Proton NMR imaging of cerebral blood flow using H2(17)O.

Cerebral blood flow was quantitatively mapped by monitoring the cerebral washout of H2(17)O using rapid, single-shot proton NMR imaging. H2(17)O acts as a freely diffusible contrast agent for proton imaging via its scalar-coupled term, enhancing T2 relaxation. Measured values for CBF ranged from 29 to 106 ml/min/100 g over a range of arterial pCO2 between 23 and 81 Torr.

Contrast agents and cerebral hemodynamics.

Contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging of regional cerebral hemodynamics is discussed. Techniques for measuring cerebral blood volume (CBV) have been validated in animal models and have recently been applied to human studies. Factors affecting CBV measurement in pathologic tissue are addressed.

Percutaneous evacuation of abdominal abscesses and fluid collections--aspiration or catheter drainage?

Ninety-three abdominal abscesses and fluid collections (pseudocysts, hematomas and bilomas) in 79 patients were treated under radiological guidance, for a total of 111 procedures (23 needle aspirations (NA) of 17 foci and 88 catheter drainages (CD) of 84 foci). In eight foci both methods were used. Catheter drainage was curative in 65% of abscesses and in 56% of pseudocysts and improved the patients' condition before surgery in another 11% or 10%, respectively.

Detection of soft-tissue and skeletal infections with ultra low-field (0.02 T) MR imaging.

To evaluate the use of ultra low-field (0.02 T) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging in the diagnosis of musculoskeletal infection, MR examinations with T2 weighted sequences were performed in 61 patients thought to be suffering from one of four major diagnostic categories: Soft-tissue abscesses (n = 22), osteomyelitis (n = 21), septic arthritis (n = 9) and spondylitis (n = 9). Infection was confirmed for 37 of these 61 patients.

Evaluation of cervical disc degeneration with ultralow field MRI and discography. An experimental study on cadavers.

The purpose of this study was to test the value of low-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and discography in visualizing disc degeneration of the cervical spine. Plain roentgenograms, MR images, discograms, and macroanatomic appearance of the cervical spines of ten cadavers were compared. At levels C4-5-C7-T1, general disc degeneration seen in discography correlated well with macroanatomy (weighted kappa (Kw) = 0.

Xylitol vs glucose: effect on the rate of gastric emptying and motilin, insulin, and gastric inhibitory polypeptide release.

The effect of xylitol and glucose on the rate of gastric emptying and intestinal transit and on motilin, gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP), and insulin release were studied in human volunteers. A single oral dose of 200 mL water containing 30 g glucose or 30 g xylitol, mixed with a 99mtechnetium-tin (99mTc-Sn) colloid, was used. Similar dosing without the label was used in motilin, GIP, and insulin studies.

Experiences of clodronate treatment of multifocal eosinophilic granuloma of bone.

Clodronate, an inhibitor of osteoclast function, reduces bone resorption in osteolytic metastases and in multiple myeloma. We have evaluated its ability to decrease bone destruction in patients with multifocal eosinophilic granuloma of the skeleton. Two patients, whose multifocal bone granulomas appeared with a frequency of about 6 months, received 1.

The effects of lactulose-sweetened yoghurt on the rate of gastric emptying and intestinal transit in healthy human volunteers.

A non-invasive, radioisotopic method was utilised to study the effects of a lactulose-sweetened yoghurt product on gastric emptying and intestinal transit. Healthy human volunteers were given 99mtechnetium-DTPA-labelled lactulose yoghurt before and after adaptation to the product. A control group received a similarly labelled glucose solution.

Evaluation of salmon calcitonin treatment in bone metastases from breast cancer--a controlled trial.

Salmon calcitonin 100 MRCU/day or a saline placebo were given in daily injections for at least three months to 49 patients with bone metastases from breast cancer in a randomized double-blind trial. All patients were normocalcemic, and most patients had stable or regressing disease at start of trial. No improvement in general performance or bone pain was detected as measured by a visual analogue scale, the daily duration of pain or consumption of analgetic drugs.

Comparative evaluation of [123I]14-p-iodophenyl-beta-methyltetradecanoic acid and thallium-201 in the detection of infarcted areas in the dog heart using SPECT.

The concept of using beta-methyl-branched long-chain fatty acids for assessment of myocardial fatty acid uptake and perfusion was extended to the use of radioiodinated fatty acid with stabilization of iodine on the omega-phenyl ring. Beagle dogs were injected with thallium-201 and imaged 15 min after injection. The next day the dogs were infarcted by occluding the LAD, and 2 h later they were injected with [123I]14-p-iodophenyl-beta-methyltetradecanoic acid [123I]BMTDA and imaged for 90 min using a gated SPECT procedure.

Clodronate for osteolytic metastases due to breast cancer.

