The role of tractography in the localisation of the Vim nucleus of the thalamus and the dentatorubrothalamic tract for the treatment of tremor.

INTRODUCTION: The ventralis intermedius (VIM) nucleus of the thalamus is the usual surgical target for tremor. However, locating the structure may be difficult as it is not visible with conventional imaging methods; therefore, surgical procedures typically use indirect calculations correlated with clinical and intraoperative neurophysiological findings. Current ablative surgical procedures such as Gamma-Knife thalamotomy and magnetic resonance-guided focused ultrasound require new alternatives for locating the VIM nucleus. In this review, we compare VIM nucleus location for the treatment of tremor using stereotactic procedures versus direct location by means of tractography. DISCUSSION: The most widely used cytoarchitectonic definition of the VIM nucleus is that established by Schaltenbrand and Wahren. There is a well-defined limit between the motor and the sensory thalamus; VIM neurons respond to passive joint movements and are synchronous with peripheral tremor. The most frequently used stereotactic coordinates for the VIM nucleus are based on indirect calculations referencing the mid-commissural line and third ventricle, which vary between patients. Recent studies suggest that the dentato-rubro-thalamic tract is an optimal target for controlling tremor, citing a clinical improvement; however, this has not yet been corroborated. CONCLUSIONS: Visualisation of the cerebello-rubro-thalamic pathway by tractography may help in locating the VIM nucleus. The technique has several limitations, and the method requires standardisation to obtain more precise results. The utility of direct targeting by tractography over indirect targeting for patients with tremor remains to be demonstrated in the long-term.

Intraoperative 3 tesla magnetic resonance imaging: our experience in tumors. / Resonancia magnética intraoperatoria de 3 teslas: Nuestra experiencia en patología tumoral.

OBJECTIVE: To report our experience in the use of 3 tesla intraoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in neurosurgical procedures for tumors, and to evaluate the criteria for increasing the extension of resection. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This retrospective study included all consecutive intraoperative MRI studies done for neuro-oncologic disease in the first 13 months after the implementation of the technique. We registered possible immediate complications, the presence of tumor remnants, and whether the results of the intraoperative MRI study changed the surgical management. We recorded the duration of surgery in all cases. RESULTS: The most common tumor was recurrent glioblastoma, followed by primary glioblastoma and metastases. Complete resection was achieved in 28%, and tumor remnants remained in 72%. Intraoperative MRI enabled neurosurgeons to improve the extent of the resection in 85% of cases. The mean duration of surgery was 390±122minutes. CONCLUSION: Intraoperative MRI using a strong magnetic field (3 teslas) is a valid new technique that enables precise study of the tumor resection to determine whether the resection can be extended without damaging eloquent zones. Although the use of MRI increases the duration of surgery, the time required decreases as the team becomes more familiar with the technique.

Megacolon tóxico en una paciente con colitis seudomembranosa / Toxic megacolon in a patient with colitis pseudomembranous

La colitis seudomembranosa es una patología relacionada con el uso de antibióticos. En raras ocasiones, evoluciona a megacolon tóxico que podría requerir resolución quirúrgica. Comunicamos el caso de una mujer de 22 años, que recibió amoxicilina/ácido clavulánico unos días antes de la consulta. Presentó diarrea, fiebre y vómitos. Radiografía y tomografía computarizada de abdomen: distensión de colon derecho >6 cm. Toxina para Clostridium: positiva. Comienza con el tratamiento médico y requiere cirugía por megacolon tóxico. El megacolon tóxico es una complicación infrecuente de la colitis seudomembranosa. Es rara en pacientes jóvenes y sin comorbilidades. Se llega al diagnóstico mediante los criterios de Jalan. La tasa de mortalidad se aproxima al 70%. Se debe mantener alto nivel de alerta ante signos de toxicidad sistémica y la dilatación colónica es diagnóstica de la entidad. El uso indiscriminado de antibióticos constituye un serio factor de riesgo.(AU)

Pseudomembranous colitis is a condition associated with the use of antibiotics. On rare occasions, it evolves to toxic megacolon which may require surgical resolution. We report the case of a 22-year-old woman who received amoxicillin/clavulanic acid a few days before the consultation. She referred diarrhea, fever and vomiting. Radiography and computed tomography of abdomen: distension of the right colon >6 cm. Clostridium toxin: positive. Medical treatment is administered and surgery is needed for toxic megacolon. Toxic megacolon is an infrequent complication of pseudomembranous colitis. It is rare in young patients without comorbidities. The diagnosis is reached using the Jalan criteria. The mortality rate approaches 70%. A high level of alertness should be maintained for signs of systemic toxicity and colonic dilation is diagnostic of the entity. Indiscriminate use of antibiotics is a serious risk factor.(AU)

