Purpose: In this study, the fracture resistance of prosthetic screws was tested using abutments made of titanium, zirconia, and polyether ether ketone (PEEK) on dental implants.

Materials and Methods: From Straumann AG in Basel, Switzerland, dental implants with specified dimensions and prosthetic screws were purchased. Three different materials (Ti, Zr, and PEEK) were evaluated as abrasives. The implant-abutment units were subjected to a constant vertical force using a Universal Testing Machine (UTM) until the prosthetic screw broke. The force at the screw fracture site was measured, and one-way ANOVA and Tukey's post-hoc tests were used to statistically analyze the data.

Results: For Titanium, Zirconia, and PEEK abutments, the mean (±standard deviation) fracture resistance was 475±35 N, 430±40 N, and 390±30 N, respectively. A substantial difference in fracture resistance was found between the various abutment materials according to the one-way ANOVA (F (2,87) = 26.37, p<.001). Zirconia shown much stronger fracture resistance than PEEK (p <0.05) and Titanium abutments demonstrated significantly higher resistance than both Zirconia and PEEK (p <0.01), according to post-hoc tests.

Conclusion: For Titanium, Zirconia, and PEEK abutments, the mean (±standard deviation) fracture resistance was 475 35 N, 430 40 N, and 390 30 N, respectively. A substantial difference in fracture resistance was found between the various abutment materials according to the one-way ANOVA (F(2,87) = 26.37, p.001). Zirconia shown much stronger fracture resistance than PEEK (p .05) and Titanium abutments demonstrated significantly higher resistance than both Zirconia and PEEK (p .01), according to post-hoc tests.

No Abstract.

Background. Gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC) is the second most frequent cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Determining survival and its associated prognostic factors provides a basis for further interventions to prolong survival among patients with GAC. In this study, we aimed to perform a 5-year survival analysis among GAC patients in Kerman, Iran.

Methods. This retrospective multi-centric study was conducted on all patients with GAC who were referred to Afzalipour, Bahonar, and Shafa Hospitals in Kerman, Iran in 2009-2019. The 5-year survival rates were calculated based on prognostic factors, including age, histopathology, stage/grade of the tumor, metastatic status, and surgical procedures using the Kaplan-Meier analysis and log-rank test.

Results: The 5-year survival rate of GAC patients with total gastrectomy was higher than those with subtotal gastrectomy (P=0.03). Also, the 5-year survival rate was substantially improved after lymph node dissection (P<0.001). Overall survival has not been significantly different in terms of age, sex, grade, histological type, clinical T stage, lymphovascular invasion, and perineural invasion.

Conclusion: Overall survival was different for the two surgical procedures and lymph node dissection. Therefore, total gastrectomy and lymph node dissection are significant independent prognostic factors for overall survival in patients with GAC.

Purpose: Restless legs syndrome is claimed to be associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases. Intima-media thickness has been reported to be the most valuable surrogate marker and predictor of atherosclerosis progression and upcoming cardiovascular diseases. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the relationship between restless legs syndrome and intima-media thickness of the carotid artery.

Materials and Methods: In this case-control study, a total of 23 patients with restless legs syndrome without other known risk factors of cardiovascular diseases were evaluated with regard to the intima-media thickness of the carotid artery by employing a high-resolution B-mode ultrasound study. The findings of the ultrasound study between the case and the control group were compared and statistically analyzed.

Results: Intima-media thickness was revealed to be of a lower value in subjects with restless legs syndrome (0.79±0.10) compared to the control group (0.88±0.13). Also, our study showed that older age and the presence of hypertension directly correlates with intima-media thickness.

Conclusion: It can be concluded that restless legs syndrome is associated with a lower intima-media thickness.

Purpose: Right ventricle failure is a well-known complication following pulmonary thromboembolism. Although Computed Tomography Pulmonary Angiography (CTPA) findings are supposed to be a surrogate for patients’ outcome, investigations based on this issue is not still elucidated. Thus, in the current study, we assessed patients’ CTPA findings and compared the result with echocardiographic findings.

Materials and Methods: A total of 36 patients with proven pulmonary thromboembolism were enrolled and a comparison was made between indices in CTPA (interventricular septal deviation to the right side, inferior vena cava contrast reflux, and right ventricle diameter to left ventricle diameter ratio) and echocardiographic findings for detecting right ventricular failure. Also, the reliability of the aforementioned indices was sought for predicting mortality.

Results: No significant correlation was found between CTPA indices and echocardiographic findings. The highest sensitivity and positive predictive value in CT pulmonary angiography for detecting right ventricle dysfunction were revealed to be for Right Ventricle Diameter (RVD)/Left Ventricle Diameter (LVD)>1 (63.64%), abnormal septal deviation (75.00%), respectively.

Conclusion: Our results revealed that CTPA indices can reliably predict the upcoming mortality risk. On the other hand, these indices were not well-correlated with echocardiographic findings.

Purpose: This study aims to investigate and compare the doses received by Corona Virus Disease (Covid-19) patients on Computed Tomography (CT) scans by changing the scan parameters to diagnose the disease and evaluate its course and effects.

Materials and Methods: The total number of patients was 8290, with 4070 requesting a CT scan of the lungs. In 3512 cases, the purpose of the examination was to verify Covid-19. The remaining 558 scans were for other diseases. Two CT protocols were used for lung imaging: A low-dose protocol (kV=120 kVp and mAs=80ms) to screen for Covid-19 and a Smart protocol (kV=120 kVp and mAs = Smart) for other diseases. Each image was assigned a score from 1 to 5. The score reflects the quality of the image and Covid-19-related features such as Ground Glass Opacities (GGO), crazy paving, consolidation, Nodular Infiltrates (NI), Broncho Vascular Thickening (BVT), and Pleural Effusion (PE).

Results: In the low-dose protocol, the effective dose received by patients varied between 1.98 and 2.66 ± 0.1 milli Sievert (mSv) according to the different Dose-Length Product (DLP) values. The effective dose varies between 2.7 and 8.44 mSv for the Smart protocol. The maximum Size-Specific Dose Estimate (SSDE) was 11.97 ± 0.2 and 21.58 ± 0.9 milli Gray (mGy) for each protocol, respectively. The maximum carcinogenicity was 1.09 × 10⁻⁴ and 3.05 × 10−4, respectively. Radiologists gave an overall acceptance rate of 4.9 ± 0.1 and 4.8 ± 0.2 out of a possible 5-point for images with low-dose and smart protocols, respectively.

Conclusion: Decreasing the value of milli Ampere-seconds (mAs) decreases the effective dose, the size-specific dose estimate, and the carcinogenicity of radiation in patients requesting scans of the lungs CT. Images lose quality but are still good enough to determine the progression and impact of Covid-19.

Purpose: The purpose of this research was to evaluate how different concentrations of TeO₂ filler particles influence the thermal conductivity, hardness, and surface roughness of room-temperature-vulcanizing VerSiltal 50 silicone elastomeric materials.

Materials and Methods: A total of 90 samples were prepared by varying the weight percentages of TeO₂ powder (0, 3, and 5 wt. %). Thirty samples from each group were used in the analysis. Two experimental groups with 3 and 5 wt. % of TeO₂ fillers were prepared and subjected to thermal conductivity, surface hardness, and surface roughness tests. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and analysis of variance with multiple comparison tests, and a P value <0.05 indicated significance.

