Laser 3D Printing of Inorganic Free-Form Micro-Optics

A pilot study on laser 3D printing of inorganic free-form micro-optics is experimentally validated. Ultrafast laser nanolithography is employed for structuring hybrid organic-inorganic material SZ2080TM followed by high-temperature calcination post-processing. The combination allows production of 3D architectures and the heat-treatment results in converting the material to inorganic substance. The produced miniature optical elements are characterized and their optical performance demonstrated. Finally, the concept is validated for manufacturing compound optical components such as stacked lenses. This is opening for new directions and applications of laser made microoptics under harsh conditions such as high intensity radiation, temperature, acidic environment, pressure variations, which include open space, astrophotonics, and remote sensing.

What Are Answer Strategies Being Researched to Cure or Treat Cancer?

Breast cancer radiotherapy is used for patients at high risk in areas such as family history of heart disease and the use of chemotherapy drugs. Imaging and treatment are performed. Because the most sensitive part of the patient's heart is located in the field of breast radiation therapy, radiation therapy is likely to cause heart complications for the patient. For patients at high risk of heart disease, deep tail radiation therapy is performed and thus the least radiation hits the heart tissue. And the side effects of treatment are greatly reduced. The technique of IMRT or "variable intensity radiation therapy" is another unique new method of radiation therapy. Keywords: Cancer; Cells; Tissues; Tumors; Prevention; Prognosis; Diagnosis; Imaging; Screening; Treatment; Management

THE USE OF LOW-INTENSITY RADIATION IN TREATMENT OF PERIODONTAL TISSUE DISEASES (LITERATURE REVIEW)

Topic relevance. Periodontal tissue diseases currently take a significant place among infectious diseases, both in dentistry and in medicine in general. Traditional methods of treatment of inflammatorydystrophic periodontal diseases do not bring the desired results, so the question arises of finding alternative, non-drug treatments. Among such means, special attention is paid to the use of various types of low-intensity radiation, as well as the cumulative effect of light and photosensitizers. The aim of the study is to analyze literary sources regarding the use of various types of low-intensity radiation in the treatment of periodontal tissue diseases. Materials and methods. The research and analysis of scientific literature on the basis of Google Scholar, Research Gate, Wiley Online Library and Academia.edu on the use of various types of radiation in the treatment of periodontal tissue diseases was carried out. Results and discussion. Laser radiation shows anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, immunomodulatory and desensitizing effect, stimulates tissue reparation, and also reduces histohemmatic barriers in the inflammatory process, reduces gum hyperemia, which indicates the high efficiency of this method in optimizing the processes of restoring periodontal structures. With wavelengths of 630 and 870 nm, laser radiation at certain parameters increases the sensitivity of S. aureus and P.aeruginosa to commonly used antibiotics. With long-term exposure, PILER (polychromatic polarized incoherent low-energy radiation) has a similar effect on soft tissues, which improves the results of treatment of chronic catarrhal gingivitis in complex therapy, activates regenerative processes, reduces the spread and pain, normalizes immune processes. Polychromatic and monochromatic PILER shows a pronounced antimicrobial effect against opportunistic pathogens, although complete data on its use in periodontology is not yet available. LED radiation, in turn, also increases the sensitivity of conditionally pathogenic microorganisms to some antibiotics, causes improvement of oral hygiene indicators, bleeding of gums and stabilization of tooth mobility, inhibits the activation of pro-inflammatory cytokins, has a biostimulating effect on gum fibroblast and antiinflammatory effect. Experimental studies show that the use of low-intensity radiation and photosensitizers for photodynamic treatment (PDT) show significant improvement of treatment outcomes in periodontal patients. Thus, PDT in combination with mechanical cleaning of periodontal pockets leads to a significant decrease in their depth compared to traditional treatment methods. Conclusion. Application of various methods of irradiation of periodontal tissues using a certain dose of low-intensity radiation, wavelength and exposure, both individually and in combination with photosensitizers, can be employed in the treatment of inflammatory and inflammatory-dystrophic periodontal diseases as an effective antimicrobial method.

