Biomechanical Modeling for Lung Tumor Motion Prediction during Brachytherapy and Radiotherapy

A novel technique is proposed to develop a biomechanical model for estimating lung’s tumor position as a function of respiration cycle time. Continuous tumor motion is a major challenge in lung cancer treatment techniques where the tumor needs to be targeted; e.g. in external beam radiotherapy and brachytherapy. If not accounted for, this motion leads to areas of radiation over and/or under dosage for normal tissue and tumors. In this thesis, biomechanical models were developed for lung tumor motion predication in two distinct cases of lung brachytherapy and lung external beam radiotherapy. The lung and other relevant surrounding organs geometries, loading, boundary conditions and mechanical properties were considered and incorporated properly for each case. While using material model with constant incompressibility is sufficient to model the lung tissue in the brachytherapy case, in external beam radiation therapy the tissue incompressibility varies significantly due to normal breathing. One of the main issues tackled in this research is characterizing lung tissue incompressibility variations and measuring its corresponding parameters as a function of respiration cycle time. Results obtained from an ex-vivo porcine deflated lung indicated feasibility and reliability of using the developed biomechanical model to predict tumor motion during brachytherapy. For external beam radiotherapy, in-silico studies indicated very significant impact of considering the lung tissue incompressibility on the accuracy of predicting tumor motion. Furthermore, ex-vivo porcine lung experiments demonstrated the capability and reliability of the proposed approach for predicting tumor motion as a function of cyclic time. As such, the proposed models have a good potential to be incorporated effectively in computer assisted lung radiotherapy treatment systems

Writing and presenting a systematic review emphasizing the Cochrane Handbook for systematic reviews

BACKGROUND: The systematic review is a scientific method for identifying and presenting early research, quality assessment, and integration of their results. This study aimed to describe the principles of systematic reviews and inscribe related articles emphasizing the Cochrane Handbook, for using of medical and health students.METHODS: This study was a library review and a compilation of materials on how to conduct review studies in medical sciences and health with emphasis on the Cochrane Handbook.RESULTS: The findings of this study indicated that review studies have different types, most notably systematic reviews. The Cochrane Handbook provides valuable information collections for conducting these studies in medical sciences, and allows systematic reviews to step by step facilitate and publish relevant articles.CONCLUSION: Writing a systematic review involves defining the purpose and protocols, systematically searching for primary studies, critical assessment, selection of the studies, and then, analysis and integration of the final results

Antileishmanial and antibacterial activities of biologically synthesized silver nanoparticles using Alcea rosea extract (AR-AgNPs)

Recent developments in nanotechnology lead to draw scientist's interest in green synthesis nanoparticles because of their importance in all fields of sciences. This paper is an overview of Ag nanoparticles biosynthesis (AgNPs) by aerial part of Alcea rosea extract. Synthesis procedures were described, with no stabilizers or surfactants. The synthesized AR@AgNPs were characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), and UV-Vis analysis. The UV-Vis spectrum of AR@AgNPs shown a characteristic surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak at 425 nm. Scanning electron microscope revealed spherical shaped with a diameter range of 10-30 nm. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis demonstrated the peak in silver region confirming presence of elemental silver. Evaluation of the antibacterial and antileishmanial activity of biosynthesized silver nanoparticles was performed. AR@AgNPs exhibit effective antibacterial activity against seven ATCC strains of bacteria and eight strains of drug-resistant bacteria. Also, their activity against leishmaniasis was studied on both promastigotes and amastigotes

Writing and presenting a systematic review emphasizing the Cochrane Handbook for systematic reviews

BACKGROUND: The systematic review is a scientific method for identifying and presenting early research, quality assessment, and integration of their results. This study aimed to describe the principles of systematic reviews and inscribe related articles emphasizing the Cochrane Handbook, for using of medical and health students. METHODS: This study was a library review and a compilation of materials on how to conduct review studies in medical sciences and health with emphasis on the Cochrane Handbook. RESULTS: The findings of this study indicated that review studies have different types, most notably systematic reviews. The Cochrane Handbook provides valuable information collections for conducting these studies in medical sciences, and allows systematic reviews to step by step facilitate and publish relevant articles. CONCLUSION: Writing a systematic review involves defining the purpose and protocols, systematically searching for primary studies, critical assessment, selection of the studies, and then, analysis and integration of the final results

