Body Counting Research Articles

Non-cardiac uptake of technetium-99m pyrophosphate in transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis

BackgroundTechnetium-based bone scintigraphy is rapidly becoming the most common non-invasive imaging tool in the diagnosis of Transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR). Skeletal muscle uptake has been described with technetium-99m-3,3-diphosphono-1,2-propanodicarboxylic acid (TcDPD), and may account for masking of bony uptake. We sought to investigate skeletal muscle uptake of technetium-99m-pyrophosphate (TcPYP) in patients with ATTR. Methods and ResultsThis was a retrospective analysis of 57 patients diagnosed with ATTR who underwent TcPYP scintigraphy. Cardiac uptake was assessed on whole-body planar imaging using a semiquantitative scale (grades 0 to 3) and on single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with CT attenuation correction using total myocardial counts per voxel after a 3-hour incubation. Skeletal muscle (psoas and biceps), vertebral body, LV myocardium, and blood pool mean counts were calculated. In the cohort (age 78 ± 9 years, 77% male, and 30% hereditary ATTR), there was no visualized tracer uptake in skeletal muscle or soft tissue on qualitative SPECT assessment. Total and blood pool-corrected uptake in the muscle groups were significantly less than myocardium and bone (P < 0.001). Blood pool-corrected muscle uptake was not associated with semiquantitative grade 3 vs 2 uptake (psoas P = 0.66, biceps P = 0.13) or presence of hereditary ATTR (psoas P = 0.43, biceps P = 0.69). As bony uptake decreased, there was no corresponding increase in skeletal muscle uptake. ConclusionsIn patients with ATTR cardiac amyloidosis, skeletal muscle uptake of TcPYP is minimal when assessed by qualitative and quantitative metrics, and is not significantly different in patients with grade 2 vs 3 semiquantitative uptake. The properties of this tracer may be different than TcDPD with respect to non-cardiac uptake.

An association between crypt apoptotic bodies and mucosal flattening in celiac disease patients exposed to dietary gluten

BackgroundCeliac disease (CD) is characterized histologically by inflammation and villous atrophy. Villous atrophy is thought to result from a disruption of epithelial cellular proliferation and death. Epithelial cells in intestinal mucosa normally proliferate in the crypts and migrate towards the lumen, eventually dying. Apoptotic bodies in crypts are usually abnormal and are associated with certain disease states. The presence of crypt apoptosis in celiac disease has not been thoroughly examined by routine histologic assessment of crypt apoptotic body count (ABC).MethodsWe quantified the ABC in duodenal biopsies from celiac patients before and after initiation of a gluten-free diet (GFD). We examined twenty-three duodenal biopsies from adult patients with celiac disease at diagnosis and following GFD and determined the maximum ABC in 10 consecutive crypts. Fourteen biopsies from heartburn patients served as controls.ResultsMean duration between paired biopsies was 2.9 (0.5–8.5) years. Mean maximum ABC in active celiac disease was 5.44 per crypt and decreased to 2.60 with GFD (p = <.0001). The mean maximum ABC in controls was 1.79, lower than both active celiac disease and GFD (p = <.0001 and p = .019 respectively). Flat lesions with total villous atrophy (mean: 6.44) showed a higher ABC compared to non-flat lesions (mean: 4.87); p = .04.ConclusionsCrypt ABC is markedly elevated in active celiac disease and decreases significantly with GFD, however it does not achieve normalcy. Total villous atrophy is associated with a higher ABC than all other lesions. Crypt apoptosis is likely a significant contributor to villous atrophy in celiac disease and can be appreciated by routine histologic examination.

Maternal exposure to environmentally relevant doses of bisphenol A causes reproductive dysfunction in F1 adult male rats: protective role of melatonin.

