Treatment of Radon Rich Bottled Water by Granular Activated Carbon Adsorption Method

We explore the use of Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) as a mitigation technique for the treatment of drinking water that was artificially enriched with Rn-222 in laboratory by placing a radium rich granite stone (pitchblende) in a closed container filled with tap water for several days in order to allow Rn-222 concentration to approach its highest possible level. Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) was immersed into the water container in order to adsorb Rn-222 in radon-rich water. The optimum activation procedure for GAC preparation was determined. Suitable contact time and optimum quantities of GAC needed to reduce Rn-222 concentration in water were experimentally determined. There is a much greater increase in Rn-222 removal from water in the ranges from 1 part: 1000 parts to 4 parts: 1000 parts GAC/water ratios. Further increase in GAC/water ratio slowly affects the Rn-222 removal.

Computed Tomography Angiography Compared to Catheter Based Angiography in Evaluation of Cerebral Arterial Aneurysm and Arteriovenous Malformation

Both cerebral arterial aneurysm and arteriovenous malformation are cerebrovascular disease, which required immediate diagnosis and urgent treatment. Since the introduction of multislice CT scanners, CT angiography (CTA) has become a powerful tool for imaging the vascular system. The goal of this study is to compare catheter based angiography and CTA in the evaluation of cerebral arterial aneurysm and arteriovenous malformation AVM. A retrospective analysis of 50 patients for exploring the record of patient who underwent both multislice CT angiography (MSCTA) and catheter based angiography before treatment is presented during last one year in the department of Radiology, King Fahd Hospital-Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The sensitivity of CTA for picking up aneurysm is 86% and the sensitivity of catheter based angiography for picking up aneurysm is 97%. The specificity of CTA for picking up aneurysm is (76%), the false positive cases are (3%) and the false negative cases are 10%. The sensitivity of both CTA and catheter based angiography for picking up arteriovenous malformation is (90%). The specificity of CTA for picking up AVM is (76%), the false positive cases are (10%) and no false negative cases in CTA are found. The sensitivity and specificity of catheter based angiography is 100% in diagnosis and detection of cerebral arterial aneurysm and AVM. The present study concluded that CTA has high sensitivity and specificity in detecting aneurysm and AVM enough to be chosen as the first step. Catheter based angiography, still a gold standard for radiology examination, is the most accurate, sensitive and specific method in diagnosis and detection of cerebral arterial aneurysm and arteriovenous malformation, which can be done as the second step. In addition, catheter based angiography is done for treatment planning, treatment with interventional procedure and for prognosis after treatment.

Functional MRI and MR Spectroscopy Utilization in Jeddah Hospitals

Functional magnetic resonance imaging “fMRI” and magnetic resonance spectroscopy “MRS” are two crucial milestones that were introduced apart from one another into brain imaging and their implementation in major local cities is eventual step. Thus, the purpose of this study was to compare those techniques in terms of their clinical utilization in patient care delivery among the major governmental and private hospitals within Jeddah city. The study initially included eighteen hospitals to identify whether they were utilizing fMRI and MRS in their clinical practice. Out of the 18 hospitals under study only one hospital (5.6%) had both fMRI and MRS software;7 (38.9%) had MRS but not fMRI;4 (22.2%) did not have fMRI or MRS;and 6 (33.3%) hospitals had no MRI machine at all. Out of the eight hospitals applying MRS with one being excluded, the starting date of application was 2002 in 4 (57.1%) hospitals, 2004 in 1 (14.3%) hospital, and 2006 in 2 (28.6%) hospitals. The frequency of doing MRS was once a week in 2 (28.6%) hospitals, 2-3 cases/week in 3 (42.9%) hospitals, 5-10 cases/week in 1 (14.3%) hospital, and once every 6 months in 1 (14.3%) hospital. On the other hand, fMRI was applied only by one hospital starting in 2000 and was soon dismissed due to its time consumption and the inability of patients to accurately follow given instructions. It was concluded that MRS was more widely utilized compared to fMRI. Later on, a follow-up survey in the year of 2014 demonstrated that MRS has started to become a standard service in most hospitals whereas fMRI was still being unrecognized.

Accuracy of Ultrasound to Determine Gestational Age in Third Trimester

Rapid and accurate determination of gestational age (GA) may be vital to the appropriate care of the critically ill pregnant patient and improve obstetric care through allowing the optimal timing of necessary interventions and the avoidance of unnecessary ones. Ultrasound scans are considered to be the most cost-effective, accurate and safe methods for measurement of various fetal parts in pregnant women. The aim of this research is to explore the accuracy of ultrasound in determining gestational age of fetus in third trimesters. Data collected for all pregnant women referred to the Maternity & Children’s Hospital in Jeddah. Only women with single live fetus were included in this study. Women who participated in the study were selected on following criteria: Regular menstrual cycles, known date of last menstrual period and previous live normal neonates in multipara. All scans were performed by a single ultrasonologist on one ultrasound machine. From collected data, it was found that out of 53 (100%) patients, 44 (84.62%) pregnant woman have different gestational age from US and last menstrual period (LMP). From this study we can conclude that the main method to follow fetus growth in third trimester not biparietal diameter (BPD) measurement only. The BPD in third trimester is not reliable and be useless when the patient pass 30 weeks and the BPD has to be side with other measurements when we take it in later trimesters to emphasize the normal growth of fetus and avoid wrong measurement of ultrasound.

CT Optimization for Diagnosis of Some Acute Abdomen Cases

The acute abdomen is one of the most frequent causes for presentation to the emergency department. Imaging plays an important role for an accurate diagnosis, which in turn diminishes morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to demonstrate optimum CT aspects and emphasize on the important features of CT for those patients presenting with an acute abdominal pain at the Emergency Department both in general and in a number of selected conditions (appendicitis, small-bowel obstruction, acute pancreatitis, and diverticulitis). The reported data by this study are based on the author working experience, which forms a continuous protocol adjustment process. The present study provides evidence that CT would result in definite diagnosis of patients with abdominal pain in terms of the detection of some urgent conditions.

A Mitigating Technique for the Treatment of Small Volumes Drinking Water from Radon Gas

We made an evaluation of a suitable mitigation technique for the treatment of drinking water that was artificially enriched with Rn-222 in laboratory by placing a radium rich granite stone (pitchblende) in a closed container filled with tap water for several days in order to allow Rn-222 concentration to approach its highest possible level. Experiments were designed to investigate the effectiveness of removal of Rn-222 by diffused bubble aeration method at room temperature. The results showed that this method becomes more efficient at higher airto-water ratios. Better aeration depends on the length of travel of bubbles through the water depth. This method is practical and has low capital cost. The removal of Rn-222 from artificially enriched water can be practically achieved by diffused bubble aeration method to greater than 98%.