Results: Thermal conductivity and hardness improved as the percentage of TeO₂ increased from 3 wt. % to 5 wt. %, compared with those in the control group, whereas surface roughness decreased.

Conclusion: The means for thermal conductivity and surface hardness of the 3 and 5 wt. % TeO₂ experimental groups increased significantly relative to those in the control group.

Purpose: Intima-Media Thickness (IMT), which is frequently evaluated by B-mode ultrasound study, has been proved to be a reliable surrogate marker for atherosclerosis progression and a predictor of upcoming cardiovascular risks. Sonographic changes of intima-media thickness of carotid artery in Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and Celiac disease have been investigated separately. In this study we aimed to evaluate the changes in sonographic appearance of the carotid artery and its mural thickness in patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and concomitant Celiac disease, as a surrogate marker of atherosclerosis and a predictor of cardiovascular diseases.

Materials and Methods: A total of 191 patients including 89 patients with only Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, 11 patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and concomitant Celiac disease, and 91 healthy control subjects underwent ultrasound evaluation of intima-media thickness of carotid artery. High resolution B-mode images with a multi-frequency linear probe, were utilized for assessing the IMT.

Results: IMT in the Hashimoto with celiac disease group was 0.72±0.11 and was 0.69±0.09 in the Hashimoto without celiac disease group and was 0.63±0.10 in the control group. IMT showed significant difference between the three groups and was higher in the Hashimoto patients compared to the control group (P-Value=0.039 and 0.028). Moreover, IMT was marginally higher in the Hashimoto patients with celiac disease compared to the Hashimoto patients without celiac disease (P-Value = 0.046).

Conclusion: Patients with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis suffering from concomitant Celiac disease, showed a more increased IMT values compared to other subjects. This can indicate the potential importance and predictive value of ultrasonic IMT evaluation in Celiac disease and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis as a marker of atherosclerosis progression as well as future risk of cardiovascular insults.

Background: This study aims to extract carotid wall vibrations non-invasively and evaluate changes in the carotid artery caused by age, BMI, and sex. Such evaluation can increase the possibility of detecting wall stiffness and atherosclerosis in the early stages and prevent heart attack and death.

Method: To extract small vibrations of the carotid wall, the image-tracking method, and optical flow with four different methods were used. The study involved twenty participants, comprising six females and fourteen males, with a mean age of 36.25 years, mean weight of 75.2 Kg, and mean BMI of 25. The posterior wall motion and vibration were extracted using ultrasound RF signals.

Result: 4 optical flow methods, Gunnar-Farneback, Horn- Schunk, Lucas-Kanade, and Lucas-Kanade derivative were used for all samples, and covariance, correlation, P-value, and R-squared were estimated. Results showed the differences in parameters such as age and BMI with carotid wall vibration. These values for age are ( , , , ) and for BMI are ( , , , ), respectively. For gender as a new parameter, a comparison between men’s and women’s vibrations was estimated.  The range of measured vibrations by optical flow methods is about  to  and the mean standard deviation is .

Conclusion: The results presented that gender affects the vibration of the vessel wall, which in men is more than in women. In addition, increasing age and BMI may increase the stiffness of the carotid wall and reduce vibrations that were evaluated previously. Using the Gunner-Farneback method as image tracking for small vibrations is the best way with the highest accuracy.

Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are only one example of the kind of helpful medical information that is frequently accessible on social media platforms for healthcare, where people can share their own experiences with treatments on desktop computers and mobile devices. A growing number of researchers are interested in gathering this valuable medical data from social media. This research explores the effects of three aspects on the recognition of ADR mentions in social media for the medical field and proposes a deep neural network of long short-term memory (LSTM) neural networks to do so. The texts from the dataset are pre-processed, and characteristics such as the semantic feature, text statics, and American Standard Code For Information Interchange (ASCII) array are extracted. Further, the features are converted into LSTM networks to perform the testing operation using the above features. This work was evaluated using two datasets, CODEC and ADR Corpus. Via extensive experiments, this work achieved 99.79 accuracies, 98.37 sensitivity, 97.63 specificities, 99.72 precision, and 98.39 recall 97.62 F1-score for the CODEC dataset. 98.16 for accuracy, 99.19 for sensitivity, 98.49 for specificity, 99.49 for precision, 96.72 for recall, and 93.16 for F1-score for ADE corpus, respectively.

Purpose: It has been demonstrated that diode lasers can be an effective alternative in oral soft tissue surgeries. This study aimed to clinically evaluate the tissue healing around the gingival former of dental implants following the uncovery of areas with different diode laser wavelengths.

Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on 72 implants (in the Periodontology Department of the Faculty of Dentistry, Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences in Ahvaz, Iran, in 2015-2016) with two different diode laser wavelengths (940 and 810 nm). The samples were randomly assigned to two groups of 36 implants, including experimental and control. The experimental group was based on the second stage of implant uncovery with a 940nm diode laser, and the control group included the second stage with an 810 nm diode laser. Indicators such as the need for local anesthesia and the amount of anesthesia injected during surgery, the duration of surgery, the amount of bleeding during surgery, pain, inflammation, edema, and the color of the gingiva in the surgical area, were compared in two study groups during surgery.

Results: The independent t-test showed no significant difference in the average duration of surgery in the two groups (31.3 and 37.6 seconds in the 940nm and 810nm wavelength of the diode laser, respectively, P=0.073). On day zero and day seven after surgery, pain intensity with 810nm diode laser wavelength was higher than with 940 wavelengths. The average amount of anesthesia injected during surgery of the surgical group with a wavelength of 940 nm was significantly lower than that of the 810nm diode laser. No bleeding was observed in both surgery groups.

Conclusion: The 940nm diode laser had better results than the 810nm in the second stage of implant uncover.

Purpose: Denture stomatitis, poor oral health, and angular cheilitis can all result from bacterial and fungal colonization. As a result, denture cleaners have been suggested to preserve the longevity of partially removable dentures and the health of the oral mucosa. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the impact of ozone water on Polymethyl Methacrylate (PMMA) by studying wettability, Ultraviolet (UV) absorption, and surface topography following soaking for 10 and 20 minutes at a 2 mg/l concentration.

Materials and Methods: A sixty-disc-shaped sample of polymethacrylate material (Ivoclar Vivadent) was fabricated for the wettability and UV absorption tests, and three bar-shaped samples of polymethacrylate material (Ivoclar Vivadent) were fabricated for the surface topography. Three groups were created: the first was the control group (immersion of samples in distal water). Second group (immersion of samples in 2 mg/l of ozone water solution for 10 min), and third group (immersion of samples in 2 mg/l of ozone water solution for 20 min). The contact angle (a wettability parameter) on the surfaces of the samples was measured after each storage period. The UV absorption test was assessed using a spectrophotometer; ANOVA was used to perform statistical analysis on the data at level 0.0.5; and surface topography was evaluated using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM).

Results: Based on the findings of this research, there was no statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups when testing wettability and UV absorption. There is no change in surface topography when assessed by SEM.

Conclusion: This research concluded that the samples prepared from PMMA material can be safely soaked in an ozone water solution without compromising their properties.

