Investigation of Medical Accidents for the Development of Alert System to Reduce Alert Fatigue.

Alert fatigue, a decrease in sensitivity to alerts, is a problem in the medical field. In this study, a survey was conducted on medical accidents in order to develop an alert that could be expected to reduce alert fatigue. As a result, medical accidents related to drugs are common worldwide, and the need for an alert system that can detect the implementation of medical treatment was found.

Analysis of the Stay Time of Patients in Gunma University Heavy Ion Medical Center (GHMC) Using RFID Technology.

We observed the stay time of patients and staff in Gunma University Heavy Ion Medical Center. The stay time of patients with the prostatic cancer and the facing time with radiotherapy technicians in treatment rooms were significantly reduced as times goes by. This decreasing in time has an implication in scheduling algorithm development: for patients.

Imaging of Tc-DMSA and F-FDG in humans using a Si/CdTe Compton camera.

The Compton camera can simultaneously acquire images of multiple isotopes injected in a body; therefore, it has the potential to introduce a new subfield in the field of biomedical imaging applications. The objective of this study is to assess the ability of a prototype semiconductor-based silicon/cadmium telluride (Si/CdTe) Compton camera to simultaneously image the distributions of technetium (Tc)-dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA) (141 keV emission) and F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) (511 keV emission) injected into a human volunteer. Tc-DMSA and F-FDG were injected intravenously into a 25-year-old male volunteer.

Annihilation gamma imaging for carbon ion beam range monitoring using Si/CdTe Compton camera.

In this study, we performed on-beam monitoring of 511 keV annihilation gamma emissions using a Compton camera. Beam monitoring experiments were conducted using carbon ion beams of 290 MeV/u irradiated on a polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) phantom. The intensity of the beams was 3  ×  10 particles per pulse, with 20 pulses per minute.

MRI response of obturator internus muscle to carbon-ion dose in prostate cancer treatment.

It is important to confirm the dose distribution and its biophysiological response in patients subjected to carbon-ion radiotherapy (CIRT) by using medical imaging methods. In this study, the correlation between the signal intensity changes of muscles observed in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after CIRT and planned dose distribution was evaluated. Seven patients were arbitrarily selected from among localized prostate cancer patients on whom CIRT was performed in our facilities in 2010.

In vivo simultaneous imaging with Tc and F using a Compton camera.

We have been developing a medical imaging technique using a Compton camera. This study evaluates the feasibility of clear imaging with Tc and F simultaneously, and demonstrates in vivo imaging with Tc and/or F. We used a Compton camera with silicon and cadmium telluride (Si/CdTe) semiconductors.

Optimal hypofractionated conformal radiotherapy for large brain metastases in patients with high risk factors: a single-institutional prospective study.

Background: A single-institutional prospective study of optimal hypofractionated conformal radiotherapy for large brain metastases with high risk factors was performed based on the risk prediction of radiation-related complications.

Methods: Eighty-eight patients with large brain metastases ≥10 cm(3) in critical areas treated from January 2010 to February 2014 using the CyberKnife were evaluated. The optimal dose and number of fractions were determined based on the surrounding brain volume circumscribed with a single dose equivalent (SDE) of 14 Gy (V14) to be less than 7 cm(3) for individual lesions.

Five-fraction CyberKnife radiotherapy for large brain metastases in critical areas: impact on the surrounding brain volumes circumscribed with a single dose equivalent of 14 Gy (V14) to avoid radiation necrosis.

The efficacy and toxicity of five-fraction CyberKnife radiotherapy were evaluated in patients with large brain metastases in critical areas. A total of 85 metastases in 78 patients, including tumors >30 cm(3) (4 cm in diameter) were treated with five-fraction CyberKnife radiotherapy with a median marginal dose of 31 Gy at a median prescribed isodose of 58%. Changes in the neurological manifestations, local tumor control, and adverse effects were investigated after treatment.

Efficiency and safety of new radiofrequency identification system in a hospital.

