Radiofrequency and Microwave Ablation in the Treatment of Hepatocelular Carcinoma

Background: Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and microwave ablation (MWA) are the most common thermal ablation methods. Studies evaluating the effectiveness of these techniques have been carried out in recent years. Objectives: Evaluation of local therapeutic effectiveness of imaging guided percutaneous thermal ablation methods, short-middle term radiologic and clinical outcomes and to compare the effectiveness of treatment between two MWA and RFA methods. Patients and Methods: We retrospectively browsed clinical-radiologic-pathologic-demographic parameters of patients who had undergone RF or MW treatment due to HCC between January 2012 and January 2015. Twelve females (30%) and 28 males (70%) who had at least 6 months follow-up were included. We evaluated the risk factors which we considered to affect the prognosis by means of Log-Rank (Mantel-Cox) analysis. Complications rates, ablative effectiveness, local progression free and disease free survival rates for 6 months and 1 year periods were calculated by Kaplan Meier test for each group separately. The results of two groups were compared by chi-square test. Results: 6-month, 1-year and 2-year survival rates for thermal ablation were 84.6%, 78.7% and 65% for general; 76.3%, 55.2%, 33% for disease free and 78.9%, 76.2%, 37.3% for local progression free respectively. Size and number of lesions were the only parameters that effective for all type of survival rates. In addition, Child-Pugh classification, AFP (alpha-fetoprotein) level and gender were found to affect just; general, disease free and local progression free survival rates respectively. No statistically significant difference was found in complication, ablative effectiveness, 6 month and 1 year general, disease free and progression free survival rates between RF and MW separately. Conclusion: RF and MW ablation methods have similar complication rates, tumor ablation efficiency and survival rates for treatment in HCC patients.

Clinical and Radiological Differences Between Fistular and Non-Fistular Idiopathic Granulomatous Mastitis

Efficacy of Dexmedetomidine in Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery under Cardiopulmonary Bypass: A Randomized, Double-Blind Clinical Trial

Background: In patients undergoing Cardiopulmonary Bypass (CPB) with extracorporeal circulation, the rapid restoration of blood flow to the ischemic tissue induces cardiac damage termed as myocardial Ischemic Reperfusion (I/R) injury. Objectives: In the current study, the researchers hypothesized that Dexmedetomidine (DEX) modulates I/R injury in Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Surgery (CABG) with Cardiopulmonary Bypass (CPB). Methods: This randomized double-blind, clinical trial took place at Dr. Heshmat Hospital, an academic center affiliated to Guilan University of Medical Sciences (GUMS), Gilan, Iran. From April 2016 to March 2017, 114 eligible patients undergoing elective and isolated CABG were randomized to receive either DEX infusion 0.3 to 0.5 μg/kg/hour before induction of anesthesia till 12 hours postoperatively (group D) or normal saline as placebo (group C). The endpoints were used to assess creatinine phosphokinase-MB (CKMB) and cardiac troponin I (CTnI) levels at four measurement time points, including baseline (T0) and 6, 12, 24, and 48 hours after the operation (T0 T4). Results: Overall, 114 patients’ data were analyzed; group D (n = 58) and group C (n = 56). No significant differences were found between the two groups, in view of baseline characteristics. Following CPB, a marked increase in CKMB and CTnI plasma levels was observed in both groups compared with baseline (P = 0.0001). Serum CKMB levels increased from 2.27± 0.59 to 7.81± 1.39, and 2.22 ± 0.64 to 7.46 ± 1.25 and CTnI levels from 10.22 ± 0.17 to 4.89 ± 1.1, and 0.27 ± 0.28 to 4.5 ± 1.4 in groups C and D, respectively (P = 0.0001). According to CKMB, there was a significant difference between the two groups at T2 (P = 0.002) and T3 (P = 0.0001), and based on CTnI at T2 (P = 0.004) and T3 (P = 0.0001). However, no significant difference was observed at the other measurement point times. No adverse effect was recorded due to this intervention. Conclusions: Perioperative DEX in cardiac surgery appears safe, with properties to alleviate I/R injury. Obviously, future standard trials are required to find optimal intervention strategies.

Combined Effects of Postural Education, Therapeutic Massage, Segmental Stretching, and Motor Control Exercise in a 19-Year-Old Male with Chronic Back Pain and Kypholordotic Posture: A Case Report

Ethical Network Surveillance using Packet Sniffing Tools: A Comparative Study

Nowadays, with growing of computer's networks and Internet, the security of data, systems and applications is becoming a real challenge for network's developers and administrators. An intrusion detection system is the first and reliable technique in the network's security that is based gathering data from computer network. Further, the need for monitoring, auditing and analysis tools of data traffic is becoming an important factor to increase an overall system and network security by avoiding external attackers and monitoring abuse of the IT assets by employees in the workplace. The techniques that used for collecting and converting data to a readable format are called packet sniffing. Packet Sniffer is a tool that used to capture packets in binary format, converts that binary data into a readable data format and log of that captured data for analyzing and monitoring, displaying different used applications, cleartext user names, passwords, and other vulnerabilities. It is used by network administrator to keep the network is more secured, safe and to support better decision. There are many different sniffing tools for monitoring, analyzing, and reporting the network's traffic. In this paper we will compare between three different sniffing tools; TCPDump, Wireshark, and Colasoft according to various parameters such as their detection ability, filtering, availability, supported operating system, open source, GUI, their characteristics and features, qualitative and quantitative parameters. In addition, this paper may be considered as an insight for the new researchers to guide them to an overview, essentials, and understanding of the packet sniffing techniques and their working.

