The aim of this study is to evaluate both buildup factors and photon attenuation effectiveness of some borate glasses doped by Cd, Fe, V, and Bi. The mass attenuation coefficients (μm) of these glass ...systems have been calculated via MCNP6 and GEANT4 computer simulation codes over 0.02–10 MeV energy range and compared with the theoretical results of WinXCOM program. And then, half-value layer, (HVL), mean free path (MFP), and effective atomic number (Zeff) for the different content based glasses have been determined. Through G-P fitting process, exposure buildup factors (EBF) have been found in the energy range of 0.015–15 MeV up to 40 mfp. It can be concluded that SrBiO20 glass is alternative material in terms of photon attenuation, respectively.
•Buildup factors and photon attenuation parameters of some borate glasses doped by Cd, Fe, V, and Bi have been investigated.•Monte Carlo simulations and theoretical calculations have been done.•SrBiO20 glass is alternative material in terms of photon attenuation.
Many studies have investigated the influence of theoretical models and factors involved in the acquisition of cross-section data of a nuclear reaction. The implications of different models of various ...variables such as level density, gamma strength function, and optical potentials on cross-section calculations whether used solo or jointly are investigated in a significant portion of the works conducted in this perspective. The aim of this particular study is to investigate the influence of different optical models on the cross-section calculations in production of several scandium isotopes, known for various medical uses, from several targets with natural abundances by (d,x) reactions. For this purpose, the cross-section calculations using five available deuteron optical models of TALYS code in natTi(d,x)43Sc, natTi(d,x)44mSc, natTi(d,x)46Sc, natTi(d,x)47Sc, natV(d,x)47Sc and natCr(d,x)47Sc reactions were performed and the obtained calculation results were compared with the experimental cross-section data gathered from the literature. To understand whether there is a significant and consistent relationship between the experimental data and the calculation results, both have been plotted together and analyzed with the naked-eye. In addition, the calculations of the mean standardized deviation, the mean relative deviation, the mean ratio and the mean square logarithmic deviation were performed in order to evaluate the results numerically.
•Cross-section calculations were done for (p,x)43,44m,46,47Sc reactions.•TALYS 1.95 code was used for the calculations.•Deuteron optical model potentials were used in calculations.•Calculation results and available experimental data from the literature were compared.•Also numerical comparisons have been done by using deviation factors.
A common feature of scientific studies is that when experimental observation data are not available, theoretical calculations are used to obtain information about the subject under investigation. In ...this context, many parameters and theoretical models have been developed that can be used in nuclear physics studies just as it is in other branches of sciences. It is intended that by doing so, theoretical models can be improved using recent experimental data while also learning about outcomes where experimental data is unavailable or difficult to access. Among the many theoretical models available, there are also deuteron optical models whose effects are examined in this study. The objective of this study is to examine the effects of different deuteron optical models on the cross-section calculations of deuteron induced reactions on natural germanium. The cross-section values of natGe(d,x)70As, natGe(d,x)71As, natGe(d,x)72As, natGe(d,x)73As, natGe(d,x)74As and natGe(d,x)76As reactions were calculated using five deuteron optical models in the TALYS code's v1.95 for this aim, and the results were compared to the experimental data available in the database known as Experimental Nuclear Reaction Data (EXFOR) library. Graphics and quantitative analyses were also used to present the findings and interpretations of the outcomes.
•-Cross-section calculations were done for natGe(d,x)70,71,72,73,74,76As reactions by using different deuteron optical models.•TALYS 1.95 code was used for the calculations.•Obtained calculation results and available experimental data from the literature were compared.
Mass excess knowledge is important to investigate the fundamental properties of atomic nuclei. It is a meaningful and important parameter for the determinations of nucleon binding energy, nuclear ...reaction Q value, energy threshold and plays an undeniable role in the theoretical calculations of a reaction cross-section value in terms of the quantities it affects. In this research, a new artificial neural network (ANN) based algorithm is proposed to determine the mass excess of nuclei. The experimental data, which were taken from the RIPL3 database have been used for training the ANN. Proton, neutron, and mass numbers have been chosen as the input parameters. The Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) algorithm has been employed for the training section. The correlation coefficients have been found as 0.99984, 0.99977, 0.99984, and 0.99983 for training, validation, and testing, respectively. To validate our ANN results, ANN findings have been given as input parameters on TALYS 1.95 code and 56Fe(p,x) nuclear reactions have been simulated. The obtained results were compared with the literature. In conclusion, the findings of this study point to the ANN as a recommended tool that can be used to calculate estimates of mass information.
