Skip to main content

Omar Desouky

Followers

0

Following

2

Public Views

Interests

Uploads

Papers by Omar Desouky

Evaluating the Radiological Hazards of Contaminated Soil with Natural Radioactive Materials (NORM) Resulting from Produced Water during Oil & Gas Production

Arab Journal of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, 2021

Uncontrolled disposal of water extracted during oil and gas production leads to contamination of ... more Uncontrolled disposal of water extracted during oil and gas production leads to contamination of the surrounding soil with naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM), resulting in contamination of huge volumes of soil with radium isotopes (226 Ra and 228 Ra). In order to assess the radiological health hazards and excess lifetime cancer risks associated with the contaminated soil, the concentration of the naturally occurring radionuclides 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K were determined using gamma ray spectrometry. The mean activity concentrations of 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K were found to be 1939.56, 737.86 and198.21Bq kg _1 , respectively. The results of the radiological indices and annual effective dose & cancer risk estimated by RESRAD obtained in this study were all higher than their worldwide mean values. This indicates the danger of discharging the produced water resulting from oil and gas production into evaporation ponds without taking preventive measures that limit soil contamination and thus limiting workers' exposure to natural radioactive materials. There is a need to establish clear national rules and regulations for dealing with natural radioactive materials resulting from various oil and gas fields in order to contribute to the control and management policy of technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials (TE-NORM) released from this industry.

Removal of Syndesmotic Screw After Fixation in Ankle Fractures: A Systematic Review

Cureus, 2021

Syndesmotic injuries can occur with ankle fractures and can lead to destabilization of the ankle ... more Syndesmotic injuries can occur with ankle fractures and can lead to destabilization of the ankle joint. As a result, it usually requires a transyndesmotic screw insertion to stabilize it. Currently, there is no consensus on the type, amount and diameter of screws used, the number of cortices needed to be engaged, the recommended time to weight-bearing, and whether the screw should be removed in these types of injuries. The aim of this study is to evaluate the evidence comparing the removal and non-removal of syndesmotic screws in open and closed ankle fractures that are associated with unstable syndesmosis in terms of functional, clinical, and radiological evidence. The study also looked at the evidence behind broken screw effects. The literature search was conducted on March 16, 2021, using the Ovid Medline and Embase databases. The literature was eligible if it aimed to compare syndesmotic screw removal and retention in ankle fractures. One study found that those with a broken scr...

Evaluation the annual effective dose of the NORM decontamination workers during cleaning the oil and gas equipment

Arab Journal of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, 2018

Oil and gas production processing operations have been known to produce a large amount of natural... more Oil and gas production processing operations have been known to produce a large amount of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORMs) at elevated concentrations as by-product waste streams. This means that TE-NORM (technologically-enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials) wastes from the oil & gas industry may generate radiation exposure levels, which require attention and continuous monitoring during NORM decontamination of oil and gas equipment. This exposure is mostly caused by external and internal radiation coming from the 226 Ra & 228 Ra (U-238 and Th-232 series) radionuclides and their progenies. This study focuses on follow up of the annual effective dose for workers during decontaminating naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) of oil and gas equipment. The external effective dose was evaluated using thermoluminescence detector (TLD). The obtained data showed that the range of the annual dose was from 1.07 to 1.78 mSv and the average dose of the ten workers under investigation was 1.4 ±0.24 mSv. The average dose is about 7 % of the occupational annual dose limit. It is concluded that protective measures against external and internal contamination helped in the protection of the workers against NORM hazards).

NOTE: Characterization of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma using low-angle x-ray scattering signatures of serum

Phys Med Biol, 2003

Biophysical Characterization of � -Thalassemic Red Blood Cells

Cell Biochem Biophys, 2009

Impact evaluation of a-lipoic acid in gamma-irradiated erythrocytes

Radiat Phys Chem, 2011

This work is intended to study in vitro the ability of lipoic acid to protect erythrocytes agains... more This work is intended to study in vitro the ability of lipoic acid to protect erythrocytes against the oxidative damage resulting from exposure to gamma radiation through measurement of their rheological properties and to study the effects of detergent on their membrane solubility and permeability. Different doses of gamma radiation were applied: the most recommended and applied dose (25 Gy), and two higher doses, namely 50 and 100 Gy. The effect of addition of lipoic acid as well as its effect as a radioprotector was tested. The obtained results show changes in structural integrity of the erythrocyte cell membrane components as a result of oxidative damage due to gamma radiation that could be improved by pre-treatment with the antioxidant lipoic acid.