Estudio epidemiológico descriptivo de pacientes hospitalizados en el Servicio de ORL del Hospital Clínico de la Universidad de Chile entre los años 2007 y 2014 / Descriptive epidemiological study of patients hospitalized in the ENT Department of the Hospital Clínico de la Universidad de Chile between the years 2007 and 2014

Introducción: Las enfermedades de origen otorrinolaringológico (ORL) tienen una elevada prevalencia en atención primaria de salud, sin embargo, la información epidemiológica en pacientes hospitalizados es bastante escasa. Objetivo: Obtener características demográficas y prevalencia de enfermedades en los pacientes hospitalizados del Servicio de ORL del Hospital Clínico de la Universidad de Chile (HCUCh). Material y método: Estudio de tipo descriptivo y retrospectivo, llevado a cabo en el Servicio de ORL del HCUCh, donde se revisaron los registros electrónicos, existentes de grupos relacionados a diagnóstico (GRD) de egresos, entre los años 2007 y 2014. Resultados: Se incluyeron 7.353 egresos, con un promedio de edad de los pacientes de 28,24 años. La causa de hospitalización más frecuente fue la patología de faringe. Del total de los egresos 87,88% presentaron una intervención quirúrgica donde la amigdalectomía con adenoidectomía alcanzó el 15,7% de las cirugías realizadas. Conclusión: Este estudio nos entrega información epidemiológica sobre los pacientes hospitalizados en un servicio de ORL de un hospital de referencia a nivel nacional.

Introduction: Diseases ofotolaryngology (ENT) origin have a high prevalence in primary health care, however, the epidemiological information on hospitalized patients is almost null. Aim: To obtain demographic and disease prevalence information in hospitalized patients of the ENT Department at the Hospital Clínico de la Universidad de Chile (HCUCh). Material and method: A descriptive and retrospective study, was carried out at the ENT department of the HCUCh, reviewing existing records of diagnostic related groups (GRD) for discharges between 2007 and 2014. Results: We review a total of 7353 discharges, with an average age of patients of 28.24 years. The most frequent cause of hospitalization was pharynx pathology. An 87.88% of discharges had surgery performed, where tonsillectomy with adenoidectomy reached 15,7% of the total. Conclusion: This study provides us with epidemiological information on patients hospitalized in an ENT department in a nationwide referral hospital.

Cáncer de cabeza y cuello asociado al virus papiloma humano: revisión de la literatura / Head and neck cancer associated with human papilloma virus: literature review

Oral cavity and oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma is the sixth most common cancer worldwide and human papillomavirus (VPH) is proposed as an etiologic risk factor. In our country there is no prevalence studies of this virus either in oral or oropharyngeal mucosa. This data would be useful at the moment of evaluating the risk in general population of developing head and neck cancer VPH related and also the impact that it could have the proved effective vaccines against VPH...

Localización del electrodo de marcapasos definitivo en el tracto de salida del ventrículo derecho mediante tomografía axial computarizada / Determinating the location of the permanent pacemaker lead in the right ventricle outflow tract by computed tomography

Introducción: Precisar la ubicación del electrodo de marcapasos en el tracto de salida del ventrículo derecho (TSVD) es difícil mediante las técnicas convencionales (fluoroscopia y electrocardiografía). La tomografía permite determinar de forma tridimensional la relación del electrodo en el TSVD. Objetivo: Determinar la localización del electrodo de marcapasos mediante la tomografía axial computarizada y comparar los resultados con la localización electrocardiográfica y fluoroscópica. Material y métodos: Se incluyeron 36 pacientes portadores de marcapasos definitivo VVI con el electrodo localizado en el TSVD, a quienes se les tomó un electrocardiograma de 12 derivaciones, proyecciones fluoroscópicas convencionales y tomografía multicorte para determinar la posición del electrodo en el TSVD. Resultados: Mediante el electrocardiograma se localizó el electrodo septal en 58.3% y en pared libre en 41.7%. Por fluoroscopia en oblicua anterior izquierda (OAI) a 35° se localizó el electrodo en pared anterior 5.6%, en pared libre en 38.9% y septal en 55.6%; en OAI a 45° en pared anterior en 2.8%, en pared libre 44.4% y septal en 52.8%. Mediante tomografía se documentó la posición anterior del electrodo en 39%, pared libre en 48% y septal en 13%. El coeficiente Kappa de las 3 pruebas mostró una concordancia muy baja. Conclusión: La tomografía es un mejor método para determinar la posición del electrodo en TSVD comparado contra la fluoroscopia y el electrocardiograma.