•Accurate artificial neural network (ANN) algorithms have been developed to estimate mass excess.•Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm is presented for classification algorithms.•To validate the ANN estimations, 56Fe(p,x) reactions have been investigated by using newly obtained mass excess data.
BackgroundApproximately 5 to 10% of FMF patients do not respond to colchicine treatment and/or intolerant to colchicine due to side effects. Several case reports and case series have pointed out the ...efficacy of IL-1 blockade in colchicine resistant FMF subgroup.ObjectivesTo review the patients followed in our centre with FMF who received anakinra, an anti-IL-1 receptor antagonist, because of insufficient colchicine response.MethodsFMF patients who were treated with anakinra were retrospectively reviewed with regard to indication, effect on disease activity and acute phase response, adverse events. Patient global assessment was recorded before and after anakinra treatment.ResultsThere were 48FMF patients with FMF who were treated with anakinra for various indications (colchicine resistant recurrent febrile attacks in 42, colchicine related side effects in 6). The mean age of the group was 31.8±9.2 years. The mean duration of the disease was 12.3±7.9 years. There were various co-existing pathologies among this study group like multiple sclerosis,1 ankylosing spondylitis,1 SLE,1 Behçet’s disease,1 low grade lymphoma,1 psoriasis,2 vasculitis2 and PAN.2 The mean colchicine dose was 2,13±0,51 mg/d. The mean duration of anakinra treatment was 14.47±10.8 months. Twenty seven patients reported no attacks after anakinra treatment whereas 10 patients reported at least 50% decrease in the attack frequency. There are 4 patients who were primarily irresponsive to the therapy, whereas in 5 patients response to therapy ameliorated during the course of the treatment. Mean patient global assessment decreased from 8.58±1.2 to 2.72±3.16 under anakinra treatment (p=0.001).Four patients had severe allergic reactions (severe disseminated rash in 1 patient and severe injection site reaction in 3 patients) and therefore the drug was stopped. Two patients had infections (one had genital warts and urinary tract infection, the other had sinusitis and folliculitis) and the treatment was terminated. One of our patients reported that her psoriatic lesions got worse on anakinra. Forty one patients reported no adverse events during the treatment.Conclusions: Anakinra was effective in controlling the symptoms in colchicine-resistant FMF cases. It was also effective in FMF related amyloidosis. The major cause of treatment termination was injection site reactions. Anakinra seems to be an effective alternative in patients who have insufficient response to colchicine.Disclosure of InterestNone declared
BackgroundDespite methotrexate and steroid treatment, in cases of Adult-onset Still’s disease (AOSD) it is usually difficult to maintain clinic stability. In refractory cases, Anakinra treatment has ...been reported to be efficacious.1 ObjectivesIn this retrospective review, it is aimed to evaluate the AOSD cases treated with anakinra in our centre.MethodsFourteen AOSD patients (11 female,3 male) who were being followed in our outpatient clinic were reviewed retrospectively. The demographic characteristics, pre- and post-treatment clinical findings were reported.ResultsThe mean follow-up period of the patient population was 33.5±30.07 months (mean ±SD). Initial prednisolone dose was 37.3 mg/day. Except for one, all of our patients were exposed to methotrexate before being treated with anakinra. This patient was being treated with cyclosporine instead, since she had concomitant Macrophage Activation Syndrome. The other medications, the patients were previously treated with, were Etanercept (n=2), Tocilizumab (n=3), Infliximab (n=1) and Adalimumab (n=1).All patients were on 100 mgs of Anakinra, daily, except for the one treated with 200 mg/day. The mean duration of Anakinra therapy was 11.4 months. Among 7 patients in whom anakinra therapy was terminated, 1 had drug induced urticaria, 1 was primary irresponsive, 4 were secondary irresponsive and the other had severe pneumonia. Primary irresponsiveness is