Allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation following conditioning with 90Y-ibritumomab-tiuxetan.

Radioimmunotherapy (RIT) of relapsed lymphoma is gaining increasing importance. Especially the commercially available anti-CD20 antibody 90Y-ibritumomab tiuxetan is currently under investigation in various trials including dose escalation and autologous hematopoietic progenitor cell support. It is not clear, however, whether the implementation of this radiolabeled antibody into another treatment option for relapsed or poor risk lymphoma patients-allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation-interferes with or delays successful engraftment. This study reports encouraging results with 2 relapsed lymphoma patients (1 transformed marginal zone lymphoma and 1 mantle cell lymphoma) who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation from HLA-matched donors. The conditioning regimen consisted of Rituximab 250 mg m(-2) on days -21 and -14, 0.4 mCi kg(-1) body weight 90Y-ibritumomab tiuxetan on day -14 and fludarabine (30 mg m(-2)) plus cyclophosphamide (500 mg m(-2)) on days -7 to -3. The data demonstrate that engraftment is fast and reliable with leukocytes >1 x 10(9) L(-1) on day 12 and platelets >50 x 10(9) L(-1) on day 10. Thus, the incorporation of radioimmunotherapy into allogeneic transplant protocols combines established modalities with proven anti-lymphoma activity and, hence, offers an attractive new therapeutic option for relapsed lymphoma patients.

[Radiation exposure in (90)Y-Zevalin therapy: results of a prospective multicentre trial]. / Strahlenexposition bei der (90)Y-Zevalin-Therapie: Ergebnisse einer prospektiven multizentrischen Studie.

UNLABELLED: AIM of this study was the assessment of the radiation exposure from preparation and application of (90)Y-Zevalin, the measurement of the dose rate at the patient, the exposure of family members as well as the determination of the activity concentration in urine of patients. METHODS: Overall data from 31 therapeutic administrations carried out in four institutions were evaluated. During preparation and application of (90)Y-Zevalin the finger exposures of radiochemists, technicians, and physicians were measured. The dose rate of the patient was measured immediately after radioimmunotherapy. In patients treated in a nuclear medicine therapy unit, urine was collected over a two day period and the corresponding activity was determined. Family members of outpatients were asked to wear a dosimeter over a seven day period. RESULTS: During the preparation we found a maximum skin dose of 6 mSv at the average, and during application of 3 mSv, respectively. After administration of (90)Y the dose rate was 0.4 +/- 0.1 microSv/h at 2 m distance. Urine measurements yielded a cumulated 24 h excretion of 3.9 +/- 1.4% and 4.4 +/- 1.4% within 48 h, respectively, that is equivalent to 43 +/- 18 and 50 +/- 20 MBq of (90)Y, respectively. Family members received a radiation exposure of 40 +/- 14 microSv over seven days. CONCLUSION: During preparation and application of (90)Y-Zevalin appropriate radiation shielding is necessary. For family members as well as nursing staff no additional special radiation protection measures beyond those being common for other nuclear medicine procedures are necessary.

Immunoscintigraphy using technetium-99m-labeled anti-NCA-95 antigranulocyte antibodies as an adjunct to echocardiography in subacute infective endocarditis.

OBJECTIVES: This study was performed to assess the clinical value of immunoscintigraphy in subacute infective endocarditis. BACKGROUND: Radiolabeled granulocytes can reveal inflammatory lesions. METHODS: Using technetium-99m-labeled anti-NCA-95 anti-granulocyte antibodies, planar scintigraphy and single-photon emission computed tomography of the thorax were performed in 72 consecutive patients with suspected endocarditis. Each patient also underwent transthoracic and, if findings were negative, transesophageal echocardiography. RESULTS: Thirty-three patients were found to have endocarditis on the basis of clinical criteria (surgical confirmation in 17 patients), and the remaining 39 served as control subjects. Initial scintigraphy was true positive in 26 patients (sensitivity 79%) and false positive in 7 (specificity 82%). Echocardiography was true positive in 29 patients (sensitivity 88%) and false positive in 1 (specificity 97%). Scintigraphy was positive in the four patients with false negative echocardiography, and echocardiography was positive in the seven patients with false negative scintigraphy. Thus, the combination of scintigraphy and echocardiography yielded a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 82%. In 10 of the 11 patients with two to three follow-up studies, scintigraphy became negative parallel to clinical improvement, indicating decreasing floridity of the inflammatory process. CONCLUSIONS: Immunoscintigraphy in patients with subacute infective endocarditis provides valuable diagnostic information in equivocal echocardiographic findings and may be used to monitor antibiotic therapy.

