Gender, Work and Organization

Tunninen V., Varjo P., Kauppinen T., Holm A., Eskola H., Seppänen M.

Objectives. This retrospective study evaluated whether the use of additional anterior Tc99m-sestamibi/123I pinhole imaging improves the outcome of Tc99m-sestamibi/123I subtraction SPECT/CT in parathyroid scintigraphy (PS). Materials and Methods. PS using simultaneous dual-isotope subtraction methods and an acquisition protocol combining SPECT/CT and planar pinhole imaging was performed for 175 patients with primary or secondary hyperparathyroidism. All patients who proceeded to surgery with complete postsurgery laboratory findings were included in this study (n=94). SPECT/CT images alone and combined with pinhole images were evaluated. Results. There were 111 enlarged parathyroid glands of which 104 and 108 glands were correctly visualized by SPECT/CT (seven false positives) or SPECT/CT with pinhole (three false positives), respectively. Both sensitivity and specificity were higher with combined SPECT/CT with pinhole than with SPECT/CT alone (97% versus 94% and 99% versus 98%, resp., not significant). The false-positive rate was 6% with SPECT/CT and decreased to 3% using combined SPECT/CT with pinhole. Conclusion. Tc99m-sestamibi/123I subtraction SPECT/CT is a highly sensitive and specific protocol for PS. The use of additional anterior pinhole imaging increases both sensitivity and specificity of PS, although this increase is not statistically significant.

Dechsupa N., Udomtanakunchai C., Udom-Utraracheva A., Suttho D., Pazart L., Humbert P., Garrigos M., Mankhetkorn S.

Physiological responses such as chronic inflammation and angiogenesis could be used as biomarkers for early detection of cancer with noninvasive imaging modalities. The present study reports the application of magnetic resonance imaging instrument to image the binding of ferrioxamine with hemin that allows visualizing the chronic inflammation foci of lung tissue of immunocompromised rats xenografted using small cell lung carcinoma. A low concentration of ferrioxamine (0.05±0.02 μM·kg−1of rat weight) deposited on tissue outside the vasculature was found to diffuse across the capillary walls to the interstitial space and inflammation foci, which provided a clear enhancement of T1-weighted gradient-echo sequence images. Ferrioxamine imaging allowed the determination of inflammatory sites and their localization in 3D fat-suppressed maximum intensity projections. The smallest dimension of foci that can be clearly determined is about 0.1 mm3. In concomitant to thein vivoimaging, analysis of histological tissue section showed the development of inflammatory sites. This study provides evidence that medical imaging instrument such as MRI scanner allows researchers to correlate images taken with MRI with those using high-resolution microscopy. Moreover, ferrioxamine is a useful molecular probe for determining chronic inflammation particularly at the very early stages of cancer.

Wang M., Zhan Y., Chen J., Rong H., O’Neil S.P., Ghosh B., Nguyen V., Owens J., Li X., O’Hara D.M.

Human plasma-derived α1-antitrypsin (AAT) delivered by intravenous infusion is used as augmentation therapy in patients with emphysema who have a genetic mutation resulting in deficiency of AAT. Inhalation is an alternative route of administration that can potentially increase the efficacy and convenience of treatment. This study was conducted to determine whether delivery to the lungs, initially via the intratracheal (IT) route of administration, would deliver efficacious levels of a recombinant AAT (rAAT) to the site of action in the lungs in mice. 125I-radiolabeled rAAT, fluorophore-conjugated rAAT (rAAT-Alexa488), and NE680 (neutrophil elastase 680, a silent fluorescent substrate of neutrophil elastase which fluoresces in the near-infrared range upon activation by neutrophil elastase) were used to characterize the pharmacokinetics and tissue distribution profile, distribution of rAAT within the lung, and efficacy of rAAT to inhibit neutrophil elastase at the site of action, respectively. The study has demonstrated that rAAT was able to gain access to locations where neutrophil elastase was localized. The histochemical quantification of rAAT activity relative to dose at the site of action provided here will improve confidence in predicting the human dose via the inhalation route.

