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Background: Tinea pedis is one of the commonest skin infections of interdigital toe webspace as well as feet skin and may affect the nail or the hand. It is caused by dermophytes fungi especially Trichophyton species. Direct contact with a contaminated environment or animal is the main mode of transmission. Tinea pedis is more frequent among adults than children and more among those with the previous infection with the disease, diabetes mellites, abnormally increased sweating, and the disease is common among individuals who wear unventilated (occlusive) footwear. Tinea pedis is more often in men than females 2-4 times. Aim of the study: To study the epidemiological characteristics and risk factors of tinea pedis disease. Methods: Descriptive study was conducted on patients attending the dermatology outpatient clinic in Tikrit Teaching Hospital, Tikrit, Iraq. The study was done during the period from 1st November 2018-10th June 2019. The sample included (680) persons. The cases were diagnosed clinically and by a direct microscope. The demographic information of patients was obtained according to a certain design questionnaire. The study was done to reveal the epidemiology of tenia pedis disease among affected patients. Results: The frequency of tinea pedis cases among the study sample was (48/ 680) (7%). It has been documented that there is no significant association as a result of the difference in gender, body weight, positive family history, history, presence of fungal skin disease, and presence of nail trauma. Otherwise, there is a significant association as a result of the presence of the young age group, diabetes mellitus, and history of wearing occlusive shoes. Conclusion: The frequency of tinea pedis disease among the study sample was (7%). There was a significant association between age group and the presence of diabetes mellitus disease and wearing occlusive shoes.

Purpose To evaluate the prevalence and awareness about symptoms, and complications of varicocele among athletes (bodybuilding and aerobics exercises) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Patients and methods A cross-sectional study of male athletes aged between 18 and 48 years old was carried out in multiple branches of fitness centers over a period of 13 months in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. A total of 382 face-to-face interviews using a predesigned questionnaire were conducted to identify the levels of knowledge, attitude, and practice. A randomly selected 48 subjects were examined. Varicocele was diagnosed and graded based on clinical examination and Doppler ultrasonography. Results Of the participants, 157 (41%) lacked knowledge and awareness regarding varicocele, its symptoms and complications. Of the examined participants, 22 (46%) were found to have varicocele. No difference in varicocele was found among bodybuilders and aerobic athletes (P=0.249). Similarly, no difference was related to duration of exercise session whether for 1 hour or more (P=0.131). However, our study revealed a higher rate of varicocele among athletes who exercised more than three times per week (P=0.009). Testicular volume was neither significantly different among respondents with and without varicocele nor between the left or right sides within each group. Conclusion Knowledge about varicocele, its symptoms and complications is poor among male athletes in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Varicocele is more common in athletic men who are frequently exercising. Efforts to increase knowledge and enhance awareness of varicocele in young males, in general, are strongly warranted.

Background: Prostate enlargement is defined as increase in size of prostate gland. The diseasemay bepresented clinically as lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). The disease is increasing with age. There aremany risk factors as age, genetic, geographical, obesity, physical activity, diabetes mellitus, hypertension.Subjects and Method: A descriptive study was conducted on patients with lower urinary tract symptomswho were attending Tikrit teaching hospital outpatient’s clinic during the period from 1st July -1stOctober2018. The demographic characterestics of patients were obtained according to a questionnaire andthe patients were examined clinically to determine if there was enlargement of prostate or not. The diagnoseswas confirmed by PR and ultrasound examination.Results: The frequency of among sample study was(83%). The cases were more prevalent among the followings:age group 60 years and more(94.3%), positivefamily history(89.7%),low physical activity (93.4%%) ,hypertensives (87.4%) and with those with erectiledysfunction (94.9%).

