Investigation of the effectiveness of no-reference metric in image evaluation in nuclear medicine.

Background: In nuclear medicine, normalized mean square error (NMSE) is widely used for image quality evaluation and machine adjustment. However, evaluating clinical images in nuclear medicine using NMSE necessitates acquiring a reference image, which is time consuming and impractical. Therefore, it is necessary to explore no-reference metrics, such as perception-based image quality evaluator (PIQE) and natural image quality evaluator (NIQE), as alternatives for evaluating the quality of clinical images used in nuclear medicine.

[Questionnaire Survey of Radiation Protection Education in Hospitals].

Purpose: The present study aimed to investigate the current situation of radiation protection education for designated radiation workers in hospitals.

Methods: A web-based questionnaire survey was conducted at 1,883 hospitals nationwide with 200 or more beds.

Results: Responses from 186 hospitals were included in the analysis.

An original method of analysis of the breast contour curve with 3-dimensional imaging: Case series.

Introduction: Postoperative assessment of breast reconstruction results has become increasingly important. In this paper, a unique analysis method with 3-dimensional surface images of patients who were treated with immediate breast reconstruction is presented.

Patient Concerns: Five Japanese women were suspected of having breast cancer and visited our hospital for treatment.

[Development of Dose Management Software Using Visual Basic for Applications and Dose Evaluation in the Field of Nuclear Medicine].

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop software for smooth dose management based on the Japan diagnostic reference levels (DRLs 2020) in the field of nuclear medicine.

Method: Using the programming language Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), we implemented a function for calculating actual doses, a function for comparing doses at one's own facility with those of DRLs 2020, a function for calculating appropriate doses for pediatric nuclear medicine examinations, and so on. In addition, we evaluated actual doses before and after the software implementation.

Serum O-glycosylated hepatitis B surface antigen levels in patients with chronic hepatitis B during nucleos(t)ide analog therapy.

Background: Serum hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) is a component of both hepatitis B virus (HBV) virions and non-infectious subviral particles (SVPs). Recently, O-glycosylation of the PreS2 domain of middle HBsAg protein has been identified as a distinct characteristic of genotype C HBV virions versus SVPs. This study aimed to evaluate serum O-glycosylated HBsAg levels in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) treated with nucleos(t)ide analogs (NAs).

Massive non-incisional abdominal wall hernia caused by abdominal wall weakness resulting from childhood radiation therapy: a case report.

Huge abdominal wall hernias after radiation therapy in the absence of any previous surgical incisions or trauma are rare and, to the best of our knowledge, have not previously been reported. we report a patient with a massive hernia caused by abdominal wall weakness resulting from childhood radiation therapy.

Deep Learning-based Angiogram Generation Model for Cerebral Angiography without Misregistration Artifacts.

Background Digital subtraction angiography (DSA) generates an image by subtracting a mask image from a dynamic angiogram. However, patient movement-caused misregistration artifacts can result in unclear DSA images that interrupt procedures. Purpose To train and to validate a deep learning (DL)-based model to produce DSA-like cerebral angiograms directly from dynamic angiograms and then quantitatively and visually evaluate these angiograms for clinical usefulness.

Design, synthesis, and evaluation of a novel prodrug, a S-trityl--cysteine derivative targeting kinesin spindle protein.

Kinesin spindle protein (KSP) is expressed only in cells undergoing cell division, and hence represents an attractive target for the treatment of cancer. Several KSP inhibitors have been developed and undergone clinical trial, but their clinical use is limited by their toxicity to rapidly proliferating non-cancerous cells. To create new KSP inhibitors that are highly selective for cancer cells, we optimized the amino acid moiety of S-trityl--cysteine (STLC) derivative 1 using in silico modeling.

[Effect of Gantry Speed on Image Quality of Four-dimensional Cone-beam Computed Tomography Using a Dynamic Phantom of Lung].

Purpose: The purpose of this paper was to determine the optimal imaging conditions for four-dimensional cone-beam computed tomography (4D-CBCT) using an X-ray tube and a flat-panel detector mounted on a radiotherapy device.

Methods: The optimal imaging conditions were examined by changing the gantry speed (GS) parameter that affected the exposure time. Exposed dose during imaging and image quality of moving phantom were compared between examined conditions.

Outcome of patients with acute liver failure awaiting liver transplantation in Japan.

Aim: To clarify the outcome and predictive factors in patients with acute liver failure (ALF) awaiting deceased donor liver transplantation (DDLT) in Japan.

