A single amino acid mutation in Spo0A results in sporulation deficiency of Paenibacillus polymyxa SC2.

Sporulating bacteria such as Bacillus subtilis and Paenibacillus polymyxa exhibit sporulation deficiencies during their lifetime in a laboratory environment. In this study, spontaneous mutants SC2-M1 and SC2-M2, of P. polymyxa SC2 lost the ability to form endospores. A global genetic and transcriptomic analysis of wild-type SC2 and spontaneous mutants was carried out. Genome resequencing analysis revealed 14 variants in the genome of SC2-M1, including three insertions and deletions (indels), 10 single nucleotide variations (SNVs) and one intrachromosomal translocation (ITX). There were nine variants in the genome of SC2-M2, including two indels and seven SNVs. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that 266 and 272 genes showed significant differences in expression in SC2-M1 and SC2-M2, respectively, compared with the wild-type SC2. Besides sporulation-related genes, genes related to exopolysaccharide biosynthesis (eps), antibiotic (fusaricidin) synthesis, motility (flgB) and other functions were also affected in these mutants. In SC2-M2, reversion of spo0A resulted in the complete recovery of sporulation. This is the first global analysis of mutations related to sporulation deficiency in P. polymyxa. Our results demonstrate that a SNV within spo0A caused the sporulation deficiency of SC2-M2 and provide strong evidence that an arginine residue at position 211 is essential for the function of Spo0A.

A GacS deficiency does not affect Pseudomonas chlororaphis PA23 fitness when growing on canola, in aged batch culture or as a biofilm.

Pseudomonas chlororaphis PA23 is a biocontrol agent that protects against the fungal pathogen Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Employing transposon mutagenesis, we isolated a gacS mutant that no longer exhibited antifungal activity. Pseudomonas chlororaphis PA23 was previously reported to produce the nonvolatile antibiotics phenazine 1-carboxylic acid and 2-hydroxyphenazine. We report here that PA23 produces additional compounds, including protease, lipase, hydrogen cyanide, and siderophores, that may contribute to its biocontrol ability. In the gacS mutant background, generation of these products was markedly reduced or delayed with the exception of siderophores, which were elevated. Not surprisingly, this mutant was unable to protect canola from disease incited by S. sclerotiorum. The gacS mutant was able to sustain itself in the canola phyllosphere, therefore, the loss of biocontrol activity can be attributed to a reduced production of antifungal compounds and not a declining population size. Competition assays between the mutant and wild type revealed equivalent fitness in aged batch culture; consequently, the gacS mutation did not impart a growth advantage in the stationary phase phenotype. Under minimal nutrient conditions, the gacS-deficient strain produced a tenfold less biofilm than the wild type. However, no difference was observed in the ability of the mutant biofilm to protect cells from lethal antibiotic challenge.

