REVIEW ABOUT RADIOPHARMACEUTICALS: PREPARATION, RADIOACTIVITY, AND APPLICATIONS

In the recent few decades, there was a growth in the field of radioactive medicinal agents called radiopharmaceuticals. Radiopharmaceuticals are consisting of radioactive materials called radioisotopes. Radiopharmaceuticals were recently used in both therapeutic and diagnostic purposes. More than 100 radioactive substances are used in nuclear medicine. According to the decay of radioactive substances, there are three types of radioactive decays, alpha particles, beta particles, and gamma radiations. Alpha particles consist of two protons and two neutrons with large mass and charge so it has no penetration power into the skin and has a destructive effect. Beta particles have less charge and less mass so, they can penetrate the tissue and have a less destructive effect than alpha particles and can be used in therapy. Gamma radiations have no mass or charge so they can penetrate the deep tissue of organs so used in diagnosis by imaging using a gamma camera. The radiopharmaceuticals were established in the diagnostic purpose and treatment of several diseases as thyroid gland cancer, hyperthyroidism, bone pain metastasis, kidney dysfunction, and myocardial and cerebral perfusion. The radioactive substance can also be used in the sterilization of thermo-labile substances as syringes, catheters, vitamins, hormones, and surgical dressing. The field of nuclear medicine has several advantages as localization of tumors, safe diagnosis, no accumulation of radiation, and high therapeutic efficacy. Nowadays, the branch of nuclear pharmacy is directed to introduce new radioactive pharmaceutical agents which will be important and effective in the treatment of cancer. The growth in the field of radiopharmaceuticals is important to help millions of patients suffering from tumors all over the world. The data of this review were collected by searching in Google Scholar and PubMed using the following keywords

Surgical Management of Thermal Injury: Narrative Review

Extensive burn care advanced over the past few decades to the point where burn victims can now often live. The goal of treating a severely burned patient nowadays is to help them return to their communities, families, and places of employment as fully participating members of society, rather than only preserving their life and ability to function. Burns are a common and difficult critical care issue. Specialized hospitals prioritize achieving optimal functional recovery, infection prevention, and patient stabilization. Over the past few decades, researches on burns have attracted a lot of attention. A number of significant discoveries have improved patient stability and reduced mortality, particularly in the case of younger patients and those with intermediate-degree burns. The presence of dead tissue over a burn wound hinders the healing process and serves as a breeding ground for bacteria. Consequently, clearing the eschar as soon as possible and getting a clean wound bed as soon as possible, can be regarded as the main objective to initiate the process of wound healing, either through autografting or spontaneous epithelization. This review article provides a comprehensive overview of the surgical management of thermal injuries. The article also discusses the importance of early surgical intervention, including debridement, skin grafting, and other surgical techniques. Additionally, it explores the latest advancements in surgical management and the potential future directions in this field. Overall, this review aims to provide a valuable resource for healthcare professionals involved in the care of patients with thermal injuries

Block shrinkage of T. Cai for estimating image

The basic principle of the classical work of wavelet methods is that the empirical wavelet coefficients are shrunk, thresholded, or both shrunk and threshold level by level based on their volumes. A block wavelet shrinkage strategy that depends on neighboring coefficients, where the wavelet coefficients are divided into multiple groups, is proposed. That means the thresholding of coefficients in the middle of each block depends on the whole block’s data using the decimated wavelet method. The NeighBlock procedure combines the previously found advantages for block thresholding methods with those obtained using information about neighboring coefficients. In this article, we collect an image corrupted with level of noise, then applying Block method to remove the noise. More precisely, the construction is started from collecting image, computing wavelet coefficients, applying the method, then inverse the wavelet coefficients. Wavelet shrinkage is a practical case in regression techniques, particularly when the unknown image has distinctive features; this might cause an unsuitable picture. The biggest challenge in the image is to calculate the wavelet coefficients and to invert these coefficients to the image after treatment. To solve this problem two functions based on the Haar wavelet are built to compute these coefficients and then invert the wavelet coefficients to provide the estimate image. The main idea of a wavelet is to translate a given image to a discrete wavelet transform (DWT) which is usually corrupted by noise; shrink or thresh the wavelet coefficients to decrease the noise impact, then invert the DWT to calculate the proper unknown image. The difference between these tools is that shrinking changes the wavelet coefficients of individual magnitudes, while the thresh keeps shrinking or threshold wavelet coefficients towards zero. The main goal is to compere the proposed method to state-of-the-art methods, and show that the proposed method provides good denoising performance. The asymptotic and numerical performances of the proposed method of the estimator are investigated. In numerical comparisons with different approaches, the proposed estimator method performs excellently. We propose decimated wavelet shrinkage techniques based on neighboring coefficients. Extensive simulations demonstrate that techniques almost always give insignificant results than the classical method for the image