The literature is uncertain about the extent to which those who attend cardiac rehabilitation (CR) gain weight while trying to quit smoking. This study aimed to determine the extent of CR-based smoking cessation provision and whether CR, as delivered in routine practice, is associated with helping patients quit smoking and avoid weight gain. Data from the UK National Audit of Cardiac Rehabilitation database, between April 2013 and March 2016, were used. Smoking status is categorised as smokers and quitters assessed by patient self-report. Outcomes included body weight, blood pressure, depression, and physical activity. A multiple linear regression model was constructed to understand the effect of continuing smoking or quitting smoking on CR outcomes. CR outcome scores were adjusted by the baseline CR score for each characteristic. An e-survey collected information about the smoking cessation support offered to patients attending CR. A total of 2052 smokers (58.59 &plusmn, 10.49 years, 73.6% male) and 1238 quitters (57.63 &plusmn, 10.36 years, 75.8% male) were analysed. Overall, 92.6% of CR programmes in the United Kingdom (UK) offer smoking cessation support for CR attenders. Quitting smoking during CR was associated with a mean increase in body weight of 0.4 kg, which is much less than seen in systematic reviews. Quitters who attended CR also had better improvements in physical activity status and psychosocial health measures than smokers. As delivered in routine practice, CR programmes in the UK adhere to the guideline recommendations for smoking cessation interventions, help patients quit smoking, and avoid weight gain on completion of CR.

Background: Infertility is defined as failure to conceive after one year and 6 months of a regular unprotectedrelationships between couples, it is classified as primary infertility when there is no history of pregnancyhave occurred , or secondary when inability to conceive occurs after one or more successful pregnancies. Female infertility is a multifactorial condition caused by many causes like ovarian, PCOS, uterine, andcervical factors, and associated with many risk factors as family history, obesity, blood group types, ageand educational level of women. Some medical diseases implicated in causing female infertility mainlythyroid disorders by hormonal disturbance and menstrual irregularity. Aim: This study aims to identify theepidemiological factors among reproductive age women attending Obstetrics and gynecology outpatientdepartment in sallahuddin teaching hospital.Subject and Methods: This is a cross section study conductedon reproductive age women attending gynecological and obstetrical outpatient department in SalahuddinTeaching Hospital during the period from 15th October 2018 to 15th April 2019 to identify the frequency,types, causes and sociodemographic associated factors with female infertility. The information regarding theproblem and demographic characteristics was obtained according to questionnaire and body weight, heightand BMI were recorded.Results: This study revealed that frequency of female infertility was 25% with ahighest percentage of primary infertility 57% . PCOS where the main ovulatory causes of female infertilityconstituted about 41%.followed by other risk factors as tubal, uterine, and cervical factors.Conclusion:female infertility constituted abut quarter the causes of infertility among reproductive age women in Tikritcity .Primary infertility were the commonest type,most frequent among those between(20_24years age).PCOS were the major ovulatory causes.

Quitting smoking and participation in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) are effective strategies in reducing morbidity and mortality. However, little is known about the predictors of quitting smoking in those who attend CR. This study aimed to determine the sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with the likelihood of CR attendees who are quitting smoking. Data from the UK National Audit of Cardiac Rehabilitation (NACR) database, between April 2013 and March 2016, were used. Smoking status is categorized as smokers and quitters, assessed by patient self-report. The study used patient demographics, cardiovascular risk factors, comorbidities, and physical and psychosocial health measures. Binary logistic regression was performed to identify the predictors of quitting smoking among CR attendees. Of the 3290 patients who started CR and were entered into the NACR database, 2052 were continued smokers (mean age 58.59 &plusmn, 10.49 years, 73.6% men) and 1238 were quitters (mean age 57.63 &plusmn, 10.36 years, 75.8% men). The median duration of CR was 9 weeks. Compared to smokers, the quitters were younger, weighed more, were less anxious and depressed, and were more likely to be employed. Single patients had 0.60 times lower odds (95% CI 0.43 to 0.82) of quitting smoking than patients with partners, and low-risk patients had 1.71 times higher odds (95% CI 1.12 to 2.62) of quitting smoking than high-risk patients. Increasing number of comorbidities and depression scores were associated with decreasing likelihood of quitting. This study highlights the routine factors that determine smoking cessation outcomes, which could inform the delivery of CR to better help patients to quit smoking.

