Practical use of the central venous access port for contrast-enhanced CT: comparison with peripheral intravenous access regarding enhancement and safety.

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of using the central venous (CV) port compared with peripheral intravenous access for contrast-material injection for contrast enhancement during the portal venous phase.

Materials And Methods: Patients were divided into three groups: CV delay, CV routine, and peripheral access (PA) groups. Patients in the CV delay group underwent injection in the arm-down position with an additional delay, while those in the CV routine and PA groups underwent injections with the routine injection protocol for portal venous phase imaging.

Assessment of Well-Being Across Menstrual Phases in Female Students.

Purpose: In this study, we determined female nursing students' physical and mental state involvement by measuring heart rate variability and salivary α-amylase activity (αAMY).

Methods: The study included 108 students aged 20-21 with regular menstrual cycles. The basal body temperature method was used to determine the menstrual phases.

Impact of magnetic resonance imaging-related geometric distortion of dose distribution in fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy in patients with brain metastases.

Purpose: The geometric distortion related to magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in a diagnostic radiology (MR) and radiotherapy (MR) setup is evaluated, and the dosimetric impact of MR distortion on fractionated stereotactic radiotherapy (FSRT) in patients with brain metastases is simulated.

Materials And Methods: An anthropomorphic skull phantom was scanned using a 1.5‑T MR scanner, and the magnitude of MR distortion was calculated with (MR-DC and MR-DC) and without (MR-nDC and MR-nDC) distortion-correction algorithms.

Dosimetric Comparison of Helical Tomotherapy and HyperArc Treatment Plans for Angiosarcoma of the Scalp.

Background/aim: Angiosarcoma of the scalp (AS) is a rare tumor that has often been treated by total scalp irradiation (TSI). TSI has technical and dosimetric challenges. This study aimed to compare the dosimetric performance of helical tomotherapy (HT) plans with that of HyperArc (HA) plans for TSI in AS.

Long-term wheel-running prevents reduction of grip strength in type 2 diabetic rats.

Diabetic skeletal muscles show reduced contractile force and increased fatigability. Hands are a target for several diabetes-induced complications. Therefore, reduced handgrip strength often occurs as a consequence of diabetes.

Crispness, the Key for the Palatability of "Kakinotane": A Sensory Study with Onomatopoeic Words.

Crispness is among the most important food textures that contribute significantly to palatability. This study investigated the association between the perceived crispness and palatability of five types of Japanese rice crackers known as "kakinotane." Two experiments were conducted using the temporal dominance of sensations (TDS) and temporal drivers of liking (TDL) methods.

Accuracy of dose calculation on iterative CBCT for head and neck radiotherapy.

Purpose: To evaluate the feasibility of the use of iterative cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) for dose calculation in the head and neck region.

Methods: This study includes phantom and clinical studies. All acquired CBCT images were reconstructed with Feldkamp-Davis-Kress algorithm-based CBCT (FDK-CBCT) and iterative CBCT (iCBCT) algorithm.

Impact of Multileaf Collimator Width on Dose Distribution in HyperArc Fractionated Stereotactic Irradiation for Multiple (-) Brain Metastases.

Background/aim: To assess the impact of the width of multileaf collimator (MLC) on dose distributions on HyperArc fractionated stereotactic irradiation for multiple (5-10) brain metastases.

Patients And Methods: Twenty-one HyperArc (HA) plans were generated using the high definition (HD) MLC (2.5 mm) to deliver 30-35 Gy in 3-5 fractions (HA-HD).

Improvement of image quality for pancreatic cancer using deep learning-generated virtual monochromatic images: Comparison with single-energy computed tomography.

Purpose: To construct a deep convolutional neural network that generates virtual monochromatic images (VMIs) from single-energy computed tomography (SECT) images for improved pancreatic cancer imaging quality.

Materials And Methods: Fifty patients with pancreatic cancer underwent a dual-energy CT simulation and VMIs at 77 and 60 keV were reconstructed. A 2D deep densely connected convolutional neural network was modeled to learn the relationship between the VMIs at 77 (input) and 60 keV (ground-truth).

Dual-energy computed tomography image-based volumetric-modulated arc therapy planning for reducing the effect of contrast-enhanced agent on dose distributions.

To compare the effect of a contrast-enhanced (CE) agent on volumetric-modulated arc therapy plans based on four types of images-virtual monochromatic images (VMIs) captured at 70 and 140 keV (namely VMI and VMI, respectively), water density image (WDI), and virtual non-contrast image (VNC) generated using a dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) system. A tissue characterization phantom and a multi-energy phantom were scanned, and VMI, VMI, WDI, and VNC were retrospectively reconstructed. For each image, a lookup table (LUT) was created.

Intra-fractional patient setup error during fractionated intracranial stereotactic irradiation treatment of patients wearing medical masks: comparison with and without bite block during COVID-19 pandemic.

