Biodistribution and dosimetry of 195mPt-cisplatin in normal volunteers

195mPt-cisplatin is regarded as a promising imaging agent for optimizing dosage in patients receiving cisplatin chemotherapy. Methods: We investigated the whole-body distribution and radiation dosimetry of 195mPt-cisplatin in humans. Whole-body scans were obtained up to 144 h after intravenous injection of 112.4 MBq 195mPt-cisplatin in each of five subjects. Blood samples were taken at various times up to 144 h after injection. Urine was collected up to 114 h after injection for calculation of renal clearance and whole-body clearance. Time/activity curves were generated by fitting the organ-specific geometric mean counts, obtained from regions of interest, on the respective images as a function of the time after injection. OLINDA software package was applied to calculate the absorbed radiation dose for various organs. Results: Most of the activity (32 ± 4%) was excreted in the urine during the first 5 h. The effective clearance half-life derived from extrapolation of the whole-body curve was 40 hours (1.7 days). On average, the highest dose was received by the kidneys (mean dose received 2.68 ± 1.5 mGy/MBq), followed by the spleen (mean dose received 1.6 ± 0.8 mGy/MBq) followed by the liver (mean dose received 1.45 ± 0.38 mGy/MBq). The estimated mean effective dose for the adult subject was 0.185 ± 0.034 mSv/MBq. Conclusion: 195mPt-cisplatin proved a safe radiopharmaceutical with a favourable bio distribution for early and delayed imaging of pathology above the diaphragm. The ED obtained was 0.185 ± 0.034 mSv/MBq. The highest organ dose was received by the kidneys (2.68 ± 1.5 mGy/ MBq).

[Multidrug-Resistant Organisms (MDRO) in Rehabilitation Clinics in the Rhine-Main-District, Germany, 2014: Prevalence and Risk Factors]

BACKGROUND

While a limited number of studies have investigated the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in medical rehabilitation institutions, almost no data on the colonization of rehabilitation patients with multiresistant gram-negative rods is available. Here we report on a large multicenter study on the prevalence of MRSA and multiresistant pathogens in rehabilitation institutions in the Rhine-Main area in 2014.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Altogether, 21 rehabilitation hospitals participated. For all patients, age, gender, previous history of hospitalizations, surgery, previous colonization with multidrug-resistant organisms, use of a medical device, current antimicrobial therapy, and the current infection status were ascertained. On voluntary basis, nare and throat swabs were taken for analysis of MRSA and rectal swabs were tested for extended spectrum betalactamase-producing gram-negative bacteria (ESBL).

RESULTS

50% of 2 440 patients had a history of hospitalization within the previous 6 months while 39% had undergone surgery during the past 30 days. Approximately a quarter of the patients had been transferred to a rehabilitation hospital directly from an acute care hospital, had been under antimicrobial therapy with the past three months, or had travelled to a foreign country within the previous year. Risk factors such as lesions of the intact skin or presence of medical devices were rarely reported (< 5%) within the exception of patients undergoing geriatric or neurologic acute care rehabilitation. 0.7% (15/2155) of the patients were colonized with MRSA, while 7.7% (110/1434) showed a positive result for ESBL. The highest prevalence rates for multiresistant organisms were encountered among patients with neurologic rehabilitation (MRSA, 1.3%, and ESBL, 10.2%) or with geriatric rehabilitation (MRSA, 9.4%, and ESBL, 22.7%).

CONCLUSION

In the rehabilitation patient population, the prevalence rates of MRSA and ESBL were found to be in the range of rates encountered in the general population (reported rates for MRSA, 0.5%, and ESBL, 6.3%). The known risk factors for MRSA such as skin lesions, medical devices and previous history for MRSA were also confirmed among this patient population. Direct transfer from an acute care hospital, antimicrobial treatment during the past 3 months, and wounds proved significant risk factors for ESBL colonization. Patients of neurologic rehabilitation and geriatric patients showed the highest rates of risk factors and the highest prevalence rates of multidrug-resistant organisms. It appears to be of importance for rehabilitation hospitals to be geared to the needs of patients with multidrug-resistant organisms, and prevent the transmission of these pathogens by appropriate hygiene measures.