Breast-cancer patients with multiple osteolytic bone metastases were treated with clodronate (Cl2MDP) 1.6 g/day (17 patients) or placebo (17 patients) for 12 months. Bone pain, extension of bone metastases and formation of new osteolytic foci were reduced by Cl2MDP, and development of severe hypercalcaemia was prevented.

The response evaluation of bone metastases in mammary carcinoma. The value of radiology, scintigraphy, and biochemical markers of bone metabolism.

The correlation between response of metastatic bone lysis and bone pain, various biochemical markers of bone metabolism, and radiological and scintigraphic findings was investigated in 49 women with breast cancer included in a calcitonin supportive therapy trial. All patients had dominant skeletal disease and were on stable systemic treatment (cytotoxic or hormonal) for a least 6 months before the first response evaluation. Bone pain correlated poorly with treatment response.

Treatment of skeletal disease in breast cancer: a controlled clodronate trial.

Normocalcaemic breast cancer patients with progressive osteolytic bone metastases were treated with clodronate 1.6 g/day (17) or placebo (17) for 12 months. Bone pain, extension of bone metastases and formation of new osteolytic foci were reduced by clodronate, and development of severe hypercalcaemia was prevented.

Unprocessed bran and intermittent thiazide therapy in prevention of recurrent urinary calcium stones.

Both urinary calcium excretion and renal stone episodes are increased during the summer in Finland. Since thiazide and unprocessed bran are known to decrease urinary calcium excretion, we treated 73 patients with recurrent urinary stone formation by giving them unprocessed bran and intermittent thiazide. Of the patients, 32 had absorptive hypercalciuria and 41 had normal urinary calcium values.

Cytogenetic investigations of patients on clodronate therapy for Paget's disease of bone.

In order to judge whether or not clodronate used for treatment of patients with Paget's disease of bone had an effect on the haematopoetic tissue, the frequency of chromosome/chromatid breaks in bone marrows and blood cells was evaluated. Seven patients were studied before treatment, after a few days of treatment and after greater than or equal to 2 months of treatment. Three additional patients were studied after exposure to clodronate for greater than or equal to 6 months.

Experience with single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) in follow-up of sternotomy healing.

Single photon emission computerized tomography (SPECT) was performed thrice in ten patients undergoing open-heart surgery--preoperatively and 2 and 12 weeks postoperatively. The operations were done for ischemic heart disease (5), aortic valvular stenosis (2), aortic valvular insufficiency (1), leaking mitral prosthetic valve (1) and combined aortic and mitral valvular stenosis and insufficiency (1). The healing process in the longitudinally divided sternum was evaluated from the SPECT study.

The effects of xylitol on gastric emptying and secretion of gastric inhibitory polypeptide in the rat.

The effects of xylitol on the rate of gastric emptying and plasma gastric inhibitory polypeptide secretion in the rat were studied to relate xylitol adaptation to these phenomena. Male Sprague-Dawley rats, weighing about 250-270 g, were either gradually adapted to 20% xylitol diets or given a basal diet. The animals were, after a 24-hour fast, given a 1.

Five years of experience with selective therapy in recurrent calcium nephrolithiasis.

We evaluated the efficacy of selective treatment in 126 patients with recurrent calcium urolithiasis who were chosen on the basis of ability to correct underlying physiochemical disturbances. Patients with hyperparathyroidism underwent an operation. Patients with renal hypercalciuria were treated with thiazide and those with absorptive hypercalciuria were given a low calcium, low oxalate diet with or without thiazide.

Long-term effects of dichloromethylene diphosphonate in patients with osteolytic bone metastases and coincident primary hyperparathyroidism.

Dichloromethylene diphosphonate (Cl2MDP), an inhibitor of osteoclast-mediated bone resorption, lowers serum calcium in hypercalcemia associated with malignancies and with primary hyperparathyroidism. We have evaluated the effectiveness of Cl2MDP in three patients who had multiple osteolytic bone metastases due to breast cancer and coincident primary hyperparathyroidism and who refused neck exploration. Cl2MDP was added to the tamoxifen treatment and was given orally at a dose of 1600 mg/day for 12 months.

Long-term results of adrenal surgery in patients with Cushing's syndrome due to adrenocortical adenoma.

Fourteen of 16 patients with Cushing's syndrome due to adrenal adenoma who had undergone adrenal surgery in the period 1967-1981 participated in a follow-up study 1 to 15 (mean 4.5) years after the operation. There were 14 unilateral and two bilateral adenomas.

Long-term controlled trial with diphosphonate in patients with osteolytic bone metastases.

Thirty-four normocalcaemic women with multiple osteolytic bone metastases from breast cancer were randomly allocated to treatment with disodium dichloromethylene diphosphonate (Cl2MDP) 1600 mg/day orally (17) or placebo (17) for 3-9 months. Fasting urinary hydroxyproline/creatinine and calcium/creatinine ratios declined in the Cl2MDP group but not in the placebo group. Four patients in the placebo group died from hypercalcaemia.