Introduction: Determination of the location of the lead of the permanent pacemaker in the right ventricle outflow tract (RVOT) it's difficult with the conventional techniques (fluoroscopic images and electrocardiography). The computed tomography (CT) allows to determinate in three dimensions the relation between the lead and the RVOT. Objective: Determine the location of the electrode lead by computed tomography and compare the results with electrocardiographic and fluoroscopy images localization. Material and methods: 36 patients were included with VVI permanent pacemaker with the lead in the RVOT. A 12-lead electrocardiogram, fluoroscopy images and CT were performed to determine the position of the lead in the RVOT. Results: By electrocardiogram, we located the lead in septal wall 58.3% and free wall 41.7%. By fluoroscopy images in left anterior oblique (LAO) 35° the lead was located on the anterior wall 5.6%, free wall 38.9% and septal 55.6%; in LAO 45° anterior wall 2.8%, free wall 44.4% and septal 52.8%. By Tomography the lead was positioned on anterior wall in 39%, free wall 48% and septal 13%. The Kappa coefficient of the 3 tests showed very low concordance. Conclusion: CT is a better method for determining the position of the lead on the RVOT compared to fluoroscopy images an electrocardiogram.

[Prognostic factors and functional imaging in rectal cancer]. / Factores pronósticos e imagen funcional del cáncer de recto.

The outcome of treatment for rectal cancer in recent years has been improved by diverse advances in the field of surgery and in neoadjuvant oncologic therapies. Heald's introduction of the concept of the mesorectum as an anatomical unit (total mesorectal excision) in 1982 and the generalization of preoperative radiochemotherapy have improved the prognosis in a significant number of patients. Owing to these advances, it has become necessary for imaging studies to define a series of prognostic factors for tumors, both before and after neoadjuvant treatment, to make it possible to tailor treatment for individual patients with rectal tumors. On the other hand, the advent of functional and molecular imaging techniques has provided a way to study a series of distinctive tumor characteristics in vivo, including the angiogenesis, metabolism, or cellularity of rectal tumors, and these techniques are making a growing contribution to the prognosis, staging, treatment planning, and evaluation of the response to therapy in patients with rectal cancer.

[Neuroimaging in brain tumors]. / Neuroimagen de los tumores cerebrales.

Advances in neuroimaging have modified diagnosis, treatment and clinical management of brain tumors. However, neuropathological study remains necessary in order to get the best clinical management. Surgery and radiotherapy planning are imaging-dependent procedures, and MRI is the standard imaging modality for determining precisely tumor location and its anatomical relationship with surrounding brain structures. In high-grade tumors it has been accepted that tumoral areas with contrast uptake in CT, or T1-weighted MRI contrast enhancement corresponds to solid tumor. However, relationship between MRI and invasive tumor areas remains less defined. Therefore, it is generally accepted that conventional MRI is not sufficient to delineate the real extension of brain tumors. In recent years, PET using 18FDG and amino acid radiotracers ((11)C-Methionine, (18)FDOPA, (18)FET) and SPECT with (201-)Thallium, as well as advanced MRI sequences (Perfusion, Diffusion-weighted, Diffusion tensor imaging and tractography), and functional MRI, have added important complementary information in the characterization, therapy planning and recurrence differential diagnosis of brain tumors. In this continuing education review of neuroimaging in brain tumors, technical aspects and clinical applications of different imaging modalities are approached in a multidisciplinary way.