Aims (Purpose): To investigate the direct and indirect cytotoxic effects of two universal dental bonding agents incorporated with titanium oxide colloidal dispersion on a human gingival fibroblast cell.

Settings and Design: An in vitro study.

Methods and Material: Two commercial dental bonding agents’ systems, i.e., Ambar universal (FGM, Brasil) and G-Premio Bond Universal (GC, America) were incorporated with 4% by mass of colloidal dispersion containing titanium oxide nanoparticles (TiO2). A cell line human gingival fibroblast cells was prepared from adult rabbits. Two cytotoxic assays were used to investigate the cytotoxic activity of four bonding agent groups on the fibroblast-like cells as following; GA: Ambar Universal (control), GB: Ambar Universal (4% TiO2 incorporated), GC: G-Premio Bond universal (control), and GD: G-Premio Bond (4% TiO2 incorporated). Forty bonding agent samples (5 x 1 mm discs) were prepared from the bonding agent groups and used for MTT assay, and 32 discs were used for the HCS assay.

Statistical analysis used: Statistical analysis was performed using the independent variable t-conducted by the IBM-SPSS software program.

Results: The results from the cytotoxic assays showed a high degree of cytocompatibility for all tested bonding agents. However, the incorporated bonding agent Groups (GII and GIV) showed significantly less cytotoxic effects than their controls. Also, groups GIII and GIV showed significantly higher cytocompatibility than GI and GII.

Conclusions: Incorporation of 4% by mass of colloidal dispersion of TiO2 nanoparticles significantly enhanced the biocompatibility of the tested universal bonding agents in comparison to their control groups.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate potential changes in the maxillary sinus associated with dental and periapical pathologies regarding a clinical and radiological assessment.

Materials and Methods: A group of 200 patients, presenting with various upper posterior dental pathologies (periapical granuloma, periodontitis, pyogenic infections, and odontogenic cysts), was included over a 6-year period (2015-2021). Patients with oro-antral fistula, patients with dental implants excluded because defects can be created as a result of other factors like surgeon skills or dental implant complications.

Totally edentulous maxillae or malignant tumors were excluded. Clinical and radiological assessments, including Panoramic Radiograph and Cone Beam CT scan, were conducted in the Maxillofacial Departments of Al-Kindy Teaching Hospital and the College of Dentistry at the University of Baghdad. Comprehensive dental treatment and follow-up were administered to all patients.

Results: The study group comprised 60 male patients (30%) and 140 female patients (70%) with an age range of 20-60 years and an average age of 40 years. Among the 200 cases, only 18 (9%) exhibited sinus effects, indicative of chronic maxillary sinus disease. Notably, 5 cases (2.5%) displayed pathological alterations in the maxillary antrum (Max An).

Conclusion: Within this group, maxillary sinus diseases arising from dental pathologies accounted for approximately 2.5% of cases. Dental pathologies extending into the sinus elicited diverse radiographic changes, often without overt symptoms. Dental treatment emerged as a primary approach for managing such cases, effectively addressing associated sinus alterations.

Purpose: Utilizing imaging to improve physicians' diagnostic accuracy is one of the primary priorities of radiology departments. When the image is of poor quality, it is likely to be rejected, and its repetition will expose patients and staff to unnecessary ionizing radiation. Given the significant nature of this issue, the current study aimed to evaluate the rate and reasons for radiograph rejections in emergency (public practice) and non-emergency (private practice) radiology departments of Yasuj, Iran.

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was carried out over 14 days in Yasuj, Iran, in the accident and emergency (round-the-clock) and non-emergency (day) medical imaging departments. In terms of quality, a total of 7,006 images were classified into the following three grades; A (Good), B (Fair), and C (rejected). The grade C radiographs were categorized into 9 classes according to the reasons for rejection.

Results: During this study, 7,006 radiographs were examined, of which 6,458 (92.2%) were categorized as grade A. Additionally, 401 radiographs (5.7%) were categorized as grade B, and 147 radiographs (2.1%) were considered to be grade C, which means that they were rejected. Out of the rejected radiographs, 69 (1.9%) were from emergency departments, while 78 (2.3%) were from non-emergency radiology departments. The most common reasons for the rejection of radiographs were the patient's incorrect positioning in 45 cases (30.6%) and the patient's motion in 43 cases (29.3%).

Conclusion: In comparison to previous research, the current study's percentage of rejected images was deemed acceptable. Radiologists are advised to frequently assess the reason and rate for rejecting radiographs to enhance the effectiveness of their radiology unit.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to create an Intelligence System (IS) to analyze the Electroencephalogram (EEG) characteristics of patients with mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) and healthy volunteers. Generally, mTBI research demonstrates that patients suffer from Working Memory (WM). The frontal cortex is involved in the clinical physiology of mTBI and is crucial for delayed memory.

Materials and Methods: The Frontal-Medial Theta (FMT) is one of the most critical factors in mTBI verification. The oscillatory strength of FMT (4-8Hz) over the Frontal-Medial Cortex (FMC) or Supplementary Motor Area (SMA) and the medial-Sensory Motor Cortex (mSMC) is associated with efficient WM performance. The designed IS accesses the FMT of mTBI and healthy subjects by FCz and Cz electrodes placed in FMC or SMA and mSMC, respectively. The Multi-level Discrete Wavelet Transformation (MDWT) of EEG (FCz and Cz) is suggested here to investigate the mTBI. The FMT rhythms of EEG of FCz and Cz channels are extracted through 3-level-DWT. Then, 1768 features [712 features of healthy subjects + 1056 features of mTBI patients] for both the FCz and Cz electrodes were calculated via their FMT using eight statistical feature computations.

Results: The study found that the FMT strength of FCz and Cz electrodes is similar. The Bagging Classifier achieved 83.3333% accuracy with the 20-fold validation for the FCz electrode.

Conclusion: The strength of the FMT-FCz and FMT-Cz electrodes is approximately the same, and both are equally crucial to investigating mild Traumatic Brain Injury.

Purpose: One of the indirect methods that has been proposed as a way of the detection of anemia is blood attenuation in non-contrast Computed Tomography (CT) scans. Some indices of non-contrast CT scans have been studied as a clue. Most known of such indices include aortic blood density and the difference between blood density and aortic wall density. In the current study, we aimed to evaluate the left ventricle blood attenuation and its relation to patients’ hemoglobin levels.

Materials and Methods: A total of 523 patients who underwent non-contrast chest CT scan with available hemoglobin levels within 48 hours of interval from CT scan acquisition were recruited for this study. Left ventricle blood attenuation was measured and the correlation with hemoglobin levels was evaluated.

Results: There was found to be a linear correlation between blood attenuation in the left ventricle and hemoglobin levels (r=0.33). Our results showed that the highest level of accuracy for diagnosis of anemia is in the Hounsfield Unit of 37.5 for women and 38.5 for men (with 68% sensitivity and 60% specificity) which can be regarded as a reliable threshold.

Conclusion: It can be concluded that the attenuation of the blood in the left ventricle can potentially be a hint for anemia and further evaluation for Hb levels.