X-ray scattering signatures of �-thalassemia

Nucl Instrum Meth Phys Res a, 2009

Rheological properties of blood after whole body gamma-irradiation

The study of rheological properties of blood has special interest; since it is a circulating flui... more The study of rheological properties of blood has special interest; since it is a circulating fluid exposed to shear rates during its life time. This work aims to investigate the influence of whole body gamma irradiation on the rheological properties of rat's blood. The applied shear rate was from 12 to 375 s-1. Low shear viscosity (up to 100 s-1) depends mainly on the erythrocytes aggregation while the high shear viscosity depends on the erythrocytes deformability. Materials and Methods: Adult male rats were exposed to 1, 2.5, 3.5, 5, 7 and 9 Gy single doses. The consistency index, apparent viscosity, yield stress and aggregation index were increased after exposure to gamma radiation. The dielectric properties of the erythrocytes, in the low frequency range (60 Hz to 40 kHz), were measured in order to investigate the changes in the membrane surface charge. Results: The results obtained indicate that the viscosity, consistency index and yield stress increased after the exposure to the lowest dose taken; 1 Gy, and continued to increase as the exposure dose increased up to dose 7 Gy and then decrease after exposure to 9 Gy. The relative permittivity and relaxation time showed significant decrease after exposure to the lowest dose and continue to decrease as the dose increased. Conclusion: The obtained results can be attributed to the decrease of membrane surface charge after exposure to gamma radiation. The decrease in the membrane surface charge is known to decrease the repulsion between the cells and increase blood viscosity. Iran. J. Radiat.

Enhanced detection of hepatocellular carcinoma

Cancer control : journal of the Moffitt Cancer Center, 2005

Tumor markers in the early detection of tumors are promising tools that could improve the control... more Tumor markers in the early detection of tumors are promising tools that could improve the control and treatment of tumors. While alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a commonly used tumor marker in the detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), its sensitivity and specificity are insufficient to detect HCC in all patient samples. We compared AFP with serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF and VEGF-A), insulin-like growth factor-2 (IGF-II), and the activity of the lysosomal enzyme alpha-L-fucosidase (AFU) in the sensitivity of detection of HCC and cirrhosis in Egyptian patients. The sensitivity of tumor detection using AFP was 68.2%. This level of detection was increased to 88.6% when AFP was evaluated in conjunction with AFU. The combined use of AFP and VEGF increased the sensitivity of detection to 95.5% in patients with HCC. The combination of the three markers yielded 100% detection sensitivity. VEGF-A showed a low specificity (20%), and IGF-II showed extremely low sen...

Effects of Poly-MVA on the rheological properties of blood after in-vivo exposure to gamma radiation

Journal of Radiation Research and Applied Sciences, 2013

This study aims to examine the radio-prophylactic effects of poly-MVA against exposure to acute d... more This study aims to examine the radio-prophylactic effects of poly-MVA against exposure to acute dose of gamma radiation. Adult male rats, weighing 200 gm, were exposed to 6 Gy gamma radiation from Cs-137 source. The animals received daily oral administration of 2 ml/kg body weight of poly-MVA for different time intervals. The prophylactic effect was examined by two modes of administration: two weeks before irradiation and another group which received continuous administration for two weeks before and two other weeks after irradiation (total time of administration 28 days). Different parameters were performed, which include determination of cellular antioxidant enzymes (Glutathione (GSH), catalase and superoxide dismutase) in hepatic cells, the rheological properties of blood, osmotic fragility and scanning electron microscope photography of red blood cells. Exposure to radiation resulted in a significant decrease in cellular antioxidant enzymes (GSH, Catalase and SOD) and decrease in Bingham viscosity, yield stress and aggregation index of blood. Furthermore it induced slightly increase in average osmotic fragility of red blood cells accompanied by decrease in osmotic dispersion and remarkable modification of red blood cell morphology. Administration of Poly-MVA showed markedly elevation in GSH, Catalase and SOD content in liver cells in all treated groups. It also showed improvement in all observed parameters. The obtained results showed that oral uptake of poly MVA posses a radioprophylactic effect that might be used in planned radiation exposure in diagnosis and radiotherapy.

Impact evaluation of α-lipoic acid in gamma-irradiated erythrocytes

Radiation Physics and Chemistry, 2011

... Also [Desouky et al., 2009] and [Desouky et al., 2008] observed that ALA has the capacity to ... more