Nguyen N.C., Shah M., Appleman L.J., Parikh R., Mountz J.M.

Background and Purpose. Radium-223 dichloride (Xofigo®, Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals Inc.) is the first α-particle emitter therapeutic agent approved by the FDA, with benefits in overall survival and delay in symptomatic skeletal event for patients with metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). Recent post hoc analyses of the phase III ALSYMPCA trial support the previously established safety profile as well as therapeutic effect and clinical outcome of Radium-223. Currently, Radium-223 is approved as a single agent therapy for metastatic CRPC. Clinical trials are currently investigating Radium-223 in additional clinical settings such as earlier asymptomatic disease and in combination with other agents including hormonal therapeutic agents and immunotherapeutic as well as chemotherapeutic agents. Trials are also ongoing in patients with other primary cancers such as breast cancer, thyroid cancer, and renal cancer metastatic to bone. In this article, the physics and radiobiology, as well as a literature update on the use of Radium-223, are provided along with case presentations, aiming at a better appreciation of research data as well as the assimilation of research data into clinical practice.

Eckenschwiller M., Ackermann H., Bechstein W.O., Grünwald F.

Background and Aims. Biliary complications are the most frequent complications after common liver surgeries. In this study, accuracy of hepatobiliary scintigraphy (HBS) and impact of hyperbilirubinemia were evaluated. Methods. Between November 2007 and February 2016, 131 patients underwent hepatobiliary scintigraphy after having liver surgery. 39 patients with 42 scans after LTX (n=13) or hepatic resection (n=26) were evaluated in the study; 27 were male, with mean age 60 years. The subjects underwent hepatobiliary scintigraphy with Tc-99m labeled Mebrofenin. The results were compared to ERCP as gold standard performed within one month after HBS. We calculated sensitivity, specificity, PPV, and NPV. We compared LTX patients to patients with other liver surgeries. Furthermore the influence of hyperbilirubinemia on HBS scans was evaluated. Results. HBS always provided the correct diagnosis in cases of bile leak in the liver-resected group (14/14). Overall diagnostic accuracy was 76% (19/25) in this group and 54% (7/13) in the LTX group. False negative (FN) diagnoses occurred more often among LTX patients (p=0.011). Hyperbilirubinemia (>5 mg/dL) significantly influenced the excretion function of the liver, prolonging HBS’s time-activity-curve (p=0.001). Conclusions. Hepatobiliary scintigraphy is a reliable tool to detect biliary complications, but reduced accuracy must be considered after LTX.

Costantini D.L., Vali R., McQuattie S., Chan J., Punnett A., Weitzman S., Shammas A., Charron M.

We performed an observational pilot study of 18F-FLT PET/CT in pediatric lymphoma. Eight patients with equivocal 18F-FDG PET/CT underwent imaging with 18F-FLT PET/CT. No immediate adverse reactions to 18F-FLT were observed. Compared to 18F-FDG, 18F-FLT uptake was significantly higher in bone marrow and liver (18F-FLT SUV 8.6±0.6 and 5.0±0.3, versus 18F-FDG SUV 1.9±0.1 and 3.4±0.7, resp., p<0.05). In total, 15 lesions were evaluated with average 18F-FDG and 18F-FLT SUVs of 2.6±0.1 and 2.0±0.4, respectively. Nonspecific uptake in reactive lymph nodes and thymus was observed. Future studies to assess the clinical utility of 18F-FLT PET/CT in pediatric lymphoma are planned.

Schildt J., Loimaala A., Hippeläinen E., Nikkinen P., Ahonen A.

