M A Nezami is a Board Certified Physician graduated from USC and UCSF residencies and fellowship and trained in Integrative Cancer Therapy. He serves as Researcher and national and international Speaker, in Oncology and Epigenetic field. He has been involved in many research projects and publications/ presentations. He is an Inventor and Innovator and has designed a new method of treating advanced cancer, called Multi Molecular Targeted Epigenetic Therapy (MTET). With this method, over the last 7 years, he has successfully treated many patients, mostly with advanced cancer who had failed conventional methods

Patients with cancer are evaluated through different oncology laboratory markers, aiming at translation to clinical findings, both to evaluate progression of disease as well as translating to overall survival, as surrogate markers. This effort has been revolutionized as the traditional measurements of the tumor size in CT scans, and identifying cancer response by RECIST criteria, has failed to effectively translate into patient survival. Therefore establishing the prognosis in majority of patients, especially with heterogeneous tumors, has been extremely challenging. One area of most recent attention in identifying surrogate markers has been the vasculogenesis and its related serum markers. Different stages of carcinogenesis and metastasis is greatly dependent on tumor angiogenesis, as a result of vascular endothelial dysfunction. Novel ways to assess vascular function in cancer include measuring levels of circulating endothelial cells (CEC) or circulatory tumor cells (CTCs). The presence of circulating endothelial cells (CEC) has recently been recognized as a useful marker of vascular damage. That said, as of today, there is not a single biomarker used clinically for assessing vasculogenesis, or intratumoral hypoxia and the correlation between FDG-PET findings and survival has not been strong, especially in more heterogenous cancers (such as breast and lung cancer). Here we hypothesize that serum/plasma VEGF measurements, as a biomarker for vasculogenesis (and possible intratumoral hypoxia), before and after therapy independently, or in addition to, circulatory tumor cells assay, can be used as a prognostic marker correlating with FDG-PET findings. Altogether, it is a meaningful companion diagnostic tool to translate to clinical outcome, and overall survival. This is also important in therapeutic areas, as traditional chemotherapies in general (all anthracyclines, Alkylators, Platinum based chemotherapies, etc.) increase the serum circulatory tumor cells, as well as serum VEGF, by several mechanisms, including proinflammatory cytokines, disrupting the tumor vessels by disrupting endothelial dysfunction and causing tumor cell leaks. This necessitates new tools to overcome such negative measurable impact on potential survival. Accordingly, here, we present a summary of 150 cases of advanced disease and in detail, we present six cases of heterogenous stage four breast cancer who had failed several lines of chemotherapy, and were treated using anovel antiangiogenic therapy, consisting of natural and off label drugs. These are known to inhibit hypoxia induced pathways, in a protocol called multi targeted epigenetic therapy (MTET), resulting in independent and synergistic response identifiedby serum VEGF/CTC/ and FDG-PET combo findings, and translated to improved progression free, or overall survival. We conclude that this sample, although small, presents considerable effect size and can impact the current practice of oncology by providing better prognostic and therapeutic tools targeting angiogenesis in refractory heterogeneous disease

Mariusz Klimczyk has studied in Kazimierz Wielki University in Bydgoszcz, Department of Physical Education, Health and Tourism and has published many articles in the field of Sports and Physics Education. He has published more than 100 articles in reputed journals

Aim: The purpose of the study is to indicate the most accurate diagnostic factors of special fitness of athletes training pole vault aged 12 and prognostics for athletes aged 17.

 

Materials & Methods: Experimental studies conducted in 2001–2010 involved 22 athletes aged 12 and 11 athletes aged 17. Athletes participated in sports activities, training pole vault in the following clubs: “Gwardia” PiÅ‚a, GdaÅ„sk Pole Vault Center, TS “Olimpia” PoznaÅ„, SL WKS “Zawisza” Bydgoszcz, and “ÅšlÄ…sk” WrocÅ‚aw. The studies included the method of teacher’s observation. Tools applied in the studies included assessment of physical fitness and sport results, conducted during the athletic season. Basic statistical methods were used for the analysis of study results.

 

Results & Conclusions: The author determined inter-relation of individual special fitness tests in 12 and 17-year-old athletes and correlation of these tests with pole vault results in the studied age category. It was indicated that in age category 12, diagnostic tests are performed, in which correlation with sport result ranges between -0.45 (15-meter run) to 0.71 (standing long jump). Their purpose is to determine basic parameters justifying continuation of pole vault athletic training. Seventeenyear- old pole vaulters undergo prognostic tests in which correlation with sport results ranges between 0.64 (shot put 4 kg thrown back over the head) to 0.94 (“flying” over the bar from a backward roll); their purpose is to predict development of an athlete within training, and ultimately – sport results

Samira Al-Salehi graduated from Manchester University Dental School, UK. She was awarded PhD degree from Sheffield University, for her work on bleaching, where she received Certificate of Completion of Specialist Training (CCST). For a short time, she was Consultant at Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry before taking up a Senior Lecturer/Honorary Consultant post at Manchester University Dental School. For the last 5 years, she has been working in Dubai. She is currently a Professor and Endodontic Program Director at Hamdan Bin Mohammed College of Dental Medicine