the lack of response to the therapy since the drug was first introduced, whereas in secondary irresponsiveness the case responds to the medication for a while and starts to flare again after asymptom-free period on the medication. Among 14, 7 of our patients are still on 100 mg/d Anakinra.The mean level of C reactive protein (CRP) measures was reduced from 64.38±61.95 mg/L to 34.3±24.3 mg/L with Anakinra therapy(p=0.003). Similarly, mean Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) was dropped to 33±22 mm/h from 59±35 mm/h by the help of the therapy(p<0.001). Among patients who primarily responded Anakinra therapy the mean Ferritin measures dropped to 427.25 ng/ml from 910 ng/ml (p=0.006). On the other hand, the Ferritin level was not significantly reduced in patients who did not respond Anakinra.The mean Patient reported Global Visual Analogue Scale (PG-VAS) score was also decreased to 3.83±4.7 from 9.5±0.07 following the therapy(p<0.001). Unfortunately, one of our 7 patients who were followed in remission under Anakinra died of an unknown etiology.ConclusionsAdult-onset Still’s disease is a challenging disorder, lacking a sufficient long-time clinical control. In order to obtain a full remission, various efforts have been spent so far. One of these approaches is to treat refractory cases with Anakinra, an IL-1 blocking agent. According to our clinical experience we state that, anakinra has a relatively high efficacy in controlling refractory cases.Reference1 Ortiz-Sanjuán F, et al. Efficacy of Anakinra in RefractoryAdult-OnsetStill’sDisease: MulticenterStudyof 41 PatientsandLiteratureReview. Medicine(Baltimore)2015Sep;94(39):e1554.Disclosure of InterestNone declared
Background:
The causes of hospitalization may provide important information on the course of diseases and treatment-related adverse effects.
Objectives:
We aimed to determine the causes and outcome ...of hospitalizations among patients with Behçet Syndrome (BS) in a dedicated center.
Methods:
We surveyed hospitalization records in our clinic between January 2002 and December 2019 and identified those with a diagnosis of BS. The records of these patients were reviewed for demographic and clinical features, causes of hospitalization and outcome. We divided hospitalization causes into 2 as being BS related (organ involvement or deterioration) and non-BS related (treatment complication or others).
Results:
Three-hundred and thirty BS patients (75% men, mean age 37.7 ±11.4 SD years) were hospitalized for a total of 456 times during 18 years. The mean disease duration was 10.8± 8.8 SD years. Two-hundred and ninety-one (64%) patients were using immunosuppressives (IS) with or without corticosteroids (CSs) and 72 (16%) of them were under biologic treatment at the time of hospitalization. The mean duration of hospitalization was 12.7±10.7 SD days. The reasons for hospitalization were directly related to BS in 259 patients (57%) and non-related to BS in 191 (42%). Six patients were hospitalized for both BS and non-BS related reasons at the same time. The most common reasons were vascular involvement (n=169, 64%) for BS related reasons and infections (n=64, 32%) for non-BS related reasons (Table 1). Patients hospitalized for BS related causes were younger (35.2±10.6 vs 41.1±11.7, p<0.001), had short mean disease duration (8.5±7.5 vs. 13.6±9.4 years, p<0.001), stayed shorter in the hospital (11.6±8.6 vs 14.0±12.9 days p=0.03) and had less frequent IS±CSs use (59% vs 70%, p=0.02) compared to those with non-BS related hospitalizations. There were no differences between the groups regarding gender distribution (203 M/62 F vs. 143 M/54 F) and use of biologic agents (15% vs 17%). Three patients died during hospitalization. The reasons were malignancy, infection and right heart failure due to pulmonary artery thrombosis and pulmonary hypertension, respectively.
Conclusion:
Vascular involvement is the leading cause of hospitalization among BS patients, followed by infections. The predominance of men among hospitalized patients underlines the relatively severe course of BS in men. The retrospective design and inclusion of patients who were hospitalized only in the rheumatology unit are limitations of this study.
Table 1.