Kuwait Vision 2035 is an initiative that was launched in 2017 by His Highness the Emir of the State of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. This initiative includes the implementation of a detailed development plan aimed at transforming the state of Kuwait into a regional leader in science, technology, and innovation. Health research will arguably prove to be one of the most impactful research arenas when it comes to accomplishing the goals set forth by the Kuwait Vision 2035 Development Plan. The high impact of health research is derived from its capacity to aid in the establishment of a knowledge-based health industry. The state of Kuwait lacks a system for promoting and managing national R&D efforts. At present, the research and development (R&D) expenditure in the state of Kuwait is far below the international standards that have been shown to lead to innovation and the subsequent development of a knowledge-based economy. Improvement of the weak and unstructured existing R&D apparatus in the State of Kuwait is among the most urgent challenges facing the nation as it strives toward innovation and development of a knowledge-based economy. Developing health research capacities in the State of Kuwait can significantly contribute toward improving public health, health promotion, disease prevention and treatment, and overall human welfare. Importantly, the positive impacts of such extensive benefits will not be restricted to the state of Kuwait and its citizens, but may in fact reap benefits for the global society as a whole. This article first analyzes the current status of healthcare services and health science research in the State of Kuwait, and then summarizes some essential R&D design principles that Kuwait needs to implement in order to achieve the milestones set forth in the Kuwait Vision 2035 Development Plan.

Most public health issues in Kuwait are related to unhealthy behaviours. Research shows that behaviours are the result not only exclusively of personal choices but also of myriads of other social and environmental factors. Kuwait is one of the leading countries in obesity and tobacco use in the world. Cardiovascular diseases stemming from complications related to these and other risk factors are important health issues based on their morbidity and mortality implications. These risks are spread across society and affect the old as well as young boys. The serious gaps between Kuwait’s health-related needs and the existing policies to reduce public health risks in Kuwait create a significant obstacle to healthy behaviour change. Kuwait requires adequate laws, policies, regulations, activities, and programs to promote people’s health. The Socio-Ecological Model (SEM) has been used successfully in health promotion in various behavioural settings, including obesity, physical inactivity, and smoking. We propose the use of SEM as a planning framework in building sustainable health promotion programs in Kuwait while paying attention to other concepts such as systems thinking, authentic community participation, community capacity, policy development, public health infrastructure enhancement, health coaching, and equity.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia, particularly in the elderly. The disease is characterized by cognitive decline that typically starts with insidious memory loss and progresses relentlessly to produce global impairment of all higher cortical functions. Due to better living conditions and health facilities in developed countries, which result in higher overall life spans, these countries report upward trends of AD among their populations. There are, however, no specific diagnostic tests for AD and clinical diagnosis is especially difficult in the earliest stages of the disease. Early diagnosis of AD is frequently subjective and is determined by physicians (generally neurologists, geriatricians, and psychiatrists) depending on their experience. Diagnosing AD requires both medical history and mental status testing. Having trouble with memory does not mean you have AD. AD has no current cure, but treatments for symptoms are available and research continues. In this study, we investigated the potential of infrared microscopy to differentiate between AD patients and controls, using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy of isolated blood components. FTIR is known as a quick, safe, and minimally invasive method to investigate biological samples. For this goal, we measured infrared spectra from white blood cells (WBCs) and plasma taken from AD patients and controls, with the consent of the patients or their guardians. Applying multivariate analysis, principal component analysis (PCA) followed by linear discriminant analysis (LDA), it was possible to differentiate among the different types of mild, moderate, and severe AD, and the controls, with 85% accuracy when using the WBC spectra and about 77% when using the plasma spectra. When only the moderate and severe stages were included, an 83% accuracy was obtained using the WBC spectra and about 89% when using the plasma spectra.

