Diffuse FDG uptake in the bilateral lungs: hypersensitivity pneumonitis supported by low-dose CT findings.

Hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) is an interstitial lung disease resulting from an immune-mediated response in susceptible and sensitized individuals to various inhaled antigens in the environment. Imaging diagnosis is usually based on high-resolution CT findings. Here, we present a 49-year-old man with a history of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma presented with fever and occasional cough. 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) revealed diffuse FDG uptake in the bilateral lungs. Expiratory low-dose CT simultaneously performed in PET scanning revealed centrilobular nodules and air trapping in ground glass opacities (GGO). Our imaging diagnosis was acute hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP). Based on the results of his clinical course, blood laboratory tests, and bronchoscopy, he was diagnosed with acute HP. Diffuse pulmonary FDG uptake can be seen in the patients with acute HP. In addition, expiratory low-dose CT findings of centrilobular nodules and air trapping in GGO may be helpful for accurate diagnosis of acute HP.

[Feasibility Study for the Development of an Application for Simulated Virtual Reality Radiation Therapy Experiences Using Android and iOS Devices].

Using virtual reality (VR) technology such as head-mounted displays, users can be immersed in a virtual world and perceive it as reality. In radiation therapy departments, pretreatment patients and students rarely observe treatment rooms and treatment devices, making it difficult to understand the overall flow of radiation therapy. In this study, to facilitate the understanding and teaching of radiation therapy, we suggest the implementation of VR technology and develop software compatible with VR to enable a pertinent comprehension of radiation therapy. With versatility and accessibility in mind, the software is developed as an application for Android and iOS devices.Omnidirectional movies in treatment rooms were acquired from both the patient view and a third-person view using an omnidirectional camera. The Android/iOS devices used were AQUOS R (SHARP), iPhone 7 Plus (Apple), and iPad air (Apple). The software was developed using Unity 2018.4.7f (Unity Technologies). The main components of the software were as follows: (i) a home window featuring a user interface with which people can access arbitrarily rooms by tapping on floor maps or a list of treatment rooms, (ii) a snapshot mode providing 2D images of a treatment room as a slide show, and (iii) a movie mode displaying omnidirectional movies from the patient view or a third-person view. The virtual radiation therapy experience was executed by attaching the Android/iOS devices to 3D VR goggles (SAMONIC).The main components of the application operated in good conjunction on the Android/iOS devices, and live viewing in the virtual world ran smoothly with the VR technology. However, there were resolution limitations due to the specs of the camera and the devices. It will therefore be necessary to adjust the resolution and the frame rate according to the performance of the relevant devices. The application is instructive for both patients and students because the virtual radiation therapy experience is immersive when using the VR technology. In addition, the developed software can transfer data in a single package and has the ability to substitute images and omnidirectional movies with those appropriate for diagnostic radiology and nuclear medicine departments. Therefore, the developed application is highly versatile.

Gold nanoparticle inclusion into protein nanotube as a layered wall component.

We describe the synthesis, structure, and catalytic activity of human serum albumin (HSA) nanotubes (NTs) including gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) as a layered wall component. The NTs were fabricated as an alternating layer-by-layer assembly of AuNP and HSA admixture (a negatively charged part) and poly-l-arginine (PLA, a positively charged part) into a track-etched polycarbonate membrane (400 nm pore diameter) with subsequent dissolution of the template. SEM images showed the formation of uniform hollow cylinders of (PLA/AuNP-HSA)3 with a 426 ± 12 nm outer diameter and 65 ± 7 nm wall thickness. Transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray measurements revealed high loading of AuNPs in the tubular wall. HSAs bind strongly onto the individual AuNP (K = 1.25 × 10(9) M(-1)), generating a core-shell AuNP-HSA corona, which is the requirement of the robust NT formation. Calcination of the (PLA/AuNP-HSA)3 NTs at 500 °C under air yielded red solid NTs composed of thermally fused AuNPs. From the mass decrease by heat treatment, we calculated the weight of the organic components (PLA and HSA) and thereby constructed a six-layer model of the tube. The (PLA/AuNP-HSA)3 NTs serve as a heterogeneous catalyst for reduction of 4-nitrophenol with sodium borohydrate. Furthermore, implantation of the stiff (PLA/AuNP-HSA)3 NTs vertically onto glass plate produced uniformly cylindrical tube arrays.