Low-angle X-ray scattering from spices

Radiation Physics and Chemistry, 2002

Low-angle scattering of X-rays is characterized by the presence of one or more peaks in the forwa... more Low-angle scattering of X-rays is characterized by the presence of one or more peaks in the forward direction of scattering. These peaks are due to the interference of photons coherently scattered from the molecules of the medium. Thus these patterns are closely linked to the molecular structure of the investigated medium. In this work, low-angle Xray scattering (LAXS) profiles of five spices; pimpinella anisum (anise), coriandrum sativum (coriander), cuminum cyminum (cumin), foenculum vulgare (fennel) and nigella sativa (nigella or black cumin) are presented after extensive measurements. It is found that all spices exhibit one characteristic peak at a scattering angle around 101. This is equivalent to a value x ¼ 0:0565 (A A-1 , where x ¼ sin(y=2)=l: The full width at half maximum (FWHM) of this peak is found to be characteristic for each type of the investigated spices. The possibility to detect the irradiation of these spices from their LAXS profiles is also examined after 10, 20, 30 and 40 kGy doses of gamma radiation. Except for anise, coriander and cumin at 40 kGy, there are no detectable deviations from the control samples in the scattering profiles of irradiated samples. These results comply with the recommendations of the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) which defines 30 kGy as the maximum dose for irradiation of spices. The present technique could be used to detect overirradiation, which causes damage to the molecular structure of some spices.

Spectroscopic analysis of irradiated erythrocytes

Radiation Physics and Chemistry, 2011

... 129 (2004), pp. 912916. Desouky et al., 2008 OS Desouky, GM Hassan and NS Selim, EPR study o... more

Low-angle x-ray scattering from lyophilized blood constituents

Physics in Medicine and Biology, 2001

Page 1. Low-angle x-ray scattering from lyophilized blood constituents This article has been down... more

Characterization of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma using low-angle x-ray scattering signatures of serum

Physics in Medicine and Biology, 2003

The diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) usually occurs at late stages in the disease when... more The diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) usually occurs at late stages in the disease when there are few effective treatment options. The measurement of the concentration of tumour markers in the serum of patients is a complementary tool frequently used for the interpretation of diagnostic imaging results. It is also used as a prognostic tool for the detection of cancer. Unfortunately, the sensitivity of tumour markers is still low and many times it yields normal results for cirrhotic and HCC patients. In the current work, the detection possibility of the structural changes in serum proteins accompanying cirrhosis and HCC is investigated using a low-angle x-ray scattering (LAXS) technique. The results show that there are significant differences in the LAXS profiles of cirrhosis and HCC lyophilized serum samples compared to normal. The changes in shape, total counts and position of the first scattering peak at 4.8 degrees, which was previously reported to be sensitive to the structural changes in protein, showed the most characteristic deviations from normal serum. The present results are promising and would offer a potentially helpful complementary tool for monitoring cirrhosis and HCC.

Analysis of low-angle x-ray scattering peaks from lyophilized biological samples

Physics in Medicine and Biology, 2001

Low-angle x-ray scattering (LAXS) from lyophilized blood and its constituents is characterized by... more Low-angle x-ray scattering (LAXS) from lyophilized blood and its constituents is characterized by the presence of two peaks in the forward direction of scattering. These peaks are found to be sensitive to the variations in the molecular structure of a given sample. The present work aims to explore the nature of LAXS from a variety of lyophilized biological samples. It also aims to investigate the possibility that a certain biological macromolecule is responsible of the production of LAXS peaks. This is carried out through measurements of LAXS from complex biological samples and their basic constituents. Among the measured samples are haemoglobin (Hb), globin, haem, packed red blood cells, bovine albumin, egg albumin, milk, casein, glutamine, alanine, fat, muscle and DNA. A table containing some characteristic parameters of the LAXS profiles of these samples is also presented. Analysis of measured profiles shows that all lyophilized samples produce at least one relatively broad peak at a scattering angle around 10.35 degrees. The full width at half maximum (FWHM) of this peak varies considerably among the measured samples. Except for milk and casein. one additional peak at a scattering angle around 4.65 degrees is observed only in the LAXS profiles of proteins or protein-rich samples. This fact strongly suggests protein to be the biological macromolecule from which this characteristic peak originates. The same idea is further strengthened through discussion of some previous observations.

X-ray scattering signatures of β-thalassemia

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, 2009

X-ray scattering from lyophilized proteins or protein-rich samples is characterized by the presen... more X-ray scattering from lyophilized proteins or protein-rich samples is characterized by the presence of two characteristic broad peaks at scattering angles equivalent to momentum transfer values of 0.27 and 0.6 nm À1 , respectively. These peaks arise from the interference of coherently scattered photons. Once the conformation of a protein is changed, these two peaks reflect such change with considerable sensitivity. The present work examines the possibility of characterizing the most common cause of hemolytic anaemia in Egypt and many Mediterranean countries; b-thalassemia, from its X-ray scattering profile. This disease emerges from a genetic defect causing reduced rate in the synthesis of one of the globin chains that make up hemoglobin. As a result, structurally abnormal hemoglobin molecules are formed. In order to detect such molecular disorder, hemoglobin samples of b-thalassemia patients are collected, lyophilized and measured using a conventional X-ray diffractometer. Results show significant differences in the X-ray scattering profiles of most of the diseased samples compared to control. The shape of the first scattering peak at 0.27 nm À1 , in addition to the relative intensity of the first to the second scattering peaks, provides the most reliable signs of abnormality in diseased samples. The results are interpreted and confirmed with the aid of Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy of normal and thalassemia samples.

