Electrodiagnostic Examination of the Tibial Nerve in Clinically Normal Ferrets

Tibial nerves of 10 normal domestic ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) were evaluated by means of electrodiagnostic tests: motor nerve conduction studies (MNCSs), supramaximal repetitive nerve stimulation (SRNS), F waves, and cord dorsum potentials (CDPs). Values of conduction velocity, proximal and distal compound muscular action potentials, and amplitudes of MNCS were, respectively, 63.25 ± 7.56 m/sec, 10.79 ± 2.75 mV, and 13.02 ± 3.41 mV. Mean decrements in amplitude and area of compound muscular action potentials of wave 9 with low frequency SRNS were 0.3 ± 3.83% and 0.1 ± 3.51%. The minimum latency of the F waves and the F ratio were, respectively, 8.49 ± 0.65 ms and 1.92 ± 0.17. Onset latency of CDP was 1.99 ± 0.03 ms. These tests may help in diagnosing neuromuscular disorders and in better characterizing the hindlimb paresis reported in many ferrets with systemic illnesses

Phenol compounds for Electron Spin Resonance dosimetry in gamma and neutron field

The use of neutrons for cancer treatments has stimulated the research for beam characterization in order to optimize the therapy procedures in Neutron Capture Therapy (Altieri, 2008). Several research laboratories have shown an increasing interest aimed at extending the applicability of Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) dosimetry to radiotherapy with different types of radiation beams. In particular, ESR spectrometry provides absorbed dose measurements through the detection of the stable free radicals produced by ionizing radiations. The ESR dosimetric method has many advantages such as simple and rapid dose evaluation, the readout procedure is non-destructive, linear response of many organic and inorganic compounds (Baffa 2014). In this work we study the response of phenolic compounds with and without gadolinium addition for electron spin resonance (ESR) dosimetry exposed to a gamma and mixed (n, gamma) field mainly composed of thermal neutrons. The compound IRGANOX 1076 phenol gives a phenoxy radical stabilized by the presence of two bulky groups [3]. Moreover, its high molecular weight, the low volatility and the compatibility with the dosimeter binding material (paraffin) are advantages with respect to lower molecular weight phenols. In this work we report the ESR investigation of phenols pellets and thin films with and without Gd2O3 (5% by weight) exposed in the thermal column of the Triga Mark II reactor of LENA of Pavia. Thanks to their size, the phenolic films here presented are good devices for the dosimetry of beams with high dose gradient and which require accurate knowledge of the precise dose delivered. The choice of Gd as the additive nucleus has been made because we are interested in applications for mixed field (neutrons/photons) Gd-ESR dosimetry has an high neutron capture cross section and, furthermore, the high LET secondary particles release their energy entirely in the dosimeter. The low content of gadolinium guarantees a good tradeoff between the sensitivity to thermal neutrons. However, the use of gadolinium reduces or abolishes tissue equivalence because of its high atomic number (Marrale, 2015). The dosimetric features of these ESR dosimeters have been investigated. In particular, we analyzed the ESR spectra of these compounds and their dependence on microwave power and modulation amplitude, their response after gamma and neutron irradiations, the detection limits for both beam typologies, signal stability after irradiation. The results of ESR experiments are compared with Monte Carlo simulations aimed at obtaining information about the total dose measured by means of ESR dosimeters

Potassium bicarbonate and D-ribose effects on A72 canine and HTB-126 human cancer cell line proliferation in vitro

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The synergic action of KHCO₃and D-ribose is tested on A72 and HTB-126 cell lines proliferation using K:D-Rib solution. Altered Na⁺/K⁺ATPase expression and activity were shown in patients with cancer. Studies in human epithelial-derived malignancies indicate that K⁺depletion also occurs, contributing to the increased intracellular Na⁺/K⁺ratio <abbrgrp><abbr bid="B1">1</abbr></abbrgrp>. D-ribose transformed to piruvate, enters into the Krebs's cycle and has a key role on energetic metabolism. The up-regulation of glycolysis in tumor cells is already well known and it is the rationale of F¹⁸-FDG PET diagnostic technique. D-ribose is synthesized by the non-oxidative transketolase PPP reaction.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Results with different K:D-Rib concentrations show that MTT salt interferes with K:D-Rib solution and therefore this method is not reliable. The UV/VIS measurements show that K:D-Rib solutions reduce MTT salt to formazan in absence of cells. Cell proliferation has then been evaluated analysing the digital photos of the Giemsa stained cells with MCID™ software. At 5 mM K:D-Rib concentration, the cell growth arrests between 48 h and 72 h; in fact the cell number after 48 h is around the same with respect to the control after 72 h. In case of HTB-126 human cancer cells, the growth rate was valuated counting the splitting times during 48 days: control cells were split sixteen times while 5 mM treated cells eleven times. Most relevant, the clonogenic assay shows that nine colonies are formed in the control cells while only one is formed in the 5 mM and none in 10 mM treated cells.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The K:D-Rib solution has an antioxidant behaviour also at low concentrations. Incubation with 5 mM K:D-Rib solution on A72 cells shows a cytostatic effect at 5 mM, but it needs more than 24 h of incubation time to evidence this effect on cell proliferation. At the same concentration on human HTB-126 cells, K:D-Rib solution shows a clear replication slowing but the cytostatic effect at 10 mM K:D-Rib solution only. Results on A72 cells indicate the K⁺uptake could be determinant either to arrest or to slow down cell growth.</p

