Intraday and interday variations of milk fatty acids in dairy cows in early and late lactation.

The composition of milk fatty acid (FA) was determined using Fourier-transform mid-infrared spectroscopy, which enables the rapid measurement of many samples. Milk FA is one indicator supporting the management of dairy cows and herds. This study aimed to determine an appropriate sampling method for milk FA in a practical farm condition based on intraday and interday variations in milk FA composition during early and late lactation stages.

Suppression of Pulsed Dynamic Nuclear Polarization by Many-Body Spin Dynamics.

We study a mechanism by which nuclear hyperpolarization due to the polarization transfer from a microwave-pulse-controlled electron spin is suppressed. From analytical and numerical calculations of the unitary dynamics of multiple nuclear spins, we uncover that, combined with the formation of the dark state within a cluster of nuclei, coherent higher-order nuclear spin dynamics impose limits on the efficiency of the polarization transfer even in the absence of mundane depolarization processes such as nuclear spin diffusion and relaxation. Furthermore, we show that the influence of the dark state can be partly mitigated by introducing a disentangling operation.

A comparative study of high-dose-rate brachytherapy boost combined with external beam radiation therapy versus external beam radiation therapy alone for high-risk prostate cancer.

We aimed to compare the outcomes of high-dose-rate brachytherapy (HDR-BT) boost and external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) alone for high-risk prostate cancer. This was a single-center, retrospective and observational study. Consecutive patients who underwent initial radical treatment by HDR-BT boost or EBRT alone from June 2009 to May 2016 at the Niigata University Medical and Dental Hospital, Japan were included.

Effect of setup error in the single-isocenter technique on stereotactic radiosurgery for multiple brain metastases.

In conventional stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS), treatment of multiple brain metastases using multiple isocenters is time-consuming resulting in long dose delivery times for patients. A single-isocenter technique has been developed which enables the simultaneous irradiation of multiple targets at one isocenter. This technique requires accurate positioning of the patient to ensure optimal dose coverage.

Dosimetric comparison of analytic anisotropic algorithm and Acuros XB algorithm in VMAT plans for high-grade glioma.

Purpose: To investigate the dosimetric impact between the anisotropic analytical algorithm (AAA) and the Acuros XB (AXB) algorithm in volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plans for high-grade glioma (HGG).

Methods: We used a heterogeneous phantom to quantify the agreement between the measured and calculated doses from the AAA and from the AXB. We then analyzed 14 patients with HGG treated by VMAT, using the AAA.

The neurocognitive function change criteria after whole-brain radiation therapy for brain metastasis, in reference to health-related quality of life changes: a prospective observation study.

Background: We sought to construct the optimal neurocognitive function (NCF) change criteria sensitive to health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) in patients who have undergone whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT) for brain metastasis.

Methods: We categorized the patients by the changes of NCF into groups of improvement versus deterioration if at least one domain showed changes that exceeded the cut-off while other domains remained stable. The remaining patients were categorized as stable, and the patients who showed both significant improvement and deterioration were categorized as 'both.

The association between oral candidiasis and severity of chemoradiotherapy-induced dysphagia in head and neck cancer patients: A retrospective cohort study.

Background And Purpose: Concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) for head and neck cancer (HNC) is a risk factor for oral candidiasis (OC). As spp. are highly virulent, we conducted a retrospective study to determine whether OC increases the severity of dysphagia related to mucositis in HNC patients.

The impact of the three degrees-of-freedom fiducial marker-based setup compared to soft tissue-based setup in hypofractionated intensity-modulated radiotherapy for prostate cancer.

Purpose: We evaluated the setup accuracy of a three-degree-of-freedom fiducial marker (3DOF-FM)-based setup compared to a soft tissue (ST)-based setup in hypofractionated intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for prostate cancer.

Materials And Methods: We analyzed the setup accuracy for 17 consecutive prostate cancer patients with three implanted FMs who underwent hypofractionated IMRT. The 3DOF-ST-based setup using cone-beam computed tomography (CT) was performed after a six DOF-bony structure (BS)-based setup using an ExacTrac x-ray system.

Complementary Relation Between the Improvement of Dose Delivery Technique and PTV Margin Reduction in Dose-Escalated Radiation Therapy for Prostate Cancer.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to demonstrate quantitatively the complementary relationship between the introduction of intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) and planning target volume (PTV) margin reduction with an image guided technique in reducing the risk of rectal toxicity in dose-escalating prostate radiation therapy.

