technetium-tc-99m-exametazime and Alcoholism

To develop the 'Stronger Towns Index': a deprivation index that took into account characteristics of areas encompassing towns that may be eligible for redevelopment funding and explore how this index was associated with self-rated health and migration within England between 2001 and 2011.. There were areas in the lowest deciles of Town Strength who did not receive funding. After multiple adjustment, LS members living in areas with higher deciles were significantly more likely (7% to 38%) to report good health than those in the lowest decile in 2001. Remaining in the same decile between 2001 and 2011 was associated with 7% lower odds of good self-rated health in 2011.. It is important to consider health in towns when allocating funding. Areas in the Midlands may have missed out on funding which might help mitigate poor health.. Ferritin levels <30µg/L were associated with unexplained infertility and might be screened in the future. Further studies with a focus on iron deficiency and iron treatment on women with unexplained infertility are warranted.. This EGM provides a valuable resource for researchers, policy-makers and the public to access the available evidence on the determinants of various COVID-19 health-related behaviours. The map can also be used to help guide research commissioning, by evidence synthesis teams and evidence intermediaries to inform policy during the ongoing pandemic and potential future outbreaks of COVID-19 or other respiratory infections. Evidence included in the map will be explored further through a series of systematic reviews examining the strength of the associations between malleable determinants and the uptake and maintenance of individual protective behaviours.. Patients with polymicrobial bloodstream infections are typically critically ill and harbor multidrug-resistant bacteria. Thus, to minimize mortality rate in critically ill patients, changes in infectious flora should be monitored, antibiotics selected reasonably, and invasive procedures reduced.. Altogether, these findings clearly revealed the great potential of the in vitro biological activity of linseed extract as a safe source for combatting multidrug-resistant. In this work, the capture of carbon dioxide using a dense hollow fiber membrane was studied experimentally and theoretically. The factors affecting the flux and recovery of carbon dioxide were studied using a lab-scale system. Experiments were conducted using a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide to simulate natural gas. The effect of changing the CO. Persistent gender and racial disparities in high-impact medical and critical care journals underscore the need to revise policies and strategies to encourage greater diversity in critical care research.. Thirty evaluable patients were enrolled. Median age was 60.5 years. Median follow-up for all patients was 17 months. Ten patients (33%) experienced grade ≥ 3 treatment-related adverse events, the most common being neutropenia and diarrhea; 50% required ≥ 1 dose reduction. The disease control rate was 90% (progressive disease: 10%, partial response: 23%, stable disease: 67%). There was zero treatment-related mortality. Twenty-two patients (73%, 90% CI 57-86; p = 0.008) completed all chemotherapy and surgery. Two patients (9%) who successfully underwent resection had minor postoperative complications. Median length of hospital stay was 4 days. Median RFS was 7.1 months. Median OS for the entire cohort was 24 months and was not reached in patients who underwent surgical resection.. Neoadjuvant treatment with gemcitabine, cisplatin, and nab-paclitaxel is feasible and safe prior to resection of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and does not adversely impact perioperative outcomes.

