Review of nuclear pharmacy practice in hospitals.

An operational profile for nuclear pharmacy practice is presented, and the technical and professional role of nuclear pharmacists is reviewed. Key aspects of nuclear pharmacy practice in hospitals discussed are the basic facilities and equipment for the preparation, quality control, and distribution of radioactive drug products. Standards for receiving, storing, and processing radioactive material are described.

Double antibody immunoradiometric assay of hGH employing a terminal labeling technique.

A method is described, and validated for hGH, using a double antibody immunoradiometric assay and a universal antibody coupled to a chelating moiety that can be labeled as the terminal step in the assay procedure. This technique, usable for any antigen, precludes the need for radiolabeled specific antibodies, and because of the short-lived radionuclide used in the terminal labeling step, generates no radioactive waste. The assay itself uses a specific first antibody coupled to a solid support (paper disc) to which the antigen binds.

Synthesis of indium-labeled antibody-chelate conjugates for radioassays.

A method has been developed to achieve rapid and reproducible complexation of indium to transferrin at pH 7.4. The system consists of nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) as the intermediate carrier ligand, whose function is to allow the 113m In ion, in a solution in Tris buffer, pH 7.

Distribution pattern of metastatic bone disease. A need for total body skeletal image.

Distribution patterns of metastatic bone disease in 62 patients with soft-tissue cancers showed that 60% of bone lesions were located in the axial and 40% in the appendicular skeleton. Thirteen percent of the lesions were in appendicular regions not usually included in routine imaging studies. The majority of the metastatic skeletal lesions were clinically asymptomatic.

Scintigraphic demonstration of amebic liver abscesses with 131iodine labeled bromometronidazole.

This case report demonstrates an hepatic amebic abscess by scintigraphy, utilizing a new radiopharmaceutical designed specifically for that purpose. The abscess is delineated as a positive lesion after twenty four hours. The agent 131I-labeled bromometronidazole, may prove to be specific for the diagnosis of these abscesses.

Indium-111-labeled antibody heavy metal chelate conjugates: a potential alternative to radioiodination.

An alternative method to radioiodination is outlined for labeling antibodies with a radioactive marker. The method requires the conjugation of the antibody molecule to chelating agents that contain a free amino group and are capable of binding heavy metal ions. Glutaraldehyde is the coupling agent used to bridge the free amino groups on both the chelate and the antibody molecules.

Pharmaco-kinetics of current skeletal-seeking radiopharmaceuticals.

The blood clearance of all current bone-seeking radiopharmaceuticals is biexponential during the first four hours after injection. Exponent I represents bone uptake and its clearance half-time is less than 30 min. Exponent II represents mainly urinary excretion and its clearance half-time varies from 168 to 512 min.

Labeled metronidazoles as potential new agents for amebic hepatic abscess imaging.

Two new radiopharmaceuticals were developed as possible agents for demonstrating the presence of hepatic amebic abscesses by selective accumulation of these agents in the abscess contents. These agents are: 131I-labeled Bromometronidazole, that has been shown to possess some of the antibiotic activity of metronidazole or Flagyl; and a Technetium 99m-penicillamine-Flagyl complex. A method of radioiodination has been devised which can be performed in radiopharmaceutical laboratories.

Cholescintigraphy with 99mTc-penicillamine.

D-pencillamine labeled with 99mTc (Tc-Pen) was used for cholescintigraphy in dogs and man. Satisfactory images of the gallbladder were obtained using a scintillation camera fitted with a pinhole collimator. The results of cholescintigraphy and contrast cholecystography compared favorably.

Kinetics of 99mTc-labeled pyrophosphate and polyphosphate in man.

Thekinetic of 99mTc-labeled pyrophosphate were compared with those of polyphosphate in ten patients in a combined study. Both agents cleared from the blood in a biexpoential fashion. The clearance half-time of Exponent I was the same for both and was shorter than the clearance half-time of Exponent ii.