Treatment of textile wastewaters using Eutectic Freeze Crystallization

A water treatment process needs to recover both water and other useful products if the process is to be viewed as being financially and environmentally sustainable. Eutectic Freeze Crystallization (EFC) is one such sustainable water treatment process that is able to produce both pure ice (water) and pure salt(s) by operating at a specific temperature. The use of EFC for the treatment of water is particularly useful in the textile industry because ice crystallization excludes all impurities from the recovered water, including dyes. Also, EFC can produce various salts with the intention of reusing these salts in the process. This study investigated the feasibility of EFC as a treatment method for textile industry wastewaters. The results showed that EFC can be used to convert 95% of the wastewater stream to pure ice (98% purity) and sodium sulfate.

Development of a psychometrically valid and reliable sports nutrition knowledge questionnaire

The present range of sports nutrition knowledge questionnaires have inadequate psychometric validation, and few are up to date in a rapidly changing discipline. The purpose of this study was to design a sports nutrition questionnaire that satisfied acceptable psychometric criteria of validity (content and construct) and reliability (test-retest). The questionnaire was designed by an expert panel of six sports dietitians and distributed to five groups, selected for their expected variation in sports nutrition knowledge. Dietitians, university business staff and nutrition students received questionnaires via e-mail. The response rates obtained were 21.3% (n = 49), 34.4% (n = 33), and 72.0% (n = 18), respectively. University business and fitness students completed questionnaires during class time. Response rates were 52.3% (n = 23) and 75.4% (n = 49), respectively. The questionnaire was administered a second time to the business staff and the dietitians to assess test-retest reliability. Two methods were used: 1, Pearson's product-moment correlation; and 2, a percentage calculation of questions answered in an identical manner on both test occasions. Reliability was acceptable with Method 1 yielding acceptable values (r = 0.74-0.93), aside from the fluid sub-category (r = 0.52). Method 2 showed good test-retest concordance with 81.2% duplication of responses of all questions. Construct validity was high, as indicated by significant mean knowledge score differences between the groups (p = 0.0001). Dietitians and nutrition students achieved significantly greater mean scores than the remaining groups. The findings of this study indicate that the questionnaire is suitably valid and reliable to be used in research and practice to determine sports nutrition knowledge.

Thyroid hormone deficiency before the onset of hearing causes irreversible damage to peripheral and central auditory systems

Both a genetic or acquired neonatal thyroid hormone (TH) deficiency may result in a profound mental disability that is often accompanied by deafness. The existence of various TH-sensitive periods during inner ear development and general success of delayed, corrective TH treatment was investigated by treating pregnant and lactating rats with the goitrogen methimazole (MMI). We observed that for the establishment of normal hearing ability, maternal TH, before fetal thyroid gland function on estrus days 17-18, is obviously not required. Within a crucial time between the onset of fetal thyroid gland function and the onset of hearing at postnatal day 12 (P12), any postponement in the rise of TH-plasma levels, as can be brought about by treating lactating mothers with MMI, leads to permanent hearing defects of the adult offspring. The severity of hearing defects that were measured in 3- to 9-mo-old offspring could be increased with each additional day of TH deficiency during this critical period. Unexpectedly, the active cochlear process, assayed by distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE) measurements, and speed of auditory brain stem responses, which both until now were not thought to be controlled by TH, proved to be TH-dependent processes that were damaged by a delay of TH supply within this critical time. In contrast, no significant differences in the gross morphology and innervation of the organ of Corti or myelin gene expression in the auditory system, detected as myelin basic protein (MBP) and proteolipid protein (PLP) mRNA using Northern blot approach, were observed when TH supply was delayed for few days. These classical TH-dependent processes, however, were damaged when TH supply was delayed for several weeks. These surprising results may suggest the existence of different TH-dependent processes in the auditory system: those that respond to corrective TH supply (e.g., innervation and morphogenesis of the organ of Corti) and those that do not, but require T3 activity during a very tight time window (e.g. , active cochlear process, central processes).