Topics: Acetogenins; Acute Disease; Acute Kidney Injury; Administration, Intravenous; Aged; Albumins; Alcoholism; Aldehyde Dehydrogenase; Aldehyde Dehydrogenase, Mitochondrial; alpha-Glucosidases; Anemia; Animals; Anthozoa; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Anti-Infective Agents; Antibodies, Bacterial; Antigens, Bacterial; Antihypertensive Agents; Antineoplastic Agents; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Antioxidants; Apoptosis; Ascites; Asthma; Bacteria; beta-Lactamases; Bile Duct Neoplasms; Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic; Binding Sites; Biological Availability; Biomass; Borderline Personality Disorder; Brain; Brucella abortus; Brucella melitensis; Brucellosis; Calcium; Carbapenems; Case-Control Studies; Caseins; Cattle; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes; Ceftaroline; Cell Line; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Physiological Phenomena; Cell Proliferation; Cephalosporins; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; China; Chitin; Chlorella; Chlorophyll; Chlorophyll A; Chlorophyta; Cholangiocarcinoma; Cisplatin; Conotoxins; Contrast Media; Conus Snail; Cross-Sectional Studies; Cytokines; Decapodiformes; Deoxycytidine; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; Dietary Fiber; Diterpenes; DNA Methylation; Dogs; Double-Blind Method; Drug Design; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; Eicosapentaenoic Acid; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Epidermis; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli Infections; Extraintestinal Pathogenic Escherichia coli; Fatty Acids; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; Fatty Acids, Volatile; Feasibility Studies; Feces; Female; Ferritins; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; Gastrectomy; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Gemcitabine; Glomerular Filtration Rate; Glucose; Glycerol; Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor; HeLa Cells; Humans; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-Proline Dioxygenases; Immunoassay; Immunoglobulin G; India; Infant, Newborn; Infertility; Inflammation; Intensive Care Units; Iron; Iron Deficiencies; Kidney; Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus; Laurencia; Leukocytes; Lipids; Liver Cirrhosis; Long Interspersed Nucleotide Elements; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Mesenchymal Stem Cells; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Mice; Microalgae; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Microscopy; Middle Aged; Minerals; Molecular Conformation; Molecular Docking Simulation; Molecular Structure; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Myeloid Cells; Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells; Neoadjuvant Therapy; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; Nephropidae; Nicotinic Antagonists; Nitrogen; Obesity; Oxaliplatin; Paclitaxel; Panax; Pancreatic Neoplasms; Pancreatitis; Personality; Personality Disorders; Personality Inventory; Photobioreactors; Plant Extracts; Plasmalogens; Plasmids; Polymorphism, Genetic; Polynesia; Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography; Positron-Emission Tomography; Prebiotics; Predictive Value of Tests; Prognosis; Prolyl-Hydroxylase Inhibitors; Rabbits; Radiopharmaceuticals; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Receptors, Nicotinic; Recombinant Proteins; Retrospective Studies; Rifampin; Risk Factors; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Salinity; Seaweed; Sensitivity and Specificity; Sepsis; Sesquiterpenes; Severity of Illness Index; Shock, Septic; Silicones; Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography Computed Tomography; Skin; Snails; Solubility; Solvents; Sputum; Staphylococcal Infections; Stomach Neoplasms; Stramenopiles; Structure-Activity Relationship; Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime; Technology; Terpenes; Tuberculosis; Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant; Urinary Catheters; Urinary Tract Infections; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; Virulence Factors; Water; Wound Healing

To develop the 'Stronger Towns Index': a deprivation index that took into account characteristics of areas encompassing towns that may be eligible for redevelopment funding and explore how this index was associated with self-rated health and migration within England between 2001 and 2011.. There were areas in the lowest deciles of Town Strength who did not receive funding. After multiple adjustment, LS members living in areas with higher deciles were significantly more likely (7% to 38%) to report good health than those in the lowest decile in 2001. Remaining in the same decile between 2001 and 2011 was associated with 7% lower odds of good self-rated health in 2011.. It is important to consider health in towns when allocating funding. Areas in the Midlands may have missed out on funding which might help mitigate poor health.. Ferritin levels <30µg/L were associated with unexplained infertility and might be screened in the future. Further studies with a focus on iron deficiency and iron treatment on women with unexplained infertility are warranted.. This EGM provides a valuable resource for researchers, policy-makers and the public to access the available evidence on the determinants of various COVID-19 health-related behaviours. The map can also be used to help guide research commissioning, by evidence synthesis teams and evidence intermediaries to inform policy during the ongoing pandemic and potential future outbreaks of COVID-19 or other respiratory infections. Evidence included in the map will be explored further through a series of systematic reviews examining the strength of the associations between malleable determinants and the uptake and maintenance of individual protective behaviours.. Patients with polymicrobial bloodstream infections are typically critically ill and harbor multidrug-resistant bacteria. Thus, to minimize mortality rate in critically ill patients, changes in infectious flora should be monitored, antibiotics selected reasonably, and invasive procedures reduced.. Altogether, these findings clearly revealed the great potential of the in vitro biological activity of linseed extract as a safe source for combatting multidrug-resistant. In this work, the capture of carbon dioxide using a dense hollow fiber membrane was studied experimentally and theoretically. The factors affecting the flux and recovery of carbon dioxide were studied using a lab-scale system. Experiments were conducted using a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide to simulate natural gas. The effect of changing the CO. Persistent gender and racial disparities in high-impact medical and critical care journals underscore the need to revise policies and strategies to encourage greater diversity in critical care research.. Thirty evaluable patients were enrolled. Median age was 60.5 years. Median follow-up for all patients was 17 months. Ten patients (33%) experienced grade ≥ 3 treatment-related adverse events, the most common being neutropenia and diarrhea; 50% required ≥ 1 dose reduction. The disease control rate was 90% (progressive disease: 10%, partial response: 23%, stable disease: 67%). There was zero treatment-related mortality. Twenty-two patients (73%, 90% CI 57-86; p = 0.008) completed all chemotherapy and surgery. Two patients (9%) who successfully underwent resection had minor postoperative complications. Median length of hospital stay was 4 days. Median RFS was 7.1 months. Median OS for the entire cohort was 24 months and was not reached in patients who underwent surgical resection.. Neoadjuvant treatment with gemcitabine, cisplatin, and nab-paclitaxel is feasible and safe prior to resection of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma and does not adversely impact perioperative outcomes.

