Radiotherapy Improves the Disability in Patients with Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) as a complex neurological abnormality is marked with loss of myelin and axons due to chronic inflammatory and autoimmune responses. The modulatory properties of the low dose radiation (LDR) on inflammatory and immune responses have well known.Objective: The current research aimed to assess the impacts of LDR on the disability in patients suffering from MS.Material and Methods: This experimental pilot study was done on 10 patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (SPMS). After magnetic resonance imaging, the SPMS patients were treated by LDR at a daily dose of 2 Gray for 5 consecutive days (totally 10 Gray dose) using a linear accelerator. The extent of the disability was evaluated one week after the completion of radiotherapy using expanded disability status scale (EDSS).Results: After receiving radiotherapy, the patients had a feeling of wellbeing of some sort. The mean of EDSS was significantly reduced after radiotherapy compared with before irradiation (7.4±0.45 vs 6.35±1.18; P<0.017). EDSS more decreased in younger SPMS patients (P=0.0001), and in the women after LDR (P=0.027). Conclusion: Radiotherapy can reduce fatigue and EDSS in patients with SPMS. The age and gender of patients may influence the LDR efficacy

An Integrative Bayesian Model Analysis Of Patient Characteristics And Treatment Variables To Understand Lung Cancer Survival Rates In Kerman Province, Iran

Introduction: Lung cancer (LC) is the most common type of cancer and causes of death among males. This study aims to estimate the survival rate of lung cancer patients by employing the benefits of Bayesian modeling in determining factors affecting the survival of lung cancer in Kerman province, Iran. Methods: We conducted a historical cohort study of 195 patients with lung cancer from 2016 to 2018. In this study, we used linear dependent Dirichlet process (LDDP), and employed some results of the previous study as informative prior for better estimation. Results: Of the 195 patients, 160 died. The mean age of patients at the time of diagnosis was 62.43±12.55. The median survival time of patients was 10.4 months. Men accounted for 75.9% of the total patients. One, two, and three-year survival rate was 44.5%, 22.9%, and 16.4%, respectively. The multivariable model results showed that treatments were significant. Other variables had no significant effect. Conclusion: Our study highlights the importance of prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment in improving the survival rate of lung cancer patients. We found that patients who received at least one usual lung cancer treatment, such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or surgery, had higher survival rates compared to those who did not receive any treatment. While our study has some limitations, such as its retrospective design, our use of Bayesian modeling techniques allowed us to effectively incorporate prior information from previous studies to improve estimation accurac

Quality of life and OHRQoL in head and neck cancer patients in Kerman, Iran

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Head and neck cancer is one of the six most prevalent neoplasms worldwide. Regardless of tumor site, deterioration of basic functions affecting head and neck areas are perceived and affect patients' lives. The aim of this study was to evaluate quality of life (Short Form) and oral health related quality of life (OHIP-14) in patients with head and neck cancer. METHODS: This study was conducted on 42 patients being treated for head and neck cancer. Data collected from the survey included demographic (sex, age, and educational level), quality of life (QoL), and Oral Health Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL), which were, respectively, measured by short form-36 and OHIP-14 questionnaire. Cancer measurements were collected from the patient’s hospital records. ANOVA and t-tests were used to determine the association between QoL scores and the variables. RESULTS: 83.3% of the participants were men and 16.7% were women. Their mean age was 59.39 ± 12.5 years. 33.3% of the participants had oral cancer. 54.8% of patients had stage III cancer. The mean score of OHIP-14 was 21.4 ± 10.11. There was a significant correlation between OHIP-14 and site of cancer, and dose of radiation (P = 0.020 and P = 0.009, respectively). The best score of SF-36 was in social function (55.11 ± 30.9) and the worst score of SF-36 was in vitality domain (29.76 ± 9.67). There was a significant correlation between physical function, vitality and social activity with OHIP-14 (P = 0.020, P = 0.011, P = 0.009, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The QoL scores in Kerman like the other studies were low. Head and neck cancer can have a negative impact on QoL. Further research is recommended. KEY WORDS: Short Form-36 (SF-36), Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14), Head and Neck Cance

The Validity and Reliability of the Persian Version of the Xerostomia Inventory Questionnaire