A Study of the Relationship of Outlook and Practical Pledge to Prayers and Spiritual Experiences with Mental Health of Girl Students of University of Tehran

For downloading the full-text of this article please click here.Background and Objective: The implementation of religious orders and practices is one of the ways to save and relieve people from troubles, discomforts and stresses. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship of outlook and practical pledge to prayer and spiritual experiences with mental health of girl students of University of Tehran.Methods: The present study is descriptive correlational. The statistical population included all female students of University of Tehran and the sample population consisted of 150 participants selected by random cluster sampling. The instruments used for data collection included practical attitude and practice of prayer questionnaire, daily spiritual experiences and general health of Goldberg GHQ-28. For data analysis, Pearson correlation and simultaneous regression were used. In this study, all the ethical considerations have been observed and no conflict of interest was reported by the authors.Results: The results showed that prayer's effectiveness in individual and social life with an r value of -0.251, attention and practice to the needy with an r value of -0.507, commitment and serious efforts to perform prayers with a value of -0.373, care and presence of the heart in prayer with the value of -0/251 and the total score of practical commitment to prayer with a value of -0/401 had a negative and inverse relationship with mental health (P<0/05). Also, the sense of presence of God with the value of -0/498, the relationship with God with the value of -/0325, the sense of responsibility towards others with the value of -0/259 and spiritual experiences with the value of -/0474 was negatively and inversely correlated with mental health significant (P<0/05). In other words, there was a significant and negative correlation between the components of spiritual experiences and mental health.Conclusion: Practical commitment to prayers plays an essential role in individuals’ mental health and well-being. Also, religion has a mental health supportive function. Spiritual experiences contribute to prevention of mental illnesses and facilitate the management of illnesses as well as the recovery process.For downloading the full-text of this article please click here.Please cite this article as: Shirzadi Z, Khodabakhshi-Koolaee A, Falsafinejad MR. A Study of the Relationship of Outlook and Practical Pledge to Prayers and Spiritual Experiences with Mental Health of Girl Students of University of Tehran. Pizhūhish dar dīn va salāmat. 2020; 5(4): 99-113.  https://doi.org/10.22037/jrrh.v5i4.2223

Application of the Kirkpatrick Model in Evaluation of the Educational Prevention Program of Self-Medication in Women

Background & Objective: Self-medication is one of the chief health problems and educational programs on its prevention are very important. An educational program can be considered effective, if it can make the necessary changes in participants’ knowledge and behavior. The aim of this study was to evaluate the educational prevention program of self-medication in women using the Kirkpatrick model. Methods: This evaluation study was carried out on 88 women. The cluster sampling method was used. The data collection tools consisted of the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM) and a researcher-made questionnaire based on the Kirkpatrick model, the validity and reliability of which were measured. The experimental group attended the educational program for 1 month. The effectiveness rate of the course was calculated based on significant differences in learning, reaction, and behavior scores of the case and control groups during the pre-test and posttest. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS statistical software using descriptive and analytical statistical tests. Results: The mean scores of desirability rate of participants’ reactions in terms of students’ perception of learning environment, students’ academic self-perception, students’ social selfperception, students’ perception of atmosphere, and students’ perception of teachers were 44.81 ± 7.06, 31.50 ± 4.11, 22.50 ± 3.54, 43.10 ± 7.46, and 41.37 ± 5.20, respectively. After the educational intervention, t-test results showed a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in mean score of knowledge change and attitude change in the second evaluation level, and also between mean score of behavior change in the third level (P < 0.001). Conclusion: According to the Kirkpatrick model, the educational prevention program of selfmedication resulted in favorable outcomes in the three evaluated levels of reaction, learning, and behavior, and showed satisfactory efficiency. Key Words: Kirkpatrick model, Evaluation, Self-medication, Educatio

First Cystic Fibrosis Patient Registry Annual Data Report - Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of Iran

