Effect of acute experimental aluminum poisoning on hematologic parameters

Having in mind the presence of aluminum in industry, as well as in households, we wanted to define changes in the number of erythrocytes and aluminum content in the plasma and erythrocytes following acute aluminum poisoning under experimental conditions. The experiment involved gerbils which received intraperitoneally aluminum chloride solution at a dose of 3.7g per kg of body mass. The experimental group was sacrificed after 24, 48, 72 and 96 hours from the beginning of the experiment by cardiac punction or by abdominal artery punction. The control group was treated with saline, only. The number of erythrocytes and hemoglobin concentration were considerably reduced with respect to the control group, most likely as the result of cell membrane changes and reduced life cycle of erythrocytes. During the experiment, aluminum content in the plasma was increased in the first and second day of the experiment, it started to decline on the third day, while on the fourth day it returned to its original value, which proves again the existence of a special mechanism of "clearance" of aluminum in plasma

The utility of Tc-99m-EDDA/HYNIC-TOC scintigraphy for assessment of lung lesions in patients with neuroendocrine tumors

Our aim was to assess clinical utility of Tc-99m-EDDA/HYNIC-TOC scintigraphy for evaluation of lung lesions in patients with neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) of the thorax and whole body scintigraphy were performed in 34 patients using Tc-99m-EDDA/HYNIC-TOC. Visual assessment was complemented by semiquantitative evaluation based on tumor to non-tumor (TINT) ratio. Clinical, laboratory, and histological findings served as the standard for comparison. Enhanced tracer uptake was observed on both SPECT and whole body scintigraphy in 29 of 34 patients (88% sensitivity). TINT ratios were significantly higher on SPECT than whole body images (2.96 +/- 1.07 vs. 1.70 +/- 0.43, p LT 0.01) and did not correlate with NET proliferation index Ki-67 (r= - 0.36, p=0.27). Conclusion: Tc-99m-EDDA/HYNIC-TOC scintigraphy is useful for evaluation of NET tissue in the lungs. SPECT provides better visualization of lung lesions than whole body scintigraphy. The intensity of tracer uptake, however, does not relate to the proliferation rate of NETs. Tc-99m-EDDA/HYNIC-TOC scintigraphy may be helpful for selecting and monitoring treatment options, particularly when radiolabeled somatostatin analogue therapy becomes available

Hybrid fusion images in diagnostic and therapeutic procedures

Hybrid Fusion Images in Diagnostic and Therapeutic Procedure

The role of Tc-99m-Tektrotyd somatostatin receptor scintigraphy in carcinoid tumor patients management

23rd Annual Congress of the European-Association-of-Nuclear-Medicine (EANM), Oct 09-13, 2010, Vienna, Austri

A Software Tool for the Assessment of Salivary Gland Function

Salivary gland scintigraphy (SGS) is a noninvasive, simple and reproducible technique for the functional evaluation of salivary gland involvement in patients with Sjögren’s syndrome. Using Labview environment (National Instruments, Austin, Texas) we have developed a software tool for the automatic calculation of most commonly investigated salivary and oral indices derived from salivary time-activity curves. We have shown examples that illustrate the application of the software. Our software enables the comparison of findings among several research centers with the aim of standardizing a processing protocol, defining the reference values of quantitative indices and introducing new salivary indices