[en] The clinical usefulness of ⁶⁷Ga-DFO-DAS-fibrinogen, a newly developed thrombus imaging agent, was evaluated. Fifteen cases were given 2 mCi of ⁶⁷Ga-DFO-DAS-fibrinogen and images were obtained up to 96 hours after injection. Abnormal accumulation of ⁶⁷Ga-DFO-DAS-fibrinogen was imaged in seven cases with either venous or arterial thrombi, and no side effects were noted. These results suggested that ⁶⁷Ga-DFO-DAS-fibrinogen might be a promising agent for thrombus imaging. (author)

[en] This review describes the present status and future perspective of the use of proton and other particles against cancer. Cancer is the most frequent cause of death in Japan and the mortality rate due to the disease is as high as 30.7% in 2000. For early diagnosis of cancer, the whole body examination by PET is being widely spread with the use of compounds labeled with positron emitting nuclides like F-18 FDG. The nuclides are produced in small cyclotrons equipped in the medical facilities. When compared with the ordinary X-ray radiation therapy, beam therapies using particles, like proton, are effective in irradiating the lesions presenting deep in the body and in reducing the exposure doses for the normal tissues owing to the spread-out Bragg peak. According to the counting by Particle Therapy Co-Operating Group, more than 30,000 patients received the proton beam therapy until 2002. Particle beam therapies are established at these 5 facilities in Japan: Hospital East of National Cancer Center (235 MeV proton beam), Proton Med. Res. Center at Tsukuba Univ., National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) (carbon beam by Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba (HIMAC)), Hyogo Ion Beam Med. Center, and Wakasawan Energy Res. Center. For the future of particle beam cancer therapy, further evidence-based clinical trials will be necessary, especially for the comparison with X-ray irradiation therapies such as intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). (N.I.)

[en] The thermal diffusivities of metallic uranium, zirconium and uranium-zirconium alloys were measured by the laser-flash method in the temperature region from 300 to 1000 K. Above 880 K, the thermal diffusivities of alloys showed anomalous behavior caused by phase transitions. By using heat capacities estimated from the data of uranium and zirconium, the thermal conductivity of the pure metals were determined from 300 to 1000 K and those of the alloys from 300 to 880 K. Both the thermal diffusivities and the thermal conductivities of the alloys exhibited minimum values in the δ-phase alloy having a composition of U-72.4 at% Zr. (orig.)

[en] We have noted increased lung uptake of thallium-201 on resting myocardial images in patients with congestive heart failure. To evaluate this phenomenon, lung uptake of thallium on resting myocardial imaging was examined in 328 patients with various cardiovascular diseases. Increased lung uptake was observed in 117 cases (78%) with myocardial infarction, 32 (37%) with angina pectoris, 6 (27%) with hypertensive heart disease, 7 (30%) with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, 6 (100%) with congestive cardiomyopathy, 11 (100%) with valvular heart disease, and 7 (71%) with congenital heart disease, however, only one (5%) of normal subjects revealed increased uptake. Left ventricular ejection fraction was evaluated in 32 cases with ischemic heart disease on the same day and it was significantly decreased as the lung uptake of thallium increased. Increased thallium activity in the lung seemed to be another noninvasive marker of lift heart failure in ischemic heart disease. Lung uptake of thallium was compared with pulmonary congestive signs on chest X-ray in 29 cases. The uptake was well correlated with the degree of pulmonary edema, and thallium myocardial image revealed remarkably increased lung uptake in all the patients accompanied with pulmonary interstitial edema on chest X-ray. Therefore, this phenomenon will demonstrate pulmonary edema, since thallium may be extracted to the increased interstitial distribution space of the lung as well as the myocardium in a patient with pulmonary edema. We conclude that thallium myocardial scintigraphy is useful not only in identification and localization of myocardial ischemia or infarction, but also in evaluation of pulmonary edema at the same time. (author)

[en] Intending to use for the immunoscintigraphy (IS) of arterial thrombosis, we have generated monoclonal antibodies reactive with rabbit and human platelets. Twelve monoclonal antibodies were established by the immunization of rabbit platelets and two by human platelets. All antibodies were specific for platelets, but some recognized both human and rabbit platelets. Antibody, designated 138 - 10, bound only to rabbit platelets with a high association constant of 1.2 x 10⁹ M^-1 and showed little effect on the aggregation of platelets. Another antibody 1 - 19 was produced by the immunization of human platelets but cross-reacted with rabbit platelets. As far as we know, this is the first report describing about monoclonal antibodies reactive with rabbit platelets, and these radiolabeled monoclonal antibodies will be of great use for the study of thrombus scintigraphy. (author)

