Objectives: Small field of view gamma detection and imaging technologies for monitoring in vivo tracer uptake are rapidly expanding and being introduced for bed-side imaging and image guided surgical procedures. The Hybrid Gamma Camera (HGC) has been developed to enhance the localization of targeted radiopharmaceuticals during surgical procedures; for example in sentinel lymph node (SLN) biopsies and for bed-side imaging in procedures such as lacrimal drainage imaging and thyroid scanning. In this study, a prototype anthropomorphic head and neck phantom has been designed, constructed, and evaluated using representative modelled medical scenarios to study the capability of the HGC to detect SLNs and image small organs. Methods: An anthropomorphic head and neck phantom has been designed to mimic the adult head and neck including some internal organs and tissues of interest, such as the thyroid gland and sentinel lymph nodes. The design of the head and neck phantom included an adjustable inner jig holding the simulated SLNs and thyroid gland. The simulated thyroid gland was designed and 3D printed taking into consideration the size and the shape of a healthy adult thyroid gland. The inner sealed space of the thyroid was filled with 15MBq of 99mTc through two upper filling valves. Sealed micro-tubes (0.2ml) have been employed to simulate SLNs containing various 99mTc activity concentrations ranging between 0.1MBq and 1MBq, and can be positioned at any desired place in the head and neck region. An active background was simulated through mixing 10MBq of 99mTc solution with the water used to fill the outer shell of the head and neck phantom. Results: The head and neck phantom was employed to simulate a situation where there are four SLNs distributed at two different vertical levels and at two depths within the neck. Contrast to noise ratio (CNR) calculations were performed for the detected SLNs at an 80mm distance between both pinhole collimators (i.e. 0.5mm and 1.0mm diameters) and the surface of the head and neck phantom with a 100s acquisition time. The recorded CNR values for the simulated SLNs are higher when the HGC was fitted with the 1.0mm diameter pinhole collimator. For instance, the recorded CNR values for the superficially simulated SLN containing 0.1MBq of 99mTc using 0.5mm and 1.0mm diameter pinhole collimators are 6.48 and 16.42, respectively (~87% difference). The anatomical context provided by the hybrid imaging aided the localization process of radioactivity accumulation in simulated SLNs. Gamma and hybrid optical images were acquired using the HGC with both available pinhole collimators for the simulated thyroid gland. The thyroid images produced varied in terms of spatial resolution and detectability. The count profiles through the middle of the simulated thyroid gland images provided by both pinhole collimators were obtained. The HGC could clearly differentiate the individual peaks of both thyroid lobes in the gamma image produced by the 0.5mm pinhole collimator. In contrast, the recorded count profile for the acquired image using the 1.0mm diameter pinhole collimator showed broader peaks for both lobes, reflecting the degradation of the spatial resolution with increasing the diameter of the pinhole collimator. Conclusion: The capability of the HGC has been evaluated utilizing a prototype anthropomorphic head and neck phantom, and the gamma and hybrid images obtained demonstrate that it is ideally suited for intraoperative SLNs detection and small organ imaging. The standardization of test phantoms and protocols for SFOV portable gamma systems will provide an opportunity to collect data across various medical centers and research groups. Moreover, it will provide a technical baseline for researchers and clinical practitioners to consider when assessing their SFOV gamma imaging systems. The anthropomorphic head and neck phantom described is cost effective, reproducible, flexible and anatomically representative.
This study aimed at evaluating the torsional capacity of reinforced concrete (RC) beams externally wrapped with fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) materials. An analytical model was described and used as a new computational procedure based on the softened truss model (STM) to predict the torsional behavior of RC beams strengthened with FRP. The proposed analytical model was validated with the existing experimental data for rectangular sections strengthened with FRP materials and considering torque-twist relationship and crack pattern at failure. The confined concrete behavior, in the case of FRP wrapping, was considered in the constitutive laws of concrete in the model. Then, an efficient algorithm was developed in MATLAB environment t
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This work investigates generating of pure phase Faujasite-type zeolite Y at the ranges chosen for this study via a static aging step in the absence of seeds synthesis. Nano-sized crystals may result when LUDOX AS-40 is used as a silica source for gel composition of range 6 and the crystallization step may be conducted for a period of 4 to 19 hr at 100 ⁰C. Moreover, large-crystals with high crystallinity pure phase Y zeolite can be obtained at hereinabove conditions but when hydrous sodium metasilicate is used as a silica source. The other selected ranges also offer pure phase Y zeolite at the same controlled conditions.
