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PubMed1955

Decay of incorporated radioactive phosphorus during reproduction of bacteriophage T2.

The multiplication of vegetative T2 bacteriophage in B/r bacteria has been followed by studying the lethal effects of decay of incorporated radiophosphorus P(32) at various stages of the eclipse period. Experiment I. Non-radioactive B/r bacteria were infected with highly radioactive (i.e. P(32)-unstable) T2 and infection allowed to proceed at 37 degrees C. for various numbers of minutes before freezing the infected cells and storing them in liquid nitrogen. The longer development had been allowed to proceed at 37 degrees C. before freezing, the slower the inactivation of the frozen infective centers by P(32) decay. Samples which were frozen after incubation for 9 minutes were completely stable. Experiment II. Radioactive B/r bacteria in radioactive growth medium were infected with non-radioactive (i.e. stable) T2 and incubated for various lengths of time before being frozen and stored in liquid nitrogen, like those of Experiment I. In this case, the infective centers were stable to P(32) decay as long as they were frozen before the end of the eclipse period. The T2 progeny phages issuing from the infected bacteria were P(32)-unstable. Experiment III. Radioactive B/r bacteria in radioactive medium were infected with radioactive (i.e. P(32)-unstable) T2 and otherwise incubated and frozen like those of the first two experiments. In this case, the same progressive stabilization, of the infective centers towards inactivation by P(32) decay was observed as that found in Experiment I. The ability to yield infective progeny of infected bacteria incubated for 10 minutes at 37 degrees C. before freezing could no longer be destroyed by P(32) decay. The progeny issuing from the infected cells were as unstable as the parental phage. These results could be explained by one of three general hypotheses. As vegetative phage begins to multiply, it is possible that: (a) there is a high probability that any part of the vegetative phage already duplicated can be saved after its destruction by P(32) decay through a process analogous to multiplicity reactivation or, (b) there occurs a change in state of the deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) preliminary to or in the course of its replication that renders it refractory to destruction by P(32) decay, or, finally (c) there occurs a transfer of the genetic factors from the DNA of the infecting phage to another substance not sensitive to destruction by P(32) decay.

Bacteria↗
PubMed1975

Determination of mRNA half-life in HeLa cultures by a poly(A)-independent direct analysis of specific radioactivity of mRNA.

mRNA specific radioactivity in HeLa cultures exposed to (3H)uridine (10 muM) was determined directly by a highly selective poly(A)-independent method which we have described previously. Neither uridine in mRNA nor UTP approached the specific radioactivity of the exogenous (3H)uridine, but attained steady-state specific radioactivities which remained a third below the value of the added precursor. Using the labeling data for the evaluation of mRNA turnover, previously described by Greenberg, mRNA half-life in exponentially growing HeLa cultures was found to be 0.87 times the cell doubling time. Decay curves of mRNA in prelabeled cultures were in accordance with these values (half-life equals 0.79 times the cell doubling time) when corrected for growth and also for "reutilization" which was accomplished by relating uridine labeling in mRNA to UTP specific radioactivity. The experiments showed that an exact evaluation of mRNA turnover is possible only when the following points are taken into account. a) A constant supply of exogenous labeled uridine must be provided to guarantee a constant specific radioactivity of UTP. b) Labeling of CTP and of cytidine in RNA are delayed when compared with UTP and uridine in RNA. Corrections for cytidine labeling in RNA are therefore required. c) As rRNA approached a definitely lower steady-state specific radioactivity than mRNA, mRNA specific radioactivities must be determined directly (i.e. by radioactivity and absorbance at 260 nm in isolated mRNA fractions) in order to evaluate true turnover of this RNA species.

Cell Count↗
PubMed1975

Distribution of radioactivity in tissues after the intravenous injection of free and acrylic particle bound-porcine 125I-neurophysin-I into rats and rabbits.

