Temple or Prison: Religious Beliefs and Attitudes Toward the Body.

Most research on religion and the body has focused on the relationship between broad dimensions of religion, such as religious commitment or religious orientation, and body image or eating behaviors. The present study extends existing research by examining two specific religiously influenced beliefs about the body within a Protestant Christian sample, radical dualism and sanctification, and by focusing on a wider range of attitudes toward the body. The view of radical dualism sees the body as corrupt and separate from oneself, while the view of sanctification sees the body as holy, worthy of respect, and integral to one's being. This study examined how both radically dualistic and sanctified views of the body relate to attitudes people hold about their bodies including body appreciation and two components of body objectification: self-surveillance and body shame. To date, none of these attitudes have been examined in relation to specific, nuanced religious beliefs about the body. Participants were 243 adults from a variety of Protestant denominations. Using an online survey system and self-report measures, participants indicated the degree to which they hold radically dualistic and sanctified views about their bodies as well as their attitudes toward their bodies. Radical dualism was found to be negatively related to body appreciation and positively related to body shame. Sanctification was found to predict body appreciation. Body shame mediated the relationship between religious beliefs about the body and self-surveillance. This study contributes to a greater understanding of how religiously based beliefs about the body are related to attitudes about the body.

Regional particle size dependent deposition of inhaled aerosols in rats and mice.

CONTEXT: The current data analysis tools in nuclear medicine have not been used to evaluate intra organ regional deposition patterns of pharmaceutical aerosols in preclinical species. OBJECTIVE: This study evaluates aerosol deposition patterns as a function of particle size in rats and mice using novel image analysis techniques. MATERIALS AND METHOD: Mice and rats were exposed to radiolabeled polydisperse aerosols at 0.5, 1.0, 3.0, and 5.0 µm MMAD followed by SPECT/CT imaging for deposition analysis. Images were quantified for both macro deposition patterns and regional deposition analysis using the LRRI-developed Onion Model. RESULTS: The deposition fraction in both rats and mice was shown to increase as the particle size decreased, with greater lung deposition in rats at all particle sizes. The Onion Model indicated that the smaller particle sizes resulted in increased peripheral deposition. DISCUSSION: These data contrast the commonly used 10% deposition fraction for all aerosols between 1.0 and 5.0 µm and indicate that lung deposition fraction in this range does change with particle size. When compared to historical data, the 1.0, 3.0, and 5.0 µm particles result in similar lung deposition fractions; however, the 0.5 µm lung deposition fraction is markedly different. This is probably caused by the current aerosols that were polydisperse to reflect current pharmaceutical aerosols, while the historical data were generated with monodisperse aerosols. CONCLUSION: The deposition patterns of aerosols between 0.5 and 5.0 µm showed an increase in both overall and peripheral deposition as the particle size decreased. The Onion Model allows a more complex analysis of regional deposition in preclinical models.

A performance evaluation of 90Y dose-calibrator measurements in nuclear pharmacies and clinics in the United States.

A blind performance test was conducted to evaluate dose-calibrator measurements at nuclear pharmacies in the United States (US). Two test-sample geometries were chosen to represent those used for measurements of 90Y-ibritumomab tiuxetan (ZEVALIN). The radioactivity concentration of test-samples was verified by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology. Forty-five results were reported by 10 participants. Eighty percent of reported values were within the US Pharmacopoeia content standard (+/-10%) for 90Y-ZEVALIN. All results were within US Nuclear Regulatory Commission conformance limits (+/-20%) for defining therapeutic misadministrations.

Somatostatin-receptor-targeted alpha-emitting 213Bi is therapeutically more effective than beta(-)-emitting 177Lu in human pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells.

INTRODUCTION: Advance clinical cancer therapy studies of patients treated with somatostatin receptor (sstr)-targeted [DOTA(0)-Tyr(3)]octreotide (DOTATOC) labeled with low-linear-energy-transfer (LET) beta(-)-emitters have shown overall response rates in the range of 15-33%. In order to improve outcomes, we sought to compare the therapeutic effectiveness of sstr-targeted high-LET alpha-emitting (213)Bi to that of low-LET beta(-)-emitting (177)Lu by determining relative biological effectiveness (RBE) using the external gamma-beam of (137)Cs as reference radiation. METHODS: Sstr-expressing human pancreatic adenocarcinoma Capan-2 cells and A549 control cells were used for this study. The effects of different radiation doses of (213)Bi and (177)Lu labeled to 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid and sstr-targeted DOTATOC were investigated with a clonogenic cell survival assay. Apoptosis was measured using the Cell Death Detection ELISA(PLUS) 10x kit. RESULTS: Using equimolar DOTATOC treatment with concurrent irradiation with a (137)Cs source as reference radiation, the calculated RBE of [(213)Bi]DOTATOC was 3.4, as compared to 1.0 for [(177)Lu]DOTATOC. As measured in terms of absorbance units, [(213)Bi]DOTATOC caused a 2.3-fold-greater release of apoptosis-specific mononucleosomes and oligonucleosomes than [(177)Lu]DOTATOC at the final treatment time of 96 h (P<.001) in sstr-expressing Capan-2 cells. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, at the same absorbed dose, [(213)Bi]DOTATOC is therapeutically more effective in decreasing survival than is [(177)Lu]DOTATOC in human pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells due to its comparatively higher RBE.