Platelet and fibrin deposition on coronary stents in minipigs: effect of hirudin versus heparin.

OBJECTIVES: The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that the direct thrombin hirudin is more efficient than heparin in reducing thrombus formation after coronary stenting. BACKGROUND: Despite aggressive anticoagulation, subacute thrombosis of coronary stents is a major complication associated with these new devices. METHODS: In 19 minipigs indium-111-labeled thrombocytes and iodine-125-labeled fibrinogen were injected 14 to 19 h before coronary implantation of tantalum balloon-expandable stents. In group 1 (n = 6, seven stents), a bolus of heparin (100 U/kg body weight) was given before stenting. Group 2 (n = 6, 11 stents) received both dextran (500 ml) and heparin (a 100-U/kg bolus followed by a continuous infusion of 50 U/kg per h). In group 3 (n = 7, 13 stents), hirudin (recombinant desulphatohirudin HV 1 [CGP 39393] [1 mg/kg]) was given before stent implantation, followed by an infusion of 1 mg/kg per h. All animals were pretreated with aspirin (250 mg intravenously). RESULTS: Activated partial thromboplastin time was prolonged to > 1.8 times control values in groups 2 and 3. Histologic examination after perfusion fixation 12 h after stenting showed a variable extent of thrombus on all stents. Medial tear was observed in three stents in group 1, six stents in group 2 and six stents in group 3. The number of platelets on all stents averaged 116.2 (range 22 to 522) x 10(6) in group 1, 64.3 (range 11 to 169) x 10(6) in group 2 and 19.7 (range 9 to 38) x 10(6) in group 3 (p < 0.05 vs. group 1 and vs. group 2). The increase in platelet deposition, associated with medial tear in all groups, was lowest in the hirudin group. Similarly, fibrin deposition was lowest on stents in hirudin-treated animals. CONCLUSIONS: Recombinant hirudin significantly reduces platelet and fibrin deposition on coronary stents compared with the reduction achieved with combined heparin, dextran and aspirin.

Scintigraphic results in patients with lung transplants: a prospective comparative study.

AIM: We addressed the feasibility of scintigraphy in the postoperative monitoring of lung transplants. METHOD: 37 patients (22 women, 15 men, 37 +/- 15 years) in good clinical condition were examined after lung transplantation. Scintigraphic procedures for assessing ventilation (133Xe), perfusion (99mTc microspheres) and aerosol-inhalation (99mTc aerosol) were performed for all patients. The findings were compared with those of established diagnostic modalities. RESULTS: All lung transplants showed homogeneous ventilation but with a non-physiologic difference of over 20% between both pulmonary lobes in one-third of the cases. There was a difference between the impairement of perfusion and ventilation in the presence of an impaired Euler-Liljestrand reflex in 14/37 (38%) patients. Furthermore, bronchoscopy and aerosol-inhalation scans often did not correlate, e. g. a bronchoscopically evident stenosis was not necessarily associated with an increased activity, and vice versa. Although peripheral mucociliary clearance was preserved after transplantation, stasis in central airways resulted in significantly impaired global clearance. CONCLUSION: Ventilation and perfusion scintigraphy reveal in a significant number of lung recipients pathologic findings and therefore can be recommended for postoperative monitoring. From a clinical point of view aerosol-inhalation scintigraphy (clearance) is not of any additional value.

[123I]IBZM SPET analysis of dopamine D2 receptor occupancy in narcoleptic patients in the course of treatment.

Elevated levels of central D2 dopamine receptors were found on postmortem examination in cases of human narcolepsy. In vivo investigations using positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission tomography (SPET) found no changes of D2 binding in the striatal structures. To investigate whether the elevated D2 receptors in postmortem investigations are due to long-term treatment effects, we applied 123I-labeled (S)-2-hydroxy-3-iodo-6-methoxy-([1-ethyl-2-pyrrolidinyl]methyl) benzamide (IBZM) ([123I]IBZM, a highly selective CNS D2 dopamine receptor ligand) and SPET in narcoleptic patients in the course of treatment with stimulants and/or antidepressants. Before treatment we found no changes in D2 binding in 10 patients (in comparison to 10 normal controls). After treatment (performed in five patients for 3 months) we found changes in D2 binding in four of them, indicating that the results of the postmortem studies could have been influenced by long-term medications. Human narcolepsy seems not to be related to a striatal D2 dopaminergic disturbance.