Topics: Acetogenins; Acute Disease; Acute Kidney Injury; Administration, Intravenous; Aged; Albumins; Alcoholism; Aldehyde Dehydrogenase; Aldehyde Dehydrogenase, Mitochondrial; alpha-Glucosidases; Anemia; Animals; Anthozoa; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Anti-Infective Agents; Antibodies, Bacterial; Antigens, Bacterial; Antihypertensive Agents; Antineoplastic Agents; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols; Antioxidants; Apoptosis; Ascites; Asthma; Bacteria; beta-Lactamases; Bile Duct Neoplasms; Bile Ducts, Intrahepatic; Binding Sites; Biological Availability; Biomass; Borderline Personality Disorder; Brain; Brucella abortus; Brucella melitensis; Brucellosis; Calcium; Carbapenems; Case-Control Studies; Caseins; Cattle; CD8-Positive T-Lymphocytes; Ceftaroline; Cell Line; Cell Line, Tumor; Cell Physiological Phenomena; Cell Proliferation; Cephalosporins; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; China; Chitin; Chlorella; Chlorophyll; Chlorophyll A; Chlorophyta; Cholangiocarcinoma; Cisplatin; Conotoxins; Contrast Media; Conus Snail; Cross-Sectional Studies; Cytokines; Decapodiformes; Deoxycytidine; Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; Dietary Fiber; Diterpenes; DNA Methylation; Dogs; Double-Blind Method; Drug Design; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial; Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; Eicosapentaenoic Acid; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; Epidermis; Escherichia coli; Escherichia coli Infections; Extraintestinal Pathogenic Escherichia coli; Fatty Acids; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; Fatty Acids, Volatile; Feasibility Studies; Feces; Female; Ferritins; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; Gastrectomy; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Gemcitabine; Glomerular Filtration Rate; Glucose; Glycerol; Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor; HeLa Cells; Humans; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1, alpha Subunit; Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-Proline Dioxygenases; Immunoassay; Immunoglobulin G; India; Infant, Newborn; Infertility; Inflammation; Intensive Care Units; Iron; Iron Deficiencies; Kidney; Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus; Laurencia; Leukocytes; Lipids; Liver Cirrhosis; Long Interspersed Nucleotide Elements; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Mesenchymal Stem Cells; Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus; Mice; Microalgae; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Microscopy; Middle Aged; Minerals; Molecular Conformation; Molecular Docking Simulation; Molecular Structure; Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Myeloid Cells; Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells; Neoadjuvant Therapy; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; Nephropidae; Nicotinic Antagonists; Nitrogen; Obesity; Oxaliplatin; Paclitaxel; Panax; Pancreatic Neoplasms; Pancreatitis; Personality; Personality Disorders; Personality Inventory; Photobioreactors; Plant Extracts; Plasmalogens; Plasmids; Polymorphism, Genetic; Polynesia; Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography; Positron-Emission Tomography; Prebiotics; Predictive Value of Tests; Prognosis; Prolyl-Hydroxylase Inhibitors; Rabbits; Radiopharmaceuticals; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Receptors, Nicotinic; Recombinant Proteins; Retrospective Studies; Rifampin; Risk Factors; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Salinity; Seaweed; Sensitivity and Specificity; Sepsis; Sesquiterpenes; Severity of Illness Index; Shock, Septic; Silicones; Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography Computed Tomography; Skin; Snails; Solubility; Solvents; Sputum; Staphylococcal Infections; Stomach Neoplasms; Stramenopiles; Structure-Activity Relationship; Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime; Technology; Terpenes; Tuberculosis; Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant; Urinary Catheters; Urinary Tract Infections; Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; Virulence Factors; Water; Wound Healing