The use of Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) is rapidly increasing as it provides valuable 3D information of the area under investigation in a matter of minutes. The radiation dosage associated with CBCT images is, however, about an order of magnitude higher than that of conventional radiographic images. The dosage is still considered relatively small but due to the cumulative nature of radiation it is advisable that CBCT should be used only in cases where clinically indicated. 35 patients were selected, from primary care referrals to a specialist endodontic unit in a leading UK dental hospital, for a clinical study. Ethical approval was obtained from the appropriate UK body. For each patient, a dental and medical history, a color photographic intraoral image, parallax periapical radiographs and CBCT image data set were taken (case scenario). Observers were recruited to assess the data. One observer, subsequently, dropped out of the study and was not included in the results. A questionnaire was designed for the observers aimed to address parts III and IV of the Fryback and Thornbury model dealing with diagnostic thinking and treatment outcomes. The information for all the 35 patients was examined by the observers on two separate dates about 3 months apart. On one date, all the information was given to them but, on the other the CBCT images were withheld. The null hypothesis “there is no significant difference in treatment planning/outcome with or without CBCT images” was tested. The results showed that the availability of CBCT images made no significant difference to the observers’ judgment. In complex cases such as resorptive lesions, however, the availability of CBCT was very helpful in their diagnosis. It was concluded that CBCT images are vital for certain complex endodontic treatments but should not be used routinely for all endodontic cases

Asli Yazici has completed her MD from Institute of Nuclear Science of Ankara University. She has been working in Onko Ankara Oncology Center since 2011 as a

Medical Physicist. She has performed treatment planning (IMRT-IGRT, conformal and complex techniques), daily-weekly-yearly QA’s of LINAC and patient QA’s in routine

The aim of this study was to evaluate three-dimensional set-up errors, systematic and random set-up errors between the electronic portal imaging device (EPID) and CBCT to determine optimum planning target volume (PTV) coverage margins in our clinic. This study was performed on 25 cancer patients, treated with Siemens Artiste LINAC.EPID and CBCTprojections of set-up fields were acquired simultaneously for each patients. The systematic and random error for individual and population were calculated both portal imaging and CBCT protections. The standard deviations of systematic and random set-up errors were calculated both imaging techniques to determine CTV-PTV margins according to ICRU Report 62 recommendations, along wih Stroom’s and van Herk’s formulae. Linear regression analysis of the EPID setup data as a function of the CBCT data were performed. The paired t-test was used to evaluate whether the EPID setup data were significantly different from the CBCT setup data. Correlations between the setup difference between EPID and CBCT were tested with the Pearson correlation coefficient. According to portal imaging result, CTV to PTV margins were found less than CBCT projections results in consequence of the manuel reconstructions while using portal imaging. As compared to our traditional margin of 5 mm in our clinic, it seems that we can further increase DV direction of the CTV to PTV margin to ensure at least 95% dose to 99% of the CTV using Van Herk and Stroom equations. The regression coefficient ( ) for the LR, CC, and DV directions were 0.11 (95% confidence interval [CI]=(-0.323)-(0.648)), 0.01 (95% CI=(-0.349)-(0.495)) and 0.24 (95% CI=0.039-0.597), respectively

Ahad Zeinli is the Head of Medical Physics Department, Urmia Medical Science University, Meysam Dadgar, Iran. He is also currently working as Associate Professor. He has completed his PhD from Tarbiat Modares University. He has many publications, abstracts and presentations combined. His research interests include both Medical Physics and Nuclear Medicine Education

The goal of this simulation study is to assess and compare Parallax error with different scintillator crystals in Positron Emission Tomography (PET). For this simulation study we use GEANT4 Application for Tomographic Emission (GATE). The crystals which act as simulators in this study are LSO, GSO, BGO and LYSO. In this work we simulate PET scanner with two ring and hexagonal geometries. Full ring PET scanner which consists of 26 detectors block where each block consists of 96 crystal blocks. In each crystal block there are 25 crystals. For hexagonal geometry in each head we simulate 620 blocks, each one consist 25 crystals. In both the geometries, a cylindrical shaped pancreas phantom is used for this simulation. We set 350 KeV threshold and 750 KeV upholder. The coincidence window for both geometry is 10 nanoseconds. Also we evaluate effect of gantry rotation on parallax error. To extract parallax of each case, we analyze simulation output via ROOT Tree

Abdoul Karim Mamadou Saidou has completed his Master’s degree in Biomedical Engineering from University of Hassan II Casablanca in Morocco and is currently enrolled in a PhD position in the same university. He is a Member of Spectroscopy and Dosimetry team, and his field of research is Medical/Radiation Physics and Dosimetry for Radiotherapy. He has attended many scientific meetings with publications in conference proceedings and journals

Radiotherapy treatment delivers low dose radiation beams to the patient to destroy the tumor with energy deposition in the matter. Thus it requires effective dosimetry for dose assessment in the clinical environment and the patient body. Among many dosimetric systems, EPR method is interesting with substantial advantages such as its reliability, accuracy and its non-destructive asset. In this proposed study, alanine irradiated by 6 MeV and 18 MeV electron beams delivered by a linear accelerator CLINAC 2300DHX was analyzed by EPR method to determine its dosimetric potentialities and compare the effect of energy. Samples were irradiated at doses ranging from 0 to 20Gy. EPR measurements performed with optimized parameters (microwave power = 1 mW, amplitude modulation = 0.5 mT) show a good radiation sensitivity of this material: threshold measurable dose is 1 Gy for both the energies of irradiation. Also the concentration of free radicals induced is proportional to the absorbed dose. Indeed, alanine is slightly more sensitive to 18 MeV beam than to 6 MeV beam. Furthermore, the free radicals created after irradiation are stable during 12 months of storage which allows multiple alanine dosimeter reading. Finally, a small quantity of alanine is efficient for pellets elaboration