Study of the Energetic, Exergetic, and Thermal Balances of a Solar System in comparison with a Conventional System during the Distillation of Rosemary Leaves

The solar energy produced by Scheffler parabola (10 m2), is not fully exploited by solar distillation system of Aromatic and Medicinal Plants. In this work, the optical losses in the primary and secondary reflectors, and the thermal losses at each part of this system (distillation still, steam line, condenser) were determined. A thermal energetic and exergetic analysis was also performed for a solar system distillation of rosemary leaves. For average intensity radiation of 849.1W/m2 and 6 Kg of rosemary leaves during 4 hours of distillation, exergy and optical efficiencies of the system achieved up to 26.62% and 50.97%, respectively. The thermal efficiency of the still, steam line and condenser is about 94.80%, 93.08%, and 87.76%, respectively. Total efficiency of the solar distillation system, taking into account the heat losses in the still, steam line, and condenser, as well as the optical losses in the two reflectors, is 39.49%. The efficiency can be as high as 42.42% and if the steam line is insulated. Moreover, the comparison between the Solar Steam Distillation and Conventional Steam Distillation shows that solar distillation is much more efficient since it gives better results, and especially it avoids emission of 12.10 kg of CO2 during extraction.

Healthcare

No disease strikes more fear than cancer and none is more resistant to medical progress. This chapter illuminates the weaknesses of a health care system driven by profit rather than human need in addressing cancer. It explains how modern capitalism has undermined progress in cancer prevention and treatment. Reducing tobacco smoking has succeeded in reducing cancer, but pharmaceutical and other industries have not emphasized this approach because it is not profitable. Instead, they develop precision medicines, high intensity radiation, and private equity-financed high-tech oncology centers. While these have helped some patients, they have made cancer care exorbitantly expensive, out of reach of many Americans, and bankrupted those who can afford them. In response, cancer patients and their families, oncologists and other providers, and public officials are demanding a new approach to cancer, one that puts less emphasis on profitable drugs and devices and more on integrated prevention, early intervention, and affordable treatment approaches.

Optimization of treatment and prevention of generalized periodontal diseases with the use of transgingival photoactived disinfection

The aim of the study is to develop protocols for the treatment and prevention of generalized periodontal disease using a nozzle that designed for transgingival photosensitizer activation. Methods. Analysis of available variants of irradiation nozzles for photoactivated disinfection. Circuit design and construction of authors’ irradiation nozzle for transgingival photosensitizer activation. Results. Based on the analysis of data, there was developed a nozzle design that allows treating periodontium areas within 4-6 teeth, evenly distributes the required power of laser radiation, and can be used in hard-to-reach areas of the oral cavity. Based on the above calculations, a nozzle for transgingival photosensitizer activation was created (jointly with Fotonika Plus, PE). To optimize the PAD procedure, there was created a protocol of transgingival photoactivated disinfection to be applied at the stage of professional oral hygiene, using the created irradiation nozzle NOU-9 of authors’ design, and diode 2 W laser LIKA-surgeon with a wavelength of 660 nm. The result is the accelerated procedure of transgingival photoactivated disinfection. Conclusions. The development of photoactivated disinfection technology allows supplementing the traditional treatment of generalized periodontal diseases. Studies of non-invasive, transgingival method of photosensitizer activation have recently become popular. This, in turn, carries a lower probability of cross-infection and less traumatization of periodontal tissues during the manipulation. The use of PAD cannot lead to resistance of the microflora in contrast to pharmacological antibacterial preparations. Carrying out PAD does not require any complex manual skills, the purchase of expensive equipment, provides an opportunity for widespread introduction of technology. The use of the therapeutic complex and protocols of PAD that were developed can significantly reduce the duration of the procedure, resulting in improved comfort for both the doctor and the patient. The NOU-9 irradiation nozzle allows reaching hard-to-reach areas of the oral cavity, distributing laser radiation efficiently and evenly on periodontal tissues. The LIKA-surgeon 2 W laser with a wavelength of 660 nm provides the operating parameters required to activate the photosensitizer. Due to low-intensity radiation, it is possible to enhance regenerative processes in the periodontium after traumatic intervention. Clinical studies on the antibacterial efficacy of the technology are ongoing

