant relationship between the level of knowledge, attitude and practice of operating room personnels in radiation protection and different provinces. Also, the number of hospital beds is related whit the level of knowledge, attitude and performance of the personnels. Conclusion: The findings of current study showed that the provinces of Golestan, West Azarbayjan and Gilan had the highest level of knowledge, attitude and practice, respectively. Semnan, Tehran and Kurdistan were the provinces with the lowest level of knowledge, attitude and practice, respectively. There were also significant differences between the level of knowledge, attitude and practice of the personnel�s operating room with radiation protection and the place of service, which it can be due to the lack of supervision, facilities and lack of experience in deprived provinces, and oversight and inattention to the radiation exposure due to overcrowding of the services in non-deprived provinces. © 2018, Semnan University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

A survey on the radiation protection status among radiology staff

Introduction: Radiation exposure during radiological examination is a health concern, of which radiology professionals should be cognizant. We sought to evaluate the radiation protection knowledge, attitudes, and practice (KAP) amongst radiology staff of hospitals across 10 provinces of Iran. Materials and Methods: For evaluating the level of radiation protection KAP, 553 radiology staff were enrolled. A 32-item questionnaire was designed to assess radiation protection KAP, the validity which was confirmed by members of the Medical Physics and Biostatistics departments. The questionnaire evaluated the respondents' knowledge, practice, and attitudes towards the basic principles of radiation protection, the necessity of using protective equipment, and their performance in the implementation of radiation protection recommendations. Results: We found no significant difference in the level of radiation protection KAP between male and female radiology staff and among those with different educational levels and ages (P > 0.05). However, there was a significant association between radiation protection KAP and working experience, hospital size, and hospital type (P 0.05). Conclusion: Our results showed that the level of radiation protection KAP among radiology staff is inadequate. This might be due to the lack of ongoing training courses concerning protection against ionizing radiation. Thus, sustained training of radiation protection principles can promote KAP among the staff of radiology departments, and in turn, reduce public dose from medical diagnostic modalities. © 2018, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences

Human subcortical brain asymmetries in 15,847 people worldwide reveal effects of age and sex

The two hemispheres of the human brain differ functionally and structurally. Despite over a century of research, the extent to which brain asymmetry is influenced by sex, handedness, age, and genetic factors is still controversial. Here we present the largest ever analysis of subcortical brain asymmetries, in a harmonized multi-site study using meta-analysis methods. Volumetric asymmetry of seven subcortical structures was assessed in 15,847 MRI scans from 52 datasets worldwide. There were sex differences in the asymmetry of the globus pallidus and putamen. Heritability estimates, derived from 1170 subjects belonging to 71 extended pedigrees, revealed that additive genetic factors influenced the asymmetry of these two structures and that of the hippocampus and thalamus. Handedness had no detectable effect on subcortical asymmetries, even in this unprecedented sample size, but the asymmetry of the putamen varied with age. Genetic drivers of asymmetry in the hippocampus, thalamus and basal ganglia may affect variability in human cognition, including susceptibility to psychiatric disorders

A morphometeric magnetic resonance imaging study of age and gender-related volumetric changes of putamen nucleus in healthy humans

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to determine the age, sex, and hemispheric differences in volume of the human putamen nucleus in right-handed healthy humans. Materials and Methods: This study was performed on 120 normal human subjects (60 males, 60 females) 15-65 years old that was divided into young (<40 years) and old (�40 years) groups. The sectional brain images obtained via magnetic resonance imaging was analyzed and processed using the image-J software and the putamen volume was calculated using the Cavalieri's principle. Results: The analyses revealed bilateral age-related shrinkage of the putamen in both sexes and the putamen was significantly smaller in older than younger subjects (P <0.001). The age-related shrinkage of the putamen in men and women was about 20.49 and 16.79, respectively. There were no statistically significant volume differences between males and females. There were significant negative correlations between age and the volumes of the putamen nucleus. In both sexes, a significant rightward asymmetry was observed in the putamen (4.21 in men and 3.32 in women). Conclusion: Bilateral age-related shrinkage and rightward asymmetry of the putamen was found in normal humans and there were no volume differences between men and women. Results provide useful baseline data to the age and sex-related change of the volume of putamen

An overview of advanced biocompatible and biomimetic materials for creation of replacement structures in the musculoskeletal systems: focusing on cartilage tissue engineering

Tissue engineering, as an interdisciplinary approach, is seeking to create tissues with optimal performance for clinical applications. Various factors, including cells, biomaterials, cell or tissue culture conditions and signaling molecules such as growth factors, play a vital role in the engineering of tissues. In vivo microenvironment of cells imposes complex and specific stimuli on the cells, and has a direct effect on cellular behavior, including proliferation, differentiation and extracellular matrix (ECM) assembly. Therefore, to create appropriate tissues, the conditions of the natural environment around the cells should be well imitated. Therefore, researchers are trying to develop biomimetic scaffolds that can produce appropriate cellular responses. To achieve this, we need to know enough about biomimetic materials. Scaffolds made of biomaterials in musculoskeletal tissue engineering should also be multifunctional in order to be able to function better in mechanical properties, cell signaling and cell adhesion. Multiple combinations of different biomaterials are used to improve above-mentioned properties of various biomaterials and to better imitate the natural features of musculoskeletal tissue in the culture medium. These improvements ultimately lead to the creation of replacement structures in the musculoskeletal system, which are closer to natural tissues in terms of appearance and function. The present review article is focused on biocompatible and biomimetic materials, which are used in musculoskeletal tissue engineering, in particular, cartilage tissue engineering