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Fulltext A review on advances in 18F-FDG PET/CT radiomics standardisation and application in lung disease management

Anan N, Zainon R, Tamal M

Insights Imaging, 2022 Feb 05;13(1):22.
PMID: 35124733 DOI: 10.1186/s13244-021-01153-9

Radiomics analysis quantifies the interpolation of multiple and invisible molecular features present in diagnostic and therapeutic images. Implementation of 18-fluorine-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) radiomics captures various disorders in non-invasive and high-throughput manner. 18F-FDG PET/CT accurately identifies the metabolic and anatomical changes during cancer progression. Therefore, the application of 18F-FDG PET/CT in the field of oncology is well established. Clinical application of 18F-FDG PET/CT radiomics in lung infection and inflammation is also an emerging field. Combination of bioinformatics approaches or textual analysis allows radiomics to extract additional information to predict cell biology at the micro-level. However, radiomics texture analysis is affected by several factors associated with image acquisition and processing. At present, researchers are working on mitigating these interrupters and developing standardised workflow for texture biomarker establishment. This review article focuses on the application of 18F-FDG PET/CT in detecting lung diseases specifically on cancer, infection and inflammation. An overview of different approaches and challenges encountered on standardisation of 18F-FDG PET/CT technique has also been highlighted. The review article provides insights about radiomics standardisation and application of 18F-FDG PET/CT in lung disease management.
Fulltext Tungsten-based material as promising new lead-free gamma radiation shielding material in nuclear medicine

Jamal AbuAlRoos N, Azman MN, Baharul Amin NA, Zainon R

Phys Med, 2020 Oct;78:48-57.
PMID: 32942196 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmp.2020.08.017

PURPOSE: The main objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of tungsten carbide as new lead-free radiation shielding material in nuclear medicine by evaluating the attenuation properties.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: The elemental composition of tungsten carbide was analysed using Field-Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX). The purity of tungsten carbide was 99.9%, APS: 40-50 µm. Three discs of tungsten carbide was fabricated with thickness of 0.1 cm, 0.5 cm and 1.0 cm. Three lead discs with similar thickness were used to compare the attenuation properties with tungsten carbide discs. Energy calibration of gamma spectroscopy was performed by using 123I, 133Ba, 152Eu, and 137Cs. Gamma radiation from these sources were irradiated on both materials at energies ranging from 0.160 MeV to 0.779 MeV. The experimental attenuation coefficients of lead and tungsten carbide were compared with theoretical attenuation coefficients of both materials from NIST database. The half value layer and mean free path of both materials were also evaluated in this study.
RESULTS: This study found that the peaks obtained from gamma spectroscopy have linear relationship with all energies used in this study. The relative differences between the measured and theoretical mass attenuation coefficients are within 0.19-5.11% for both materials. Tungsten carbide has low half value layer and mean free path compared to lead for all thickness at different energies.
CONCLUSION: This study shows that tungsten carbide has high potential to replace lead as new lead-free radiation shielding material in nuclear medicine.
Fulltext Physical, mechanical, and microstructural characterisation of tungsten carbide-based polymeric composites for radiation shielding application

Abualroos NJ, Idris MI, Ibrahim H, Kamaruzaman MI, Zainon R

Sci Rep, 2024 Jan 16;14(1):1375.
PMID: 38228643 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-49842-3

Polymeric based composites have gained considerable attention as potential candidates for advanced radiation shielding applications due to their unique combination of high-density, radiation attenuation properties and improved mechanical strength. This study focuses on the comprehensive characterisation of polymeric based composites for radiation shielding applications. The objective of this study was to evaluate the physical, mechanical and microstructural properties of tungsten carbide-based epoxy resin and tungsten carbide cobalt-based epoxy resin for its efficiency in shielding against gamma-rays ranging from 0.6 up to 1.33 MeV. Polymeric composites with different weight percentages of epoxy resin (40 wt%, 35 wt%, 30 wt%, 25 wt%, 20 wt%, 15 wt% and 10 wt%) were fabricated, investigated and compared to conventional lead shield. The attenuation of the composites was performed using NaI (Tl) gamma-ray spectrometer to investigate the linear and mass attenuation coefficients, half value layer, and mean free path. High filler loadings into epoxy resin matrix (90% filler/10% epoxy) exhibited excellent gamma shielding properties. Mechanical properties, such as hardness were examined to assess the structural integrity and durability of the composites under various conditions. The fabricated composites showed a good resistance, the maximum hardness was attributed to composites with small thickness. The high loading of fillers in the epoxy matrix improved the microhardness of the composites. The distribution of the filler powder within the epoxy matrix was investigated using FESEM/EDX. The results revealed the successful incorporation of tungsten carbide and cobalt particles into the polymer matrix, leading to increased composite density and enhanced radiation attenuation. The unique combination of high-density, radiation attenuation, and improved mechanical properties positions polymeric based composites as promising candidates for radiation protection field.
Interactive Blood Vessel Segmentation from Retinal Fundus Image Based on Canny Edge Detector

Ooi AZH, Embong Z, Abd Hamid AI, Zainon R, Wang SL, Ng TF, et al.

Sensors (Basel), 2021 Sep 24;21(19).
PMID: 34640698 DOI: 10.3390/s21196380

Optometrists, ophthalmologists, orthoptists, and other trained medical professionals use fundus photography to monitor the progression of certain eye conditions or diseases. Segmentation of the vessel tree is an essential process of retinal analysis. In this paper, an interactive blood vessel segmentation from retinal fundus image based on Canny edge detection is proposed. Semi-automated segmentation of specific vessels can be done by simply moving the cursor across a particular vessel. The pre-processing stage includes the green color channel extraction, applying Contrast Limited Adaptive Histogram Equalization (CLAHE), and retinal outline removal. After that, the edge detection techniques, which are based on the Canny algorithm, will be applied. The vessels will be selected interactively on the developed graphical user interface (GUI). The program will draw out the vessel edges. After that, those vessel edges will be segmented to bring focus on its details or detect the abnormal vessel. This proposed approach is useful because different edge detection parameter settings can be applied to the same image to highlight particular vessels for analysis or presentation.