Purpose: Schizophrenia (SZ), which affects 0.45% of adults worldwide, is a complex mental illness with unknown causes and mechanisms. Neuroimaging techniques have been used to study changes in the brain of patients with SZ. In this study, we aim to construct brain subnetworks, analyze the association of structure with function, and investigate them with graph measures. We hope to identify important subnetworks and graph measures for SZ diagnosis.

Materials and Methods: This study investigates the structural and functional brain connectivity of 27 healthy controls (HC) and 27 patients with SZ. Independent component analysis (ICA) and joint ICA (jICA) are used to construct subnetworks based on functional and structural connectivity. An association between structural and functional connectivity is examined. Joint functional and structural subnetworks are also examined and compared with independent analysis of functional and structural subnetworks. Several graph measures are used in the whole brain and its subnetworks.

Results: In this study, we investigated brain connectivity in HC and SZ patients using graph measures. The study analyzed both the whole brain and brain subnetworks to better understand the importance of partitioning the brain into subregions. Our results suggest that analyzing whole brain may not be the most effective method for studying brain peculiarities of SZ patients. In addition, multimodal brain analysis has proven to be effective in understanding SZ. There is no one-to-one relationship between structural and functional connectivity in the brain. Certain measures such as maximum modularity, clustering coefficient, network strength, global efficiency and path length were important in distinguishing patients with SZ from HCs in specific subnetworks. This study recommends further investigation of specific subnetworks that overlap with default mode, visual, and somatomotor resting state networks.

Conclusion: This study emphasizes importance of subnetwork and multimodal analysis for understanding SZ disease.

Purpose: This study was conducted to evaluate the comparative effectiveness of repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) and intermittent Theta Burst Stimulation (iTBS), in Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD) patients using resting-state Electroencephalography (EEG). iTBS is a novel form of magnetic stimulation with the potential to produce similar anti-depressant effects but in a much shorter time.

Materials and Methods: In two stimulation protocols, 78 patients with TRD received 20 sessions. Depression symptoms were assessed based on the changes in the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) scores at baseline, after the last session, and at 4 weeks after treatment. Resting-state EEG was measured at baseline and after the last session. EEG power spectrum was extracted and power changes were evaluated statistically.

Results: There was no significant difference in response and remission rates between the two groups. Following 10 Hz rTMS and iTBS, the clinical indexes improved by 48.5 ± 19.8 % (p-value < 0.05) and 50.4 ± 21.7 % (p-value < 0.05), respectively. There was a significant reduction in the mean depression scores for both treatment groups (p < 0.05). Following treatment, TRD patients showed considerable enhancement in gamma power at the left DLPFC site (F3, F5, and F7 electrode) in the iTBS group and significant increases in delta power at the F3 and F7 electrode sites in the 10 Hz rTMS group.

Conclusion: iTBS provides clinical advantages, which showed that the results did not contrast altogether with results from a standard course of rTMS treatment. It might be invaluable from a clinical, benefit, and understanding perspective. Biomarkers of clinical outcomes such as resting-state brain activity measured with EEG may save individuals worthless treatment and moderately limited clinical assets.

Purpose: This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the effectiveness of Transcranial Doppler (TCD) screening as a primary preventive measure against overt strokes in sickle cell patients at the Basrah Center for Hereditary Blood Diseases. The study's objectives were to analyze descriptive statistics of enrolled patients and investigate potential correlations between TCD values and various factors, such as age, sex, mean hemoglobin levels, and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) domains.

Materials and Methods: TCD screening was introduced at the Basrah Center for Hereditary Blood Diseases in 2012, utilizing an imaging ultrasonic machine. Four years later, it transitioned to a non-imaging technique, significantly expanding the service. The screening was carried out by two specially trained senior radiologists, resulting in more than 300 annual examinations.

Results: Among the enrolled patients, no abnormal TCD values (above 200) were recorded. However, 23 patients exhibited conditional values (170-200), with a higher prevalence among males and homozygous SCA individuals. These patients had a mean Hb F of 18.2%, Hb S of 70.2%, a mean age of 8.9 years, and an Hb level of 7.45 gm/dL.

Conclusion: Transcranial Doppler screening at Basrah Center for Hereditary Blood Diseases has proven effective in preventing overt strokes in sickle cell patients. The absence of abnormal TCD values in the enrolled patients suggests that early intervention and monitoring through TCD can be a valuable tool in managing sickle cell disease. Further analysis revealed potential associations between conditional TCD values and specific factors, such as age, sex, mean hemoglobin levels, and HPLC domains, which warrant continued investigation for a better understanding of risk factors in sickle cell patients.

Purpose: Timely detection of breast cancer is essential for improving treatment outcomes, particularly in the field of oncology. Several diagnostic techniques are available, and one promising approach is the use of Quantum Dots (QDs) for accurate and early detection. This study focuses on the utilization of cadmium selenium QDs with and without silver coating, which can modulate the transfer intensity of light sources.

Materials and Methods: Cadmium selenium QDs with silver coating (CdSe@Ag₂S) were synthesized and characterized. These QDs were then mixed with blood samples containing different concentrations of hemoglobin to simulate breast cancer conditions. The mixture was injected into phantom vessels representing breast tissue, and the transmitted light intensity was measured using a power meter. The light source used operated in the near-infrared range at a wavelength of 635 nm.

Results: The transmitted light intensity from vessels containing normal hemoglobin concentration was measured at 5.24 mW. However, in cancerous breast tissue, the intensity decreased to 4.56 mW and 3.34 mW for two and four times the hemoglobin concentrations, respectively. When the CdSe QDs were combined with different hemoglobin concentrations, the intensities of transmitted light were found to be 3.14 mW, 2.26 mW, and 1.22 mW for normal, twice, and four times the concentration of hemoglobin in turn. Furthermore, when the test was conducted using CdSe@Ag₂S QDs, the intensities of transmitted light were 1.83 mW, 2.52 mW, and 3.31 mW for the same hemoglobin concentrations, respectively.

Conclusion: This study concludes that the combination of different hemoglobin concentrations with QDs enables the differentiation between healthy and cancerous blood, enabling the early detection of breast cancer during its initial stages of development. Early detection of breast cancer has significant potential for improving treatment outcomes in the field of oncology.

Background: Three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) allows simultaneous evaluation of the entire left ventricular (LV) volume, motion, and mechanical dyssynchrony. This study aimed to provide valuable data on the feasibility and reliability of 3DE in assessing LV dyssynchrony in healthy individuals.

Methods: One hundred healthy volunteers, including both genders, with mean age, weight, and BMI of 39.64±10.21 years, 76.57±14.65 kg, and 27.59±4.3 kg.m^-2, respectively, without evidence of structural heart or chronic disease, were included. 3DE examinations were conducted using a 4-chamber view and the full-volume method for all volunteers. Dyssynchrony was automatically quantified as the systolic dyssynchrony index (SDI) for selected LV segments using Q-lab software. The standard deviation (SD) of the time to attain minimum systolic volume was considered as SDI. This time length was expressed as % R-R to compensate for the variability of heart rate and increase reproducibility. Consequently, a single SDI (global SDI) was available for quantifying the degree of LV dyssynchrony by comparing all segments.