Distributions of BS related and non-BS related reasons of hospitalizations
BS patients hospitalized with BS related reasons
(n of pts=195, n of hospitalizations=265)*
BS patients hospitalized with non-BS related reasons
(n of pts=170, n of hospitalizations=197)*
Causes of hospitalizations (per hospitalization)
Vascular inv. (n=169, 64 %)
Pulmonary artery inv. (n=64, 24 %
)
Deep vein thrombosis (n=39, 15 %
)
Budd-Chiari synd. (n=24, 9%
)
Vena cava inf. thrombosis (n=19, 7 %
)
Peripheral artery inv. (n=15, 6 %
)
Vena cava sup. thrombosis (n=14, 5 %
)
Aorta inv. (n=14, 5%
)
Coronary artery inv. (n=4, 2 %
)
Infection (n=64, 32%)
Pneumonia (n=17, 8%
)
Tuberculosis (n=8, 4%
)
Urinary tract inf (n=7, 4%
)
Gastroenteritis (n=4, 2%
)
Osteomyelitis (n=3, 2%
)
Septic arthritis (n=3, 2%
)
Aspergillosis (n=2, 1%
)
Nocardia (n=1, 1%
)
Salmonella (n=1, 1%
)
Others (n=18, 9%
)
Neurologic inv. (n=50, 19 %)
Parenchymal inv. (n=37, 14%
)
Dural sinus thrombosis (n=13, 5%
)
Drug side effects other than infections (n=29, 15 %)
Interferon (n=10, 5%
)
Azathioprine (n=7, 4%
)
Cyclosporine (n=5, 3%
)
Steroid (n=3, 2%
)
TNF antagonists (n=3, 2%
)
IVIG (n=1, 1%
)
GI inv. (n=18, 7%)
Additional rheumatologic diseases (n=17, 9%)
Joint inv. (n=12, 5%)
Renal disease (n=16, 8 %)
Mucocutaneous inv. (n=10, 4%)
Cardiovascular dis. (n=12, 6%)
Eye inv. (n=8, 3%)
Avascular necrosis (n=4, 2%)
Others (n=8, 3%)
Malignancy (n=11, 6%)
Others (n=40, 20%)
*Some patients were hospitalized more than one times and for both BS related and non-BS related reasons at different time and had more than one type of BS related and/or non-BS related reasons.
Disclosure of Interests:
None declared
BackgroundApproximately 5 to 10% of FMF patients do not respond to colchicine treatment and/or intolerant to colchicine because of side effects. Several case reports and case series have pointed out ...the efficacy of IL-1 blockade in colchicine resistant FMF subgroup.ObjectivesTo review the patients followed in our center with FMF who received Anakinra, an anti IL-1 receptor antagonist, in terms of outcome and side effects.Methods36 FMF patients who were treated with Anakinra were retrospectively reviewed with regard to indication, effect on disease activity and acute phase response, adverse events. Patient global assessment was recorded before and after Anakinra treatment. Nine patients were pregnant at the time of the treatment and reported previously (1).ResultsThere were 27 FMF patients with FMF who were treated with Anakinra for various indications (colchicine resistant recurrent febrile attacks in 21, colchicine related side effects in 6). The mean age of the 27 patients was 33.16±10.29 years. The mean duration of the disease was 19.29±10.94 years. There were various co-existing pathologies among this study group like Ankylosing Spondylitis (1), SLE (1), Behçet's disease (1) and Gout (1). The mean colchicine dose was 2.03±2.031 mg/d. The mean duration of anakinra treatment was 14,18± 18.39 months. Nine teen patients reported no attacks after anakinra treatment whereas 5 patients reported at least 50% decrease in the attack frequency and 3 patients reported less than 50% decrease in attack frequency. Mean patient global assessment decreased from 8,57±2,23 to 2,61±2,82 under Anakinra treatment (p<0.001)As for the adverse events, four patients had allergic reactions under Anakinra treatment (severe disseminated rash in 1 patient and severe injection site reaction in 2 patients and tolerable injection side reaction in 1) therefore the treatment was terminated for 3 patients with severe allergic reactions. One patient had genital warts and urinary tract infection after the injections and Anakinra was stopped. One of our patients reported that her psoriatic lesions got worse on Anakinra. Twenty one patients reported no adverse events during the course of treatment.Anakinra treatment was terminated in overall 11 patients for various reasons: Inadequate response in 3, allergic reactions in 3, flare in psoriatic plaques in 1, infection and