Thermography hand temperature distribution in rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis

Background and Purpose: Earliest written medical text from ancient Egypt mentioned temperature as an indicator of a disease. Although already known, thermal imaging has not been routinely used in medicine. Inflammation of peripheral joints, close to skin surface, is the dominant type of presentation of rheumatoid arthritis and due to that, those joints are suitable for infrared thermal scanning. Considering the changes of the bones in the affected joints, as a control group, apart from healthy subjects, study was conducted on patients with osteoarthritis as well. Purpose of this paper was to investigate thermal images of the hands of patients with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis and analyze temperature distribution. Materials and Methods: Thermographic images of both hands of healthy subjects, patients with rheumatoid arthritis and patients with osteoarthritis were made. On thermal images obtained, temperature distribution of certain regionswas analyzed. Basic statistical analyses (minimum,maximum, standard deviation, mean, and variance) were performed. Results: There is a statistically significant difference in finger andmetacarpophalangeal joint mean temperature values on ventral and dorsal sides for both healthy patients and patients with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. Also, there is a statistically significant difference of mean temperature values between the aforementioned patient groups. Temperature distribution curves of patients with osteoarthritis have been narrower than those of subjects with rheumatoid arthritis and normal subjects. Temperature distribution curves of patients with rheumatoid arthritis have been shifted towards higher temperatures than those of subjects with osteoartritis and normal subjects. Conclusion: From the results obtained it was concluded that heat distribution over the skin surface apart from depending on the affected joint and on the intensity of the disease and given drug therapy also differs between the patients with rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis, making the use of thermography a possible method of differentiating normal subjects and rheumatoid arthritis subjects and osteoarthritis subjects from each other

Različiti učinci samih hlapljivih anestetika ili u kombinaciji s gama-zračenjem od 1 i 2 Gy in vivo na DNA mišje jetre: preliminarno istraživanje

As the number of radiotherapy and radiology diagnostic procedures increases from year to year, so does the use of general volatile anaesthesia (VA). Although considered safe, VA exposure can cause different adverse effects and, in combination with ionising radiation (IR), can also cause synergistic effects. However, little is known about DNA damage incurred by this combination at doses applied in a single radiotherapy treatment. To learn more about it, we assessed DNA damage and repair response in the liver tissue of Swiss albino male mice following exposure to isoflurane (I), sevoflurane (S), or halothane (H) alone or in combination with 1 or 2 Gy irradiation using the comet assay. Samples were taken immediately (0 h) and 2, 6, and 24 h after exposure. Compared to control, the highest DNA damage was found in mice receiving halothane alone or in combination with 1 or 2 Gy IR treatments. Sevoflurane and isoflurane displayed protective effects against 1 Gy IR, while with 2 Gy IR the first adverse effects appeared at 24 h post-exposure. Although VA effects depend on liver metabolism, the detection of unrepaired DNA damage 24 h after combined exposure with 2 Gy IR indicates that we need to look further into the combined effects of VA and IR on genome stability and include a longer time frame than 24 h for single exposure as well as repeated exposure as a more realistic scenario in radiotherapy treatment.Kako se broj radioterapijskih i radioloških dijagnostičkih postupaka iz godine u godinu povećava, tako raste i primjena hlapljivih anestetika za opću anesteziju. Iako se smatralo sigurnim, izlaganje hlapljivim anesteticima može izazvati različite štetne učinke, a u kombinaciji s ionizirajućim zračenjem može izazvati i sinergijske učinke. Međutim, malo se zna o oštećenju DNA koje uzrokuje ova kombinacija u dozama primijenjenima u jednom izlaganju u radioterapiji. Kako bismo saznali više o tome, alkalnim komet-testom analizirali smo oštećenje DNA i odgovor na popravak u jetrenom tkivu muških Swiss albino miševa nakon izlaganja samo izofluranu, sevofluranu ili halotanu, odnosno u kombinaciji sa zračenjem od 1 ili 2 Gy. Uzorci su uzeti odmah (0 h) te 2, 6 i 24 sata nakon izlaganja. U usporedbi s kontrolom, najveća oštećenja DNA utvrđena su u miševa koji su primili halotan, sam ili u kombinaciji sa zračenjem od 1 ili 2 Gy. Sevofluran i izofluran pokazali su zaštitne učinke nakon izlaganja zračenju od 1 Gy, a pri 2 Gy prve nuspojave pojavile su se 24 sata nakon izlaganja. Iako učinci hlapljivih anestetika ovise o metabolizmu jetre, otkrivanje nepopravljenog oštećenja DNA 24 sata nakon kombinirane izloženosti sa zračenjem od 2 Gy upućuje na to da trebamo nastaviti istraživati kombinirane učinke hlapljivih anestetika i ionizirajućega zračenja na stabilnost genoma i obuhvatiti šire razdoblje nakon jednokratne izloženosti (duže od 24 sata). Također treba obuhvatiti višekratna izlaganja kao realističniji scenarij u liječenju radioterapijom