Porcine neurophysin-I iodinated with Na125I was injected intravenously into rats and rabbits, and the rate of disappearance of radioactivity from the peripheral system was measured. Radioactively-labeled neurophysin bound to polymethylmethacrylic particles was similarly infected into the animals. The half-time for the loss of radioactivity from samples of whole blood was 6.1--6.4 min as determined over the first 5 min after administration of the protein. There was no significant difference in the half-time calculated when the radioactivity present in the trichloroacetic acid-insoluble material present in the se-um was measured. 15 min after the injection of labeled protein there was a maximum and massive uptake of radioactivity in the kidney consistent with this tissue's being important in the degradation of neurophysin. Immunoperoxidase histochemical techniques were applied to formalin-fixed kidney slices and demonstrated the presence of neurophysin-like material localized in the cells of proximal tubules of the cortex and medulla. On binding neurophysin to acrylic particles there was approximately a 10-fold increase in the uptake of radioactivity in the lungs and a 33% reduction in activity in the kidneys, as measured at the 15-min time interval. Of the other tissues studied, excluding the thyroid gland and lungs, the uterus demonstrated the greatest uptake of radioactivity of fat tissue had the least accumulation of radioactive label.

Animals↗
PubMed1999

[Investigation of radiation safety management of nuclear medicine facilities in Japan; contamination of radioactivity in the draining-water system. A Working Group of Japanese Society of Nuclear Medicine for the Guidelines of Nuclear Medicine Therapy].

Radiation safety management condition in Japanese nuclear medicine facilities were investigated by the questionnaire method. The first questionnaire was asked in all Japanese 1,401 Nuclear Medicine facilities. Answers from 624 institutes (44.5%) were received and analyzed. The radiation-safety management in nuclear medicine institutes was considered to be very well performed everyday. Opinion for the present legal control of nuclear medicine institutes was that the regulation in Japan was too strict for the clinical use of radionuclides. The current regulation is based on the assumption that 1% of all radioactivity used in nuclear medicine institutes contaminates into the draining-water system. The second questionnaire detailing the contamination of radioactivity in the draining-water system was sent to 128 institutes, and 64 answers were received. Of them, 42 institutes were considered to be enough to evaluate the contamination of radioactivity in the draining-water system. There was no difference between 624 institutes answered to the first questionnaire and 42 institutes, where the radioactivity in the draining-water system was measured, in the distribution of the institute size, draining-water system equipment and the radioactivity measuring method, and these 42 institutes seemed to be representative of Japanese nuclear medicine institutes. Contamination rate of radioactivity into the draining system was calculated by the value of radioactivity in the collecting tank divided by the amount of radionuclides used daily in each institute. The institutes were divided into two categories on the basis of nuclear medicine practice pattern; type A: in-vivo use only and type B: both in-vivo and in-vitro use. The contamination rate in 27 type A institutes did not exceed 0.01%, whereas in 15 type B institutes the contamination rate distributed widely from undetectable to above 1%. These results indicated that the present regulation for the draining-water system, which assumed that 1% of all radioactivity used in nuclear medicine institutes contaminated into draining-water system, should be reconsidered in nuclear medicine facilities where radionuclides are used only in in-vivo studies.

Health Facilities↗
PubMed1987

Pharmacokinetic study of radioactive antineoplaston A10 following oral administration in rats.

Radiolabelled (3H-labelled) Antineoplaston A10 was administered in a single dose of 220 mg to 230 mg/kg to female Sprague Dawley rats. Blood and urine samples for determination of radioactivity were collected one hour prior to, and then at different time intervals after, the administration of the drug. Rats were sacrificed 6 h or 36 h later for the study of radioactivity in the various organs. The concentration of radioactivity in blood reached a maximum after 2 to 3 h after the administration of Antineoplaston A10, whereas the highest concentration of radioactivity in urine was observed in the 3.5-h to 4-h samples. It was observed by quantitative HPLC analysis that in rats sacrificed 6 h after Antineoplaston A10 administration, between 61% to 69% of the drug was absorbed, whereas between 37% to 28% was found in the stomach and between 2% to 3% was present in the intestinal contents and faeces. After 36 h, none could be detected in the stomach, intestinal contents or faeces. Organ distribution studies indicated greater accumulation of radioactivity in ileum, bladder, duodenum, kidneys and jejunum, and relatively low accumulation in the heart, lung, liver and brain. The concentration of radioactivity after 36 h was very low. By quantitative measurement, between 40% to 42% of the drug was excreted in the urine in 6 h and 75% of the radioactive material was in the form of Antineoplaston A10. The identification of the major radioactive material as Antineoplaston A10 was confirmed by TLC and analysis of the products of acid hydrolysis and by determination of melting range.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1987

[Studies on the metabolic fate of 14C-rokitamycin. II. Accumulation of radioactivity in rats after consecutive oral administration].