Regional brain perfusion in patients during alcohol-withdrawal has been relatively less studied with brain SPECT technique. In this study, the hypothesis that possible regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) alterations due to alcohol withdrawal might be transitory in a homogenous group of alcoholic patients in terms of their physical-nutritional and cognitive functional conditions was investigated.. Fifteen right-handed male inpatients with alcohol-withdrawal, diagnosed according to DSM-IIIR criteria, and 6 male physically-mentally healthy control subjects were included in the study. The first Technetium 99m-hexamethylpropyleneamineoxime (Tc-99m-HMPAO) brain SPECT investigation was performed on the day of admission in nonmedicated conditions and the second one was performed after all the withdrawal symptoms had subsided in the patients. As an indicator of the change in the brain perfusion, a relative perfusion index was used and the relative tracer activity was expressed as the ratio of mean cortical region of interest activity to mean the whole cortical brain activity.. We found significantly reduced left frontal and right frontal, parietal and temporal rCBF values in the patients during the alcohol-withdrawal compared to those of their remitted state while they were not different from in the control group (p < 0.05).. Our data indicate that the alterations in rCBF during the alcohol-withdrawal are more pronounced both in the frontal cortex and in overall right hemisphere regions. Furthermore, the frontal hypoperfusion may be transitory with recovery from alcohol-withdrawal whereas temporal hypoperfusion may continue after recovery probably depending on the previously administered high-dose benzodiazepines.

Topics: Adult; Alcoholism; Central Nervous System Depressants; Cerebrovascular Circulation; Ethanol; Frontal Lobe; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Substance Withdrawal Syndrome; Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon

Cocaine abuse has been associated with widely distributed areas of significant cerebral blood flow (CBF) reductions or hypo-perfusion as well as CBF hyper-perfusion, but these perfusion abnormalities have not been examined using newer technologies such as statistical parametric mapping (SPM). These areas of abnormal CBF may be more likely among those who abuse cocaine and alcohol together.. Using SPECT with HMPAO for CBF we compared proportional scaling (PS) to histogram normalization (HEQ) in SPM among 20 controls and 32 recently abstinent cocaine abusers. We then separated the cocaine abusers into two groups (12 cocaine plus alcohol abusers and 20 cocaine alone abusers) and compared both groups to the 20 controls for brain areas of hypo- and hyper-perfusion.. Sensitivity to hypo-perfusion was greater with HEQ than PS. Hypo-perfused areas were more likely in the 12 alcohol plus cocaine abusers than in the 20 cocaine alone abusers or 20 controls, and hyper-perfused areas were significantly more likely among the cocaine abusers than controls. The type of CBF abnormality varied by brain location with hypo-perfusion significantly more likely in occipital and temporal cortex or cerebellum and hyper-perfusion more likely in frontal and parietal cortex.. These abnormalities in brain perfusion are consistent with previous non-SPM approaches that showed more hypo-perfusion in cocaine abusers than controls and appear to reflect vasospasm and potential compensations in cerebral blood flow.

Topics: Adult; Alcoholism; Brain; Cerebrovascular Circulation; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Cocaine-Related Disorders; Female; Humans; Male; Radiopharmaceuticals; Sampling Studies; Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon

The aim of the study was to compare late and early onset alcoholism with regard to regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and neuropsychological functioning. Ten late onset and 13 early onset male alcoholics were included in the study, the criterion being the age of onset for alcohol abuse. Six healthy male volunteers were included as a control group. Regional measures of cortical cerebral blood flow were assessed using Tc-99m-HMPAO single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) after a detoxification period. When compared with the control group, the early onset group showed reduced relative perfusion in the left superior frontal region, while relative perfusion in the late onset group was deficient in both right and left superior frontal regions. Both groups of alcoholic patients also displayed impairment in frontal lobe functions and non-verbal memory. The results of this study indicate that early onset alcoholism is associated with hypoperfusion in the left superior frontal region while the late onset subtype is characterized by uniformly hypoperfused left and right superior frontal regions. Additionally, both groups of alcoholic patients exhibit an almost identical pattern of neuropsychological abnormalities mainly related to frontal lobe functions and non-verbal memory. Collectively these findings support previous evidence suggesting a key role of frontal lobe pathology in understanding the neurobiology of alcoholism.