Growth and development of full-term nonasphyxiated small-for-gestational-age newborns: follow-up through adolescence.

Previous studies of growth and development in small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infants have been plagued by several methodologic defects, including a lack of control for socioeconomic status and parental height and an inability to distinguish among the effects of prematurity, neonatal asphyxia, and intrauterine growth retardation. An attempt has been made to overcome these defects in a study of 33 full-term, nonasphyxiated small-for-gestational-age neonates born between 1960 and 1966 and 33 matched control infants of normal birth weight. The infants were followed up and compared for physical growth and sexual, neurologic, and cognitive development at ages 13 to 19 years. Significant deficits in height, weight, and head circumference were found among the SGA cohort, even after statistical adjustment for differences in socioeconomic status and parental height. Sexual development and bone age were not delayed in the SGA group, however, indicating that the deficits in growth are permanent. On neurologic and cognitive testing, the SGA group had trends toward lower scores but scores were well within the normal range. It is concluded that full-term nonasphyxiated SGA infants have an impaired potential for physical growth, but a good prognosis for neurologic and cognitive development. Previous findings of more severe cognitive deficits are attributed to a failure to distinguish the effects of isolated intrauterine growth retardation from effects due to asphyxia.

Improved radioimmunoimaging of human tumor xenografts by a mixture of monoclonal antibody F(ab')2 fragments.

F(ab')2 fragments of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) GA 73-3 and CO 29.11, with specific binding reactivity in vitro to human tumors of the gastrointestinal tract, were radioiodinated and injected into nude mice bearing human colon carcinoma xenografts. Fragments of both MAbs preferentially localized in tumor tissue compared with normal mouse tissue, as determined by differential tissue counting of radioactivity. The fragments localized specifically only in those tumors to which they bind in vitro and not in unrelated tumors. Radiolabeled fragments of an anti-hepatitis virus MAb did not localize in the tumors. Whole-body scintigraphy demonstrated tumor localization with 131I-labeled fragments without background subtraction. Best tumor contrast, as quantitated by analyzing digital computer scans, was obtained between Days 2 and 5 after injection. Tumor contrast was significantly enhanced when a mixture of both MAb F(ab')2 fragments was used. The biologic half-life of the MAb mixture in the tumor was significantly greater than that of either MAb alone, suggesting the use of the MAb mixture in radioimmunotherapy.

Immunoscintigraphy of the bone marrow: normal uptake values of technetium-99m-labeled monoclonal antigranulocyte antibodies.

UNLABELLED: The aim of our study was to determine the normal range of the 99mTc-labeled anti-NCA 95 antigranulocyte antibody (AGAb) uptake in the bone marrow using the sacroiliac-to-background uptake ratio in the posterior view. METHODS: We made 169 planar bone marrow scans on 162 patients who were each injected with 555 MBq AGAb. Fifty patients with the diagnosis of infection/pyrexia of unknown origin (PUO) and with completely normal bone marrow scintigraphy were defined as the normal group. Uptake ratios were calculated drawing irregular regions of interest around the sacroiliac and a background area, respectively. RESULTS: The normal group revealed a mean uptake ratio of 7.3 +/- 2.3 (range 4.4-12.6). Similar uptake ratios were obtained in patients with the primary diagnosis of infection/PUO and bone marrow extension (7.4 +/- 2.2, range 4.2-11.7), suggesting that the bone marrow reacts on infection primarily by extension into the periphery, without any significant increase of the activity of the central hemopoietic/granulopoietic bone marrow. Mean uptake ratios also were not significantly different in patients with normal bone marrow scintigraphy and the primary diagnosis of solid malignant tumors, lymphomas and plasmacytomas, and in patients with focal lesions visible on bone marrow scintigraphy (soft tissue inflammation or cold lesions in the bone marrow but with normal sacroiliac regions). Mean uptake ratios in the normal group were significantly age related, amounting to 8.5 +/- 1.8, 7.5 +/- 1.9 and 6.1 +/- 2.0 in patients younger than 40 yr, between 40 and 59 yr, and 60 yr or older, respectively (p = 0.0025). The method revealed good inter- and intraobserver agreement with correlation coefficients of about r = 0.90 and r = 0.95, respectively. Inter- and intraobserver coefficients of variation were 6.6% and 4.6%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Determination of the bone marrow uptake ratio is simple and reproducible. The normal values established in this study were age dependent, which has to be considered when interpreting bone marrow uptake ratios. The presence of infection/PUO, solid malignant tumors, lymphomas and plasmacytomas does not seem to alter the AGAb uptake ratio significantly. The most important application of the quantitative analysis of bone marrow scintigraphy could be the diagnosis and follow-up of diseases with depression of the central hemopoietic activity.

