OBJECTIVETo investigate the tumor targeting efficacy of (18)F-AlF-NOTA-PRGD2, a novel radiotracer of Arginine-glycine-aspartic acid (RGD) peptides.

METHODS(18)F-AlF-NOTA-PRGD2 was synthesized in one-step by conjugating NOTA-PRGD2 with (18)F-AlF at 100 degrees celsius;. The tumor targeting efficacy and in vivo biodistribution profile of (18)F-AlF-NOTA-PRGD2, following intravenous injection via the tail vein, were evaluated in a nude mouse model bearing subcutaneous U87MG glioblastoma xenograft by radioactivity biodistribution assessment, PET/CT and microPET/CT.

RESULTSNOTA-PRGD2 was (18)F-fluorinated successfully in one-step with a yield of 17%-25% within 15-20 min. Radioactivity biodistribution study confirmed the tumor-targeting ability of (18)F-AlF-NOTA-PRGD2 in the tumor-bearing mice. At 1 and 2 h following injection, (18)F-AlF-NOTA-PRGD2 uptake in the tumor reached 4.14∓1.44 and 2.80∓1.18 % ID/g (t=1.910, P=0.070) with tumor/brain ratios of 2.95∓0.61 and 5.21∓2.62, respectively (t=-1.686, P=0.167). Both PET/CT and microPET/CT were capable of showing the radioactivity biodistribution of (18)F-AlF-NOTA-PRGD2 in the mouse model and clearly displayed the tumor, but microPET/CT showed a much better image quality.

CONCLUSION(18)F-AlF-NOTA-PRGD2 prepared by one-step radiosynthesis can selectively target to the tumor, demonstrating its potential as a good radiotracer for tumor imaging.

Animals ; Cell Line, Tumor ; Fluorine Radioisotopes ; Glioblastoma ; diagnostic imaging ; Humans ; Mice ; Mice, Nude ; Oligopeptides ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; methods ; Radioactive Tracers

Metallothioneins (MT), small molecular weight metal binding proteins are known to play an important protective role against heavy metal toxicity, either as antioxidants or pre-oxidants. However, the mode of metabolic fate of MTs in various metal complexes is not clearly understood. This study was carried out to better understand the mode of selective turnover rate of various form of MT in complexes with different metals. The degradation of in vitro translated mouse 35S-cysteine-MT was examined in lysosomal or cytosolic fractions from mouse liver by gel electrophoresis and autoradiography. Overnight incubations of MT showed extensive proteolysis in the lysosomal fraction but not in cytosolic fractions. However, Cu2+-MT was found to be stable under the same experimental condition. In contrast, Zn did not interfere with MT degradation. These results suggest that lysosomes are chiefly responsible for MT removal and appears to be selective on the metals involved in the MT complex. In vitro, translated, radiolabeled MT provides a suitable substrate for investigating the characteristics of MT degradation.
Animal ; Copper/*metabolism/pharmacology ; Ions ; Liver/drug effects/*metabolism ; Lysosomes/metabolism ; Metallothionein/drug effects/*metabolism ; Mice ; Sulfur Radioisotopes ; Support, Non-U.S. Gov't ; Zinc/*metabolism/pharmacology

BACKGROUND: 67Ga scintigraphy has been used for years in sarcoidosis for diagnosis and to determine the extent of the disease. The present report is a study of various findings of 67Ga scintigraphy in patients with sarcoidosis. METHODS: Between 1998 and 2007, 16 patients (male:female, 6:10; age, 35.9+/-15.3 years) with histologically proven sarcoidosis underwent clinical evaluation and 67Ga scintigraphy. According to the site of involvement, they were divided into subtypes and analyzed. RESULTS: Sixteen patients with sarcoidosis had involvement of various organs, including lymph nodes (13/16, 81.3%), lung (3/16, 18.8%), muscle (1/16, 6.3%), subcutaneous tissue (1/16, 6.3%), glands (1/16, 6.3%), and bone (1/16, 6.3%). Sites of involved lymph nodes were thorax (12/13, 92.3%), supraclavicular area (5/13, 38.5%), inguinal area (2/13, 15.4%), abdomen (2/13, 15.4%), and pelvis (1/13, 7.7%). CONCLUSION: Because sarcoidosis frequently involves multiple organs, 67Ga scintigraphy is a useful method in for evaluating the whole body. Nuclear medicine physicians should be familiar with the various findings of gallium uptake in sarcoidosis.
Abdomen ; Gallium ; Gallium Radioisotopes ; Humans ; Lung ; Lymph Nodes ; Muscles ; Nuclear Medicine ; Pelvis ; Sarcoidosis ; Subcutaneous Tissue ; Thorax