[Hyperintensity on T2 MRI and size as predictors of obliteration in radiosurgically treated arteriovenous malformations]. / Hiperintensidad en secuencias T2 y tamaño como factores pronósticos de obliteración en malformaciones arteriovenosas tratadas mediante radiocirugía.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to determine which factors were statistically related to radiological and clinical outcomes following radiosurgical treatment of arteriovenous malformations (AVMs). METHODS: The data of 59 patients receiving radiosurgical treatment at our department were retrospectivelly reviewed. Different clinical and biological data, including Spetzler-Martin grade, the presentation of symptoms, radiation dose, number of isocenters and both radiological and clinical outcome, were subjected to multivariate analysis. RESULTS: AVM obliteration was achieved in 77% of patients, the majority of them occurring between 3-5 years after treatment. Ten patients (17%) showed either acute or delayed complications. Only one patient died due tor hemorrhage during the follow-up after radiosurgery. A multivariate analysis showed that, hyperintensity on T2 MRI and a nidus smaller than 3 cm were the only factors statistically related to oclusion of the AVM (p=0.03 and p=0.05, respectively). CONCLUSION: The nidus size and the development of hyperintensity on T2 MRI after the treatment were the strongest predictive factors of obliteration in our series of AVMs radiosurgically treated. Moreover, given that many AVMs showed complete obliteration between 3-5 years after treatment, we recommend to wait untill 5 years after treatment before considering a new terapeuthic approach in patients showing small residual nidus at control imaging.

Tolerability of gemcitabine and carboplatin doublet therapy in cats with carcinomas.

BACKGROUND: This study was performed to determine the toxicity of gemcitabine-carboplatin doublet therapy in cats with carcinomas. HYPOTHESIS: Gemcitabine and carboplatin are safe in tumor-bearing cats. ANIMALS: Twenty cats with spontaneously occurring carcinomas. METHODS: A cohort of 6 cats received gemcitabine (2 mg/kg IV) on days 1, 8, and 15 and carboplatin (10 mg/kg IV) immediately after gemcitabine on day 1 of a 21-day cycle. A 2nd cohort of 14 cats received carboplatin 4 hours after gemcitabine on day 1 and gemcitabine on day 8 but not day 15. The cycles were repeated every 21 days. RESULTS: Cats in the 1st cohort received a median of 3.75 cycles per animal (range, 1-6). Two cats (33.3%) developed grade 3 or 4 neutropenia, 1 (16.7%) grade 4 thrombocytopenia, and 1 (16.7%) grade 3 gastrointestinal toxicity. Gemcitabine dose reductions and treatment delays occurred in 1 and 4 cats, respectively. Cats in the 2nd cohort received a median of 2 cycles per animal (range, 0.5-10). Two cats (14.3%) had grade 3 or 4 neutropenia and 1 (7.1%) had grade 3 and 4 gastrointestinal toxicity. One cat required gemcitabine dose reduction and 6 had treatment delays. In the 2nd cohort, of 11 cats with measurable tumors, there was 1 complete response (pancreatic carcinoma) and 1 partial response (squamous cell carcinoma, receiving concurrent nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: Gemcitabine-carboplatin combination appears moderately well tolerated in tumor-bearing cats. Minimal patient benefit suggests that alternative schedules or combinations of gemcitabine with other agents should be explored.

Combined gemcitabine and carboplatin therapy for carcinomas in dogs.

BACKGROUND: Response and adverse reactions to combined gemcitabine (GEM) and carboplatin (CARBO) therapy in dogs with carcinomas are not documented. HYPOTHESIS: GEM and CARBO are safe for the treatment of dogs with carcinomas. ANIMALS: Thirty-seven dogs with histologically or cytologically confirmed carcinomas. METHODS: Prospective clinical trial. Dogs were treated with GEM (2 mg/kg, 20-30-minute infusion IV) on Days 1 and 8 and 4 hours later, CARBO (10 mg/kg IV) on Day 1. The cycle was repeated on Day 22. RESULTS: Thirty-seven dogs (29 with measurable tumor) received a median of 2 cycles (range 0.5-6) for a total of 101 cycles administered. Twelve dogs (32%) developed neutropenia (3 Grade 3, and 5 Grade 4) and 9 (24%) thrombocytopenia (2 Grade 3, and 1 Grade 4). Dogs >20 kg were twice as likely to develop thrombocytopenia (P= .023). Twenty-seven dogs (73%) had evidence of gastrointestinal (GI) toxicosis, but most signs were of mild to moderate severity and self-limiting. One dog died of treatment-related complications. Overall tumor response rate was 13%. One dog with metastatic prostatic carcinoma achieved a complete remission and 1 dog with intestinal adenocarcinoma and 1 with tonsillar squamous cell carcinoma achieved partial remission. Twelve dogs achieved stable disease for a median of 72 days. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: GEM and CARBO combination causes mild to moderate hematologic and GI toxicosis in dogs with carcinoma. Response rate in this study was modest, and optimization of dosing of this combination is required.