Implementation Procedure for a Designed Stand-alone, Auto-Frequency Select Ultrasound Pest Control Device for Field Applications

A detailed design description of a stand-alone, auto-frequency select, ultrasonic brand of electronic pest control device that is unique in the sense that: it is solar powered, pest specific, field/farm operated, audio back-up, auto-frequency select and multi-directional in nature was hitherto presented using design calculations and analysis supported by circuit diagrams and component specifications. In this work, the conceptualized design was physically realized to specification using electronic construction technology. Implemented section by section on breadboard before soldering onto a veroboard, the cased device was made to sit on a fabricated adjustable stand to provide the needed exposure both to crops and solar insolation. Result shows that the assembled device saturates the vicinity of broadcast with ultrasound capable of deterring weaver birds. Recommendation was made for a performance evaluation of the device in weaver birds infested farms.

Designing a Rule Based Expert Systems for Contact Lenses Patients

Expert systems that bring facts and valuable experiences together and make some deductions possible. Expression of relevant knowledge and experience in these structures may be in a set of rules. Learning problems are valid with expert systems. Therefore, they cannot add new rules and information automatically by themselves. Rules are created by human experts on the way and added upon the system. Classification datasets are collections of data commonly used in machine learning that contain and classify the previously obtained experiences. In this study, rules were obtained by using Part, NNge, Prism rule classifier algorithms, and a knowledge base of expert systems was systematically created to achieve enrichment. Enrichment and rule deduction process needs careful and sensitive attention. A combined methodology and study was revealed during this sensitive process. In this context, studies were conducted on five widely used datasets. It was aimed to reduce the redundant, conflicting, subsumed and circular rules in order to create a consistent and complete knowledge base. In this way, a methodology was developed to establish more powerful and richer contents of knowledge base that have higher quality.

Towards Enhancing Access of HIV/AIDS Healthcare Information in Tanzania: Is a Mobile Application Platform a Way Forward?

This survey study evaluates the peoples’ acceptance and comfortability on accessing the HIV/AIDS healthcare information through visiting HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment Centers (CTCs). Furthermore, the survey examines whether a mobile application platform can be the way forward towards enhancing HIV/AIDS healthcare information delivery in Tanzania. This study was conducted in Dar es Salaam city in Tanzania. The structured questionnaire-based survey was carried-out involving a total of 208 respondents, among them, 45 were the HIV/AIDS healthcare practitioners. The collected data were analyzed by using WEKA and Python computer programming software. The study findings indicated that: 24.5% of the respondents claimed that they were not comfortable going to HIV/AIDS CTCs indicating that they were afraid of being exposed and stigmatized; almost one-third (31.3%) of respondents prefer to seek HIV/AIDS related information from online sources; 78.5% of respondents preferred to have an official mobile application for access the HIV/AIDS healthcare information; 64.4% of HIV/AIDS practitioners indicated the need of having a mobile application platform for HIV/AIDS healthcare information delivery; and more than two-third of HIV/AIDS practitioners claimed to be able to serve people with HIV/AIDS healthcare information online. It is concluded that there is a need for the HIV/AIDS healthcare providers to have a mobile application platform for HIV/AIDS healthcare information delivery. The mobile application platform will consequently help people to confidentially access the HIV/AIDS healthcare information in their mobile electronic gadgets frequently without fear of being exposed as if they would frequently visit CTCs.

HIV/AIDS Healthcare Information Delivery in Tanzania using Integrated Mobile Application and Web-based System: System’s Functional and Non-functional Requirements

This study examines the functional requirements (FR) and non-functional requirements (NFR) for development of an integrated mobile application and a web-based system for enhancement of HIV/AIDS healthcare information delivery in Tanzania. The study was conducted in Dar es Salaam city in Tanzania. The unstructured interview was carried-out involving 45 people, among them, there were selected relevant users of the proposed system, Information Technologists, System Administrators and HIV/AIDS healthcare practitioners from the HIV/AIDS Care and Treatment Centers (CTCs) in district referral hospitals in Dar es Salaam. The captured requirements were classified into functional and non-functional requirements, the functional requirements were then graphically analyzed using the use case diagram, which was done by using starUML computer software. These findings can be used as the foundation’s building block for the development of a mobile application and web-based system for HIV/AIDS healthcare information delivery services.

Proposed Model for Evaluating Information Systems Quality Based on Single Valued Triangular Neutrosophic Numbers

One of the most important reasons for information systems failure is lack of quality. Information Systems Quality (ISQ) evaluation is important to prevent the lack of quality. ISQ evaluation is one of the most important Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM) problems.