Blood flow-dependent uptake of indium-111 monoclonal antimyosin antibody in canine acute myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVES: The relation of myocardial blood flow and indium-111 (111In) antimyosin antibody uptake was studied by inducing myocardial infarction in 18 dogs, 8 with closed chest left anterior descending artery balloon occlusion for 3 h followed by reperfusion (group A) and 10 dogs with open chest left anterior descending artery ligation (without reperfusion, group B). BACKGROUND: The relation of antimyosin uptake to myocardial injury has been documented. However, its relation to tracer delivery by myocardial blood flow has not been studied and has been assumed to be independent. METHODS: Indium-111 antimyosin antibody, 2 mCi, was injected 20 min after reperfusion and 3 h after coronary artery ligation in groups A and B, respectively. Regional blood flows were determined by radiolabeled microspheres during occlusion and 24 h later in both groups. On day 2, dogs were killed after risk zone delineation with gentian violet. The heart was excised and stained with triphenyltetrazolium chloride solution and graded for increasing severity of tissue injury based on extent of staining. Microsphere activity and 111In antimyosin activity were measured in control tissue (grade 1), noninfarct tissue at risk (grade 2), mixed tissue (grade 3), infarct tissue (grade 4) and hemorrhagic infarct tissue (grade 5, present only in group A dogs). Count activity was normalized to that of the mean value in control tissue (grade 1) and expressed as a ratio of activity. RESULTS: Indium-111 antimyosin activity was high in triphenyltetrazolium chloride grade 4 tissue in both groups but was attenuated in grade 4 tissue in group B dogs (10.6 +/- 5.1 vs. 5.0 +/- 4.5; p < 0.05 group A vs. group B), which had lower blood flow on day 2 (0.51 +/- 0.36 vs. 0.23 vs. 0.22; p < 0.01). Normalizing 111In antimyosin activity for blood flow on day 2 resulted in equivalent 111In antimyosin uptake for infarct tissue (32.6 +/- 21.6 vs. 36.6 +/- 29.8 for group A vs. group B; p = NS). CONCLUSIONS: Thus, 111In antimyosin uptake is a specific marker of necrotic tissue with a high signal ratio in reperfused tissue. However, its uptake is dependent on residual blood flow in the infarct territory. Indium-111 antimyosin could potentially serve as a suitable tracer for infarct sizing if myocardial blood flow in the same region were factored simultaneously.

Caudate glucose metabolic rate changes with both drug and behavior therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder.

We used positron emission tomography to investigate local cerebral metabolic rates for glucose (LCMRG1c) in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder before and after treatment with either fluoxetine hydrochloride or behavior therapy. After treatment, LCMRG1c in the head of the right caudate nucleus, divided by that in the ipsilateral hemisphere (Cd/hem), was decreased significantly compared with pretreatment values in responders to both drug and behavior therapy. These decreases in responders were also significantly greater than right Cd/hem changes in nonresponders and normal controls, in both of whom values did not change from baseline. Percentage change in obsessive-compulsive disorder symptom ratings correlated significantly with the percent of right Cd/hem change with drug therapy and there was a trend to significance for this same correlation with behavior therapy. By lumping all responders to either treatment, right orbital cortex/hem was significantly correlated with ipsilateral Cd/hem and thalamus/hem before treatment but not after, and the differences before and after treatment were significant. A similar pattern was noted in the left hemisphere. A brain circuit involving these brain regions may mediate obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms.

Psychiatric, genetic, and positron emission tomographic evaluation of persons at risk for Huntington's disease.

We examined chorea-free subjects at risk for Huntington's disease (n = 52) for lifetime psychiatric diagnoses, present mood, genetic marker status, and caudate glucose metabolic rates with positron emission tomography. Based on previous work, a caudate-ipsilateral hemisphere ratio less than 1.15 was defined as abnormal and predictive of Huntington's disease. None of three methods used to segregate subjects into groups more and less likely to develop Huntington's disease gave significant group rate differences for any formal psychiatric diagnoses. On present mood testing, however, subjective "anger/hostility" was significantly higher in those likely, compared with those less likely, to develop Huntington's disease, as determined by all three methods.

Comparative neurobiological and neuropsychological deficits in adolescent and adult schizophrenic and nonschizophrenic patients.

A group of 24 adolescents and young adults were classified according to four measures using Research Diagnostic Criteria on the dimension of the severity of their schizophrenic syndrome. Independent assessments by the Gottschalk-Gleser Social Alienation-Personal Disorganization Scale and the Abrams-Taylor Emotional Blunting Scale corroborated that the definite schizophrenic group (n = 7) was significantly more schizophrenic than the not schizophrenic group (n = 12), but not more so than the probably schizophrenic group (n = 5). The Halstead-Reitan Category Test and Rhythm Test significantly differentiated the definite schizophrenic group from the not schizophrenic group with respect to cognitive impairment. The Gottschalk-Gleser Cognitive Impairment Scale did not indicate a significant difference in cognitive function between these patient groups. The computerized EEG revealed a significantly higher percent of EEG abnormalities among the definite and probably schizophrenic groups than the not schizophrenic group of patients. These findings are analyzed and discussed.