Statistical study for Covid-19 spread during the armed crisis faced by Ukrainians

Russia and Ukraine got into an armed conflict on 24th February 2022. In addition, the World Health Organisation still warns of a fast growth in infections and deaths. Infectious disease remains a serious issue in Ukraine and poorly governed cities, such as those in armed conflicts. During this period of security instability, the coronavirus situation in Ukraine is alarming and needs more attention. In this context, our focus in the current work is to model COVID-19 spread risk from Ukrainian international refugees in neighboring countries. This study aims to estimate the number of daily coronavirus cases among Ukrainian international refugees for informed decisions for the pandemics' spread risk. For that reason, we used “Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19)” data from “Our World in Data” (from 2020-03-03 to 2022-02-22) and the data about Ukrainian International Refugees provided by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees related (from 2022-02-22 to 2022-03-11). We performed ARIMA, TBATS, and ETS and selected the best model. Through a cross-validation process, the findings revealed that around 6 individuals [95% CI: 5%–7%] over 10,000 Ukrainian international refugees are likely COVID-19 cases. ARIMA is the best model to fit the Ukrainian daily number of cases among the refugees fleeing the crisis. On average, they are daily 100 possible COVID-19 cases among Ukrainian international refugees and authorities and humanitarian actors need be informed decisions to control the pandemic and support refugees effectively

Modified generalized Weibull distribution: theory and applications

Abstract This article presents and investigates a modified version of the Weibull distribution that incorporates four parameters and can effectively represent a hazard rate function with a shape resembling a bathtub. Its significance in the fields of lifetime and reliability stems from its ability to model both increasing and decreasing failure rates. The proposed distribution encompasses several well-known models such as the Weibull, extreme value, exponentiated Weibull, generalized Rayleigh, and modified Weibull distributions. The paper derives key mathematical statistics of the proposed distribution, including the quantile function, moments, moment-generating function, and order statistics density. Various mathematical properties of the proposed model are established, and the unknown parameters of the distribution are estimated using different estimation techniques. Furthermore, the effectiveness of these estimators is assessed through numerical simulation studies. Finally, the paper applies the new model and compares it with various existing distributions by analyzing two real-life time data sets

Neuroprotective Effects of Phytochemicals against Aluminum Chloride-Induced Alzheimer’s Disease through ApoE4/LRP1, Wnt3/β-Catenin/GSK3β, and TLR4/NLRP3 Pathways with Physical and Mental Activities in a Rat Model

Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that is associated with abnormal cognition. AD is aided in its initiation and progression by hereditary and environmental factors. Aluminum (Al) is a neurotoxic agent that causes oxidative stress, which is linked to AD progression. Additionally, Nrf2/HO-1, APOE4/LRP1, Wnt3/β-catenin, and TLR4/NLRP3 are the main signaling pathways involved in AD pathogenesis. Several phytochemicals are promising options in delaying AD evolution. Objectives: This study aimed at studying the neuroprotective effects of some phytochemicals as morin (MOR), thymol (TML), and thymoquinone (TMQ) on physical and mental activities (PhM) in Al chloride (AlCl3)-induced AD rat model. Another objective was to determine the specificity of phytochemicals to AD signaling pathways using molecular docking. Methods: Eighty male Dawley rats were divided into eight groups. Each group received: saline (control group), AlCl3, (ALAD), PhM, either alone or with a combination of MOR, TML, and/or TMQ for five weeks. Animals were then subjected to behavioral evaluation. Brain tissues were used for histopathological and biochemical analyses to determine the extent of neurodegeneration. The effect of phytochemicals on AlCl3-induced oxidative stress and the main signaling pathways involved in AD progression were also investigated. Results: AlCl3 caused a decline in spatial learning and memory, as well as histopathological changes in the brains of rats. Phytochemicals combined with PhM restored antioxidant activities, increased HO-1 and Nrf2 levels, blocked inflammasome activation, apoptosis, TLR4 expression, amyloide-β generation, and tau hyperphophorylation. They also brought ApoE4 and LRP1 levels back to normal and regulated Wnt3/β-catenin/GSK3β signaling pathway. Conclusions: The use of phytochemicals with PhM is a promising strategy for reducing AD by modulating Nrf2/HO-1, TLR4/NLRP3, APOE4/LRP1, and Wnt3/β-catenin/GSK-3β signaling pathways

Evaluating the role of next-generation sequencing and radiological techniques in rare disease diagnosis: Challenges and opportunities