After a consecutive oral administration of 200 mg/kg/day of 14C-rokitamycin (TMS-19-Q) daily for 28 days to male rats, the accumulation of radioactivity in tissues and its disappearance after the cessation of the administration was studied. Blood concentrations at peak times and 24 hours after each administration were determined daily. Both values increased gradually until the 14th day and thereafter remained roughly constant. The extent of elimination of radioactivity from the blood was practically not affected by the consecutive administration. Affinities of radioactivity to the liver, kidney, spleen, adrenal, pituitary gland, preputial gland, thyroid, intraorbital lacrimal gland and bone marrow were comparatively higher than those to other tissues. Tissue concentrations in the above mentioned tissues at the 1st day after the completion of consecutive administrations for 14 and 28 days were 2.6-6.1 and 3.2-6.8 times higher, respectively, than those at the 1st day after a single administration. The elimination of radioactivity from the tissue after the consecutive administration for 28 days was slightly slower than that after a single administration. In the consecutive daily administration for 28 days, the metabolic fate of radioactivity reached a steady state after 14 days of consecutive daily administration. Hence, the accumulation of the radioactivity did not particularly occurred. During the consecutive administration, recoveries of radioactivity in the urine and feces were almost at a constant rates, with 8.0 and 93.8% of the total radioactivity given excreted in the urine and feces, respectively, within 10 days after the last administration.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMed1999

Chemical design of radiolabeled antibody fragments for low renal radioactivity levels.

The renal uptake of radiolabeled antibody fragments presents a problem in targeted imaging and therapy. We hypothesized that the renal radioactivity levels of radiolabeled antibody fragments could be reduced if radiolabeled compounds of urinary excretion were released from glomerularly filtered antibody fragments before they were incorporated into renal cells by the action of brush border enzymes, present on the lumen of renal tubules. 3'-[131I]Iodohippuryl N(epsilon)-maleoyl-L-lysine ([131I]HML) was conjugated with a thiolated Fab fragment because the glycyl-lysine sequence in HML is a substrate for a brush border enzyme and metaiodohippuric acid is released by cleavage of the linkage. Fab fragments were also radiolabeled by direct radioiodination (125I-Fab) or by conjugation with meta-[125I]-iodohippuric acid via an amide bond [N-(5-maleimidopentyl) 3'-iodohippuric acid amide ([125I]MPH-Fab)] or an ester bond [maleimidoethy 3'-iodohippurate ([125I]MIH-Fab)] by procedures similar to those used for [131I]HML-Fab. In biodistribution experiments in mice, [131I]HML-Fab demonstrated markedly low renal radioactivity levels with kidney:blood ratios of radioactivity of 1 from 10 min to 1 h due to rapid release of meta-[131I]iodohippuric acid. [125]MIH-Fab and 1251-Fab reached their peak ratios of 3.8 and 7.3 at 1 h, respectively, and [125I]MPH-Fab showed the maximum ratio of 16.8 at 6 h. In subcellular distribution studies, both [125I]MIH-Fab and 125I-Fab showed migration of radioactivity from the membrane to the lysosomal fraction of the renal cells from 10 to 30 min postinjection, whereas the majority of the radioactivity was detected only in the membrane fraction after administration of [131I]HML-Fab at both time points. In nude mice, [131I]HML-Fab showed one-quarter of the renal radioactivity of simultaneously administered 125I-Fab without impairing the target radioactivity levels 3 h after injection. These findings indicated that HML is a useful reagent for targeted imaging and therapy using antibody fragments as vehicles. These findings also suggested that the radiochemical design of radiolabeled antibody fragments that liberate radiometabolites of urinary excretion from antibody fragments by the action of brush border enzymes may constitute a new strategy for reducing the renal radioactivity levels of antibody fragments.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

A reassessment of radioactive material security in health care and biomedical research.