Biophysical Characterization of β-Thalassemic Red Blood Cells

Cell Biochemistry and Biophysics, 2009

Thalassemia is the world&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s most common hereditary disease... more Thalassemia is the world&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s most common hereditary disease; therefore, more interest has been devoted for the development of the screening procedure of this disease. In beta-thalassemia major, the subject of the current study, impaired biosynthesis of beta-globin leads to accumulation of unpaired alpha-globin chain. The objective of the present study, was to examine many of the biophysical properties of beta-thalassemia major red blood cells (RBCs) and to study the possibility of use of any of them as a preliminary screening tool for beta-thalassemia. The percentage of normal hemolysis, osmotic fragility test, turbidity test, rheological properties, and dielectric properties, were studied in 20 regularly blood transfused thalassemia major patients who were under chelation therapy and their status were compared with those of 10 healthy subjects. There was an increase in the percentage of hemolysis for beta-thalassemia by 114.6% compared to the normal RBCs. The fragility curve for beta-thalassemia RBCs showed a shift toward lower NaCl concentration compared to the normal curve. The average osmotic fragility (H(50): the NaCl concentration producing 50% homolysis) for beta-thalassemia was found to be 3.21 +/- 0.67 g/l, whereas for normal RBCs it was 5.5 +/- 0.31 g/l. The turbidity curve of the beta-thalassemic RBCs showed a shift toward higher detergent concentration of the normal curve, with higher value for the average membrane solubilization (S(50)). The viscosity value of whole blood beta-thalassemia was found to be 3.916 +/- 0.56 cp whereas for normal blood was 2.516 +/- 0.36 cp. The relative permittivity, dielectric loss, and AC conductivity of RBCs decreased significantly compared to normal samples. This could be attributed to the loss of the insulating properties of the membrane and loss of its surface charge of thalassemic RBCs. As can be noticed, several factors showed clear difference between thalassemic and normal blood samples. Some of these parameters could be measured immediately after sample withdrawal and require short time to perform the measurements. This offers the advantages of being effective, low cost, and fast techniques, therefore, we suggest that these techniques could be applied for beta-thalassemia major screening purposes.

Electrical behavior of stored erythrocytes after exposure to gamma radiation and the role of α-lipoic acid as radioprotector

Applied Radiation and Isotopes, 2010

The effects of g rays (25, 50 and 100 Gy) on stored erythrocytes were studied by measuring their ... more The effects of g rays (25, 50 and 100 Gy) on stored erythrocytes were studied by measuring their dielectric properties and observing their morphology under scanning electron microscopy. Alpha lipoic acid (a potent natural antioxidant) was introduced prior to irradiation for radioprotection. It can be concluded that the dose level of 25 Gy can be considered a safe sterile dose; however, irradiation doses of 50 and 100 Gy should be applied with the addition of a-acid to preserve the cell viability.

DNA Damage Detection after Chronic Exposure and Radio-adaptive Response of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM)

Arab Journal of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, 2021

The objective of the present study is to understand the effect of chronic low-dose radiation that... more The objective of the present study is to understand the effect of chronic low-dose radiation that induces in vivo radio-adaptive response. The animals were exposed chronically to naturally occring radioactive materials (NORM) for one and two months which correspond to 10 &20 mSv which are comparable to the reality of areas with high background natural radiation (HBNR). Radioactivity assessment of samples was performed using a high purity germanium -ray spectrometer. The study to understand the radio-adaptive response was conducted via exposing the experimental animals to a challenge dose of 2 Gy, after continuous exposure to 10 & 20 mSv. Comet assay was performed in addition to some of antioxidant enzymes concentrations (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalyze enzyme (CAT), reduced and oxidized glutathione (GSH). Chronic exposure to 10 and 20 mSv showed DNA damage as a significant elevation in Comet assay parameters. In addition, the results of the present work showed a low production of antioxidant enzymes CAT, SOD & GSH in both chronic exposures (10 & 20 mSv and challange dose 2 Gy). The exposure to 20 mSv before 2Gy gamma rays resulted in an enhancement of the antioxidant enzymes accompanied with a decrease in free radicals which represent an adaptive response. It can be said that for low radiation doses, which are less than 100 mSv, their effects differ from high doses, so that it can be said that the body has an adaptive response and the application of the linear nonthreshold model must be reviewed for these doses.

