Saturday 23 April 2016

2016 Journal of Medical Radiation Sciences  
X-rays have been applied to forensic examinations almost as soon as they were discovered but the last 10 years has seen rapid development and expansion of this field. A group of radiographers took the lead when the need for a trained team of forensic radiographers ready for rapid deployment in mass fatality events was identified. They created the United Kingdom Forensic Radiography Response Team (UKFRRT), developed training and standards and continue to administer UKFRRT. The application of
more » ... ography to emergency preparedness and disaster victim identification has seen a huge expansion and the London Bombings investigation was one of the first times a forensically trained team of radiographers, UKFRRT, was deployed as an integral part of the emergency mortuary team. As UKFRRT members, Denise Elliott and Lindsay Batty-Smith worked as part of the Metropolitan Police Operation Theseus investigation into this terrorist attack. Lindsay in the frantic first week and Denise in the last week of the emergency mortuary investigation and both have different experiences, lessons learned and personal insights to offer. Internationally, forensic radiography use and the radiographers role continues to expand in disaster victim identification and emergency response. Future developments and directions will be briefly discussed. Introduction: The fusion of PET and MRI introduces the clinical need for innovative and safe imaging contrast agents. Objectives: Radiolabelled iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs) can improve the clinical utility of PET/MRI by identifying the sentinel lymph node. Research objectives include, to: 1. manufacture IONPs with a dextran coating. 2. characterise IONPs in clinical MRI environments. 3. ascertain cell viability, in vitro. 4. radiolabel IONPs with 68Gallium. 5. perform in vivo studies with 68Gallium radiolabelled IONPs to assess their lymph node migration capability. Methods: Dextran coated IONPs were fabricated, then physically assessed with TEM and SEM. Their MRI contrast was imaged and relaxivity assessed at 1.5 and 3.0 Tesla. MTS assays were used to assess cell viability, in vitro. The dextran coating's amine chain was functionalised, facilitating 68Gallium radiolabelling. Radiolabelling efficiency was confirmed with TLC. Results: TEM demonstrated monodispersed IONPs with 20 nm dimension and SEM confirmed their smooth surface, suitable for in vitro and in vivo applications. Their T2 behaviour at 1.5 and 3.0 Tesla demonstrated power (time dependent) relaxivity and higher image contrast at 3.0 Tesla. In vitro cell viability was equivalent to Dotarem â , at the concentrations tested. Radiolabelling efficiency was greater than 88%. In vivo PET imaging provided lymph node detection. Conclusion: IONPs offer T2 image contrast at 1.5 and 3.0 Tesla. 68Gallium radiolabelling provides PET detection. Together, the MRI and PET data provide compelling evidence for a successful PET/ MRI contrast agent. In vivo imaging with radiolabelled IONPs also presents an alternative to current lymphoscintigraphy The Herston Imaging Research Facility (HIRF) is located within the grounds of the RBWH. State of the Art imaging equipment including a 3T PRISMA, PET/CT and 3T MMR (PET MR) are performing ground breaking imaging and changing the way we think about and manage conditions of the human brain. MRI is a powerful and constantly evolving research tool in the area of Neuro science. New sequences and techniques in fMRI (functional MRI) and MR spectroscopy are changing the way we think about mental health and other neurological disease processes such as Dementia and Parkinson's. The advancement of PET/MR technology has for the first time allowed simultaneous acquisition of PET and MRI data, which has significant applications in the Neuro research space.
doi:10.1002/jmrs.1_166 fatcat:zipbcyoz3vaz5k7cmywjg5m2re