Clinical evaluation of the effect of attenuation correction technique on 18F-fluoride PET images.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate effect of attenuation correction technique on 18F-fluoride positron emission tomography (PET).

Methods: We performed PET scans after the injection of 185 MBq 18F-fluoride on 32 patients from October 20th, 2004 to April 13th, 2005. We calculated bone-to-muscle ratios for the images with and without attenuation correction.

Investigating the functionality of diamond-like carbon films on an artificial heart diaphragm.

In this study, the authors used diamond-like carbon film to coat the ellipsoidal diaphragm (polyurethane elastomer) of artificial hearts. The purpose of such coatings is to prevent the penetration of hydraulic silicone oil and blood through the diaphragm. To attach diamond-like carbon film uniformly on the diaphragm, the authors developed a special electrode.