Evaluating the Necessity and Radiation Risk of Brain CT Scans Requested by the Trauma Emergency Department.

Background: Numerous Computed Tomography (CT) scan requests for trauma patients have raised serious concern about the impacts of radiation such as radiation-induced cancers. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the necessity rate of requested head CT scans for traumatic patients and to ultimately estimate the risk of radiation-induced brain cancer. Material and Methods: In this retrospective analytical study, traumatic patients, who had undergone a head CT scan in a two-month period from August 23 to October 22, 2018, were considered as the study population. Two radiologists reviewed each patient individually to evaluate the rate of normal and abnormal cases. Dose length product in milligrays (mGy) was utilized to calculate the effective dose (ED) in millisieverts (mSv), resulting in an assessment of the risk of radiation-induced brain cancer using ICRP 103. Results: Among 523 scans, 460 patients (88%) received normal reviews, while only 47 patients (9%) had findings related to their current trauma. The mean effective dose value was 1.05±0.36 mSv. Risk of the radiation induced brain cancer was calculated to be 0.037 and 0.030 new cancer cases in 10000 males and females per Gy, respectively. Conclusion: Final results demonstrated that a significant number of traumatic patients undergoing a CT scan are in fact, healthy. Such reckless usage of CT and consequently the excess exposure could result in a dramatic rise in cancer rates. The need to limit unnecessary CT scan usage and keeping the radiation given to patients as low as reasonably achievable (ALARA) when collecting essential diagnostic data is more critical than ever.

BBN conjugated GNPs: a new targeting contrast agent for imaging of breast cancer in radiology.

Using of targeted contrast agents in X-ray imaging of breast cancer can improve the accuracy of diagnosis, staging, and treatment planning by providing early detection and superior definition of tumour volume. This study demonstrates a new class of X-ray contrast agents based on gold nanoparticles (GNPs) and bombesin (BBN) for imaging of breast cancer in radiology. GNPs were synthesised in spherical shape in the size range of 15 ± 2 nm and conjugated with BBN followed by coating with polyethyleneglycol (PEG). The in vitro and in vivo behaviour of PEG-coated GNPs-BBN conjugate was investigated performing cytotoxicity, binding, and internalisation assays as well as biodistribution and X-ray imaging studies in mouse bearing breast tumour. Cytotoxicity study showed biocompatibility of the prepared bioconjugate. The binding and internalisation studies using T47D cell line approved the targeting ability of new agent. The biodistribution study showed the considerable accumulation of prepared conjugate in breast tumour in mouse model. The breast tumour was clearly visualised in X-ray images taken from the mouse model. The results showed the potential of PEG-coated GNPs-BBN conjugate as a contrast agent in X-ray imaging of breast tumour in humans that need further investigations.

Gentamicin-gold nanoparticles conjugate: a contrast agent for X-ray imaging of infectious foci due to Staphylococcus aureus.

There is no optimal imaging method for the detection of unknown infectious foci in some diseases. This study introduces a novel method in X-ray imaging of infection foci due to Staphylococcus aureus by developing a contrast agent based on gold nanoparticles (GNPs). GNPs in spherical shape were synthesised by the reduction of tetrachloroauric acid with sodium citrate. Then gentamicin was bound directly to citrate functionalised GNPs and the complex was stabilised by polyethylene glycol. The interaction of gentamicin with GNPs was confirmed by ultraviolet-visible and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopies. The stability of complex was studied in human blood up to 6 h. The stability of conjugate was found to be high in human blood with no aggregation. The biodistribution study showed localisation of gentamicin-GNPs conjugate at the site of Staphylococcal infection. The infection site was properly visualised in X-ray images in mouse model using the gentamicin-GNPs conjugate as a contrast agent. The results demonstrated that one may consider the potential of new nanodrug as a contrast agent for X-ray imaging of infection foci in human beings which needs more investigations.