Effects of inhibition of fatty acid oxidation on myocardial kinetics of 11C-labeled palmitate.

The effects of glucose and lactate infusion on palmitate oxidation were compared with the effect of 2-tetradecylglycidic acid (TDGA), an irreversible inhibitor of the carnitine acyltransferase I, in normoxic canine myocardium. The initial capillary transit retention fraction of [1-11C]palmitate and its fractional distribution between oxidation and esterification in myocardium were measured by the residue detection method after intracoronary tracer injection, as well as by effluent measurements of 11CO2, the end product of palmitate oxidation. TDGA reduced the initial capillary transit retention fraction (from 56 +/- 13% to 37 +/- 6%; p less than 0.001) and oxidation of palmitate (n = 19), as also evidenced by the decrease in the fraction of tracer released as 11CO2 from 28 +/- 5% to 6 +/- 3% (p less than 0.001). Infusion of carbohydrate (glucose or lactate; n = 6) reduced 11CO2 production from 30 +/- 7% to 7 +/- 4% (p less than 0.05) but did not alter the initial capillary transit retention fraction of tracer (59 +/- 5% vs. 56 +/- 10%; NS). The latter was due to increased esterification into neutral lipids (41 +/- 11% of injected palmitate after carbohydrate infusion versus 21 +/- 12% in control conditions), as measured from multiexponential curve fittings. When carbohydrates were given after inhibition of palmitate oxidation by TDGA (n = 7), the 11C tissue clearance kinetics were strikingly similar to those observed after carbohydrate infusion alone. Thus, enhanced metabolic trapping of [1-11C]palmitate in myocardium resulted in initial capillary transit retention fractions that were not different from control conditions (41 +/- 5% vs. 48 +/- 12%; NS) despite inhibition of oxidation. The results show that the intracellular metabolism of palmitate contributes to the control of its uptake by myocardium. The findings are consistent with inhibition of palmitate oxidation by carbohydrates occurring at the same site as TDGA.

Sustained nonoxidative glucose utilization and depletion of glycogen in reperfused canine myocardium.

Ischemically injured reperfused myocardium is characterized by increased 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose uptake as demonstrated by positron emission tomography. To elucidate the metabolic fate of exogenous glucose entering reperfused myocardium, D-[6-14C] glucose and L-[U-13C] lactate were used to determine glucose uptake, glucose oxidation and the contribution of exogenous glucose to lactate production. The pathologic model under investigation consisted of a 3 h balloon occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery followed by 24 h of reperfusion in canine myocardium. The extent and severity of myocardial injury after the ischemia and reperfusion were assessed by histochemical evaluation (triphenyltetrazolium chloride and periodic acid-Schiff stains). Thirteen intervention and four control dogs were studied. The glucose uptake in the occluded/reperfused area was significantly enhanced compared with that in control dogs (0.40 +/- 0.14 versus 0.15 +/- 0.10 mumol/ml, respectively). In addition, a significantly greater portion of the glucose extracted immediately entered glycolysis in the intervention group (75%) than in the control dogs (33%). The activity of the nonoxidative glycolytic pathway was markedly increased in the ischemically injured reperfused area, as evidenced by the four times greater lactate release in this area compared with the control value. The dual carbon-labeled isotopes showed that 57% of the exogenous glucose entering glycolysis was being converted to lactate. Exogenous glucose contributed to greater than 90% of the observed lactate production. This finding was confirmed by the histochemical finding of sustained glycogen depletion in the occlusion/reperfusion area. The average area of glycogen depletion (37%) significantly exceeded the average area of necrosis (17%). These data demonstrate enhanced and sustained activity of the nonoxidative glycolytic pathway after a prolonged occlusion with reperfusion in canine myocardium. Because glycogen stores remain depleted, exogenous glucose becomes an important myocardial substrate under these pathologic conditions.