This study investigated the protective effects of melatonin (MLT), a potent antioxidant, in male Wistar rats exposed to environmentally relevant doses of bisphenol A (BPA) in utero. Pregnant Wistar rats were randomly assigned into five groups. Group 1 (control) received 0.2 mL 1% dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)/99% canola oil as vehicle; group 2 received BPA at 25 μg/kg/day; group 3 received BPA at 250 μg/kg/day; group 4 received BPA at 25 μg/kg/day with concurrent MLT 1 mg/kg/day while group 5 received BPA at 250 μg/kg/day with concurrent MLT 1 mg/kg/day. Treatments were by gavage from gestational day (GD) 10-21. The BPA-treated rats showed dose-dependent significant reduction in body weight, gonosomatic index, sperm motility, livability and count. Also, BPA caused significant reduction in the levels of serum testosterone and luteinizing hormone while it caused significant increases in the levels of follicle stimulating hormone as well as estradiol. Furthermore, BPA induced testicular oxidative stress including significant decreases in the activities of testicular SOD, GSH and GPx as well as GST, increasing the levels of testicular MDA and H2O2. It further induced interstitial necrosis and germinal cell degeneration in the testis with a subsequent diminution of the tubular and luminal diameter. However, co-treatment with MLT offered protection against testicular damage induced by BPA. Melatonin is likely to protect against alterations of the male reproductive system caused by BPA through a direct action on the mechanism of anti-oxidants as well as through the inhibition of necrosis.

Evaluation of pulmonary maturity in bovine neonates: analysis of amniotic fluid

ABSTRACT: Considering the representativeness of dairy cattle in our country, the concern about the mortality rates of the animals increases each time. Regarding to calf mortality, the Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS) has an important relevance during the neonatal period, and it is present in immature lungs. The amniotic fluid is in direct contact with the fetus, and it is able to offer evidence about his maturity. The aim of this study was to standardize the characteristics of the amniotic fluid, color, aspect, viscosity, quantification of lamellar body and surfactant evaluation by the Clements test and cytology, of term-born, mature and healthy calves. There were used 50 Black and White Holstein calves, which mothers were observed at calving in order to collect the amniotic fluid by puncture in the moment of exposure of the fetal membrane through the vaginal canal. Most amniotic fluid had a clear and hazy appearance due to varying degrees of viscosity and the presence or absence of clots. The Clements test could be adapted to the bovine species by the modification consisting in the addition of 3mL of amniotic fluid and 1mL of 95% ethanol. The methodology of the lamellar body count by the automated particle counter is not applicable for the bovine because of the small size of their lamellar body. The Nile Blue staining is unsatisfactory on predicting fetal maturity on the bovine species, different from cytology using Hematoxylin-Shorr stain. The presence of orange cells, increase in large amounts at the end of pregnancy. The cell stained orange counting, cells which are found in great amounts at the end of pregnancy. The present study stablished new parameters for evaluation of fetal and pulmonary maturity in the bovine species.

Monitoring internal contamination from OEW of an 18F-FDG production plant: WBC or head counting setup?

The production 18F-FDG for positron emission tomography (PET) has consistently increased over the past two decades. The risk of internal contamination at 18F-FDG production facilities exists. A setup for evaluation of the 18F-FDG activity incorporated into the OEW brain, called Head Counting System (HCS), was presented in previous works. In this study, the whole body counter setup (WBC) was evaluated for monitoring 18F incorporations. The Monte Carlo Virtual Software (VMC in-vivo) and the MCNPx code were used to assess the system calibration coefficient (CC). Three 18F distributions were simulated: i) uniformly distributed in soft tissue (UDST); ii) Na18F biodistribution (NAFB); and iii) 18F-FDG biodistribution (FDGB). The calibration coefficient of WBC was compared to the current head counting system CC under the same biodistribution conditions. The ICRP male reference voxelized phantoms (RCP_AM) was used in the simulations. The results showed that the WBC setup was more efficient than the head counter for all the studied 18F distributions: UDST = 1060 %, FDGB = 488 % and NAFB = 340 %. Despite this, especially for 18F-FDG, the possibility of bladder voiding before measurement can lead to considerable uncertainties when the WBC setup is used. On the other hand, bladder activity does not show great influence the calibration coefficient of the head counting system. Future work will evaluate the WBC sources of uncertainties in the measurement of 18F incorporated activity.