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Background:
Multiple sclerosis is a chronic disease believed to be the result of autoimmune disorders of the central nervous system, characterised by inflammation, demyelination, and axonal transection, affecting primarily young adults. Disease modifying therapies have become widely used, and the rapid development of these drugs highlighted the need to update our knowledge on their short- and long-term safety profile.
Objective:
The study aim is to evaluate the impact of disease-modifying treatments on thyroid functions and thyroid autoantibodies with subsequent effects on the outcome of the disease.
Materials and Methods:
A retro prospective study
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The research focuses on the withdrawal of the United States from the nuclear agreement signed between the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council and the Islamic Republic of Iran concerning its nuclear program. This withdrawal has caused disruption in the official media discourse of the concerned countries. Therefore, the main question can be posed: Are there differences in the positions of countries related to the nuclear agreement, as well as those countries affected by it, before and after the official withdrawal of the United States on May 8, 2018?
The research aims to shed light on the trends in media discourse of the countries that signed the nuclear agreement and those affected by it b
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In this study, the possible protective effects of daidzein on ifosfamide-induced neurotoxicity in male rats were examined by the determination of changes in selected oxidant–antioxidant markers of male rats’ brain tissue.
Twenty-eight (28) apparently-healthy Wistar male rats weighing (120-150gm) allocated into 4 groups (n=7) were used in this study. Rats orally-administered 1% tween 20 dissolved in distilled water/Control (Group I); rats were orally-administered daidzein suspension (100mg/kg) for 7 days (Group II); rats intraperitoneally-injected with a single dose of ifosfamide (500 mg/kg) (Group III); rats orally-administered for 7 days with the daidzein (100mg/
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This work investigates generating of pure phase Faujasite-type zeolite Y at the ranges chosen for this study via a static aging step in the absence of seeds synthesis. Nano-sized crystals may result when LUDOX AS-40 is used as a silica source for gel composition of range 6 and the crystallization step may be conducted for a period of 4 to 19 hr at 100 ⁰C. Moreover, large-crystals with high crystallinity pure phase Y zeolite can be obtained at hereinabove conditions but when hydrous sodium metasilicate is used as a silica source. The other selected ranges also offer pure phase Y zeolite at the same controlled conditions.
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Surgical site infections are the second most common type of adverse events occurring in hospitalized patients. Surgical antibiotic prophylaxis refers to the use of preoperative and postoperative antibiotics to decrease the incidence of postoperative wound infections. The objective of this study was to evaluate the antibiotic administration pattern for surgical antibiotic prophylaxis and the adherence to American Society of Health-System Pharmacists surgical antibiotic prophylaxis guideline in Medical City Teaching Hospitals/Baghdad. The medical records of one hundred patients who underwent elective surgical procedures were reviewed. Adherence to the recommendations of American society of health‑system pharmacists guideline was ass
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This article uses coupled Eulerian–Lagrangian finite element algorithm to conduct a three-dimensional thermomechanical study to capture the shape and characteristics of defect type generated while achieving the dissimilar friction stir welding of aluminium alloys. The volume-of-fluid method is used to model the Eulerian region and predict the localised formation of process defects. Three different tool shapes are utilised to achieve the dissimilar friction stir welding joining between AA 2024-T3 on the advancing side and AA 6061-T6 on the retreating side. Process parameter effects such as rotational tool speed, traverse tool speed and tool tilt angle are also investigated. The finite element model results are validated by comparing with t
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T-joints are common structures encountered in the assemblage of many industrial applications due to their advantages. However, joining these structures when using Friction Stir Welding (FSW) could be prone to defects that cause severe consequences like loss of strength and fracture. The current paper implements an experimental procedure to assess the effect of geometrical tool shape on void formation in friction stir welded AA 6061-T6 T-joint configuration. Taguchi optimization method was put into service to minimize the number of experiments and fulfil the goal of discovering the optimal FSW parameters that allow the manufacturing of such configurations with high mechanical properties. X-ray radiography and micrograph images were u
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The study aims to provide a Suggested model for the application of Virtual Private Network is a tool that used to protect the transmitted data through the Web-based information system, and the research included using case study methodology in order to collect the data about the research area ( Al-Rasheed Bank) by using Visio to design and draw the diagrams of the suggested models and adopting the data that have been collected by the interviews with the bank's employees, and the research used the modulation of data in order to find solutions for the research's problem.
The importance of the study Lies in dealing with one of the vital topics at the moment, namely, how to make the information transmitted via
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