ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: In this study, 68Ga-PDTMP was introduced as a novel agent for PET bone scanning. METHODS: 68Ga-PDTMP was prepared with radiochemical purity of higher than 98% at the optimized conditions. RESULTS: Stability tests showed no decrease in radiochemical purity, even after 120 min. The capacity binding of 76.3% ± 0.7% after 10 min incubation for 68Ga-PDTMP was observed. CONCLUSION: Biological studies in normal mice demonstrated that most of the remained activity is transmitted from blood into bones. The results show that 68Ga-PDTMP can be considered as a potential radiolabelled complex for PET bone scanning.
Subject(s)
Bone and Bones/diagnostic imaging , Diphosphonates/administration & dosage , Diphosphonates/chemistry , Gallium Radioisotopes/administration & dosage , Gallium Radioisotopes/chemistry , Positron-Emission Tomography/methods , Radiopharmaceuticals/administration & dosage , Radiopharmaceuticals/chemical synthesis , Animals , Bone and Bones/metabolism , Diphosphonates/pharmacokinetics , Gallium Radioisotopes/pharmacokinetics , Male , Radiopharmaceuticals/chemistry , Radiopharmaceuticals/pharmacokinetics , Rats , Tissue DistributionABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors related to needle stick injuries (NSIs) and to assess related safety measures among a sample of Iranian nurses. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, a random sample of 168 registered active nurses was selected from different wards of one of the hospitals of Shiraz University of Medical Sciences (SUMS). Data were collected by an anonymous questionnaire and a checklist based observational method among the 168 registered active nurses. RESULTS: The prevalence of NSIs in the total of work experience and the last year was 76% and 54%, respectively. Hollow-bore needles were the most common devices involved in the injuries (85.5%). The majority of NSIs occurred in the morning shift (57.8%) and the most common activity leading to NSIs was recapping needles (41.4%). The rate of underreporting NSIs was 60.2% and the major reasons for not reporting the NSIs were heavy clinical schedule (46.7%) and perception of low risk of infection (37.7%). A statistically significant relationship was found between the occurrence of NSIs and sex, hours worked/week, and frequency of shifts/month. CONCLUSION: The study showed a high prevalence of NSIs among nurses. Supportive measures such as improving injection practices, modification of working schedule, planning training programs targeted at using personal protective equipment, and providing an adequate number of safety facilities such as puncture resistant disposal containers and engineered safe devices are essential for the effective prevention of NSI incidents among the studied nurses.