An investigation of asymmetric reduction in dopamine transporter density in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Asymmetric motor symptoms and the contralateral side of dopaminergic deficits are commonly observed in patients with Parkinson's disease. The laterality of the specific binding ratio (SBR) for dopamine transporter single-photon emission computed tomography may be useful for estimation of reduced dopamine transporter density in striatum of patients with Parkinson's disease. SBR with Southampton method (S-SBR) is widely used to evaluate in our country, but the results occasionally contradict with that of motor symptoms or visual evaluation in clinical practice, thus preventing a confident diagnosis.

CD3+ B-1a Cells as a Mediator of Disease Progression in Autoimmune-Prone Mice.

B-1a cells are distinguishable from conventional B cells, which are designated B-2 cells, on the basis of their developmental origin, surface marker expression, and functions. In addition to the unique expression of the CD5 antigen, B-1a cells are characterized by the expression level of CD23. Although B-1a cells are considered to be independent of T cells and produce natural autoantibodies that induce the clinical manifestations of autoimmune diseases, there is much debate on the role of B-1a cells in the development of autoimmune diseases.

Moderately T2-weighted images obtained with the single-shot fast spin-echo technique: differentiating between malignant and benign urinary obstructions.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether a distinction could be made between benign and malignant urinary obstructions in moderately T(2)-weighted images obtained with the single-shot fast spin-echo technique. Forty-four lesions in 39 patients with urinary obstruction were evaluated with the single-shot fast spin-echo (SSFSE) technique with an effective TE of 90-100 ms and without fat saturation. Benign and malignant lesions were compared for the presence of ureteral wall thickening and a signal intensity relative to the proximal ureteral wall.

Impaired cardiac sympathetic nerve function in patients with Kawasaki disease: comparison with myocardial perfusion.

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a leading cause of CAD in children. The impairment of cardiac sympathetic nerve function (CSNF) in the adult patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) could often be seen. However, little is known concerning the impairment of CSNF in KD patients.

Correct localization of epileptogenic focus with I-123 iomazenil cerebral benzodiazepine receptor imaging: a case report of temporal lobe epilepsy with discordant ictal cerebral blood flow SPECT.

A 26-year-old female with intractable epileptic seizures was studied with I-123 iomazenil cerebral benzodiazepine receptor, I-123 IMP inter-ictal and Tc-99m ECD ictal cerebral blood flow SPECT. The ictal cerebral blood flow SPECT indicated the location of the seizures to be in the left temporal lobe, where increased regional cerebral blood flow was noted in marked contrast to the inter-ictal SPECT. Ictal electroencephalograms (EEGs) recorded with scalp and sphenoidal electrodes also suggested the left temporal lobe as the location of the seizures.

[Imaging findings of pulmonary vascular disorders in portal hypertension].

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to demonstrate and compare the imaging findings of hepatopulmonary syndrome and portopulmonary hypertension.

Materials And Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the imaging findings of five patients with hepatopulmonary syndrome and four patients with portopulmonary hypertension. We evaluated chest radiographs, chest and abdominal computed tomography (CT) scans, 99mTc-macroaggregated albumin (MAA) lung perfusion scans, and pulmonary angiograms.

Optimization of the uptake method for estimating renal clearance of 99mTc mercaptoacetyltriglycine.

Objective: To improve the estimation of 99mTc mercaptoacetyltriglycine clearance in the renal uptake method by optimizing the conditions of renal depth, background, threshold for renal boundary determination, and time interval for integrating renal counts.

Methods: Dynamic renal imaging was performed in 232 patients with dual energy window acquisition (main, 140 +/- 14keV; sub, 122.5 3.

[Evaluation of ultra-low-dose thoracic multi-detector-row CT using different reconstruction kernels and new reconstruction algorithms].

CT has great advantages in detecting early-stage small lung cancer and is becoming common in lung cancer screening. Multi-detector-row CT (MDCT) can provide thin-slice images with low radiation exposure. In this study, ultra-low-dose (5 mAs: 10 mAs, 0.

Low-field-strength MR imaging of failed hip arthroplasty: association of femoral periprosthetic signal intensity with radiographic, surgical, and pathologic findings.

Purpose: To investigate the association between periprosthetic signal intensity at low-field-strength magnetic resonance (MR) imaging after failed hip arthroplasty and radiographic, surgical, and pathologic findings.

Materials And Methods: The study group comprised 22 consecutive women who underwent hip arthroplasty (mean age, 62 years; age range, 35-74 years). All patients underwent MR imaging prior to revision surgery.

Improved accuracy in estimation of left ventricular function parameters from QGS software with Tc-99m tetrofosmin gated-SPECT: a multivariate analysis.

Unlabelled: The purpose of this study was to verify whether the accuracy of left ventricular parameters related to left ventricular function from gated-SPECT improved or not, using multivariate analysis.

Methods: Ninety-six patients with cardiovascular diseases were studied. Gated-SPECT with the QGS software and left ventriculography (LVG) were performed to obtain left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), end-diastolic volume (EDV) and end-systolic volume (ESV).

Comparison of myocardial fatty acid metabolism with left ventricular function and perfusion in cardiomyopathies: by 123I-BMIPP SPECT and 99mTc-tetrofosmin electrocardiographically gated SPECT.

Objective: To investigate myocardial fatty acid metabolism and its relationship with left ventricular (LV) function and perfusion in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).

Methods: Thirty-nine patients with cardiomyopathies (58 +/- 14 y), comprising 15 DCM and 24 HCM, and 9 age-matched healthy controls were studied with 123I-15-(p-iodophenyl)-3-(R,S)-methylpentadecanoic acid (BMIPP) and 99mTc-tetrofosmin (TF) electrocardiographically gated SPECT. As parameters of myocardial fatty acid metabolism, the heart-to-mediastinum ratio (H/M) and global washout of BMIPP were calculated from early and delayed planar images, while regional BMIPP uptake and washout were calculated from SPECT.

Molecular analysis of congenital central hypoventilation syndrome.

Congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS or Ondine's curse; OMIM 209880) is a disorder characterized by an idiopathic failure of the automatic control of breathing. CCHS is frequently complicated with neurocristopathies such as Hirschsprung's disease (HSCR). The genes involved in the RET-GDNF signaling and/or EDN3-EDNRB signaling pathways have been analyzed as candidates for CCHS; however, only a few patients have mutations of the RET, EDN3, and GDNF genes.