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to compare the diagnostic performances of F-18 sodium fluoride positron emission tomography/computed tomography (bone PET/CT) and bone scintigraphy (BS) for the detection of thyroid cancer bone metastasis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively enrolled 6 thyroid cancer patients (age = 44.7 ± 9.8 years, M:F = 1:5, papillary:follicular = 2:4) with suspected bone metastatic lesions in the whole body iodine scintigraphy or BS, who subsequently underwent bone PET/CT. Pathologic diagnosis was conducted for 4 lesions of 4 patients. RESULTS: Of the 17 suspected bone lesions, 10 were metastatic and 7 benign. Compared to BS, bone PET/CT exhibited superior sensitivity (10/10 = 100% vs. 2/10 = 20%, p = 0.008), and accuracy (14/17 = 82.4% vs. 7/17 = 41.2%, p < 0.025). The specificity (4/7 = 57.1%) of bone PET/CT was not significantly different from that of BS (5/7 = 71.4%, p > 0.05). CONCLUSION: Bone PET/CT may be more sensitive and accurate than BS for the detection of thyroid cancer bone metastasis.
Adult ; Bone Neoplasms/*radiography/secondary ; Bone and Bones/*radiography ; Contrast Media/*chemistry ; Female ; Fluorine Radioisotopes/chemistry ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Retrospective Studies ; Sodium Fluoride/*chemistry ; Thyroid Neoplasms/*pathology ; Tomography, X-Ray Computed ; Whole Body Imaging

OBJECTIVETo investigate the biodistribution of (18)-NaF as an imaging agent for position emission tomography (PET) in rat models of osteoporosis.

METHODSOsteoporosis was induced in 10 rats via injection with an excess of dexamethasone phosphate sodium, and the biodistribution of (18)-NaF in the rats was studied, with another 10 normal rats as the control group. (18)-NaF PET was also performed in 8 healthy volunteers, and the uptakes of (18)-F- in the bone tissues were measured.

RESULTSCompared with the control rats, the osteoporotic rats showed significantly decreased (18)-F- uptake, especially in the femoral neck, lumbar vertebrae, the 7th rib and the tibia (P<0.05). Dynamic chest PET scanning in the volunteers revealed obvious (18)-F- uptake in the spine, ribs and humerus 20 s after injection of the imaging agent. (18)-F- uptake significantly increased with time in the bones, reaching the peak level 60 min after the injection, and whole-body PET at this point demonstrated obvious skeletal (18)-F- uptake, with high skeletal-to-muscle (STM) ratio that averaged 8.12.

CONCLUSION(18)-NaF is an excellent skeletal imaging agent for clinical skeletal blood flow and metabolism measurements. The uptake of (18)-NaF has significant difference between normal and osteoporotic bone tissues, indicating the value of (18)-NaF PET for study of osteoporosis.

Adult ; Animals ; Bone and Bones ; diagnostic imaging ; metabolism ; Female ; Fluorine Radioisotopes ; pharmacokinetics ; Humans ; Male ; Osteoporosis ; diagnostic imaging ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; methods ; Radiopharmaceuticals ; pharmacokinetics ; Random Allocation ; Rats ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Sodium Fluoride ; pharmacokinetics ; Tissue Distribution

