Radiological Sciences Research Articles

Measurement of 59Co(n, x) reaction cross sections with the fast neutrons based on the 9Be(p, n) reaction * *Partly supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) through a grant provided by the Ministry of Science and ICT (NRF-2017R1D1A1B03030484, NRF-2013M7A1A1075764, NRF-2018R1A6A1A06024970)

The cross sections of the 59Co(n, x) reaction in the average energy range of 15.2-37.2 MeV were measured using activation and an off-line γ-ray spectrometric technique. The neutrons were generated from the 9Be(p, n) reaction with proton beam energies of 25-45 MeV at the MC-50 Cyclotron facility of the Korean Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences (KIRAMS). Theoretical calculations of neutron–induced reactions on 59Co were performed using the nuclear model code TALYS-1.9. The results for the 59Co(n, x) reactions were compared with the theoretical values obtained using TALYS-1.9 and the literature data provided in EXFOR and the TENDL 2019 nuclear data library. The theoretical values obtained using TALYS-1.9 with adjusted parameters are comparable to the experimental data. The measured reaction cross sections of a few radionuclides are new, and the others are comparable to the literature data, and thus, they can strengthen the database. The present study on cross sections leads to useful insight into the mechanisms of 59Co(n, x) reactions.

Abstract IA-06: Artificial intelligence in cancer imaging

Abstract Medical imaging in oncology has traditionally been restricted to the diagnosis and staging of cancer. But technological advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI), deep learning in particular, are moving imaging modalities into the heart of patient care. Imaging can address a critical barrier in precision medicine as solid tumors can be spatial and temporal heterogeneous, and the standard approach to tumor sampling, often invasive needle biopsy, is unable to fully capture the spatial state of the tumor. Radiomics refers to the automatic quantification of this radiographic phenotype. Radiomic methods heavily rely on AI technologies to quantify phenotypic characteristics that can be used to develop non-invasive biomarkers. In this talk, Dr. Aerts will discuss recent developments from his group and collaborators performing research at the intersection of radiology, bioinformatics, and data science. Also, he will discuss recent work of building a computational image analysis system to extract a rich radiomics set and use these features to build radiomic signatures. The presentation will conclude with a discussion of future work on building integrative systems incorporating both molecular and phenotypic data to improve cancer therapies. Citation Format: Hugo Aerts. Artificial intelligence in cancer imaging [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Special Conference on Artificial Intelligence, Diagnosis, and Imaging; 2021 Jan 13-14. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2021;27(5_Suppl):Abstract nr IA-06.

A survey of anxiety and burnout in the radiology workforce of a tertiary hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.

IntroductionWe aimed to study anxiety and burnout among Division of Radiological Sciences (RADSC) staff during the COVID‐19 pandemic and identify potential risk and protective factors. These outcomes were compared with non‐RADSC staff.MethodsA cross‐sectional online study was conducted between 12 March and 20 July 2020 in the largest public tertiary hospital receiving COVID‐19 cases. Burnout and anxiety were assessed with the Physician Work‐Life Scale and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder‐7 Scale, respectively. Workplace factors were examined as potential risk and protective factors using multivariable ordinary least squares regression analyses, adjusting for pertinent demographic characteristics.ResultsRADSC staff (n = 180) and non‐RADSC staff (n = 1458) demonstrated moderate‐to‐severe anxiety rates of 6.7 and 13.2 % and burnout rates of 17.8 and 23.9 %, respectively. RADSC staff reported significantly lower anxiety (mean ± SD: 4.0 ± 3.7 vs 4.9 ± 4.5; P‐value < 0.05), burnout (mean ± SD: 1.9 ± 0.7 vs 2.1 ± 0.8; P‐value < 0.01), increased teamwork (82.2% vs 74.1%; P‐value < 0.05) and fewer night shifts (36.7% vs 41.1%; P‐value < 0.01). Among RADSC staff, higher job dedication was associated with lower anxiety (b (95% CI) = −0.28 (−0.45, −0.11)) and burnout (b (95% CI) = −0.07 (−0.11,‐0.04)), while longer than usual working hours was associated with increased anxiety (b (95% CI) = 1.42 (0.36, 2.45)) and burnout (b (95% CI) = 0.28 (0.09, 0.48)).ConclusionsA proportion of RADSC staff reported significant burnout and anxiety, although less compared to the larger hospital cohort. Measures to prevent longer than usual work hours and increase feelings of enthusiasm and pride in one’s job may further reduce the prevalence of anxiety problems and burnout in radiology departments.