Evaluating the Radiological Hazards of Contaminated Soil with Natural Radioactive Materials (NORM) Resulting from Produced Water during Oil & Gas Production

Arab Journal of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, 2021

Uncontrolled disposal of water extracted during oil and gas production leads to contamination of ... more Uncontrolled disposal of water extracted during oil and gas production leads to contamination of the surrounding soil with naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM), resulting in contamination of huge volumes of soil with radium isotopes (226 Ra and 228 Ra). In order to assess the radiological health hazards and excess lifetime cancer risks associated with the contaminated soil, the concentration of the naturally occurring radionuclides 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K were determined using gamma ray spectrometry. The mean activity concentrations of 226 Ra, 232 Th and 40 K were found to be 1939.56, 737.86 and198.21Bq kg _1 , respectively. The results of the radiological indices and annual effective dose & cancer risk estimated by RESRAD obtained in this study were all higher than their worldwide mean values. This indicates the danger of discharging the produced water resulting from oil and gas production into evaporation ponds without taking preventive measures that limit soil contamination and thus limiting workers' exposure to natural radioactive materials. There is a need to establish clear national rules and regulations for dealing with natural radioactive materials resulting from various oil and gas fields in order to contribute to the control and management policy of technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials (TE-NORM) released from this industry.

Removal of Syndesmotic Screw After Fixation in Ankle Fractures: A Systematic Review

Cureus, 2021

Syndesmotic injuries can occur with ankle fractures and can lead to destabilization of the ankle ... more Syndesmotic injuries can occur with ankle fractures and can lead to destabilization of the ankle joint. As a result, it usually requires a transyndesmotic screw insertion to stabilize it. Currently, there is no consensus on the type, amount and diameter of screws used, the number of cortices needed to be engaged, the recommended time to weight-bearing, and whether the screw should be removed in these types of injuries. The aim of this study is to evaluate the evidence comparing the removal and non-removal of syndesmotic screws in open and closed ankle fractures that are associated with unstable syndesmosis in terms of functional, clinical, and radiological evidence. The study also looked at the evidence behind broken screw effects. The literature search was conducted on March 16, 2021, using the Ovid Medline and Embase databases. The literature was eligible if it aimed to compare syndesmotic screw removal and retention in ankle fractures. One study found that those with a broken scr...

Evaluation the annual effective dose of the NORM decontamination workers during cleaning the oil and gas equipment

Arab Journal of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, 2018

Oil and gas production processing operations have been known to produce a large amount of natural... more Oil and gas production processing operations have been known to produce a large amount of naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORMs) at elevated concentrations as by-product waste streams. This means that TE-NORM (technologically-enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials) wastes from the oil & gas industry may generate radiation exposure levels, which require attention and continuous monitoring during NORM decontamination of oil and gas equipment. This exposure is mostly caused by external and internal radiation coming from the 226 Ra & 228 Ra (U-238 and Th-232 series) radionuclides and their progenies. This study focuses on follow up of the annual effective dose for workers during decontaminating naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) of oil and gas equipment. The external effective dose was evaluated using thermoluminescence detector (TLD). The obtained data showed that the range of the annual dose was from 1.07 to 1.78 mSv and the average dose of the ten workers under investigation was 1.4 ±0.24 mSv. The average dose is about 7 % of the occupational annual dose limit. It is concluded that protective measures against external and internal contamination helped in the protection of the workers against NORM hazards).

NOTE: Characterization of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma using low-angle x-ray scattering signatures of serum

Phys Med Biol, 2003

Biophysical Characterization of � -Thalassemic Red Blood Cells

Cell Biochem Biophys, 2009

Impact evaluation of a-lipoic acid in gamma-irradiated erythrocytes

Radiat Phys Chem, 2011

This work is intended to study in vitro the ability of lipoic acid to protect erythrocytes agains... more This work is intended to study in vitro the ability of lipoic acid to protect erythrocytes against the oxidative damage resulting from exposure to gamma radiation through measurement of their rheological properties and to study the effects of detergent on their membrane solubility and permeability. Different doses of gamma radiation were applied: the most recommended and applied dose (25 Gy), and two higher doses, namely 50 and 100 Gy. The effect of addition of lipoic acid as well as its effect as a radioprotector was tested. The obtained results show changes in structural integrity of the erythrocyte cell membrane components as a result of oxidative damage due to gamma radiation that could be improved by pre-treatment with the antioxidant lipoic acid.