Topics: Adult; Age Factors; Aged; Alcoholism; Brain; Cognition Disorders; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Neuropsychological Tests; Radiopharmaceuticals; Severity of Illness Index; Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon

Although abuse of cocaine or methamphetamine usually takes place in the context of heavy drinking, there is little information on the effects of such substance use comorbidity on brain perfusion. We explored similarities and differences in the effects of these two drugs in combination with alcohol on brain function using SPECT. Global and regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) were examined in 7 abstinent cocaine-dependent alcoholics (CDA; mean age = 39.2 yr, S.D. = 9.2 yr), 7 abstinent methamphetamine-dependent alcoholics (MDA; mean age = 36.8 yr, S.D. = 5.0 yr), and 7 non-alcoholic/non-stimulant abusing controls (NAC; mean age = 37.3 yr, S.D. = 9.6 yr). MDA had significantly lower global CBF than CDA who, in turn, were significantly lower than NAC. In addition, CDA had abnormal perfusion in the superior posterior frontal region compared to NAC; while MDA did not display specific regional deficits. Therefore, it appears that cocaine alters the relationship between global and regional CBF in alcoholics, while methamphetamine does not.

Topics: Adult; Alcoholism; Cerebral Cortex; Cerebrovascular Circulation; Cocaine-Related Disorders; Female; Humans; Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted; Male; Methamphetamine; Middle Aged; Radiopharmaceuticals; Substance-Related Disorders; Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon

To report and discuss the neuropsychological deficits and neuroimaging findings in a patient with probable Marchiafava-Bignami disease.. A right-handed woman with chronic alcoholism demonstrated mutism, impaired comprehension of spoken language, alexia, and right-handed agraphia. The syndrome of interhemispheric disconnection was manifested by left-handed deficit of constructional ability and agraphia. The patient underwent brain computed tomographic scans, technetium 99 hexylmethylpropylene amineoxime-single photon emission computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that also included fluid attenuated inversion recovery images.. Clinical neurology department.. The patient's symptoms were related to scattered lesions of the corpus callosum and to extensive symmetrical lesions of the centrum semiovale. Only the latter were detected by computed tomographic scans. Results of single photon emission computed tomography did not show areas of focal hypoperfusion. Results of fast spinecho MRI showed all lesions were hyperintense in T1-weighted images and hypointense in T2-weighted images. Fluid attenuated inversion recovery images revealed that periventricular lesions had a hypointense core surrounded by a hyperintense rim; callosal lesions were still hyperintense.. We believe that our patient's symptoms are due to the discontinuous affection of the corpus callosum and to the bilateral cutting of the outflow from the cortex. The MRI findings may be interpreted as indicating central necrosis and peripheral demyelination of periventricular lesions and demyelination of the corpus callosum. The combined use of fast spin echo and fluid attenuated inversion recovery MRI reproduced with more accuracy than fast spin echo MRI alone some features of Marchiafava-Bignami disease known from observations at autopsy.

Topics: Adult; Agraphia; Alcoholism; Aphasia; Brain Diseases; Corpus Callosum; Demyelinating Diseases; Dyslexia, Acquired; Female; Functional Laterality; Humans; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Radiopharmaceuticals; Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

