bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Single- versus Multi-computed Tomography Simulation for High-dose-rate Postoperative Gynecological Intracavitary Brachytherapy
Authors: Douvara Angeliki , Kollaros Nikolaos , Patatoukas Georgios , Chalkia Marina , Kypraiou Efrosini , Trogkanis Nikolaos , Kouloulias Vassileios , Platoni Kalliopi 
Published: March 2024

Introduction:
This study aimed to investigate whether there is a dosimetric difference of implementing single instead of multi-computed tomography (CT) simulation treatment planning for high-dose-rate postoperative gynecological intracavitary brachytherapy (BT).

Materials and Methods:
Eighty patients were registered in the study. They received three BT fractions of 7 Gy/week (three CTs, three original plans). The organs at risk (OAR), the rectal wall, and the clinical target volume (CTV) were delineated. The delivered doses for the 2cc of OARs (D2cc), 1cc of rectal wall (D1cc), as well as for the 90% and 100% of CTV volume (DCTV90%, DCTV100%) were evaluated. To evaluate the values of the above parameters if the single-CT-simulation method has been chosen, the time of the first treatment plan was corrected for the decay and applied as the second and third CT, retrospectively, creating the next fractions (two revised plans).

Results:
No statistically significant (P > 0.05) differences were found between the original and revised plans for the OARs and CTV. However, for the single-CT-simulation method, it was noted that the dose constraints for the total rectal dose were exceeded in some cases (36.3%).

Conclusion:
The fact that rectal dose constraints were exceeded in 1/3 of patients with the single-CT-simulation method is dosimetrically significant.
Laser Fragmentation of Green Tea-synthesized Silver Nanoparticles and Their Blood Toxicity: Effect of Laser Wavelength on Particle Diameters
Authors: Alattar Ashraf M. , Al-Sharuee Israa F. , Odah Jafer Fahdel 
Published: March 2024

Background:
The efficacy of fractionation is significantly impacted by the colloidal particles’ spontaneous absorption of laser beam radiation. The classification of silver nanoparticles during fragmentation processing is regulated through the collection of a combination of laser pulses with wavelengths of 1064 nm and 532 nm.

Aims and Objectives:
This study presents an investigation of the efficacy of a plant extract in conjunction with the incorporation of supplementary silver nanoparticles, as well as the generation of smaller-sized silver nanoparticles using laser fragmentation.and then measure thier toxity on the blood.

Results:
Ag nanoparticles were synthesized using pulsed laser fragmentation on green tea AgNPs. The synthesis process involved the utilization of a Q-switch Nd:YAG laser with wavelengths of 1064 nm and 532 nm, with energy ranging from 200 to 1000 mJ. Initially, a silver nano colloid was synthesized through the process of fragmented of the Ag target using the second harmonic generation of 532 nm at various energy levels. The optimal energy within the selected wavelengths was determined in order to facilitate the ultimate comparison. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to determine surface morphology and average particle size, while a spectrophotometer was used to analyses UV light’s spectrum characteristics. The measurements focused on the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) phenomenon. The absorption spectra of silver nanoparticles exhibit distinct and prominent peaks at wavelengths of 405 nm and 415 nm. The mean diameter of the silver nanoparticles was found to be 16 nm and 20 nm, corresponding to wavelengths of 1064 nm and 532 nm, respectively.

Conclusion:
As a consequence, there is a decrease in the range of particle sizes and a decrease in the mean size to lower magnitudes, resulting in a very stable colloid. This particular methodology has demonstrated considerable efficacy in the production of colloidal suspensions with the intended particle dimensions. Moreover, by the analysis of nanoparticles in human blood, no discernible alterations in the blood constituents were seen, indicating their non-toxic nature.
A Practical Method for Slice Spacing Measurement Using the American Association of Physicists in Medicine Computed Tomography Performance Phantom
Authors: Anam Choirul , Naufal Ariij , Dwihapsari Yanurita , Fujibuchi Toshioh , Dougherty Geoff 
Published: March 2024

Background:
The slice spacing has a crucial role in the accuracy of computed tomography (CT) images in sagittal and coronal planes. However, there is no practical method for measuring the accuracy of the slice spacing.

Purpose:
This study proposes a novel method to automatically measure the slice spacing using the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) CT performance phantom.

