Theoretical study on copper's energetics and magnetism in TiO2 polymorphs

We carried out density functional theory calculations to model the electronic structure and the magnetic interactions in copper doped anatase and rutile titanium dioxide in order to shed light on the potential of these systems as magnetic oxides using different density functional schemes. In both polymorphs copper dopant was found to be most stable in substitutional lattice positions. Ferromagnetism is predicted to be stable well above room temperature with long range interactions prevailing in the anatase phase while the rutile phase exhibits only short range superexchange interaction among nearest neighbouring Cu ions. Additionally, energetic evaluation of dopants in scattered and compact configurations reveals a dopant clustering tendency in anatase TiO2.Comment: 13 pages, five figures, one tabl

Hepatobiliary scintigraphy with SPET in the diagnosis of bronchobiliary fistula due to a hydatid cyst

In this report, we present the application of hepatobiliary scintigraphy using Tc-99m mebrofenin in the diagnosis of bronchobiliary fistula caused by a liver hydatid cyst, which penetrated the diaphragm. Hepatobiliary scintigraphy noticeably depicted the leakage of the tracer from the biliary system of the liver to the bronchial tree. Hepatobiliary scintigraphy stands as a robust modality in the accurate diagnosis and treatment planning of bronchobiliary fistulas. © 2015, P.Ziti and Co. All rights reserved

99mTc-MIBI Lung Scintigraphy in the Assessment of Pulmonary Involvement in Interstitial Lung Disease and Its Comparison With Pulmonary Function Tests and High-Resolution Computed Tomography: A Preliminary Study

The differentiation of active inflammatory processes from an inactive form of the disease is of great value in the management of interstitial lung disease (ILD). The aim of this investigation was to assess the efficacy of 99mTc-methoxy-isobutyl-isonitrile (99mTc-MIBI) scans in distinguishing the severity of the disease compared to radiological and clinical parameters.In total, 19 known cases of ILD were included in this study and were followed up for 1 year. Five patients without lung disease were considered as the control group. The patients underwent pulmonary function tests (PFTs) and high-resolution computed tomography scans, followed by 99mTc-MIBI scanning. The 99mTc-MIBI scans were analyzed either qualitatively (subjectively) or semiquantitatively.All 19 ILD patients demonstrated a strong increase in 99mTc-MIBI uptake in the lungs compared to the control group. The 99mTc-MIBI scan scores were higher in the patient group in both the early phase (0.240.19-0.31 vs 0.110.10-0.15, P 0.14). The 99mTc-MIBI scan scores were not significantly correlated with the PFT findings (P > 0.05). In total, 5 patients died and 14 patients were still alive over the 1-year follow-up period. There was also a significant difference between the uptake intensity of 99mTc-MIBI and the outcome in the early phase (dead: 0.320.29-0.43 vs alive: 0.210.18-0.24, P < 0.05) and delayed phase (dead: 0.270.22-0.28 vs alive: 0.100.07-0.19, P < 0.05).The washout rate was ~40 min starting from 20 min up to 60 min and this rate was significantly different in our 2 study groups (ILD: 46.6115.61-50.39 vs NL: 70.9127.09-116.36, P = 0.04).The present study demonstrated that 99mTc-MIBI lung scans might distinguish the severity of pulmonary involvement in early views, which were well correlated with HRCT findings. These results also revealed that 99mTc-MIBI lung scans might be used as a complement to other diagnostic and clinical examinations in terms of functional information in ILD; however, further investigations are strongly required

Feasibility study of a hand guided robotic drill for cochleostomy

The concept of a hand guided robotic drill has been inspired by an automated, arm supported robotic drill recently applied in clinical practice to produce cochleostomies without penetrating the endosteum ready for inserting cochlear electrodes. The smart tactile sensing scheme within the drill enables precise control of the state of interaction between tissues and tools in real-time. This paper reports development studies of the hand guided robotic drill where the same consistent outcomes, augmentation of surgeon control and skill, and similar reduction of induced disturbances on the hearing organ are achieved. The device operates with differing presentation of tissues resulting from variation in anatomy and demonstrates the ability to control or avoid penetration of tissue layers as required and to respond to intended rather than involuntary motion of the surgeon operator. The advantage of hand guided over an arm supported system is that it offers flexibility in adjusting the drilling trajectory. This can be important to initiate cutting on a hard convex tissue surface without slipping and then to proceed on the desired trajectory after cutting has commenced. The results for trials on phantoms show that drill unit compliance is an important factor in the design

