1598 results about "Ionizing radiation" patented technology

Methods are provided for close-range intraoperative, endoscopic and intravascular deflection and treatment of lesions, including tumors and non-malignant lesions. The methods use antibody fragments or subfragments labeled with isotopic and non-isotopic agents. Also provided are methods for detection and treatment of lesions with photodynamic agents and methods of treating lesions with a protein conjugated to an agent capable of being activated to emit Auger electron or other ionizing radiation. Compositions and kits useful in the above methods are also provided.

Systems, assemblies, and methods to treat pulmonary diseases are used to decrease nervous system input to distal regions of the bronchial tree within the lungs. Treatment systems damage nerve tissue to temporarily or permanently decrease nervous system input. The treatment systems are capable of heating nerve tissue, cooling the nerve tissue, delivering a flowable substance that cause trauma to the nerve tissue, puncturing the nerve tissue, tearing the nerve tissue, cutting the nerve tissue, applying pressure to the nerve tissue, applying ultrasound to the nerve tissue, applying ionizing radiation to the nerve tissue, disrupting cell membranes of nerve tissue with electrical energy, or delivering long acting nerve blocking chemicals to the nerve tissue.

Systems, assemblies, and methods to treat pulmonary diseases are used to decrease nervous system input to distal regions of the bronchial tree within the lungs. Treatment systems damage nerve tissue to temporarily or permanently decrease nervous system input. The treatment systems are capable of heating nerve tissue, cooling the nerve tissue, delivering a flowable substance that cause trauma to the nerve tissue, puncturing the nerve tissue, tearing the nerve tissue, cutting the nerve tissue, applying pressure to the nerve tissue, applying ultrasound to the nerve tissue, applying ionizing radiation to the nerve tissue, disrupting cell membranes of nerve tissue with electrical energy, or delivering long acting nerve blocking chemicals to the nerve tissue.

Methods of increasing gas exchange performed by the lung by damaging lung cells, damaging tissue, causing trauma, and / or destroying airway smooth muscle tone with an apparatus inserted into an airway of the lung. The damaging of lung cells, damaging tissue, causing trauma, and destroying airway smooth muscle tone with the apparatus may be any one of or combinations of the following: heating the airway; cooling the airway; delivering a liquid to the airway; delivering a gas to the airway; puncturing the airway; tearing the airway; cutting the airway; applying ultrasound to the airway; and applying ionizing radiation to the airway.

A variable magnet system for manipulating a magnetic catheter is described. In one embodiment, a cluster of electromagnets is configured to generate a desired magnetic field. In one embodiment, one or more poles of the cluster are moveable with respect to other poles in the cluster to allow shaping of the magnetic field. In one embodiment, one or more magnetic poles can be extended or retracted to shape the magnetic field. In one embodiment, the electromagnets can be positioned to generate magnetic fields that exert a desired torque and / or movement force on the catheter. In one embodiment, the catheter guidance system includes a closed-loop servo feedback system. In one embodiment, a radar system is used to determine the location of the distal end of the catheter inside the body, thus, minimizing or eliminating the use of ionizing radiation such as X-rays. The catheter guidance system can also be used in combination with an X-ray system (or other imaging systems) to provide additional imagery to the operator. The magnetic system used in the magnetic catheter guidance system can also be used to locate the catheter tip to provide location feedback to the operator and the control system. In one embodiment, a magnetic field source is used to create a magnetic field of sufficient strength and orientation to move a magnetically-responsive catheter tip in a desired direction by a desired amount.

Applicant's present invention is a composite scintillator having enhanced transparency for detecting ionizing radiation comprising a material having optical transparency wherein said material comprises nano-sized objects having a size in at least one dimension that is less than the wavelength of light emitted by the composite scintillator wherein the composite scintillator is designed to have selected properties suitable for a particular application.

A device and a process for performing high temporal- and spatial-resolution MR imaging of the anatomy of a patient during intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) to directly measure and control the highly conformal ionizing radiation dose delivered to the patient for the treatment of diseases caused by proliferative tissue disorders. This invention combines the technologies of open MRI, multileaf-collimator or compensating filter-based IMRT delivery, and cobalt teletherapy into a single co-registered and gantry mounted system.

This invention proposes a robotic applicator device to be deployed internally to a patient having a capsule (also referred to as a cassette) and aperture with a means of alternately occluding and exposing a radioactive source through the aperture. The capsule and aperture will be integrated with a surgical robot to create a robotic IORT (intra-operative radiation therapy) applicator device as more fully described below. The capsule, radiation source, and IORT applicator arm would be integrated to enable a physician, physicist or technician to interactively internally view and select tissue for exposure to ionizing radiation in sufficient quantities to deliver therapeutic radiation doses to tissue. Via the robotic manipulation device, the physician and physicist would remotely apply radiation to not only the tissue to be exposed, but also control the length of time of the exposure. Control means would be added to identify and calculate margin and depth of tissue to be treated and the proper radiation source or radioactive isotope (which can be any particle emitter, including neutron, x-ray, alpha, beta or gamma emitter) to obtain the desired therapeutic effects. The invention enables stereotactical surgery and close confines radiation therapy adjacent to radiosensitive tissue.