The medical facilities of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) use radioactive material for health care and biomedical research. In the past, a single level of security for all radioactive material was generally deemed to be adequate. The events of 11 September 2001 prompted a reassessment of security. Based on site visits to VA facilities possessing a range of radioactive material typically used in health care and biomedical research, the VA National Health Physics Program has compiled recommendations for the security of radioactive material. A primary recommendation is to evaluate radioactive material from a risk perspective and use security measures commensurate with risk. The risk evaluation should consider activity, half-life, exposure rate constant, ALI, ease of removal/portability, and dispersibility. We concluded that current security measures are likely adequate for the risks associated with most nuclear medicine departments and biomedical research laboratories. However, for radioactive material of higher risk, particularly multicurie sources of long half-life, the radiation safety staff should consult with police/security experts to determine if additional security measures are warranted. This focus on risk should help optimize resource allocation. We also recommend that security evaluations consider both physical security and personnel security, training of staff with unescorted access to higher-risk radioactive material emphasize security issues, and disposal of higher-risk material not likely to be used. Finally, we note that the goals of security can be in conflict with hazard awareness and hazard communication.

Humans↗
PubMed2000

Naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM): a matter of wide societal implication.

Naturally occurring radioactive materials are ubiquitous on Earth and their radioactivity may become concentrated as a result of human activities. Numerous industries produce concentrated radioactivity in their by-products: the coal industry, petroleum extraction and processing, water treatment, etc. The present reference system of radiation protection does not provide a complete framework for the coherent management of all types of radioactively contaminated materials. Inconsistencies in waste management policy and practice can be noted across the board, and especially vis-à-vis the management of radioactive waste from the nuclear industry. This article reviews the present societal approach to manage materials that are radioactive but are often not recognised as being such, and place the management of radioactive materials from the nuclear industry in perspective.

Background Radiation↗
PubMed2006

[Radioactivity monitoring of steel processing in Croatian steel mills and foundries].

The last twenty years have seen a number of cases of radioactive pollution in metallurgical industry. Therefore many metal producers have implemented systematic monitoring of radioactivity in their production processes, especially in steel processing, steel being the most applied construction material with the annual world output of over billion tonnes. Learning from the experience of the best known steel producers in Europe and the world Croatian steel mills have introduced radioactivity surveillance and control systems for radioactive elements in steel scrap, semi-finished and finished products. This paper argues in favour of radioactivity surveillance and control systems in steel and steel castings production in Croatia, and describes current systems and solutions available. Since we lack our own standards and regulations to control both domestic and imported steel scrap, semi-finished products (crude steel, hot and cold rolled strip) and finished products, we need to start implementing radioactivity surveillance and control systems in our steel and steel castings production applying the current international recommendations and guidelines, until we build up our own monitoring system and adopt legislation on the national level. This paper gives an overview of the basic types of radioactivity surveillance and control systems, the most frequent requirements to be met, as well as of the measurement and information flow in their application in steel and steel castings production.

Croatia↗
PubMed2001

A critical review of measures to reduce radioactive doses from drinking water and consumption of freshwater foodstuffs.

Following a radioactive fallout event, there are a number of possible intervention measures to reduce radioactive doses to the public via the surface water pathway. We have critically reviewed the options available to decision-makers in the event of radioactive contamination of surface waters. We believe that the most effective and viable measures to reduce radioactivity in drinking water are those which operate at the water treatment and distribution stage. Intervention measures to reduce concentrations of radioactivity in rivers and reservoirs are expected to be much less viable and efficient at reducing doses via the drinking water pathway. Bans on consumption of freshwater fish can be effective, but there are few viable measures to reduce radioactivity in fish prior to the preparation stage. Lake liming and biomanipulation have been found to be ineffective for radiocaesium, although the addition of potassium to lakewaters appears promising in some situations. Lake liming may be effective in reducing radiostrontium in fish, though this has not, to our knowledge, been tested. De-boning fish contaminated by strontium is probably the most effective food preparation measure, but salting and freezing can also reduce radiocaesium concentrations in fish. The provision of accurate information to the public is highlighted as a key element of countermeasure implementation.

Animals↗
PubMed1986

Disposal of low-level radioactive wastes.

The generation of low-level radioactive waste is a natural consequence of the societal uses of radioactive materials. These uses include the application of radioactive materials to the diagnosis and treatment of human disease and to research into the causes of human disease and their prevention. Currently, low level radioactive wastes are disposed of in one of three shallow land-burial disposal sites located in Washington, Nevada, and South Carolina. With the passage in December 1980 of Public Law 96-573, "The Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act," the disposal of low-level wastes generated in each state was identified as a responsibility of the state. To fulfill this responsibility, states were encouraged to form interstate compacts for radioactive waste disposal. At the present time, only 37 states have entered into compact agreements, in spite of the clause in Public Law 96-573 that established January 1, 1986, as a target date for implementation of state responsibility for radioactive wastes. Recent action by Congress has resulted in postponement of the implementation date to January 1, 1993.