Extraction of long-chain fatty acids in isolated rat heart during acute low-flow ischemia.

UNLABELLED: Although beta-oxidation of fatty acids is suppressed rapidly during ischemia, the behavior of fatty acid extraction at different flow rates is incompletely understood. This study assessed the relationship between flow and extraction of (123)I-iodophenylpentadecanoic acid (IPPA) in the isolated heart model, especially at low flow. METHODS: Isolated hearts from male Wistar rats (n = 15) were subjected to retrograde perfusion with constant flow (Krebs Henseleit solution containing 10 mmol/L glucose). A latex balloon in the left ventricle allowed isovolumetric contractions and ventricular pressure measurements. The extraction of (123)I-IPPA was assessed with the indicator dilution technique and (99m)Tc-albumin as the intravascular reference. The flow was either increased from the control flow (8 mL/min) until 300% or reduced until 10%. (123)I-IPPA extraction was measured three times before and 10 min after flow alteration. The tracer uptake was estimated from the product of net extraction and flow. RESULTS: The mean (123)I-IPPA extraction at the control flow (third measurement) was 51.6% +/- 2.8%. Between flow rates of approximately 25% and 300%, (123)I-IPPA extraction increased exponentially at decreasing flow rates. At flow rates < or =25% of the control flow, (123)I-IPPA extraction was exponentially higher than predicted. (123)I-IPPA uptake and flow changed largely in parallel. During low flow, the rate-pressure product showed the expected decline (perfusion-contraction matching). CONCLUSION: The extraction of (123)I-IPPA is preserved and slightly increased (relative to flow) during acute low-flow ischemia.

Scintigraphic localization of lymphatic leakage site after oral administration of iodine-123-IPPA.

UNLABELLED: Chylothorax can occur secondary to traumatic lesions of the thoracic duct caused by chest injuries, surgical procedures involving the pleural space, neoplasms or malformations of the lymphatics. METHODS: Lymphatic leakage sites were localized by scintigraphy after oral administration of the 123I-labeled long-chain fatty acid derivative iodophenyl pentadecanoic acid (IPPA). We report on three patients with different lymphatic leakage sites and on one normal control subject. RESULTS: IPPA scintigraphy localized the lymphatic leakage site correctly in all three patients. In two of them, the method even guided the successful surgical treatment of the leakage. CONCLUSION: This approach is suitable for detecting lymphatic leakages of intestinal origin.

Clinical value of immunoscintigraphy in patients with fever of unknown origin.

UNLABELLED: The aim of our study was to evaluate the clinical value of immunoscintigraphy with the monoclonal antibody 99mTc-BW 250/183 in patients with fever of unknown origin (FUO). The antibody BW 250/183 is an immunoglobulin G1 subtype that binds to the antigen NCA-95, which is expressed on the cell membrane surface of granulocytes. METHODS: We studied 51 patients who were referred with the diagnosis of FUO. Thirty-five percent of the patients suffered from infection, 17% had autoimmune diseases, 14% had neoplasms and 8% had other diseases. The remaining 28% of the patients did not have a diagnosis. Planar imaging was performed in all patients, and 19 patients underwent SPECT. In our analysis, both cold and hot spots were considered diagnostic. RESULTS: Pyogenic infections were visualized correctly in 13 foci. The diagnosis of endocarditis (n = 4) could be determined only by SPECT. False-negative results were found in 4 patients and false-positive uptake was seen in 2 patients. No false-positive uptake or cold spots in the central bone marrow were found in patients with viral, granulomatous and autoimmune diseases or in those patients in whom no FUO cause was found in a 6-mo follow-up. In these patients, a negative scan did not change their diagnostic work-up. Cold spots in the central bone marrow were correctly interpreted in 5 of 6 patients. Sensitivity in detecting pyogenic foci was 73% and specificity was 97%. Positive and negative predictive values were 93% and 87%, respectively. Including areas of decreased uptake in the analysis, sensitivity for detecting an underlying inflammatory or malignant process for FUO was 81 % and specificity was 87%. Positive and negative predictive values were 81% and 87%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Immunoscintigraphy with 99mTc-BW 250/183 in patients with FUO has clinical potential for the diagnosis and exclusion of pyogenic causes of FUO. Metastatic malignant disease and high-grade spondylodiskitis could be diagnosed early in a diagnostic work-up by a characteristic cold spot pattern in the bone marrow. SPECT is indispensible for scintigraphic imaging of endocarditis.