The present invention relates to a device for simultaneously treating a tumor or cancerous growth with both hyperthermia and X-ray radiation using brachytherapy. The device includes a needle-like introducer serving as a microwave antenna. Microwaves are emitted from the introducer to increase the temperature of cancerous body tissue. The introducer is an inner conductor of a coaxial cable. The introducer contains a hollow core which houses an X-ray emitter. The X-ray emitter is connected to a high voltage miniature cable which extends from the X-ray emitter to a high voltage power source. The X-ray emitter emits ionizing radiation to irradiate cancerous tissue. A cooling system is included to control the temperature of the introducer. Temperature sensors placed around the periphery of the tumor monitor the temperature of the treated tissue.

A system and methods are provided for evaluating the position of surgical implants or openings formed in anatomical tissue during medical procedures, in which an initial 3-dimensional image of the anatomical tissue is combinable with one or more subsequent 3-dimensional images of the same or correlating tissue, and without the use of ionizing radiation on a patient for at least the subsequent images. The system includes a software program, a computer with display, a radiographic image scanning device, and a non-radiographic image scanning device. The computer accesses a medical patient information database and a medical implant database for images used by the software program. A pre-operative image is combined with subsequent images to facilitate evaluation of the proposed placement of a surgical implant or opening relative to tissues of the patient anatomy. Methods of evaluating the accuracy of surgical guides and of fabricating surgical guides are also disclosed.

The present invention discloses a method for determining the position and / or orientation of a catheter or other interventional access device or surgical probe using phase patterns in a magnetic resonance (MR) signal. In the method of the invention, global two-dimensional correlations are used to identify the phase pattern and orientation of individual microcoils, which is unique for each microcoil's position and orientation. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, tracking of interventional devices is performed by one integrated phase image projected onto the axial plane and a second image in an oblique plane through the center of the coil and normal to the coil plane. In another preferred embodiment, the position and orientation of a catheter tip can be reliably tracked using low resolution MR scans clinically useful for real-time interventional MRI applications. In a further preferred embodiment, the invention provides real-time computer control to track the position of endovascular access devices and interventional treatment systems, including surgical tools and tissue manipulators, devices for in vivo delivery of drugs, angioplasty devices, biopsy and sampling devices, devices for delivery of RF, thermal, microwave or laser energy or ionizing radiation, and internal illumination and imaging devices, such as catheters, endoscopes, laparoscopes, and related instruments.

Subwavelength random and periodic microscopic structures are used to enhance light absorption and tolerance for ionizing radiation damage of thin film and photodetectors. Diffractive front surface microscopic structures scatter light into oblique propagating higher diffraction orders that are effectively trapped within the volume of the photovoltaic material. For subwavelength periodic microscopic structures etched through the majority of the material, enhanced absorption is due to waveguide effect perpendicular to the surface thereof. Enhanced radiation tolerance of the structures of the present invention is due to closely spaced, vertical sidewall junctions that capture a majority of deeply generated electron-hole pairs before they are lost to recombination. The separation of these vertical sidewall junctions is much smaller than the minority carrier diffusion lengths even after radiation-induced degradation. The effective light trapping of the structures of the invention compensates for the significant removal of photovoltaic material and substantially reduces the weight thereof for space applications.

A radiation sensor including a scintillation layer configured to emit photons upon interaction with ionizing radiation and a photodetector including in order a first electrode, a photosensitive layer, and a photon-transmissive second electrode disposed in proximity to the scintillation layer. The photosensitive layer is configured to generate electron-hole pairs upon interaction with a part of the photons. The radiation sensor includes pixel circuitry electrically connected to the first electrode and configured to measure an imaging signal indicative of the electron-hole pairs generated in the photosensitive layer and a planarization layer disposed on the pixel circuitry between the first electrode and the pixel circuitry such that the first electrode is above a plane including the pixel circuitry. A surface of at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode at least partially overlaps the pixel circuitry and has a surface inflection above features of the pixel circuitry. The surface inflection has a radius of curvature greater than one half micron.

