Evaluation of some biochemical changes in diabetic patients

The present study consisted of 50 subjects were classified into three groups; Group [GI] Control group consisted of 10 clinically healthy adult subjects of both sexes free from any liver, kidney or cardiovascular diseases. Group [GII] diabetes mellitus type 1 consisted of 20 patients of both sexes. Group [GIII] diabetes mellitus type 1 with nephropathy consisted of 20 patients of both sexes. All subjects were undergo to the following investigated parameters; Ascorbic acid [vitamin C], Catalase, Total antioxidant capacity, Aldolase and Pyruvate kinase enzyme. vitamins C, catalase, total antioxidant capacity enzymes were highly significant decreased [P < 0. 01] in diabetes mellitus type 1 [GII] and diabetes mellitus type 1 with nephropathy [GIII] when compared to the control group. Adolase activity was highly significant increased [P < 0. 01] in diabetes mellitus type 1 with nephropathy [GIII] when compared to the control group. Pyruvate Kinase activity was highly significant increased [P < 0. 01] in diabetes mellitus type 1 [GII] when compared to the control group. The antioxidant and enzymes can be used for follow up in patients suffering from diabetes mellitus type 1 and predict other complications

Portal-image IMRT verification

The aim of the present work was to develop and utilizing the use of an amorphous silicon electronic portal imaging device [EPID] in IMRT dosimetric verification. Neither pre-irradiation nor extra build-up materials was needed for EPID dosimetry applications. Accurate absolute dosimetry [output] obtained using the EPID up to 250 cGy with mean deviation of 0.39% and 0.62% while the maximum observed deviation was 0.7% and 1.9% at 250 MUs for 6 and IS MV photon energy respectively. Beam-by-beam fluence profiles obtained from portal images were used in air [i.e. without phantom presence] The EPID estimated the relative dose up to 1.5% accuracy. The in-air absolute dose [i.e. number of MUs] of an arbitrary clinical breast [aperture-based] IMRT test fields were extracted, the difference rose to 1.7% in the most severe tested field. One disadvantage of beam-by-beam verification is that the cumulative effect of dose errors from all beams is not quantified, however, it allows the potential origin of dose errors to be isolated more easily. The EPID could estimate the dose at each segment with average accuracy of around 1% for central axis positions and up to 1.7% for off-axis positions in the tested fields. The absolute dose verification plus the fluence map verification of IMRT fields may represent a sufficient procedure to examine the step-and shoot-IMRT treatment. Multi-leaf-collimator [MLC] related QA also tested using EPED. The mean difference between EPID effective penumbra results and both ion chamber and film measurements was 0.06 and 0.01 cm respectively. These results could justify the use of EPID in dosimetric applications including aperture-based IMRT verification, and quality control programs

MLC leaf position and dynalog file accuracy QA procedure using the EPID

A main concern about the IMRT dose validation tool using Monte Carlo [MC] simulation and R and V-system/Dynalog file is the potential inconsistency between the actual leaf-end positions and those recorded by the Dynalog file. The present study investigates a method to validate the accuracy of the Dynalog tiles using amorphous silicon electronic portal imaging device [aSi-EPID] images. A computer program was developed to detect the MLC segmented field edges in EPID images [l024x768 pixels, pixel size: 0.392 mm], Standard reference MLC segmented fields were designed and leaf-end positions were measured accurately. EPID images for these reference MLC fields were recorded and the leaf-end positions were calculated as the locations where the image intensity is 50% of the maximum. Small corrections were made to minimize the effect of scattered photons [background]. Daily EPII] images of the same MLC segmented fields were compared to the original images and to check the accuracy of the Dynalog files. A daily QA tool was developed to check the accuracy of the Dynalog file and MLC leaf end positions as part of the comprehensive IMRT-QA procedure. This ensures the accuracy of the MC based patient-specific IMRT dose verification using the information recorded in the Reeord and Verify system/Dynalog files

Urinary pyrilinks-D / creatinine ratio and serum estradiol levels in long-term deport medroxy progesterone acetate users

This study was done on 36 women who had been using depot medroxy progesterone acetate [DMPA] for more than three years [as cases] by injection of 150 mg/3 months and on 12 women who had never used it before [as control]. Urinary pyrilinks-D/creatinine ratios [nM/mM] and serum estradiol level [pg/ml] were assessed. Women who had been using DMPA showed significantly higher urinary pyrilinks-D/creatinine ratios and lower serum estradiol levels indicating tendency for higher bone resorption regardless age, parity, weight and height

Progesterone receptors content of the endometrium in patients with luteal phase defect and its relationship to endometrium maturation and serum progesterone level

Luteal phase defect [LPD], a disorder characterized by delayed secretory endometrial maturation is associated with infertility and/or recurrent abortion. This endometrial retardation may not be a result of deficient progesterone secretion, but rather a consequence of endometrial failure to respond adequately to progesterone stimulation. This study included 20 patients with LPD suffering of infertility or habitual abortion and 20 control cases. All cases were subjected to endometrial biopsy on the 26th day of the cycle to assess maturation, immunostaining of the endometrial tissue for progesterone receptor content and serum progesterone level on the 25th and 26th days of the same cycle. The endometrial maturation had a lag of 4.46 days in infertile cases and 4.86 days in habitual aborters. The difference was insignificant. The serum progesterone levels showed no significant difference between study and control cases. The glandular progesterone receptors were higher in LPD cases, while stromal receptors were more in the control cases. These results suggested that serum progesterone determination is not ideal for LPD prediction. Estimation of progesterone receptors in the endometrium is valuable as failure of down regulation of glandular progesterone receptors in late luteal phase may be an etiologic factor in LPD

Optimization of radiation therapy using thermoluminescence dosimeter

The physical characters of lithium fluoric LIF [100] dosimeters were studied and used to measure the effect of the internal anatomical structure on the depth dose distribution in the pelvic region. The measurements were carried out on a humanoid system subjected to irradiation from telecobalt-60 machine. Two irradiation techniques were used, the box and the three field arrangements. The experiment aimed to measure and calculate the target dose distribution