Background More than 50% of Qatari adults are physically inactive. The workplace is an excellent environment to implement cost-effective, efficient behavioural physical activity (PA) interventions to increase PA. This study evaluated whether a pedometer-based walking challenge would increase PA levels amongst hospital workers. Methods A pedometer-based workplace walking intervention was implemented in April–August 2017. Amongst 800 recruited full-time hospital workers, a cross-sectional sample of 212 workers completed the online questionnaires Quality of Life Questionnaire, International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), and Workforce Sitting Questionnaire. A sub-sample of participants (n = 54) wore a pedometer for 3 months. They recorded their daily step count through an online web platform linked to the pedometer. Another cross-sectional sample (n = 194) in the same target population completed online questionnaires at post intervention. Results The IPAQ assessed physical activity at post-intervention was higher compared to pre-intervention. In a sub-sample (n = 54) that provided pedometer data, workers’ step count during intervention was significantly higher (9270) from pre-intervention (7890) (p = 0.048). Conclusions Although self-reported PA was higher post-intervention, the subsample showed objectively assessed physical activity did not exceed the threshold recommended for optimal health. Therefore, encouraging participation and maintaining motivation amongst workers in a work-based PA programme is challenging.

The association between physical activity (PA) and mental well-being in individuals with a cardiovascular disease (CVD) is poorly studied. The objective of this study was to assess the association between mental well-being and adherence to the recommended guidelines for PA in a Scottish adult population with CVD. The study used data from 3128 adults who had CVD conditions (1547 men and 1581 women, mean age 63.29 years) who participated in the Scottish Health Survey between 2014 and 2017. The Warwick&ndash, Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (WEMWBS) was used as a surrogate measure of mental health. PA was classified as &ldquo, met&rdquo, or &ldquo, unmet&rdquo, on the basis of the recommended PA guidelines (150 min of moderate activity or 75 min of vigorous activity per week). The relationship between PA guidelines being met and the WEMWBS score was explored using hierarchical linear regression accounting for a set of health and sociodemographic characteristics. Of the participants, ~41.8% met the recommended PA levels. Among those with CVD, the mean (SD) WEMWBS scores of individuals who did not have a long-standing illness (51.14 &plusmn, 7.65 vs 47.07 &plusmn, 9.54, p &lt, 0.05), diabetes (48.44 &plusmn, 9.05 vs 46.04 &plusmn, 10.25, 0.05), or high blood pressure (48.63 &plusmn, 9.08 vs 47.52 &plusmn, 9.47, 0.05) were significantly higher than those of individuals with such conditions. Meeting PA recommendations was significantly associated with a higher mean WEMWBS score (50.64 &plusmn, 7.97 vs 46.06 &plusmn, 9.75, 0.05). Multiple regression analysis of health-related behaviors improved the prediction of mental well-being over and above meeting the recommended PA levels. Mental well-being was strongly correlated with PA adherence in CVD patients. It seems that for patients with CVD, PA should be tailored to meet patients&rsquo, health conditions in order to promote mental well-being and improve overall health.

Background: Hepatitis C is an infectious disease that affects primarily the liver; it is caused by hepatitis C virus (HCV). Cirrhosis and liver cancer are the common complications of the disease. So identifying prevalence and certain risk factors of the disease will promote preventive measures for the disease. Aim and Objectives: By conducting this study, we will determine the prevalence of hepatitis C among blood donors who attended Samara General Hospital for donating blood. Methods: A descriptive study was conducted on blood donors attending the hospital. The study was conducted during the period from February 2016 -November 2017. The sample included 850 persons. The demographic information, personal data and results of investigations were obtained according to a certain designed questionnaire. The subjects’ blood samples were tested to detect HCV antibodies by ELISA test. Results: The prevalence of hepatitis C disease among blood donors in the current study according to HCV-Ab detection was 20/850 (2.4%) . The positive cases were more prevalent among males, married, those with previous blood transfusion, previous surgical procedures and those with an HIV positive spouse. Conclusion: HCV infection is more prevalent in certain subjects with certain risk factors such as blood transfusion, surgical process, infected spouse.