A radiation therapy / surgery device optimised to meet the needs of the Neurosurgeon is provided, i.e. one for the treatment of tumours in the brain. It combines the qualities of a good penumbra and accuracy, simple prescription and operation, together with high reliability and minimal technical support. The device comprises a rotateable support, on which is provided a mount extending from the support out of the plane of the circle, and a radiation source attached to the mount via a pivot, the pivot having an axis which passes through the axis of rotation of the support, the radiation source being aligned so as to produce a beam which passes through the co-incidence of the rotation axis and the pivot. It will generally be easier to engineer the apparatus if the rotateable support is planar, and more convenient if the rotateable support is disposed in an upright position. The rotation of the rotateable support will be eased if this part of the apparatus is circular. A particularly preferred orientation is one in which the radiation source is spaced from the rotateable support, to allow it to pivot without fouling the latter. It is thus preferred that the mount extends transverse to the support. In this way, the pivot axis is spaced from the rotateable support providing free space in which the radiation source can pivot. Another way of expressing this preference is to state that the pivot axis is located out of the plane of the rotateable support. To simplify the geometry of the device and the associated arithmetic, it is preferred both that the pivot axis is substantially perpendicular to the rotation axis, and that the beam direction is perpendicular to the pivot axis. It is preferred that the radiation source is a linear accelerator. The output of the radiation source is preferably collimated to conform to the shape of the area to be treated.

Described is a radiation dosimeter including multiple sensor devices (including one or more passive integrating electronic radiation sensor, a MEMS accelerometers, a wireless transmitters and, optionally, a GPS, a thermistor, or other chemical, biological or EMF sensors) and a computer program for the simultaneous detection and wireless transmission of ionizing radiation, motion and global position for use in occupational and environmental dosimetry. The described dosimeter utilizes new processes and algorithms to create a self-contained, passive, integrating dosimeter. Furthermore, disclosed embodiments provide the use of MEMS and nanotechnology manufacturing techniques to encapsulate individual ionizing radiation sensor elements within a radiation attenuating material that provides a “filtration bubble” around the sensor element, the use of multiple attenuating materials (filters) around multiple sensor elements, and the use of a software algorithm to discriminate between different types of ionizing radiation and different radiation energy.

A radiosurgical method for treating cardiorenal disease of a patient, the method including directing radiosurgery radiation from outside the patient towards one or more target treatment regions encompassing sympathetic ganglia of the patient so as to inhibit the cardiorenal disease. In an exemplary embodiment, the method further includes acquiring three dimensional planning image data encompassing the first and second renal arteries, planning an ionizing radiation treatment of first and second target regions using the three dimensional planning image data so as to mitigate the hypertension, the first and second target regions encompassing neural tissue of or proximate to the first and second renal arteries, respectively, and remodeling the target regions by directing the planned radiation from outside the body toward the target regions.

A charged particle beam apparatus for processing an object using a charged particle beam includes a charged particle lens in which an array of apertures, through each of which a charged particle beam passes, is formed; a vacuum container which contains the charged particle lens; and a radiation source configured to generate an ionizing radiation; wherein the apparatus is configured to cause the radiation source to pass the ionizing radiation through the array of apertures in a state in which a pressure in the vacuum container is changing.

An antireflection film comprising a transparent substrate film having thereon a hard coat, a high refractive index layer and a low refractive index layer, wherein: (i) the high refractive index layer is formed by applying a coating solution containing the following (a) to (c); (ii) the low refractive index layer is formed by applying a coating solution containing the following (d) and (e); (iii) the antireflection film is heat treated, wherein (a) metal oxide particles having an average primary particle diameter of 10 to 200 nm; (b) a metal compound; (c) an ionizing radiation curable resin; (d) an organosilicon compound having a prescribed structure, a hydrolyzed compound of the organosilicon compound, a decomposed compound of the organosilicon compound or a polycondensed compound of the organosilicon compound; and (e) hollow silica particles each having an outer shell, and a void or a porous portion in the inside.

A radiation monitoring system for detecting levels of radiation emitted from moving objects traveling at a wide range of speeds, including the high speeds normally encountered with vehicles traveling on highways, interstates, thoroughfares, railroads and conveyors. At least two and preferably three ionizing radiation detectors are employed, spaced apart in series along the direction of travel of the moving object or vehicle. The object or vehicle is monitored for radioactivity and the results are transmitted and processed at a central location. The individual results from each detector for a particular object or vehicle are summed and averaged over the number of detectors used thereby clearly distinguishing the fluctuating background radiation detected at each detector from the consistent high levels of radiation detected from those moving objects or vehicles measured emitting radiation. The results are cooperatively linked by an identification system such as a web cam or other photographic device which obtains visual identification of the objects and vehicles emitting the abnormally high levels of radiation detected.

The present invention relates to smart monitor for fire hydrants. One embodiment of the smart monitor comprises an electronic module associated with an operating nut and nut shaft. The electronic module may be an integral part of the fire hydrant design or it may be a part of an upgrade kit for upgrading existing fire hydrant installations. The electronic module may be configured to detect when a fire hydrant has been accessed and transmit a data signal to a remote location. The electronic module may comprise any number of environmental sensors configured to monitor the water flowing through a fire hydrant, the status of the fire hydrant, and the environment surrounding the fire hydrant. One such environmental sensor a radiation sensor configured to detect ionizing radiation.

