Assessment of Radiation Dose to the Lens of the Eye and Thyroid of Patients Undergoing Head and Neck Computed Tomography at Five Hospitals in Mashhad, Iran

Introduction: In recent years, the number of computed tomography (CT) scans, which is a high-dose technique, has increased significantly. Head and neck CT is performed frequently and thyroid, particularly in children, has always been considered a sensitive organ. In recent years, radiobiologists and health physicists have been more concerned about the safety of lenses of the eyes, as cataract is no longer considered a deterministic effect. Material and Methods: In the present study, incurred doses to the thyroid and lens of the eye of 140 patients who underwent common head and neck CT at five hospitals were measured by thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLD-100). The patients were divided into two age groups of pediatrics and adults. TLD chips were placed on the patient’s skin surface. For each patient, scan parameters, sex and age were recorded. Exposed TLDs were read by a manual TLD reader. Results: The verage absorbed dose of the thyroid, as well as the lenses of the left and right eyes were 5.89±1.74, 15.84±2.81 and 16.25±2.57, respectively, for the pediatric patients and 5.00±1.17, 17.64±1.69 and 24.41±1.89 for adults. Patient-specific organ doses were influenced by the scanned region, scan protocol and patient's age. Conclusion: In the present study, the mean eye dose was much lower than the 500 mGy threshold recommended by International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) for lens of the eye damage, thus, it appears to be clinically safe. While CT scan remains a crucial tool, further dose reduction can be achieved by controlling different factors affecting patient doses

The value of historic built heritage : The case of Ferdowsi mausoleum in Iran

Cette étude examine si les sites historiques pourraient être considérés comme des biens publics ou non. Il étudie aussi les caractéristiques d'un site d’être considéré comme un bien public mondial. Considérant les sites historiques comme biens publics exige différent type de planification et gestion car ces sites sont généralement gérés par les gouvernements et les gouvernements engagent des coûts élevés pour leur restauration et leur entretien. Par conséquent, il serait important d'évaluer la valeur des différents sites de prioriser la restauration de ces sites. Donc, dans cette recherche différents types de valeurs générées par des sites historiques a été étudié et la méthode la plus appropriée pour évaluer la valeur totale des sites a été proposé. Ensuite, une étude empirique a été réalisée en constituant des données originales pour l'évaluation de la valeur du site du mausolée de Ferdowsi en Iran et la valeur totale du site ainsi que ses sous valeurs a été évaluée.This study considers whether historic sites could be considered as public goods or not. It also studies the characteristics of a site to be considered as a global public good. Considering historic sites as public goods demands different kind of planning and management as these sites are usually are managed by Governments and Governments incur high cost for their restoration and maintenance. Therefore, it would be important to assess the value of the different sites to prioritize restoration of these sites. To this mean, in this research different kind of values generated from historic sites has been considered and the most proper method in order to assess the total value of the sites has been proposed. Then an empirical study has been carried out by constituting original data for the value assessment of the Ferdowsi mausoleum site in Iran and the total value of the siteas well as its sub values has been assessed

The advantages and disadvantages of Internet-based language learning in Iran

AbstractThis study aims to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of Internet-based language learning. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from Islamic Azad University of Tabriz through a questionnaire in which 120 EFL teachers were participated. The main purpose of this study is to make some suggestions to deal with existing disadvantages and therefore to facilitate language learning. It is hoped that the result of this paper will help learners and improve language learning and finally it will guide Iranian educational system

Modeling respiratory tract diseases for clinical translation employing conditionally reprogrammed cells