X-ray scattering signatures of �-thalassemia

Nucl Instrum Meth Phys Res a, 2009

Rheological properties of blood after whole body gamma-irradiation

The study of rheological properties of blood has special interest; since it is a circulating flui... more The study of rheological properties of blood has special interest; since it is a circulating fluid exposed to shear rates during its life time. This work aims to investigate the influence of whole body gamma irradiation on the rheological properties of rat's blood. The applied shear rate was from 12 to 375 s-1. Low shear viscosity (up to 100 s-1) depends mainly on the erythrocytes aggregation while the high shear viscosity depends on the erythrocytes deformability. Materials and Methods: Adult male rats were exposed to 1, 2.5, 3.5, 5, 7 and 9 Gy single doses. The consistency index, apparent viscosity, yield stress and aggregation index were increased after exposure to gamma radiation. The dielectric properties of the erythrocytes, in the low frequency range (60 Hz to 40 kHz), were measured in order to investigate the changes in the membrane surface charge. Results: The results obtained indicate that the viscosity, consistency index and yield stress increased after the exposure to the lowest dose taken; 1 Gy, and continued to increase as the exposure dose increased up to dose 7 Gy and then decrease after exposure to 9 Gy. The relative permittivity and relaxation time showed significant decrease after exposure to the lowest dose and continue to decrease as the dose increased. Conclusion: The obtained results can be attributed to the decrease of membrane surface charge after exposure to gamma radiation. The decrease in the membrane surface charge is known to decrease the repulsion between the cells and increase blood viscosity. Iran. J. Radiat.

Enhanced detection of hepatocellular carcinoma

Cancer control : journal of the Moffitt Cancer Center, 2005

Tumor markers in the early detection of tumors are promising tools that could improve the control... more Tumor markers in the early detection of tumors are promising tools that could improve the control and treatment of tumors. While alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a commonly used tumor marker in the detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), its sensitivity and specificity are insufficient to detect HCC in all patient samples. We compared AFP with serum levels of vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF and VEGF-A), insulin-like growth factor-2 (IGF-II), and the activity of the lysosomal enzyme alpha-L-fucosidase (AFU) in the sensitivity of detection of HCC and cirrhosis in Egyptian patients. The sensitivity of tumor detection using AFP was 68.2%. This level of detection was increased to 88.6% when AFP was evaluated in conjunction with AFU. The combined use of AFP and VEGF increased the sensitivity of detection to 95.5% in patients with HCC. The combination of the three markers yielded 100% detection sensitivity. VEGF-A showed a low specificity (20%), and IGF-II showed extremely low sen...

Effects of Poly-MVA on the rheological properties of blood after in-vivo exposure to gamma radiation

Journal of Radiation Research and Applied Sciences, 2013

This study aims to examine the radio-prophylactic effects of poly-MVA against exposure to acute d... more This study aims to examine the radio-prophylactic effects of poly-MVA against exposure to acute dose of gamma radiation. Adult male rats, weighing 200 gm, were exposed to 6 Gy gamma radiation from Cs-137 source. The animals received daily oral administration of 2 ml/kg body weight of poly-MVA for different time intervals. The prophylactic effect was examined by two modes of administration: two weeks before irradiation and another group which received continuous administration for two weeks before and two other weeks after irradiation (total time of administration 28 days). Different parameters were performed, which include determination of cellular antioxidant enzymes (Glutathione (GSH), catalase and superoxide dismutase) in hepatic cells, the rheological properties of blood, osmotic fragility and scanning electron microscope photography of red blood cells. Exposure to radiation resulted in a significant decrease in cellular antioxidant enzymes (GSH, Catalase and SOD) and decrease in Bingham viscosity, yield stress and aggregation index of blood. Furthermore it induced slightly increase in average osmotic fragility of red blood cells accompanied by decrease in osmotic dispersion and remarkable modification of red blood cell morphology. Administration of Poly-MVA showed markedly elevation in GSH, Catalase and SOD content in liver cells in all treated groups. It also showed improvement in all observed parameters. The obtained results showed that oral uptake of poly MVA posses a radioprophylactic effect that might be used in planned radiation exposure in diagnosis and radiotherapy.

Impact evaluation of α-lipoic acid in gamma-irradiated erythrocytes

Radiation Physics and Chemistry, 2011

... Also [Desouky et al., 2009] and [Desouky et al., 2008] observed that ALA has the capacity to ... more