End of the line for fetal lung maturity testing

ObjectiveDuring the last decade, guidelines published by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine (SMFM) have emphasized an increasingly limited role for fetal lung maturity (FLM) testing. As a reference laboratory for FLM testing, we were therefore interested in determining the impact of changing guidelines on our test volumes. MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed FLM test volume data from 2006 to 2016 for the following FLM assays: lecithin/sphingomyelin ratio, phosphatidylglycerol, disaturated lecithin, and lamellar body count. ResultsWe found that there was a precipitous decline in test volumes from 2006 to 2016; our analysis led us to discontinue providing reference laboratory FLM testing in 2016 given the very low volumes. ConclusionsThe 2019 ACOG guidelines now state that FLM testing no longer has clinical utility. Therefore, clinical laboratory directors should meet with obstetrics providers to discuss discontinuation of FLM testing at their institutions.

Association of MAPT H1 subhaplotypes with neuropathology of lewy body disease.

Genetic variation at the microtubule-associated protein tau locus is associated with clinical parkinsonism. However, it is unclear as to whether microtubule-associated protein tau H1 subhaplotypes are associated with the burden of neuropathological features of Lewy body disease. To evaluate associations of microtubule-associated protein tau haplotypes with severity of Lewy body pathology and markers of SN neuronal loss in Lewy body disease cases. Five hundred eighty-five autopsy-confirmed Lewy body disease cases were included. Six microtubule-associated protein tau variants (rs1467967, rs242557, rs3785883, rs2471738, rs8070723, and rs7521) were genotyped to define common microtubule-associated protein tau haplotypes. Lewy body counts were measured in five cortical regions. Ventrolateral and medial SN neuronal loss were assessed semiquantitatively. Nigrostriatal dopaminergic degeneration was quantified by image analysis of tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity in the dorsolateral and ventromedial putamen. The common microtubule-associated protein tau H2 haplotype did not show a strong effect on pathological burden in Lewy body disease. The rare H1j haplotype (1.3%) was significantly associated with a lower dorsolateral putaminal tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity (and therefore greater dopaminergic degeneration) compared to other microtubule-associated protein tau haplotypes (P = 0.0016). Microtubule-associated protein tau H1j was also nominally (P ≤ 0.05) associated with a lower ventromedial putaminal tyrosine hydroxylase immunoreactivity (P = 0.010), but this did not survive multiple testing correction. Other nominally significant associations between microtubule-associated protein tau H1 subhaplotypes and neuropathological outcomes were observed. A rare microtubule-associated protein tau H1 subhaplotype (H1j) may be associated with more severe putaminal dopaminergic degeneration in Lewy body disease cases. Microtubule-associated protein tau H1j has been associated previously with an increased risk of PD, and therefore our exploratory findings provide insight into the mechanism by which H1j modulates PD risk. © 2019 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.

Diagnostic accuracy of lamellar body count as a predictor of fetal lung maturity: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to synthesize evidence from published studies about the diagnostic accuracy of lamellar body count (LBC) as a predictor of fetal lung maturity.Study designWe searched Medline (via PubMed), EBSCO, Web of Science, Scopus and the Cochrane Library for relevant published studies assessing the accuracy of LBC as a predictor of fetal lung maturity. Studies were classified according to the counting essays, centrifugation protocols, and the reported optimum cut off values. Data of the true positive, true negative, false positive, and false negative were extracted and analyzed to calculate the overall sensitivity and specificity of the LBC.ResultsThirty-one studies were included in the final analysis. Fourteen studies reported data for centrifuged amniotic fluid (AF) samples, 13 studies reported data for uncentrifuged samples, and four studies did not have enough information about whether centrifugation was done. LBC showed an area under the curve >80% in diagnosing lung immaturity with variable cut off values. Pooled analysis showed that LBC a 100% specificity to exclude respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) at a cut off value of 15,000 and 100% sensitivity to diagnose RDS at a cut off value of 55,000.ConclusionCases with LBC < 15,000 are considered to have lung immaturity while cases with LBC > 45,000 in centrifuged AF samples or >55,000 in uncentrifuged AF samples are likely to have mature lungs. Cases with LBC ranging between these maturity and immaturity limits should be considered for further evaluation by other lung maturity tests.