The relapse rate for colorectal cancer (CRC) is high and has a significant impact on survival and quality of life. CRC relapse can be local, at the anastomosis, or distant, as evidenced by metastasis. Reducing the local recurrence of the disease may improve patient survival and quality of life. This could be achieved by determining safe surgical margins of the removed cancerous lesion during colorectal surgery. The detection of abnormal crypts is essential for diagnosis of the spread of CRC and its effective management. Our overall goal in this study is to evaluate and suggest which biological molecules in the cell contribute more to the classification procedure. This may provide clues for biologically understanding the principle of CRC recurrence. Longitudinal sections from normal anastomosis tissues obtain from CRC patients during surgery were used. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) in tandem with multivariate analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) were used to achieve this purpose. Colonic longitudinal sections are preferable for studying the colonic tissues quantitatively. It was possible to differentiate between the three categories: local recurrence, distant recurrence and control with a 100% success rate.

The workplace is an ideal setting to implement an effective health-promoting program. Insufficient information exists regarding the motivators and barriers to physical activity among working adults in Qatar. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the motivators and barriers to physical activity among adults in a healthcare setting. This cross-sectional study was conducted in an orthopaedic and sports medicine hospital. The participants were Qatari and non-Qatari adult staff (n = 100), who were recruited by word of mouth. They filled out self-administered questionnaires consisting of questions on age, gender, nationality, medical conditions, and the motivators (external, health/medical, and engagement) and barriers (personal, perceptual, and time constraint) to participating in physical activity. The characteristics of participants were: Age (

Hyperchloremia is elevation of serum cholesterol level above normal (> 200 mg/dl). There are an association between cardiovascular diseases and high level of blood cholesterol. There are many risk factors of hypercholesterolemia as genetic, environmental, systematic disease as diabetes mellites and some drugs factors. A cross sectional study was conducted on adults who were attending Samara general hospital outpatients clinicduring the period from 5th February-30th April 2017. The information regarding the problem and demographic characterestics of persons was obtained according to a questionnaire and the weight, height, blood pressure, total blood cholesterol level was recorded. The results shows that the frequency of hypercholesterolemia among sample study was (54%).There is no significant association between frequency of hypercholesterolemia according to gender, age group, body mass index, family history and smoking habit but it has been reported that a significant association between high serum cholesterol and presence of hypertension, cardiac diseases and diabetes mellites

Purpose: Colon cancer is a major public health problem due to its high disease rate and death toll worldwide. The use of FTIR microscopy in the field of cancer diagnosis has become attractive over the past 20 years. In the present study, the authors investigated the potential of FTIR microscopy to define spectral changes among normal, polyp, and cancer human colonic biopsied tissues. Methods: A large database of FTIR microscopic spectra was compiled from 230 human colonic biopsies. The database was divided into five subgroups: Normal, canceroustissues, and three stages of benign colonic polyps, namely, mild, moderate, and severe polyps, which are precursors of carcinoma. All biopsied tissue sections were classified concurrently by an expert pathologist. The authors applied the principal components analysis (PCA) model to reduce the dimension of the original data size to 13 principal components. Results: While PCA analysis shows only partial success in distinguishing among cancer, polyp, and the normal tissues, multivariate analysis (e.g., LDA) shows a promising distinction even within the polyp subgroups. Conclusions: Good classification accuracy among normal, polyp, and cancer groups was achieved with a success rate of approximately 85%. These results strongly support the potential of developing FTIR microscopy as a simple, reagent-free tool for early detection of colon cancer and, in particular, for discriminating among the benign premalignant colonic polyps having increasing degrees of dysplasia severity (mild, moderate, and severe).