Simplified description and interpretation of pathological thermography signs in malignant breast lesions

Background and Purpose: Breast cancer is the leading cause of death among women aged 20–59 years in developed countries, with similar mortality trends, observed among women in Croatia. Breast cancer detection usually relies on mammography, ultrasound (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), however, thermography is a noninvasive, reliable and applicable diagnostic procedure for early detection of breast disease that has attracted interest in this field. The aim of this study was to establish the frequency and characteristics of pathological thermographic signs in female patients, who were operated on malignant breast lesions. In addition, the authors offered a simplified description and interpretation of pathological thermographic signs, based on published literature. Matherial and Methods: The seventy four female patients with histopathologically confirmed breast cancer were included in the study. In all patients breast cancer was diagnosed using standard protocol which have included clinical examination, mammography, ultrasound and for selected patients MRI and/or fine needle aspiration (FNA). Thermographic imaging has been conducted 1 to 14 days before scheduled surgical procedures. Results: Mean tumor size positively correlated with number of pathological thermographic signs (IR 3 vs. IR 5, p < 0.05). Mean number of pathological thermographic signs per patient was 3.5±1, 72 (range 1 to 8). The most frequently noted singular signs were heat in area of finding and vascular signs, as well. Conclusion: The simplified description could offer a suitable clinical tool for standardization of pathological thermography signs in malignant breast lesions, taking into account the learning curve of medical teams involved and ethical aspects, as well

Oštećenje DNA stanica bubrega in vivo prouzročeno kombiniranim izlaganjem hlapljivim anesteticima i radioterapijskim dozama od 1 Gy ili 2 Gy

Patient immobilisation with volatile anaesthetics (VA) during radiotherapy is sometimes unavoidable. Although it is known that both Vas and ionising radiation can have nephrotoxic effects, there are no studies of their combined effects on DNA damage. The aim of this in vivo study was to address this gap by investigating whether 48 groups of healthy Swiss albino mice (totalling 240) would differ in kidney cell DNA damage response (alkaline comet assay) to isoflurane, sevoflurane, or halothane anaesthesia and exposure to 1 Gy or 2 Gy of ionising radiation. We took kidney cortex samples after 0, 2, 6, and 24 h of exposure and measured comet parameters: tail length and tail intensity. To quantify the efficiency of the cells to repair and re-join DNA strand breaks, we also calculated cellular DNA repair index. Exposure to either VA alone increased DNA damage, which was similar between sevoflurane and isoflurane, and the highest with halothane. In combined exposure (VA and irradiation with 1 Gy) DNA damage remained at similar levels for all time points or was even lower than damage caused by radiation alone. Halothane again demonstrated the highest damage. In combined exposure with irradiation of 2 Gy sevoflurane significantly elevated tail intensity over the first three time points, which decreased and was even lower on hour 24 than in samples exposed to the corresponding radiation dose alone. This study confirmed that volatile anaesthetics are capable of damaging DNA, while combined VA and 1 Gy or 2 Gy treatment did not have a synergistic damaging effect on DNA. Further studies on the mechanisms of action are needed to determine the extent of damage in kidney cells after longer periods of observation and how efficiently the cells can recover from exposure to single and multiple doses of volatile anaesthetics and radiotherapy.Imobilizacija bolesnika hlapljivim anesteticima (HA) tijekom radioterapije ponekad je neizbježna. Iako je poznato da i HA i ionizirajuće zračenje mogu imati nefrotoksične učinke, ne postoje istraživanja o njihovu kombiniranom učinku na oštećenje DNA bubrežnih stanica. Cilj ovog istraživanja in vivo na miševima soja Swiss albino bio je utvrditi oštećenje DNA stanica bubrega (alkalni komet-test) nakon anestezije izofluranom, sevofluranom ili halotanom i izlaganja ionizirajućem zračenju u dozama od 1 Gy ili 2 Gy. Uzorke bubrežnoga korteksa uzeli smo nakon 0, 2, 6 i 24 sata od izlaganja i izmjerili parametre komet-testa: duljinu repa i njegov intenzitet. Kako bismo kvantificirali učinkovitost staničnoga popravka, izračunali smo indeks popravka stanične DNA. Izloženost bilo kojem od testiranih anestetika povećalo je oštećenje DNA u odnosu na kontrolu, slično kod sevoflurana i izoflurana, a najveće kod halotana. U kombiniranom izlaganju HA-u i zračenju od 1 Gy, oštećenje DNA ostalo je na sličnim razinama u svim vremenskim točkama, ili je bilo čak niže od oštećenja prouzročenih samim zračenjem. Halotan je ponovno izazvao najveća oštećenja. U kombiniranom izlaganju sa zračenjem od 2 Gy sevofluran je značajno povećao intenzitet repa tijekom prvih triju vremenskih točaka, koji se smanjivao te je nakon 24 sata čak bio niži nego u uzorcima koji su bili izloženi samo zračenju. Potrebna su daljnja istraživanja mehanizma djelovanja kako bi se utvrdilo u kojoj mjeri oštećenja ostaju u bubrežnim stanicama nakon duljeg razdoblja, kao i koliko se učinkovito stanice mogu oporaviti nakon jednokratnog ili višekratnog izlaganja HA-u i zračenju