Statement of the Problem: Reduced saliva production or changes in the quality of saliva are major causes of xerostomia as a perceptual disease.Purpose: This study aimed to measure validity and reliability of the Persian version of the xerostomia inventory (XI) questionnaire.Materials and Method: This cross-sectional study was performed in Kerman in 2021. The sample size for this study was 100 people. To test the discriminant validity of XI, 50 healthy people (control group) and 50 people undergoing or recovering from laryngeal radiation (xerostomia group) were chosen. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was used to determine internal consistency, and the intra-cluster correlation (ICC) coefficient was used to determine test-retest reliability after two weeks. To evaluate the concurrent validity, the relationship between the total score of the questionnaire and the golden question, which was defined as “How often do you have dry mouth?” was measured.Results: Cronbach's alpha and ICC coefficient for the total XI score were 0.84 and 0.95, respectively. The mean ages of patients in the radiotherapy group and the healthy participants were 59±7.5 and 41.1±6.6 years, respectively. Participants who were having or had had laryngeal radiotherapy had a significantly higher mean total XI score than healthy individuals (p< 0.001).Conclusion: The Persian version of the Xerostomia Inventory is a valid and reliable tool for assessing xerostomia

Quality of life and OHRQoL in head and neck cancer patients in Kerman, Iran

BACKGROUND: Head and neck cancer is one of the six most prevalent neoplasms worldwide. Regardless of tumor site, deterioration of basic functions affecting head and neck areas are perceived and affect patients' lives. The aim of this study was to evaluate quality of life (Short Form) and oral health related quality of life (OHIP-14) in patients with head and neck cancer. METHODS: This study was conducted on 42 patients being treated for head and neck cancer. Data collected from the survey included demographic (sex, age, and educational level), quality of life (QoL), and Oral Health Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL), which were, respectively, measured by short form-36 and OHIP-14 questionnaire. Cancer measurements were collected from the patient’s hospital records. ANOVA and t-tests were used to determine the association between QoL scores and the variables. RESULTS: 83.3% of the participants were men and 16.7% were women. Their mean age was 59.39 ± 12.5 years. 33.3% of the participants had oral cancer. 54.8% of patients had stage III cancer. The mean score of OHIP-14 was 21.4 ± 10.11. There was a significant correlation between OHIP-14 and site of cancer, and dose of radiation (P = 0.02 and P = 0.009, respectively). The best score of SF-36 was in social function (55.11 ± 30.9) and the worst score of SF-36 was in vitality domain (29.76 ± 9.67). There was a significant correlation between physical function, vitality and social activity with OHIP-14 (P = 0.02, P = 0.011, P = 0.009, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The QoL scores in Kerman like the other studies were low. Head and neck cancer can have a negative impact on QoL. Further research is recommended

Experimental Investigation on Improvement of Wet Cooling Tower Efficiency with Diverse Packing Compaction Using ANN-PSO Algorithm

In this study, a numerical and empirical scheme for increasing cooling tower performance is developed by combining the particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm with a neural network and considering the packing&rsquo;s compaction as an effective factor for higher accuracies. An experimental setup is used to analyze the effects of packing compaction on the performance. The neural network is optimized by the PSO algorithm in order to predict the precise temperature difference, efficiency, and outlet temperature, which are functions of air flow rate, water flow rate, inlet water temperature, inlet air temperature, inlet air relative humidity, and packing compaction. The effects of water flow rate, air flow rate, inlet water temperature, and packing compaction on the performance are examined. A new empirical model for the cooling tower performance and efficiency is also developed. Finally, the optimized performance conditions of the cooling tower are obtained by the presented correlations. The results reveal that cooling tower efficiency is increased by increasing the air flow rate, water flow rate, and packing compaction

Quality of life and OHRQoL in head and neck cancer patients in Kerman, Iran

BACKGROUND AND AIM:Head and neck cancer is one of the six mostprevalent neoplasms worldwide. Regardless oftumor site, deterioration of basic functions affecting headand neck areas are perceived and affect patients' lives. Theaim of this study was to evaluate quality of life (Short Form) and oral health related quality of life (OHIP-14) in patientswith head and neck cancer.METHODS:This study was conducted on 42 patients being treatedfor head and neck cancer. Data collected from thesurvey included demographic (sex, age, and educational level),quality of life (QoL), and Oral Health Related Quality ofLife (OHRQoL), which were, respectively, measuredby short form-36 and OHIP-14 questionnaire. Cancermeasurements were collected from thepatient’s hospital records.ANOVA and t-tests were used to determine theassociation between QoL scores and the variables.RESULTS:83.3% of the participants were men and 16.7% werewomen. Their mean age was59.39 ± 12.5 years. 33.3%of the participants had oral cancer. 54.8% of patientshad stage III cancer. The mean score of OHIP-14 was21.4 ± 10.11. There was a significant correlation between OHIP-14 and site of cancer, and dose of radiation (P = 0.020and P = 0.009, respectively). The best score of SF-36 was in social function (55.11 ± 30.9) and the worst score of SF-36was in vitality domain (29.76 ± 9.67). There was a significantcorrelation between physical function, vitality and socialactivity with OHIP-14 (P = 0.020, P = 0.011, P = 0.009, respectively).CONCLUSIONS:The QoL scores in Kerman like the other studies were low. Head and neck cancer can have a negativeimpact on QoL. Further research is recommended