Attitudes of University Students in Gaza to Organ Donation

Background: This study aimed to explore the attitudes and knowledge of university students in Gaza to organ donation. Methods: A structured questionnaire was used to collect data including socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge level and attitudes of participants toward organ donation and factors that affect personal beliefs of the participants on donation. The questionnaire was distributed using the convenience method to 489 (179 males, 310 females) students at the Islamic University of Gaza. The data were analyzed in a descriptive fashion using SPSS program. Results: The study showed that 97.5% of participants were acquainted with the term “organ donation”. Those participants were eligible and were asked to complete the questionnaire. Less than half of participants chose multimedia as the main source of information regarding organ donation and more than half of respondents (56%) said that,“saving lives” was the most important reason for organ donation. One fifth of participants (22%) reported that they completely reject donating any of their organs during their lifetimes, whereas more than one fourth of them (27%) reported that they refuse organ donation even after death.(54%) of students denied any knowledge about local or international legislation regulating organ donation. Conclusion: The results of the study confirm the presence of good level of knowledge regarding organ donation among participants, which was reflected in their positive attitudes towards organ donation. However, one of the main concerns to promote organ donation was the fear of surgery and its complications. Additionally, legislative, educational and

Comparison of Synthetic Computed Tomography Generation Methods, Incorporating Male and Female Anatomical Differences, for Magnetic Resonance Imaging-Only Definitive Pelvic Radiotherapy

Purpose: There are several means of synthetic computed tomography (sCT) generation for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-only planning; however, much of the research omits large pelvic treatment regions and female anatomical specific methods. This research aimed to apply four of the most popular methods of sCT creation to facilitate MRI-only radiotherapy treatment planning for male and female anorectal and gynecological neoplasms. sCT methods were validated against conventional computed tomography (CT), with regard to Hounsfield unit (HU) estimation and plan dosimetry. Methods and Materials: Paired MRI and CT scans of 40 patients were used for sCT generation and validation. Bulk density assignment, tissue class density assignment, hybrid atlas, and deep learning sCT generation methods were applied to all 40 patients. Dosimetric accuracy was assessed by dose difference at reference point, dose volume histogram (DVH) parameters, and 3D gamma dose comparison. HU estimation was assessed by mean error and mean absolute error in HU value between each sCT and CT. Results: The median percentage dose difference between the CT and sCT was &lt;1.0% for all sCT methods. The deep learning method resulted in the lowest median percentage dose difference to CT at −0.03% (IQR 0.13, −0.31) and bulk density assignment resulted in the greatest difference at −0.73% (IQR −0.10, −1.01). The mean 3D gamma dose agreement at 3%/2 mm among all sCT methods was 99.8%. The highest agreement at 1%/1 mm was 97.3% for the deep learning method and the lowest was 93.6% for the bulk density method. Deep learning and hybrid atlas techniques gave the lowest difference to CT in mean error and mean absolute error in HU estimation. Conclusions: All methods of sCT generation used in this study resulted in similarly high dosimetric agreement for MRI-only planning of male and female cancer pelvic regions. The choice of the sCT generation technique can be guided by department resources available and image guidance considerations, with minimal impact on dosimetric accuracy.</p

Effect of synthetic colorants (Sunset yellow and Ponceau 4R) in some biochemical and histopathological parameters of albino rats

Color additives are used for a wide variety of purposes and in great amount. However, the sharp increase in the use of synthetic food colorants in the past few years and additionally there is an uncontrolled use of synthetic color. The present investigation is planned to illustrate the effects of two synthetic color additives(Sunset yellow and Ponceau 4R) for biochemical and histopathologically on liver and kidney of rats. Thirty adult Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into three equal groups as follows; Animals in a control group (CG) served as the control group received distilled water, Sunset yellow group (SG) received Sunset yellow (2g/kg BW ) dissolved in distilled water, Ponceau group (PG) receive Ponceau 4R (4g/kg BW) dissolved in distilled water, treatments done for 45 days. Then the blood sample was collected from heart puncture to estimate serum urea, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels and the liver and kidney were removed for histopathological study. The results showed a significant increase (P<0.05) in serum urea concentration (mg/dl) in SG and PG compared with CG, also a significant increase in AST and ALT compared with CG. The histological examination showed a fatty degeneration of the liver in (SG) while kidney showed (nephritis) meanwhile (PG) showed vacuolar degeneration with congestion in central vein of liver the kidney showed tubular degeneration. Therefore, synthetic colorants administration should not be used for a large amount or for long period in man’s diet or drink

Performance of van der Waals Corrected Functionals for Guest Adsorption in the M-2(dobdc) Metal-Organic Frameworks