Reforma zdravstvenog sustava

Najveći problem u provođenju reforme zdravstvenog sustava je stanje opće rezignacije ( kako pučanstva tako i profesionalaca ) tako da potrebu za reformom ne ističe niti jedna interesna skupina, pa je prvi zadatak naše male skupine da nametnemo temu. Kako da u zemlji u kojoj je "ŽUJA ZAKON" , "DINAMO JE SVETINJA, OSTALO JE SRANJE" uspijemo istaknuti problem zdravlja, kao polaznu osnovu uspješnog sveopćeg oporavka

Thermography in patients with inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer: evidence and review of the method

Background and Purpose: There is a need for a simple, noninvasive and reproducible test that could accurately reflect the inflammatory activity and neoplastic lesions, and that could be used safely and repeatedly during the biological course of inflammatory and neoplastic bowel disease. During past few decades, the joint efforts of professionals have resulted in evolution of technological advances in infrared sensor technology, thus developing the new methods that enabled the use of thermal imaging in biomedical research and clinical medicine. The aim of this viewpoint was to present, and comment on,the possibility of thermal imaging in assessing inflammatory disease activity and the existence of neoplastic bowel lesions. Materials and Methods: The authors presented thermal images of several patients (n=6: five patients with inflammatory bowel disease and one female patient with colorectal cancer), and one female healthy individual, describing the tem erature patterns and commenting on the possible thermographic signs of underlying disease. Results: Inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer show a clear change in the thermal pattern of the abdominal surface and a different pattern of histogram temperature distribution. Conclusion: This review has indicated the potential of infrared thermography as a feasible and noninvasivemethod in additional evaluation of patients with various manifestations of inflammatory bowel disease and also of colon cancer

Different damaging effects of volatile anaesthetics alone or in combination with 1 and 2 Gy gamma-irradiation in vivo on mouse liver DNA: a preliminary study

As the number of radiotherapy and radiology diagnostic procedures increases from year to year, so does the use of general volatile anaesthesia (VA). Although considered safe, VA exposure can cause different adverse effects and, in combination with ionising radiation (IR), can also cause synergistic effects. However, little is known about DNA damage incurred by this combination at doses applied in a single radiotherapy treatment. To learn more about it, we assessed DNA damage and repair response in the liver tissue of Swiss albino male mice following exposure to isoflurane (I), sevoflurane (S), or halothane (H) alone or in combination with 1 or 2 Gy irradiation using the comet assay. Samples were taken immediately (0 h) and 2, 6, and 24 h after exposure. Compared to control, the highest DNA damage was found in mice receiving halothane alone or in combination with 1 or 2 Gy IR treatments. Sevoflurane and isoflurane displayed protective effects against 1 Gy IR, while with 2 Gy IR the first adverse effects appeared at 24 h post-exposure. Although VA effects depend on liver metabolism, the detection of unrepaired DNA damage 24 h after combined exposure with 2 Gy IR indicates that we need to look further into the combined effects of VA and IR on genome stability and include a longer time frame than 24 h for single exposure as well as repeated exposure as a more realistic scenario in radiotherapy treatment

