An Incidental Detection of Breast Cancer Osteolytic Bone Metastasis Using a 99mTc-TRODAT-1 SPECT Scan.

ABSTRACT: This report presents a case of suspected Parkinson disease in a 76-year-old woman with a history of slurred speech, general weakness, unstable gait, and bradykinesia for months. A 99mTc-TRODAT-1 SPECT scan revealed a symmetrically decreased bilateral nigrostriatal system, including bilateral putamen and caudate nuclei. The scintigraphic findings may reflect normal aging or atypical parkinsonism. The bilateral frontal bones and left temporal bone exhibited increased uptake of 99mTc-TRODAT-1, and previous 99mTc-MDP bone scan and CT images were reviewed. Osteolytic lesions at the corresponding site indicated bone metastasis from breast cancer.

Rare finding of primary aortoduodenal fistula on single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography of gastrointestinal bleeding: A case report.

BACKGROUND: Primary aortoduodenal fistula is a rare cause of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding consisting of abnormal channels between the aorta and GI tract without previous vascular intervention that results in massive intraluminal hemorrhage. CASE SUMMARY: A 67-year-old man was hospitalized for coffee ground vomiting, tarry stools, and colic abdominal pain. He was repeatedly admitted for active GI bleeding and hypovolemic shock. Intermittent and spontaneously stopped bleeders were undetectable on multiple GI endoscopy, angiography, computed tomography angiography (CTA), capsule endoscopy, and 99mTc-labeled red blood cell (RBC) scans. The patient received supportive treatment and was discharged without signs of rebleeding. Thereafter, he was re-admitted for bleeder identification. Repeated CTA after a bleed revealed a small aortic aneurysm at the renal level contacting the fourth portion of the duodenum. A 99mTc-labeled RBC single-photon emission CT (SPECT)/CT scan performed during bleeding symptoms revealed active bleeding at the duodenal level. According to his clinical symptoms (intermittent massive GI bleeding with hypovolemic shock, dizziness, dark red stool, and bloody vomitus) and the abdominal CTA and 99mTc-labeled RBC SPECT/CT results, we suspected a small aneurysm and an aortoduodenal fistula. Subsequent duodenal excision and duodenojejunal anastomosis were performed. A 7-mm saccular aneurysm arising from the anterior wall of the abdominal aorta near the left renal artery was identified. Percutaneous intravascular stenting of the abdominal aorta was performed and his symptoms improved. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that 99mTc-labeled RBC SPECT/CT scanning can aid the diagnosis of a rare cause of active GI bleeding.

Stiffness Enhancement, Anti-Aging, and Self-Forming Holes in Polycarbonate/Acrylonitrile-Styrene-Acrylic by the Core-Shell Structure of Acrylic Resin.

Currently, polycarbonate/acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylic (PC/ASA) is used mainly in the automotive, outdoor electronic equipment, sports equipment, and medical care fields, but its use is limited by its poor impact resistance and aging characteristics. This study investigates the preparation of polycarbonate/acrylonitrile-styrene-acrylic/acrylic resin (PC/ASA/ACE) via melt blending. We observed that the addition of acrylic resin (ACE) enhanced the impact strength (up to 14.1%) and abrasion resistance (up to 35.7%) of the blends compared to PC/ASA. The microstructure of the copolymer was observed by scanning electron microscopy and laser scanning confocal microscopy. They were found to have a self-forming hole phenomenon, which is more favorable for potential PC/ASA applications. Furthermore, ACE addition effectively enhances the copolymer toughness and wear properties but slightly reduces their hardness, tensile strength, and melt flow rate, improving their suitability for use in applications such as aircraft windshields. After 80 cycles of aging, the PC/ASA/ACE also outperformed the impact strength of the unaged PC/ASA. ACE addition to PC/ASA can create materials with better impact and aging resistance.

Optimization of alkali fusion process for determination of I-129 in solidified radwastes by neutron activation.

This study determines the optimum temperature for the alkali fusion process used to effectively separate iodine from solidified radwaste attaining low-level 129I by neutron activation. The alkali fusion temperature was adjusted to 120, 200, and 400 °C to approach the optimum conditions associated with a good statistical distribution of the measured 129I data and high chemical recovery yield. Statistical analysis revealed that the optimum temperature of the alkali fusion process was 200 °C, displaying good central tendency and low variance of the measured 129I data, and the respective chemical recovery yields were higher than other temperatures. The optimum fusion condition provides more reliable scaling factors (129I/137Cs) of radwaste.

Surface Modification Using Assisting Electrodes in Wire Electrical Discharge Machining for Silicon Wafer Preparation.

This paper outlines notable advances in the wire electrical discharge machining of polycrystalline silicon workpieces for wafer preparation. Our use of assisting electrodes permits the transfer of aluminum particles to the machined surface of the polycrystalline silicon workpieces, to enhance conductivity and alter surface topography regardless of the silicon's crystallographic structure and diamond-type lattice. This in-process surface modification technique was shown to promote material removal and simultaneously preserve the integrity of the machined surfaces with preferable surface textures. In the validation experiment, the 25 mm-thick assisting electrodes deposited a notable concentration of aluminium on the machined surface (~3.87 wt %), which greatly accelerated the rate of material removal (~9.42 mg/s) with minimal surface roughness (Sa ~5.49 µm) and moderate skewness (-0.23). The parameter combination used to obtain the optimal surface roughness (Sa 2.54 µm) was as follows: open voltage (80 V), electrical resistance (1.7 Ω), pulse-on time (30 µs), and electrode thickness (15 mm). In multiple objective optimization, the preferred parameter combination (open voltage = 80 V, resistance = 1.4 Ω, pulse-on time = 60 µs, and assisting electrode thickness = 25 mm) achieved the following appreciable results: surface modification of 3.26 ± 0.61 wt %, material removal rate of 7.08 ± 2.2 mg/min, and surface roughness of Sa = 4.3 ± 1.67 µm.

Effects of Energy Parameters on Dimensional Accuracy When Joining Stainless-Steel Powders with Heterogeneous Metal Substrates.

This work presents some breakthroughs for obtaining high dimensional accuracy and reliable geometrical tolerance in the joining of stainless-steel powders with heterogeneous substrates. In the laser melting process, the interfacial energy fractions and forces acting at the solid-liquid surface of the melting powders can effectively vary their geometrical shapes and positions before they turn into the liquid phase. When the interfacial free energy is low, the melting powders are near molten, thus the successive volumetric changes can alter the layered geometry and positions. This assumption was validated by a powder-bedding additive manufacturing process to consolidate stainless-steel 316L powders (SLM 316L) on a thin heterogeneous stainless-steel substrate. Experiments were carried out to reveal the effects of the process parameters, such as laser power (100-200 W), exposure duration (50-100 µs) and point distance (35-70 µm) on the resulting material density and porosity and the corresponding dimensional variations. A fractional factorial design of experiment was proposed and the results of which were analyzed statistically using analysis of variances (ANOVA) to identify the influence of each operating factor. High energy densities are required to achieve materials of high density (7.71 g/cm3) or low porosity (3.15%), whereas low energy densities are preferable when the objective is dimensional accuracy (0.016 mm). Thermally induced deflections (~0.108 mm) in the heterogeneous metal substrate were analyzed using curvature plots. Thermally induced deformations can be attributed to volumetric energy density, scanning strategy, and the lay-up orientation. The parametric optimizations for increasing in dimensional accuracy (Z1: ~0.105 mm), or in material density (~7.71 g/cm3) were proven with high conversion rates of 88.2% and 96.4%, respectively, in validation runs.