Low-angle X-ray scattering from spices

Radiation Physics and Chemistry, 2002

Low-angle scattering of X-rays is characterized by the presence of one or more peaks in the forwa... more Low-angle scattering of X-rays is characterized by the presence of one or more peaks in the forward direction of scattering. These peaks are due to the interference of photons coherently scattered from the molecules of the medium. Thus these patterns are closely linked to the molecular structure of the investigated medium. In this work, low-angle Xray scattering (LAXS) profiles of five spices; pimpinella anisum (anise), coriandrum sativum (coriander), cuminum cyminum (cumin), foenculum vulgare (fennel) and nigella sativa (nigella or black cumin) are presented after extensive measurements. It is found that all spices exhibit one characteristic peak at a scattering angle around 101. This is equivalent to a value x ¼ 0:0565 (A A-1 , where x ¼ sin(y=2)=l: The full width at half maximum (FWHM) of this peak is found to be characteristic for each type of the investigated spices. The possibility to detect the irradiation of these spices from their LAXS profiles is also examined after 10, 20, 30 and 40 kGy doses of gamma radiation. Except for anise, coriander and cumin at 40 kGy, there are no detectable deviations from the control samples in the scattering profiles of irradiated samples. These results comply with the recommendations of the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration) which defines 30 kGy as the maximum dose for irradiation of spices. The present technique could be used to detect overirradiation, which causes damage to the molecular structure of some spices.

Spectroscopic analysis of irradiated erythrocytes

Radiation Physics and Chemistry, 2011

... 129 (2004), pp. 912916. Desouky et al., 2008 OS Desouky, GM Hassan and NS Selim, EPR study o... more

Low-angle x-ray scattering from lyophilized blood constituents

Physics in Medicine and Biology, 2001

Page 1. Low-angle x-ray scattering from lyophilized blood constituents This article has been down... more

Characterization of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma using low-angle x-ray scattering signatures of serum

Physics in Medicine and Biology, 2003

The diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) usually occurs at late stages in the disease when... more The diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) usually occurs at late stages in the disease when there are few effective treatment options. The measurement of the concentration of tumour markers in the serum of patients is a complementary tool frequently used for the interpretation of diagnostic imaging results. It is also used as a prognostic tool for the detection of cancer. Unfortunately, the sensitivity of tumour markers is still low and many times it yields normal results for cirrhotic and HCC patients. In the current work, the detection possibility of the structural changes in serum proteins accompanying cirrhosis and HCC is investigated using a low-angle x-ray scattering (LAXS) technique. The results show that there are significant differences in the LAXS profiles of cirrhosis and HCC lyophilized serum samples compared to normal. The changes in shape, total counts and position of the first scattering peak at 4.8 degrees, which was previously reported to be sensitive to the structural changes in protein, showed the most characteristic deviations from normal serum. The present results are promising and would offer a potentially helpful complementary tool for monitoring cirrhosis and HCC.

Analysis of low-angle x-ray scattering peaks from lyophilized biological samples

Physics in Medicine and Biology, 2001

Low-angle x-ray scattering (LAXS) from lyophilized blood and its constituents is characterized by... more Low-angle x-ray scattering (LAXS) from lyophilized blood and its constituents is characterized by the presence of two peaks in the forward direction of scattering. These peaks are found to be sensitive to the variations in the molecular structure of a given sample. The present work aims to explore the nature of LAXS from a variety of lyophilized biological samples. It also aims to investigate the possibility that a certain biological macromolecule is responsible of the production of LAXS peaks. This is carried out through measurements of LAXS from complex biological samples and their basic constituents. Among the measured samples are haemoglobin (Hb), globin, haem, packed red blood cells, bovine albumin, egg albumin, milk, casein, glutamine, alanine, fat, muscle and DNA. A table containing some characteristic parameters of the LAXS profiles of these samples is also presented. Analysis of measured profiles shows that all lyophilized samples produce at least one relatively broad peak at a scattering angle around 10.35 degrees. The full width at half maximum (FWHM) of this peak varies considerably among the measured samples. Except for milk and casein. one additional peak at a scattering angle around 4.65 degrees is observed only in the LAXS profiles of proteins or protein-rich samples. This fact strongly suggests protein to be the biological macromolecule from which this characteristic peak originates. The same idea is further strengthened through discussion of some previous observations.

X-ray scattering signatures of β-thalassemia

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section A: Accelerators, Spectrometers, Detectors and Associated Equipment, 2009

X-ray scattering from lyophilized proteins or protein-rich samples is characterized by the presen... more X-ray scattering from lyophilized proteins or protein-rich samples is characterized by the presence of two characteristic broad peaks at scattering angles equivalent to momentum transfer values of 0.27 and 0.6 nm À1 , respectively. These peaks arise from the interference of coherently scattered photons. Once the conformation of a protein is changed, these two peaks reflect such change with considerable sensitivity. The present work examines the possibility of characterizing the most common cause of hemolytic anaemia in Egypt and many Mediterranean countries; b-thalassemia, from its X-ray scattering profile. This disease emerges from a genetic defect causing reduced rate in the synthesis of one of the globin chains that make up hemoglobin. As a result, structurally abnormal hemoglobin molecules are formed. In order to detect such molecular disorder, hemoglobin samples of b-thalassemia patients are collected, lyophilized and measured using a conventional X-ray diffractometer. Results show significant differences in the X-ray scattering profiles of most of the diseased samples compared to control. The shape of the first scattering peak at 0.27 nm À1 , in addition to the relative intensity of the first to the second scattering peaks, provides the most reliable signs of abnormality in diseased samples. The results are interpreted and confirmed with the aid of Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy of normal and thalassemia samples.

