Intramural Fund for Integration of Different Fields

◎Kiichi Akahoshi, Lecturer, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Tokyo Medical and Dental University
◎Takuya Oki, Associate Professor, Department of Architecture, School of Environmental and Social Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology

[Visualization and quantification of the working styles of healthcare professionals for effective work style reform]
The promotion of work style reform in the healthcare sector is an urgent issue. In order to realize effective work style reform, a detailed analysis of the working conditions and job descriptions of healthcare workers is required. In this research, we will visualize the work of healthcare workers using location-detecting beacons and conduct a close examination of their work content through questionnaires and on-site surveys. Then, from the various big data obtained, we will conduct an integrated analysis of the actual conditions using AI-based data mining methods, extract measures to improve the working environment, and predict the effects of task shifting and other measures. This enables the evaluation of measures to improve the working environment and verification of their feasibility, and is expected to contribute to the progress of work style reform, improvement of the working environment, and improvement of the quality of medical care.

◎Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Assistant Professor Atsuyuki Oishi
〇Tokyo Institute of Technology, Institute of Innovative Research, Institute of Future Industrial Technology, Associate Professor Akitoshi Okino

[Development of a new safe tooth root cleaning and sterilization method using atmospheric pressure and low-temperature plasma that contributes to extending the life of teeth]
Root canal treatment of teeth is a treatment for inflammation and infection that extends to the root canal that houses the nerves and blood vessels of the tooth due to tooth decay or injury, and is a last resort to continue using the tooth. Sodium hypochlorite is used for sterilization and cleaning of harmful substances in root canal treatment, but since it is highly damaging to the skin and mucous membranes, safer sterilization and cleaning methods are required. Plasma has high bactericidal power because various active species with high reactivity are produced in plasma. The fiber plasma jet developed by Tokyo Tech’s Okino Laboratory is as thin as 1 mm in diameter and can generate plasma at a low temperature of about room temperature, so it can be applied to the human oral cavity. In this research, we will generate plasma that can ensure the safety of patients in the microscopic space of the root canal of the tooth, clarify the mechanism of sterilization of anaerobic bacteria by plasma, and develop a plasma root canal cleaning technology that can effectively sterilize the root canal and remove harmful substances such as biofilm.

◎Tokyo Institute of Technology, Institute of Innovative Research, Institute of Future Industrial Technology, Associate Professor Marie Tahara
〇Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Endowed Chair Associate Professor Tomoyuki Fujioka

Development of intracranial imaging using ultrasound CT
Currently, tomographic imaging such as X-ray CT, MRI, and ultrasound is indispensable for diagnosing systemic diseases, but effective methods for intracranial imaging in children are limited. If pediatric intracranial imaging becomes possible, it can be used for a variety of clinical purposes, such as evaluating brain damage during falls, which is common in children, and evaluating brain damage associated with neonatal asphyxia. The applicants focused on ultrasound CT as a method for realizing intracranial ultrasound imaging. Ultrasound CT is a tomographic imaging method proposed by Greenleaf of Mayo Clinic in the 1970s that uses a ring array consisting of about 2,000 elements to capture images, but it is difficult to solve complex propagation paths with the performance of computers at that time, and it has not yet been put to practical use. The purpose of this research is to develop ultrasound CT technology for intracranial imaging in children. We will develop imaging algorithms using a prototype ultrasound CT system and simulated skull phantoms and skull specimens, extract target diseases for pediatric intracranial imaging, and study performance indicators required for diagnostic images.