Assessment of Radium Isotopes in Some Hot Springs in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Radioactivity measurements have been conducted to determine the activity concentrations of radium isotopes (226Ra and 228Ra) in water Samples acquired from some hot springs at the south and south-western area of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The radium isotopes were measured by gamma spectrometry using high purity germanium detector, after radiochemical separation of the isotopes with ion-exchange chromatography using a strong cation resin.  The 226Ra showed an average activity concentration of 82.4mBq/L, while the average activity concentration of 228Ra was 236.4 mBq/L. These values were comparable to the values of radium activities in thermal waters reported in literature. The chemical analyses showed that good correlations have been observed between the radium activities and the concentrations of sulphates and total dissolved soilds in the investigated thermal waters. Further studies regarding The radon concentrations, the immersion time for bathers and the resulting annual committed effective dose are considered. Keywords: Hot springs, radium, cation exchange resin, TDS, Sulphates, Saudi Arabia

Botulinum toxin: Non cosmetic and off-label dermatological uses

AbstractBotulinum toxin (BT-A) is a neurotoxin which is produced by the Gram-positive anaerobic bacterium Clostridium botulinum. The efficacy of Botulinum toxin in treating hyperhidrosis and the glabellar lines is well known and FDA approved.Because BT-A inhibits the release of acetylcholine and many other neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine and substance P at the level of nerve ending, this toxin has been used to treat a lot of dermatological disorders which are thought to be triggered by these neurotransmitters.In this article we are discussing the medical off-label uses of BT-A in dermatology

Ameliorating effect of olive oil on fertility of male rats fed on genetically modified soya bean

Background: Genetically modified soya bean (GMSB) is a commercialized food. It has been shown to have adverse effects on fertility in animal trials. Extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) has many beneficial effects including anti-oxidant properties. The aim of this study is to elucidate if addition of EVOO ameliorates the adverse effects on reproductive organs of rats fed on GMSB containing diet. Methods: Forty adult male albino rats (150–180 g) of Sprague Dawley strain were separated into four groups of 10 rats each: Group 1 – control group fed on basal ration, Group 2 – fed on basal ration mixed with EVOO (30%), Group 3 – fed on basal ration mixed with GMSB (15%), and Group 4 – fed on basal ration mixed with GMSB (15%) and EVOO (30%). This feeding regimen was administered for 65 days. Blood samples were collected to analyze serum zinc, vitamin E, and testosterone levels. Histopathological and weight changes in sex organs were evaluated. Results: GMSB diet reduced weight of testis (0.66±0.06 vs. 1.7±0.06, p<0.001), epididymis (0.489±0.03 vs. 0.7±0.03, p<0.001), prostate (0.04±0.009 vs. 0.68±0.04, p<0.001), and seminal vesicles (0.057±0.01 vs. 0.8±0.04, p<0.001). GMSB diet adversely affected sperm count (406±7.1 vs. 610±7.8, p<0.001), motility (p<0.001), and abnormality (p<0.001). GMSB diet also reduced serum zinc (p<0.05), vitamin E (p<0.05), and testosterone (p<0.05) concentrations. EVOO diet had no detrimental effect. Addition of EVOO to GMSB diet increased the serum zinc (p<0.05), vitamin E (p<0.05), and testosterone (p<0.05) levels and also restored the weights of testis (1.35±0.16 vs. 0.66±0.06, p<0.01), epididymis (0.614±0.13 vs. 0.489±0.03, p<0.001), prostate (0.291±0.09 vs. 0.04±0.009, p<0.001), seminal vesicle (0.516±0.18 vs. 0.057±0.01, p<0.001) along with sperm count (516±3.1 vs. 406±7.1, p<0.01), motility (p<0.01), and abnormality (p<0.05). Conclusion: EVOO ameliorates the adverse effects of GMSB on reproductive organs in adult male albino rats. This protective action of EVOO justifies its use against the oxidative damage induced by GMSB in reproductive organs

