Conceptus radiation dose and risk from cardiac catheter ablation procedures

Background-The aim of the current study was to estimate the conceptus radiation dose and risk associated with fluoroscopic imaging during a catheter ablation procedure for supraventricular tachycardia performed on the expectant mother. Methods and Results-Exposure parameters and fluoroscopy times for each projection of the cardiac ablation procedure performed in 20 female patients of childbearing age were recorded. Radiation doses for a potential conceptus were estimated by using dose data obtained in anthropomorphic phantoms simulating pregnancy at the first, second, and third trimesters. Dose measurements were carried out using thermoluminescent dosimeters. For a typical examination, the average radiation dose to the conceptus was < 1 mGy in all periods of gestation. Average excess fatal cancer was 14.5/10(6) unborn children irradiated during the first postconception weeks. Corresponding values for the second and third trimesters were 30 and 55.7/10(6), respectively. The risk for hereditary effects in future generations was 1.5/10(6) cases for conceptus irradiation during the first postconception weeks. Corresponding values for the second and third trimesters were 3.0 and 5.6/10(6), respectively. Formulas and dose data are presented for estimating the conceptus risk from any technique and x-ray system used for catheter ablation procedures. Conclusions-A typical catheter ablation procedure results in a very small increase in risk of harmful effects to the conceptus. However, estimation of conceptus dose from catheter ablation procedures is always needed to assess the risk to the individual developing in utero

WO2014207244 (A1).

PatentA leucite glass-ceramic is disclosed which is prepared from a glass comprising: about 66.8 to about 71.9 mol % of Si02, about 8.5 to about 10.3 mol % of A1203, about 9.5 to about 12.8 mol % of K2O, about 0.5 to about 4.0 mol % of CaO, about 0 to about 3.0 mol % of TiO2, about 1.9 to about 4.0 mol % of Na2O, about 0.1 to about 2.0 mol % of Li2O, about 0 to about 1.0 mol % of MgO, about 0 to about 3.0 mol % of Nb205, and about 0 to about 3.0 mol % of B2O3. The leucite glass-ceramic is prepared by subjecting the glass components to a nucleation heat treatment, followed by a growth heat treatment, The leucite glass-ceramic may be used in the fabrication of a dental restoration using various processes, and may be used in the construction of dental restorations such as ceramic dental inlays, crowns, veneers, bridges, veneering materials for zirconium oxide restoration substrates, alumina oxide restoration substrates, or metal restoration substrates

Failing kidneys in a failing planet; CKD of unknown origin

The 'alarm clock' for human beings in the era of climate medicine has rung. Original diseases have appeared, that could not be explained and attributed to common causes, which are suggested to be linked to global warming and environmental factors. Such an indolent disease is the chronic kidney disease of unknown cause (CKDu), introduced also as Mesoamerican or Uddanam nephropathy. Scientists equate the climate impact on kidneys with the canary in the coal mine; coal miners used to carry caged canaries with them, so that if poisonous gases, such as methane or carbon monoxide leaked into the mine-shaft, the gases would kill the canary before killing the miners; similarly, kidneys are injured before devastating and lethal complications occur in humans. In some regions of Central America, the deaths due to chronic kidney disease increased by 177% with a death toll being as high as over 20,000. It was first documented in animals that periodic heat and dehydration have a major role in causing chronic kidney disease. Based on that observation, it is advocated that young male agricultural workers in Central America and South Asia, develop renal disease by getting exposed to extreme heat repeatedly. The clinico-pathological characteristics of this type of kidney injury, do not belong to an existing classification, even though a form of tubulo-interstitial renal disease has been proposed. In this review, we will discuss about CKDu, its epidemiology and pathophysiological mechanisms, clinical presentation and diagnostic biomarkers and examine potential therapeutic options. © 2021 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston 2021