Results: According to echocardiographic findings, the mean global LV-SDI, apical SDI, basal SDI, and mid SDI were 28.68±15.48 msec, 26.16±27.47 msec, 24.41±14.35 msec, and 22.07±18.24 msec, respectively. After correction for RR duration, the mean global LV-SDI was 3.49±1.97%, apical SDI: 3.21±3.58%, basal SDI: 2.97±1.82%, and mid SDI: 2.68±2.19%.

Conclusion: 3DE proves to be a useful tool for evaluating LV dyssynchrony. The data provided include age- and sex-related changes in total and regional SDI in healthy volunteers, serving as a suitable reference for further investigations into LV dyssynchrony changes.

Purpose: The Xtrim-PET preclinical scanner is specifically designed for positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of small laboratory animals. This study aims to increase the spatial resolution of the scanner by implementing gantry wobbling.

Materials and Methods: The gantry wobbling was evaluated using the Gate Monte Carlo code. To prevent image blurring during gantry wobbling, all locations detected in the 3D output were corrected in the sinogram matrix according to the coincidence time of annihilation photons and the gantry motion. In order to evaluate the performance of the scanner using the wobbling motion data acquisition technique, coincidence data from the scanning of NEMA-NU4 and Hot-Rod phantoms were modified, reconstructed and compared to without wobbling mode.

Results: The spatial resolution in the center of the scanner with and without implementing wobbling technique was obtained as 0.91 mm and 1.93 mm, respectively. The total sensitivity, detection efficiency, and scan time were obtained the same in both with and without wobbling modes. The results indicate that the data acquisition mode with gantry wobbling motion increases the resolution up to 52.8%

Conclusion: The proposed data acquisition mode can be used to design a cost-effective high-resolution scanner.

Introduction: The use of CT scan in diagnosis is increasing significantly. The purpose of This study is evaluating the normal brain and chest Computed Tomography (CT) scans at six medical imaging departments in Tehran and evaluate the radiation dose and estimate the cancer risk associated with these normal CT scans.

Materials and methods:  The data of 1080 patients between 20 to 50 years old referred to the six medical imaging centers in Tehran hospitals (1^st January to 30^th March) were collected. Patients were categorized into six groups according to their ages. In this study, a radiologist helped us in interpreting the CT scan images. The DRL was assessed and the BEIR VII model was used to estimate the radiation cancer.

Results: Among the 1080 patients, 642 (59%) were males and the average age of the patients was 45.05 ± 22.60 years. Brain CT scans in 65% cases and chest CT scan in 52% were reported normal. The third quartile of CTDI_vol, DLP, and ED values in the brain and chest scans were calculated and introduced as local DRL values. These values were determined as 22.13, 428.58, and 0.65 for CTDI_vol, DLP, and ED values in the brain scan, and 5, 187.35, and 3.71 in the chest scan. The highest risk of cancer incidence in the brain scan was related to leukemia with a value of 0.73 per 100000 exposures, followed by thyroid with a value of 0.62 in women aged 20-25 years. And in the chest scan, the highest risk of cancer incidence was related to breast cancer with a value of 22.4 per 100000 followed by lung cancer with a value of 19.02 in the same age group.

Conclusion: As the age decreases, the risk of cancer increases, therefore, by optimizing the radiation dose and avoiding CT scans without indications, the risk of cancer can be significantly reduced.

Purpose: At resting state, the human brain releases cycles of Electroencephalography (EEG), which has been proven aberrant in persons with schizophrenia. Deep learning methods and patterns found in EEG of brain activity are helpful features for verifying schizophrenia. The proposed study demonstrates the applicability of alpha-EEG rhythm in a Gated-Recurrent-Unit-based deep learning model for studying schizophrenia.

Materials and Methods: This study suggests Rudiment Densely-Coupled Convolutional Gated Recurrent Unit (RDCGRU) for the EEG rhythm (gamma, beta, alpha, theta, and delta) based diagnoses of schizophrenia. The model includes multiple 1-D-Convolution (Con-1-D) folds with steps greater than 1, which enables the model to programmatically and effectively learn how to reduce the incoming signal. The Con-1-D layers and numerous Gated Recurrent Unit (GRU) layers comprise the Exponential-Linear-Unit activation function. This powerful activation function facilitates in-deep-network training and improves classification performance. The Densely-Coupled Convolutional Gated Recurrent Unit (DCGRU) layers enable RDCGRU to address the training accuracy loss brought on by vanishing or exploding gradients. This makes it possible to develop intense, deep versions of RDCGRU for more complex problems. The sigmoid activation function is implemented in the digital classifier's output nodes.

Results: The RDCGRU framework performs efficiently with alpha-EEG rhythm (88.06%) and harshly with delta-EEG rhythm (60.05%). The research achievements: In EEG rhythm-based schizophrenia verification, GRU cells with the RDCGRU deep learning model performed better with alpha-EEG rhythm.

Conclusion: The α-EEG rhythm is a crucial component of the RDCGRU deep learning model for studying schizophrenia using EEG rhythms. In our investigation of RDCGRU deep learning architectures, we noticed that Con-1-D layers connected special learning networks function well with the α-EEG rhythm for the EEG rhythm-based verification of schizophrenia.

Objective: While there is evidence that neurofeedback (NF) can reduce seizure frequency and enhance sensorimotor rhythm (SMR) in patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy, the neural mechanisms underlying such effects are not well understood. The objective of this study was to investigate the neuromodulatory effects of SMR NF training on functional and structural connectivity in patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy.

Methods: Four patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), diffusion MRI (dMRI), quantitative electroencephalogram (QEEG), and Integrated Visual and Auditory (IVA-2) test before and after 6 to 8 weeks of SMR NF training. We assessed alterations in functional and structural connectivity within and between six brain networks based on the automated anatomical labeling (AAL) atlas.

Results: All four patients showed a reduction in seizure frequency ranging from 35% to 100% after SMR NF training, with two patients experiencing a reduction within the first week of treatment. IVA-2 scores increased for all patients compared to the pre-treatment baseline, indicating cognitive improvement. Post-treatment fMRI revealed no significant differences in functional connectivity between patients and control cases, despite significant differences in some brain networks observed in pre-treatment fMRI. We also found increased fractional anisotropy (FA) values between subcortical and auditory networks after SMR training.

Significance: Our study provides promising evidence for the neural basis of SMR NF training in the treatment of drug-resistant focal epilepsy. The observed reductions in seizure frequency, improvements in cognitive abilities, and increased FA values suggest that SMR NF training may be an effective treatment for patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy.

Abstract

Purpose: Magnetoencephalography is the recording of magnetic fields resulting from the activities of brain neurons and provides the possibility of direct measurement of their activity in a non-invasive manner. Despite its high spatial and temporal resolution, magnetoencephalography has a weak amplitude signal, drastically reducing the signal-to-noise ratio in case of environmental noise. Therefore, signal reconstruction methods can be effective in recovering noisy and lost information.

Materials and Methods: The magnetoencephalography signal of 11 healthy young subjects was recorded in a resting state. Each signal contains the data of 148 channels which were fixed on a helmet. The performance of three different reconstruction methods has been investigated by using the data of adjacent channels from the selected track to interpolate its information. These three methods are the surface reconstruction methods, partial differential equations algorithms, and finite element-based methods. Afterward to evaluate the performance of each method, R-square, root mean square error, and signal-to-noise ratio between the reconstructed signal and the original signal were calculated. The relation between these criteria was checked through proper statistical tests with a significance level of 0.05.