Structural and Magnetic Phase Transitions in BiFe1−x_{1−x}Mnx_xO3_3 Solid Solution Driven by Temperature

The crystal structure and magnetic state of the (1 − x)BiFeO$_3$-(x)BiMnO$_3$ solid solution has been analyzed by X-ray diffraction using lab-based and synchrotron radiation facilities, magnetization measurements, differential thermal analysis, and differential scanning calorimetry. Dopant concentration increases lead to the room-temperature structural transitions from the polar-active rhombohedral phase to the antipolar orthorhombic phase, and then to the monoclinic phase accompanied by the formation of two-phase regions consisting of the adjacent structural phases in the concentration ranges 0.25 < x$_1$ < 0.30 and 0.50 ≤ x$_2$ < 0.65, respectively. The accompanied changes in the magnetic structure refer to the magnetic transitions from the modulated antiferromagnetic structure to the non-colinear antiferromagnetic structure, and then to the orbitally ordered ferromagnetic structure. The compounds with a two-phase structural state at room temperature are characterized by irreversible temperature-driven structural transitions, which favor the stabilization of high-temperature structural phases. The magnetic structure of the compounds also exhibits an irreversible temperature-induced transition, resulting in an increase of the contribution from the magnetic phase associated with the high-temperature structural phase. The relationship between the structural parameters and the magnetic state of the compounds with a metastable structure is studied and discussed depending on the chemical composition and heating prehistory

The Vital Role of La2O3 on the La2O3-CaO-B2O3-SiO2 Glass System for Shielding Some Common Gamma Ray Radioactive Sources

The role La2O3 on the radiation shielding properties of La2O3-CaO-B2O3-SiO2 glass systems was investigated. The energies were selected between 0.284 and 1.275 MeV and Phy-X software was used for the calculations. BLa10 glass had the least linear attenuation coefficient (LAC) at all the tested energies, while BLa30 had the greatest, which indicated that increasing the content of La2O3 in the BLa-X glasses enhances the shielding performance of these glasses. The mass attenuation coefficient (MAC) of BLa15 decreases from 0.150 cm2/g to 0.054 cm2/g at energies of 0.284 MeV and 1.275 MeV, respectively, while the MAC of BLa25 decreases from 0.164 cm2/g to 0.053 cm2/g for the same energies, respectively. At all energies, the effective atomic number (Zeff) values follow the trend BLa10 &lt; BLa15 &lt; BLa20 &lt; BLa25 &lt; BLa30. The half value thickness (HVL) of the BLa-X glass shields were also investigated. The minimum HVL values are found at 0.284 MeV. The HVL results demonstrated that BLa30 is the most space-efficient shield. The tenth value layer (TVL) results demonstrated that the glasses are more effective attenuators at lower energies, while decreasing in ability at greater energies. These mean free path results proved that increasing the density of the glasses, by increasing the amount of La2O3 content, lowers MFP, and increases attenuation, which means that BLa30, the glass with the greatest density, absorbs the most amount of radiation

The Role of Virtual Communities of Practice in Knowledge Management Using Web 2.0

AbstractDespite the critical importance of knowledge management (KM) in helping organizations to improve performance and achieve the desired goals, the reality of the application of KM indicates that there are plenty of obstacles; most prominent of which are the difficulty of tacit KM, the poor cooperation and sharing in KM, and the difficulty of dealing with its techniques. This paper aims to determine how to take advantage of the virtual communities of practice that employ Web 2.0 technologies to overcome the obstacles of KM. Employing the descriptive approach based on theoretical analysis of literature, the results revealed that Web 2.0 technologies involve important applications in personal KM, supporting participation in participatory KM, in addition to supporting communication and interaction mechanisms. Moreover, results indicated that Web 2.0-based-communities of practice play major roles in capturing tacit knowledge, facilitating innovation, as well as knowledge sharing and collaboration