Evaluation of dose-volume histogram prediction for organ-at risk and planning target volume based on machine learning

The purpose of this work is to evaluate the performance of applying patient dosimetric information induced by individual uniform-intensity radiation fields in organ-at risk (OAR) dose-volume histogram (DVH) prediction, and extend to DVH prediction of planning target volume (PTV). Ninety nasopharyngeal cancer intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) plans and 60 rectal cancer volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans were employed in this study. Of these, 20 nasopharyngeal cancer cases and 15 rectal cancer cases were randomly selected as the testing data. The DVH prediction was performed using two methods. One method applied the individual dose-volume histograms (IDVHs) induced by a series of fields with uniform-intensity irradiation and the other method applied the distance-to-target histogram and the conformal-plan-dose-volume histogram (DTH + CPDVH). The determination coefficient R2 and mean absolute error (MAE) were used to evaluate DVH prediction accuracy. The PTV DVH prediction was performed using the IDVHs. The PTV dose coverage was evaluated using D98, D95, D1 and uniformity index (UI). The OAR dose was compared using the maximum dose, V30 and V40. The significance of the results was examined with the Wilcoxon signed rank test. For PTV DVH prediction using IDVHs, the clinical plan and IDVHs prediction method achieved mean UI values of 1.07 and 1.06 for nasopharyngeal cancer, and 1.04 and 1.05 for rectal cancer, respectively. No significant difference was found between the clinical plan results and predicted results using the IDVHs method in achieving PTV dose coverage (D98,D95,D1 and UI) for both nasopharyngeal cancer and rectal cancer (p-values ≥ 0.052). For OAR DVH prediction, no significant difference was found between the IDVHs and DTH + CPDVH methods for the R2, MAE, the maximum dose, V30 and V40 (p-values ≥ 0.087 for all OARs). This work evaluates the performance of dosimetric information of several individual fields with uniform-intensity radiation for DVH prediction, and extends its application to PTV DVH prediction. The results indicated that the IDVHs method is comparable to the DTH + CPDVH method in accurately predicting the OAR DVH. The IDVHs method quantified the input features of the PTV and showed reliable PTV DVH prediction, which is helpful for plan quality evaluation and plan generation.

Optical Diagnostics of the Maxillary Sinuses by Digital Diaphanoscopy Technology

The work is devoted to the development of a scientific and technical basis for instrument implementation of a digital diaphanoscopy technology for the diagnosis of maxillary sinus inflammatory diseases taking into account the anatomical features of patients (differences in skin structure, skull bone thickness, and sinus size), the optical properties of exercised tissues, and the age and gender characteristics of patients. The technology is based on visualization and analysis of scattering patterns of low-intensity radiation as it passes through the maxillary sinuses. The article presents the experimental data obtained using the digital diaphanoscopy method and the results of numerical simulation of the optical radiation passage through the study area. The experimental setup has been modernized through the installation of a a device for controlling the LED applicator brightness. The approach proposed may have considerable promise for creating diagnostic criteria for various pathological changes and can be used to assess the differences in the optical and anatomical features of males and females.

Effect of low-intensity radiation on the morphological features of Peyer's plaque

Radiation has a negative impact on human health because of its high penetrating power. Mitoti-cally dividing cells and the lymphoid tissue of the gastrointestinal tract are most radiosensitive. The intestine is the major zone of sensitization and recycling of immunocytes that populate the mucous membranes of other organs. Immune-competent tissues of the digestive tract are repre-sented by lymphoid tissue, where the leading role belongs to Peyer's plaques-group accumula-tions of lymphoid tissue. The antigen-sensitized lymphocytes of Peyer's plaques migrate to the mesenteric lymph nodes, and from there through the lymphatic vessels through the thoracic duct and circulatory system and are directed to their own layer of the intestinal mucosa, mainly as IgA-secreting cells. This mechanism ensures the formation of clones of lymphocytes and the for-mation of specific antibodies in the areas of the mucous membrane that are remote from the fo-cus of primary sensitization. The important thing is that, unlike other lymphoid tissues that require infection or local immunization to form a germinal center, reproduction centers are always pre-sent in Peyer's plaques, regardless of the presence of infection.