Results: The mean method with the root mean square error of 0.016  0.009 (mean  SD) at the minimum time (3.5 microseconds) could reconstruct an epoch. Also, the median method with a similar error but in 5.9 microseconds with a probability of 99.33% could reconstruct an epoch with an R-square greater than 0.7.

Conclusion: The mean and median methods can reconstruct the noisy or lost signal in magnetoencephalography with a suitable percentage of similarity to the reference by using the signal of adjacent channels from the damaged sensor.

Purpose:  The human brain is comprised of distinct regions, each contributing uniquely to behavioral control. The execution of even basic tasks necessitates synchronized activities among multiple brain regions. Fundamental cognitive functions hinge on the capacity to retain and flexibly manipulate information, a key role ascribed to working memory (WM). This study seeks to enhance our understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying WM and elucidate the coordinated neural activities spanning various brain regions.

Materials and Methods: To achieve this objective, the invasively recorded electrophysiological activities from medial temporal (MT) cortex of human using high number of electrodes were analyzed. The subjects did a verbal working memory task including three phases: encoding, maintenance and retrieval.

Phase synchronization between electrode signals in common frequency rhythms determined by phase locking value (PLV) was used to create brain network graphs.

Results: This study validates prior findings on neural synchronization in the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, and amygdala during WM within the theta, alpha, and beta bands. Analysis of Phase Locking Value (PLV) dynamics during encoding and maintenance, reveals strong modulation in the theta, alpha and beta rhythm. Notably, PLV of theta oscillation between channels within posterior hippocampal region was significantly reduced during maintenance. Conversely, PLV of theta-alpha rhythms between anterior hippocampal region (AHL) and amygdala/entorhinal cortex was significantly increased by WM.

 Conclusion:

This study, for the first time demonstrates the networks involved in WM within MT areas in the human brain. These findings underscore the frequency-specific intricacies in WM modulation, providing valuable insights into neural coordination during specific processing stages.

Purpose: Understanding neural mechanisms is critical for discerning the nature of brain disorders and enhancing treatment methodologies. Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) plays a vital role in gaining this knowledge by recording various brain regions. In this study, our primary aim was to categorize visual objects based on fMRI data during a natural scene viewing task. We intend to elucidate the challenges and limitations of previous models in order to produce a generalizable model across different subjects using advanced deep learning methods.

Materials and Methods: We've designed a new deep learning model based on transformers for processing fMRI data. The model includes two blocks, the first block receives fMRI data as input and transforms the input data to a set of features called fMRI space. Simultaneously a visual space is extracted from visual images using a pre-trained inceptionv3 network. The model tries to construct the fMRI space similar to the extracted visual space. The other block is a fully connected (FC) network for object recognition based on fMRI space. Using transformer capabilities and an overlapping method, the proposed architecture accounts for structural changes across different voxel sizes of the subjects' brains.

Results: A unique model was trained for all subjects with different brain sizes. The results demonstrated that the proposed network achieves an impressive similarity correlation between visual space and fMRI space around 0.84 for train and 0.86 for test dataset. Furthermore, the classification accuracy was about 70.3%. These outcomes underscored the effectiveness of our fMRI transformer network in extracting features from fMRI data.

Conclusion: The results indicated the potential of our model for decoding images from the brain activities of new subjects. This unveils a novel direction in image reconstruction from neural activities, an area that has remained relatively uncharted due to its inherent intricacies.

Purpose: Nowadays, detecting brain tumors is a crucial application. If a tumor is discovered later on, the medical issues are significant. Therefore, early diagnosis is essential. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is the most recent detection, diagnosis, and assessment technology.

Materials and Methods: In this study, MRI images are segmented before input to a pulse-coupled neural network model to identify the existence of a tumor in the brain picture. The doctor may turn to this model for assistance if there are more input MRI brain pictures. This work preprocesses the images using normalization smoothing with linear filter and adaptive histogram. Statistical and Local Binary Patterns (LBP) features are extracted from the preprocessed images to perform the classification process. The Deep Convolutional Network (DCNN) is used to segment the image. The Pulse Coupled Neural Networks (PCNN) categorize the input images as normal and tumor.

Results: Accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and precision are the various metrics evaluated. This work achieves 99.35 accuracies, 99.78 sensitivity, 98.45 specificities, and 97.61 precision. This work is compared with previous implementations to measure performance.

Conclusion: The comparison analysis improves tumor segmentation and classification accuracy. The suggested method yields great outcomes.

Purpose: Endodontic success is mainly depends on the complete root canal system debridement, both mechanically and chemically. Maxillary first molar possesses a root canal system that is one of the most complex anatomy. The aim of this study was to map the root canal anatomy of maxillary first molar and its variations. Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) was used to determine the prevalence of the second mesiobuccal canal (MB2) and its possible relation to the gender of the patient among Iraqi population.

Materials and Methods: CBCT scan images from documented archives of 415 patients who had maxillofacial diagnosis or root canal treatment were used in this study. A total of 656 maxillary first molars (336 female and 320 male) were included. The configuration of the root canal, frequency of (MB2) and its bilateral symmetry was observed. The chi-square test was used to calculate the gender correlation. (p<0.05) was considered significant.

Results: In (61.1%) of the cases, the MB2 canal was discovered with high bilateral symmetry (73.6%). Genders did not show any statistically significant differences.

Conclusion: The presence of MB2 canal in the maxillary first molars is high and approximately more than the half of the cases. No relation was found between the existence of MB2 canal and the gender of the patient. CBCT is a clinically efficient method for the diagnosis and improvement of the root canal treatment.

Purpose: The breast is a radiosensitive organ and it is important to prevent the Contralateral Breast (CLB) from irradiation in radiotherapy. In this study, the received dose of CLB was calculated and compared between two breast radiotherapy techniques, including physical stationary and motorized wedged fields.

Materials and Methods: Forty female patients undergoing breast radiotherapy with supraclavicular involvement were randomly selected. Twenty were treated with the tangential fields using physical wedges and twenty patients were treated with the tangential fields using motorized wedges. Three thermo-luminescent dosimeters (TLD GR-200) were placed on the CLB skin to estimate the breast dose. Dosimetric parameters for target tissue and organs at risk (OARs) were obtained from the plans of the evaluated techniques and compared to find the differences. CLB doses were compared between the radiotherapy techniques using an independent T-test.

Results: There were no significant differences in the target tissue and OARs dosimetric parameters between the evaluated radiotherapy techniques. The results showed that the measured CLB skin doses in patients treated with the motorized wedges were significantly higher than the physical wedge radiotherapy technique, 201.5±20.4 mGy vs. 159.8 ±14.2 mGy (P<0.05).

Conclusion: The physical wedged fields technique had lower doses for CLB compared to the fields using motorized wedges. Therefore, it can be proposed to use tangential physical wedged fields for patients with high concern about the CLB. Furthermore, more research considering radiotherapy techniques without using wedges in medial tangent fields and other relevant parameters can be performed to obtain a better evaluation of the CLB dose.

