Access to nuclear genes in eukaryotes is provided by members of the importin (IMP) superfamily of proteins, which are of alpha- or beta-types, the best understood nuclear import pathway being mediated by a heterodimer of an IMP alpha and IMP beta1. IMP alpha recognises specific targeting signals on cargo proteins, while IMP beta1 mediates passage into, and release within, the nucleus by interac...

The microsphere model and the continuous withdrawal of arterial blood have been commonly used in clinical studies when measuring regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) by N-isopropyl-p[123I]iodoamphetamine (IMP) SPECT. The method is considered to underestimate rCBF because of the washout of the tracer from brain tissue with increasing time after injection; however, the extent of this underestimati...

Dural arteriovenous fistulae(dAVF) in the anterior cranial fossa comprise about 6% of all dAVFs, and is usually detected after intracranial hemorrhage. However, non-hemorrhagic symptoms are uncommon. We encountered two patients with hemorrhagic and non-hemorrhagic dAVF in the anterior cranial fossa. Both cases were successfully treated using craniotomy and histopathological examination was perf...

OBJECTIVES To investigate the specific pattern of cerebral blood flow (CBF) in subjects with idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) using voxel-based analysis. METHODS N-isopropyl-p-[123I]iodoamphetamine (IMP) single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) images were performed in 30 iNPH patients, who met probable iNPH criteria, 30 Alzheimer disease (AD) patients and 15 normal c...

A 44-year-old euthyroid woman had two palpable nodules in the thyroid gland. 123I thyroid scintigraphy showed a hot nodule in the right lobe and a cold one in the left lobe. Total thyroidectomy was performed, and histopathologic examination revealed that both tumors contained papillary carcinoma. Thus, hot nodules on a thyroid scintigram with 123I do not necessarily preclude malignancy.

UNLABELLED SPECT imaging with 123I-labeled methyl 3 beta-(4-iodophenyl)tropane-2 beta-carboxylate ([123I]beta-CIT) in nonhuman primates has shown brain striatal activity, which primarily reflects binding to the dopamine transporter. The biodistribution and calculated radiation-absorbed doses of [123I]beta-CIT administered to eight healthy subjects were measured with attention to the accurate de...

A total of 26 blaIMP-4-carrying strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae were isolated from 2009 to 2013 in a Chinese teaching hospital, and these strains can be assigned into multiple sequence types or allelic profiles as determined by multilocus sequence typing. Of these strains, P. aeruginosa P378 and K. pneumoniae 1220 harbor the IMP-4-encoding plasmids pP378-IMP and p122...

UNLABELLED The 11C-labeled tracer meta-hydroxyephedrine (11C-HED) is a noradrenaline analog that was developed to visualize the sympathetic nervous system with PET. Initial clinical studies show a rapid uptake of 11C-HED in localized tumors of this system. Whole-body imaging with 11C-HED PET is now possible as PET/CT scanners allow a rather short examination time. The aim of this study was to e...

BACKGROUND 6-Hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) is widely used in pre-clinical animal studies to induce degeneration of midbrain dopamine neurons to create animal models of Parkinson's disease. The aim of our study was to evaluate the potential of combined single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) for the detection of differences in 6-OHDA-induced partial lesions in a dose...

BACKGROUND Patients with Brugada syndrome present with characteristic ECG abnormalities (atypical right bundle-branch block and ST-segment elevation) and life-threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmias despite structurally normal hearts. Involvement of the autonomic nervous system is suggested by the occurrence of ventricular tachyarrhythmias and sudden death at rest or during sleep and by change...