OBJECTIVETo investigate role of exocrine cells in the pancreatic enhancement images at Manganese (II) N, N'-dipyridoxylethlenediamine-N, N'-diacetate 5, 5'-bisc (Mn-DPDP)-enhanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging.

METHODSArtificial pancreatic leakage was constructed in six dogs using a fistula tube inserted into the duodenum papillae. Pancreatic juice was collected before and after intravenous infusion of 2 ml/kg of Mn-DPDP at a rate of 2 - 3 ml/min. The Mn content of pancreatic juice was measured by atomic absorption spectroscopy. T(1)-weighted spin-echo images and T(1)-weighted spoiled phase gradient-echo (SPGR) images were obtained prior and approximately 30 min after the administration of Mn-DPDP at 1.5T.

RESULTSThe Mn content of pancreatic secretion increased 60.47 +/- 21.83 micro g/dl after the administration of Mn-DPDP (t = 6.785, P < 0.01). The signal/noise ratio (S/N) of the pancreas increased 53 percent +/- 49 percent and 62 percent +/- 44% on T(1)W spin echo images and SPGR images, respectively.

CONCLUSIONSExocrine cells of the pancreas can absorb manganese and excrete it through the pancreatic juice. Exocrine cells play an important role in the enhancement of the pancreas in MR imaging with Mn-DPDP.

Animals ; Contrast Media ; Dogs ; Edetic Acid ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacokinetics ; Image Enhancement ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Manganese ; pharmacokinetics ; Pancreas ; anatomy & histology ; metabolism ; Pyridoxal Phosphate ; analogs & derivatives ; pharmacokinetics

The concentrations of heavy metals in the extracting solutions of traditional Chinese medicine are usually very low. Furthermore, a vast number of organic components contained in the extracting solutions would be able to coordinate with heavy metals, which might lead to great difficulty in high efficient removal of them from the extracting solutions. This paper was focused on the removal of heavy metals of low concentrations from the extracting solution of Angelica sinensis by applying an EDTA-modified chitosan magnetic adsorbent (EDTA-modified chitosan/SiO2/Fe3O4, abbreviated as EDCMS). The results showed that EDCMS exhibited high efficiency for the removal of heavy metals, such as Cu, Cd and Pb, e.g. the removal percentage of Cd and Pb reached 90% and 94.7%, respectively. Besides, some amounts of other heavy metals like Zn and Mn were also removed by EDCMS. In addition, the total solid contents, the amount of ferulic acid and the HPLC fingerprints of the extracting solution were not changed significantly during the heavy metal removal process. These results indicate that EDCMS may act as an applicable and efficient candidate for the removal of heavy metals from the extracting solution of A. sinensis.
Adsorption ; Angelica sinensis ; chemistry ; Chitosan ; chemistry ; Drug Contamination ; prevention & control ; Edetic Acid ; analogs & derivatives ; chemistry ; Magnetics ; methods ; Metals, Heavy ; chemistry ; isolation & purification

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of proteases on the degradation of parathyroid hormone (PTH) in blood samples. METHODS: Protease inhibitors with specificity against serine proteases (aprotinin), cysteine proteases (E-64), serine and cysteine proteases (leupeptin), metalloproteases (EDTA), or a protease inhibitor cocktail with a broad spectrum of inhibitory activity were added to blood samples. After storage at room temperature (0-48 hr), PTH levels were measured. RESULTS: PTH levels in samples with the protease inhibitor cocktail did not change significantly after 48 hr of storage at room temperature, but the average PTH levels decreased by 40.7% and 20.1%, in samples stored at room temperature and stored at 4degrees C without protease inhibitors, respectively. PTH levels in samples with leupeptin were stable for up to 24 hr. After 48 hr, the mean PTH levels decreased by 17.1%, 16.0%, 26.2%, and 32.1%, with 500 KIU/mL aprotinin, 100 micro mol/L leupeptin, 10 micro mol/L E-64, and 10 micro mol/L EDTA, respectively, in the samples stored at room temperature. CONCLUSIONS: The decrease in PTH levels in blood samples seemed to be due to the degradation of PTH by proteases. Various proteases, including especially serine proteases, would act together to degrade PTH in blood specimen. The PTH degradation may be inhibited in blood specimen with protease inhibitor cocktail.
Aprotinin/pharmacology ; Blood Specimen Collection ; Edetic Acid/pharmacology ; Female ; Humans ; Leucine/analogs & derivatives/pharmacology ; Leupeptins/pharmacology ; Male ; Parathyroid Hormone/*blood/metabolism ; Protease Inhibitors/*pharmacology ; Time Factors

We report the case of a 50-year-old woman presented with a history of right hemicolectomy due to an ileocecal neuroendocrine tumor and left breast metastasis. Owing to a slightly elevated chromogranin A-level and lower abdominal pain, single photon emission computed tomography-computer tomography (SPECT-CT) was performed. There were no signs of recurrence on the SPECT-CT scan, but the patient was incidentally found to have an inflamed intramural myoma. We believe that the slightly elevated chromogranin A-level was caused by the hypertension that the patient presented. In the clinical context, this is a report of an inflamed uterine myoma seen as a false positive result detected by TC-99m-Tc-EDDA/HYNIC-Tyr3-Octreotide (Tektrotyd) SPECT-CT hybrid imaging.
Abdominal Pain/etiology/*radionuclide imaging ; Edetic Acid/*analogs & derivatives/diagnostic use ; Female ; Humans ; *Incidental Findings ; Leiomyoma/complications/*radionuclide imaging ; Middle Aged ; Organotechnetium Compounds/*diagnostic use ; Radiopharmaceuticals/diagnostic use ; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon/*methods ; Uterine Neoplasms/complications/*radionuclide imaging

OBJECTIVE: To compare the efficacy of Mangafodipir trisodium (Mn-DPDP) -enhanced MR cholangiogrphy (MRC) and Gadobenate dimeglumine (Gd-BOPTA) -enhanced MRC in visualizing a non-dilated biliary system. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty-eight healthy liver donor candidates underwent contrast-enhanced T1-weighted MRC. Mn-DPDP and Gd-BOPTA was used in 36 and 52 patients, respectively. Two radiologists reviewed the MR images and rated the visualization of the common duct, the right and left hepatic ducts, and the second-order branches using a 4-point scale. The contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) of the common duct to the liver in the two groups was also compared. RESULTS: Mn-DPDP MRC and Gd-BOPTA MRC both showed similar visualization grades in the common duct (p = .380, Mann-Whitney U test). In the case of the proximal bile ducts, the median visualization grade was significantly higher with Gd-BOPTA MRC than with Mn-DPDP MRC (right hepatic duct: p = 0.016, left hepatic duct: p = 0.014, right secondary order branches: p = 0.006, left secondary order branches, p = 0.003). The common duct-to-liver CNR of the Gd-BOPTA MRC group was significantly higher (38.90+/-24.50) than that of the Mn-DPDP MRC group (24.14+/-17.98) (p = .003, Student's t test). CONCLUSION: Gd-BOPTA, as a biliary contrast agent, is a potential substitute for Mn-DPDP.
Pyridoxal Phosphate/*analogs & derivatives/diagnostic use ; Organometallic Compounds/*diagnostic use ; Middle Aged ; Meglumine/*analogs & derivatives/diagnostic use ; Male ; *Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Humans ; Hepatic Duct, Common/anatomy & histology ; Female ; Feasibility Studies ; Edetic Acid/*analogs & derivatives/diagnostic use ; *Contrast Media ; Common Bile Duct/anatomy & histology ; Bile Ducts/*anatomy & histology ; Aged ; Adult