Cyber-Physical Tracking of IoT devices: A maritime use case

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Knowledge and awareness of radiation hazards among Palestinian radio technologists

This study investigated 94.4% of Palestinian radio technologists and the mean percentage of correct answers for knowledge and awareness questions was 26.4%. The percentage of correct answers for questions testing knowledge of the ALARA (As Low As Reasonably Achievable) principle and hormesis hypothesis was 66.5% and 17.2%, respectively. Radio technologists with education level higher than bachelor degree and < 5 years' work experience showed a significantly higher level of knowledge. The most radiosensitive organs were correctly identified as the lungs and stomach by 6.9% and 4.9%, respectively, and 2.5% correctly identified the gonads as the next most radiosensitive organ. There was a serious deficit in knowledge and awareness of radiation hazards among Palestinian radio technologists, which may expose patients to unnecessary doses of ionizing radiation. This indicates the need for mandatory training and education about radiation protection in all Palestinian healthcare institutions.Acknowledgements The authors would like to thank Dr. Abed A. Sabbah, for his assistance with the statistical analysis, and Dr. Hussein A. Sharkh and Dr. Tewfeik Al-Jundi for their invaluable detailed advices on radiation and medical imaging. We are grateful to Miss Sarah Whitear for English language editing. Funding: None

Using Simulation to Analyze the Effectiveness of Chitosan as a Green Kinetic Hydrate Inhibitor

Hydrate formation is a very important aspect in the field of gas flow assurance. Hydrates are ice-like formations that are composed of a cage of host molecules (water) entrapping guest molecules (gas). Some conditions must be met for the hydrates to be formed. These are low temperature, high pressure and the existence of water and gas molecules. The main objective of this study, after explaining about hydrate formation and studying means of inhibition is to produce a hydrate formation inhibitor with optimal concentration and degree of deacetylation, after simulating the function this inhibitor. After careful study and analysis, this inhibitor was chosen to be Chitosan, which is a green kinetic hydrate inhibitor. The reason why hydrate inhibitors are needed in the field of gas production, processing and transportation is the major problems that are caused by the hydrate formation. Formation of hydrates inside the pipeline system can cause serious problems such as pipe blockage and corrosion. Pipeline blockage, or at least reduction of the internal diameter of the pipe as a result of hydrate accumulations, can also cause reduction in the production rates, which cost a significant amount of money. Furthermore, the common inhibitors nowadays are considered to be expensive and harmful to the environment. Therefore, this study aims to introduce a hydrate inhibitor that overcomes the limitations and disadvantages of the existing inhibitors. The method of obtaining the inhibitor examined by this study, which is Chitosan, is from the outer skeleton of the crustaceans animals like shrimps. Then the Chitosan is prepared and tested in different deacetylation degrees and concentrations and simulated using Hydoff Software. The results are then analyzed to present the optimal concentration. But before that, the mixture of the gas that is to be used in the simulation is studied for its phase properties in order to know its normal phase properties so that those properties are to be compared with the gas mixture in contact with the inhibitor. These properties are determined using Hydoff Software

Developing novel therapeutic strategies for targeting the p53 pathway in renal cell carcinoma

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is a notoriously difficult cancer to treat. RCC has an unpredictable course, is radio- and chemo-resistant and survival in response to treatment with current therapies for the metastatic disease is generally very poor. This underscores the necessity for novel therapeutics for this condition. The tumour suppressor p53 is rarely mutated in RCC and up-regulation of p53 and its negative regulator, MDM2, has recently been shown to be an independent prognostic indicator for patients with poor outcome. The function of p53 in RCC cells in culture appears to be partially intact and is regulated by MDM2. Rescue of p53 from the inhibitory effects of MDM2 using inhibitors of the p53-MDM2 interaction results in cell cycle arrest or senescence, not apoptosis, three cell fates that p53 can induce depending on the tissue or tumour type. Because of the potentially deleterious effects of senescent cells on the tissue microenvironment, it was decided that apoptosis would be the preferable cell fate for the therapeutic reactivation of p53 in RCC cells. To that end, the MDM2 inhibitor Nutlin-3 was combined with the Bcl-2 family inhibitor ABT-737. This combination of drugs synergistically inhibited the proliferation of RCC cells harbouring wild type p53 but not in cells harbouring mutant p53. This synergistic inhibition of proliferation was shown to be p53-dependent and was confirmed to be inducing apoptosis, but only in RCC cells that had high levels of p53 protein. The synergistic inhibition of proliferation was not recapitulated when an inhibitor of MDM2 ubiquitin ligase activity was combined with ABT-737. The combination of Nutlin-3 and ABT-737 induced pro-apoptotic Puma and Noxa in RCC cells and the apoptosis was shown to be substantially Bax-dependent. This study suggests that the combination of Nutlin-3 and ABT-737 should be considered as a candidate for pre-clinical development in the treatment of RCC

