Novel high-stopping power scintillators for medical applications.

Development of new scintillator materials is a continuous effort, which recently has been focused on materials with higher stopping power. Higher stopping power can be achieved if the compositions include elements such as Tl (Z=81) or Lu (Z=71), as the compounds gain higher densities and effective atomic numbers. In context of medical imaging this translates into high detection efficiency (count rates), therefore, better image quality (statistics, thinner films) or lower irradiation doses to patients in addition to lowering of cost.

Discovery of fluorinated 2‑Styryl 4(3H)-quinazolinone as potential therapeutic hit for oral cancer.

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is the most common malignant epithelial neoplasm, affects the mouth and throat, and accounts for 90 % of oral cancers. Considering the associated morbidity with neck dissections and the limitation of existing therapeutic agents, the discovery and development of new anticancer drugs/drug candidates for oral cancer treatment are of the utmost need. In this context, reported here is the identification of fluorinated 2‑styryl 4(3H)-quinazolinone as a promising hit for oral cancer.

Overview of oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma: Risk factors, mechanisms, and diagnostics.

Oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC) is the most common malignancy of the oral cavity. The substantial risk factors for OCSCC are the consumption of tobacco products, alcohol, betel quid, areca nut, and genetic alteration. However, technological advancements have occurred in treatment, but the survival decreases with late diagnosis; therefore, new methods are continuously being investigated for treatment.

Growth and Characterization of Polycrystalline Lanthanide Halide Scintillators.

We are exploring a novel time- and cost-efficient approach to produce robust, large-volume polycrystalline lanthanide halide scintillators using a hot wall evaporation (HWE) technique. To date, we have fabricated LaBr:Ce and LaCl:Ce films (slabs) measuring up to 7 cm in diameter and 7+ mm in thickness (20 to 25 cm in volume) on quartz substrates. These polycrystalline scintillators exhibit very bright emissions approaching those exhibited by their melt-grown crystal counterparts.