Guide for Nuclear Medicine Applications During the COVID-19 Outbreak.

A viral pneumonia rapidly spread from Wuhan, China to all countries in late 2019. In February 2020, WHO named as Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and declared the pandemic on March 11, 2020. To prevent the spread of COVID-19, Ministry of Health of Republic of Turkey and international institutions have published documents defining hygiene rules.

The comparison of pre- and post-treatment (99m)Tc HMPAO brain SPECT images in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

The objective of the present study was to compare brain activation in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) who received pharmacotherapy (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) or a SSRI-risperidone combination) with that in healthy controls using (99m)Tc-hexamethyl propyleneamine oxime (HMPAO) brain single photon emission tomography (SPECT). Twelve OCD patients achieving clinical response (seven SSRI responders, five patients responded to SSRI plus risperidone) underwent post-treatment SPECT scan. The baseline regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was significantly reduced in a large part of the cerebral cortex and the left cingulate gyrus in OCD patients compared with controls.

Does hypothyroidism affect gastrointestinal motility?

Background: Gastrointestinal motility and serum thyroid hormone levels are closely related. Our aim was to analyze whether there is a disorder in esophagogastric motor functions as a result of hypothyroidism.

Materials And Methods: The study group included 30 females (mean age +/- SE 45.

[The role of advanced cardiac imaging methods in coronary artery disease].

Evaluation of the myocardial perfusion and the structures of coronary arteries with the use of various high technologies, such as advanced echocardiography, magnetic resonance tomography, spiral computed tomography as well as large spectrum of techniques of nuclear cardiology, gains more and more important significance in the diagnosis and management of coronary artery disease. Detection of coronary atherosclerosis and evaluation of early signs of myocardial hypoperfusion provide to select effective treatment modality. Nuclear cardiac studies are being frequently used in this field.

Changes in regional cerebral blood flow demonstrated by 99mTc-HMPAO SPECT in euthymic bipolar patients.

Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with 99mTc-HMPAO was used to compare regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in patients with bipolar disorder and in healthy controls. The sample of this study consisted of 16 euthymic bipolar patients who met the DSM-IV criteria and 10 healthy control subjects. The mean regional cerebral blood flow values of the bipolar euthymic patients were significantly lower than those of the controls in the bilateral medial-basal temporal, occipital; medial frontal; parietal regions and in the cingulate gyrus; the hypoperfusion in the cingulate had the highest significant P value (.

Elevated homocysteine levels in patients with slow coronary flow: relationship with Helicobacter pylori infection.

Background And Objective: Elevation of plasma homocysteine (Hcy) level has been implicated in the pathogenesis of slow coronary flow (SCF) as it can severely disturb vascular endothelial function. Helicobacter pylori chronically infect the human stomach and causes malabsorption of vitamin B(12) and folate in food, leading ultimately to an increase in circulating Hcy levels.

Methods: Forty-three patients with angiographically proven SCF (group I) were enrolled in this study; 43 cases with normal coronary flow pattern (group II) served as controls.