Myocardial distribution of indium-111-antimyosin Fab and technetium-99m-sestamibi in experimental nontransmural infarction.

Early revascularization in acute myocardial infarction results in normal, necrotic and partially damaged and partially salvaged ("intermediate") myocardium. By combining a perfusion tracer and a marker for myocardial injury, we attempted to differentiate between these three types of cardiac tissue. The LAD was occluded in nine pigs for 45 min and then reperfused. After 48 and 72 hr, 74 MBq 111In-antimyosin Fab and 740 MBq 99mTc-sestamibi, respectively, were injected intravenously. Normally perfused myocardium was labeled with fluorescein and the heart excised. Three to four slices were cut from the apex. Tetrazolium staining revealed the zone of necrosis. Tracer distribution on double-nuclide scintigrams of the slices also reflected the three different myocardial zones. Guided by fluorescence and macrohistochemistry, tissue samples were excised from each zone. In relation to normal myocardium, mean activity in the intermediate zone was 0.82 +/- 0.20 for 99mTc-sestamibi and 2.84 +/- 1.31 for 111In-antimyosin Fab. Activity in necrotic myocardium was 0.30 +/- 0.19 and 3.95 +/- 2.47, respectively. These results show that 111In-antimyosin Fab fragments not only accumulate in necrotic but also in intermediate myocardium. Therefore, an overestimation of infarct size may occur if 111In-antimyosin Fab fragments are used alone without a perfusion tracer.

Somatostatin receptor scintigraphy in small-cell lung cancer: results of a multicenter study.

UNLABELLED: The aims of this study were to determine the accuracy of somatostatin receptor scintigraphy in the detection of the primary tumor and its metastases in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) in a large patient population, and to investigate the course of somatostatin uptake in primary tumors during therapy. METHODS: In a total of 100 patients, 134 examinations were performed. Twenty-seven of the patients were examined before and after chemotherapy. Planar whole-body images were acquired 4 hr and 24 hr after injection of approximately 200 MBq (111)In-pentetreotide. SPECT of the thorax was performed after 24 hr. Tumor-to-background (T/B) ratios for the primary tumor were averaged from anterior and posterior projections. RESULTS: Compared to conventional investigations, somatostatin receptor scintigraphy (SRS) visualized the primary tumor with varying degrees of uptake in 96% of the examinations. Regional metastases and distant metastases were detected in 60% and 45% of the examinations, respectively. The uptake of the somatostatin analog by the primary tumor was significantly lower in the patients examined during chemotherapy as compared to those examined before treatment (T/B ratio = 1.94+/-0.79 versus 2.35+/-0.9, p < 0.005). A decrease in T/B ratio was noted in patients with remission at the time of SRS (from 2.40+/-1.56 to 1.63+/-0.72, p < 0.05). No difference in the pretreatment uptake of octreotide by the primary tumor was identified between patients with tumor progression and those with partial or complete remission. CONCLUSION: Somatostatin receptor scintigraphy has a high sensitivity in the detection of the primary tumor in SCLC but fails in the detection of metastases. Thus, SRS does not provide useful information for staging of SCLC. Since somatostatin uptake by the primary tumor is affected by chemotherapy, it may be used to follow up on the course of SCLC.

Somatostatin receptor scintigraphy in the staging of lymphomas.