Application of lung substitute material as ripple filter for multi-ion therapy with helium-, carbon-, oxygen-, and neon-ion beams

A development project for hypo-fractionated multi-ion therapy has been initiated at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences in Japan. In the treatment, helium, carbon, oxygen, and neon ions will be used as primary beams with pencil beam scanning. A ripple filter (RiFi), consisting of a thin plastic or aluminum plate with a fine periodic ridge and groove structure, has been used to broaden the Bragg peak of heavy-ion beams in the beam direction. To sufficiently broaden the Bragg peak of helium-, carbon-, oxygen-, and neon-ion beams with suppressed lateral scattering and surface dose inhomogeneity, in this study, we tested a plate made of a lung substitute material, Gammex LN300, as the RiFi. The planar integrated dose distribution of a 183.5 MeV u−1 neon-ion beam was measured behind a 3 cm thick LN300 plate in water. The Bragg peak of the pristine beam was broadened following the normal distribution with the standard deviation σ value of 1.29 mm, while the range of the beam was reduced by 8.8 mm by the plate. To verify the LN300 performance as the RiFi in multi-ion therapy, we measured the pencil beam data of helium-, carbon-, oxygen- and neon-ion beams penetrating the 3 cm thick LN300 plate. The data were then modeled and used in a treatment planning system to achieve a uniform 10% survival of human undifferentiated carcinoma cells within a cuboid target by the beam for each of the different ion species. The measured survival fractions were reasonably reproduced by the planned ones for all the ion species. No surface dose inhomogeneity was observed for any ion species even when the plate was placed close to the phantom surface. The plate made of lung substitute material, Gammex LN300, is applicable as the RiFi in multi-ion therapy with helium-, carbon-, oxygen- and neon-ion beams.

#RadEd: How and Why to Use Twitter for Online Radiology Education

PurposeAs a digital presence rapidly becomes more important for educators, Twitter continues to emerge as a compelling source for publishing educational content. The social media platform has also evolved into a popular source for medical and radiology education. We examined how Twitter is used in the radiology sphere and introduce ways of optimizing Twitter for radiology education. MethodsWe evaluated our Twitter account (@ctisus), dedicated to radiology education and based in the Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science at Johns Hopkins Hospital, to learn from our users and evaluate how best to leverage the platform for radiology education. We culled analytics for all 1584 tweets we released from July to December 2019 and divided them into seven educational categories for analysis: case images; illustrations and infographics; slide images (taken from educational PowerPoints); case question videos; scroll-through videos; links to educational content on our website (lectures, quizzes, etc.) or online databases; and news links, including published journal articles and general medical and/or radiology news. ResultsNews links (links to other news sites) received the fewest engagements (11.2), the fewest retweets (0.5), and the fewest likes (1.4). Scroll-through videos landed the highest average retweets (5.6), likes (21), and impressions (2290.7). Case images received the highest average engagements at 165.4 per tweet. ConclusionOur experience suggests that users prefer content to be directly available in a tweet and supports the notion that the radiology community is on Twitter to enhance radiology education. Twitter can be used to provide information in many ways: images, videos, text, links, or any combinations of these options. This allows educators to provide content for multiple different learning styles, further rendering Twitter a more accessible platform. As a valuable resource in radiology education, Twitter warrants even broader use in an era increasingly reliant on digital communication. By optimizing tweets for education, users can find their content helpful for radiology students and professionals alike.