Methods:
The AAPM CT performance phantom module 610-04 was used to measure slice spacing. The process of slice spacing measurement involves a pair of axial images of the module containing ramp aluminum objects located at adjacent slice positions. The middle aluminum plate of each image was automatically segmented. Next, the two segmented images were combined to produce one image with two stair objects. The centroid coordinates of two stair objects were automatically determined. Subsequently, the distance between these two centroids was measured to directly indicate the slice spacing. For comparison, the slice spacing was calculated by accessing the slice position attributes from the DICOM header of both images. The proposed method was tested on phantom images with variations in slice spacing and field of view (FOV).

Results:
The results showed that the automatic measurement of slice spacing was quite accurate for all variations of slice spacing and FOV, with average differences of 9.0% and 9.3%, respectively.

Conclusion:
A new automated method for measuring the slice spacing using the AAPM CT phantom was successfully demonstrated and tested for variations of slice spacing and FOV. Slice spacing measurement may be considered an additional parameter to be checked in addition to other established parameters.
Analysis of Hybrid Feature Optimization Techniques Based on the Classification Accuracy of Brain Tumor Regions Using Machine Learning and Further Evaluation Based on the Institute Test Data
Authors: Pal Soniya , Singh Raj Pal , Kumar Anuj 
Published: March 2024

Aim:
The goal of this study was to get optimal brain tumor features from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images and classify them based on the three groups of the tumor region: Peritumoral edema, enhancing-core, and necrotic tumor core, using machine learning classification models.

Materials and Methods:
This study’s dataset was obtained from the multimodal brain tumor segmentation challenge. A total of 599 brain MRI studies were employed, all in neuroimaging informatics technology initiative format. The dataset was divided into training, validation, and testing subsets online test dataset (OTD). The dataset includes four types of MRI series, which were combined together and processed for intensity normalization using contrast limited adaptive histogram equalization methodology. To extract radiomics features, a python-based library called pyRadiomics was employed. Particle-swarm optimization (PSO) with varying inertia weights was used for feature optimization. Inertia weight with a linearly decreasing strategy (W1), inertia weight with a nonlinear coefficient decreasing strategy (W2), and inertia weight with a logarithmic strategy (W3) were different strategies used to vary the inertia weight for feature optimization in PSO. These selected features were further optimized using the principal component analysis (PCA) method to further reducing the dimensionality and removing the noise and improve the performance and efficiency of subsequent algorithms. Support vector machine (SVM), light gradient boosting (LGB), and extreme gradient boosting (XGB) machine learning classification algorithms were utilized for the classification of images into different tumor regions using optimized features. The proposed method was also tested on institute test data (ITD) for a total of 30 patient images.

Results:
For OTD test dataset, the classification accuracy of SVM was 0.989, for the LGB model (LGBM) was 0.992, and for the XGB model (XGBM) was 0.994, using the varying inertia weight-PSO optimization method and the classification accuracy of SVM was 0.996 for the LGBM was 0.998, and for the XGBM was 0.994, using PSO and PCA-a hybrid optimization technique. For ITD test dataset, the classification accuracy of SVM was 0.994 for the LGBM was 0.993, and for the XGBM was 0.997, using the hybrid optimization technique.

Conclusion:
The results suggest that the proposed method can be used to classify a brain tumor as used in this study to classify the tumor region into three groups: Peritumoral edema, enhancing-core, and necrotic tumor core. This was done by extracting the different features of the tumor, such as its shape, grey level, gray-level co-occurrence matrix, etc., and then choosing the best features using hybrid optimal feature selection techniques. This was done without much human expertise and in much less time than it would take a person.
Development of a Relative Dosimetric System for Calibration of 32P Eye Applicators Using Radiochromic Films
Authors: Nazempoor Alireza , Poorbaygi Hosein , Aghamiri Seyed Mahmud Reza , Javanshir Mohammad Reza , Sheibani Shahab , Naghdi Reza , Moradi Somayeh , Habibpanah Ali 
Published: March 2024

Introduction:
Beta irradiation after bare scleral surgery of primary pterygium is an effective and safe treatment, which reduces the risk of local recurrence.

Purpose:
Obtaining the reference dose rate for a radioactive applicator consisting of a plate as a 32P absorber, a steel window and a steel capsule.