Small-molecule binding in metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) can be accurately studied both experimentally and computationally, provided the proper tools are employed. Herein, we compare and contrast properties associated with guest binding by means of density functional theory (DFT) calculations using nine different functionals for the M2(dobdc) (dobdc4– = 2,5-dioxido,1,4-benzenedicarboxylate) series, where M = Mg, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn. Additionally, we perform Quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) calculations for one system to determine if this method can be used to assess the performance of DFT. We also make comparisons with previously published experimental results for carbon dioxide and water and present new methane neutron powder diffraction (NPD) data for further comparison. All of the functionals are able to predict the experimental variation in the binding energy from one metal to the next; however, the interpretation of the performance of the functionals depends on which value is taken as the reference. On the one hand, if we compare against experimental values, we would conclude that the optB86b-vdW and optB88-vdW functionals systematically overestimate the binding strength, while the second generation of van der Waals (vdW) nonlocal functionals (vdw-DF2 and rev-vdW-DF2) correct for this providing a good description of binding energies. On the other hand, if the QMC calculation is taken as the reference then all of the nonlocal functionals yield results that fall just outside the error of the higher-level calculation. The empirically corrected vdW functionals are in reasonable agreement with experimental heat of adsorptions but under bind when compared with QMC, while Perdew–Burke–Ernzerhof fails by more than 20 kJ/mol regardless of which reference is employed. All of the functionals, with the exception of vdW-DF2, predict reasonable framework and guest binding geometries when compared with NPD measurements. The newest of the functionals considered, rev-vdW-DF2, should be used in place of vdW-DF2, as it yields improved bond distances with similar quality binding energies

Validation of an MRI-only planning workflow for definitive pelvic radiotherapy

Purpose: Previous work on Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) only planning has been applied to limited treatment regions with a focus on male anatomy. This research aimed to validate the use of a hybrid multi-atlas synthetic computed tomography (sCT) generation technique from a MRI, using a female and male atlas, for MRI only radiation therapy treatment planning of rectum, anal canal, cervix and endometrial malignancies. Patients and methods: Forty patients receiving radiation treatment for a range of pelvic malignancies, were separated into male (n = 20) and female (n = 20) cohorts for the creation of gender specific atlases. A multi-atlas local weighted voting method was used to generate a sCT from a T1-weighted VIBE DIXON MRI sequence. The original treatment plans were copied from the CT scan to the corresponding sCT for dosimetric validation. Results: The median percentage dose difference between the treatment plan on the CT and sCT at the ICRU reference point for the male cohort was − 0.4% (IQR of 0 to − 0.6), and − 0.3% (IQR of 0 to − 0.6) for the female cohort. The mean gamma agreement for both cohorts was &gt; 99% for criteria of 3%/2 mm and 2%/2 mm. With dose criteria of 1%/1 mm, the pass rate was higher for the male cohort at 96.3% than the female cohort at 93.4%. MRI to sCT anatomical agreement for bone and body delineated contours was assessed, with a resulting Dice score of 0.91 ± 0.2 (mean ± 1 SD) and 0.97 ± 0.0 for the male cohort respectively; and 0.96 ± 0.0 and 0.98 ± 0.0 for the female cohort respectively. The mean absolute error in Hounsfield units (HUs) within the entire body for the male and female cohorts was 59.1 HU ± 7.2 HU and 53.3 HU ± 8.9 HU respectively. Conclusions: A multi-atlas based method for sCT generation can be applied to a standard T1-weighted MRI sequence for male and female pelvic patients. The implications of this study support MRI only planning being applied more broadly for both male and female pelvic sites. Trial registration This trial was registered in the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ANZCTR) (www.anzctr.org.au) on 04/10/2017. Trial identifier ACTRN12617001406392.</p

Elevated Paracellular Glucose Flux across Cystic Fibrosis Airway Epithelial Monolayers Is an Important Factor for Pseudomonas aeruginosa Growth.

People with cystic fibrosis (CF) who develop related diabetes (CFRD) have accelerated pulmonary decline, increased infection with antibiotic-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and increased pulmonary exacerbations. We have previously shown that glucose concentrations are elevated in airway surface liquid (ASL) of people with CF, particularly in those with CFRD. We therefore explored the hypotheses that glucose homeostasis is altered in CF airway epithelia and that elevation of glucose flux into ASL drives increased bacterial growth, with an effect over and above other cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR)-related ASL abnormalities. The aim of this study was to compare the mechanisms governing airway glucose homeostasis in CF and non-CF primary human bronchial epithelial (HBE) monolayers, under normal conditions and in the presence of Ps. aeruginosa filtrate. HBE-bacterial co-cultures were performed in the presence of 5 mM or 15 mM basolateral glucose to investigate how changes in blood glucose, such as those seen in CFRD, affects luminal Ps. aeruginosa growth. Calu-3 cell monolayers were used to evaluate the potential importance of glucose on Ps. aeruginosa growth, in comparison to other hallmarks of the CF ASL, namely mucus hyperviscosity and impaired CFTR-dependent fluid secretions. We show that elevation of basolateral glucose promotes the apical growth of Ps. aeruginosa on CF airway epithelial monolayers more than non-CF monolayers. Ps. aeruginosa secretions elicited more glucose flux across CF airway epithelial monolayers compared to non-CF monolayers which we propose increases glucose availability in ASL for bacterial growth. In addition, elevating basolateral glucose increased Ps. aeruginosa growth over and above any CFTR-dependent effects and the presence or absence of mucus in Calu-3 airway epithelia-bacteria co-cultures. Together these studies highlight the importance of glucose as an additional factor in promoting Ps. aeruginosa growth and respiratory infection in CF disease