Placenta previa is a common grave complication of late pregnancy, usually manifestated clinically by painless antenatal vaginal bleeding. Digital and rectal examinations are dangerous, due to the possibility that profuse hemorrhage from the vagina may result. Various radiological examinations have been performed in placenta previa for diagnosis and localization. However radioisotopic methods are superior due to safety, simplicity and a lower radiation dose, both fetal and maternal, compared to plain radiography. Among radiopharmaceuticals, In113m (transferrin for blood pool scan) is useful, giving more satisfactory results without any complications or untoward reactions. In our series of 88 cases from March 1971 to April 1975, In113m placental scan was performed and analysed in 62 cases which were confirmed by clinical follow up and the results are as follows: 1) Maternal age pattern. Mothers 31~35 years were 20/62 or 30.6%. 2) Maternal gravida pattern. All were multipara except 8 cases of primipara. 3) Gestational maturity on scan. 40/62 or 64% were before 36weeks or less in maturity. 4) On scan analysis Placenta previa was confirmed in 36/62 cases or 58%. 5) Fetal maturity. On delivery most were full term, 42/62 or 67.7%. 6) Vaginal delivery was done on cases where placenta was localized in the upper uterine segment, except for three who had fetal malpresentation and congenital anomaly of the maternal pelvis. All patients of placenta previa had cesarian section, except 5 cases with a minor degree of placenta previa. 7) Two cases showed false negative, which suggests 97% accuracy in the screening test of placenta previa by scan, wich is a similar result to other reports. Only 4 cases of false positive discrepancy were noted.
Adult ; Female ; Human ; Indium/diagnostic use* ; Middle Age ; Placenta* ; Placenta Praevia/diagnosis* ; Pregnancy ; Radioisotopes ; Radionuclide Imaging*

Placenta previa is a common grave complication of late pregnancy, usually manifestated clinically by painless antenatal vaginal bleeding. Digital and rectal examinations are dangerous, due to the possibility that profuse hemorrhage from the vagina may result. Various radiological examinations have been performed in placenta previa for diagnosis and localization. However radioisotopic methods are superior due to safety, simplicity and a lower radiation dose, both fetal and maternal, compared to plain radiography. Among radiopharmaceuticals, In113m (transferrin for blood pool scan) is useful, giving more satisfactory results without any complications or untoward reactions. In our series of 88 cases from March 1971 to April 1975, In113m placental scan was performed and analysed in 62 cases which were confirmed by clinical follow up and the results are as follows: 1) Maternal age pattern. Mothers 31~35 years were 20/62 or 30.6%. 2) Maternal gravida pattern. All were multipara except 8 cases of primipara. 3) Gestational maturity on scan. 40/62 or 64% were before 36weeks or less in maturity. 4) On scan analysis Placenta previa was confirmed in 36/62 cases or 58%. 5) Fetal maturity. On delivery most were full term, 42/62 or 67.7%. 6) Vaginal delivery was done on cases where placenta was localized in the upper uterine segment, except for three who had fetal malpresentation and congenital anomaly of the maternal pelvis. All patients of placenta previa had cesarian section, except 5 cases with a minor degree of placenta previa. 7) Two cases showed false negative, which suggests 97% accuracy in the screening test of placenta previa by scan, wich is a similar result to other reports. Only 4 cases of false positive discrepancy were noted.
Adult ; Female ; Human ; Indium/diagnostic use* ; Middle Age ; Placenta* ; Placenta Praevia/diagnosis* ; Pregnancy ; Radioisotopes ; Radionuclide Imaging*

OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effect of 90Y-DOTATOC and 131I-MIBG in treatment of metastatic medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC).

METHODSTwelve histologically confirmed patients with metastatic MTC were included. All patients underwent both 111In-DTPA-octreotide imaging and 131I/ 123I-meta-iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) imaging. According to the results of the combined imaging, positive patients were selected to be treated with 90Y-DOTA-D-Phe1-Tyr3-octreotide (90Y-DOTATOC) or 131I-MIBG, respectively. The therapeutic procedures of targeted internal radiation were performed with 3.33 GBq 90Y-DOTATOC at 6-week intervals, or 11.1 GBq 131I-MIBG with a minimum interval of three months.

RESULTSThe imaging procedure was positive in all 12 patients: 111In-DTPA-octreotide imaging in eight patients, 131I/ 123I-MIBG imaging in six patients. According to the results of combined imaging, we identified four patients to be treated with 90Y-DOTATOC, and five patients with 131 I-MIBG. After three to five sessions of treatment, three patients with partial remission and six with stable disease were observed. The effective rate was 3/9 (33.3%) and the overall tumor response rate was 9/9 (100%). No relevant toxicity was observed.