Methods:
Relative dosimetry and dose profile were measured using two types of radiochromic films, HD-810 and EBT1, for the 32P applicator and were compared with Monte Carlo simulation data. Dose uniformity in the 32P applicator was obtained with radiochromic HD-810 film.

Results:
The measurement depth dose distribution data at distances up to 3.8 mm were compared with calculation data, and the values were not found to differ statistically. Depth dose distribution with a large dose gradient was determined and the dose rate data obtained 0.0053 ± 9.9% in unit of Gy/s.mCi at a 0.1 mm depth distance. Practical results indicated that the dose nonuniformity and the maximum symmetrical for the 32P applicator were 11.5% and 9.2%, respectively.

Conclusions:
Our experiments show that the use of the radiochromic film to perform the relative dosimetric checks is feasible and the activity value with acceptable error can be determined through this indirect method.
Microarray Images Contrast Enhancement and Gridding Using Genetic Algorithm
Authors: Bakhshayesh Nayyer Mostaghim , Shamsi Mousa , Golabi Faegheh 
Published: March 2024

Background:
Microarray is a sophisticated tool that concurrently analyzes the expression levels of thousands of genes, giving scientists an overview of DNA and RNA study. This procedure is divided into three stages: contact with biological samples, data extraction, and data analysis. Because expression levels are disclosed by the interplay of light with fluorescent markers, the data extraction stage relies on image processing methods. To extract quantitative information from the microarray image (MAI), four steps of preprocessing, gridding, segmentation, and intensity quantification are required. During the generation of MAIs, a large number of error-prone processes occur, leading to structural problems and reduced quality in the resulting data, affecting the identification of expressed genes.

Methods:
In this article, the first stage has been examined. In the preprocessing stage, the contrast of the images is first enhanced using the genetic algorithm, then the source noises that appear as small artifacts are removed using morphology, and finally, to confirm the effect of the contrast enhancement (CE) on the main stages of microarray data processing, gridding is checked on complementary deoxyribonucleic acid MAIs.

Results:
The comparison of the obtained results with an adaptive histogram equalization (AHE) and multi-decomposition histogram equalization (M-DHE) methods shows the superiority and efficiency of the proposed method. For example, the image contrast of the Genomic Medicine Research Center Laboratory dataset is 3.24, which is 42.91 with the proposed method and 13.48 and 32.40 with the AHE and M-DHE methods, respectively.

Conclusions:
The performance of the proposed methods for CE is evaluated on 3 databases and a general conclusion is obtained as to which CE method is more suitable for each dataset.
Age and sex dynamics in the incidence of diabetes in Contributory Health Services Scheme beneficiaries: A retrospective cohort study in Mumbai
Authors: Sharma Palak , Dilip T. R. , Kulkarni Anjali , Bhandarkar Prashant 
Published: March 2024

ABSTRACT

Introduction:
A comprehensive body of literature addresses self-reported diabetes prevalence, yet a notable gap exists in research investigating the clinically ascertained incidence of diabetes in India through rigorous longitudinal data analysis. This study aimed to determine the incidence of clinically diagnosed diabetes in a nondiabetic cohort.

Materials and Methods:
The research gathered data from 1669 participants (aged 30 years and above) enrolled in a government hospital’s Contributory Health Services Scheme, utilizing electronic medical records. Clinical diagnosis of diabetes relied on three laboratory tests. A cohort of initially diabetes-free individuals in 2011–2012 was tracked for 10 years to assess diabetes incidence. Age-adjusted incidence rates were determined through survival analysis techniques.

Results:
Over a decade-long observational period, 552 beneficiaries within the study cohort were clinically diagnosed with diabetes, yielding an age-adjusted incidence rate of 38.9 cases per 1000 person-years (PYs) spanning from 2013 to 2021. Stratifying by gender, age-adjusted incidence rates were notably elevated in males compared to females, with rates of 41.5 versus 38.5 cases per 1000 PYs, respectively. Further analysis revealed the highest incidence rates among males aged 55–59 years (60.5 per 1000 PYs) and females aged 65–69 years (83.4 per 1000 PYs).