FDG-PET/CT is widely used to diagnose cardiac inflammation such as cardiac sarcoidosis. Physiological myocardial FDG uptake often creates a problem when assessing the possible pathological glucose metabolism of the heart. Several factors, such as fasting, blood glucose, and hormone levels, influence normal myocardial glucose metabolism. The effect of outdoor temperature on myocardial FDG uptake has not been reported before. We retrospectively reviewed 29 cancer patients who underwent PET scans in warm summer months and again in cold winter months. We obtained myocardial, liver, and mediastinal standardized uptake values (SUVs) as well as quantitative cardiac heterogeneity and the myocardial FDG uptake pattern. We also compared age and body mass index to other variables. The mean myocardial FDG uptake showed no significant difference between summer and winter months. Average outdoor temperature did not correlate significantly with myocardial SUVmax in either summer or winter. The heterogeneity of myocardial FDG uptake did not differ significantly between seasons. Outdoor temperature seems to have no significant effect on myocardial FDG uptake or heterogeneity. Therefore, warming the patients prior to attending cardiac PET studies in order to reduce physiological myocardial FDG uptake seems to be unnecessary.

De Jesus E., Keating J.J., Kularatne S.A., Jiang J., Judy R., Predina J., Nie S., Low P., Singhal S.

Background. Intraoperative imaging can identify cancer cells in order to improve resection; thus fluorescent contrast agents have emerged. Our objective was to do a preclinical comparison of two fluorescent dyes, EC17 and OTL38, which both target folate receptor but have different fluorochromes. Materials. HeLa and KB cells lines were used for in vitro and in vivo comparisons of EC17 and OTL38 brightness, sensitivity, pharmacokinetics, and biodistribution. In vivo experiments were then performed in mice. Results. The peak excitation and emission wavelengths of EC17 and OTL38 were 470/520 nm and 774/794 nm, respectively. In vitro, OTL38 required increased incubation time compared to EC17 for maximum fluorescence; however, peak signal-to-background ratio (SBR) was 1.4-fold higher compared to EC17 within 60 minutes (p<0.001). Additionally, the SBR for detecting smaller quantity of cells was improved with OTL38. In vivo, the mean improvement in SBR of tumors visualized using OTL38 compared to EC17 was 3.3 fold (range 1.48–5.43). Neither dye caused noticeable toxicity in animal studies. Conclusions. In preclinical testing, OTL38 appears to have superior sensitivity and brightness compared to EC17. This coincides with the accepted belief that near infrared (NIR) dyes tend to have less autofluorescence and scattering issues than visible wavelength fluorochromes.

Osborne D.R., Austin D.W.

Multi-modality imaging provides coregistered PET-CT and SPECT-CT images; however such multi-modality workflows usually consist of sequential scans from the individual imaging components for each modality. This typical workflow may result in long scan times limiting throughput of the imaging system. Conversely, acquiring multi-modality data simultaneously may improve correlation and registration of images, improve temporal alignment of the acquired data, increase imaging throughput, and benefit the scanned subject by minimizing time under anesthetic. In this work, we demonstrate the feasibility and procedure for modifying a commercially available preclinical SPECT-CT platform to enable simultaneous SPECT-CT acquisition. We also evaluate the performance of simultaneous SPECT-CT tomographic imaging with this modified system. Performance was accessed using a 57Co source and image quality was evaluated with Tc99m phantoms in a series of simultaneous SPECT-CT scans.

Alam S.R., Tse G.H., Stirrat C., MacGillivray T.J., Lennen R.J., Jansen M.A., Newby D.E., Marson L., Henriksen P.A.

Objectives. We investigated whether ultrasmall paramagnetic particles of iron oxide- (USPIO-) enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can detect experimental chronic allograft damage in a murine renal allograft model. Materials and Methods. Two cohorts of mice underwent renal transplantation with either a syngeneic isograft or allograft kidney. MRI scanning was performed prior to and 48 hours after USPIO infusion using T2∗-weighted protocols. R2∗ values were calculated to indicate the degree of USPIO uptake. Native kidneys and skeletal muscle were imaged as reference tissues and renal explants analysed by histology and electron microscopy. Results. R2∗ values in the allograft group were higher compared to the isograft group when indexed to native kidney (median 1.24 (interquartile range: 1.12 to 1.36) versus 0.96 (0.92 to 1.04), P<0.01). R2∗ values were also higher in the allograft transplant when indexed to skeletal muscle (6.24 (5.63 to 13.51)) compared to native kidney (2.91 (1.11 to 6.46) P<0.05). Increased R2∗ signal in kidney allograft was associated with macrophage and iron staining on histology. USPIO were identified within tissue resident macrophages on electron microscopy. Conclusion. USPIO-enhanced MRI identifies macrophage.

