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Accumulating evidence has shown the adverse effect of long-term hyperaldosteronism on cardiovascular morbidity that is independent of blood pressure. However, the diagnosis of primary aldosteronism (PA) remains a challenge for patients who present with subtle or atypical features or have chronic kidney disease (CKD). SPECT/CT has proven valuable in the diagnosis of a number of conditions. The aim of this study was to determine the usefulness of I-131 NP-59 SPECT/CT in patients with atypical presentations of PA and in those with CKD. The records of 15 patients with PA were retrospectively analyzed. NP-59 SPECT/CT was able to identify adrenal lesion(s) in CKD patients with suspected PA. Patients using NP-59 SPECT/CT imaging, compared with those not performing this procedure, significantly featured nearly normal serum potassium levels, normal aldosterone-renin ratio, and smaller adrenal size on CT and pathological examination and tended to feature stage 1 hypertension and non-suppressed plasma renin activity. These findings show that noninvasive NP-59 SPECT/CT is a useful tool for diagnosis in patients with subclinical or atypical features of PA and those with CKD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The application of an artificial neural network (ANN) in prediction of outcomes using clinical data is being increasingly used. The aim of this study was to assess whether an ANN model is a useful tool for predicting skeletal metastasis in patients with prostate cancer. Consecutive patients with prostate cancer who underwent the technetium-99m methylene diphosphate (Tc-99m MDP) whole body bone scintigraphies were retrospectively analyzed between 2001 and 2005. The predictors were the patient’s age and radioimmunometric serum PSA concentration. The outcome variable was dichotomous, either skeletal metastasis or non-skeletal metastasis, based on the results of Tc-99m MDP whole body bone scintigraphy. To assess the performance for classification model in clinical study, the discrimination and calibration of an ANN model was calculated. The enrolled subjects consisted of 111 consecutive male patients aged 72.41 ± 7.69 years with prostate cancer. Sixty-seven patients (60.4%) had skeletal metastasis based on the scintigraphic diagnosis. The final best architecture of neural network model was four-layered perceptrons. The area under the receiver-operating characteristics curve (0.88 ± 0.07) revealed excellent discriminatory power ( p < 0.001) with the best simultaneous sensitivity (87.5%) and specificity (83.3%). The Hosmer–Lemeshow statistic was 6.74 ( p = 0.08 > 0.05), which represented a good-fit calibration. These results suggest that an ANN, which is based on limited clinical parameters, appears to be a promising method in forecasting of the skeletal metastasis in patients with prostate cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Protein-losing enteropathy (PLE) is an uncommon manifestation associated with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Here, a case with SLE and concomitant hypoalbuminemia is reported. Technetium-99m albumin scintigraphy demonstrated a localized lesion in the ascending colon, and the diagnosis of SLE-related PLE was established. Due to a poor response to medical treatment, this patient received surgical resection, but relapse still developed later on. Recurrent protein-lose from the remaining of the colon was documented by repeated images. This report discusses the management of SLE-related PLE and the role of nuclear medicine scintigraphy in the investigation of PLE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Estimating total body water (TBW) is crucial in determining dry weight and dialytic dose for hemodialysis patients. Several anthropometric equations have been used to predict TBW, but a more accurate method is needed. We developed an artificial neural network (ANN) to predict TBW in hemodialysis patients. Methods: Demographic data, anthropometric measurements, and multifrequency bioelectrical impedance analysis (MF-BIA) were investigated in 54 patients. TBW measured by MF-BIA (TBW-BIA) was the reference. The predictive value of TBW based on ANN and five anthropometric equations (58% of actual body weight, Watson formula, Hume formula, Chertow formula, and Lee formula) was evaluated. Results: Predictive TBW values derived from anthropometric equations were significantly higher than TBW-BIA (31.341 ± 6.033 liters). The only non-significant difference was between TBW-ANN (31.468 ± 5.301 liters) and TBW-BIA (p = 0.639). ANN had the strongest Pearson’s correlation coefficient (0.911) and smallest root mean square error (2.480); its peak centered most closely to zero with the shortest tails in an empirical cumulative distribution plot when compared with the other five equations. Conclusion: ANN could surpass traditional anthropometric equations and serve as a feasible alternative method of TBW estimation for chronic hemodialysis patients. Copyright © 2005 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In vivo bio-distribution of directly radioisotope (Tc-99 m) labeled with ferrite (Fe3O4) nanoparticles, conjugated with Poly(ethyelene glycol) (PEG), upon intravenous injection into rats was studied. The time evolution of bio-distribution of the radio-beads was investigated by analyzing the scintigrams monitored with a planar gamma camera. From the scintigraphic images, the PEG conjugated ferrite radiobeads have demonstrated a reduction of uptake by organs. Whereas, the ferrite-radiobeads have shown a fast and great uptake by the liver during the first few blood circulations. Therapeutic applications by further conjugation of the ferrite radiobeads with herb medicals, such as Gentiana combination and Trionyx sinensis, are feasible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]