The evolution of stereotactic radiosurgery in neurosurgical practice

Stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) was born in an attempt to treat complex intracranial pathologies in a fashion whereby open surgery would create unnecessary or excessive risk. To create this innovation, it was necessary to harness advances in other fields such as engineering, physics, radiology, and computer science. We review the history of SRS to provide context to today's current state, as well as guide future advancement in the field. Since time of Lars Leksell, the young Swedish neurosurgeon who pioneered the development of the SRS, the collegial and essential partnership between neurosurgeons, radiation oncologists and physicists has given rise to radiosurgery as a prominent and successful tool in neurosurgical practice. We examine how neurosurgeons have helped foster the SRS evolution and how this evolution has impacted neurosurgical practice as well as that of radiation oncology and neuro-oncology.

Assessment of the students’ achievement of learning outcomes of radiological sciences program, Najran University experiment

The present study was conducted to evaluate the achievement of undergraduate radiological sciences students of PLOs by the applied method in Radiological sciences, Najran University. The assessment of the program learning outcomes in department of radiological sciences, Najran University was conducted by direct and indirect methods and analysis the results of students’ achievement. The study was applied on 21 graduating students, batch of academic year 2019-2020 by applying Najran University model. Direct measurement was applied by linking of each PLO to exams questions on quizzes, midterm exams, final exams, project work and presentation. Indirect method was implemented based on surveys; exist, alumni and employers’ surveys. Najran University model is able to measure the achievement of PLOs and it supported by an indirect assessment method. The radiological sciences program highlights on the student outcomes for the graduate for continuous quality of the curriculum and teaching and learning process in future.

Assessment of the students' achievement of learning outcomes of radiological sciences program, Najran University experiment

Assessment of the students' achievement of learning outcomes of radiological sciences program, Najran University experiment

EVALUATION OF NEUTRON AMBIENT DOSE EQUIVALENT IN INTENSITY-MODULATED COMPOSITE PARTICLE THERAPY.

Several studies have reported benefits derived from cancer treatment using various heavy-ion beams. Based on these reports, the National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology started developing intensity-modulated composite particle therapy (IMPACT) using He-, C-, O-, and Ne-ions. In ion beam therapy, nuclear interactions in the beamline devices or patient produce secondary neutrons. This study evaluated the characteristics of secondary neutrons in IMPACT. Neutron ambient dose equivalents were measured using WENDI-II. Measurements were performed under realistic case scenarios using He-, C-, O- and Ne-ion beams. Moreover, neutron ambient dose equivalents generated by He-, C-, O- and Ne-ion beams were compared with neutron ambient dose equivalents in proton therapy. No differences exist in the distance-dependence even when the primary ions are different. Neutrons generated by primary ion beams of high atomic numbers tend to emit forward. Moreover, in contrast with proton therapy, IMPACT can reduce neutron doses.

Emotional Intelligence: A Gender based Study of Radiography Students in South-East Nigeria

Objective of study: This study aims to determine the emotional intelligence level of Radiography and Radiological Science students of Nnamdi Azikiwe University, (Nnewi campus), Anambra State and the University of Nigeria, (Enugu campus), Enugu State both in South-East of Nigeria. Materials and method: A prospective cross-sectional study design was adopted for this study, which was conducted from 14th of April to 18th August 2016. A Trait emotional intelligence questionnaire (TEIQue-SF) was used for this study after informed consent was obtained. Data was analyzed using mean, standard deviation, ANOVA, Bonferonis test and independent sample t-test. Results: A total of 299 students comprising of 166 males (55.5%) and 133 females (44.5%) participated in the study. The students had average emotional intelligence level (125.89 ± 11.48). No significant difference was noted between total emotional intelligence and gender (P=0.590) except for wellbeing a sub-factor of emotional intelligence which had statistically significant difference in gender (p=0.011). Conclusion: Although well-being was noted to have a significant difference in gender, this situation could have an impact on emotional intelligence and open up new avenues of research.

