Dosimetric Verification of Gamma Passing Rate for Head and Neck Cases Treated with Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) Treatment Planning Technique

  يجب اختبار كل خطة علاج إشعاعي معدل الشدة (IMRT) والتحقق منها قبل أي علاج للتحقق من جودتها. جهاز كشف فانتوم نوع   Octavius ​​4D-1500 هو جهاز حديث ومؤهل لإجراء ضمان الجودة. هدفت هذه الدراسة إلى مقارنة معايير قياس الجرعات الشائعة 3٪ / 3 مم مع 2٪ / 2 مم لخطط الراس والرقبة(H&N) لتقنية IMRT. خمسة وعشرون مريضًا يعانون من ورم في الرأس والرقبة (H&N) تم علاجهم باستخدام شعاع فوتون الأشعة السينية 6MV باستخدام برنامج تخطيط العلاج موناكو 5.1 وتم ارسالها الى المعجل الخطي  Elekta ثم اختبارهم لدراسة التحقق من المعالجة المسبقة باستخدام جهاز OCTAVIUS 4D-1500 . تم تقييم الفرق بين الجرعة المخططة والمقاسة باستخدام طريقة تحليل مؤشر جاما المحلي والعالمي عند عتبة 10٪. يتم تنفيذ معايير DD / DTA بنسبة 3٪ / 3 مم و 2٪ / 2 مم. يظهر فرق كبير بين جرعة النقطة المقاسة والمحسوبة لخطط العلاج. تُظهر المقارنة التي تم إجراؤها بين معدل تمرير جاما بين 2٪ / 2 مم و 3٪ / 3 مم اختلافًا كبيرًا بين المحلي والعالمي أن 2٪ / 2 مم أكثر حساسية لتغير الجرعة من 3٪ / 3 مم. تُظهر وحدة الشاشة الإجمالية (MU) علاقة خطية سالبة مع كل من المعايير وأنواع GP. أظهر ارتباط كبير بين إجمالي MU و GP العالمية عند معيار 2 ٪ / 2 مم. تظهر خاتمة الدراسة أن معيار 2٪ / 2 مم أكثر حساسية لتغيرات توزيع الجرعة من 3٪ / 3 مم. يجب أن يؤخذ العدد الإجمالي لوحدات المراقبة في الاعتبار أثناء التخطيط لأورام H&N باستخدام خطط IMRT.Each Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) plan needs to be tested and verified before any treatment to check its quality. Octavius 4D-1500 phantom detector is a modern and qualified device for quality assurance procedure. This study aims to compare the common dosimetric criteria 3%/3 mm with 2%/2 mm for H&N plans for the IMRT technique. Twenty-five patients with head and neck (H&N) tumor were with 6MV x-ray photon beam using Monaco 5.1 treatment planning software and exported to Elekta synergy linear accelerator then tested for pretreatment verification study using Octavius 4D-1500 phantom detector. The difference between planned and measured dose were assessed by using local and global gamma index (GI) analysis method at threshold 10%. The DD/DTA criteria are performed with 3%/3 mm and 2%/2 mm. A significant difference is shown between the measured and calculated point dose for the treatment plans. A comparison made between the gamma passing rate between the 2%/2 mm and 3%/3 mm shows a significant difference for local and global which shows that the 2%/2 mm are more sensitive to dose variation than 3%/3 mm. The total monitor unit (MU) shows a negative linear relationship with both criteria and %GP types. A significant correlation is shown between the total MU and global %GP at 2%/2 mm criterion. The conclusion of the study indicates that 2%/2 mm criterion is more sensitive to the dose distribution changes than the 3%/3 mm. The total number of monitor units should be taken into consideration during the planning of H&N tumors using the IMRT plans

Electron lens Optimization for Beam Physics Research using the Integrated Optics Test Accelerator