In this prospective study we evaluated the somatostatin receptor scintigraphy in the initial staging of 19 patients suffering from Hodgkin's (HD) and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL) and in the restaging of 16 patients. Scintigraphy was compared to the results of the methods applied for adequate staging of lymphoma patients in the large multicentre trials. Planar imaging and SPECT was performed after intravenous injection of 110 or 220 MBq of 111In-pentetreotide. The patient-based analysis yielded an overall sensitivity of 88%, contrasting lesion-based sensitivities of 57%, 35%, and 43% in HD, low-grade NHL and high-grade NHL, respectively. The best results were obtained in the head-and-neck region and the worst in the abdomen (sensitivities of 61% and 24%, respectively). Bone marrow infiltration was visible in 1/12 cases only. There was no significant difference between the outcomes of patients in the initial staging and restaging and no influence of the amount of injected radiopharmaceutical on the results. In terms of the Ann-Arbor classification, 10/35 patients were concordant whereas 22 were understaged and 3 overstaged scintigraphically. In conclusion, somatostatin receptor scintigraphy is not useful in the initial staging or restaging of malignant lymphomas, especially NHL, due to low lesion detection rates most probably because of low receptor densities. In addition, intraindividual heterogeneity of somatostatin receptor expression has to be considered.

Morphological and functional findings of fixed phagocytes in psoriatics.

Twenty-one psoriatics as well as 24 normal healthy adults were studied by functional bone marrow scintigraphy using Tc-99m-labeled human serum albumin millimicrospheres (Tc-99m-HSA-MM). Functional bone marrow scintigraphy is an in vivo test system for the assessment of various functional properties of fixed phagocytes. Of psoriatics who had no systemic drug treatment, 59% demonstrated peripheral extension of the bone marrow space, indicating hyperplasia of bone marrow phagocytes. This phenomenon could be observed only in one normal subject who was a high-performance sportsman. Of psoriatics treated with aromatic retinoid, 83% (n = 6) demonstrated bone marrow extension, as did 100% (n = 3) of psoriatics with cirrhosis of liver. The "capacity' of bone marrow phagocytes to engulf Tc-99m-HSA-MM ("uptake ratio') was diminished in 34% of nontreated as well as 66% of psoriatics treated with aromatic retinoid. The phagocytic and proteolytic turnover of Tc-99m-HSA-MM in the bone marrow, spleen, and liver was found to e accelerated in 66% of nontreated psoriatics, normal (83%) or accelerated (17%) in psoriatics treated with aromatic retinoid, and considerably delayed in all of the psoriatics with cirrhosis of liver. Functional bone marrow scintigraphy proved to be an appropriate in vivo test system for revealing abnormalities of fixed phagocytes in psoriatics. Furthermore, therapeutic effects as well as the influences of preexisting disorders on different phagocyte populations can be assessed.

Coping styles of pregnant women after prenatal ultrasound screening for fetal malformation.

OBJECTIVE: Ultrasound is a widespread noninvasive method of prenatal diagnosis. The detection of fetal abnormalities can provoke anxiety, which needs coping. The coping process of pregnant women with different risk conditions for fetal abnormality were studied in a longitudinal design and compared with a nonrisk control group of women with healthy uncomplicated pregnancies. METHODS: The coping strategies of women (n=664) during the second trimester were assessed with a questionnaire [Heim E, Augustiny KF, Blaser A, Schaffner L. Berner Bewältigungsformen (BEFO) Handbuch. Bern: Huber, 1991]. Data were collected at three points in time: immediately before the ultrasound scanning for fetal malformation, at 5-6 and 10-12 weeks after the prenatal ultrasound examination. Questionnaires were also used to collect information about sociodemographic data, anxiety, pregnancy data and personality. RESULTS: The analysis of the coping strategies of women with high-risk pregnancies (n=497) and as well of these with no-risk conditions in the control group (n=167) revealed three different factors of coping: Factor I: positive emotional attitude/distance, Factor II: negative emotional attitude/disapproval and Factor III: active coping. At all three points in time, Factor I correlated significantly with anxiety decrease, Factor II with increase and Factor III did not correlate with anxiety at all. CONCLUSIONS: Women with risk-pregnancies used coping strategies similar to those women in the control-group. Different spectrums of coping strategies corresponded significantly to increasing or decreasing anxiety. These women with high levels of anxiety, especially, should be offered sensitive care or psychotherapeutic counseling, as their coping processes did not lead to successful coping in the form of a reduction in anxiety.