CONCLUSIONThe combined imaging technique can be used to identify patients for effective radionuclide treatment. The treatment with 90Y-DOTATOC or 131I-MIBG is well tolerated and may improve the fate of patients with metastatic MTC.

3-Iodobenzylguanidine ; therapeutic use ; Adult ; Aged ; Antineoplastic Agents ; therapeutic use ; Carcinoma, Medullary ; metabolism ; radiotherapy ; secondary ; Female ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Indium Radioisotopes ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Octreotide ; analogs & derivatives ; therapeutic use ; Pentetic Acid ; analogs & derivatives ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Remission Induction ; Thyroid Gland ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; radiation effects ; Thyroid Hormones ; metabolism ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; metabolism ; pathology ; radiotherapy ; Treatment Outcome ; Yttrium Radioisotopes ; therapeutic use

Radionuclides were deposited at forest areas in eastern parts of Japan following the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant incident in March 2011. Ectomycorrhizal (EM) fungi have important effects on radiocaesium dynamics in forest ecosystems. We examined the effect of colonization by the EM fungus Astraeus hygrometricus on the uptake of cesium (Cs) and potassium (K) by Pinus densiflora seedlings. Pine seedlings exhibited enhanced growth after the EM formation due to the colonization by A. hygrometricus. Additionally, the shoot Cs concentration increased after the EM formation when Cs was not added to the medium. This suggests that A. hygrometricus might be able to solubilize Cs fixed to soil particles. Moreover, the shoot K concentration increased significantly after the EM formation when Cs was added. However, there were no significant differences in the root K concentration between EM and non-EM seedlings. These results suggest that different mechanisms control the transfer of Cs and K from the root to the shoot of pine seedlings.
Cesium* ; Colon* ; Ecosystem ; Forests ; Fungi ; Japan ; Nuclear Power Plants ; Pinus* ; Potassium ; Radioisotopes ; Seedlings* ; Soil

BACKGROUND: Serum thyroglobulin assays and I-131 imaging and routinely employed for the detection of remaining functioning thyroid tissue after surgery and radioiodine therapy. However, the sensitivity of I-131 is suboptimal resulting in cases of positive thyroglobulin test but negative I-131 imaging, potentially creating a dilemma in subsequent therapeutic management. Other radiopharmaceuticals, such as TI-201 may offer better sensitivity, although it is not clear whether this contributes to the decision-making for subsequent I-131therapy. This prospective cohort study aimed to determine if Tl-201 imaging identified thyroid tissues that will take up therapeutic I-131, and to help define its clinical utility.
METHODS: Fourteen consecutive patients who underwent surgery for well-differentiated thyroid cancer, had I-131 therapy at least eight months previously, and with elevated thyroglobulin (>10 ng/mL) but negative pre-therapy (111 MBq) I-131 whole body scan (WBS), were enrolled in the study. WBS was done using 56.74 MBq of Tl-201. All patients had repeat I-131 ablation (3.7-7.4GBq) one to two months after Tl-201 imaging. Post-therapy WBS was done four to seven days after.
RESULTS: All 14 patients had papillary thyroid carcinoma. Ten patients had a positive Tl-201 scan. Of the 14 subjects, only two had a positive post-therapy I-131 WBS, both whom had a positive Tl-201 scan. Thallium-201 scanning showed a fairly high sensitivity (71%) in demonstrating thyroid remnants or metastases using a thyroglobulin level of >10 ng/mL as standard. However, a positivel Tl-201 scan only has a predictive value of 20% for subsequent uptake of therapeutic I-131 as shown in the post-therapy scan.
CONCLUSION: Thallium-201 uptake correlates poorly with therapeutic I-131 uptake in thyroglobulin-positive, but I-131 scan-negative, differentiated thyroid cancer patients. Results of this study suggest that the presence of thyroid remnants and metastases on Tl-201 imaging is inappropriate as a basis for subsequent I-131 therapy.

Human ; Male ; Female ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Thyroglobulin ; Thyroid Cancer, Papillary ; Radiopharmaceuticals ; Iodine Radioisotopes ; Thallium ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; Carcinoma ; Neoplasms, Second Primary ; Thallium Radioisotopes