Patient dose measurements in diagnostic radiology procedures in Montenegro

It was the aim of the study presented here to estimate for the first time patient dose levels in conventional diagnostic radiology in Montenegro. Measurements of patient dose in terms of entrance surface air kerma (ESAK) and kerma-area product (KAP) were performed on at least 10 patients for each examination type, in each of five randomly selected health institutions in Montenegro, so that a total of 872 patients for 16 different examination categories were included in the survey (817 patients for 1049 radiographies and 55 fluoroscopy patients). Exposure settings and individual data were recorded for each patient. Mean, median and third quartile values ESAK of patient doses are reported. The estimated mean ESAK values obtained are as follows: 4.7 mGy for pelvis anteroposterior (AP), 4.5 mGy for lumbar spine AP, 7.8 mGy for lumbar spine lateral (LAT), 3.1 mGy for thoracic spine AP and 4.3 mGy for thoracic spine LAT. When compared with the European diagnostic reference values, the mean ESAK for all studied examination types are found to be below the reference levels, except in chest radiography. Mean ESAK values for chest radiography are 0.9 mGy for posteroanterior (PA) projection and 2.0 mGy for LAT. The results exhibit a wide range of variation. For fluoroscopy examinations, the total KAP was measured. The mean KAP value per procedure for barium meal is found to be 22 Gy cm(2), 41 Gy cm(2) for barium enema and 19 Gy cm(2) for intravenous urography. Broad dose ranges for the same types of examinations indicate the necessity of applying practice optimisation in diagnostic radiology and establishment of national diagnostic reference levels.     

Biocompatibility Study of a New Dental Cement Based on Hydroxyapatite and Calcium Silicates: Focus on Liver,Kidney, and Spleen Tissue Effects

The effects of a new material based on hydroxyapatite and calcium silicates, named ALBO-MPCA, were investigated on the liver, kidney and spleen. The material was administrated orally for 120 days in an in vivo model in Wistar rats, and untreated animals served as a control. Hematological and biochemical blood parameters were analyzed. Qualitative histological analysis of tissues, change in mitotic activity of cells, and histological characteristics was conducted, as well as quantitative stereological analysis of parenchymal cells, blood sinusoids, and connective tissues. Additionally, the protein expressions of Ki67 and CD68 markers were evaluated. Histological analysis revealed no pathological changes after the tested period. It showed the preservation of the architecture of blood sinusoids and epithelial cells and the presence of mitosis. Additionally, the significantly increased number of the Ki67 in the presence of ALBO-MPCA confirmed the proliferative effect of the material noticed by stereological analysis, while immunoreactive CD68 positive cells did not differ between groups. The study showed non-toxicity of the tested material based on the effects on the hematological, biochemical, and observed histological parameters; in addition, it showed evidence of its biocompatibility. These results could be the basis for further steps toward the application of tested materials in endodontics.     

A Simple Modification Method to Obtain Anisotropic and Porous 3D Microfibrillar Scaffolds for Surgical and Biomedical Applications

In native tissues, cellular organization is predominantly anisotropic. Yet, it remains a challenge to engineer anisotropic scaffolds that promote anisotropic cellular organization at macroscopic length scales. To overcome this challenge, an innovative, cheap and easy method to align clinically approved non‐woven surgical microfibrillar scaffolds is presented. The method involves a three‐step process of coating, unidirectional stretching of scaffolds after heating them above glass transition temperature, and cooling back to room temperature. Briefly, a polymer coating is applied to a non‐woven mesh that results in a partial welding of randomly oriented microfibers at their intersection points. The coated scaffold is then heated above the glass transition temperature of the coating and the scaffold polymer. Subsequently, the coated scaffold is stretched to produce aligned and three dimentional (3D) porous fibrillar scaffolds. In a proof of concept study, a polyglycolic acid (PGA) micro‐fibrillar scaffold was coated with poly(4‐hydroxybutirate) (P4HB) acid and subsequently aligned. Fibroblasts were cultured in vitro within the scaffold and results showed an increase in cellular alignment along the direction of the PGA fibers. This method can be scaled up easily for industrial production of polymeric meshes or directly applied to small pieces of scaffolds at the point of care.     

Hydrogeologische Erkundung von Grundwasser in der ariden und vulkanisch aufgebauten Westkordillere Boliviens

Grundwasser - In der ariden Westkordillere von Bolivien wurde ein 2000 km2 großes Gebiet geologisch und hydrogeologisch untersucht mit dem Ziel, Bohransatzpunkte zur Grundwassererkundung...     

Plant food by-products as feed: Characteristics,possibilities, environmental benefits,and negative sides

Modern society accumulates huge amounts of waste material, particularly in the food industry, where manipulation is usually inadequate and causes a serious ecological problem. As this state is unsustainable and a concern for the future, food by-products must be used as raw materials in further production, because they are often still rich in nutrients or bioactive compounds. This paper provides a comprehensive review of plant food by-product application in animal nutrition around the world. In addition, special attention is paid to ecological benefits, and warns about the potential hazards and negative sides of plant food by-products usage in animal nutrition.     

Relationship of Physicochemical Characteristics with Sensory Profile of Cookies Enriched with Medicinal Herbs

In this work, a range of model cookies enriched with different quantities of medicinal herbs, applied in two forms (pulverized mixture and extract), were studied to compare and describe relationships between physicochemical and sensory data. Multivariate statistical methods were applied to estimate relationships in the analyzed data. Analysis of variance showed that the majority of analyzed parameters were highly significant in discriminating among the samples (p < 0.05), which supported the usefulness of their application in characterizing the quality profile of enriched cookies. Principal component analysis on physicochemical data revealed that cookies at the same enrichment level showed more similarities. Principal component analysis on sensory data exhibited a larger separation between the samples with increasing enrichment levels, especially in the case of pulverized herbal mixture. According to partial least squares regression, two significant partial least squares components explained 92.7% and predicted 78.0% variation in the data. The most important parameters in discriminating between the cookies enriched with medicinal herbs were lightness, red tonality, and hardness. The selected physicochemical parameters could be used in future studies to evaluate variously enriched cookies by establishing models and investigating the predictability of sensory quality.     

Quality Attributes of Muffins: Effect of Baking Operative Conditions

Muffins are sweet baked products highly appreciated by consumers because of their soft texture and characteristic taste. The aim of this work was to study the influence of baking conditions on muffins’ quality. Surface crust color was monitored during baking tests at oven temperatures ranging from 140 to 220 °C, and browning kinetics was modeled by means of a browning index, BI, which follows a logistic model; a joint analysis of core temperature profile and BI curve can assist in the prediction of baking time. Finally, weight loss, crust/crumb ratio, crumb and crust moisture content, porosity, crumb and global densities, and texture were measured in the already baked muffin. The water content in the crumb remains almost constant, while considerable dehydration occurs in the crust. Finally, the results showed that intermediate oven temperatures led to a more porous, aerated, and soft crumb, with intermediate textural properties.