213Bi-[DOTA0, Tyr3]octreotide peptide receptor radionuclide therapy of pancreatic tumors in a preclinical animal model.

PURPOSE: The somatostatin analogue [DOTA0, Tyr3]octreotide (DOTATOC) has previously been labeled with low linear energy transfer (LET) beta-emitters, such as 177Lu or 90Y, for tumor therapy. In this study, DOTATOC labeled with the high-LET alpha-emitter, 213Bi, was evaluated. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: The radiolabeling, stability, biodistribution, toxicity, safety, and therapeutic efficacy of 213Bi-DOTATOC (specific activity 7.4 MBq/microg) were investigated. Biodistribution studies to determine somatostatin receptor specificity were done in Lewis rats at 1 and 3 hours postinjection. Histopathology of various organs was used to evaluated toxicity and safety. Therapeutic efficacy of 4 to 22 MBq 213Bi-DOTATOC was determined in a rat pancreatic carcinoma model. RESULTS: Radiolabeling of the 213Bi-DOTATOC was achieved with radiochemical purity >95% and an incorporation yield > or = 99.9%. Biodistribution data showed specific binding to somatostatin receptor-expressing tissues. Administration of free 213Bi, compared with 213Bi-DOTATOC, resulted in higher radioactivity accumulation at 3 hours postinjection in the kidneys [34.47 +/- 1.40% injected dose/g (ID/g) tissue versus 11.15 +/- 0.46%, P < 0.0001] and bone marrow (0.31 +/- 0.01% ID/g versus 0.06 +/- 0.02%, P < 0.0324). A significant decrease in tumor growth rate was observed in rats treated with >11 MBq of 213Bi-DOTATOC 10 days postinjection compared with controls (P < 0.025). Treatment with >20 MBq of 213Bi-DOTATOC showed significantly greater tumor reduction when compared with animals receiving <11 MBq (P < 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: 213Bi-DOTATOC showed dose-related antitumor effects with minimal treatment-related organ toxicity. No acute or chronic hematologic toxicities were observed. Mild, acute nephrotoxicity was observed without evidence of chronic toxicity. 213Bi-DOTATOC is a promising therapeutic radiopharmaceutical for further evaluation.

Characterization of a radiolabeled small molecule targeting leukocyte function-associated antigen-1 expression in lymphoma and leukemia.

OBJECTIVE: Leukocyte function-associated antigen-1 (LFA-1) is constitutively expressed on leukocytes, including overexpression on lymphomas and leukemias. We have developed a derivative of BIRT 377, an allosteric inhibitor of LFA-1, which may be chemically tagged without affecting binding. In this study, we modified this derivative, (R)-1-(4-aminobutyl)-5-(4-bromobenzyl)-3-(3,5-dichlorophenyl)-5-methylimidazolidine- 2,4-dione (butylamino-NorBIRT), and demonstrated its potential as a noninvasive imaging agent. METHODS: Specific binding of fluorescein-labeled butylamino-NorBIRT to both human and murine cells was demonstrated using equilibrium binding and dissociation techniques. A radiometal, lutetium-177 (Lu-177), was incorporated into the butylamino-NorBIRT through 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-N,N',N",N'''- tetraacetic acid (DOTA) as a chelator. RESULTS: Equilibrium-binding experiments demonstrated that fluorescein- labeled butylamino-NorBIRT specifically binds human and murine LFA-1 with affinity constants of 135 and 186 nM, respectively. Dissociation kinetic experiments demonstrated an off-rate of 0.168/second(1) on murine cells, consistent with the observed affinity constant. Lutetium-177 was used for labeling, with > or =99.99% radiochemical purity and incorporation yield. This radiolabeled derivative exhibited high stability in fetal bovine serum (FBS) at 37 degrees C over 72 hours. (177)Lu-DOTA-butylamino-NorBIRT showed a binding affinity of 235 nM to human LFA-1 for equilibrium binding and competitive binding experiments. CONCLUSIONS: The radiolabeled DOTA-butylamino-NorBIRT may have potential as a noninvasive imaging or therapeutic agent in both human and mouse models.

The effect of selected preparation variables on the radiochemical purity of 99mTc-sestamibi.

OBJECTIVE: Measurement of cardiac perfusion via agents such as 99mTc-sestamibi (Cardiolite; DuPont-Merck Pharmaceutical Co., Inc.) is widely used in clinical nuclear medicine for the diagnosis of coronary artery disease. The monograph for 99mTc-sestamibi recommends at least 90% radiochemical purity (RCP) for clinical use. Various factors may influence the RCP of certain reagent kits. Some of these include the amount of activity added to the reagent kit, the generator ingrowth time, the generator manufacturer, the age of the eluate, and the age of the formulated kit. A D-optimal design with a 20-experiment run was devised to study the effects of these variables either alone or in combination on the RCP of 99mTc-sestamibi. METHODS: The RCP was assessed by Baker-Flex thin-layer and high-performance liquid chromatographic methods, immediately and 6 h after reconstitution of the 99mTc-sestamibi. RESULTS: The results showed that 4 of the 5 variables studied were statistically significant predictors of the RCP. The age of the formulated kit did not influence the RCP. CONCLUSION: For any combination of these 4 variables, the mean RCP remained greater than or equal to 90%, that is, within the recommended range of RCP for clinical use at radioactivity levels ranging from 5,550 MBq to 37,000 MBq.