[en] Radioiodinated monoclonal antibodies to platelets were examined for its binding to blood clot in vitro and for the thrombus scintigraphy in vivo. Experimental thrombus was produced in the femoral artery of rabbits. Specific binding of radioiodinated antibodies designated 138 - 10 and 1 - 19 was observed in vitro as well as in vivo, and both antibodies clearly visualized experimental thrombus at 6 to 24 hours after the intravenous administration. Thrombus-to-blood ratios reached 5.6 - 25.1 at 24 hours. On the contrary, no localization was seen with radioiodinated irrelevant antibody. These results indicate that immuno-scintigraphy using monoclonal antibodies to platelets is a promising tool for the localization of arterial thrombus. (author)

[en] A phase 3 multicenter clinical study was performed to investigate the efficacy, safety and usefulness of MP-1727, a novel tumor imaging agent which binds to somatostatin receptors, in 23 patients with gastrointestinal hormone producing tumor. The efficacy was graded effective or very effective in 16 cases (76.2%) out of 21 cases who could be evaluated. Positive predictive accuracy was 77.8% (7/9) for carcinoids, 100% (5/5) for gastrinomas and 40.0% (2/5) for insulinomas. In three cases, tumor lesions which had been unknown were detected by MP-1727 scintigraphy. The consistent ratio between scintigraphically positive sites and preinjection localizations was 82.0% (41/50 sites) in total. Although adverse drug reactions were observed in two cases, the safety was graded 'not problematic at all' in all of 23 cases. These results show that MP-1727 is a very useful radiopharmaceutical for detection and localization of gastrointestinal hormone producing tumors. (author)

No abstract available

[en] ^99mTc-MAG₃ (mercaptoacetyl glycylglycylglycine) is a newly developed radiopharmaceutical for the functional imaging of kidneys. We evaluated the clinical usefulness of ^99mTc-MAG₃ in 12 cases (7 men and 5 women, aged from 18 to 57 years old) with transplanted kidney, and compared it with ¹²³I-OIH (o-iodohippurate). Immediately after bolus injection of 300 MBq of ^99mTc-MAG₃, first pass images (1 frame/3 sec for 1 min) and dynamic renal images (1 frame/60 sec for 30 min) were recorded. In 10 of 12 cases, the same examination was carried out using 37 MBq of ¹²³I-OIH within 2 weeks. Because of its larger dose and suitable gamma-ray energy, ^99mTc-MAG₃ provided much better images than ¹²³I-OIH, particularly among first pass images. Effective renal plasma flow (ERPF) calculated from the clearance of ^99mTc-MAG₃ was less (about 70%) than that of ¹²³I-OIH, however, a strong correlation (r=0.98, p<0.001) was observed between the ERPF) values of the two radiotracers. No adverse effects were caused by ^99mTc-MAG₃. Our data suggested that ^99mTc-MAG₃ was a promising radiopharmaceutical with which to evaluate regional dynamic renal function. (author)

[en] A phase 2 clinical study of ^99mTc-mercapto acetyl glycylglycylglycine (^99mTc-MAG3) injectable, a new dynamic renal imaging agent, was performed in 110 patients with renal and/or urinary disorders to evaluate the safety, efficacy and optimal dose of this agent. Neither adverse reactions nor abnormal laboratory findings due to intravenous administration of ^99mTc-MAG3 were observed. The investigators evaluated the clinical efficacy of ^99mTc-MAG3 was to be effective in 96 of 97 cases. Among the doses of 92.5 MBq, 370 MBq and 555 MBq, the dose of 92.5 MBq was not large enough to provide adequate-quality blood flow images or reliable information for evaluation of the renal blood flow. It was concluded that the optimal dose range of ^99mTc-MAG3 was 185-555 MBq with 370 MBq as the standard dose. Also, we summarize that 555 MBq is especially recommendable when detailed blood flow information is required. These results indicate that ^99mTc-MAG3 injectable is useful for the diagnosis of renal and urinary disorders. (author)