Evidence for active, nonlinear, negative feedback in the vibration response of the apical region of the in-vivo guinea-pig cochlea

The transverse vibration response of the organ of Corti near the apical end of the guinea-pig cochlea was measured in vivo. For cochleae in good physiological condition, as ascertained with threshold compound action potentials and the endocochlear potential, increasing amounts of attenuation and phase lag were found as the intensity was decreased below 80 dB SPL. These nonlinear phenomena disappeared post mortem. The data suggest that an active, nonlinear damping mechanism exists at low intensities at the apex of the cochlea. The phase nonlinearity, evident at all frequencies except at the best frequency (BF), was limited to a total phase change of 0.25 cycles, implying negative feedback of electromechanical force from the outer hair cells into a compliant organ of Corti. The amplitude nonlinearity was largest above BF, possibly due to interaction with a second vibration mode. The high-frequency flank of the amplitude response curve was shifted to lower frequencies by as much as 0.6 octave (oct) for a 50-dB reduction of sound intensity; the reduction of BF was 0.3 oct, but there was no change of relative bandwidth (Q(10 dB)). Detailed frequency responses measured at 60 dB SPL were consistent with non-dispersive, travelling-wave motion: travel time to the place of BF (400 Hz at 60 dB SPL) was 2.9 ms, Q(10 dB) was 1.0; standing-wave motion occurred above 600 Hz. Based on comparison with neural and mechanical data from the base of the cochlea, amplitudes at the apex appear to be sufficient to yield behavioural thresholds. It is concluded that active negative feedback may be a hallmark of the entire cochlea at low stimulus frequencies and that, in contrast to the base, the apex does not require active amplification.

Gene disruption of p27(Kip1) allows cell proliferation in the postnatal and adult organ of corti

Hearing loss is most often the result of hair-cell degeneration due to genetic abnormalities or ototoxic and traumatic insults. In the postembryonic and adult mammalian auditory sensory epithelium, the organ of Corti, no hair-cell regeneration has ever been observed. However, nonmammalian hair-cell epithelia are capable of regenerating sensory hair cells as a consequence of nonsensory supporting-cell proliferation. The supporting cells of the organ of Corti are highly specialized, terminally differentiated cell types that apparently are incapable of proliferation. At the molecular level terminally differentiated cells have been shown to express high levels of cell-cycle inhibitors, in particular, cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitors [Parker, S. B., et al. (1995) Science 267, 1024-1027], which are thought to be responsible for preventing these cells from reentering the cell cycle. Here we report that the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27(Kip1) is selectively expressed in the supporting-cell population of the organ of Corti. Effects of p27(Kip1)-gene disruption include ongoing cell proliferation in postnatal and adult mouse organ of Corti at time points well after mitosis normally has ceased during embryonic development. This suggests that release from p27(Kip1)-induced cell-cycle arrest is sufficient to allow supporting-cell proliferation to occur. This finding may provide an important pathway for inducing hair-cell regeneration in the mammalian hearing organ.

Attitudes about cancer pain: a survey of 727 health care professionals in West Virginia

To assess the attitudes of health care professionals in West Virginia about cancer pain, we utilized an 11-item questionnaire developed by DeWiessman and T.L. Dahl. We administered this questionnaire to 727 health care professionals and chi-square tests were used to assess correlations between attitudes on cancer pain and demographic characteristics (e.g. age, family history of cancer, sex, etc.). The majority of respondents believed that greater than 60% of cancer patients experience pain and that most patients were undermedicated with respect to pain. Age and having a family member with cancer were the major factors affecting attitudes. Respondents less than 46 years old compared to those 46 or older, were more likely to believe that most cancer patients were undermedicated; that addiction to narcotics is rare; and that the patient is the best judge of cancer pain intensity. Respondents with a family member with cancer were less likely to be concerned about addiction if a family member is given morphine. We conclude that educational efforts should be directed at altering attitudes regarding cancer pain in individuals age 46 years or older and those without a family history of cancer.