YouTube and Radiology: The Viability, Pitfalls, and Untapped Potential of the Premier Social Media Video Platform for Image-Based Education

There are several popular radiology channels on YouTube, reinforcing studies showing interest among medical students and trainees in video education and suggesting the potential use of YouTube for radiology education. The CTisus YouTube channel, dedicated to radiology education and based in the Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science at Johns Hopkins Hospital, has 25,000 subscribers. The benefits of this social media platform for radiology education were analyzed. The most popular videos (n = 484) from July 1, 2017 to June 30, 2020 were categorized into "case clips" (short displays of case images); "Facebook Live" (15-20 minute discussions later posted to YouTube); "lectures" (weekly PowerPoint lectures); and "quizzes" (10-question quiz discussions posted monthly). The number of days videos were available from July 2017 to June 2020 were counted and median views per 30 days were recorded. Lecture content was used to determine which of the following topics were more popular (received the most views) than others: Artificial intelligence, chest, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, musculoskeletal, neuro, physics, technique (such as protocols and contrast), technology, and vascular. Facebook Live videos had the highest median views per 30 days (236.9), the highest median likes per 30 days (2.5), the highest median shares per 30 days (2.0), and the highest median subscribers gained per 30 days (0.7). Unlike video type, there was no obvious favorite lecture topic among viewers. Viewers were most engaged with longer videos, with interaction and watch time indicating greater interest than simple clicks/views. YouTube is an easy-to-use and valuable platform for hosting video content. It reaches a global audience and provides what many radiology trainees and professionals are looking for: video instruction.

Measurement of absorbed dose rate in water phantom maintained at body temperature by 60Co irradiator – comparison of experimental results and Monte Carlo simulation

To analyze the biological effects of radiation, it is important that the conditions of in vitro experiments match closely with those of in vivo experiments. In this study, we constructed an irradiation system to conduct irradiation experiments under conditions similar to those of in vivo experiments. The Dongnam Institute of Radiological and Medial Sciences has a gamma irradiator including 60Co radioisotope for research purposes and accreditation for standard calibration of the ion chamber. The temperature of the water phantom was maintained the same as that of the normal human body, and the physical dosimetry was carried out accurately using the ion chamber with traceability. We report the measurement of lateral profiles, depth profiles, and absorbed dose rate in water, Dw, at the irradiation location of the blood samples using a farmer-type ion chamber. We simulated the source, collimator, irradiator, phantom, and extra structure of the gamma irradiation system using the Monte Carlo code and compared the simulated and the experimental results. The experimentally and theoretically evaluated dose rates were 0.2975 ? 0.0055 Gymin?1 (at coverage factor k = 2) and 0.2978 ? 0.0052 Gymin?1 (at coverage factor k = 2) at source-to-surface distance of 100 cm and 5 gcm?2 depth in the water phantom, respectively. Blood irradiation will be conducted in vitro, under conditions similar to in vivo conditions, to provide the dose-response curve based on dosimetry with traceability.

Charged Particle Therapy Technologies Originated in Japan

A charged particle therapy was proposed by Robert R. Wilson in 1946 and a clinical study of proton radiotherapy had been started at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in 1954. Clinical studies have been promoted mainly in the United States and Europe. However, in Japan as well, the University of Tsukuba (KEK Campus) and the National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) started proton radiotherapy around 1980, and NIRS started carbon-ion radiotherapy in 1994. Following pioneering clinical studies, now in Japan, many proton and carbon-ion radiotherapy facilities are in operation, and some vendors are supplying equipment. Among them, charged particle therapy technologies originating in Japan have been developed, such as a respiratory-gated irradiation technology, a spot scanning irradiation technology, and a clinical dose design for ion radiotherapy. I look back on them and discuss the future direction of research and development of the charged particle therapy.

Mapping the Contribution and Participation of Saudi Institutes in Research Associated with Radiological Sciences From 2014 to 2018

Mapping the Contribution and Participation of Saudi Institutes in Research Associated with Radiological Sciences From 2014 to 2018

Excitation function for the production of 96Nb in the natZr(p,x) reaction

Abstract. We have measured the excitation function for the production of 96Nb in proton induced reaction on natural zirconium in the energy range of 10.58 MeV to 43.61 MeV. The measurement was performed using a stacked-foil activation method combined with off-line γ-ray spectrometry. The stack containing Zr samples, Cu monitors, and several energy degraders was irradiated at the MC-50 Cyclotron of the Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences (KIRAM), Korea. The cross section of the natZr(p,x)96Nb reaction was extracted from the measured activity of reaction product using an HPGe γ-ray detector. The energy of the proton beam along the stacked foil was calculated using the code SRIM-2013. The proton beam flux was determined via the natCu(p,x)62Zn and natCu(p,x)65Zn monitoring reactions. The measured cross sections of the natZr(p,x)96Nb reaction as a function of the proton energy are compared with the literature data as well as with the theoretical predictions using the TALYS-1.95 nuclear model code and the TENDL-2019 nuclear data library.