Conclusion:
This extended follow-up investigation transpired in a setting characterized by uniform health-care provision, devoid of discernible access differentials, or inequalities, thereby enhancing the credibility of the ascertained diabetes incidence rates.
Expanded and intensified population-based screening and diagnosis of hypertension and diabetes mellitus among rural adults in Northern India: An implementation research in routine programmatic setting
Authors: Soundappan Kathirvel , Periyasamy Aravind Gandhi , Rana Kirtan , Rajavel Saranya , Murugan Sathiabalan , Regmi Sulav , Rehman Tanveer 
Published: March 2024

ABSTRACT

Background:
The National Noncommunicable Disease Program of India currently recommends population-based NCD screening (PBS) among people aged ≥30 years. The low turnaround for diagnosis confirmation is a consistent issue the program has faced since its launch. The current study assessed an expanded PBS (including people 18–29 years) and intensified (home-based) diagnosis confirmation strategy for hypertension (HT) and diabetes mellitus (DM) in a routine programmatic setting.

Materials and Methods:
This implementation research was conducted among all people aged ≥18 years in a rural health block in northern India. The eligible population was screened for HT and DM (using random blood sugar), and the screen positives were asked to visit a nearby public health facility (preferably) for diagnosis. An intensified home-based diagnosis confirmation was offered to screen positives who did not visit the health facility for diagnosis confirmation.

Results:
Of the 2004 participants screened, 1149 (57.3%) were female and 586 (28.2%) were aged 18–29 years. A total of 353 (20.2%) and 200 (10.9%) were found newly screened positive for HT and DM, respectively. The turnout rate for facility-based confirmation ranged from 69.6% to 91.2%. The prevalence of HT and DM in people aged 18–29 years and ≥30 years was 6.1% and 2.9% and 30.0% and 26.2%, respectively. The expanded screening and intensified home-based diagnosis confirmation strategies yielded an additional 12.8% HT and 24.1% DM among the total new cases detected.

Conclusion:
An expanded PBS and intensified diagnosis confirmation is feasible in a programmatic setting and has yielded additional new cases. Cost effectiveness of the above strategy must be assessed in future studies. Further, in-depth understanding of the risk perception, and potential cultural, social, and health system factors for improving the uptake of confirmatory tests is the need of the hour.
Candida isolation and identification from pregnant women in Kirkuk city
Authors: Salih Ahlam Ali , Obaid Hiro Mohammed , Jasim Wafa Mahmood 
Published: March 2024

Abstract

Background:
One of the most common fungal species that have been discovered as a component of the normal flora in different human body sections is Candida spp. it is the only major opportunistic fungus that exists in both commensal and pathogenic forms.

Objective:
This study was prepared to find out the prevalence of candidiasis among pregnant women in Kirkuk city in addition to diagnose and identify its important species.

Materials and Methods:
This study was carried out on 154 patients whom suspected of having candidiasis and attended at (Azadi Teaching, Kirkuk General, and Al-Nasar Maternity) hospitals from December 2021 till April 2022. Specimens were carried out by taking a vaginal swab from all pregnant women. The swabs were first examined directly by using potassium hydroxide (10%) then inoculated onto Sabouraud’s dextrose agar supported with Amikacine antibiotic. The mycological examination has revealed 62.33% positive candidiasis, by direct microscopy examination through the recognition of pseudohyphae or yeasts. Hi Chrom agar medium was used to detect Candidal species identification.

Results:
Four species have been isolated each with an incidence of 67.7% for Candida albicans, 13.5% for Candida glabrata, 11.5% for Candida tropicalis, 7.3% for Candida krusie.

Conclusion:
It can be concluded that Candida is very common among pregnant women and being the most predominant species.
Study of the Immune Response of COVID-19 Patients in Kirkuk Province
Authors: Breesam Angham Abdulrazzaq , Noraldeen Mohammed Yawoz 
Published: March 2024

Abstract

Background:
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a novel coronavirus causing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19); it is diagnosed based on clinical signs and laboratory detection methods such as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and serological techniques.

Objective:
The objective of the study is to use other diagnostic methods that support the PCR method of diagnosis for COVID-19.

Materials and Methods:
The study included 90 COVID-19 patients and 26 control group. Nasopharyngeal swabs were collected from the suspected patients with COVID-19 infection for the detection of the RNA virus by PCR technique. If the PCR was positive, the serum samples were collected and used for the quantitative detection of SARS-CoV-2 S1 (IgM, IgG) by using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay.