An intercomparison exercise for personal dosimetry service providers within Pakistan was conducted by the Health Physics Division of the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology. Participation in the exercise was on voluntary basis. The exercise was carried out to harmonize individual dose monitoring techniques for high energy photons in terms of a new operational quantity, namely personal dose equivalent Hp(10), for personal dosimetry in accordance with the recommendations of the International Commission on Radiation Units and Measurements. Each laboratory submitted 25 dosimeters for participation in the intercomparison exercise. Protection level Co and Cs sources were used for irradiation of dosimeters on a water phantom according to International Atomic Energy Agency protocol at the Secondary Standard Dosimetry Laboratory. Hp(10) doses for five different dose levels were measured by the participating laboratories. The ratios of measured dose/true dose (Hm/Ht) remained in the range of 0.66 to 1.11 for the Co source and 0.84 to 1.17 for the Cs source. Performance of service providers' laboratories to measure Hp(10) doses was analyzed and evaluated in terms of trumpet curves plotted for photons at a 95% confidence level.

Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) employs a unique approach tooptical diagnosis of tissue pathology based on the characteristic molecularvibrational spectra of the tissue. The biomolecular changes in the cellularand sub-cellular levels developing in abnormal tissue, including a majorityof cancer forms, manifest themselves in different optical signatures, whichcan be detected in infrared microspectroscopy. This report has two parts. Inthe first part, we report studies on normal, premalignant (polyp) andmalignant human colonic tissues from three patients with different stages ofmalignancy. Our method is based on microscopic infrared study (FTIR-microscopy)of thin tissue specimens and a direct comparison with traditional histopathologicalanalysis, which serves as a “gold” reference. The limited dataavailable showed normal colonic tissue has a stronger absorption thanpolypoid tumor and cancerous types over a wide region in a total of 100measurements. Detailed analysis showed that there is a significant decreasein total carbohydrate, phosphate and possibly creatine contents for polyp andcancerous tissue types in comparison to the controls. The same trend is maintainedin seven other patients studied. The second part consists of an analysis showingthe influence of various independent factors such as age, sex and grade of malignancy. Ourpreliminary results suggest that among the above three factors, age and gradeof malignancy have significant effect on the metabolites level, but sex has onlyminor effect on the measured spectra. Initial results on Linear DiscriminantAnalysis (LDA) showed good classification between normal and malignant cellsof human colonic tissues.

One of the major public health hazards is colon cancer. There is a great necessity to develop new methods for early detection of cancer. If colon cancer is detected and treated early, cure rate of more than 90% can be achieved. In this study we used FTIR microscopy (MSP), which has shown a good potential in the last 20 years in the fields of medical diagnostic and early detection of abnormal tissues. Large database of FTIR microscopic spectra was acquired from 230 human colonic biopsies. Five different subgroups were included in our database, normal and cancer tissues as well as three stages of benign colonic polyps, namely, mild, moderate and severe polyps which are precursors of carcinoma. In this study we applied advanced mathematical and statistical techniques including principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA), on human colonic FTIR spectra in order to differentiate among the mentioned subgroups' tissues. Good classification accuracy between normal, polyps and cancer groups was achieved with approximately 85% success rate. Our results showed that there is a great potential of developing FTIR-micro spectroscopy as a simple, reagent-free viable tool for early detection of colon cancer in particular the early stages of premalignancy among the benign colonic polyps.