Reduction of prefrontal cortex glucose metabolism common to three types of depression.

Using positron emission tomography, we studied cerebral glucose metabolism in drug-free, age- and sex-matched, right-handed patients with unipolar depression (n = 10), bipolar depression (n = 10), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) with secondary depression (n = 10), OCD without major depression (n = 14), and normal controls (n = 12). Depressed patients were matched for depression on the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, and subjects with OCD without depression and OCD with depression had similar levels of OCD without depression and OCD with depression had similar levels of OCD pathology. We also studied six non-sex-matched patients with mania. Mean (+/- SD) glucose metabolic rates for the left dorsal anterolateral prefrontal cortex, divided by the rate for the ipsilateral hemisphere as a whole (ALPFC/hem), were similar in the primary depressions (unipolar depression = 1.05 +/- 0.05; bipolar depression = 1.04 +/- 0.05), and were significantly lower than those in normal controls (1.12 +/- 0.06) or OCD without depression (1.15 +/- 0.05). Results for the right hemisphere were similar. Values in subjects with OCD with depression (1.10 +/- 0.05) were also significantly lower than in subjects with OCD without depression, and values in subjects with bipolar depression were lower than those in manic subjects (1.12 +/- 0.03) on this measure in the left hemisphere, although results were not significant in the right hemisphere. There was a significant correlation between the HAM-D score and the left ALPFC/hem. With medication for depression (n = 12), the left ALPFC/hem increased significantly and the percentage change in the Hamilton scale score correlated with the percentage change in the left ALPFC/hem.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Localization of neurochemical effects of cocaine and other stimulants in the human brain.

The cocaine epidemic is a complex problem that has defied conventional medical, psychological, and legal interventions. A better understanding of the brain mechanisms that lead to cocaine's unsurpassed euphoric and reinforcing effects, as well as to associated physical brain damage, will be needed to develop new treatment strategies. Although much work has been done on cocaine's effects in the brains of animals, most techniques used have not been safe for human subjects. Positron emission tomography (PET) offers a unique opportunity for studying the cerebral biochemistry of cocaine abuse in humans. The authors present preliminary data from their ongoing studies of the effects of cocaine and related psychostimulants on the brain's energy requirements and on catecholamine neurotransmitter systems.

Relationship between Tl-201, Tc-99m (Sn) pyrophosphate and F-18 2-deoxyglucose uptake in ischemically injured dog myocardium.

We have previously demonstrated that enhanced glucose utilization in reperfused myocardium as assessed by F-18 2-deoxyglucose (FDG) and positron tomography predicts functional recovery. In this study, we compared segmental uptake of F-18 FDG with that of Tl-201 and Tc-99m (Sn) pyrophosphate (Tc-99m PPi) as conventional markers of tissue viability in seven dogs after a 3-hour intracoronary balloon occlusion and 20 hours of reperfusion. Myocardial blood flow was determined with microspheres. Regional retention fractions were calculated from tracer tissue concentrations, the arterial input function, and blood flow. Ischemic injury was assessed by triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) staining and histologic analysis. At 24 hours, blood flow was 22% lower in reperfused than in control myocardium (p less than 0.05). Uptake of Tl-201 was related linearly to blood flow (r = 0.92), while glucose utilization and Tc-99m PPi were 2.9 (p less than 0.01) and 4.7 (p less than 0.05) times higher in reperfused than in control myocardium. Retention fractions of Tc-99m PPi increased with the degree of ischemic injury, while F-18 FDG uptake was highest in segments with mild cell injury. Thus, in ischemically injured myocardium, Tl-201 primarily reflects blood flow. F-18 FDG as a marker of glucose utilization identifies ischemically injured but viable tissue. The admixture of necrotic cells can be determined with Tc-99m PPi. Our results indicate that a dual tracer approach might best characterize the presence and extent of reversibly and of irreversibly injured tissue in a given myocardial region.