[Relevance of septal hypokinesia as a finding in myocardial perfusion gated-SPECT]. / Relevancia de la hipocinesia septal como hallazgo en la gated-SPECT de perfusión miocárdica.

OBJECTIVE: To identify septal hypokinesia (SH) with signs of right ventricular (RV) overload. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Prospective study of consecutive patients divided into cases with SH (n = 39) and controls without SH (n = 27). Subjects with septal perfusion defects and alterations in conduction were excluded. Images were obtained after injection of 20 mCi (740 MBq) of technetium tracer. The perfusion and septal mobility, RV and left ventricle values were quantified and other clinical parameters were obtained. Multivariate non-parametric tests and Pearson's correlation tests were applied. RESULTS: RV perfusion was higher in the case group (31.7 % vs 27.5 %, p = 0.012). 35.9 % of cases had undergone cardiac surgery (CS) in the past. A higher number of subjects with valve diseases (VD) was found in the case group (23.1 % vs 3.7 %, p = 0.031); the same occurred with smoking (46.2 % in cases vs. 11.1 % in controls, p = 0.05). Correlation was obtained between septal mobility and RV perfusion (-0.374, p = 0.015 bilateral), and between mobility of the septum and the RV (0.299, p = 0.015 unilateral). DISCUSSION: This test has been scarcely applied in RV pathology; this entity has great repercussion on the prognosis of patients with heart failure. These findings may clarify certain aspects of its physiopathology. CONCLUSIONS: According to our study, SH is associated with the degree of RV perfusion and mobility, as well as the presence of history of CS, VD and smoking.

[Efficiency of bortezomib and dexamethasone in relapsed multiple myeloma treatment: retrospective study in consecutive cases]. / Efectividad de bortezomib y dexametasona en el tratamiento de mieloma múltiple refractario: estudio retrospectivo de una serie de casos consecutivos.

INTRODUCTION: Multiple myeloma (MM) is a plasm-cell neoplasm, that is characterized by a monoclonal protein in the serum or urine. Bortezomib is an efficacy drug for the second line treatment of MM. PATIENTS AND METHOD: We conducted a retrospective study of 21 consecutive cases with refractory MM treated with bortezomib and dexamethasone as second line therapy, with the objective of analyzing the overall response rate (primary end point), the progression-free survival (PFS), the overall survival (OS), the duration of response (DR) and toxicity profile (second end points). RESULTS: In our study we found an overall response rate of 70%. With a median follow-up of 15 months, we had a median PFS of 12 months (95% CI: 2-21 months), with a median OS of 17 months (95% CI: 2-32 months), and a median DR of 9 months (95% CI: 5-13 months). Fourty-seven percent of patients had neuropathy, the 33% thrombocytopenia, 13.33% anemia and 26.66% diarrhea. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of bortezomib and dexamethasone is an effective and safe treatment in second line of refractory MM, with a manageable toxicity.

[Adenocarcinoma of the endolymphatic sac in von Hippel-Lindau disease. A case report]. / Adenocarcinoma del saco endolinfático en la enfermedad de von Hippel-Lindau. A propósito de un caso.

Tumors originating in the endolymphatic system are extremely rare, and very few articles have been published about this type of tumors. Up to 15% of cases are associated to von Hippel-Lindau disease. This article describes the case of a patient previously diagnosed with von Hippel-Landau disease that presented a sudden loss of hearing in the left ear. Specific imaging tests (computed tomography [CT] and magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]) showed the presence of a neoplasm originating in the left endolymphatic sac. Histological analysis of the surgical specimen determined it corresponded to an adenocarcinoma of the endolymphatic sac.

Disseminated classic Kaposi's sarcoma.

Kaposi's sarcoma (KS) is characterised by proliferation of vascular endothelial and lymphoreticular cells, frequently with a multicentric expression developed from a single node and evolving to multiple cutaneous lumps or plaque-like appearance. Four types of KS with similar histological patterns have been described in terms of their clinical and epidemiological features: classic KS, endemic (African) KS, iatrogenic KS and epidemic (AIDS-related) KS. The differences in clinical features are quite relevant: classic KS is usually limited to the lower extremities; whereas immunodeficiency-related diseases frequently involve several organs. A case of a 67-year-old woman with metastatic KS and unproven immunodeficiency is presented.