Simplified description and interpretation of pathological thermography signs in malignant breast lesions

Background and Purpose: Breast cancer is the leading cause of death among women aged 20–59 years in developed countries, with similar mortality trends, observed among women in Croatia. Breast cancer detection usually relies on mammography, ultrasound (US) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), however, thermography is a noninvasive, reliable and applicable diagnostic procedure for early detection of breast disease that has attracted interest in this field. The aim of this study was to establish the frequency and characteristics of pathological thermographic signs in female patients, who were operated on malignant breast lesions. In addition, the authors offered a simplified description and interpretation of pathological thermographic signs, based on published literature. Matherial and Methods: The seventy four female patients with histopathologically confirmed breast cancer were included in the study. In all patients breast cancer was diagnosed using standard protocol which have included clinical examination, mammography, ultrasound and for selected patients MRI and/or fine needle aspiration (FNA). Thermographic imaging has been conducted 1 to 14 days before scheduled surgical procedures. Results: Mean tumor size positively correlated with number of pathological thermographic signs (IR 3 vs. IR 5, p < 0.05). Mean number of pathological thermographic signs per patient was 3.5±1, 72 (range 1 to 8). The most frequently noted singular signs were heat in area of finding and vascular signs, as well. Conclusion: The simplified description could offer a suitable clinical tool for standardization of pathological thermography signs in malignant breast lesions, taking into account the learning curve of medical teams involved and ethical aspects, as well

Reforma zdravstvenog sustava

Najveći problem u provođenju reforme zdravstvenog sustava je stanje opće rezignacije ( kako pučanstva tako i profesionalaca ) tako da potrebu za reformom ne ističe niti jedna interesna skupina, pa je prvi zadatak naše male skupine da nametnemo temu. Kako da u zemlji u kojoj je "ŽUJA ZAKON" , "DINAMO JE SVETINJA, OSTALO JE SRANJE" uspijemo istaknuti problem zdravlja, kao polaznu osnovu uspješnog sveopćeg oporavka

Kritične mineralne sirovine – europski i svjetski tokovi sirovina u službi ubrzanog tehnološkog razvoja

Suvremeni razvoj raznih grana proizvodne djelatnosti kao i napredak tehnologije zahtijevaju odgovarajuću opskrbu mineralnim sirovinama. Pojedine sirovine posebno su tražene u proizvodnji i razvoju novih proizvoda, a njihova ograničena opskrba ili čak prekid dobave mogu ozbiljno ugroziti proizvodnju i daljnji razvoj, ugroziti sigurnost radnih mjesta te poljuljati lokalno gospodarstvo. Stoga je zadovoljavajuća i pravovremena opskrba ključnim sirovinama nužan preduvjet svakodnevnog funkcioniranja suvremenih gospodarskih tokova, a time i bitna odrednica strateškog planiranja svake države. Nedovoljna dostatnost pojedine sirovine na tržištu može biti posljedica nedostatne domaće proizvodnje i ovisnosti o uvozu s udaljenih tržišta, ali i prekida opskrbe uslijed ekonomskih, prirodnih i geopolitičkih faktora. Ti čimbenici također utječu na čestu fluktuaciju cijena sirovine, koja se dalje odražava na planiranje proizvodnje, cijenu konačnog proizvoda, kao i na poremećaje u proizvodnji ako volatilnost cijena ugrožava zacrtane proizvodne i razvojne ciljeve, a svakako može utjecati i na smanjenje konkurentnosti pojedinih industrija na tržištu. Sirovine nužne za proizvodnju, a nedostatne na domaćem tržištu, podložne čestim promjenama u dostupnosti i cijeni te povećanog rizika u opskrbi, smatraju se kritičnim sirovinama (European Commission Communication, 2011). Često se kod ove problematike naizmjence koristi izraz „kritične sirovine“ i „kritične mineralne sirovine“, budući da mineralne sirovine svojom brojnošću i obujmom proizvodnje čine najveći dio kritičnih sirovina