Clinical, Electrodiagnostic Findings and Quality of Life of Dogs and Cats with Brachial Plexus Injury

Brachial plexus injury (BPI) represents a common consequence of road traffic accidents in humans and small animals. In humans, neuropathic pain is a common symptom after BPI. The aim of the study was to describe the clinical signs, the electrodiagnostic findings, the outcome and the quality of life (QoL) of a cohort of dogs and cats with BPI. Clinical records of 40 dogs and 26 cats with BPI were retrospectively reviewed. Specific attention was put on the evaluation of electrodiagnostic findings (35/40 dogs; 14/26 cats) and telephonic interview results (26/40 dogs; 18/26 cats). The most common neurological condition was the inability to bear weight and sensory deficits on the affected limb. Radial and ulnar motor nerve conduction studies (MNCSs) were absent respectively in 47% (radial) and 62% (ulnar) of dogs and 57% (radial) and 57% (ulnar) of cats. The absence of radial (p = 0.003) and ulnar (p = 0.007) MNCSs in dogs and ulnar MNCSs in cats (p = 0.02) was significantly associated to the amputation of the affected limb. The owners described signs of pain/discomfort in 73% of dogs and 56% of cats. This is the first report suggesting that neuropathic pain/discomfort should be adequately considered in order to improve the QoL

Flash visual evoked potentials in diurnal birds of prey

The objective of this pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility of Flash Visual Evoked Potentials (FVEPs) testing in birds of prey in a clinical setting and to describe the protocol and the baseline data for normal vision in this species. FVEP recordings were obtained from 6 normal adult birds of prey: n. 2 Harris’s Hawks (Parabuteo unicinctus), n. 1 Lanner Falcon (Falco biarmicus), n. 2 Gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus) and n. 1 Saker Falcon (Falco cherrug). Before carrying out VEP tests, all animals underwent neurologic and ophthalmic routine examination. Waveforms were analysed to identify reproducible peaks from random variation of baseline. At least three positive and negative peaks were highlighted in all tracks with elevated repeatability. Measurements consisted of the absolute and relative latencies of these peaks (P1, N1, P2, N2, P3, and N3) and their peak-to-peak amplitudes. Both the peak latency and wave morphology achieved from normal animals were similar to those obtained previously in other animal species. This test can be easily and safely performed in a clinical setting in birds of prey and could be useful for an objective assessment of visual function

Phenol compounds as new materials for Electron Paramagnetic Resonance dosimetry in clinical photon and electron beams,

In the last decades several research laboratories have shown an increasing interest aimed at extending the applicability of Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) dosimetry to radiotherapy with different types of radiation beams. EPR is a spectroscopic method for investigating the structure and dynamics of such paramagnetic species. Free radicals are known to be produced when a compound is irradiated with ionizing radiations. The concentration of radiation-induced free radicals is proportional to the energy released inside in the medium and this allows for dosimetric measurements through EPR technique. The use of alanine as a dosimetric material gave the possibility to apply EPR spectroscopy for high-dose standardization and dose control in radiation processing (Marrale 2016). The EPR dosimetric method has many advantages such as simple and rapid dose evaluation, the readout procedure is non-destructive, linear response of many organic and inorganic compounds. EPR detectors show a behavior that suggest possible applications for various kinds of beams used for radiation therapy. Nowadays, the most widely used organic compound as a dosimeter is the alanine. However, many researches are in progress with the aim at improving sensitivity of EPR dosimetry for doses much smaller than 1 Gy. More sensitive materials than alanine are needed to make the EPR dosimeter competitive with other dosimetry systems. Our research group has started an investigation of the EPR response of some phenols compounds for possible EPR dosimetric applications suitable features, such as high efficiency of radiation-matter energy transfer and radical stability at room temperature. Phenols are compounds possessing a benzene ring attached to a OH group. After irradiation the final product is a stable phenoxy radical. The stability of such radical can be improved by adding other alkyl chains which can be attached to the benzene ring. The phenol octadecyl-3-(3,5-di-tert.butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)-propionate gave interesting results. Moreover, its high molecular weight, the low volatility and the compatibility with the dosimeter binding material (wax) are advantages with respect to lower molecular weight phenols. In this work we report the EPR investigation of phenols exposed to clinical photon and electron beams (Gallo, 2016). The dosimetric features of these EPR dosimeters (dependence on microwave power and modulation amplitude, their response after gamma and electron irradiations, dependence on beam type and energy, the detection limits for both beam typologies, signal stability after irradiation) were investigated and the results are reported