The immobilization of patients with a bite block (BB) carries the risk of interpersonal infection, particularly in the context of pandemics such as COVID-19. Here, we compared the intra-fractional patient setup error (intra-SE) with and without a BB during fractionated intracranial stereotactic irradiation (STI). Fifteen patients with brain metastases were immobilized using a BB without a medical mask, while 15 patients were immobilized without using a BB and with a medical mask.

Metal artifact reduction using iterative CBCT reconstruction algorithm for head and neck radiation therapy: A phantom and clinical study.

Purpose: To investigate whether a novel iterative cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) reconstruction algorithm reduces metal artifacts in head and neck patient images.

Method: An anthropomorphic phantom and 35 patients with dental metal prostheses or implants were analyzed. All CBCT images were acquired using a TrueBeam linear accelerator and reconstructed with a Feldkamp-Davis-Kress algorithm-based CBCT (FDK-CBCT) and an iterative CBCT algorithm.

Age-related changes in functional adaptation to bolus characteristics during chewing.

We investigated how the physical properties of food affect chewing kinematics, and examined the effects of aging on behavior. Twenty young and 21 older volunteers were asked to freely chew rice crackers and spit the food out at their average chewing duration. We compared chewing characteristics among the conditions (age × rice cracker), and examined the area of rectified masseter and suprahyoid electromyographic bursts per chewing cycle.

Parasympathetic nervous activity is associated with oxytocin in multiparous, but not primiparous, women during the perinatal period.

Oxytocin (OXT) is thought to have antidepressant/anxiolytic effects in postpartum women. Primiparous women tend toward an attenuated lactation compared with multiparous women. However, so far, little is known about the relationship between OXT and autonomic nervous activity (ANA) in perinatal women and whether it may be different in primiparous and multiparous women.

Determination of optimal virtual monochromatic energy level for target delineation of brain metastases in radiosurgery using dual-energy CT.

Objective: Determination of the optimal energy level of virtual monochromatic image (VMI) for brain metastases in contrast-enhanced dual-energy CT (DECT) for radiosurgery and assessment of the subjective and objective image quality of VMI at the optimal energy level.

Methods: 20 patients (total of 42 metastases) underwent contrast-enhanced DECT. Spectral image analysis of VMIs at energy levels ranging from 40 to 140 keV in 1 keV increments was performed to determine the optimal VMI (VMI) as the one corresponding to the highest contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) between brain parenchyma and the metastases.

A Third-Generation Adaptive Statistical Iterative Reconstruction for Contrast-Enhanced 4-Dimensional Dual-Energy Computed Tomography for Pancreatic Cancer.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess the objective and subjective qualities of the contrast-enhanced 4-dimensional dual-energy computed tomography using adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASiR) and ASiR-V.

Methods: The virtual monochromatic images at 60 keV were reconstructed using filtered back projection, ASiR, and ASiR-V (10%-100%) for 14 patients with pancreatic cancer. The contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) was calculated, and the subjective measurements were compared based on a 5-point score scale.

Volumetric modulated arc therapy treatment planning based on virtual monochromatic images for head and neck cancer: effect of the contrast-enhanced agent on dose distribution.

Virtual monochromatic images (VMIs) at a lower energy level can improve image quality but the computed tomography (CT) number of iodine contained in the contrast-enhanced agent is dramatically increased. We assessed the effect of the use of contrast-enhanced agent on the dose distributions in volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) planning for head and neck cancer (HNC). Based on the VMIs at 40 keV (VMI ), 60 keV(VMI ), and 77 keV (VMI ) of a tissue characterization phantom, lookup tables (LUTs) were created.

Effect of a saline flush technique for head and neck imaging in dual-energy CT: improvement of image quality and perivenous artefact reduction using virtual monochromatic imaging.

Aim: To evaluate the effect of the saline flush (SF) technique on the depiction of lesions and the reduction of perivenous artefacts in the head and neck region using dual-energy computed tomography (CT) with virtual monochromatic imaging (VMI).

Materials And Methods: Fifty patients with head and neck cancer were divided into two groups: group A, without a SF and group B, with a 30-ml SF. All images were acquired using fast kilovolt-switching CT (Revolution HD, GE Healthcare, Milwaukee, WI, USA).

Volumetric modulated arc therapy planning based on virtual monochromatic images: Effect of inaccurate CT numbers on dose distributions.

Purpose: Though virtual monochromatic images (VMIs) at low energy levels can improve image quality, the measured Hounsfield unit (HU) values can be inaccurate. We assessed the dosimetric error due to inaccurate HU estimation in volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) planning.

Methods: Based on the VMIs at 50 keV (VMI), 77 keV (VMI) and single-energy CT (SECT) image for a phantom with different sizes, lookup tables (LUT and LUT) were created.

Estimation of electron density, effective atomic number and stopping power ratio using dual-layer computed tomography for radiotherapy treatment planning.

Purpose: Assess the accuracy for quantitative measurements of electron density relative to water (ρ/ρ), effective atomic number (Z) and stopping power ratio relative to water (SPR) using a dual-layer computed tomography (DLCT) system.

Methods And Materials: A tissue characterization phantom was scanned using DLCT with varying scanning parameters (i.e.