Ryhänen E.M., Schildt J., Heiskanen I., Väisänen M., Ahonen A., Löyttyniemi E., Schalin-Jäntti C., Välimäki M.J.

Objectives. Studies comparing outcome of single-T99mc-methoxyisobutylisonitrile (T99mc-sestamibi) and dual-tracer T99mc-sestamibi scintigraphy in combination with 123I before primary surgery of primary hyperparathyroidism (PHPT) are scarce. Methods. We compared T99mc-sestamibi/123I and T99mc-sestamibi in a single-centre retrospective series of 269 PHPT patients. The results were related to laboratory, surgical and histological findings. Results. T99mc-sestamibi/123I and T99mc-sestamibi were positive in 206 (76.6%) and 111 (41.3%) of 269 patients, respectively (P < 0.001). Accuracies for T99mc-sestamibi/123I and T99mc-sestamibi were 63.4% and 34.9%, respectively (96% CI, P < 0.001). Prevalence of multiglandular disease was 15.2%. In multiglandular disease, T99mc-sestamibi/123I and T99mc-sestamibi revealed 43.8 and 22.1% of pathological glands, respectively (P < 0.001). Cure rate was similar for patients with (191/206; 92.7%) and without (59 of 63; 93.7%) a positive T99mc-sestamibi/123I finding. Duration of targeted surgery (one or two quadrants) was 21 and 15 minutes shorter than bilateral neck exploration, respectively (both P < 0.001). Higher serum calcium (P = 0.014) and PTH (P = 0.055) concentrations and larger tumours (P < 0.001) characterized the 206 patients with a positive preoperative scan who were cured by removal of a single adenoma. Conclusions. T99mc-sestamibi/123I scintigraphy is more accurate than T99mc-sestamibi before surgery of PHPT. However, outcome of surgery is not determined by scintigraphy alone.

van Wieringen J., de Bruin K., Janssen H.M., Fransen P.M., Janssen A.G., van Doremalen P.A., Michel M.C., Elsinga P.H., Booij J.

For imaging of dopamine D2/3receptors, agonist tracers are favoured over antagonists because they are more sensitive to detection of dopamine release and because they may selectively label the high-affinity receptor state. We have developed novel D2/3receptor selective agonists that can be radiolabelled with [123I], which label is advantageous over most other labels, such as carbon-11, as it has a longer half-life. Particularly, we considered (R) N-[7-hydroxychroman-2-yl]-methyl 4-iodobenzyl amine (compound1) as an attractive candidate for development as it shows high binding affinity to D2/3receptors in vitro, and here we report on the characterization of this first [123I]-labelled D2/3receptor agonist radiopharmaceutical intended for SPECT imaging. The appropriate tin precursor for [123I]-1was developed and was successfully radiolabelled with iodine-123 giving a moderate yield (30–35%) and a good purity (>95%) for [123I]-1. In biodistribution experiments in Wistar rats intravenous injection of [123I]-1resulted in a fast brain uptake, where the observed binding in the D2/3receptor-rich striatum was slightly higher than that in the cerebellum 30 min to 4 h p.i. Storage phosphor imaging experiments, however, did not show specific D2/3receptor binding. In conclusion, despite promising in vitro data for1, neither specific ex vivo binding nor high signal-to-noise ratios were found in rodents for [123I]-1.

Alexiou G.A., Xourgia X., Vartholomatos E., Tsiouris S., Kalef-Ezra J.A., Fotopoulos A.D., Kyritsis A.P.