This study proposed control system that has been presented to control the electron lens resistance in order to obtain a stabilized electron lens power. This study will layout the fundamental challenges, hypothetical plan arrangements and development condition for the Integrable Optics Test Accelerator (IOTA) in progress at Fermilab. Thus, an effective automatic gain  control (AGC) unit has been introduced which prevents fluctuations in the internal resistance of the electronic lens caused by environmental influences to affect the system's current and power values ​​and keep them in stable amounts. Utilizing this unit has obtained level balanced out system un impacted with electronic lens surrounding natural varieties

An efficient eco advanced oxidation process for phenol mineralization using a 2D/3D nanocomposite photocatalyst and visible light irradiations

Nanocomposites (CNTi) with different mass ratios of carbon nitride (C3N4) and TiO2 nanoparticles were prepared hydrothermally. Different characterization techniques were used including X-ray diffraction (XRD), UV-Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron spectroscopy (TEM) and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET). UV-Vis DRS demonstrated that the CNTi nanocomposites exhibited absorption in the visible light range. A sun light-simulated photoexcitation source was used to study the kinetics of phenol degradation and its intermediates in presence of the as-prepared nanocomposite photocatalysts. These results were compared with studies when TiO2 nanoparticles were used in the presence and absence of H2O2 and/or O3. The photodegradation of phenol was evaluated spectrophotometrically and using the total organic carbon (TOC) measurements. It was observed that the photocatalytic activity of the CNTi nanocomposites was significantly higher than that of TiO2 nanoparticles. Additionally, spectrophotometry and TOC analyses confirmed that degraded phenol was completely mineralized to CO2 and H2O with the use of CNTi nanocomposites, which was not the case for TiO2 where several intermediates were formed. Furthermore, when H2O2 and O3 were simultaneously present, the 0.1% g-C3N4/TiO2 nanocomposite showed the highest phenol degradation rate and the degradation percentage was greater than 91.4% within 30 min. 1 2017 The Author(s).Scopu

Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Oman: An analysis of 284 cases

Objectives: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common type of primary liver tumour worldwide and is increasing in incidence. This study aimed to describe the clinical characteristics of HCC among Omani patients, along with its major risk factors, outcomes and the role of surveillance. Methods: This retrospective case-series study was conducted between January 2008 and December 2015 at the three main tertiary care hospitals in Oman. All adult Omani patients diagnosed with HCC and visited these hospitals during the study period were included. Relevant data were collected from the patients’ electronic medical records. Results: A total of 284 HCC patients were included in the analysis. The mean age was 61.02 ± 11.41 years and 67.6% were male. The majority had liver cirrhosis (79.9%), with the most common aetiologies being chronic hepatitis C (46.5%) and B (43.2%). Only 13.7% of cases were detected by the HCC surveillance programme. Approximately half of the patients (48.5%) had a single liver lesion and 31.9% had a liver tumour of >5 cm in size. Approximately half (49.2%) had alpha-fetoprotein levels of ≥200 ng/mL. The majority (72.5%) were diagnosed using multiphase computed tomography alone. Less than half of the patients (48.9%) were offered one or more HCC treatment modalities. Conclusion: The majority of Omani HCC patients were male and had cirrhosis due to viral hepatitis. In addition, few patients were identified by the national surveillance programme and presented with advanced disease precluding therapeutic or even palliative treatment.Keywords: Hepatocellular Carcinoma; Liver Cirrhosis; Human Viral Hepatitis; Public Health Surveillance; Early Detection of Cancer; Alpha-Fetoprotein; Oman

2-{[5-(Adamantan-1-yl)-4-methyl-4H-1,2,4-triazol-3-yl]sulfan­yl}-N,N-dimethyl­ethanamine

In the title compound, C17H28N4S, the 1,2,4-triazole ring is nearly planar [maximum deviation = 0.005 (2) Å]. There are no significant hydrogen bonds observed in the crystal structure. The crystal studied was a non-merohedral twin, the refined ratio of twin components being 0.281 (3):0.719 (3)

