Patient and tumor characteristics predictive of an elevated hepatopulmonary shunt fraction before radioembolization of hepatic tumors.

Objective: To determine whether any patient or hepatic tumor characteristics are predictive of hepatopulmonary shunt fraction when performed before radioembolization.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective review was performed on 190 patients who underwent preradioembolization hepatic arteriography with calculation of hepatopulmonary shunt fraction using technetium-99m-labeled macroaggregated albumin perfusion scintigraphy. Patient and tumor characteristics including imaging features were reviewed for correlation with absolute shunt fraction, shunt fraction greater than 10%, and shunt fraction greater than 20%.

Incidental Thyroid Nodules at Non-FDG PET Nuclear Medicine Imaging: Evaluation of Prevalence and Malignancy Rate.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of thyroid nodules detected incidentally on non-FDG PET nuclear medicine imaging studies, the malignancy rate, and predictors of malignancy.

Materials And Methods: A retrospective review of more than 10 years of patient records at an academic medical center identified the cases of 31 patients with incidental focal radiotracer-avid thyroid findings on non-FDG PET nuclear medicine studies who underwent biopsy or surgical excision. Statistical analysis of patient and imaging features was performed to identify features predictive of malignancy.

Efficient self-assembly of Archaeoglobus fulgidus ferritin around metallic cores.

Interfacing biological systems with inorganic nanoparticles is of great interest, as it offers means of particle stabilization and spatial control in electronic or biomedical applications. We report on the particle-directed assembly of hyperthermophile Archaeoglobus fulgidus ferritin subunits around negatively charged colloidal gold. An annealing process allows rapid assembly of the protein in near-native stoichiometry.

Structure and activity of apoferritin-stabilized gold nanoparticles.

A simple method for synthesizing gold nanoparticles stabilized by horse spleen apoferritin (HSAF) is reported using NaBH(4) or 3-(N-morpholino)propanesulfonic acid (MOPS) as the reducing agent. AuCl(4)(-) reduction by NaBH(4) was complete within a few seconds, whereas reduction by MOPS was much slower; in all cases, protein was required during reduction to keep the gold particles in aqueous solution. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) showed that the gold nanoparticles were associated with the outer surface of the protein.