Chemical, biological and nerve gas attacks: need for education among healthcare personnel and medical students; a Swedish regional cross-sectional web-survey.

Background: Chemical, biological and nerve gas events have a significant impact on public health, necessitating proper education and training. This study investigated the educational needs as perceived by two groups, frontline healthcare workers and medical students, in relation to chemical, biological, and nerve gas events.

Methods: Three distinct web-based cross-sectional surveys were conducted, one each for chemical, biological, and nerve gas events, with each survey following the same structural format including sections on (a) theoretical knowledge assessment, using multiple-choice questions regarding identification, protection, and treatment, (b) perception of threat, using questions based on a 5-point Likert scale to gauge views on threat/preparedness and (c) perception of existing competency, with questions regarding prior education and the need for additional education and training.

Baseline symptom severity predicts serotonin transporter change during psychotherapy in patients with major depression.

Aims: The role of the serotonin transporter (SERT) in the pathophysiology of depression is unclear and only a few follow-up studies exist. Our aim was to measure changes in SERT availability during psychodynamic psychotherapy in patients with major depression over a follow-up time of 12 or 18 months.

Methods: The patients were studied with iodine-123 labelled 2β-carbomethoxy-3β-(4-iodophenyl) serial single-photon emission tomography imaging and clinical rating scales of symptoms.

Assessment of myocardial perfusion with MRI using a modified dual bolus method.

Quantification of regional myocardial blood flow (rMBF) with first-pass magnetic resonance imaging (FP-MRI) requires two contrast agent injections (dual bolus technique), inducing error in the determined rMBF if the injections differ. We hypothesize that using input and residue curves of the same injection would be more reliable. We aim to introduce and evaluate a novel method to correct the high concentration arterial input function (AIF) for determination of rMBF.

Optimisation of simultaneous tl-201/tc-99m dual isotope reconstruction with monte-carlo-based scatter correction.

Simultaneous Tl-201/Tc-99m dual isotope myocardial perfusion SPECT is seriously hampered by down-scatter from Tc-99m into the Tl-201 energy window. This paper presents and optimises the ordered-subsets-expectation-maximisation-(OS-EM-) based reconstruction algorithm, which corrects the down-scatter using an efficient Monte Carlo (MC) simulator. The algorithm starts by first reconstructing the Tc-99m image with attenuation, collimator response, and MC-based scatter correction.

Bioimpedance-based measurement method for simultaneous acquisition of respiratory and cardiac gating signals.

Respiratory and cardiac motion artefacts impair the quality and reliability of medical imaging, particularly in nuclear medicine. At worst, the interpretation of distorted images may lead to inadequate or unnecessary treatment. Image artefacts can be minimized by gating the image acquisition according to respiratory phase and cardiac contractions.