Design of a generally applicable abdominal shield for reducing fetal dose during radiotherapy of common malignancies in pregnant patients

Background: In most cancer cases, the treatment choice for a pregnant patient is radiotherapy. In these patients, the abdomen is usually not exposed; therefore fetus exposure is due to peripheral dose (PD). The purpose of this study was to estimate the fetal dose (the maximum PD in each pregnancy stage) for modalities available and to fabricate and evaluate a generally applicable fetal shield. Materials and Methods: PD values were measured for brain, breast and mediastinum irradiation in a whole body anthropomorphic phantom using a NE 2571 ionization chamber. An external shield was then designed to reduce the fetal dose to the standard dose limit, 5 mSv. Results: The range of PD values as a function of distance from the field's edge were as follows 1) 9.4-259 cGy for Mantel field; 2) 6.5-95 cGy for chest wall irradiation with 10 MeV electrons, 3) 8.5-52.5 cGy for tangential field with Co-60 and 4) 4.8-7.8 cGy for brain radiotherapy with 9 MV photon. PD values for the same setups using the fetal shield were as follows: 1) 1.4-22 cGy, 2) 0.5-4 cGy, 3) 1.5-5 cGy and 4) under 1 cGy. Conclusions: The measured PD data sets can be used to estimate fetal dose for specific treatment setups and pregnancy stages. The use of external shield designed in this research reduced the fetal dose effectively to under the threshold (a 70-90% reduction), except for the final stages of pregnancy in Hodgkin's patients. Iran. J. Radiat. Res., 2012; 10(3-4): 151-15

Effect of Florid on the metabolism of serum Iron-related parameters in rat

Background: Nowadays the extra amounts of some elements above the standard level can affect the human health among them are Florid that is used in toothpaste. The aim of this study was to study the effect of Florid on Iron metabolism in rat for short and long terms. Materials and Methods: Florid (100, 200 and 300 ppm) was added to the rat drinking water. One control group is also selected with no florid in the drinking water. This study was undertaken in different time periods (5-88 days). After the decapitation, blood samples were collected for further experiments. Some parameters related to Iron metabolism were measured using laboratory standard methods. Results: Results indicate that, in short term, no significant difference was seen between the control and experimental groups. In the second time period (22 days), a significant difference was seen between the control and other groups. Finally, in the third group (44 and 88 days Florid) the decreasing of hematocrit level up to 10-12 percent was obtained. Elevation in serum TIBC and reduction in serum iron and also copper was seen. Conclusion: It is concluded that the extra consumption of Florid in toothpaste may cause damage to iron related parameters when it used for long period of time

Effect of peppermint essential oil on growth and survival of some foodborne pathogenic bacteria

This study was conducted to determine the effects of peppermint essential oils on Bacillus cereus, Salmonella typhimurium, Listeria monocytogenes and Yersinia enterocolitica. In the first step, Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) of peppermint essential were determined by the tube dilution method in tryptic soy broth (TSB). Then, the growth behavior of each of the aforementioned bacteria was assessed in presence of peppermint essential oil in concentration of less than MIC. The result of first step showed that Y. enterocolitica is more sensitive to peppermint essential oil than other tested bacteria (MIC = 0.1% & MBC = 0.22%), followed by L. monocytogenes (MIC = 0.12% & MBC = 0.15%), S. typhimurium (MIC = 0.22% & MBC = 0.25%) and B. cereus (MIC = 0.3% & MBC = 5%), respectively. The results revealed that, the peppermint essential oils in low concentration inhibited the growth rate of bacteria thus may use as a natural preservative and flavoring in foods

Heavy Metals Bioaccumulation by Iranian and Australian Earthworms (Eisenia fetida ) in the Sewage Sludge Vermicomposting

Vermicomposting of organic waste has an important part to play in an integrated waste management strategy. In this study, the possibility of heavy metals accumulation with two groups of Iranian and Australian earthworms in sewage sludge vermicompost was investigated. Eisenia fetida   was the species of earthworms used in the vermicomposting process. The bioaccumulation of Cr, Cd, Pb, Cu, and Zn as heavy metals by Iranian and Australian earthworms was studied. The results indicated that heavy metals concentration decreased with increasing vermicomposting time. Comparison of the two groups of earthworms showed that the Iranian earthworms consumed higher quantities of micronutrients such as Cu and Zn comparing with the Australian earthworms, while the bioaccumulation of non-essential elements such as Cr, Cd, and Pb by the Australian group was higher. The significant decrease in heavy metal concentrations in the final vermicompost indicated the capability of both Iranian and Australian E.fetida species in accumulating heavy metals in their body tissues

Reperfusion therapies and in-hospital outcomes for ST-elevation myocardial infarction in Europe: The ACVC-EAPCI EORP STEMI Registry of the European Society of Cardiology

Aims: The aim of this study was to determine the contemporary use of reperfusion therapy in the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) member and affiliated countries and adherence to ESC clinical practice guidelines in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Methods and results: Prospective cohort (EURObservational Research Programme STEMI Registry) of hospitalized STEMI patients with symptom onset <24 h in 196 centres across 29 countries. A total of 11 462 patients were enrolled, for whom primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) (total cohort frequency: 72.2%, country frequency range 0-100%), fibrinolysis (18.8%; 0-100%), and no reperfusion therapy (9.0%; 0-75%) were performed. Corresponding in-hospital mortality rates from any cause were 3.1%, 4.4%, and 14.1% and overall mortality was 4.4% (country range 2.5-5.9%). Achievement of quality indicators for reperfusion was reported for 92.7% (region range 84.8-97.5%) for the performance of reperfusion therapy of all patients with STEMI <12 h and 54.4% (region range 37.1-70.1%) for timely reperfusion. Conclusions: The use of reperfusion therapy for STEMI in the ESC member and affiliated countries was high. Primary PCI was the most frequently used treatment and associated total in-hospital mortality was below 5%. However, there was geographic variation in the use of primary PCI, which was associated with differences in in-hospital mortality

The ESC ACCA EAPCI EORP acute coronary syndrome ST-elevation myocardial infarction registry

Aims: The Acute Cardiac Care Association (ACCA)-European Association of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (EAPCI) Registry on ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) of the EurObservational programme (EORP) of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) registry aimed to determine the current state of the use of reperfusion therapy in ESC member and ESC affiliated countries and the adherence to ESC STEMI guidelines in patients with STEMI. Methods and results: Between 1 January 2015 and 31 March 2018, a total of 11 462 patients admitted with an initial diagnosis of STEMI according to the 2012 ESC STEMI guidelines were enrolled. Individual patient data were collected across 196 centres and 29 countries. Among the centres, there were 136 percutaneous coronary intervention centres and 91 with cardiac surgery on-site. The majority of centres (129/196) were part of a STEMI network. The main objective of this study was to describe the demographic, clinical, and angiographic characteristics of patients with STEMI. Other objectives include to assess management patterns and in particular the current use of reperfusion therapies and to evaluate how recommendations of most recent STEMI European guidelines regarding reperfusion therapies and adjunctive pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments are adopted in clinical practice and how their application can impact on patients' outcomes. Patients will be followed for 1 year after admission. Conclusion: The ESC ACCA-EAPCI EORP ACS STEMI registry is an international registry of care and outcomes of patients hospitalized with STEMI. It will provide insights into the contemporary patient profile, management patterns, and 1-year outcome of patients with STEMI