Cerebral glucose metabolic rates in normal human females versus normal males.

Sex-related differences have been reported for some brain neuroanatomical structures and several measures of brain function. We studied the cerebral glucose metabolic rates of normal men (n = 7) and women (n = 7) with positron emission tomography and the fluorodeoxyglucose method. Women were studied between days 5 and 15 of the menstrual cycle. Women had whole brain glucose metabolic rates that were 19% higher than those of men. All neuroanatomical structures surveyed showed significant female greater than male rates, with no particular regions being outstanding. The higher cerebral glucose metabolic rates we observed in women may have been related to the effects of the high estrogen levels that can obtain in the phase of the menstrual cycle during which we tested our female subjects.

Fluorodeoxyglucose rate constants, lumped constant, and glucose metabolic rate in rabbit heart.

The isolated arterially perfused rabbit interventricular septum was used to measure myocardial metabolic rate for glucose (MMRGlc) and rate constants and lumped constant (LC) for the glucose analogue [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) using a tracer kinetic model. FDG was delivered by constant infusion during coincidence counting of tissue 18F radioactivity. The MMRGlc was measured by the Fick method. Control septa were paced at 72 beats/min and perfused at 1.5 ml/min with oxygenated perfusate containing 5.6 mM glucose and 5 mU/ml insulin. The following conditions were tested: 3.0 and 4.5 ml/min; insulin increased to 25 mU/ml; insulin omitted; 2.8 mM and 11.2 mM glucose; 144 beats/min and 96 paired stimuli/min; and anoxia. Under all conditions studied the phosphorylation (hexokinase) reaction was rate limiting relative to transport. Compared with control conditions, the phosphorylation rate constant was significantly increased with 2.8 mM glucose as well as in anoxia. With 4.5 ml/min and 11.2 mM glucose, conditions that should increase glucose flux into tissue without increasing demand, the phosphorylation rate constant decreased significantly. With 11.2 mM glucose, 96 paired stimuli/min, and anoxia without insulin, a significant increase in the hydrolysis rate of FDG 6-phosphate was observed and suggests that hydrolysis is also an important mechanism for regulating the MMRGlc. Increased transport rate constants were observed with increased flow rates, 96 paired stimuli/min, and anoxia at 96 beats/min. The LC was not significantly different from control in 11 of 14 conditions studied. Therefore, under most conditions, an average LC can be used to calculate MMRGlc estimates.

Local cerebral glucose metabolic rates in obsessive-compulsive disorder. A comparison with rates in unipolar depression and in normal controls.

We studied 14 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) by positron emission tomography and the fluorodeoxyglucose method, looking for abnormalities in local cerebral metabolic rates for glucose in brain structures that have been hypothesized to function abnormally in OCD. These patients were compared with 14 normal controls and 14 patients with unipolar depression. The patients with unipolar depression and OCD did not differ in levels of anxiety, tension, or depression. In OCD, metabolic rates were significantly increased in the left orbital gyrus and bilaterally in the caudate nuclei. This was apparent on all statistical comparisons with both controls and unipolar depression. The right orbital gyrus showed at least a trend to an increased metabolic rate in all comparisons. The metabolic rate in the left orbital gyrus, relative to that in the ipsilateral hemisphere (orbital gyrus/hemisphere ratio), was significantly elevated compared to controls and subjects with unipolar depression, and stayed high even with successful drug treatment. Though it was in the normal range in the morbid state, with improvement in OCD symptoms after drug treatment, the caudate/hemisphere metabolic ratio increased uniformly and significantly bilaterally. This ratio did not increase in patients who did not respond to treatment. Thus, OCD showed cerebral glucose metabolic patterns that differed from controls in both the symptomatic and recovered states.

Metabolic and ultrastructural abnormalities during ischemia in canine myocardium: noninvasive assessment by positron emission tomography.

