Assessment of regional blood flow in cerebral motor and sensory areas in patients with spinal cord injury.

We assessed the presence and the degree of alteration of the regional blood flow (rCBF) as visualized by Tc-99m HMPAO brain rest SPECT in the sensory motor cortex and subcortical structure in spinal cord injury (SCI) patients, who suffered from various levels of motor and sensory function loss. Twenty-two patients (mean age: 42.1+/-13.

(99m)Tc-dextran scintigraphy to detect disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

Aim: To test the applicability of Tc-dextran joint scintigraphy in the assessment of disease activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and to compare it with the clinical disease activity scores and laboratory parameters.

Methods: Twenty-seven patients with RA were investigated using Tc-dextran joint scintigraphy. The images were evaluated semi-quantitatively and the regional uptakes of the radiopharmaceutical were calculated for the knee, wrist and ankle joints.

Sister chromatid exchanges in lymphocytes of nuclear medicine physicians.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess whether occupational exposure to chronic, low doses of Iodine 131 (I-131) and Technetium 99m (Tc-99m) may lead to genotoxicity. Medical personnel occupied in nuclear medicine departments are occupationally exposed to low doses of I-131 and Tc-99m. The determination of the frequency of sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs) and of cells with a high frequency of SCEs (HFC) is considered to be a sensitive indicator for detecting genotoxic potential of mutagenic and carcinogenic agents.