Regulatory Analysis on Criteria for the Release of Patients Administered Radioactive Material

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has received two petitions to amend its regulations in 10 CFR Parts 20 and 35 as they apply to doses received by members of the public exposed to patients released from a hospital after they have been administered radioactive material. While the two petitions are not identical they both request that the NRC establish a dose limit of 5 millisieverts (0.5 rem) per year for individuals exposed to patients who have been administered radioactive materials. This Regulatory Analysis evaluates three alternatives. Alternative 1 is for the NRC to amend its patient release criteria in 10 CFR 35.75 to use the more stringent dose limit of 1 millisievert per year in 10 CFR 20.1301(a) for its patient release criteria. Alternative 2 is for the NRC to continue using the existing patient release criteria in 10 CFR 35.75 of 1,110 megabecquerels of activity or a dose rate at one meter from the patient of 0.05 millisievert per hour. Alternative 3 is for the NRC to amend the patient release criteria in 10 CFR 35.75 to specify a dose limit of 5 millisieverts for patient release. The evaluation indicates that Alternative 1 would cause a prohibitively large increase in the national health care cost from retaining patients in a hospital longer and would cause significant personal and psychological costs to patients and their families. The choice of Alternatives 2 or 3 would affect only thyroid cancer patients treated with iodine-131. For those patients, Alternative 3 would result in less hospitalization than Alternative 2. Alternative 3 has a potential decrease in national health care cost of $30,000,000 per year but would increase the potential collective dose from released therapy patients by about 2,700 person-rem per year, mainly to family members

Myeloperoxydase activity in the pathogenesis of cholesteatoma

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of myeloperoxydase (MPO) in bone destruction in patients of chronic otitis media (COM) with cholesteatoma by immtino-histochemical staining and to conclude the possible relationship between bone destruction in patients with cholesteatoma accompanied with COM and MPO activity. METHODS: The study was conducted on a total number of 81 patients where 51 of the patients were enrolled in the “patient group” and 30 of the patients were enrolled in the “control group” whom were operated due to otitis media. MPO positivism was monitored when a cytoplasmic staining process was performed. RESULTS: Meanwhile, a significant difference is present at a statistically advanced level between the MPO levels of groups (p = 0.001; p < 0.01). However, MPO activity is absent in patients included in the control group or it can be observed at a very slight level. A moderate level or intense level of activity can be observed in patients enrolled in the study group. Excluding the destruction at the dura, all findings related with the middle ear and the erosion of the mastoid cavity and MPO activity indicated a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05). According to the destruction at the wall of the dura bone, distribution of MPO activity did not display a statistically meaningful difference (p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: In this study, we investigated the relationship between MPO level and bone destruction and found a significant level of correlation among the fore said. A new era may be opened in the treatment of cholesteatoma when preoperative MPO levels are determined and adequate information is obtained related with bone erosion