Goat Milk Whey Improves Nutritional Status, Fecal Microbial Composition and Intestinal Morphology in Female Rats Fed a Westernized Diet and Their Offspring

This study evaluated whether supplementation with goat milk whey (GMW) affects the nutritional status, intestinal histology and intestinal microbial composition of female rats fed a westernized diet from gestation to lactation, as well as whether changes can be replicated in the offspring at the end of weaning and at 45 days of life. Pregnant female rats were randomized into four groups: control group (CSAL), control group supplemented with GMW (CGOAT), westernized group (WSAL) or westernized group supplemented with GMW (WGOAT). After weaning, half of offspring were euthanized and the rest of the offspring were maintained under the same treatment applied to dams, up to 45 days of life. Body weight, food intake, intestinal histology and counting of fecal microbial groups were determined in both female rats and offspring. The offspring supplemented with GMW showed decreased body weight at weaning. After weaning, groups supplemented with GMW showed reduced body weight and visceral fat, increased fecal lactobacilli counts in rats and offspring and attenuation of damages induced by the westernized diet on intestinal epithelial cells. GMW supplementation caused a positive effect on fecal microbial composition, intestinal morphology and induced reduction in weight gain and visceral fat in female rats and offspring fed westernized diet. These effects appear to be dependent on the animal’s age and period time of GMW supplementation.

Estimation of early life endogenous surfactant pool and CPAP failure in preterm neonates with RDS

BackgroundIt is not known if the endogenous surfactant pool available early in life is associated with the RDS clinical course in preterm neonates treated with CPAP. We aim to clarify the clinical factors affecting surfactant pool in preterm neonates and study its association with CPAP failure.MethodsProspective, pragmatic, blind, cohort study. Gastric aspirates were obtained (within the first 6 h of life and before the first feeding) from 125 preterm neonates with RDS. Surfactant pool was measured by postnatal automated lamellar body count based on impedancemetry, without any pre-analytical treatment. A formal respiratory care protocol based on European guidelines was applied. Clinical data and perinatal risk factors influencing RDS severity or lamellar body count were real-time recorded. Investigators performing lamellar body count were blind to the clinical data and LBC was not used in clinical practice.ResultsMultivariate analysis showed gestational age to be the only factor significantly associated with lamellar body count (standardized β:0.233;p = 0.023). Lamellar body count was significantly higher in neonates with CPAP success (43.500 [23.750–93.750]bodies/μL), than in those failing CPAP (20.500 [12.250–49.750] bodies/μL;p = 0.0003).LBC had a moderate reliability to detect CPAP failure (AUC: 0.703 (0.615–0.781);p < 0.0001; best cut-off: ≤30,000 bodies/μL). Upon adjustment for possible confounders, neither lamellar body count, nor its interaction factor with gestational age resulted associated with CPAP failure.ConclusionsEarly postnatal lamellar body count on gastric aspirates in CPAP-treated preterm neonates with RDS is significantly influenced only by gestational age. Lamellar bodies are not associated with CPAP failure. Thus, the endogenous surfactant pool available early in life only has a moderate reliability to predict CPAP failure.

MCNP model of the EEAE ACCUSCAN Whole Body Counter

Monte Carlo simulations and verification measurements for the efficiency calibration of the ACCUSCAN shadow-shield type Whole Body Counter (WBC) of the Greek Atomic Energy Commission (EEAE) are presented. A model of the counter and RMC-II anthropomorphic phantom was developed using the MCNP code. Full energy peak efficiencies for different phantom positions were calculated for 60Co and 137Cs sources. The deviations between computational and experimental efficiencies were found to be less than 12 % for 60Co and 4 % for 137Cs for the Ge detector and less than 25 % for 60Co and 4 % for 137Cs for the NaI detector. This work contributes to the accurate quantification of internal contamination in individuals accidentally exposed in Greece by the Greek Atomic Energy Commission Laboratories and moreover demonstrates the effectiveness of using computational tools for understanding the calibration of radiation detection systems used for in vivo monitoring.

