Nineteen patients undergoing exercise thallium scanning had two separate redistribution 40 degree LAO acquisitions obtained; the gamma camera was repositioned between the views. Data were analyzed by ...generating 60-point circumferential profile curves for each of the 38 images and the variability of individual points and 18 degrees and 36 degrees segments was determined. Intraobserver variability, assessed by reanalyzing the scans one week later, was approximately 5.0%. The interobserver variability was of similar magnitude (approximately 6%). The total reimaging variability was, however, significantly larger (approximately 13%). It is concluded that quantitative image analysis is highly reproducible with low intra- and interobserver variabilities, but the act of repositioning and reimaging introduces significant additional variability. This may limit the ability of quantitative thallium scanning to document changes in the size of defects.
En el período comprendido entre el 1 de enero y el 31 de diciembre de 2001, se analizaron en ocho hospitales de la ciudad de Buenos Aires, uno de La Plata y en tres del Gran Buenos Aires, 80.141 ...hemocultivos del Sistema Bact-Alert (14.960 botellas FAN aeróbicas, 3.855 FAN anaeróbicas, 11.114 aeróbicas estándar, 11.367 anaeróbicas estándar, 12.054 pediátricas, 26.791 pediátricas FAN) y 44.235 series que correspondieron a 27.615 pacientes. Se obtuvieron 13.657 hemocultivos positivos. Sólo 181 de ellos desarrollaron entre el 5° y el 7° día. Solamente 26 de los 181 aislamientos (0,19% del total de hemocultivos positivos) tuvieron relevancia clínica (Staphylococcus aureus 3; estafilococos coagulasa negativos 2; Enterococcus faecalis 1; Streptococcus pneumoniae 2; Campylobacter spp 1; Escherichia coli 1; Enterobacter cloacae 1; Enterobacter aerogenes 1; Citrobacter freundii 1; Klebsiella pneumoniae 1; Proteus mirabilis 1; Serratia marcescens 4; levaduras 7, que incluyó a una cepa de Cryptococcus neoformans). Los restantes microorganismos fueron asumidos como contaminantes (Propionibacterium spp 57; difteroides 26; estafilococos coagulasa negativos 32; Bacillus spp 14; Micrococcus spp 4; Acinetobacter lwoffi 6; Acinetobacter spp 1; Acinetobacter baumannii 2; Pseudomonas spp 2; Stenotrophomonas maltophilia 1; Alcaligenes xylosoxidans 1; estreptococos del grupo viridans 2; flora polimicrobiana 2 ). Del total de contaminantes, el 38% desarrolló en la botella anaeróbica estándar (65% de ellos fueron Propionibacterium spp y 29% estafilococos coagulasa negativos), 31,2% en la botella FAN aeróbica (33,3% fueron difteroides y 28,9% Bacillus spp), 11,8% en la pediátrica, 9% en pediátrica FAN, 8,33% en aeróbica estándar y 1,4% en FAN anaeróbica. En este trabajo multicéntrico se demuestra que de rutina no es necesario incubar los frascos del Sistema Bact-Alert por más de 5 días.Between January and December 2001, we analyzed 80,141 blood cultures by the Bact-Alert system (14,960 FAN aerobics, 3,855 FAN anaerobic, 11,114 standards aerobics, 11,367 standards anaerobic, 12,054 pediatrics and 26,791 FAN pediatrics bottles) and 44.235 series from 27.615 patients at eight hospitals of Buenos Aires city, one of La Plata city and three of the Buenos Aires province. A total of 13,657 blood cultures yielded a positive result. Only 181 of them had been detected as positive between the 5th and 7th day of incubation and only 26 (0.19%) had clinical significance (Staphylococcus aureus 3; coagulase negative staphylococci 2; Enterococcus faecalis 1; Streptococcus pneumoniae 2; Campylobacter spp 1; Escherichia coli 1; Enterobacter cloacae 1; Enterobacter aerogenes 1; Citrobacter freundii 1; Klebsiella pneumoniae 1; Proteus mirabilis 1; Serratia marcescens 4; yeasts 7, including one strain of Cryptococcus neoformans). Of the total of contaminants, 38% were isolated by the anaerobic standard (65% were Propionibacterium spp and 29% coagulase negative staphylococci), 31.2% by the FAN aerobic (33.3% difphteroids and 28.9% Bacillus spp), 11.8% by the pediatric, 9% by FAN pediatric, 8.33% by aerobic standard and 1.4% by FAN anaerobic bottle. Our results show that the prolonged incubation of blood cultures for more than 5 days using the Bact-Alert system is unnecessary.