Using Simulation to Analyze the Effectiveness of Chitosan as a Green Kinetic Hydrate Inhibitor

Hydrate formation is a very important aspect in the field of gas flow assurance. Hydrates are ice-like formations that are composed of a cage of host molecules (water) entrapping guest molecules (gas). Some conditions must be met for the hydrates to be formed. These are low temperature, high pressure and the existence of water and gas molecules. The main objective of this study, after explaining about hydrate formation and studying means of inhibition is to produce a hydrate formation inhibitor with optimal concentration and degree of deacetylation, after simulating the function this inhibitor. After careful study and analysis, this inhibitor was chosen to be Chitosan, which is a green kinetic hydrate inhibitor. The reason why hydrate inhibitors are needed in the field of gas production, processing and transportation is the major problems that are caused by the hydrate formation. Formation of hydrates inside the pipeline system can cause serious problems such as pipe blockage and corrosion. Pipeline blockage, or at least reduction of the internal diameter of the pipe as a result of hydrate accumulations, can also cause reduction in the production rates, which cost a significant amount of money. Furthermore, the common inhibitors nowadays are considered to be expensive and harmful to the environment. Therefore, this study aims to introduce a hydrate inhibitor that overcomes the limitations and disadvantages of the existing inhibitors. The method of obtaining the inhibitor examined by this study, which is Chitosan, is from the outer skeleton of the crustaceans animals like shrimps. Then the Chitosan is prepared and tested in different deacetylation degrees and concentrations and simulated using Hydoff Software. The results are then analyzed to present the optimal concentration. But before that, the mixture of the gas that is to be used in the simulation is studied for its phase properties in order to know its normal phase properties so that those properties are to be compared with the gas mixture in contact with the inhibitor. These properties are determined using Hydoff Software

Does Surgical Resection of the Primary Tumor in Patients with Stage IV Breast Cancer Improve Survival?

Several lines of evidence suggest that it is time to re-examine the approach to the patient diagnosed with distant metastases at the initial breast cancer presentation.The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of surgical therapy of the primary tumor and other clinical and staging factors on overall survival of patients with stage IV breast cancer. Patients and methods: This retrospective study included patients with stage IV breast cancer from 2000 to 2008. Patient's characteristics and survival distilled from medical files were evaluated using multivariate analysis.Results: Of 330 patients included in this study, 132 underwent surgery in the form of mastectomy. Local surgery of the primary tumor, lower TN staging, younger age, positive receptor status, lack of Her-2 amplification, bone –only metastasis and one site metastasis were associated with significantly higher survival while grade and pathological type were not. Median overall survival time for no surgery group was 15 months and 27 months for mastectomy group (P = 0.003).Three-year survival rate was higher for patients who did have surgery (34% vs 16%). Conclusion: Removal of the primary tumor in patients with primary distant metastatic breast cancer was associated with significantly higher survival. However, carefully designed prospective randomized trials are needed to confirm these results

Prasugrel Inappropriate Use in Patients Post-percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). A Single Center Study

Prasugrel is a thienopyridine that was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in combination with aspirin for the reduction of thrombotic events as well as stent thrombosis in patients with ACS who undergo PCI. This retrospective study aims to assess the frequency of inappropriate use of prasugrel and to emphasize that prasugrel still needs more attention as inappropriate use may result in significant morbidity

Acute Limb Ischemia due to a Fractured Superficial Femoral Artery Stent

Peripheral Vascular Disease (PVD) is a rapidly growing and recognized disease of the peripheral circulation. Its presentation can vary between asymptomatic state, exercise limiting limb pain, limb loss and even death. Advances have been achieved in the treatment of PVD specially in the field of interventional cardiovascular medicine. Different devices and techniques are used in the treatment of peripheral atherosclerotic disease, which has lowered the need for bypass surgery. Although invasive peripheral intervention has a low rate of complications, there are still well recognized acute and chronic complications that an operator should be aware of. We present an interesting case of acute limb ischemia due to Superficial Femoral Artery (SFA) stent fracture