Al Ghurair University

About: Al Ghurair University is a education organization based out in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Nusselt number & Reynolds number. The organization has 101 authors who have published 152 publications receiving 1539 citations.

Thermal therapy, part 1: an introduction to thermal therapy.

Abstract: Thermal therapy is widely known and electromagnetic (EM) energy, ultrasonic waves, and other thermal-conduction-based devices have been used as heating sources. In particular, advances in EM technology have paved the way for promising trends in thermotherapeutical applications such as oncology, physiotherapy, urology, cardiology, ophthalmology, and in other areas of medicine as well. This series of articles is generally written for oncologists, cancer researchers, medical students, biomedical researchers, clinicians, and others who have an interest in this topic. This article reviews key processes and developments in thermal therapy with emphasis on two techniques, namely, hyperthermia [including long-term low-temperature hyperthermia (40-41 degrees C for 6-72 hr), moderate-temperature hyperthermia (42-45 degrees C for 15-60 min), and thermal ablation, or high-temperature hyperthermia (> 50 degrees C for > 4-6 min)]. The article will also provide an overview of a wide range of possible mechanisms and biological effects of heat. This information will be discussed in light of what is known about the degree of temperature rise that is expected from various sources of energy. The review concludes with an evaluation of human exposure risk to EM energy or the corresponding heat, trends in equipment development, and future research directions.

Thermal therapy, part 2: hyperthermia techniques.

Abstract: Hyperthermia, the procedure of raising the temperature of a part of or the whole body above normal for a defined period of time, is applied alone or as an adjunctive with various established cancer treatment modalities such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Clinical hyperthermia falls into three broad categories, namely, (1) localized hyperthermia, (2) regional hyperthermia, and (3) whole-body hyperthermia (WBH). Because of the various problems associated with each type of treatment, different heating techniques have evolved. In this article, background information on the biological rationale and current status of technologies concerning heating equipment for the application of hyperthermia to human cancer treatment are provided. The results of combinations of other modalities such as radiotherapy or chemotherapy with hyperthermia as a new treatment strategy are summarized. The article concludes with a discussion of challenges and opportunities for the future.

Thermal Therapy, Part III: Ablation Techniques

Abstract: Ablative treatments are gaining increasing attention as an alternative to standard surgical therapies, especially for patients with contraindication or those who refuse open surgery. Thermal ablation is used in clinical applications mainly for treating heart arrhythmias, benign prostate hyperplasia, and nonoperable liver tumors; there is also increasing application to other organ sites, including the kidney, lung, and brain. Potential benefits of thermal ablation include reduced morbidity and mortality in comparison with standard surgical resection and the ability to treat nonsurgical patients. The purpose of this review is to outline and discuss the engineering principles and biological responses by which thermal ablation techniques can provide elevation of temperature in organs within the human body. Because of the individual problems associated with each type of treatment, a wide range of ablation techniques have evolved including cryoablation as well as ultrasound, radiofrequency (RF), microwave, and laser ablation. Aspects of each ablation technique, including mechanisms of action, equipment required, selection of eligible patients, treatment techniques, and patient outcomes are presented, along with a discussion of limitations of the techniques and future research directions.

Impact of ICA-Based Image Enhancement Technique on Retinal Blood Vessels Segmentation

Abstract: An automatic retinal vessel segmentation method is proposed for quick and accurate segmentation of eye vessels. Such a method would play a vital role in analyzing many eye diseases. A retinal fundus image contains varying low contrasts, which undermine the performance of the segmentation process. Independent component analysis (ICA) is largely used for noise removal and consists of two architectures, designated as ICA1 and ICA2. We have validated both ICA architectures on retinal color fundus images and selected the one that provides improved contrast values. For retinal fundus, ICA2 architecture performed better than ICA1 by virtue of being more effective in compensating the low contrast values. Experiments conducted here validated the improvements over previously reported state-of-the-art methods. The impact of proposed segmentation model was assessed on publicly available databases like DRIVE and STARE. In case of the DRIVE database, the sensitivity increased 3% by (from 72% to 75%) while maintaining a segmentation accuracy of around 96%.