A case report of an 82-year-old woman with carcinoma of the gallbladder is presented. Technetium-99m DISIDA cholescintigraphy demonstrated nonvisualization of the gallbladder, with a large ...photon-deficient region corresponding to the gallbladder fossa, with medial displacement of the common bile duct. Carcinoma of the gallbladder has not been previously described as a cause of this scintigraphic pattern.
Uptake of thallium in a patient with sclerosing adenosis of the breast was detected. Although thallium has been reported to accumulate in primary carcinoma of the thyroid, lung, and liver, detection ...of a breast lesion on a thallium scan has not been previously reported.
Bact-Alert automatized system for blood cultures: 5 vs 7 days of incubation. First Argentine multicentre study. Between January and December 2001, we analyzed 80,141 blood cultures by the Bact-Alert ...system (14,960 FAN aerobics, 3,855 FAN anaerobic, 11,114 standards aerobics, 11,367 standards anaerobic, 12,054 pediatrics and 26,791 FAN pediatrics bottles) and 44.235 series from 27.615 patients at eight hospitals of Buenos Aires city, one of La Plata city and three of the Buenos Aires province. A total of 13,657 blood cultures yielded a positive result. Only 181 of them had been detected as positive between the 5th and 7th day of incubation and only 26 (0.19%) had clinical significance (Staphylococcus aureus 3; coagulase negative staphylococci 2; Enterococcus faecalis 1; Streptococcus pneumoniae 2; Campylobacter spp 1; Escherichia coli 1; Enterobacter cloacae 1; Enterobacteraerogenes 1; Citrobacter freundii 1; Klebsiella pneumoniae 1; Proteus mirabilis 1; Serratia marcescens 4; yeasts 7, including one strain of Cryptococcus neoformans). Of the total of contaminants, 38% were isolated by the anaerobic standard (65% were Propionibacterium spp and 29% coagulase negative staphylococci), 31.2% by the FAN aerobic (33.3% difphteroids and 28.9% Bacillus spp), 11.8% by the pediatric, 9% by FAN pediatric, 8.33% by aerobic standard and 1.4% by FAN anaerobic bottle. Our results show that the prolonged incubation of blood cultures for more than 5 days using the Bact-Alert system is unnecessary.
First-harmonic Fourier analysis of a gated blood-pool study is based on the assumption that the cardiac chambers contract once per cardiac cycle. In atrial arrhythmias this condition may not exist ...for the atria. We recently studied a patient with atrial flutter and 2:1 atrioventricular conduction. There were predictable alterations in the first-harmonic Fourier phase and amplitude images. The observed changes from first-harmonic Fourier analysis were: (a) very low atrial amplitude values, and (b) absence of identifiable atrial regions on the phase image.
We have studied the effects of excitonic complexes formation, such as excitons and trions, on the optical and on transport properties of GaAs–GaAlAs n–i–n double barrier diodes, by measuring the ...current–voltage characteristics and the photoluminescence emission, as function of bias. The observation of a pre-resonance shoulder in the I(V) curves, under high laser intensities, and a negative charged excitons in the photoluminescence spectra, under the same bias conditions, were associated to the dissociation of these complexes either by thermal excitation or by scattering with ‘free’ carriers in the quantum well layer. A simple rate equation model allows us to explain the kinetics of the excitonic complexes in double barrier devices.
A prospective study was performed to determine the frequency with which defects on stress thallium images undergo rapid resolution. Analysis of paired views showed that 15% of the defects present in ...anterior views resolve in less than 30 minutes. This study documents the loss of sensitivity that can occur if imaging does not begin promptly after injection.