Results:
The result of this study showed that in a total of 116 participants, there was a significant difference between IgM and IgG reactivity (±) and the number of PCR-positive and negative individuals with P value <0.0001 and P value = 0.003, respectively. In addition, a significant increase in the levels of IgM and IgG (P ≤ 0.0001 for IgM and P ≤ 0.0001 for IgG) was recorded in patients compared with healthy control. Moreover, a significant correlation between IgM level with P = 0.0018 and the onset of symptoms as well as positive correlation was noticed between IgG concentration and the onset of symptoms (P = 0.0272).

Conclusion:
The study concluded that antibodies developed against COVID-19 infection could appear at early stages of the infection without the confirmation of real time polymerase chain reaction, and this could be a beneficial tool for early screening of suspected as well as asymptomatic individuals.
Extracellular biosynthesis and characterization of silver and zinc oxide nanoparticles using Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli
Authors: Attiah Baidaa Hamad , Obaid Hiro Mohammed , AL-Salihi Siham Shakoor 
Published: March 2024

Abstract

Background:
The development of dependable and environmentally friendly nanomaterial resources is an essential aspect of recent nanotechnology research and application. Microorganisms have recently been investigated as a potential biofactor for the synthesis of many nanoparticles (NPs).

Objectives:
The aim of this article is to evaluate the extracellular biosynthesis capabilities of metallic NPs such as silver (Ag) and zinc oxide (ZnO) by screening common bacteria.

Materials and Methods:
Silver nitrate and zinc nitrate were used as a source of Ag and ZnO NPs, by means of Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa as potential candidates for the rapid synthesis of NPs. Ag and ZnO NPs were synthesized using a reduction of aqueous solutions with cell-free filtrates of bacteria. Characterization of synthesized NPs was conducted by UV–Vis spectroscopy.

Results:
Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to examine the particle size of (Ag, ZnO) NPs. The maximum absorbance was around (425, 450 nm) for Ag and (300, 380 nm) for ZnO by E. coli and P. aeruginosa, respectively. We found that particle size of Ag NP obtained from P. aeruginosa was smaller than that of NP obtained from E. coli. The range of particle size was 24–32 nm with an average of 29.5 nm for Ag P. aeruginosa and was 25–37 nm with an average of 32 nm for Ag E. coli. The particle size range of ZnO of P. aeruginosa was 23–28 nm with an average of 25 nm and was 25–34 nm with an average of 29.7 nm for E. coli.

Conclusion:

E. coli and P. aeruginosa are good candidates for biosynthesis of NPs. As a result, obliged characteristics and green synthesis and the potential issue for various environmental and health-related applications may exist.
Assessment of changes in the hormonal levels in women infected with Trichomonas vaginalis in Kirkuk, Iraq
Authors: Salih Blesa Abdulhameed , Obaid Hiro Mohammed , Al-Kadi Najdat Ali 
Published: March 2024

Abstract

Background:

Trichomonas vaginalis, a flagellated protozoan, is the cause of the sexually transmitted disease known as vaginal trichomoniasis.

Objectives:
The study was carried out to assess the level of some sexual hormones in the serum of women suffering from trichomoniasis.

Materials and Methods:
From 1020 women, blood was collected to separate serum for detection of the level of sex hormones (estrogen [E2], progesterone [Pro.], luteinizing hormone [LH], and follicle-stimulating hormone [FSH]) by the Cobas e411 method using kits for each hormone according to manufacturer’s instructions.

Results:
The results recorded a significant decrease in the levels of estrogen, progesterone, and FSH, (45.8 ± 7.7 pg/mL), (0.338 ± 0.483 ng/mL), and (5.83 ± 1.37 mIU/mL), respectively, in the serum of female patients as compared with the healthy control women (71.3 ± 6.8 pg/mL), (0.743 ± 0.338 ng/mL), and (7.65 ± 2.51 mIU/mL), respectively. However, no significant differences were observed in the level of LH between infected (5.53 ± 2.56 mIU/mL) and noninfected women (5.82 ± 2.15 mIU/mL).

Conclusion:
A significant drop in the level of certain sexual hormones has an adverse effect on the incidence of trichomoniasis in women in the Kirkuk province.