genital warts in 1, full recovery in 2 and patient's preference in 1. Sixteen patients are still on Anakinra treatment.ConclusionsColchicine resistance or intolerance in FMF, although not very common, is an issue in daily rheumatology practice. During our experience with Anakinra, we reported remarkable decrease in the frequency of attacks in many patients with relatively tolerable side effects. Among patients whom Anakinra treatment was terminated, the most common reason was injection site reaction. We state that Anakinra is an effective alternative in patients with inadequate response or intoleranceReferencesUgurlu S, Ergezen B, Ozdogan H. Anakinra Treatment in Patients with Familial Mediterranean Fever: A Single-Center Experience abstract. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2015; 67 (suppl 10).Disclosure of InterestNone declared
BackgroundRecently there is increasing number of reports pointing out the efficacy of anti-interleukin 1 (anti-IL1) therapy to control AA amyloidosis secondary to autoinflammatory ...diseases.ObjectivesHere we report our experience in IL-1 blockade in patients with AA amyloidosis secondary to Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF)MethodsEighteen FMF patients with histologically proven secondary AA amyloidosis treated with anti-IL1 agents (canacinumab and anakinra). Creatinine, creatine clearance, 24-hour urine protein, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) parameters were measured before and throughout the treatment period in order to evaluate the response. Patients were closely monitored and adverse events were also reported.ResultsEighteen (8 female, 10 male) patients with AA amyloidosis secondary to FMF who were also on colchicine (mean dose: 1.4±0.7 mg/day) were started on anti-IL1 agents (8 on canakinumab, 13 on anakinra, 3 on both). The mean age was 41.9±11.4 years, while the mean duration of FMF was 21.5±8.9 years. The mean follow-up period on anti-IL1 was 16.5±11.7 months (10.9±7.3 months on anakinra; 18.8±10.7 months on canakinumab).Ten patients are still on anti-IL-1 therapy (7 on anakinra, 3 on canakinumab). Renal functions remained stable after therapy for 5 out of 10 patients (creatinine from 1.2±0.6 mg/dl to 1.1±0.6 mg/dl; creatine clearance from 82.3±49.5 ml/min to 87.7±53.2 ml/min; 24-hour urine protein from 1094.2±995.4 mg/dl to 885.0±725.0 mg/dl), while CRP (from 15.7±9.5 mg/L to 1.3±0.9 mg/L) and ESR (from 41.8±15.5 mm/h to 15.5±3.7 mm/h) decreased. Renal functions and acute phase reactants improved with therapy (creatinine from 0.7±0.7 mg/dl to 0.7±0.7 mg/dl; creatine clearance from 81.9±79.4 ml/min to 93.3±65.9 ml/min; 24-hour urine protein from 6963.9±7514.0 mg/dl to 304.8±81.5 mg/dl; CRP from 29.6±18.1 mg/L to 28.0±46.8 mg/L; ESR from 63.8±45.7 mm/h to 32.3±44.7 mm/h) for four patients. Renal functions deteriorated after anakinra and it was switched to other biological agents for the remaining patient. However since he progressed to end stage renal disease and started hemodialysis, anakinra was re-introduced to take control over attacks. Global patient assessment score of the whole group decreased significantly (from 8.6±1.6 to 1.2±1.8) with IL-1 blockade.Anti-IL-1 therapy was discontinued in 8 patients, 3 of them were on anakinra (due to unresponsiveness in 2 and allergic reaction in 1), 5 were on canakinumab (due to increase in proteinuria during the course of treatment in 3, lichen plans in 1 and one was lost to follow up although showed improvement during the follow-up period, then the treatment was terminated since he developed lung adenocarcinoma). Anakinra was switched to canakinumab due to allergic reaction in one and unresponsiveness in two patientsConclusionsAnti-IL1 therapy can improve renal functions and stabilize patients with AA amyloidosis secondary to FMF. The efficacy and safety of anti-IL1 therapy in this group of patients are needed to be verified by further researched.Disclosure of InterestNone declared
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