Search

The article presents news related to nuclear science. The Atomic Energy Authority of Great Britain reports no evidence of excess of cancer deaths among its employees. There is a potential funding crisis for the Radiation Effects Research Foundation, representing a potential setback to the people interested in learning the real effects of low-dose radiation risk. The Croatian and Slovenian Societies of Nuclear Medicine jointly organized the Second Workshop on Nuclear Medicine in South-eastern Europe. The 2004 Marie Curie Award for the best scientific paper of the year was presented in Helsinki to Dr. Alberto Signore and co-workers from the University of Rome "La Sapienza" in Rome, Italy.

Purpose: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by airflow limitation which is not fully reversible. Despite the heterogeneity of COPD, its diagnosis and staging is currently based solely on forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV). FEV does not explain the underlying pathophysiology of airflow limitation. The relationship between FEV, symptoms and emphysema extent is weak. Better diagnostic tools are needed to define COPD. Tomographic lung scintigraphy [ventilation/perfusion single photon emission tomography (V/P SPECT)] visualizes regional V and P. In COPD, relations between V/P SPECT, spirometry, high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) and symptoms have been insufficiently studied. The aim of this study was to investigate how lung function imaging and obstructive disease grading undertaken using V/P SPECT correlate with symptoms, spirometric lung function and degree of emphysema assessed with HRCT in patients with COPD. Methods: Thirty patients with stable COPD were evaluated with the Medical Research Council dyspnoea questionnaire (MRC) and the clinical COPD questionnaire (CCQ). Spirometry was performed. The extent of emphysema was assessed using HRCT. V/P SPECT was used to assess V/P patterns, total reduction in lung function and degree of obstructive disease. Results: The total reduction in lung function and degree of obstructive disease, assessed with V/P SPECT, significantly correlated with emphysema extent ( r = 0.66-0.69, p < 0.0001) and spirometric lung function ( r = 0.62-0.74, p < 0.0005). The correlation between emphysema extent and spirometric lung function was weaker. No correlation between MRC, CCQ and objective measurements was found. Conclusion: V/P SPECT is sensitive to early changes in COPD. V/P SPECT also has the possibility to identify comorbid disease. V/P SPECT findings show a significant correlation with emphysema extent and spirometric lung function. We therefore recommend that scintigraphic signs of COPD, whenever found, should be reported. V/P SPECT can also be used to categorize the severity of functional changes in COPD as mild, moderate or severe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A questionnaire was sent to 251 nuclear medicine centres asking for details of nuclear medicine activity, and nuclear cardiology activity and practice in 1997. One hundred and seventy-one (68%) centres replied. Nuclear medicine activity was estimated at 11.8 studies/1,000 population/year, and 9.5% of these studies were within cardiology (1.12 studies/1,000/year). Myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) studies accounted for 77% and radionuclide ventriculography (RNV) for 22% of all nuclear cardiology. On a national basis this represents activity levels of 0.86 and 0.25 studies/1,000/year for MPI and RNV, respectively. Of the 171 responding centres, 102 (60%) performed MPI studies and 81 (79%) of these reported that activity was increasing. However, MPI activity was unevenly distributed between hospitals. Two centres accounted for 13% of total MPI; others had far lower activity rates, and 51/102 (50%) centres performed less than 200 MPI studies/year. Comparison with previous surveys showed that nuclear medicine activity had almost doubled since 1990 (it was 6.0 studies/1,000 population in 1990, 9.3 studies/1,000 in 1994 and 11.8 studies/1,000 in 1997). Over the same period, nuclear cardiology activity had also risen, the greatest increase being seen for the last 3 years (it was 0.7 studies/1,000 population in 1990, 0.82 studies/1,000 in 1994 and 1.12 studies/1,000 in 1997). Despite these encouraging figures, MPI activity for 1997 remained well below that recommended by the British Cardiac Society in 1994 (2.6 studies/1,000/year) as adequate to serve the needs of patients with cardiac disease in the UK; it was also below the European average activity for the same year (2.2 studies/1,000/year). The anticipated increased workload for nuclear cardiology is encouraging despite the wide and varied practice of nuclear cardiology around the UK. The nuclear medicine community now needs to address the issues that will prevent it keeping up with demand, such as restricted... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Focuses on the challenges faced by the editor of the "European Journal of Nuclear Medicine" in London, England. Methods used to increase readership; Support received from the different bodies of nuclear medicine; Difficulties experienced in introducing improvements and innovations.