Cryomilling of Isotope-Enriched Ti Powders for HIVIPP Deposition to Manufacture Targets for Nuclear Cross Section Measurement.

The realization of isotopically enriched Ti targets for nuclear cross-section measurements requires particular attention, from the starting material preparation up to the deposition technique. In this work, a cryomilling process was developed and optimized, aimed at reducing the size of 49,50Ti metal sponge as provided by the supplier (size up to 3 mm), to the optimal size of 10 µm, to fit the High Energy Vibrational Powder Plating technique used for target manufacturing. The optimization of the cryomilling protocol and the HIVIPP deposition using natTi material was thus performed. The scarce amount of the enriched material to be treated (about 150 mg), the need to obtain a non-contaminated final powder and a uniform target thickness of about 500 µg/cm2 were taken into account. The 49,50Ti materials were then processed and 20 targets of each isotope were manufactured. Both powders and the final Ti targets produced were characterized by SEM-EDS analysis. The amount of Ti deposited was measured by weighing, indicating reproducible and homogeneous targets, with an areal density of 468 ± 110 µg/cm2 for 49Ti (n = 20) and 638 ± 200 µg/cm2 for 50Ti (n = 20). The uniformity of the deposited layer was also confirmed by the metallurgical interface analysis. The final targets were used for the cross section measurements of the 49Ti(p,x)47Sc and 50Ti(p,x)47Sc nuclear reaction routes aimed at the production of the theranostic radionuclide 47Sc.

First Results on Zinc Oxide Thick Film Deposition by Inverted Magnetron Sputtering for Cyclotron Solid Targets Production.

The magnetron sputtering technique has been investigated in recent years with ever-growing interest as a verifiable solid target manufacturing technology aimed at the production of medical radionuclides by using low-energy cyclotron accelerators. However, the possible loss of high-cost materials prevents access to work with isotopically enriched metals. The need for expensive materials for the supply of the growing demand for theranostic radionuclides makes the material-saving approach and recovery essential for the radiopharmaceutical field. To overcome the main magnetron sputtering drawback, an alternative configuration is proposed. In this work, an inverted magnetron prototype for the deposition of tens of µm film onto different substrates is developed. Such configuration for solid target manufacturing has been proposed for the first time. Two ZnO depositions (20-30 µm) onto Nb backing were carried out and analysed by SEM (Scanning Electron Microscopy) and XRD (X-ray Diffractogram). Their thermomechanical stability under the proton beam of a medical cyclotron was tested as well. A possible improvement of the prototype and the perspective of its utilisation were discussed.

Nuclear Cross-Section of Proton-Induced Reactions on Enriched 48Ti Targets for the Production of Theranostic 47Sc Radionuclide, 46cSc, 44mSc, 44gSc, 43Sc, and 48V.

The cross-sections of the 48Ti(p,x)47Sc, 46cSc, 44mSc, 44gSc, 43Sc, and 48V nuclear reactions were measured from 18 to 70 MeV, with particular attention to 47Sc production. Enriched 48Ti powder was deposited on an aluminum backing and the obtained targets were characterized via elastic backscattering spectroscopy at the INFN-LNL. Targets were exposed to low-intensity proton irradiation using the stacked-foils technique at the ARRONAX facility. Activated samples were measured using γ-spectrometry; the results were compared with the data int he literature and the theoretical TALYS-based values. A regular trend in the new values obtained from the different irradiation runs was noted, as well as a good agreement with the literature data, for all the radionuclides of interest: 47Sc, 46cSc, 44mSc, 44gSc, 43Sc, and 48V. 47Sc production was also discussed, considering yield and radionuclidic purity, for different 47Sc production scenarios.

A Universal Cassette-Based System for the Dissolution of Solid Targets.

Cyclotron-based radionuclides production by using solid targets has become important in the last years due to the growing demand of radiometals, e.g., 68Ga, 89Zr, 43/47Sc, and 52/54Mn. This shifted the focus on solid target management, where the first fundamental step of the radiochemical processing is the target dissolution. Currently, this step is generally performed with commercial or home-made modules separated from the following purification/radiolabelling modules. The aim of this work is the realization of a flexible solid target dissolution system to be easily installed on commercial cassette-based synthesis modules. This would offer a complete target processing and radiopharmaceutical synthesis performable in a single module continuously. The presented solid target dissolution system concept relies on an open-bottomed vial positioned upon a target coin. In particular, the idea is to use the movement mechanism of a syringe pump to position the vial up and down on the target, and to exploit the heater/cooler reactor of the module as a target holder. All the steps can be remotely controlled and are incorporated in the cassette manifold together with the purification and radiolabelling steps. The performance of the device was tested by processing three different irradiated targets under different dissolution conditions.

LARAMED: A Laboratory for Radioisotopes of Medical Interest.

The widespread availability of novel radioactive isotopes showing nuclear characteristics suitable for diagnostic and therapeutic applications in nuclear medicine (NM) has experienced a great development in the last years, particularly as a result of key advancements of cyclotron-based radioisotope production technologies. At Legnaro National Laboratories of the National Institute of Nuclear Physics (LNL-INFN), Italy, a 70-MeV high current cyclotron has been recently installed. This cyclotron will be dedicated not only to pursuing fundamental nuclear physics studies, but also to research related to other scientific fields with an emphasis on medical applications. LARAMED project was established a few years ago at LNL-INFN as a new research line aimed at exploiting the scientific power of nuclear physics for developing innovative applications to medicine. The goal of this program is to elect LNL as a worldwide recognized hub for the development of production methods of novel medical radionuclides, still unavailable for the scientific and clinical community. Although the research facility is yet to become fully operative, the LARAMED team has already started working on the cyclotron production of conventional medical radionuclides, such as Tc-99m, and on emerging radionuclides of high potential medical interest, such as Cu-67, Sc-47, and Mn-52.