How does Radiomics actually work? - Review.

Personalized precision medicine requires highly accurate diagnostics. While radiological research has focused on scanner and sequence technologies in recent decades, applications of artificial intelligence are increasingly attracting scientific interest as they could substantially expand the possibility of objective quantification and diagnostic or prognostic use of image information.In this context, the term "radiomics" describes the extraction of quantitative features from imaging data such as those obtained from computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging examinations. These features are associated with predictive goals such as diagnosis or prognosis using machine learning models. It is believed that the integrative assessment of the feature patterns thus obtained, in combination with clinical, molecular and genetic data, can enable a more accurate characterization of the pathophysiology of diseases and more precise prediction of therapy response and outcome.This review describes the classical radiomics approach and discusses the existing very large variability of approaches. Finally, it outlines the research directions in which the interdisciplinary field of radiology and computer science is moving, characterized by increasingly close collaborations and the need for new educational concepts. The aim is to provide a basis for responsible and comprehensible handling of the data and analytical methods used. KEY POINTS:: · Radiomics is playing an increasingly important role in imaging research.. · Radiomics has great potential to meet the requirements ofprecision medicine.. · Radiomics analysis is still subject to great variability.. · There is a need for quality-assured application of radiomics in medicine.. CITATION FORMAT: · Attenberger UI, Langs G, . How does Radiomics actually work? - Review. Fortschr Röntgenstr 2021; 193: 652 - 657.

A validated Geant4 model of a whole-body PET scanner with four-layer DOI detectors

The purpose of this work is to develop a validated Geant4 simulation model of a whole-body prototype PET scanner constructed from the four-layer depth-of-interaction detectors developed at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences, National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology, Japan. The simulation model emulates the behaviour of the unique depth of interaction sensing capability of the scanner without needing to directly simulate optical photon transport in the scintillator and photodetector modules. The model was validated by evaluating and comparing performance metrics from the NEMA NU 2-2012 protocol on both the simulated and physical scanner, including spatial resolution, sensitivity, scatter fraction, noise equivalent count rates and image quality. The results show that the average sensitivities of the scanner in the field-of-view were 5.9 cps kBq−1 and 6.0 cps kBq−1 for experiment and simulation, respectively. The average spatial resolutions measured for point sources placed at several radial offsets were 5.2± 0.7 mm and 5.0± 0.8 mm FWHM for experiment and simulation, respectively. The peak NECR was 22.9 kcps at 7.4 kBq ml−1 for the experiment, while the NECR obtained via simulation was 23.3 kcps at the same activity. The scatter fractions were 44% and 41.3% for the experiment and simulation, respectively. Contrast recovery estimates performed in different regions of a simulated image quality phantom matched the experimental results with an average error of -8.7% and +3.4% for hot and cold lesions, respectively. The results demonstrate that the developed Geant4 model reliably reproduces the key NEMA NU 2-2012 performance metrics evaluated on the prototype PET scanner. A simplified version of the model is included as an advanced example in Geant4 version 10.5.

Exposure Assessment Tools for Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis. An Official American Thoracic Society Workshop Report.

This report is based on proceedings from the Exposure Assessment Tools for Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis (HP) Workshop, sponsored by the American Thoracic Society, that took place on May 18, 2019, in Dallas, Texas. The workshop was initiated by members from the Environmental, Occupational, and Population Health and Clinical Problems Assemblies of the American Thoracic Society. Participants included international experts from pulmonary medicine, occupational medicine, radiology, pathology, and exposure science. The meeting objectives were to 1) define currently available tools for exposure assessment in evaluation of HP, 2) describe the evidence base supporting the role for these exposure assessment tools in HP evaluation, 3) identify limitations and barriers to each tool’s implementation in clinical practice, 4) determine which exposure assessment tools demonstrate the best performance characteristics and applicability, and 5) identify research needs for improving exposure assessment tools for HP. Specific discussion topics included history-taking and exposure questionnaires, antigen avoidance, environmental assessment, specific inhalational challenge, serum-specific IgG testing, skin testing, lymphocyte proliferation testing, and a multidisciplinary team approach. Priorities for research in this area were identified.

