Correlation between human papillomavirus infection and bladder transitional cell carcinoma

BACKGROUND: To determine the association of human papillomavirus infection (HPV) and transitional cell carcinoma (TCC). METHODS: Using polymerase chain reaction, fifty-nine bladder tissue specimens of patients with transitional cell carcinoma of bladder compared with 20 bladder samples of cases with non-neoplastic disorders. RESULTS: Male to female ratio was similar in the two groups (50/9 vs. 16/4, P = 0.62). Mean age was 67 ± 10.8 years and 52 ± 20.3 years in the case and control groups, respectively (P = 0.6). Of the 59 tissue specimens with diagnosis of transitional cell carcinoma, HPV DNA was detected in 21 (35.6%) samples, while it was present in only one sample (5%) in the control group (P = 0.008). HPV18 was the most common type of virus with the incidence rate of 17/21(81%). CONCLUSION: HPV might play a causative role in transitional cell carcinoma of bladder in our geographic area

Optimal slice thickness for cone-beam CT with on-board imager

PURPOSE: To find the optimal slice thickness (Δτ) setting for patient registration with kilovoltage cone-beam CT (kVCBCT) on the Varian On Board Imager (OBI) system by investigating the relationship of slice thickness to automatic registration accuracy and contrast-to-noise ratio. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Automatic registration was performed on kVCBCT studies of the head and pelvis of a RANDO anthropomorphic phantom. Images were reconstructed with 1.0 ≤ Δτ (mm) ≤ 5.0 at 1.0 mm increments. The phantoms were offset by a known amount, and the suggested shifts were compared to the known shifts by calculating the residual error. A uniform cylindrical phantom with cylindrical inserts of various known CT numbers was scanned with kVCBCT at 1.0 ≤ Δτ (mm) ≤ 5.0 at increments of 0.5 mm. The contrast-to-noise ratios for the inserts were measured at each Δτ. RESULTS: For the planning CT slice thickness used in this study, there was no significant difference in residual error below a threshold equal to the planning CT slice thickness. For Δτ \u3e 3.0 mm, residual error increased for both the head and pelvis phantom studies. The contrast-to-noise ratio is proportional to slice thickness until Δτ = 2.5 mm. Beyond this point, the contrast-to-noise ratio was not affected by Δτ. CONCLUSION: Automatic registration accuracy is greatest when 1.0 ≤ Δτ (mm) ≤ 3.0 is used. Contrast-to-noise ratio is optimal for the 2.5 ≤ Δτ (mm) ≤ 5.0 range. Therefore 2.5 ≤ Δτ (mm) ≤ 3.0 is recommended for kVCBCT patient registration where the planning CT is 3.0 mm

Removal of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) by different physicochemical methods: A mini-review

PAHs are persistent organic pollutants spread worldwide in our environment, including air, soil, and water. They are a large class of organic pollutants released mainly from anthropogenic sources, including automobiles and incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, power plants, and natural sources like forest fires and volcanic eruptions. In recent years, a variety of treatment methods have been used to degrade PAHs in the environment. This paper reviewed the most frequent physicochemical methods for PAHs removal, including solvent extraction/soil washing, oxidation, ozone, solidification, and supercritical fluid extraction. The findings showed that combining physicochemical methods can be an effective option for better cleanup of PAH from contaminated areas