Innovative Target for Production of Technetium-99m by Biomedical Cyclotron.

Technetium-99m (99mTc) is the most used radionuclide worldwide in nuclear medicine for diagnostic imaging procedures. 99mTc is typically extracted from portable generators containing 99Mo, which is produced normally in nuclear reactors as a fission product of highly enriched Uranium material. Due to unexpected outages or planned and unplanned reactor shutdown, significant 99mTc shortages appeared as a problem since 2008 The alternative cyclotron-based approach through the 100Mo(p,2n)99mTc reaction is considered one of the most promising routes for direct 99mTc production in order to mitigate potential 99Mo shortages. The design and manufacturing of appropriate cyclotron targets for the production of significant amounts of a radiopharmaceutical for medical use is a technological challenge. In this work, a novel solid target preparation method was developed, including sputter deposition of a dense, adherent, and non-oxidized Mo target material onto a complex backing plate. The latter included either chemically resistant sapphire or synthetic diamond brazed in vacuum conditions to copper. The target thermo-mechanical stability tests were performed under 15.6 MeV proton energy and different beam intensities, up to the maximum provided by the available GE Healthcare (Chicago, IL, USA) PET trace medical cyclotron. The targets resisted proton beam currents up to 60 µA (corresponding to a heat power density of about 1 kW/cm²) without damage or Mo deposited layer delamination. The chemical stability of the proposed backing materials was proven by gamma-spectroscopy analysis of the solution obtained after the standard dissolution procedure of irradiated targets in H2O2.

Asymmetric hearing loss and chronic dizziness in a patient with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus.

We report a case of a 54-year old female patient, complaining for chronic dizziness, hearing loss, tension headaches without aura, postural instability and gait dysfunction. The patient referred having these symptoms from 1992, but the last few months she experienced a noticeable aggravation of the symptoms. A magnetic resonance imaging test revealed a triventricular hydrocephalus, not associated with signs of intracranial hypertension decompensation. The ENT-Audiology evaluation revealed a bilateral sensorineural hearing loss with a conductive component, video-nystagmography resulted in an areflexia of the right ear and a reduced vestibular activity for the left ear. Auditory brainstem response test was also carried out and showed pathologic findings for the latencies of the waves I-III, III-V and I-V bilaterally but more significant in the right ear. On January 2016 the patient had endoscopic third ventriculostomy. On the follow up the patient referred an important subjective improvement regarding instability and gait dysfunction. In this paper we study the correlation between hydrocephalus, hearing loss and vestibular dysfunction.

In-house cyclotron production of high-purity Tc-99m and Tc-99m radiopharmaceuticals.

In the last years, the technology for producing the important medical radionuclide technetium-99m by cyclotrons has become sufficiently mature to justify its introduction as an alternative source of the starting precursor [99mTc][TcO4]- ubiquitously employed for the production of 99mTc-radiopharmaceuticals in hospitals. These technologies make use almost exclusively of the nuclear reaction 100Mo(p,2n)99mTc that allows direct production of Tc-99m. In this study, it is conjectured that this alternative production route will not replace the current supply chain based on the distribution of 99Mo/99mTc generators, but could become a convenient emergency source of Tc-99m only for in-house hospitals equipped with a conventional, low-energy, medical cyclotron. On this ground, an outline of the essential steps that should be implemented for setting up a hospital radiopharmacy aimed at the occasional production of Tc-99m by a small cyclotron is discussed. These include (1) target production, (2) irradiation conditions, (3) separation/purification procedures, (4) terminal sterilization, (5) quality control, and (6) Mo-100 recovery. To address these issues, a comprehensive technology for cyclotron-production of Tc-99m, developed at the Legnaro National Laboratories of the Italian National Institute of Nuclear Physics (LNL-INFN), will be used as a reference example.

Cochlear Impairment and Autoimmune Ear Disorder in a Patient with Breast Cancer.

The purpose of this study was to consider the possible role of autoimmune diseases and paraneoplastic syndrome in the genesis of tinnitus. The incidence of autoimmune inner ear disease (AIED) is rare, accounting for <1% of all cases of hearing impairment and dizziness. In presence of auditory and vestibular deficit in oncological patients, a paraneoplastic syndrome with cochleovestibulopathy should be considered. We described a 50-year-old Caucasian woman came to our attention with complaints of severe disabling bilateral tinnitus (Tinnitus Handicap Inventory, THI: 96), ear fullness and headache. The onset of tinnitus was associated to the last breast implant and prolonged antibiotic therapy. Serological autoimmunity tests were positive and a diagnosis of mixed connective tissue disease with notes of fibromyalgia was made. Pure tone audiometry testing revealed bilateral fluctuating mild hearing loss on high frequencies. The tinnitus was successfully treated with bilateral wideband sound generators (listening 8-9 h for day) regulated at the mixing point. At 12 months follow up THI has shrunk considerably (THI: 4) and the patient has continued treatment only with the sound pillow. In conclusion significant progress is needed to better understand the role of autoantibodies in the pathogenesis and diagnosis of paraneoplastic cochleovestibulopathy. To our knowledge, our study is the first in which hearing loss and tinnitus is considered as a manifestation of a paraneoplastic syndrome.