The effect of nonsurgical periodontal therapy on hepcidin and on inflammatory and iron marker levels.

Serum hepcidin levels may increase in response to infection and inflammation. The present study investigated the effect of nonsurgical periodontal therapy (NSPT) on levels of serum hepcidin, inflammatory markers, and iron markers. An interventional study was conducted on 67 patients (age 30-65 years) without other diseases, except for chronic periodontitis (CP).

Spectral windows analysis method for monitoring anthropogenic radionuclides in real-time environmental gamma-ray scintillation spectrometry.

This paper proposes an analysis methodology based on the spectral windows technique aimed for environmental real-time gamma-ray spectra obtained with scintillation detectors. The method permits us to monitor activity concentrations of selected isotopes, such as anthropogenic radionuclides like Cs and I, by removing the Compton scattering plus other external contributions and resolving peak overlapping within any window. Activity concentrations are presented for Cs, I, Bi, and Pb when applying the method to a monitor using a LaBr(Ce) detector.

Calculation of the ambient dose equivalent H*(10) from gamma-ray spectra obtained with scintillation detectors.

The measurement of the ambient dose equivalent H*(10) with automatic real-time radioactivity monitors using gamma-ray spectrometry provides valuable information at short integration times and serves as an alternative to conventional peak analysis of spectra. In this paper, a full methodology for the calculation of this quantity using Monte Carlo (MC) simulations is described and applied to real spectrometric measurements with LaBr(Ce) scintillation detectors. The methodology involves the calculation of the fluence-to-H*(10) conversion factors and a method for obtaining the fluence from gamma-ray spectra.

Development and calibration of a real-time airborne radioactivity monitor using direct gamma-ray spectrometry with two scintillation detectors.

The implementation of in-situ gamma-ray spectrometry in an automatic real-time environmental radiation surveillance network can help to identify and characterize abnormal radioactivity increases quickly. For this reason, a Real-time Airborne Radioactivity Monitor using direct gamma-ray spectrometry with two scintillation detectors (RARM-D2) was developed. The two scintillation detectors in the RARM-D2 are strategically shielded with Pb to permit the separate measurement of the airborne isotopes with respect to the deposited isotopes.

Implementation of gamma-ray spectrometry in two real-time water monitors using NaI(Tl) scintillation detectors.

In this study, the implementation of gamma-ray spectrometry in two real-time water monitors using 2 in. × 2 in. NaI(Tl) scintillation detectors is described.

Dosimetry of a cone beam CT device for oral and maxillofacial radiology using Monte Carlo techniques and ICRP adult reference computational phantoms.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to calculate organ and effective doses for a range of available protocols in a particular cone beam CT (CBCT) scanner dedicated to dentistry and to derive effective dose conversion factors.

Methods: Monte Carlo simulations were used to calculate organ and effective doses using the International Commission on Radiological Protection voxel adult male and female reference phantoms (AM and AF) in an i-CAT CBCT. Nine different fields of view (FOVs) were simulated considering full- and half-rotation modes, and also a high-resolution acquisition for a particular protocol.

Validation of a Monte Carlo simulation for dose assessment in dental cone beam CT examinations.

A Monte Carlo (MC) simulation for calculating absorbed dose has been developed and applied for dental applications with an i-CAT cone beam CT (CBCT) system. To validate the method a comparison was made between calculated and measured dose values for two different clinical protocols. Measurements with a pencil CT chamber were performed free-in-air and in a CT dose head phantom; measurements were also performed with a transmission ionization chamber.

Performance of data acceptance criteria over 50 months from an automatic real-time environmental radiation surveillance network.

The automatic real-time environmental radiation surveillance network of Catalonia (Spain) comprises two subnetworks; one with 9 aerosol monitors and the other with 8 Geiger monitors together with 2 water monitors located in the Ebre river. Since September 2006, several improvements were implemented in order to get better quality and quantity of data, allowing a more accurate data analysis. However, several causes (natural causes, equipment failure, artificial external causes and incidents in nuclear power plants) may produce radiological measured values mismatched with the own station background, whether spurious without significance or true radiological values.

[Case of malignant melanoma of the choroid operated on as retinal detachment (clinical aspects)].

Report of a case of secondary retinal detachment that was refered to as a month after having had an operation using an identating technique. Through echography and axial computarized tomography the presence of an intraocular tumour was verified. This case stresses the importance of diaphanoscopy in detachment surgery as well as that of echography and scanning in dubious cases.