Dose optimization of lithium to increase the uptake and retention of I-131 in rat thyroid

The present study was undertaken to optimize the dose of lithium, with an aim to increase the retention of I-131 in the thyroid follicles while maintaining the euthyroid state. 24 female Wistar rats weighing 110 ± 20g were segregated into four groups. Animals in group I were fed standard laboratory feed and water throughout the period of experimentation. Animals in group II, III and IV were additionally fed with lithium in the form of lithium carbonate orally, at a dose of 10mg/kg body weight, 20mg/kg body weight, 30mg/kg body weight respectively. The dose of lithium was started 1 week prior to radioiodine administration and continued thereafter for another 8 days. After 7 days of lithium treatment, 0.48MBq of carrier-free I-131 was injected intraperitoneally into each rat, of the four groups. I-131 thyroidal uptake and biokinetics, as well as serum TSH, T3, T4 levels were estimated in all the treatment groups. A significant increase in the thyroid and whole body counts was observed after 4 and 24h of I-131 aministration in lithium treated rats, compared to control animals. An increase in thyroidal effective t1/2 and serum TSH levels, along with decrease in the levels of serum T3 and T4 was observed with a dose of 20mg/kg or higher. In Conclusion, a Lithium dose of 10mg/kg body weight in rats could increase the uptake of I-131 in the thyroid, without disturbing the control circulating levels of thyroid hormones.

When to Take Credit for Terrorism? A Cross-National Examination of Claims and Attributions

ABSTRACT Rationalist research expects that groups claim credit for terrorism. Yet, the vast majority of attacks are not claimed. Of the unclaimed attacks, about half are attributed to a specific group. What factors impact claiming decisions? While extant literature largely treats claiming as binary—either claimed or not—the present study disaggregates claiming decisions further to also consider attacks with attributions of credit but no claim, using data from 160 countries between 1998 and 2016. Both attack-level and situational factors impact claiming decisions. Disaggregating claiming behavior shows meaningful differences. Specifically, competitive environments and suicide attacks increase claims but not attributions. Higher fatalities in general increase both claims and attributions, but when the target is civilian attributions decrease with a high body count whereas claims increase. Further, while the directional impact of other variables is the same, the magnitude of their effects vary between claims and attributions. Results are robust across modeling specifications. Findings demonstrate that our understanding of claiming behaviors is limited when claiming is treated as dichotomous. This study provides further insight into factors that impact claiming decisions for terrorism. Results can address data issues in academic research and inform counterterrorism responses.

When I Met Sharon Olds She Told Me to Write A Poem About LBJ's Penis

When I Met Sharon Olds She Told Me to Write A Poem About LBJ’s Penis Sasha Debevec-McKenney poetry Everyone in my family knew how horny I was long before I did. At my grandmother’s funeral I remembered fondly the time she caught me looking at porn over her dial-up. I humped her basement floor watching BET Uncut. Music videos had the most sex. Women bent over and covered in cash, conquered. At home my mother slept on the couch, so I sat upstairs on the corner of her bed, flipping through channels, looking for sex. I was desperate to see a penis. I skipped school and found sex during the day on Jerry Springer. I didn’t want to write the poem. What’s so poetic about a sad man pulling proof out of his pants, windmilling his dick backwards into his own grave? What color could you even compare him to? I remember my elementary school gym teacher laughing at his own punchline, some joke about touching yourself. SASHA DEBEVEC-MCKENNEY | 133 I knew the joke was about sex so I kept my questions to myself. Wouldn’t it be impossible to not touch yourself? I think I might be touching myself right now? I assumed everyone knew that whenever LBJ felt stupid or upstaged or small, he took his penis out. He slammed it on the table. My life changed when I found out what I could do with my mouth. I licked it all up, thirsty as any lifelong learner, any other lover of the last drop, swallowing everything but what I had to say. I bragged with the bombs I was given. I dropped them exactly when I wanted. Rules were only odes to order, suggestions with a playful grip on the throat. My pussy ruined a marriage, led them back to each other and blessed them with a son. My body count is growing. Gather the video girls. Tell them to twerk to this: LBJ is in hell with all the other Presidents! On a burning hilltop, in a graveyard full of flaccid legacies, they wave their penises like white flags. 134 | SASHA DEBEVEC-MCKENNEY ...