Preclinical models serve as indispensable tools in translational medicine. Specifically, patient-derived models such as patient-derived xenografts (PDX), induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), organoids, and recently developed technique of conditional reprogramming (CR) have been employed to reflect the host characteristics of diseases. CR technology involves co-culturing epithelial cells with irradiated Swiss-3T3-J2 mouse fibroblasts (feeder cells) in the presence of a Rho kinase (ROCK) inhibitor, Y-27632. CR technique facilitates the rapid conversion of both normal and malignant cells into a “reprogrammed stem-like” state, marked by robust in vitro proliferation. This is achieved without reliance on exogenous gene expression or viral transfection, while maintaining the genetic profile of the parental cells. So far, CR technology has been used to study biology of diseases, targeted therapies (precision medicine), regenerative medicine, and noninvasive diagnosis and surveillance. Respiratory diseases, ranking as the third leading cause of global mortality, pose a significant burden to healthcare systems worldwide. Given the substantial mortality and morbidity rates of respiratory diseases, efficient and rapid preclinical models are imperative to accurately recapitulate the diverse spectrum of respiratory conditions. In this article, we discuss the applications and future potential of CR technology in modeling various respiratory tract diseases, including lung cancer, respiratory viral infections (such as influenza and Covid-19 and etc.), asthma, cystic fibrosis, respiratory papillomatosis, and upper aerodigestive track tumors. Furthermore, we discuss the potential utility of CR in personalized medicine, regenerative medicine, and clinical translation

Measurement of Serum Survivin to Discriminate Patients with Breast Cancer from Normal Subjects

Background and Aims: There is now an increasing body of evidence that survivin is a protein, expressed highly in breast cancer. The signaling interaction of protein survivin in breast cancer is still unclear, but physiological regulation of survivin seems to be linked to the breast cancer occurrence and severity of it.&#x0D; Materials and Methods: Serum samples were obtained from April 2015 to November 2017 out of women enrolled in a group undergoing annual breast cancer testing. Routine blood samples were analyzed at the Biochemical Laboratory of Rouhani Babol University Hospital .&#x0D; Results: Serum levels of survivin in patients with breast cancer group increased compared to the healthy controls [207.520±110.284 (mean±SD) vs. 126.212±53.130, ng/L, p&lt;0.001]. Also, we detected a positive correlation between elevated serum survivin level and clinical characteristics of patients with breast cancer.&#x0D; Conclusions: Serum survivin measurement was shown to discriminate patients with breast cancer from healthy controls. However, further studies are needed to confirm this role and its benefits.</jats:p

Conditional Reprogramming Modeling of Bladder Cancer for Clinical Translation

The use of advanced preclinical models has become increasingly important in drug development. This is particularly relevant in bladder cancer, where the global burden of disease is quite high based on prevalence and a relatively high rate of lethality. Predictive tools to select patients who will be responsive to invasive or morbid therapies (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and/or surgery) are largely absent. Patient-derived and clinically relevant models including patient-derived xenografts (PDX), organoids, and conditional reprogramming (CR) of cell cultures efficiently generate numerous models and are being used in both basic and translational cancer biology. These CR cells (CRCs) can be reprogrammed to maintain a highly proliferative state and reproduce the genomic and histological characteristics of the parental tissue. Therefore, CR technology may be a clinically relevant model to test and predict drug sensitivity, conduct gene profile analysis and xenograft research, and undertake personalized medicine. This review discusses studies that have utilized CR technology to conduct bladder cancer research

Role of cancer stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles in cancer progression and metastasis

Cancer is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Numerous strategies have been developed for cancer treatment. Metastasis, heterogeneity, chemotherapy resistance, recurrence, and evasion of immune surveillance are the primary reasons for the failure of cancer treatment. Cancer stem cells (CSCs) can give rise to tumors via self-renewal and differentiation into various cell types. They show resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy and have a strong capability of invasion and metastasis. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are bilayered vesicles that carry biological molecules and are released under both healthy and unhealthy conditions. It has been shown that one of the leading causes of cancer treatment failure is cancer stem cell-derived EVs (CSC-EVs). CSC-EVs have essential roles in tumor progression, metastasis, tumor angiogenesis, chemoresistance, and immunosuppressants. In the future, controlling EV production in CSCs may be one of the most promising strategies to stop cancer treatment failures