[en] Hepatic metallothionein content was measured in rat at 18 hr after whole-body irradiation. The concentration of hepatic metallothionein was increased 5 fold in irradiated rats as compared with control. Prior administration of actinomycin D inhibited uptake of zinc into the liver and also irradiationinduced metallothionein synthesis. Serum zinc level did not change after irradiation, however zinc level of actinomycin D treated rat was significantly elevated. From these results, it is concluded that mRNA and protein synthesis is required at least in part for the increase in metallothionein content of the liver. The total zinc content was decreased in spleen and thymus, but was increased in liver or kidney after irradiation as compared with control. No changes in zinc content were observed in other tissues. Serum corticosterone level of irradiated rat did not change as compared with control at 6 hr after irradiation. These results suggest that zinc derived from tissues or cell damaged by irradiation accumulates in liver and this in turn may induce the synthesis of metallothionein. (author)

[en] MRI was performed before and after intravenous injection of 0.05, 0.10, or 0.15 mmol/kg in 11 patients with brain tumors. Results were compared with findings of contrast enhanced CT (CE-CT) in terms of the degree of enhancement, visualization of lesion sites, and delineation of the margin between cerebral tumor and peritumoral edema. Lesions that were seen on CE-CT in 7 patients were all detected on MRI. A short spin-echo technique had the greatest enhancement. In distinguishing cerebral tumor from peritumoral edema, contrast enhanced MRI was equivalent to CE-CT. Appropriate dosage of Gd-DTPA seemed to be 0.10 or 0.15 mmol/kg. No Gd-DTPA related side effects were encountered. Initial experiences with MRI with Gd-DTPA were encouraging. (Namekawa, K.)

[en] Twenty patients with ovarian tumors had underwent magnetic resonance imaging of the pelvis. The cystic tumor could be distinguishable from the solid tumor in the shape, the signal intensity and the T₁ value of the tumor. It was easy to discriminate cystic ovarian tumors in many cases, especially the dermoid cyst and the endometrial cyst were characteristic. The former was depicted as the tumor which had various signal intensity and the latter was as the tumor which had strong signal intensity in short SE, long SE and IR. But to concern the solid ovarian tumors, malignant and borderline malignant ovarian tumors were difficult to discriminate each other. It was proven that MRI had some possibility of quaulitative diagnosis in ovarian tumors. (author)

[en] Abdominal precontrast CT was performed in 12 patients (5 males, 7 females, 29-81 years, mean age; 57.5 years) with entero hemorrhagic colitis due to Escherichia coli O 157: H7. Mural thickening was recognized in the terminal ileum (11/12), cecum (12/12), ascending colon (11/12), transverse colon (7/12), descending colon (2/12), and recto sigmoid colon (1/12). Dirty fat sign, lymphadenopathy, and peritoneal fluid collection were seen in 11, 7, and 5 of the 12 cases, respectively. The CT appearance of entero hemorrhagic colitis is one of moderate to severe circumferential thickening. The bowel wall is heterogeneous because of submucosal edema and hemorrhage. The CT appearance is nonspecific, but the condition is mainly seen in the right colon. Precontrast CT is useful in the screening of entero hemorrhagic colitis, especially in mass outbreaks. (author)

[en] Myocardial infarct size in 41 patients with the first attack of acute transmural myocardial infarction (MI) was assessed by technetium-99m pyrophosphate single photon emission computed tomography (^99mTcPYP-SPECT). A ratio of the number of voxels of ^99mTcPYP uptake into the infarct area to that into the thorax was calculated as a parameter of MI size. The ratio was positively correlated with both peak CPK activity (r=0.53, p<0.005, n=24) and extent score in ²⁰¹Tl-SPECT (r=0.70, p<0.005, n=14) significantly in patients with anterior MI but not in patients with inferior MI. There was also significant negative correlation between the ratio and the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) measured by RI angiography in both acute (r=-0.67, p<0.005, n=18) and chronic (r=-0.75, p<0.005, n=25) phases in patients with anterior MI. Recovery in LVEF at chronic phase was noted in patients with small anterior MI but not with large anterior MI. Eight of 14 patients with inferior MI had right ventricular MI, that might have affected evaluation of MI size and resulted in no correlation between variables. It was suggested that ^99mTcPYP-SPECT was a useful method to evaluate MI size and to predict prognosis of cardiac function in patients with anterior MI but not in patients with inferior MI. (author)

[en] This study evaluated the usefulness of computed tomography (CT) angiography for the detection of high-risk aortas for carotid artery stenting (CAS). We investigated changes in the treatment method and modifications of endovascular techniques according to the information from CT angiography. CT angiography using three-dimensional and multi-planar reconstruction was performed in 43 consecutive patients with carotid artery stenoses intended to undergo CAS. Two neurosurgeons evaluated the images and estimated the risk and difficulties of CAS. CT angiography clearly depicted the entire aorta, the supra-aortic vessels, and the ilio-femoral arteries in all patients. Abnormal vascular findings were found in 17 patients. High-risk aortic lesions for CAS were detected in 5 patients, including thick aortic plaques with thrombi in 2. We changed the treatment strategy from CAS to carotid endarterectomy (CEA) in these 2 patients. CT angiograms proved very useful in evaluating the approach routes of CAS in 12 patients. One patient had dissecting aneurysm of the thoracic aorta and another had aberrant right vertebral artery. In these two, the treatment strategy was changed from CAS to CEA. The treatment method was changed in 4 patients in total. CT angiography is useful for the detection of high-risk aortas for CAS and for the evaluation of safe approaches to the carotid artery. (author)

[en] The significance of high renal uptake found in patients with hematological disease who underwent bone marrow scintigraphy with ¹¹¹In-chloride was investigated. In patients with a high renal uptake, the uptake in bone marrow was low, suggesting a reflection of erythropoietic activity. The reversal relationship, however, was not necessarily present. With regard to correlation with iron metabolism, significantly higher uptake of serum Fe and lower UIBC were found among those with high renal uptake, suggesting that the level of free trans ferrin in the serum is largely involved in the high uptake in the kidney. (author)

[en] Asbestos-related diseases have become social problem in Japan. As a result, many applicants who are suspected of having exposure to asbestos undergo CT screening. But there have been few reports of CT screening for asbestos related diseases. Therefore we evaluate the CT screening findings for asbestos related thoracic diseases. CT screening was performed for 100 applicants (88 male and 12 female). 93 of 100 patients have a history of asbestos exposure in occupation. 63 of 100 applicants had pleural plaques detected by CT. The majority of thickness of plaques was less than 3 mm, and were mostly detected in middle lung region and postero-medial region. Bronchogenic adenocarcinoma was detected in one case. (author)

[en] Both batch experiment and column technique are used to investigate the sorption and migration behavior of radioactive ⁸⁵Sr, ¹³⁴Cs and ⁶⁰Co in loess medium. In addition, the effects of tracer concentration, pH value and temperature on distribution coefficient was also studied. It is indicated from batch experiment results that the average K_d value of sixteen samples for ⁸⁵Sr, ¹³⁴Cs and ⁶⁰Co was 82, 7.4 x 10³ and 5.4 x 10³ mL/g, respectively. Distribution coefficients were greatly affected by pH. Results indicate most of these three radionuclides remain in loess, and only a small amount of radionuclide flowed out from the loess column. In the loess column, the order of migration distance of the three radionuclides are ⁸⁵Sr > ¹³⁴Cs ≅⁶⁰Co