Methods And Materials: Three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (CRT) and IMRT plans were generated for 10 patients with prostate cancer based on 2 PTV margin protocols (10/8 mm and 6/5 mm) and 2 dose prescriptions (70 Gy and 78 Gy). The normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) for each of the 8 scenarios was calculated using the Lyman-Kutcher-Burman model to estimate the risk of rectal and bladder late toxicity.

Selection criteria for 3D conformal radiotherapy versus volumetric-modulated arc therapy in high-grade glioma based on normal tissue complication probability of brain.

There are no quantitative selection criteria for identifying high-grade glioma (HGG) patients who are suited for volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT). This study aimed to develop selection criteria that can be used for the selection of the optimal treatment modality in HGG. We analyzed 20 patients with HGG treated by 3D conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT).

Present clinical practices of stereotactic irradiation for metastatic brain tumors in Japan: results of questionnaire survey of the Japanese Radiation Oncology Study Group (JROSG) working subgroup for neurological tumors.

Background: To determine the current practice of stereotactic irradiation (STI) for brain metastases in Japan by a questionnaire survey.

Methods: A questionnaire was distributed to 313 institutions performing STI with one of the following machines: Gamma Knife (GK), CyberKnife (CK), Novalis (Nov), or other linear accelerator (LINAC)-based systems (OLS). The participation was voluntary.

Definitive chemoradiotherapy with low-dose continuous 5-fluorouracil reduces hematological toxicity without compromising survival in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients.

Background And Purpose: To compare chemoradiotherapy (CRT) with low-dose continuous 5-fluorouracil (5FU) to CRT with 5FU+cisplatin (CDDP) for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in a retrospective cohort study.

Methods And Materials: We reviewed the cases of Stage I-IV ESCC patients who underwent definitive CRT in 2000-2014. Concomitant chemotherapy was one of the three regimens: (1) high-dose intermittent 5FU and CDDP (standard-dose FP: SDFP), (2) low-dose continuous 5FU and CDDP (LDFP), or (3) low-dose continuous 5FU (LD5FU).

Multicenter phase I/II study of chemoradiotherapy with high-dose CDDP for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in Japan.

Objective: Recent data indicated that concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) using high dose cisplatin (CDDP) is the most useful treatment for advanced head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Regarding the dose of CDDP, 100mg/m is most recommended in Western countries. However, in terms of a balance of efficacy and adverse events, appropriate dose of cytotoxic drugs such as CDDP may be different among the different ethnic groups.

Secondary Intracranial Tumors Following Radiotherapy for Pituitary Adenomas: A Systematic Review.

Pituitary adenomas are often treated with radiotherapy for the management of tumor progression or recurrence. Despite the improvement in cure rates, patients treated by radiotherapy are at risk of development of secondary malignancies. We conducted a comprehensive literature review of the secondary intracranial tumors that occurred following radiotherapy to pituitary adenomas to obtain clinicopathological characteristics.

Respiratory gating and multifield technique radiotherapy for esophageal cancer.

Purpose: To investigate the effects of a respiratory gating and multifield technique on the dose-volume histogram (DVH) in radiotherapy for esophageal cancer.

Methods And Materials: Twenty patients who underwent four-dimensional computed tomography for esophageal cancer were included. We retrospectively created the four treatment plans for each patient, with or without the respiratory gating and multifield technique: No gating-2-field, No gating-4-field, Gating-2-field, and Gating-4-field plans.

Factors Affecting the Baseline and Post-Treatment Scores on the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised Japanese Version before and after Whole-Brain Radiation Therapy.

Our objectives were to (1) investigate the feasibility of the use of the Japanese version of the Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised (HVLT-R); (2) identify the clinical factors influencing the HVLT-R scores of patients undergoing whole-brain radiation therapy (WBRT); and (3) compare the neurocognitive function (NCF) after WBRT in different dose fractionation schedules. We administered the HVLT-R (Japanese version) before (baseline) and at four and eight months after WBRT in 45 patients who received either therapeutic (35Gy-in-14, = 16; 30Gy-in-10, = 18) or prophylactic (25Gy-in-10, = 11) WBRT. Sixteen patients dropped out before the eight-month examination, due mostly to death from cancer.