Evaluation of internal exposure in French nuclear power plants based on whole body counting

Evaluation of internal exposure in French nuclear power plants based on whole body counting

Recollection

Recollection Casey Patrick (bio) Casey Patrick, poetry In the story, she cuts off her hands—no,in the story, she outwits the devil but losesher hands or her father grows desperate andsevers them clean. Or. A maiden standsbetween a man and what he wants. And.Each version leads here: she walksinto the world with her handsstrapped to her back. Maybe they wavebehind her like sheets sleeping on the line.Using her teeth she solves the problem of hungerwhile the hands hang there. Maybethey jitter shadow puppets on the wallswhile she naps. Later she's queen. She hasher unattached hands, open and useless,cargo of once, things were different. Sometimesthe hands grow back. Her body counts problemsall on its own. Her hands all on their own clap [End Page 174] for each bird that swoops by. Freight ofnow I have new habits of touch. Countless versionsof this story are true. In the nightthey move about her room, dancing. [End Page 175] Casey Patrick casey patrick's poems have recently appeared or are forthcoming in The Pinch, Passages North, RHINO, Green Mountains Review, and others. She has received fellowships from Vermont Studio Center and Hub City Writers Project, and was selected as the runner-up for the 2018 Pinch Literary Award in Poetry and finalist for the 2018 Brittany Noakes Poetry Award. A graduate of Eastern Washington University's MFA program, she is working on her first collection. Copyright © 2019 The Massachusetts Review, Inc.

Race Wars

Race Wars Matthew Pratt Guterl (bio) Kathleen Belew. Bring the War Home: The White Power Movement and Paramilitary America. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2018. x + 339pp. Notes, sources, acknowledgements, and index. $29.95. In the 1996 film The Substitute, a platoon of soldiers, set adrift after a brief military intervention in Cuba, find themselves in Miami with nothing to do. A polyglot, racially and linguistically diverse group, they are led by Shale, an enigmatic white officer with a gift for clandestine wetwork, who promises to find them some more mercenary possibilities. The men are bored, hungry, and anxious to be paid. Fortunately, Shale finds them another war, this time in a local high school where gangs have taken root. As luck would have it, Shale has a girlfriend, a teacher in a dystopian institution corrupted by the drug trade. Jane, as she is called, is a two-dimensional stickler for history and a fervent believer in every child's potential. After running afoul of a gang leader recruiting in the school, she gets roughed up, her body's brutalization serving as a reminder of liberalism's failure in the stereotyped urban ghetto. And Shale, sensing the urgent need for a more muscular response, volunteers as her substitute and gears up to dispense a twisted approximation of justice. Bringing his special set of skills into the classroom, he lectures students by day on the history of Vietnam while surveilling, disciplining, and murdering the element he defines as criminal at night. Shale's approach works in the classroom, though in the end his action-starved platoon is enlisted to fight in what becomes an all-out war and the body count rises higher and higher until the school itself is engulfed in flames. There was nothing special about The Substitute. In its own inimitable way, it set out to pillory a familiar liberal savior narrative in which do-gooder types wander into a context marked as broken and impossible to fix yet manage to save some small number of those at the far margins of civil society. The movie offered no solution to the problem of poor, inner-city schools, the decades-long decline of public support and collapse of civic faith in common education. No solution, that is, except for the provision of violence as a searing, cauterizing force, as a way to stop the advance of the disease. It left intact one of the dominant tropes of American filmmaking: that the military was an [End Page 452] almost completely integrated institution, and that the racially mixed platoon was an avatar for the United States of the future. And by doing so, it enlisted the whole of the nation in the war on drugs. Finally, it also reminded viewers—as other films, like First Blood (1982), had—that combat veterans left the theatre of war permanently changed, with dramatic consequences for their eventual return to the home front. In this case, as the film closed and the credits rolled, Shale and one of his surviving comrades from that mixed-up platoon announce their intention to sign up to be substitute teachers elsewhere, an obvious plea for a sequel but just as obviously a reflection of what happens when the war comes home. An unoriginal film from an age of action movie knock-offs, The Substitute is nevertheless necessary and emblematic, a touchstone of a generation's thinking about race and violence and war. And Kathleen Belew's masterful work, Bring the War Home, cuts straight across it. Where The Substitute imagines veterans as alienated from a soft, liberal domestic world, Belew sees these same returning soldiers rapidly synergized with a broader, homegrown "paramilitary culture" that increasingly valorizes gun ownership, that grows to loathe the state, and that determinedly prepares for an eventual race war. Where the film underscored the racial diversity of the platoon, Belew uncovers a network of white racist actors, their affiliations shaped partly by military service, partly by their disenchantment with American liberalism, and partly by fever dreams of creating a paramilitary structure outside of state control, attempting to will into being a different white supremacist fantasy of the future. And where Shale, returning to the states in...