Aim: This article evaluates the utility of next-generation sequencing (NGS) and radiological techniques in the diagnosis of rare diseases, emphasizing the challenges and opportunities presented by these technologies. Methods: A comprehensive review of existing literature on NGS technologies, including first, second, and third-generation sequencing methods, as well as their applications in genomics, transcriptomics, and epigenomics, was conducted alongside radiological imaging techniques such as MRI and CT scans. Results: NGS has revolutionized rare disease diagnosis by enabling high-throughput, cost-effective sequencing, facilitating the identification of pathogenic mutations, and advancing personalized medicine. Radiological techniques provide complementary insights into anatomical abnormalities and disease progression. Despite significant advantages, challenges such as data interpretation, cost, and ethical considerations persist. Conclusion: NGS and radiological imaging offer transformative potential in rare disease diagnosis, enhancing our understanding of genetic and anatomical aspects of disorders and enabling targeted therapeutic approaches. Continued technological advancements and integrative analyses with other omics data and imaging findings will further enhance their diagnostic utility

Epidemiology and outcomes of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1): multicenter tertiary experience

Purpose: The aim of this manuscript was to assess the epidemiology and clinical features of Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1) based on the newly published revised NF-1 diagnostic criteria and to evaluate complications of NF-1 including neurodevelopmental disorders. Patients and methods: A retrospective cross-sectional observational study was conducted in the Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs (MNGHA) healthcare organization branches including four tertiary hospitals and 51 primary health care centers in different regions in Saudi Arabia. This study included all patients diagnosed with NF1 using the revised NIH diagnostic criteria published in 2021 that were registered at the electronic medical records (EMR) from 2015 to 2021. Results: A total of 184 patients fulfilled the diagnostic criteria and were included in this study. The median age at diagnosis was 11 years (IQR: 4.00-20.25). The most encountered diagnostic criteria in this study were Café-au-lait macules (85.3%), and (42.9%) were found to have two or more neurofibromas with plexiform neurofibroma being the most common subtype (23.36%), approximately (36.4%) of the patient with optic pathway glioma. Nearby (26.6%) of the patients displayed different type of tumors. Iris Lisch nodules were presented in 36.4% of patients at a median age of 12 years (IQR: 9.0-21.8). Cardiovascular abnormality was encountered in 9.8% of the patients. Around 27.7% of the patients reported headache and 11.4% of the patient suffered from different type of epilepsy. Besides, 10.5% of the patients had intellectual disability, 33.8% suffered from communication disorders, and 4.9% patients had ADHD. Conclusion: The results of this study will enable practitioners to adopt a more holistic approach and prioritize numerous attributes, which they can subsequently incorporate into their therapeutic methodologies. Furthermore, the identification of these attributes will facilitate an expeditious and accurate diagnosis. Hence, the implementation of intervention during its nascent phase may result in a more advantageous consequence.</p

Epidemiology and outcomes of neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1): multicenter tertiary experience

Purpose: The aim of this manuscript was to assess the epidemiology and clinical features of Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF-1) based on the newly published revised NF-1 diagnostic criteria and to evaluate complications of NF-1 including neurodevelopmental disorders. Patients and methods: A retrospective cross-sectional observational study was conducted in the Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs (MNGHA) healthcare organization branches including four tertiary hospitals and 51 primary health care centers in different regions in Saudi Arabia. This study included all patients diagnosed with NF1 using the revised NIH diagnostic criteria published in 2021 that were registered at the electronic medical records (EMR) from 2015 to 2021. Results: A total of 184 patients fulfilled the diagnostic criteria and were included in this study. The median age at diagnosis was 11 years (IQR: 4.00-20.25). The most encountered diagnostic criteria in this study were Café-au-lait macules (85.3%), and (42.9%) were found to have two or more neurofibromas with plexiform neurofibroma being the most common subtype (23.36%), approximately (36.4%) of the patient with optic pathway glioma. Nearby (26.6%) of the patients displayed different type of tumors. Iris Lisch nodules were presented in 36.4% of patients at a median age of 12 years (IQR: 9.0-21.8). Cardiovascular abnormality was encountered in 9.8% of the patients. Around 27.7% of the patients reported headache and 11.4% of the patient suffered from different type of epilepsy. Besides, 10.5% of the patients had intellectual disability, 33.8% suffered from communication disorders, and 4.9% patients had ADHD. Conclusion: The results of this study will enable practitioners to adopt a more holistic approach and prioritize numerous attributes, which they can subsequently incorporate into their therapeutic methodologies. Furthermore, the identification of these attributes will facilitate an expeditious and accurate diagnosis. Hence, the implementation of intervention during its nascent phase may result in a more advantageous consequence.</p