A study on a dental device for the prevention of mucosal dose enhancement caused by backscatter radiation from dental alloy during external beam radiotherapy.

The changes in dose distribution caused by backscatter radiation from a common commercial dental alloy (Au-Ag-Pd dental alloy; DA) were investigated to identify the optimal material and thicknesses of a dental device (DD) for effective prevention of mucositis. To this end, 1 cm of DA was irradiated with a 6-MV X-ray beam (100 MU) in a field size of 10 × 10 cm using a Novalis TX linear accelerator. Ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer, polyolefin elastomer, and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) were selected as DD materials.

Broadband, large-area microwave antenna for optically detected magnetic resonance of nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond.

We report on a microwave planar ring antenna specifically designed for optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond. It has the resonance frequency at around 2.87 GHz with the bandwidth of 400 MHz, ensuring that ODMR can be observed under external magnetic fields up to 100 G without the need of adjustment of the resonance frequency.

Risk Factors and Time to Occurrence of Genitourinary Toxicity After External Beam Radiotherapy for Prostate Cancer.

Aim: To retrospectively investigate the risk factors and time to occurrence of genitourinary (GU) toxicity after radiotherapy for localized prostate cancer.

Patients And Methods: The study included 320 patients. The radiotherapy planning target volume encompassed the prostate with a 1-cm margin in the transverse plane and a 1-cm margin (Group A) or a 1.

Two-fraction high-dose-rate brachytherapy within a single day combined with external beam radiotherapy for prostate cancer: single institution experience and outcomes.

We investigated the outcomes of treatment for patients with localized prostate cancer (PCa) treated with 3D conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT) followed by two-fraction high-dose-rate brachytherapy within a single day (2-fr.-HDR-BT/day) at a single institution. A total of 156 consecutive Asian males (median age, 67 years) were enrolled.

Superiority of a soft tissue-based setup using cone-beam computed tomography over a bony structure-based setup in intensity-modulated radiotherapy for prostate cancer.

The purpose of this study was to test the superiority of a soft tissue-based setup using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) to a bony structure-based setup using the ExacTrac system in intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) for prostate cancer. We studied 20 patients with localized prostate cancer who received IMRT between November 2010 and February 2012. After the initial setup, the pelvic bony structure-based setup and ExacTrac system were applied.

Two-photon interference at telecom wavelengths for time-bin-encoded single photons from quantum-dot spin qubits.

Practical quantum communication between remote quantum memories rely on single photons at telecom wavelengths. Although spin-photon entanglement has been demonstrated in atomic and solid-state qubit systems, the produced single photons at short wavelengths and with polarization encoding are not suitable for long-distance communication, because they suffer from high propagation loss and depolarization in optical fibres. Establishing entanglement between remote quantum nodes would further require the photons generated from separate nodes to be indistinguishable.

A case of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

Pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (pNETs) are an uncommon malignancy arising from the neuroendocrine cells of pancreas. Most cases of pNETs present with metastatic disease, but there are few reports in the literature describing pNETs metastasis to the lung and mediastinal lymph nodes [1]. Moreover, although a multimodal treatment including surgical resection and chemotherapy is acceptable for management of pNETs, advanced pNETs still remain a difficult therapeutic challenge [2, 3].

The effectiveness of endoscopic submucosal dissection followed by chemoradiotherapy for superficial esophageal cancer.

Background: To evaluate the risks and benefits of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) in addition to chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for the treatment of superficial esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (SESCC).

Methods And Materials: We retrospectively reviewed the treatment outcomes of 47 patients with SESCC treated between October 2000 and December 2011. Sixteen patients with invasion into the submucosal layer (T1b) or the muscularis mucosa (m3) with positive vascular invasion were treated with CRT after ESD (ESD-CRT group).

Primary CNS lymphoma treated with radiotherapy in Japan: a survey of patients treated in 2005-2009 and a comparison with those treated in 1985-2004.

Background: The aim of our study was to analyze changes over time in the characteristics, treatment, and outcome of patients with primary central nervous system lymphoma (PCNSL).

Methods: Data on 315 patients with histologically proven PCNSL undergoing radiotherapy between 2005 and 2009 were collected from 20 Japanese institutions using a questionnaire. These data were then compared with data on 273 patients treated during the period 1995-2004 and those on 466 patients treated during the period 1985-1994.