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Small Animal Imaging and Therapy
Published in George C. Kagadis, Nancy L. Ford, Dimitrios N. Karnabatidis, George K. Loudos, Handbook of Small Animal Imaging, 2018
SPECT imaging is historically an older technique than PET and is based on the detection of gamma radiation emitted from an unstable atomic nucleus. Typically, an animal or patient injected with a SPECT radiopharmaceutical is imaged from several angles (projections), which enables 3D reconstruction of an image and further image processing and analysis. Radioisotopes used in SPECT imaging are characterized by their specific emission spectra, which allow for simultaneous multiple isotope imaging. Also, their relatively long half-lives (hours to days) allow for longitudinal imaging studies for up to several weeks with single administration of the studied radiopharmaceutical. Since different radioisotopes have different physicochemical properties, labeling the molecules or bioactive agents requires access to the radiochemistry resources and the knowledge of traditional chemistry. Also, many SPECT isotopes (technetium-99m, indium-111, or radioactive iodine isotopes such as iodine-125 and iodine-123) need to be chelated before labeling the parent molecule. This process can increase the molecular weight of the target molecule, may change the overall charge, and finally cause steric hindrances that may affect the pharmacokinetic properties of the studied molecule (Mariani et al. 2010).
Machine Learning Approach to Overcome the Challenges in Theranostics
Published in Shampa Sen, Leonid Datta, Sayak Mitra, Machine Learning and IoT, 2018
Bishwambhar Mishra, Sayak Mitra, Karthikeya Srinivasa Varma Gottimukkala, Shampa Sen
One of the important beneficial applications of the use of radiation is in the healing arts. Unlike in many other uses of radiation, the patient receives a direct benefit from the study and therefore evaluation of the risk/benefit relationship is more straightforward. An important example is the use of radiopharmaceuticals, that is, nuclear medicine in both diagnosis and therapy. Diagnostic uses of radiopharmaceuticals are well established and are employed to evaluate a broad variety of patient conditions. Radiation doses for diagnostic agents are developed by studying the biokinetics of the radiopharmaceuticals in preclinical and clinical studies. In the therapeutic approach, extrapolation methods are applied to convert values measured in animal organs for humans, and in the diagnostics case, the quantitative data has been observed in the human subjects and can be used directly for input to dose calculations (Stabin 2006).
Planar Scintigraphy and Emission Tomography
Published in Bethe A. Scalettar, James R. Abney, Cyan Cowap, Introductory Biomedical Imaging, 2022
Bethe A. Scalettar, James R. Abney, Cyan Cowap
In emission imaging, the patient is exposed to a radiopharmaceutical (radiotracer), which consists of a radioactive material associated with a pharmaceutical that localizes to a particular site, e.g., a tumor, in the body. Once labeled, the site becomes a source of high-energy, gamma-ray photons that are generated by nuclear decay events. The gamma rays escape the body, and the spatially varying “count profile” that they produce on a detector is used to generate static and/or time-lapse images of the distribution of the radiopharmaceutical at the site of accumulation (Figs. 12.1 and 12.2). Nuclear imaging modalities include both projection and tomographic approaches, similar to X-ray imaging.
Bismuth coordination chemistry: a brief retrospective spanning crystallography to clinical potential
Published in Journal of Coordination Chemistry, 2021
Andrew H. Bond, Robin D. Rogers
Because of their use in medical procedures, various international bodies have rigorous chemical and radionuclidic purity regulations for radiopharmaceuticals. The chemical purity requirement derives from the needs for rapid, stable, and quantitative binding of the radionuclide, present at trace concentrations, to a biolocalization agent wherein adventitious cationic impurities can severely impair the binding efficiency. The need to ensure high radionuclidic purity stems directly from the hazards associated with the introduction of long lived or high energy radioactive impurities into a patient. The chromatographic separation chemistry reviewed below [46–48] emphasizes the knowledge progression from fundamental solid state studies of Bi3+ complexation by cyclic and acyclic polyethers to solution phase liquid/liquid distribution studies of Bi3+ in PEG-based aqueous biphasic systems to a clinically relevant chromatographic purification of 213Bi3+ for use in targeted radiotherapy.
Nuclear Medicine in Oncology
Published in Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering: Imaging & Visualization, 2018
Carla Oliveira, Rui Parafita, Ana Canudo, Joana Correia Castanheira, Durval C. Costa
Radiopharmaceuticals are at the forefront of any decision-making within Nuclear Medicine. Radiopharmaceuticals are the main source of signal for diagnostic activities. They are also the core elements for achieving the metabolic radioactive therapeutic actions in Nuclear Medicine. Generally speaking, radiopharmaceuticals are composed of a radioactive isotope – radionuclide – which works as a tracer, connected to a molecule that will guide it to the desired target, whether it is a specific organ, body compartment, type of cell, cell component or even incorporating itself in a specific biological process. Therefore, all Nuclear Medicine exams require the administration of a radiopharmaceutical directed towards the function that is under analysis beforehand, and of which the gamma radiation emitted by the radionuclide is detected by the equipment and transformed into images. Similarly, all Nuclear Medicine therapeutics require the administration of a radiopharmaceutical that is specific to the cells intended to destroy. This destruction is essentially mediated by beta minus or alpha particles that are emitted by the radionuclide. But if radiopharmaceuticals are at the forefront of any discussion on Nuclear Medicine, what follows almost immediately is Oncology. In fact, Nuclear Medicine does not exist solely for the purposes of Oncology, but it was conceived with Oncology in mind. Indeed, the first clinical applications of Nuclear Medicine, which date from the 1930s, were within the scope of treatments for leukaemia and thyroid carcinoma with radioactive isotopes.
Human reliability assessment in a 99Mo/99mTc generator production facility using the standardized plant analysis risk-human (SPAR-H) technique
Published in International Journal of Occupational Safety and Ergonomics, 2019
Meysam Eyvazlou, Ali Dadashpour Ahangar, Azin Rahimi, Mohammad Reza Davarpanah, Seyed Soheil Sayyahi, Mehdi Mohebali
As nuclear medicine is making significant progress around the world, similar progress has been made in Iran within three main areas, including imaging, in vitro and laboratory studies, and therapy [7]. Nuclear medicine plays an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of many diseases. It also provides useful information about the patient's health, which is not easily obtainable by other diagnostic methods [8]. For this purpose a radiopharmaceutical, i.e., a radioactive compound, is used. In nuclear medicine, about 95% of radiopharmaceuticals are used for diagnosis and the remaining 5% are used for treatment. Radiopharmaceuticals consist of two parts, a radionuclide and a pharmaceutical, and their advantages depend on their specifications. Many radionuclides have been produced in reactors and linear accelerators [9]. 99mTc radiopharmaceuticals are mostly used in nuclear medicine for diagnostic purposes. Radionuclide generators have an important role in the development and usability of these tracers. Irradiation caused by radiopharmaceutical production has turned into a dangerous and complicated process. Exposure to radiation and contamination caused by handling radioactive substances could damage workers’ health in these facilities [10]. With regard to the consequences of human error in the radiopharmaceutical production process that causes radiation accidents for the exposed workers as well as the increasing need to use 99mTc in the nuclear medicine centers, this study aimed to analyze human error and to provide control measures in a radiopharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Iran. In addition, it is noteworthy that few studies have so far been conducted on the human reliability assessment for these facilities in Iran. To achieve this goal, the SPAR-H technique was used to estimate the human error probability (HEP). This technique is a systematic method for quantification of the human role in the occurrence of errors [2].