Comparison of technetium-99m IgG with technetium-99m red blood cells labeling in cardiac blood-pool scintigraphy: A preliminary study

This first clinical prospective study was conducted to use of technetium-99m immunoglobulin G (99mTc-IgG) as compared with autologous 99mTc-red blood cells (RBC) in gated blood pool ventriculography. We studied 12 patients who referred to us for a possible diagnosis of liver hemangioma or infection. Six patients underwent gated planar blood pool (GPBP) acquisition using 99mTc-RBC and 6 GPBP acquisition using 99mTc-IgG. The use of 99mTc-IgG in cardiac blood pool studies provided comparable images to 99mTc-RBC. In conclusion, 99mTc-IgG, which is readily available and needs only a single injection, may be an attractive alternative to 99mTc-RBC for the estimation of various cardiac function parameters like left ventricular function

Ab Initio Study of Phase Stability in Doped TiO2

Ab-initio density functional theory (DFT) calculations of the relative stability of anatase and rutile polymorphs of TiO2 were carried using all-electron atomic orbitals methods with local density approximation (LDA). The rutile phase exhibited a moderate margin of stability of ~ 3 meV relative to the anatase phase in pristine material. From computational analysis of the formation energies of Si, Al, Fe and F dopants of various charge states across different Fermi level energies in anatase and in rutile, it was found that the cationic dopants are most stable in Ti substitutional lattice positions while formation energy is minimised for F- doping in interstitial positions. All dopants were found to considerably stabilise anatase relative to the rutile phase, suggesting the anatase to rutile phase transformation is inhibited in such systems with the dopants ranked F>Si>Fe>Al in order of anatase stabilisation strength. Al and Fe dopants were found to act as shallow acceptors with charge compensation achieved through the formation of mobile carriers rather than the formation of anion vacancies

Clinical significance of mild inferolateral wall ischemia of the left ventricle on 99mTc-MIBI myocardial perfusion single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)

INTRODUCTION: Mild ischemia in the inferolateral wall on myocardial perfusion imaging is seen frequently in practice. The aim of this study is to assess the importance of the above issue on myocardial perfusion SPECT with coronary angiography. PATIENTS AND METHODS: All patients enrolled in this study exhibited mild ischemia of the inferolateral wall on myocardial single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with 99mTc-MIBI, using the 20 left ventricular segments model. Each patient completed a questionnaire, including type of chest pain, risk factors, and previous examinations, and all cases were followed up for one year. Luminal stenosis of >50% was classified as significant stenosis on coronary angiography. A p value < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: During investigation, 105 cases had mild ischemia on myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) of which 36 subjects (22 male and 14 female) underwent coronary angiography. The mean age was 56.62±10.23 years old (age range: 36-73 years). The inferolateral wall was compared to the left circumflex (LCX) territory. Nineteen out of 36 (52.7%) cases had stenosis in the LCX. Twenty-three of 105 (21.90%) underwent revascularization during the one year follow up. In multiple logistic regressions, with LCX stenosis on angiography as the dependent variable, only abnormal MPI was independently associated significantly. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of the study may indicate that even a mild perfusion defect in the inferolateral wall should be carefully managed, especially in high-risk subjects for coronary artery disease. European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences Clinical significance of mild inferolateral wall ischemia of the left ventricle on 99mTc-MIBI myocardial perfusion single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) M. ASSADI, A. ABDI-ARDEKANI1, M. POURBEHI2, A. AMINI2, H. JAVADI3, I. NABIPOUR, M. ABBASZADEH3, M. ASSADI3 The Persian Gulf Tropical Medicine Research Center, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran 1Department of Cardiology, Bushehr Heart Center, Faculty of Medicine, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences, Bushehr, Iran 2Golestan Research Center of Gastroenterology and Hepatology (GRCGH), Golestan University of Medical Sciences (GUOMS), Gorgan, Iran 3The Persian Gulf Nuclear Medicine Research Center, Bushehr University of Medical Sciences