Radioactive Waste↗
PubMed1982

Transportation of radioactive material in Georgia.

A 3-yr study of radioactive materials transportation examined the magnitude of radioactive materials shipments in terms of numbers of packages and motor vehicle trips and types of materials; compliance with regulations for packaging, labelling, handling, external radiation exposure, and surface contamination; and dose to workers as measured with personnel dosimeters. Much of the information was obtained at the Atlanta airport and its vicinity, a package distribution center for the southeastern U.S., and at the Barnwell, S.C. radioactive waste burial site, the destination of most shipments of radioactive waste from or through Georgia. Approximately 12,000 packages in radioactive material categories I, II and III were handled in Georgia each year. Motor vehicles made approximately 3300 trips per year. Some instances of noncompliance were observed, but few of them had the potential for elevated radiation exposure of persons. Several incidents associated with radioactive material transport are reported, of which one may have resulted in slightly elevated exposures to persons. Among drivers and handlers who worked with radioactive material shipments, dosimeters showed that less than one-half of them received radiation doses above background levels. The highest doses were found for drivers who transported large numbers of 99Mo generators.

Georgia↗
PubMed1998

Radioactive materials in recycled metals--an update.

In April 1995, Health Physics published a review paper titled "Radioactive Materials in Recycled Metals." At that time, 35 accidental meltings of radioactive sources in metal mills were reported, including 22 in the U.S., along with 293 other events in the U.S. where radioactive material was found in metals for recycling. Since that date, there have been additional accidental meltings of radioactive sources in metal mills both in the U.S. and elsewhere. There also was an incident in Texas that involved stolen radioactive devices, which resulted in exposures of members of the general public. Also, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission took steps to address the underlying problem of inadequate control and accountability of radioactive materials licensed by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The Steel Manufacturers Association made available data collected by its members beginning in 1994 that expanded the database for radioactive materials found by the metal recycling industry in recycled metal scrap to over 2,300 reports as of 30 June 1997.

Conservation of Natural Resources↗
PubMed2006

A radioactive metal processing industry perspective source.

The current U.S. economic environment for the disposition of radioactive waste, including very-low-activity metals, is currently experiencing relatively low radioactive disposal costs and readily available disposal space. Despite the recent market increase in demand for recycled scrap metal commodities, there is still little change in the behavior of the nuclear industry (including radioactive waste processors and radioactive scrap metal recyclers) to pursue the recycling of potentially contaminated scrap metal. The relatively low cost of traditional radioactive waste disposal combined with the perceived risks associated with recycling of previously contaminated metals means that most U.S. radioactive facility managers and stakeholders will elect not to recycle. Current technology exists and precedence has been set for prescreening (by means of bulk radioactive assay techniques) scrap metal that is not contaminated and diverting it to industrial landfills for disposal. Other processes also allow some radiologically contaminated metals to be melted and recast into products with low, but acceptable, activity levels for restricted use in the nuclear industry. A new concept is being considered that would create a centralized licensed facility for the process and disposition of "very-low-activity" metals for "directed first use." The advantages to this type of approach would include a standardized method for licensing the clearance process.

Decision Making↗
PubMed2000

Autoradiographic distribution of radioactivity from (14)C-GABA in the mouse.

We investigated the distribution of radioactivity from (14)C-labeled gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the mouse by in vivo autoradiography to clarify the tissues that show GABA uptake and/or GABA binding. Male mice were injected intravenously with (14)C-GABA in both the absence and presence of an excess of unlabeled GABA, baclofen and isoguvacine. Whole-body autoradiography of (3)H-baclofen, a GABA(B) receptor agonist was also performed. At short intervals after (14)C-GABA injection ( 3 and 6 minutes), very high radioactivity was detected in the kidney cortex, liver, pineal gland, hypophysis, median eminence of the hypothalamus, and cervical ganglion. The hyaline cartilage and glandular part of the stomach showed moderate radioactivity. In the presence of an excess amount of unlabeled GABA, radioactivity in most of tissues decreased significantly, but no significant difference in radioactivity was observed in the presence of baclofen and isoguvacine, agonists of GABA(A) and GABA(B) receptors, respectively. Autoradiography of (3)H-baclofen showed that the kidney had high level of radioactivity, whereas the activity in other tissues and organs was similar or lower than in the blood except for the content of the urinary bladder and the pancreas at 15 minutes after injection. These data indicate that radioactivity from incorporated (14)C-GABA into a variety of cells is much higher than that from bound (14)C-GABA to the receptor sites. Our results suggest that GABA can be quickly localized in many organs of the mouse body after 3 minutes following injection, and GABA may serve multiple functions in those organs.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Internalization and excretion of epidermal growth factor-dextran-associated radioactivity in cultured human squamous-carcinoma cells.