Cell response analysis to synchrotron radiation X-ray microbeam cytoplasm limited irradiation

The cells responsible for cancer start their journey much like any other in the body. However, they grow uncontrollably through the body as a result of the accumulation of certain mutations. If left unchecked, cancer will impact on a number of the human body's key processes, leading, ultimately, to death. There are many challenges associated with treating this disease, but they generally stem from the difficulty in differentiating the disease from the host and the ability of even a few cells to survive, recover and return. The most common treatments generally combine surgery with some type of chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Chemotherapy utilises chemicals that kill fast-growing cells and thereby disproportionally affect the rapidly multiplying cancer cells. Radiotherapy targets the tumour with radiation to cause damage and cell death. Both have their advantages and disadvantages, and both are often not 100 per cent effective. To improve these treatments, it is necessary to understand more about their precise effects on cells and, particularly, what defences cells have against their effects. Senior Principal Researcher Dr Masao Suzuki of the National Institutes for Quantum and Radiological Science and Technology (QST) is utilising the considerable radiological resources of QST to investigate the effects of different types of radiation on cells under different conditions.

Brainstem NTCP and Dose Constraints for Carbon Ion RT—Application and Translation From Japanese to European RBE-Weighted Dose

Background and PurposeThe Italian National Center of Oncological Hadrontherapy (CNAO) has applied dose constraints for carbon ion RT (CIRT) as defined by Japan’s National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS). However, these institutions use different models to predict the relative biological effectiveness (RBE). CNAO applies the Local Effect Model I (LEM I), which in most clinical situations predicts higher RBE than NIRS’s Microdosimetric Kinetic Model (MKM). Equal constraints therefore become more restrictive at CNAO. Tolerance doses for the brainstem have not been validated for LEM I-weighted dose (D LEM I). However, brainstem constraints and a Normal Tissue Complication Probability (NTCP) model were recently reported for MKM-weighted dose (D MKM), showing that a constraint relaxation to D MKM|0.7 cm3 <30 Gy (RBE) and D MKM|0.1 cm3 <40 Gy (RBE) was feasible. The aim of this work was to evaluate the brainstem NTCP associated with CNAO’s current clinical practice and to propose new brainstem constraints for LEM I-optimized CIRT at CNAO.Material and MethodsWe reproduced the absorbed dose of 30 representative patient treatment plans from CNAO. Subsequently, we calculated both D LEM I and D MKM, and the relationship between D MKM and D LEM I for various brainstem dose metrics was analyzed. Furthermore, the NTCP model developed for D MKM was applied to estimate the NTCPs of the delivered plans.ResultsThe translation of CNAO treatment plans to D MKM confirmed that the former CNAO constraints were conservative compared with D MKM constraints. Estimated NTCPs were 0% for all but one case, in which the NTCP was 2%. The relationship D MKM/D LEM I could be described by a quadratic regression model which revealed that the validated D MKM constraints corresponded to D LEM I|0.7 cm3 <41 Gy (RBE) (95% CI, 38–44 Gy (RBE)) and D LEM I|0.1 cm3 <49 Gy (RBE) (95% CI, 46–52 Gy (RBE)).ConclusionOur study demonstrates that RBE-weighted dose translation is of crucial importance in order to exchange experience and thus harmonize CIRT treatments globally. To mitigate uncertainties involved, we propose to use the lower bound of the 95% CI of the translation estimates, i.e., D LEM I|0.7 cm3 <38 Gy (RBE) and D LEM I|0.1 cm3 <46 Gy (RBE) as brainstem dose constraints for 16 fraction CIRT treatments optimized with LEM I.