The recent introduction of the opioid antagonist naltrexone for alcohol-dependence therapy has been mainly based on behavioral animal models that provide evidence of the involvement of the endogenous opioid system in alcohol drinking and dependence. However, the neurophysiological mechanisms of the effect of naltrexone in alcoholic patients remain unknown. This study investigates the effects of a naltrexone challenge on regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in chronic alcoholic patients during detoxification.. Sixteen alcoholic inpatients underwent two 99mTc-hexamethyl propyleneamine oxime (HMPAO) brain SPECTs: a basal SPECT on day 10 of abstinence and a second SPECT on day 12 of abstinence after oral administration of 150 mg naltrexone. Region-to-cerebellar ratios were obtained for the orbitary frontal, prefrontal, lateral temporal and mesial temporal regions, basal ganglia and thalamus in each hemisphere. A percentage of rCBF change between both SPECTs was calculated for each region as 100 x (naltrexone - baseline)/ baseline. Values from 13 brain SPECTs of age-matched normal volunteers including test-retest measurements were used for statistical comparison.. In baseline conditions, alcoholics showed lower rCBF than controls in left orbitofrontal cortex (84.0+/-5.1 versus 89.8+/-5.0, P < 0.01) and prefrontal cortex (left hemisphere: 87.4+/-5.2 versus 96.2+/-3.6, P < 0.001; right hemisphere: 87.0+/-4.9 versus 95.8+/-4.2, P< 0.001). After naltrexone, a significant rCBF decrease was found versus test-retest values in left basal ganglia (-3.3%+/-4.0% versus 1.5%+/-4.1%, P< 0.05), right basal ganglia (-4.2%+/-4.9% versus 0.6%+/-2.7%, P < 0.01) and left mesial temporal region (-4.5%+/-6.8% versus 2.2%+/-2.9%, P < 0.01).. The rCBF decrease detected by SPECT after naltrexone challenge in structures rich in opioid receptors, such as the basal ganglia and the left mesial temporal region, may reflect a naltrexone-induced decreased metabolic activity in these areas. These results support the involvement of the opioid system in alcohol dependence. Furthermore, the localization of naltrexone-induced rCBF changes in mesial temporal structures and in basal ganglia supports the implication of emotional memory and obsessive-compulsive phenomena in craving.

Topics: Adult; Alcoholism; Brain; Cerebrovascular Circulation; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Naltrexone; Narcotic Antagonists; Radiopharmaceuticals; Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime; Temperance; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon

Fifteen alcoholics diagnosed according to DSM-III-R, who were detoxified for at least 2 weeks and showed no clinical withdrawal signs, were investigated with 16 channel EEG mapping during resting, manumotor and music perception conditions, and were compared with 13 control persons. Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) using hexa-methyl-propilene-amine-oxime (HMPAO) labeled with 99m-technetium (99mTc) as tracer was performed separately (in patients only) and submitted to semiquantitative region of interest (ROI) analysis in 2 slices, 6 and 10 cm above canthomeatal line, respectively. Resting EEG showed increased power values in fast beta frequency band for the detoxified alcoholics. On cortical stimulation, patients showed signs of pathological EEG reactivity. Correlations of EEG parameters to cerebral blood flow (CBF) values (patients only) yielded coefficients around zero for all frequency bands (signs of uncoupling). All findings point to organic brain dysfunctions in these patients which extend beyond the period of withdrawal.

Topics: Adult; Alcohol Withdrawal Delirium; Alcoholism; Arousal; Attention; Brain Mapping; Cerebral Cortex; Dominance, Cerebral; Electroencephalography; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Organotechnetium Compounds; Oximes; Regional Blood Flow; Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon

Chronic alcohol abuse is responsible for several organic brain disorders. However, even the most characteristic of them are largely underdiagnosed by routine procedures. Therefore, there is need for sensitive, noninvasive and low-cost diagnostic procedures. 99m-Tc-HMPAO-SPECT could be an interesting candidate in this indication, because it estimates the distribution of the cerebral blood flow and the metabolic activity of the brain with a good resolution. We used this technique in 17 healthy volunteers and in a sample of 50 patients dependent on alcohol, without other major physical or mental disorder. SPECT was performed during the attendance of these patients in an inpatient detoxification program. We observed abnormal SPECT in 34 patients, but only in 2 volunteers (p < 0.001). The main abnormality was heterogeneity of the distribution of the tracer. SPECT abnormalities appear to be due nor to withdrawal syndrome, nor to medication. On the contrary, they are correlated with stigmata of heavy alcoholism. Furthermore, a genetic vulnerability to alcohol was suspected because SPECT abnormalities are more frequent in patients with an history of drinking problems in their relatives.

Topics: Adult; Alcoholism; Cerebrovascular Circulation; Female; Humans; Inactivation, Metabolic; Male; Middle Aged; Organotechnetium Compounds; Oximes; Substance-Related Disorders; Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon

Fifteen patients who had bilateral mediofrontal hypoactivity and 30 control subjects without this SPECT anomaly underwent Tc-99m HMPAO brain SPECT imaging. Bilateral mediofrontal hypoactivity was found in various neurologic disorders, including subcortical arteriosclerotic encephalopathy, lacunar state, chronic alcoholism, progressive nonvascular dementia, carbon monoxide poisoning, and diabetes mellitus. This SPECT abnormality was, however, specifically associated with three clinical signs: motor disabilities predominating in the lower limbs, urinary incontinence, and akinetic mutism.