Biophysical Characterization of β-Thalassemic Red Blood Cells

Cell Biochemistry and Biophysics, 2009

Thalassemia is the world&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s most common hereditary disease... more Thalassemia is the world&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;#39;s most common hereditary disease; therefore, more interest has been devoted for the development of the screening procedure of this disease. In beta-thalassemia major, the subject of the current study, impaired biosynthesis of beta-globin leads to accumulation of unpaired alpha-globin chain. The objective of the present study, was to examine many of the biophysical properties of beta-thalassemia major red blood cells (RBCs) and to study the possibility of use of any of them as a preliminary screening tool for beta-thalassemia. The percentage of normal hemolysis, osmotic fragility test, turbidity test, rheological properties, and dielectric properties, were studied in 20 regularly blood transfused thalassemia major patients who were under chelation therapy and their status were compared with those of 10 healthy subjects. There was an increase in the percentage of hemolysis for beta-thalassemia by 114.6% compared to the normal RBCs. The fragility curve for beta-thalassemia RBCs showed a shift toward lower NaCl concentration compared to the normal curve. The average osmotic fragility (H(50): the NaCl concentration producing 50% homolysis) for beta-thalassemia was found to be 3.21 +/- 0.67 g/l, whereas for normal RBCs it was 5.5 +/- 0.31 g/l. The turbidity curve of the beta-thalassemic RBCs showed a shift toward higher detergent concentration of the normal curve, with higher value for the average membrane solubilization (S(50)). The viscosity value of whole blood beta-thalassemia was found to be 3.916 +/- 0.56 cp whereas for normal blood was 2.516 +/- 0.36 cp. The relative permittivity, dielectric loss, and AC conductivity of RBCs decreased significantly compared to normal samples. This could be attributed to the loss of the insulating properties of the membrane and loss of its surface charge of thalassemic RBCs. As can be noticed, several factors showed clear difference between thalassemic and normal blood samples. Some of these parameters could be measured immediately after sample withdrawal and require short time to perform the measurements. This offers the advantages of being effective, low cost, and fast techniques, therefore, we suggest that these techniques could be applied for beta-thalassemia major screening purposes.

Electrical behavior of stored erythrocytes after exposure to gamma radiation and the role of α-lipoic acid as radioprotector

Applied Radiation and Isotopes, 2010

The effects of g rays (25, 50 and 100 Gy) on stored erythrocytes were studied by measuring their ... more The effects of g rays (25, 50 and 100 Gy) on stored erythrocytes were studied by measuring their dielectric properties and observing their morphology under scanning electron microscopy. Alpha lipoic acid (a potent natural antioxidant) was introduced prior to irradiation for radioprotection. It can be concluded that the dose level of 25 Gy can be considered a safe sterile dose; however, irradiation doses of 50 and 100 Gy should be applied with the addition of a-acid to preserve the cell viability.

DNA Damage Detection after Chronic Exposure and Radio-adaptive Response of Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM)

Arab Journal of Nuclear Sciences and Applications, 2021

The objective of the present study is to understand the effect of chronic low-dose radiation that... more The objective of the present study is to understand the effect of chronic low-dose radiation that induces in vivo radio-adaptive response. The animals were exposed chronically to naturally occring radioactive materials (NORM) for one and two months which correspond to 10 &20 mSv which are comparable to the reality of areas with high background natural radiation (HBNR). Radioactivity assessment of samples was performed using a high purity germanium -ray spectrometer. The study to understand the radio-adaptive response was conducted via exposing the experimental animals to a challenge dose of 2 Gy, after continuous exposure to 10 & 20 mSv. Comet assay was performed in addition to some of antioxidant enzymes concentrations (superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalyze enzyme (CAT), reduced and oxidized glutathione (GSH). Chronic exposure to 10 and 20 mSv showed DNA damage as a significant elevation in Comet assay parameters. In addition, the results of the present work showed a low production of antioxidant enzymes CAT, SOD & GSH in both chronic exposures (10 & 20 mSv and challange dose 2 Gy). The exposure to 20 mSv before 2Gy gamma rays resulted in an enhancement of the antioxidant enzymes accompanied with a decrease in free radicals which represent an adaptive response. It can be said that for low radiation doses, which are less than 100 mSv, their effects differ from high doses, so that it can be said that the body has an adaptive response and the application of the linear nonthreshold model must be reviewed for these doses.