Colorectal cancer is one of the most aggressive cancers usually occurring in people above the age of 50 years. In the United States, colorectal cancer is the third most diagnosed cancer. The American Cancer Society has estimated 96,830 new cases of colon cancer and 40,000 new cases of rectal cancer in 2014 in the United States. According to the literature, up to 55% of colorectal cancer patients experience a recurrence within five years from the time of surgery. Relapse of colorectal cancer has a deep influence on the quality of patient life. Infrared (IR) spectroscopy has been widely used in medicine. It is a noninvasive, nondestructive technique that can detect changes in cells and tissues that are caused by different disorders, such as cancer. Abnormalities in the colonic crypts, which are not detectable using standard histopathological methods, could be determined using IR spectroscopic methods. The IR measurements were performed on formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded colorectal tissues from eight patients (one control, four local recurrences, three distant recurrences). A total of 128 crypts were measured. Our results showed the possibility of differentiating among control, local, and distant recurrence crypts with more than a 92% success rate using spectra measured from the crypts' middle sites.

FTIR spectroscopy has been extensively used to understand the differences between normal and malignant cells and tissues. In the present study, FTIR microspectroscopy was performed on biopsies to evaluate parameters deduced from changes in nucleic acid absorbance monitored at various characteristic wavenumbers in the Mid-IR region. The data showed that there were differences in the spectra of normal and malignant tissues from several organs such as colon, cervix, skin and blood with respect to absorbance due to nucleic acids. Similar results were observed in the case of cell lines that were transformed to induce carcinogenesis. Of the several ratios examined for consistency in differentiating cancer and normal tissues, the I(996 cm−1)/I(966 cm−1) showed promise as a distinguishing parameter and was comparable to the I(1121 cm−1)/I(1020 cm−1) ratio reported in many earlier studies. The absorbance of nucleic acids is presented with an emphasis on the application of FTIR microspectroscopy for diagnosis of malignancy. Our results indicate that usage of nucleic acid absorbance yield statistically significant parameters, which could differentiate normal and cancerous tissues.

Abnormal crypt proliferation and development in the colon has been associated with premalignant stages of colon cancer. Conventionally, molecular markers are used to detect abnormal crypt proliferation.In the present work, feasibility studies of FTIR-MSP to distinguish between normal and abnormal crypts from colon biopsies that show normal histopathological features have been undertaken.The results indicate that abnormal crypts show deviations in the pattern of absorbance in the Mid IR region along the crypt height when compared with the normal crypts. The crypts could be empirically classified into three groups such as crypts having a normal absorbance pattern for all biochemical components, crypts with abnormal absorbance pattern for some biochemical components and crypts with completely abnormal absorbance pattern along the height for all or most biochemical components studied by FTIR. The utilization of FTIR-MSP is proposed for diagnosis of abnormal metabolism at the molecular level of histologically completely normal-looking crypts, especially from those biopsies that are taken from sites far away from cancer.This method could give rise to a reduction in false-negative results during examination of biopsies using the conventional histopathological methods. The present method may be complementary to existing methods for precise demarcation of the zone of colostomy prior to colon cancer surgery.

IR spectroscopy provides a new diagnostic tool due to its sensitivity to molecular composition and structure in cells, which accompany transformation from healthy to diseased state. The IR spectrum of a sample is, therefore, a biochemical fingerprint. It has been found that the most significant changes occur in the mid-IR spectral range 3-25 mm. Encouraging results have been reported in the literature on various types of cancers, such as human breast, lung, colon, cervical, and leukemia using FT-IR microspectroscopy. Much progress has also been made by several groups on IR spectral maps and IR imaging with good agreement between the data and the histopathological information. In an attempt to characterize healthy and diseased tissues, infrared microspectroscopy of cervical and colon human tissues was studied using an infrared microscopy. The comparative qualitative and quantitative changes detected using FTIR microspectroscopy are discussed.