Positron emission tomography allows the noninvasive assessment of regional myocardial blood flow and metabolism. The purpose of this study was to correlate N-13 ammonia uptake as a measure of regional blood flow and C-11 palmitate kinetics as a marker for fatty acid metabolism in ischemic canine myocardium using positron emission tomography. Furthermore, the metabolic results were compared with ultrastructural findings obtained in the same animal model. Regional ischemia was induced by balloon occlusion of the left anterior descending artery in a closed chest dog model. The three myocardial sites studied were the center and "border" of the ischemic segment as well as the control myocardium. C-11 palmitate uptake closely correlated with blood flow (r = 0.88). In the center of ischemia uptake of C-11 palmitate was decreased and clearance of C-11 activity significantly prolonged. In the "border" of the ischemic segment with only mild reduction of flow and C-11 palmitate uptake (approximately 20%) clearance halftime and residual activity were significantly different from control. The residual activity normalized for initial uptake of C-11 palmitate was highest in the "border" regions consistent with increased deposition of C-11 palmitate in lipid pools. The electron microscopic studies showed in 8 of 11 dogs lipid droplets as the only abnormality in corresponding segments with only mild reduction in microsphere blood flow. Thus, these data indicate the potential of metabolic imaging to characterize ischemia on a cellular level. Positron emission tomography provides a sensitive means to detect mild ischemia and to define extent and severity. Metabolic imaging may prove clinically useful to identify not only necrosis, but also myocardium at risk.

Trazodone treatment response in obsessive-compulsive disorder--correlated with shifts in glucose metabolism in the caudate nuclei.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a severe psychiatric illness that is difficult to treat. The effects of trazodone hydrochloride treatment were studied, both with and without the addition of a monoamine oxidase inhibitor, in OCD patients. Changes in symptoms correlated with changes in local cerebral metabolic rates for glucose (LCMRGlc), as measured by positron emission tomography and the 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose method. All patients whose OCD responded favorably to drug treatment showed a relative increase in glucose metabolism in the heads of the caudate nuclei compared with the metabolic rate in the ipsilateral hemisphere as a whole (ratio LCMRGlc caudate/LCMRGlc hemisphere). Patients who did not respond to treatment did not show an increase in this ratio, and the difference between responders and nonresponders was significant (p less than 0.03). Changes in the ratio LCMRGlc caudate/LCMRGlc hemisphere correlated with changes on OCD and depression rating scales.

Sustained regional abnormalities in cardiac metabolism after transient ischemia in the chronic dog model.

Positron emission tomography allows noninvasive assessment of myocardial blood flow and metabolism, and may aid in defining the extent and severity of an ischemic injury. This hypothesis was tested by studying, in chronically instrumented dogs, regional blood flow and metabolism during and after a 3 hour balloon occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery. The metabolic findings after ischemia were compared with the recovery of regional function over a 4 week period. N-13 ammonia was used as a blood flow tracer, and C-11 palmitic acid and F-18 deoxyglucose as tracers of fatty acid and glucose metabolism, respectively. Regional myocardial function was monitored with ultrasonic crystals implanted subendocardially. Regional function improved most between 24 hours and 1 week after reperfusion, but was still attenuated at 4 weeks. The slow functional recovery was paralleled by sustained metabolic abnormalities, reflected by segmentally delayed clearance of C-11 activity from myocardium and increased uptake of F-18 deoxyglucose. Absence of blood flow and C-11 palmitic acid uptake at 24 hours of reperfusion correlated with extensive necrosis as evidenced by histologic examination. Conversely, uptake of C-11 palmitic acid with delayed C-11 clearance and increased F-18 deoxyglucose accumulation identified reversibly injured tissue that subsequently recovered functionally and revealed little necrosis. Thus, recovery of metabolism after 3 hours of ischemia is slow in canine myocardium and paralleled by slow recovery of function. Metabolic indexes by positron tomography early after reperfusion can identify necrotic and reversibly injured tissue. Positron tomography may therefore aid in defining the extent and prognosis of an ischemic injury in patients undergoing reperfusion during evolving myocardial infarction.