Tc-Tetrofosmin (Tc-TF) and Tc-Sestamibi (Tc-MIBI) are SPECT tracers that have been used for brain tumor imaging. Tumor’s multidrug resistance phenotype, namely, P-glycoprotein (p-gp), and the multidrug resistance related proteins (MRPs) expression have been suggested to influence both tracers’ uptake. In the present study we set out to compare Tc-MIBI uptake in high-grade glioma cell lines and to investigate the influence of gliomas p-gp expression on both tracers’ uptake. We used four glioma cell lines (U251MG, A172, U87MG, and T98G). The expression of p-gp protein was evaluated by flow cytometry. Twenty μCi (7.4·105 Bq) of Tc-TF and Tc-MIBI were used. The radioactivity in the cellular lysate was measured with a dose calibrator. P-gp was significantly expressed only in the U251MG cell line (). In all gliomas cell lines (U251MG, U87MG, A172, and T98G) the Tc-TF uptake was significantly higher than Tc-sestamibi. The U251MG cell line, in which significant p-gp expression was documented, exhibited the strongest uptake difference. Tc-TF uptake was higher than Tc-MIBI in all studied high-grade glioma cell lines. Thus, Tc-TF may be superior to Tc-MIBI for glioma imaging in vivo.

Tekabe Y., Kollaros M., Li Q., Zhang G., Li C., Schmidt A.M., Johnson L.L.

Objective. Receptor for advanced glycated endproducts (RAGE) plays an important role in atherogenesis in diabetes. We imaged RAGE to investigate the effect of glucose control to suppress RAGE and reduce atherosclerosis in apolipoprotein E null (apoE−/−) diabetic mice. Methods and Results. Thirty-three apoE−/− mice received streptozotocin and 6 weeks later 15 began treatment with insulin implants. Blood glucose measurements during study averaged: 140 ± 23 mg/dL (treated) and 354 ± 14 mg/dL (untreated). After 15 wk 30 mice were injected with Tc99m-anti-RAGE F(ab′)2, 3 with Tc99m-nonimmune IgG F(ab′)2, and all with CT contrast agent and underwent SPECT/CT imaging. At necropsy, the proximal aorta was weighed, counted, and sectioned and the % injected dose per gram (%ID/g) was calculated. From the merged SPECT/CT scans, tracer uptake localized to arteries was lower in the treated mice: 3.15±1.82×10-3 versus 8.69±4.58×10-3%ID (P=0.001). Percent cross-sectional lesion area was smaller in the treated (14.3±7.8% versus 29.5±10.9%) (P=0.03). RAGE uptake on scans (%ID) correlated with quantitative RAGE staining in the atheroma and with %ID/g (R=0.6887; P=0.01). Lesion size as percent cross-sectional area was smaller in the treated (14.3±7.8% versus 29.5±10.9%) (P=0.03). RAGE uptake on scans (%ID) correlated with quantitative RAGE staining in the atheroma and with %ID/g (R=0.6887; P=0.01). Conclusions. These results support the importance of suppressing RAGE to reduce atherosclerotic complications of diabetes and value of molecular imaging to assess treatment effect.

Amor-Coarasa A., Milera A., Carvajal D., Gulec S., McGoron A.J.

Rapid developments in the field of medical imaging have opened new avenues for the use of positron emitting labeled microparticles. The radioisotope used in our research was 68Ga, which is easy to obtain from a generator and has good nuclear properties for PET imaging. Methods. Commercially available macroaggregated albumin (MAA) microparticles were suspended in sterile saline, centrifuged to remove the free albumin and stannous chloride, relyophilized, and stored for later labeling with 68Ga. Labeling was performed at different temperatures and times. 68Ga purification settings were also tested and optimized. Labeling yield and purity of relyophilized MAA microparticles were compared with those that were not relyophilized. Results. MAA particles kept their original size distribution after relyophilization. Labeling yield was 98% at 75°C when a 68Ga purification system was used, compared to 80% with unpurified 68Ga. Radiochemical purity was over 97% up to 4 hours after the labeling. The relyophilized MAA and labeling method eliminate the need for centrifugation purification of the final product and simplify the labeling process. Animal experiments demonstrated the high in vivo stability of the obtained PET agent with more than 95% of the activity remaining in the lungs after 4 hours.