Methods: Of the DDLT candidates in Japan between 2007 and 2016, 264 adult patients with ALF were retrospectively enrolled in this study. Factors associated with DDLT and waiting-list mortality were assessed using the Cox proportional hazard model.

Multidisciplinary attentive treatment for patients with chronic disorders of consciousness following severe traumatic brain injury in the NASVA of Japan.

: The aim of this study was to demonstrate the clinical outcomes of long-term multidisciplinary attentive treatment (MAT) in patients with chronic disorders of consciousness (DOC) due to severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) following automotive accidents.: Five hundred and ten patients (mean age: 40.4 years) were enrolled in this retrospective study.

Portal Vein Thrombosis in a Patient with Hereditary Antithrombin Deficiency.

Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) has been reported in many patients with and without liver cirrhosis. The portal vein is a rare site of thrombosis, and various conditions can predispose an individual to PVT. Among those conditions, hereditary thrombophilia has been increasingly reported recently.

Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing the Effects of Vonoprazan Plus Rebamipide and Esomeprazole Plus Rebamipide on Gastric Ulcer Healing Induced by Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection.

Objective Gastric endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is currently a standard procedure, and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are most commonly used to treat post-ESD ulcers. Vonoprazan, a potassium-competitive acid blocker (P-CAB), reportedly inhibits gastric acid secretions more effectively than PPIs. Combination therapy of a PPI plus rebamipide is effective for treating larger ulcers.

[Using Super Resolution to Denoise on PET Images].

A high-resolution display panel comes to practical use, but the resolution of the indicated contents does not change. The up-sampling processing is applied to indication of the low-resolution contents. In the up-sampling process, the super resolution enables an up-sampling process which estimates information of high frequency components lost by sampling while analyzing input images is noticed.

Efficacy and safety of rifaximin in Japanese patients with hepatic encephalopathy: A phase II/III, multicenter, randomized, evaluator-blinded, active-controlled trial and a phase III, multicenter, open trial.

Aim: The efficacy and safety of rifaximin in the treatment of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) are widely known, but they have not been confirmed in Japanese patients with HE. Thus, two prospective, randomized studies (a phase II/III study and a phase III study) were carried out.

Methods: Subjects with grade I or II HE and hyperammonemia were enrolled.

[Scatter Correction of Septal Penetration for I-IMP Cerebral Blood Flow SPECT Adding Radioactivity from the Outside of Field of View-Comparison between Simulation-based and Multi-window Scatter Corrections].

Purpose: The N-Isopropyl-p-[123I] Iodoamphetamine (I-IMP) SPECT imaging reduces the image quality and quantitative accuracy due to scatter and septal penetration occurred by radioactive uptake from outside of the field of view such as the lungs. We evaluated the influence of scatter and septal penetration using phantom-simulated radioactivity from outside of the field of view, and subsequently compared the effect of scatter and septal penetration corrections between the simulation-based effective scatter source estimation (ESSE) method and the multi-window method (ellipse approximation method).

Methods: We used the phantom filled with 10 and 25 kBq/mL for the brain and lung parts corresponding to radioactive concentration in the clinical study.

Genome-wide association studies identify PRKCB as a novel genetic susceptibility locus for primary biliary cholangitis in the Japanese population.

A previous genome-wide association study (GWAS) performed in 963 Japanese individuals (487 primary biliary cholangitis [PBC] cases and 476 healthy controls) identified TNFSF15 (rs4979462) and POU2AF1 (rs4938534) as strong susceptibility loci for PBC. In this study, we performed GWAS in additional 1,923 Japanese individuals (894 PBC cases and 1,029 healthy controls), and combined the results with the previous data. This GWAS, together with a subsequent replication study in an independent set of 7,024 Japanese individuals (512 PBC cases and 6,512 healthy controls), identified PRKCB (rs7404928) as a novel susceptibility locus for PBC (odds ratio [OR] = 1.

Prediction of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Development after Hepatitis C Virus Eradication Using Serum Wisteria floribunda Agglutinin-Positive Mac-2-Binding Protein.

We aimed to clarify the association between a novel serum fibrosis marker, agglutinin-positive Mac-2-binding protein (WFA⁺-M2BP), and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development in 355 patients with chronic hepatitis C who achieved sustained virologic response (SVR) through interferon-based antiviral therapy. Pretreatment serum WFA⁺-M2BP levels were quantified and the hazard ratios (HRs) for HCC development were retrospectively analyzed by Cox proportional hazard analysis. During the median follow-up time of 2.