Retention and clearance of C-11 palmitic acid in ischemic and reperfused canine myocardium.

Free fatty acids are the major energy source for cardiac muscle. Oxidation of fatty acid decreases or even ceases during ischemia. Its recovery after transient ischemia remains largely unexplored. Using intracoronary carbon-11 palmitic acid as a tracer of myocardial fatty acid metabolism in an open chest dog model, retention and clearance of tracer in myocardium were evaluated at control, during ischemia and after reperfusion following a 20 minute occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Myocardial C-11 time-activity curves were analyzed with biexponential curve-fitting routines yielding fractional distribution and clearance half-times of C-11 palmitic acid in myocardial tissue. In animals with permanent occlusion and intracoronary injection of C-11 palmitic acid distal to the occlusion site, the relative size and half-time of the early clearance curve component differed markedly from control values and did not change with ongoing ischemia. Conversely, in animals with only 20 minutes of coronary occlusion, the relative size of the early C-11 clearance phase was still significantly depressed at 20 and 90 minutes of reperfusion but returned to control level at 180 minutes. Tissue C-11 clearance half-times remained significantly prolonged throughout the reperfusion period. Regional function in reperfused myocardium monitored with ultrasonic crystals recovered slowly and was still less than control after 3 hours of reperfusion. The data indicate that after transient ischemia, myocardial fatty acid metabolism fails to recover immediately. Because the metabolic recovery occurs in parallel with recovery of regional function, C-11 palmitic acid in conjunction with positron tomography may be useful for studying regional fatty acid metabolism noninvasively after an ischemic injury, and may be helpful in identifying reversible tissue injury.

Quantitative measurement of myocardial blood flow with oxygen-15 water and positron computed tomography: an assessment of potential and problems.

An in vivo measurement technique using 15O water and positron CT for quantitation of myocardial blood flow (MBF) was investigated. A closed-chest dog model and NeuroECAT scanner were used in the study. The in vivo technique involves i.v. infusion of 15O water for a duration of 2-3 min. Oxygen-15 water radioactivity in myocardium was imaged with a NeuroECAT scanner for 10 min, starting at the time of tracer infusion. A separate scan following inhalation of 15O CO was obtained to label the blood pool and to help remove the contribution of radioactivity in the blood pool during the 15O water scans. The integrated projection technique was used for calculating MBF. The quantitative microsphere technique for measurement of MBF was performed along with the 15O water study to provide reference values, with which the MBF values by the in vivo technique was compared. Results of 12 experimental runs (in seven animals) show the in vivo technique with 15O water and positron CT can give quantitative flow images of myocardium. The in vivo positron CT measurement was found to correlate well (r = 0.93) with the in vitro values (by microspheres) over the flow range of 40 to 150 ml/min/100 g.

Cerebral metabolic rates for glucose in mood disorders. Studies with positron emission tomography and fluorodeoxyglucose F 18.

Cerebral metabolic rates for glucose were examined in patients with unipolar depression (N = 11), bipolar depression (N = 5), mania (N = 5), bipolar mixed states (N = 3), and in normal controls (N = 9) using positron emission tomography and fluorodeoxyglucose F 18. All subjects were studied supine under ambient room conditions with eyes open. Bipolar depressed and mixed patients had supratentorial whole brain glucose metabolic rates that were significantly lower than those of the other comparison groups. The whole brain metabolic rates for patients with bipolar depression increased going from depression or a mixed state to a euthymic or manic state. Patients with unipolar depression showed a significantly lower ratio of the metabolic rate of the caudate nucleus, divided by that of the hemisphere as a whole, when compared with normal controls and patients with bipolar depression.