Radiofrequency identification (RFID) applications have the capability to obtain real-time information on the location and properties of tagged people or objects. The efficiency and safety of the new RFID system (UHF band, 953 MHz) were tested in our hospital. We examined whether 1 to 4 persons and medical equipment with IC tags were captured by RFID readers in a laboratory.

Proposal of the patient location tracking and query (PLQ) of IHE integration profile for the better patient tracking.

The Patient Location Tracking Query (PLQ) is the IHE integration profile in order to find the location of patient only in a hospital, not for cross-referencing between multiple hospitals. In Japan, it is common for elderly patients to consult multiple departments in one hospital visit. To find the location of patients quickly is very important for productivity and use of resources in a hospital.

Three-dimensional and multienergy gamma-ray simultaneous imaging by using a Si/CdTe Compton camera.

Purpose: To develop a silicon (Si) and cadmium telluride (CdTe) imaging Compton camera for biomedical application on the basis of technologies used for astrophysical observation and to test its capacity to perform three-dimensional (3D) imaging.

Materials And Methods: All animal experiments were performed according to the Animal Care and Experimentation Committee (Gunma University, Maebashi, Japan). Flourine 18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), iodine 131 ((131)I) methylnorcholestenol, and gallium 67 ((67)Ga) citrate, separately compacted into micro tubes, were inserted subcutaneously into a Wistar rat, and the distribution of the radioisotope compounds was determined with 3D imaging by using the Compton camera after the rat was sacrificed (ex vivo model).

Three-fraction CyberKnife radiotherapy for brain metastases in critical areas: referring to the risk evaluating radiation necrosis and the surrounding brain volumes circumscribed with a single dose equivalence of 14 Gy (V14).

The efficacy and toxicity of three-fraction CyberKnife radiotherapy were evaluated in patients with brain metastases in critical areas. One hundred and fifty-nine metastases in 145 patients including tumors >10 cm(3) were treated with three-fraction CyberKnife radiotherapy with a median marginal dose of 27 Gy at a median prescribed isodose of 60%. Changes in the neurological manifestations, local tumor control and adverse effects were investigated after treatment.

Beam range estimation by measuring bremsstrahlung.

We describe a new method for estimating the beam range in heavy-ion radiation therapy by measuring the ion beam bremsstrahlung. We experimentally confirm that the secondary electron bremsstrahlung process provides the dominant bremsstrahlung contribution. A Monte Carlo simulation shows that the number of background photons from annihilation gamma rays is about 1% of the bremsstrahlung strength in the low-energy region used in our estimation (63-68 keV).

Carbon Ion Radiotherapy at the Gunma University Heavy Ion Medical Center: New Facility Set-up.

Carbon ion radiotherapy (C-ion RT) offers superior dose conformity in the treatment of deep-seated tumors compared with conventional X-ray therapy. In addition, carbon ion beams have a higher relative biological effectiveness compared with protons or X-ray beams. C-ion RT for the first patient at Gunma University Heavy Ion Medical Center (GHMC) was initiated in March of 2010.

Experimental demonstration of the induction synchrotron.

We report an experimental demonstration of the induction synchrotron, the concept of which has been proposed as a future accelerator for the second generation of neutrino factory or hadron collider. The induction synchrotron supports a superbunch and a superbunch permits more charge to be accelerated while observing the constraints of the transverse space-charge limit. By using a newly developed induction acceleration system instead of radio-wave acceleration devices, a single proton bunch injected from the 500 MeV booster ring and captured by the barrier bucket created by the induction step voltages was accelerated to 6 GeV in the KEK proton synchrotron.

Quasiadiabatic, nonfocusing transition-energy crossing.

A quasiadiabatic nonfocusing transition-energy crossing is proposed for suppressing any nonadiabatic and undesired features in a longitudinally separated function-type accelerator, in which particles are confined by an radio-frequency voltage with an adiabatic reduction of the amplitude and accelerated by a step voltage. This new method has been examined, both theoretically and experimentally.

Observation of the acceleration of a single bunch by using the induction device in the KEK proton synchrotron.

A single rf bunch in the KEK proton synchrotron was accelerated with an induction acceleration method from the injection energy of 500 MeV to 5 GeV.