Cystic fibrosis (CF), as a fatal genetic condition, is associated with high morbidity and mortality rates. In Iran, limited studies exist on this disease. This study aims to compare the demographic, clinical and paraclinical data of CF patients. This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2014-2015 on 174 CF patients referred to the Tehran Children Medical Center hospital, which is the main referral center for CF. For each patient, the forced  expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) was measured and the comparative demographic, clinical and laboratory data of patients were recorded. Overall, 59% of studied patients were boys (n=102) and 41% were girls (n=72). The mean patient age (and standard deviations) was 7.1 ±5.7 years, with a range of 10 days to 28 years. In 67% of cases, the disease was diagnosed before their first birthday. The patients in this study were classified based on the FEV1 into mild (62%), moderate (33%) and sever (5%), indicating the degree of pulmonary complications. Cultures of respiratory secretions were positive for Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus, in 23% and 16% of cases, respectively. In total, 61% of patients (n=83) were assigned to receive oral azithromycin for prophylaxis. Gastroesophageal reflux (reflux) was the most common gastrointestinal complication (35%), Regarding the complex nature of CF and the necessity of constant monitoring of patients during the life-span, the comparative demographic, clinical and laboratory analysis of patients and registering and standardization of patients’ data, can be a major step in the better understanding of the disease, and thereby increasing the quality of life and life expectancy in the affected population

Location of pathogenic variants in PSEN1 impacts progression of cognitive, clinical, and neurodegenerative measures in autosomal-dominant Alzheimer's disease

Although pathogenic variants in PSEN1 leading to autosomal-dominant Alzheimer disease (ADAD) are highly penetrant, substantial interindividual variability in the rates of cognitive decline and biomarker change are observed in ADAD. We hypothesized that this interindividual variability may be associated with the location of the pathogenic variant within PSEN1. PSEN1 pathogenic variant carriers participating in the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network (DIAN) observational study were grouped based on whether the underlying variant affects a transmembrane (TM) or cytoplasmic (CY) protein domain within PSEN1. CY and TM carriers and variant non-carriers (NC) who completed clinical evaluation, multimodal neuroimaging, and lumbar puncture for collection of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) as part of their participation in DIAN were included in this study. Linear mixed effects models were used to determine differences in clinical, cognitive, and biomarker measures between the NC, TM, and CY groups. While both the CY and TM groups were found to have similarly elevated A beta compared to NC, TM carriers had greater cognitive impairment, smaller hippocampal volume, and elevated phosphorylated tau levels across the spectrum of pre-symptomatic and symptomatic phases of disease as compared to CY, using both cross-sectional and longitudinal data. As distinct portions of PSEN1 are differentially involved in APP processing by gamma-secretase and the generation of toxic beta-amyloid species, these results have important implications for understanding the pathobiology of ADAD and accounting for a substantial portion of the interindividual heterogeneity in ongoing ADAD clinical trials

ExploreASL: an image processing pipeline for multi-center ASL perfusion MRI studies

Arterial spin labeling (ASL) has undergone significant development since its inception, with a focus on improving standardization and reproducibility of its acquisition and quantification. In a community-wide effort towards robust and reproducible clinical ASL image processing, we developed the software package ExploreASL, allowing standardized analyses across centers and scanners. The procedures used in ExploreASL capitalize on published image processing advancements and address the challenges of multi-center datasets with scanner-specific processing and artifact reduction to limit patient exclusion. ExploreASL is self-contained, written in MATLAB and based on Statistical Parameter Mapping (SPM) and runs on multiple operating systems. To facilitate collaboration and data-exchange, the toolbox follows several standards and recommendations for data structure, provenance, and best analysis practice. ExploreASL was iteratively refined and tested in the analysis of >10,000 ASL scans using different pulse-sequences in a variety of clinical populations, resulting in four processing modules: Import, Structural, ASL, and Population that perform tasks, respectively, for data curation, structural and ASL image processing and quality control, and finally preparing the results for statistical analyses on both single-subject and group level. We illustrate ExploreASL processing results from three cohorts: perinatally HIV-infected children, healthy adults, and elderly at risk for neurodegenerative disease. We show the reproducibility for each cohort when processed at different centers with different operating systems and MATLAB versions, and its effects on the quantification of gray matter cerebral blood flow. ExploreASL facilitates the standardization of image processing and quality control, allowing the pooling of cohorts which may increase statistical power and discover between-group perfusion differences. Ultimately, this workflow may advance ASL for wider adoption in clinical studies, trials, and practice