[Septal myocardial perfusion in complete left bundle branch block: case report and review of the literature]. / Septale Myokardperfusion bei komplettem Linksschenkelblock: Kasuistik und Literaturübersicht.

Myocardial scintigraphy was performed three times in a 55-year-old woman with left bundle branch block (LBBB). A significant LAD stenosis had been excluded by coronary angiography. The first scintigraphy was performed with Tc-99m sestamibi after submaximal bicycle exercise and revealed a septal perfusion deficit. This deficit could not be reproduced in the following examinations after pharmacological stress testing with dipyridamole using both Tl-201 and Tc-99m sestamibi. Perfusion at rest assessed with Tl-201 was normal in all studies. It is concluded that pharmacological stress testing with dipyridamole is to be preferred in patients with LBBB. With respect to the accuracy of myocardial perfusion imaging the choice of the radiopharmaceutical plays a less important role.

Nonspecific bowel activity in imaging inflammation with Tc-99m labelled monoclonal anti-NCA-90 Fab' fragment MN3.

AIM: Since the Tc-99m labelled monoclonal anti-NCA 90 granulocyte antibody Fab' fragment MN3 (MN3 Fab') might be of interest for imaging abdominal inflammation which could be hampered by nonspecific bowel activity, we prospectively investigated the appearance of bowel activity in MN3 Fab' imaging. METHODS: Eighty consecutive patients (age range 12-85 years) referred for suspected nonabdominal, mostly musculoskeletal infection, were included. Abdominal inflammation was excluded clinically and there were no signs of inflammatory bowel disease in the patients' histories. One, 5, and 24 hours after intravenous injection of up to 1.1 GBq of MN3 Fab' planar images of the abdomen were performed. Bowel activity was graded visually using a 5-point scale. RESULTS: The one (N = 80), 5 (N = 79), and 24 (N = 52) hour images revealed 46 (10%), 162 (34%), and 173 (55%) accumulating bowel segments, respectively, in 37 (46%), 69 (87%), and 52 (100%) patients. The mean intensity score per accumulating segment was 1.1, 1.8 and 2.7 (p = 0), respectively. Relative frequencies of appearance of the small intestine were 38%, 57%, and 21%, ileocaecal region 6%, 53%, and 48%, ascending colon 5%, 67%, and 89%, transverse colon 1%, 9%, and 69%, descending colon 8%, 15%, and 67%, and rectosigmoid 0%, 4%, and 38%, respectively. Follow-up investigations in 13 patients revealed diverging uptake patterns. CONCLUSION: Nonspecific bowel activity is often present in the early and almost always and more intense, in the delayed images. Early imaging at one hour after administration seems feasible, but a loss in sensitivity has to be considered. Thus, nonspecific bowel activity can be anticipated to be a pitfall in imaging abdominal inflammation with MN3 Fab'.

Enhancement of tumor contrast on radioimmunoscans by using mixtures of monoclonal antibody F(ab')2 fragments.

F(ab')2 fragments of MAbs GA 73-3 (IgG 2 a) and CO 29.11 (IgG 1), which detect distinct antigenic determinants on adenocarcinoma cells of the gastrointestinal tract, were labeled with 131I using the iodogen method. 41 nude mice bearing SW-948 CRC tumors were injected either with a mixture of 100 microCi (11 micrograms) each (n = 9) of the two 131I-F(ab')2 fragments or with either fragment alone at various doses (each group consisting of 8 mice): GA 73-3, 100 microCi (11 micrograms) and 200 microCi (25 micrograms); CO 29.11, 100 microCi (11 micrograms) and 200 microCi (26 micrograms). Whole-body images of the mice were obtained daily for up to six days after injection. Ratios of cpm/pixel in the tumor to those in the rest of the body (rob), representing tumor contrast, were significantly (p less than 0.05) higher in the group of mice injected with the mixture (3.9 +/- 1.5) as compared to those given 100 or 200 microCi of either fragment separately. The biological half-life (T1/2 biol.) of the mixture (44.7 +/- 14.5 h) in the CRC tumors was significantly (p less than 0.05) longer than T1/2 biol. determined in the groups given either fragment alone. T1/2 biol. in the rob was similar in all groups of mice examined.