Topics: Akinetic Mutism; Alcoholism; Cerebrovascular Circulation; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Dementia; Female; Frontal Lobe; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Motor Skills; Organotechnetium Compounds; Oximes; Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; Urinary Incontinence

To determine the prevalence of central nervous system damage due to ethanol, we evaluated 40 asymptomatic chronic alcoholics and 20 age-matched controls. Studies included neuropsychological testing, brain 99mTc-HMPAO SPECT, and morphometric analysis by CT scan. In the qualitative analysis, 30 of the 40 alcoholics showed hypoperfused areas on SPECT scan. In the semiquantitative analysis, alcoholics exhibited significant reduction in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) ratio of all brain lobes compared to controls (p < 0.001). The rCBF ratio was mainly reduced in frontal lobes (65%). Only 11 alcoholics showed significant frontal lobe atrophy in the morphometric analysis; most also had abnormalities on SPECT scan. Alcoholics exhibited significant impairment of frontal tasks and visuospatial skills. Frontal test impairment was independently related to both frontal atrophy and hypoperfusion. In a group of ten alcoholics in whom another SPECT scan was performed after 2 mo of ethanol abstinence, rCBF ratio of the frontal lobes normalized in eight, without frontal atrophy. In patients without frontal atrophy, reduced rCBF ratio of the anterior portion of the frontal lobes correlated negatively with frontal test results (r = -0.6535, p < 0.001). A significant negative correlation between cerebral perfusion and the amount of ethanol consumed in the month prior to study was observed (r = -0.6289, p < 0.001). In conclusion, asymptomatic chronic alcoholics frequently showed reversible frontal lobe hypoperfusion, which is related to recent ethanol intake, reflects brain function impairment and is independent of brain atrophy.

Topics: Adult; Alcoholism; Atrophy; Brain; Brain Diseases; Cerebrovascular Circulation; Frontal Lobe; Humans; Male; Neuropsychological Tests; Organotechnetium Compounds; Oximes; Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; Tomography, X-Ray Computed

Cerebral blood flow was investigated during alcohol withdrawal in 15 male alcoholics by single photon emission computerized tomography with 99mTc-HMPAO and compared with the results of a second study 3 weeks later when all symptoms of withdrawal had disappeared and when the patients had been free of medication for at least 1 week. Slice images were reconstructed parallel to the orbitomeatal plane, and tracer activity was analyzed in 8 regions of interest per hemisphere. During alcohol withdrawal a special pattern of cerebral blood flow distribution could be observed. Relative perfusion was elevated in both inferior temporal regions, whereas it was reduced in the superior temporal region of both hemispheres. The changes of cerebral blood flow distribution did not correlate with neuropsychological findings nor with the severity of withdrawal syndrome.

Topics: Adult; Alcohol Withdrawal Delirium; Alcoholism; Brain; Brain Mapping; Chlormethiazole; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Humans; Intelligence; Male; Middle Aged; Organotechnetium Compounds; Oximes; Regional Blood Flow; Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon

Twenty-eight patients were studied for regional cerebral blood flow changes as a result of chronic alcoholism. After the administration of 550 to 600 MBq Tc-99m HMPAO, tomographic slices were obtained using a SPECT camera. Eight regions per hemisphere were drawn on each transaxial section, and tracer redistribution was calculated for each region. Region-to-whole slice ratios were determined for each patient. Patients had significantly decreased frontal/whole slice (1 +/- 0.02) ratios in comparison with a normal group (p less than 0.01). Twenty-four out of 26 patients (85.7%) demonstrated abnormal rCBF. Eighteen out of 28 (64.3%) showed activity lower in the left hemisphere than in the right. Using CT parameters, 60% of the patients had either sulcal widening and/or ventricular enlargement. The frontal region and the left hemisphere were more affected by alcohol than other regions. More cerebral blood flow changes than morphologic changes were found caused by alcoholism.

Topics: Adult; Alcoholism; Brain; Cerebrovascular Circulation; Humans; Male; Organotechnetium Compounds; Oximes; Technetium Tc 99m Exametazime; Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon; Tomography, X-Ray Computed