181 Background: Tissue microarrays (TMAs), linked to clinical databases containing clinical outcome data, offer a great potential for defining and validating new biomarkers in urological oncology. The long term follow up required for true clinical outcome prostate cancer results in the use of archival material for TMA construction. The use of such material has inherent problems which must be overcome to unlock the full potential of prostate TMAs. Methods: A prostate 2,450 core TMA containing normal, prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia and malignant prostate tissue from 524 archival patient specimens was constructed and analysed. Each core was independently verified histologically. An automated, high throughput fluorescent staining (Leica BOND-MAX), image capture (Carl Zeiss Microimaging Mirax scanner) and scoring (Definiens Tissue Studio) protocol was compared with standardised conventional staining and manual scoring techniques. Results: Image analysis showed excellent correlation (r=0.785) and absolute agreement between the automated and manual scoring protocols (ICC=0.769, 95% CI [0.629-0.877]). Replicate analysis demonstrated that the automated, high throughput protocol was more reliable and consistent than the standardised manual staining and scoring protocols. The increased sensitivity of fluorescent staining in the automated protocol highlighted significant (p>0.0001) antigen degradation (pan-cytokeratin), hence poorly persevered regions, in 50.7% of the archival TMA cores. Using well preserved cores the potential of combining Erg expression with EMT markers as a prognostic marker will be presented. Conclusions: This study shows that archival TMAs can be utilised for biomarker characterisation and validation. However there are caveats to their use, namely antigen preservation. The use of multicolour automated protocols, which utilise a house keeping antigen, circumvents these caveats and releases the full potential of TMAs in biomarker research.

Colon cancer is the third leading class of cancer causing increased mortality in developed countries. A polyp is one type of lesion observed in a majority of colon cancer patients. Here, we re- port a microscopic Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) study of normal, adenomatous polyp and malignant cells from biopsies of 24 patients. The goal of our study was to differentiate an adenomatous polyp from a malignant cell using FTIR microspectroscopy and artificial neural network (ANN) analysis. FTIR spectra and biological markers such as phosphate, RNA/DNA derived from spectra, were useful in identifying normal cells from abnormal ones that consisted of adenomatous polyp and malignant cells. However, the biological markers failed to differentiate between adenomatous polyp and malignant cases. By employing a combination of wavelet features and an ANN based clas- sifier, we were able to classify the different cells as normal, adenoma- tous polyp and cancerous in a given tissue sample. The percentage of success of classification was 89%, 81%, and 83% for normal, ad- enomatous polyp, and malignant cells, respectively. A comparison of the method proposed with the pathological method is also discussed.

Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) employs a unique approach to optical diagnosis of tissue pathology based on the characteristic molecular vibrational spectra of the tissue. The architectural changes in the cellular and sub-cellular levels developing in abnormal tissue, including a majority of cancer forms, manifest themselves in different optical signatures, which can be detected in infrared spectroscopy. The biological systems we have studied include normal, premalignant (polyp) and malignant human colonic tissues from three patients. Our method is based on microscopic infrared study (FTIR-microscopy) of thin tissue specimens and a direct comparison with normal histopathological analysis, which serves as a `gold' reference. The normal intestine tissue has a stronger absorption than polyp and cancerous types over a wide region in all three cases. The detailed analysis showed that there is a significant decrease in total phosphate and creatine contents for polyp and cancerous tissue types in comparison to the controls.

FTIR employs a unique approach to optical diagnosis of tissue pathology based on the characteristic molecular vibrational spectra of the tissue. The architectural changes in the cellular and sub-cellular levels developing in abnormal tissue, including a majority of cancer forms, manifest themselves in different optical signatures, which can be detected in IR spectroscopy. The molecular vibrational modes, which are responsible for IR absorption spectra, are characteristic of the biochemistry of the cells and their sub-cellular components. The biological systems we have studied include adenocarcinoma and normal colonic tissues obtained from the department of pathology at Soroka Medical Center. Our method is based on microscopic IR study of thin tissue specimens and a direct comparison with normal histopathological analysis, which serves as a 'gold' reference. Several unique differences between normal and cancerous intestinal specimens have been observed. The cancerous intestine has weaker absorption strength over a wide region, which includes several significant vibrational bands. The results from microscopic IR absorption spectra from intestinal tissues have also been compared with other biological tissue samples.