Electron Spin Resonance dosimetry using organic compounds (alanine and ammonium tartrate) for mixed neutron-gamma fields

Alongside with the development of Neutron Capture Therapy (NCT) and the use of thermal neutrons for radiotherapeutic purposes, many efforts have been devoted to the characterization of the beam in order to optimize therapy procedures. Reliable dose measurements should be able to determine the various (neutrons and photonic) components of the mixed beam usually employed for therapy. This paper studies the effect of additives such as boric and gadolinium nuclei on the sensitivity of neutron organic (alanine and ammonium tartrate) dosimeters analyzed through Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) technique (Marrale, 2014). These dosimeters were exposed to a mixed (neutron-gamma) field mainly composed of thermal neutrons. The choice of 10B and 64Gd as nuclei additives is due to their very high capture cross section for thermal neutrons. Also, after the nuclear reaction with thermal neutrons are emitted particles, which in turn release their energy in the vicinity of the reaction site (Marrale, 2008). The irradiation with mixed field (neutron-gamma) were performed within the thermal column of the TRIGA reactor, University of Pavia. Dosimeters readout was performed through the Electron Spin Resonance spectrometer Bruker ECS106 located at the Laboratory of Dosimetry ESR / TL of the Department of Physics and Chemistry - University of Palermo. We found that the addition of Gadolinium allows to largely increase the sensitivity of the dosimeters for thermal neutrons. In particular, a low concentration (5% by weight) of gadolinium oxide leads to an improvement of the sensitivity of neutrons more than 10 times. In addition, for this low content of gadolinium the photon tissue equivalence is not heavily reduced. This experimental analyses are compared with computational analyses carried out by means of Monte Carlo simulations performed with the MCNP (Monte Carlo N-Particle) transport code. A good agreement was observed for alanine dosimeters

Use of zeolite-rich rocks and waste materials for the production of structural lightweight concretes

This paper aims at testing the use of mixtures constituted by natural zeolitized products and SiC-bearing industrial wastes (sludge deriving from polishing of porcelain stoneware tiles, hereafter DPM) for the production of lightweight expanded aggregates as constituents of structural and/or thermo-insulating lightweight concretes. Two commercial products have been used as zeolite natural source: Cab70 (Yellow facies of Campanian Ignimbrite) and IZclino (Turkish clinoptilolite-rich epiclastite). Different amounts of a calcareous material (Pozzano limestones - hereafter CP) from the Sorrento peninsula (Naples - Italy) were also added to a Cab70 - DPM mixture. All raw materials were characterized by means of mineralogical (XRPD) and chemical (XRF) analyses. All the products and mixtures were tested from a technological point of view by means of fusibility and firing tests in order to evaluate the expanding properties. It was evidenced that the expansion of the mixture was deeply depending on the occurrence of SiC in the industrial waste. The addition of CP (10 wt.%) to the mixtures accounts for an even increased expansion, though this is accompanied by a worsening of the mechanical features of the material. These results along with literature data allowed to select 3 mixtures (70% Cab70-30% DPM, 70% IZclino-30% DPM, 60% Cab70-30% DPM-10% CP) and each of them was used for the preparation of 5 l of lightweight aggregates afterward employed for the manufacture of lightweight concretes. It was remarked that natural zeolitized materials mixed with DPM (30 wt. %) can provide lightweight aggregates with densities ranging between 0.8 and 1.0 g/cm3 suitable for the preparation of structural lightweight concretes. The addition to the mixture of CP (10 wt.%) produces less dense aggregates (0.6-0.7 g/cm3) potentially useful for the manufacture of thermo insulating lightweight concretes

Combined PET and Biopsy Evidence of Marrow Involvement Improves Prognostic Prediction in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma

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