Loss of the Epigenetically Inactivated-X-Chromosome (Barr Body) a Potential Biomarker for Breast Cancer Development

Background: Attention has recently reawakened to loss of the epigenetically inactive-X chromosome ‘‘Barr body’’ as a key prevalent event in development of breast cancer and other malignancies. . This study was aimed to investigate the incidence of Barr body loss as well as the expression levels of XIST, X-inactive specific-transcript, in a set of Iraqi breast cancer patients. Method: Eighty peripheral blood samples were collected from 60 patients diagnosed with breast cancer and 20 healthy age- matched controls for Barr body blood smears screening and XIST qPCR gene expression analysis. Results: The results showed significant reduction in Barr body count (percentage mean) in breast cancer patients in comparison with controls (0.15 vs. 0.56,P= 1.14 *10-21). Also, Barr body count was able to discriminate between breast cancer patients and their healthy controls. The XIST gene expression was also down regulated in the vast majority (95%, 57/60) of studied breast cancer patients, suggesting a potential key role for this gene in the development of breast cancer. Conclusion: This study produced results which corroborate findings from a great deal of the previous work and showed strong association between loss of Barr body and down regulation of XIST in breast cancer patients. In addition, Barr body and XIST expression could be investigated further for their utility as an early screening or diagnostic method especially in high risk individuals for breast cancer and possibly for other malignancies.

An investigation into internal exposure management needs for nuclear medicine practitioners and temporary visitors through I-131 internal dose assessment: Focusing on large hospitals in South Korea.

PurposeTo investigate the internal exposure of nuclear medicine practitioners in South Korea.MethodsThis study selected nuclear medicine practitioners among domestic hospitals and quantitatively measured their degree of internal exposure to radioisotopes, and conducted a dose assessment based on the results. For the dose assessment, 35 nuclear medicine practitioners at seven large hospitals were selected as the measurement subjects, and the measurements were obtained using the thyroid count, total body count, and a urine sample analysis. The internal exposure was measured once every two weeks, and measurements were obtained three to 15 times according to the practitioners.ResultsAs a result of measuring and analyzing the radionuclides with urine samples, one or more detections above the minimum detectable activity (MDA) was identified in 52 (15%) among all 340 cases for 14 of the practitioners (43%). The committed effective doses were evaluated as have a distribution of zero to 5.4 mSv, and were mostly 1 mSv or less. There were four practitioners exceeding 1 mSv based on the whole-body measurements, whose results from a urine sample analysis and thyroid monitoring all showed exposure of 1 mSv or less. All of the practitioners participated directly in the distribution and handling of radioactive sources, and none of the nurses exceeded 1 mSv. Furthermore, it was noteworthy that, among medical assistants who do not directly handle radioisotopes and are mainly involved in the transport of contaminated patients, there was one person who exceeded the whole-body measurement standard of 1 mSv.ConclusionsThe committed effective dose of most nuclear medicine practitioners who participated in the survey was lower than 1 mSv. However, because the possibility of overexposure under special circumstances cannot be completely excluded, new strict radiation protection rules on the handling of open-source radioisotopes in hospitals are required for non-handling workers.

Performance Comparison of Bed-type and Stand-type Commercial Whole Body Counter Made by Canberra for Internal Exposure Monitoring

Performance Comparison of Bed-type and Stand-type Commercial Whole Body Counter Made by Canberra for Internal Exposure Monitoring