Certain tumor cells, such as squamous carcinomas and gliomas, can have an increased number of epidermal-growth-factor (EGF) receptors. The EGF receptors can in these cases be targets for toxic conjugates with specific binding. EGF-based toxic conjugates are potential targeting agents. We have analyzed the internalization and excretion of 125I administered in the form of 125I-EGF-dextran in squamous-carcinoma A431 cells. 125I-EGF without dextran was used for comparison. A431 cells have large numbers of EGF receptors and are capable both of recycling and of degradation of internalized receptor-ligand complexes. The binding of 125I-EGF-dextran and 125I-EGF was receptor-specific, since both ligands competed with non-radioactive EGF for binding. The amount of internalized 125I as a function of time increased continuously within 24 hr following administration of radioactivity as 125I-EGF-dextran. The time pattern was quite different when 125I-EGF without dextran was applied. In the latter case, the amount of internalized radioactivity decreased already after a few hours, probably depending on degradation of EGF. Pre-incubation of the cells with 125I-EGF-dextran or 125I-EGF and analysis of retained and released 125I activity at different times after washing showed that the 125I activity was retained for longer periods of time when EGF-dextran was used instead of EGF. About 30% of the internalized 125I activity was retained after 24 hr when EGF-dextran was used, compared with excretion of nearly all the radioactivity within 5 hr when EGF was used. In some experiments a high concentration of non-radioactive EGF, 5 micrograms/ml, was given to the cells after pre-incubation with 125I-EGF-dextran. This changed the retention and excretion patterns, so that a larger amount of 125I was excreted in the macromolecular fraction and a smaller amount of 125I activity was retained in the cells. Gel chromatography of the 125I activity released into the culture medium showed that the variations in molecular weight were larger after administration of a high concentration of non-radioactive EGF, most likely due to partial degradation of EGF-dextran. The results regarding excretion are in conformity with a model of competition between recycling of EGF-dextran-EGF-receptor complexes and "trapping" of EGF-dextran in the lysosomes followed by slow degradation. For targeting purposes, it is worth noting that the radioactivity administered in the form of 125I-EGF-dextran had a longer retention time than when 125I-EGF without dextran was used, and that the retention and excretion rates could be modified by post-treatment with the receptor ligand itself.

Binding, Competitive↗
PubMed2006

99mTc-phytate is better than 99mTc-human serum albumin as a radioactive tracer for sentinel lymph node biopsy in breast cancer.

PURPOSE: Several radioactive agents are used for sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) in breast cancer, but we are still unsure which of these is best. We retrospectively compared the effectiveness of two radioactive agents, 99mTc-phytate and 99mTc-human serum albumin (HSA), when used in combination with blue dye. METHODS: A consecutive series of 533 clinically node-negative patients with a collective 539 breast carcinomas were divided into two groups for treatment with SLNB. The HSA-group consisted of 264 patients (with a collective 266 breast cancers) and the P-group consisted of 269 patients (with a collective 273 breast cancers) treated with 99mTc-HSA and 99mTc-phytate, respectively, in combination with blue dye. We analyzed the identification and radioactivity of SLNs in the two groups. RESULTS: The identification rate of SLN was significantly higher in the P-group than in the HSA-group. The same results were produced by analysis using the radioactive agent alone, but not by using the blue dye alone. Most importantly, the highest radioactivity of SLNs per case was more than five times higher in the P-group than in the HSA-group, and this difference was significant. CONCLUSION: Our historical analysis of the two radioactive agents used in different periods could not exclude the influence of the improved skill of the surgeons. However, because the specific accumulation of phytate in SLNs was greater than that of HSA, phytate might result in a higher SLN identification rate. Thus, 99mTc-phytate is better than 99mTc-HSA as a radioactive agent for SLNB in breast cancer.

Adult↗