[Meta-analysis of the diagnostic performance of 18F-FDG PET in renal cell carcinoma]. / Meta-análisis sobre el rendimiento diagnóstico de la tomografía por emisión de positrones con 18F-FDG en el carcinoma de células renales.

AIM: Renal cell carcinoma is the most frequent solid kidney tumor. At present, PET is not the imaging test of choice, the helical CT being the best method to assess these patients. The aim of the study was to perform a meta-analysis of the literature to evaluate the performance and accuracy of 18F-FDG PET in the detection of primary disease, recurrence and metastasis of renal cell carcinoma. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic search was done of the available literature in primary and secondary databases published until October 2004 indexed in MEDLINE and CANCERLIT. Exclusion/inclusion criteria were applied. Their quality was evaluated using the Flynn criteria and joint estimators of sensitivity (S), specificity (Sp), likelihood ratios (LR), diagnostic odds ratio (DOR) and summary ROC (SROC) curve were obtained. The presence of the threshold effect was evaluated and the summary ROC (SROC) curve was calculated. RESULTS: Seven out of 46 studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. Three studies evaluated the use of 18F-FDG PET in the differential diagnosis of renal masses. Two studies analyzed restaging and two analyzed the role of 18F-FDG PET in the detection of metastatic disease. All the selected studies were classified according to Flynn's criteria. We found the highest S in restaging with S 0.87 (95 % CI, 0.75-0.95) and in metastases detection with S 0.72 (95 % CI, 0.56-0.85) as well as the high Sp in differential diagnosis of renal masses. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this meta-analysis suggest that 18F-FDG PET can be useful in restaging and detection of metastatic disease, based on its acceptable S and Sp. However, the performance of 18F-FDG PET in the detection of primary disease is limited, but this may improve with the new PET/CT systems.

[Primary effusion lymphoma]. / Linfoma primario de cavidades.

Primary effusion lymphoma is a rare high-grade B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma associated with human herpesvirus 8 (HHV-8) infection, and is mostly observed in the course of HIV infection (AIDS). The prognosis is poor, with reported median survival time shorter than 6 months. We present a case of a 65-year-old man, with prior unknown origin chronic hepatopathy, chronic hemolytic anaemia, and ascites. Biopsy of peritoneum showed a primary effusion lymphoma. The patient died two months later.

Patterns and variability in electrophoretic polypeptide profiles of human saliva in a healthy population.

Electrophoretic polypeptide profiles of normal human saliva differ markedly between different reports. Since both methodological variations and polymorphism may explain these differences, in this study we aimed to establish whether or not the salivary electrophoretic polypeptide profiles of subjects from a healthy population share discrete molecular features. To this end, parotid, submandibular/sublingual and whole salivas were collected separately from each of 40 young and 34 elderly clinically healthy adults and processed for SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Coomassie blue staining. Each type of glandular saliva displayed a different group of invariant (i.e. present in every subject) electrophoretic polypeptide bands while whole saliva showed a profile that reflected mostly the combined contribution of the major salivary glands. Some minor variant (i.e. absent in some subjects) bands were identified in each type of saliva. Regarding those interindividual variations, no age- or sex-dependence was appreciated. Altogether, these results demonstrate the occurrence of distinctive electrophoretic polypeptide patterns, in addition to some minor variations, for each type of normal saliva, thus providing a background for further populational studies on salivary polypeptide profiles.

Radiation doses in the surroundings of patients undergoing nuclear medicine diagnostic studies.

Dose rate measurements were performed at 0, 0.5, and 1 m from the external surface of 79 patients corresponding to the most frequent studies: 99mTc-cardiac with reinjection, 99mTc-cardiac single injection, 99mTc-bone scan, 99mTc-lung studies, and cardiac studies using 201Tl. Doses to staff, nearby patients, and the collective effective doses were estimated for the different working shifts and hospital areas. The estimated dose for nurses for 1 y was 518 microSv in the cardiology section and 338 microSv in the short stay section. For patients, the mean dose per stay was calculated to be 8.5 microSv in the cardiology section. The maximum dose that a patient could receive from a radioactive patient is 499 microSv for a double injection cardiac patient study. The maximum collective effective dose for the whole hospital was calculated to be 0.063 person-Sv. The probability of staff receiving doses higher than the limits for a working day is negligible. Maximum doses for staff and patients are far below dose limits for the public and therefore no additional radiological protection is needed.