Nurses` Perception Regarding Diabetic Wound Care at Primary Health Care Level

One of the challenges regarding quality of care at primary care level is diabetic wound services; where the nurses are the pillar in wound care. The study objective was to determine the perception of nurses regarding the diabetic wound services in the health centers.  A descriptive qualitative study carried in Khartoum State Sudan targeted nurses at the health centers. Focus Group Discussion (FGD) was carried out using semi-structured open ended questions. Saturation of information was obtained after four FGD sessions resulted in 26 nurses. Informed consent was signed and obtained from each nurse. Two independent qualified researchers carried out content analysis of the recorded information. The results show that female to male ratio was 2:1. Most of nurses were holders of Technical Nursing Certificate. Almost all nurses have not received in-service training about diabetes and diabetic wound care. Factors affecting diabetic wound services were lack of guidelines for services and follow-up registry, insufficient consumables and dressing materials and negative patients` attitudes. In-service training on diabetic wound care was absent. Guidelines and follow up registry for diabetic wound care were not available at the health centers.  Health centers were lacking sufficient dressing and surgical materials. Strengthening the capacity of nurses and availing adequate resources and services` guidelines are recommended.

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Magnetic solid phase extractions of Co(II) and Hg(II) by using magnetized C-micaceus from water and food samples

WOS: 000444967800031PubMed ID: 30236672A new bio-MSPE sorbent based on the use of C. micaceus and gamma-Fe2O3 magnetic nanoparticle was prepared for the preconcentrations of Co(II) and Hg(II). Critical parameters including pH, flow rate, quantity of C. micaceus, quantity of gamma-Fe2O3 magnetic nanoparticle, eluent (type, concentration and volume), sample volume, and foreign ions were examined. Surface structure and variations after interaction with Co(II) and Hg(II) of bio-MSPE sorbent were investigated by FT-IR, SEM, and EDX. The impact of bio-MSPE column reusage was also tested. The biosorption capacities were determined as 24.7 mg g(-1) and 26.2 mg g(-1), respectively for Co(II) and Hg(II). Certified reference materials were utilized to find out the accuracy of the prepared bio-MSPE method. This novel bio-MSPE method was accomplished by being applied to real food and water samples. In particular, it will be possible to make use of C. micaceus as new alternatives, in environmental biotechnology applications.Mersin Technology Transfer Office Academic Writing Center of Mersin University, TurkeyThis academic work was linguistically supported by the Mersin Technology Transfer Office Academic Writing Center of Mersin University, Turkey.C. micaceusMagnetic solid phase extractionPreconcentrationCo(II)Hg(II

Application of magnetized fungal solid phase extractor with Fe2O3 nanoparticle for determination and preconcentration of Co(II) and Hg(II) from natural water samples

Pleurolus eryngii loaded Fe2O3 magnetic nanoparticles were developed as novel magnetic solid phase bio-extractors for the preconcentrations and extractions of Co(II) and Hg(II) from real samples. The metal binding surface groups of the prepared magnetic solid phase bio-extractors were investigated by FT-IR spectrometry, SEM and EDX. Several parameters influencing the magnetic extractions and preconcentrations of Co(II) and Hg (II) were examined and optimized, including pH, flow rate, quantity of P. eryngii, quantity of Fe2O3 magnetic nanoparticle, eluent type, concentration and volume, sample volume, and foreign ions. A good reusage (35 times) was obtained with the relative standard deviation (RSD) of < 5.0% for both magnetic solid phase bio-extractors. The biosorption capacities were determined for Co(II) and Hg(II) as 25.4 mg g(-1) and 30.3 mg g(-1), respectively, using P. eryngii loaded Fe2O3 magnetic nanoparticle column. The preconcentration factors for Co(II) and Hg(II) were found as 80 and 100, respectively, when using P. eryngii loaded Fe2O3 magnetic nanoparticle column. The developed procedures were validated through analysis of the certified reference materials and successfully utilized for the determinations of Co(II) and Hg(II) in real samples by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES) with satisfactory results