Assessment of left ventricular diastolic function by gated single-photon emission tomography: comparison with Doppler echocardiography.

Gated single-photon emission tomography (SPET) is not yet an established procedure for the evaluation of left ventricular (LV) diastolic function. This study examined diastolic function derived from gated SPET in comparison with an established diagnostic tool, Doppler echocardiography. We examined 37 consecutive patients with normal sinus rhythm who underwent gated technetium-99m tetrofosmin SPET.

Recurrence patterns after curative resection of colorectal cancer in patients followed for a minimum of ten years.

Background/aims: To investigate the recurrence patterns and interval from initial surgery in patients with curatively resected colorectal cancer followed for a minimum of 10 years.

Methodology: We retrospectively reviewed 418 patients who had undergone curative resection for colon cancer (n = 246) or rectal cancer (n = 169). Follow-up periods ranged from 10 to 23 years.

Case report: recurrence of soft tissue MFH in bone due to minute intravenous tumor emboli detected by MRI.

We recently encountered a case with local recurrence of malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) in the bone after wide resection, caused by minute intravenous tumor emboli which were retrospectively detected in MR imaging. The patient was a 69-year-old woman who initially noticed a mass in her left thigh. The tumor was diagnosed to be MFH, therefore a wide resection was performed; although the tumor was closely attached to the periosteum, it was not difficult to dissect the tumor subperiosteally from the cortex of the femur.

Pharmacokinetics of 5-fluorouracil following hepatic intra-arterial infusion in a VX2 hepatic metastasis model.

Background: Hepatic intra-arterial infusion chemotherapy of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) or fluorodeoxyuridine (FUDR) has been a treatment option for liver metastasis from colorectal cancer. However, an optimal administration schedule of 5-FU is still controversial. This study was conducted to evaluate a suitable schedule from the viewpoint of 5-FU metabolites and related enzymes.

The stability of dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase activity in colorectal cancer tissue after resection.

Dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD) is the first and rate-limiting enzyme in the catabolism of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU). DPD activity in tumor tissue may consequently serve as a predictive factor for sensitivity to 5-FU. The purpose of this study was to elucidate the stability of DPD activity over time in resected colorectal cancer tissue.

Serum fatty acid levels, dietary style and coronary heart disease in three neighbouring areas in Japan: the Kumihama study.

CHD mortality is extremely low in Japan, particularly in rural districts, when compared with that in Western countries. This has been partly attributed to the difference in dietary lifestyle. We investigated the factors influencing CHD mortality in a rural coastal district of Japan, comprising mercantile, farming, and fishing areas with distinct dietary habits.

Increased plasma brain natriuretic peptide level as a guide for silent myocardial ischemia in patients with non-obstructive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

Objectives: We measured plasma atrial/brain natriuretic peptide (ANP/BNP) levels at rest and during exercise and correlated the results with various clinical findings, particularly with myocardial ischemia, in asymptomatic hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM).

Background: In patients with HCM, ANP and BNP levels are elevated and exercise-induced myocardial ischemia is common. However, it has not yet been elucidated how these levels at rest and their change with dynamic exercise are related to ischemia.

Measurement of cerebral blood flow using graph plot analysis and I-123 iodoamphetamine.

Purpose: N-isopropyl-p[I-123]iodoamphetamin (IMP) is transiently taken up by the lungs after intravenous injection and its concentration in arterial blood varies depending on the degree of I-123 IMP uptake and subsequent washout. A method that does not require arterial blood sampling would be valuable to measure cerebral blood flow (CBF) using I-123 IMP.

Methods: The authors developed a new theory and a convenient new method of CBF determination using I-123 IMP that does not require blood sampling.

Assessment of transient left ventricular dilatation on rest and exercise on Tc-99m tetrofosmin myocardial SPECT.

In myocardial perfusion imaging, multiple-vessel involvement of coronary artery disease (CAD) sometimes makes diagnosis difficult. Transient left ventricular (LV) dilatation on Tl-201 myocardial SPECT is a useful finding that enables the clinician to identify patients with multiple-vessel disease. The aim of this study was to confirm the utility of measuring transient LV dilatation for the detection of multiple-vessel CAD in exercise Tc-99m tetrofosmin myocardial SPECT.