We examined how physique has an influence on bone mineral density of non-weight-bearing forearms in 475 menopausal and post-menopausal women.
On the basis of the values of Body Mass Index,475 samples of bone mineral density were classified into three groups: the slender, the standard and the obese. By the method of one-way layout analysis of variance, physique was found to have an influence on bone mineral density.
Let us now refer to the mean values of bone mineral density among the three grou ps. Initially, by applying t-test at P=0.01 level, a statistical difference was found between the slender and the standard, and the slender and the obese. But it was not found between the standard and the obese. Secondly, by the same test as the above, it was found between the slender and the standard including the obese. Furthermore, the results obtained by multiple comparisons were similar to those by t-tests.
These resul ts suggest that physique has an influence on bone mineral density of non-weightbearing forearms in the 475 menopausal and post-menopausal women.

View full abstract

Monte Carlo simulation results were compared with PET performance measurements for SIEMENS - CTI ECAT EXACT47 at National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS). The simulation program, SIMSET, was used with extensions for positron - range, emission - angle non colinearity, and detector - simulation. The present paper focuses on sensitivity, spatial - resolution, and scatter - fraction. In addition, variance - distribution was simulated and compared with measurements and theoretical calculations. The simulation reproduced measurements well about sensitivity, spatial - resolution, and variance-distribution. About scatter - fraction, the present simulation underestimated measurements slightly.

View full abstract

Hyogo prefectural government has started a project of ion beam medical center. The center will be constracted in Harima Science Garden City,75 km away west from Kobe city. The center has a synchrotron which accelerate both proton and carbon ion for cancer treatment and proton, helium and carbon for physical and biological development. The beam energy is from 70 to 230MeV/nucleon for the proton and helium, and to 320 MeV/nucleon for the carbon. The beam delivery system consists of two horizontal, one vertical and one 45 degree oblique lines for the proton, helium and carbon beams, and two isocentric gantry lines for proton beam. A wobbler method and mult i-l eaf collimators are applied for all ports. The center is also including a hospital with 50beds and intelligent Hospital Information System (HIS). Clinical trial for cancer treatment will be started in 2001.

View full abstract

The project of proton treatment facility at the National Cancer Center Hospital East (NCC, Kashiwa) is proceeding on schedule. This paper presents up - to - date status of our project. Building construction started in May,1996, and completed at the end of March,1997. Equipment manufacturing has proceeded very well, and the most of them, including 235MeV isochronous cyclotron, two isocentrically rotational gantries and fixed horizontal beam delivery system, has already been installed into the building. Part of hardware and software are now under developing. Problems of our project are also discussed in this article.

View full abstract

This is an introductory report about Proton Medical Research Center (PMRC). PMRC was established about 15 years ago to push researches relating to proton therapy in Japan. PMRC uses the 250-MeV protons to treat patients, obtained by degrading the 500-MeV protons from the booster synchrotron of the High Energy Accelerator Research Organization (KEK). Patients over 500 have been treated with proton beams in the period of about 15 years at PMRC. The clinical results at PMRC show that high energetic proton beam is very useful to cure various types of tumors, not only the deep seated (especially HCC) but also the superficial. To treat tumors in the abdominal region which change those positions with respiration, new technical methods have been developed, which are synchronized respiration irradiation method, an iridium needle insertion method to verify the tumor position in a body by real-time x-ray imaging, and so on. In this paper, series of operation process routinized at PMRC from acquisition of X-CT image for the treatment planning to proton beam irradiation were introduced.
Construction of new medically delicated proton facility, the University of Tsukuba started at the beginning of this fiscal year. An accelerator and its power supply are furnished this year.

View full abstract

Clinical trial of the heavy ion radiotherapy at HIMAC was started at June 1994, and we have treated 230 patients using the carbon - ion beam until the end of last February. The treatment system is working with a good stability and the irradiation to the patient is going smoothly, no matter what HIAC is very large and complex system. Here we report the treatment control system and the current irradiating procedure at HIMAC.

View full abstract