Purpose: The incorporation of Nanoparticles (NPs) in Computed Tomography (CT) imaging significantly enhances the contrast, clarity, and sensitivity of CT scans, leading to a substantial improvement in the accuracy and reliability of diagnostic information obtained from the images. The objective of the current research was to investigate the application of gold (Au) NPs in enhancing the imaging capabilities of Breast Cancer (BC) cells.

Materials and Methods: Au NPs were synthesized by loading Trastuzumab (TZ) on PEGylated Au NPs. Firstly, Au NPs were produced and coated with PEG-SH to form PEG-Au NPs. Next, TZ was coupled with OPSS-PEG-SVA to enable its attachment to the PEG-Au NPs. The resulting NPs were characterized for their structure, size, and morphology using standard analytical techniques. To assess the potential of the developed NPs for CT scan imaging of BC cells, SKBr-3 cells were treated with Au NPs and TZ-PEG-Au NPs. Additionally, the cytotoxicity of the NPs was evaluated with the MTT technique.

Results: The SEM and TEM analyses revealed that the synthesized NPs exhibited a spherical shape and displayed a relatively uniform size distribution (approximately 45 nm). The results showed that the developed Au NPs have acceptable biocompatibility and superior X-ray attenuation properties compared to a commonly used contrast agent.

Conclusion: Based on our results, it can be concluded that the proposed TZ- Polyethylene Glycol-Au NPs are suitable for CT imaging of BC cells.

Purpose: In this research, using the Geant4 software toolbox and metamaterials as a neutron shield, it was tried to introduce the proper metamaterial for this matter.

Materials and Methods: BNCT treatment is one of the most significant approaches used to treat brain tumors. The neutron source that is the main part of the BNCT method is produced by protons irradiation of ⁷Li converter. The brain tumor tissue, which contains a high concentration of ¹⁰B, is exposed to thermal neutron energy that is moderated by shield material. The dose of alpha particles that produced by the neutron decay of ¹⁰B in tumor tissue can be calculated by changing the metamaterial thickness. The best thickness of metamaterial for minimizing the radioactive elements production in brain tumor is calculated using the Geant4 toolkit.

Results: WC metamaterial with 10 cm thickness is suitable for neutron moderation. The secondary elements produced in brain tumors is less than other thickness that is calculated by taking into account the alpha spectrum in tumor tissue. The alpha spectrum was calculated by the interaction of neutron spectrum released by the WC metamaterial.

Conclusion: The dose of alpha and secondary particles was obtained by the calculation of numbers and energy of these particles in brain tumors. The number of radioactive elements produced in the tumor tissue, as well as the most effective thickness of proper metamaterial to reduce the dose of secondary particles indicated that the WC metamaterial with a thickness of 17 cm is the best material for reducing radiation of neutron source that is produced by 35 MeV proton irradiation of ⁷Li neutron converter.

Purpose: Nasal Septum Deviation (NSD), which is defined as a dislocated septum, is a prevalent condition that is mostly asymptomatic; however, it can cause difficulties such as nasal obstruction and rhinosinusitis symptoms. Other Paranasal Sinuses (PNS) disorders, e.g., Osteo Meatal Complex (OMC) obstruction, have been assumed to be correlated with NSD. This study investigates the possible correlation of specific radiological findings of PNS pathologies in patients with or without the existence and direction of NSD. We also discussed the different types of NSD and their incidence among different groups stored by age, gender, etc.

Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted at multiple imaging centers in Iran between July 2019 and February 2020 to estimate the prevalence of deviated nasal septum and correlate between NSD and other findings using paranasal sinus scans. All the individuals who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were included in the study. NSD types have been classified based on Mladina's method.

Results: We prospectively reviewed PNS CT scans obtained from 254 cases (82 men and 172 women), aged 18 to 81 years (mean: 35.53), evaluated over seven months. Out of 254 cases, 135 (53 %) patients had NSD, without any direction predominance (right-sided vs. left-sided), and equally distributed between genders. The most common NSD types were type V with a frequency of 42.22% and type III with a frequency of 24.44%. Other PNS CT findings were also investigated in our patients, like OMC obstruction, pansinusitis, mucocele, air-fluid level, mucosal thickening, and concha bullosa. There was no statistically significant correlation between any of these pathologies and NSD (P-value >0.05).

Conclusion: Although NSD was observed in more than half of our cases' PNS CTs, there was no significant correlation between NSD and other findings in most subjects. This reveals that the effectiveness of septal repair surgeries in relieving patients' symptoms might not be as high as expected.

Purpose: Recently, using hadrons as therapeutic beam is highly advised for radiation treatment of deep seated tumors due to desired conforming of three dimensional dose distribution onto tumor volume. This refers to physical properties of common available hadrons versus photons and electrons in colliding with patient body atoms that is our main challenge is this work, in a comparative fashion. Methods: In this work, protons Caron- and Oxygen-Ions are considered as therapeutic beams while irradiating a given tumor located at soft tissue equivalent phantom to mimic patient body using Monte Carlo FLUKA code. The high impact properties of available beams implemented at hadron therapy facilities are investigated quantitatively, during simulation process while no study have been done formerly. Results: Depth dose profiles of hadrons, linear energy transfer, beams lateral divergence, spread out Bragg peak, produced neutrons and produced positron emitter as radioisotopes produced due to colliding hadrons with nucleus of the atoms are measured, numerically. The latter case include C-10, C-11, N-13 and O-15 at soft tissue that are highly important for proton range verification inside patient body using positron emission tomography system. Conclusion: Among hadrons, linear energy transfer of Carbon- and Oxygen ion is superior versus proton due to their high atomic numbers that reduce treatment fraction remarkably. Furthermore, at proton therapy the main source of produced neutrons are passive or active modulation devices located in front of therapeutic beam. Among produced positron emitters, C-11 and O-15 are remarkable for providing functional image to assess hadrons range.

Breast Cancer (BC) is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in women and the most common cancer worldwide. It is classified based on its anatomical origin, the presence of Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 (HER-2), and the presence of Estrogen Receptor (ER) and/or Progesterone Receptor (PR). Around 20% of breast cancers are HER-2 positive. While biopsy-based diagnoses are valuable in clinical settings, they have limitations in terms of sampling and interpretation. However, laboratory tests such as Immunohistochemistry (IHC) or Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) are also limited, including being time-consuming, expensive, and requiring specialized equipment. Ongoing research and technological advancements aim to address the challenges associated with biopsy-based diagnoses and laboratory tests to develop more accurate and efficient methods for assessing HER-2 status. To this end, various radioactively labeled proteins and small compounds, such as single-chain variable Fragments (scFv), F(ab')2, affibody, and nanobody, have been developed to target HER-2 using molecular array techniques. These smaller targeted compounds offer improved image quality, shorter circulating half-life, and reduced immunogenicity compared to their larger counterparts. This is due to their better biodistribution, clearance, and stability. This study investigates the current understanding and ongoing efforts in utilizing antibody fragments for molecular imaging. The specific objectives were to evaluate the advantages of antibody fragments over full-length antibodies regarding biodistribution, clearance, and stability. Additionally, this study aims to assess the current knowledge and ongoing research in utilizing antibody fragments for molecular imaging.