A general purpose high accuracy dosimeter reader, 80, for determination of a treatment condition, based on comparison of an image of treated dosimeter, 111, with a series of images of pre-treated dosimeter, 114, is disclosed. A dosimeter undergoes noticeable changes, such as a color change upon treatment with certain materials, such as toxic gases and processes, such as ionizing radiation and sterilization is pre-treated. The dosimeter is imaged with an imaging device, 115, such as charge-coupled device camera and images of the dosimeter or the changes, e.g., color change, are stored in an information storage device, 118. In order to determine the treatment condition, the treatment dosimeter is imaged and the image is compared with the series of pre-treated images of the dosimeter using software. The closest match of the treated dosimeter with the pre-treated and pre-imaged dosimeter would indicate the treatment conditions. The process and device can be used for almost any indicating device, process and treatment.

An element-specific imaging technique utilizes the element-specific fluorescence X-rays that are induced by primary ionizing radiation. The fluorescence X-rays from an element of interest are then preferentially imaged onto a detector using an optical train. The preferential imaging of the optical train is achieved using a chromatic lens in a suitably configured imaging system. A zone plate is an example of such a chromatic lens; its focal length is inversely proportional to the X-ray wavelength. Enhancement of preferential imaging of a given element in the test sample can be obtained if the zone plate lens itself is made of a compound containing substantially the same element. For example, when imaging copper using the Cu La spectral line, a copper zone plate lens is used. This enhances the preferential imaging of the zone plate lens because its diffraction efficiency (percent of incident energy diffracted into the focus) changes rapidly near an absorption line and can be made to peak at the X-ray fluorescence line of the element from which it is fabricated. In another embodiment, a spectral filter, such as a multilayer optic or crystal, is used in the optical train to achieve preferential imaging in a fluorescence microscope employing either a chromatic or an achromatic lens.

The present invention relates to methods and compositions for the protection of skin and mucous membranes from undesirable side effects of ionizing radiation in a patient undergoing ionizing radiation therapy. In particular, the application describes compositions and methods comprising the topical use of Nrf2 inducers.

The present invention provides a method for treating tumors or tumor metastases in a patient, comprising administering to said patient simultaneously or sequentially a therapeutically effective amount of a combination of an anti-cancer agent or treatment that elevates pAkt levels in tumor cells and an IGF-1R kinase inhibitor of Formula (I) (e.g. OSI-906). Examples of such anti-cancer agents or treatments include doxorubicin, cisplatin, and ionizing radiation. The present invention also provides a pharmaceutical composition comprising an anti-cancer agent that elevates pAkt levels in tumor cells and an IGF-1R kinase inhibitor of Formula (I), in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. The present invention also provides a method of identifying tumor cells that will respond most favorably to treatment with a combination of an anti-cancer agent or treatment that elevates pAkt levels in tumor cells and an IGF-1R kinase inhibitor.

A radiation dosimeter system and method for estimating a deposited radiation dose to an object involves locating at least one radiation dosimeter at the object. The radiation dosimeter includes a radiation sensitive medium having an optical property that changes due to the deposited radiation dose. An optical interrogation signal is provided to the radiation dosimeter via an enclosed optical path for interacting with the radiation sensitive medium. During irradiation, the optical interrogation signal is transformed into an optical information signal that encodes an ionizing radiation induced change in the optical property of the radiation sensitive medium. The radiation dosimeter system then processes the optical information signal for estimating the deposited radiation dose.

Embodiments provide a composite material with oriented nanotubes and a method for making the composite material. The composite material can be formed by distributing a plurality of nanotubes in a polymer matrix. The nanotubes can be further magnetically oriented during the formation of the polymeric matrix, while the polymer matrix is magnetically annealed. The composite material can provide enhanced mechanical and electrical properties, and effective radiation resistance against high-energy ionizing radiation particles and / or electromagnetic interferences. The composite material can be useful for lightweight armors incorporated into vehicles, aircrafts or personnel protection with high ballistic properties, and efficient dissipation of radiation energies, photovoltaic cells with improved polymer solar cell efficiency, improved light emitting diodes (LEDs) with controllable optical properties, or infrared screening devices with increased extinction coefficient.

A printed packaging material and a method for making the same is described. On a primary surface of a thermoplastic flexible packaging material is disposed a printed image. That image includes two primary components. The first is at least one marking containing a pigment. The second is a pigment-free coating which overlies the outermost marking. The coating is made from materials which can polymerize and / or crosslink when exposed to ionizing radiation. After the film is exposed to such radiation, the coating hardens to form a protective layer over the printed markings.