Ionizing radiation (IR) exposure during diagnostic dental procedures carries inherent dangers, particularly when individuals are repeatedly exposed. This study aims to evaluate recent developments in ionizing radiation protection measures in dental radiology. A thorough review was conducted using prominent databases such as PubMed, Science Direct, and Dentistry & Oral Sciences Source (via EBSCOhost). The primary conclusions and relevant units of measurement are also included. Recent data reveals the urgent need to update radiation protection guidelines to accommodate newer technologies like cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and digital imaging. Digital intraoral X-ray technology has shown promising results in significantly reducing radiation exposure. To ensure standardized practices, Diagnostic Reference Levels (DRLs) have been defined for CBCT and must be established for different clinical indications. Moreover, advancements in nanotechnology provide potential opportunities for the production of radiation shielding materials that are lighter and customizable. These innovative materials can prove invaluable for everyday use, offering enhanced protection during extended periods of physical activity. The review findings suggest that samples with nanostructures are more efficient at reducing X-ray energy. Given the increasing frequency of dental CBCT imaging and the unmatched dose levels compared to conventional dental radiography, it is imperative to set DRLs in this domain. Thus, this literature review focuses on the most common types of radiation protection in dental radiology, aiming to demonstrate improved techniques for individual protection.

Novel antimicrobials are needed now more than ever as antibiotic resistance to dangerous bacteria and the number of contagious diseases are on the rise. Nanoparticles (NPs) are innovative and promising therapeutic agents as they possess distinctive physiochemical characteristics and can hinder the growth of microorganisms. As such, their potential use as antimicrobials has garnered significant research interest. Researchers have, similarly, trained their sights on nanotechnology, which is the study and development of materials, tools, and systems that have physical, chemical, and biological characteristics that are more unique than those found in larger systems, due to its potential applications and advantages over existing conventional materials, especially in the dental and medical industries. Therefore, a better understanding of the science behind nanotechnology is needed to comprehend how these materials can be used in everyday life. Zein-coated magnesium oxide nanoparticles (MgO NPs) have recently shown significant promise as a powerful antibacterial compound that can be combined with other materials to fabricate a variety of brand-new dental formulations.

Purpose: Fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (¹⁸F-FDG PET) represents a valuable functional molecular imaging technique. Through non-invasive means, ¹⁸F-FDG PET allows for the assessment of glucose metabolic activity in living biological systems. Its utility in oncology is well established, with applications in tumor diagnosis, staging, and treatment monitoring.

The purpose of this study is to conduct a systematic review assessing the indicative value and effect on the clinical management of ¹⁸F-FDG PET/CT for various cancer types based on the current literature.

Materials and Methods: An inclusive search of the PubMed, Google Scholar, and Science Direct databases was performed to identify relevant studies published from 2022 to the present. Records were screened according to predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. A full-text review of the eligible studies was independently conducted by two reviewers.

Results: Twenty-one primary research articles met the inclusion criteria and encompassed several cancer types. Evidence demonstrates superior detection, characterization, and staging compared with anatomical imaging alone. Advantages have been substantiated for head/neck, lung, and brain cancers, as well as lymphomas. The significant associations between ¹⁸F-FDG uptake and clinical features validated the molecular profiling capacity.

Conclusion: ¹⁸F-FDG PET provides crucial metabolic tumor information, augmenting conventional approaches. Specific diagnostic values have been established for diverse oncological applications. While technical refinements are ongoing, ¹⁸F-FDG PET plays an expanding role in multimodal cancer algorithms according to guidelines. Continued investigation aims to further optimize these techniques and clarify their comparative effectiveness.

Purpose: Plantago Major (PM) is widely used for the treatment of different diseases due to several active compounds. Previous studies demonstrated the treatment effect of this plant on lung cancer cell lines. Here, we introduced a patient having lung cancer proved by Computed Tomography (CT) and pathological findings. The treatment effect of PM was assessed and presented based on CT and laboratory examinations for this patient as a first human case study.

Materials and Methods: A 64-year-old woman, with gastrointestinal bleeding as well as high Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) and C-Reactive Protein (CRP) levels, was examined by the chest CT scan for suspicious lung cancer. Pathological findings confirmed the non-small cell lung cancer (adenocarcinoma, stage IIA). The patient consumed 150 ml of PM seeds extract (3-4 times daily) orally for about 4 months. Follow-up CT and laboratory examinations were performed after the treatment period to assess the effect of PM.

Results: The volume of the tumor was reduced by about 62% (based on CT imaging findings) after the treatment with PM. In addition, the laboratory examinations illustrate that ESR and CRP levels reduced remarkably (from 97 mm/h to 24 mm/h for ESR; from 36.8 mg/L to 1.2 mg/L for CRP) after the treatment.

Conclusion: Based on our human study, PM, as a natural compound with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antibiotic characteristics, could have an anti-proliferative effect on non-small cell lung cancer. However, more follow-up examinations on big sample sizes are needed to assess the treatment effect of PM.

Background: Brachial plexopathy in breast cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy is an important side effect. The primary objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness and safety of two different treatment methods, the wedge method and field-in-field methods, in breast cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy. Specifically, the study aimed to evaluate the impact of these methods on the radiation dose received by the brachial plexus, a critical organ at risk in breast cancer treatment.

Methods: The study involved 100 breast cancer patients who underwent a series of 25 radiation therapy sessions. The total radiation dose administered throughout the therapy was 50 Gy, with each treatment session delivering 2 Gy. The study focused on measuring the radiation dose received by the brachial plexus. Two different methods, the wedge method, and the field-in-field process, were compared in terms of their ability to protect the brachial plexus from excessive radiation.

Results: The maximum dose delivered to the brachial plexus was 5302.18 cGy in the wedge group, and 5242.5 cGy in the field-in-field group. Although the field-in-field method appeared to be less risky, statistically there was no significant difference between the two methods (P > 0.05). Additionally, the mean dose delivered using the wedge method was 4169.98 cGy, while the field-in-field method had a mean dose of 4351.9 cGy and their difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05).

Conclusion: The optimization of the treatment process is a crucial part of alleviating brachial plexopathy in breast cancer radiation therapy, and these dose measurements play a fundamental role in enhancing treatment protocols and improving patient comfort at the same time. It must be noted that even though the field-in-field technique decreased radiation exposure to the brachial plexus more than the wedge technique, further studies are still needed to determine the practical significance of these findings.

Despite recent advances in OCT systems, there is skepticism regarding the sensitivity and performance of these systems for gel dosimetry. The optical sensitivity of gel dosimeters changes at different wavelengths and their maximum sensitivities are achieved at the particular wavelengths. Therefore, the optimal wavelength must be used for optical scanning of the gel dosimeters. Since OCT systems are used for scanning different gel dosimeters, a mono-energy light source would not lead to optimal performance. Commercially available multi-wavelength lasers provide a variety of power and wavelength ranges. Adopting multi-wavelength light sources instead of single-wavelength laser sources increases the price of the system by less than 5%, which is justifiable and ignorable due to the considerably increased performance and sensitivity. In the proposed approach, only the wavelength of the scanning beam would be optimized based on the gel dosimeter type. The rules for determining the opacity of the beam path across the sample are the same for all gel dosimeters. Therefore, the change in wavelength of the scanning beam didn’t change the scanning procedure and there is no additional complexity in the OCTs with the multi-wavelength light sources.

No Abstract.