|
Nuclear Facts
Allergic to Iodine? So What?
Many people have an allergy to iodine. Would it be a problem for them to receive I-123 or I-131? No problem. A person's average daily diet contains about 150 micrograms of iodine (1/4 tsp of iodized salt contains 95 mcg of iodine). The amount of elemental iodine in an I-131 therapy is appoximately 0.0004 mcg. Not enough to sneeze at! |
|
Case Study
A 73 year-old woman with a history of metastatic breast cancer returns for a follow-up bone scan. Continued |
|
Online Poll
USP 797 requirements will be in effect June 1. Have the nuclear medicine departments in your area made changes for implementation?
Previous Poll: How do you rate your Agreement State's job of regulating radioactive materials?
Excellent 36%; Good 24%; Acceptable 12%; Marginal 20%, Poor 8% |
|
|
|
Dear
Nuclear Medicine Professional,
Nuclear medicine professionals from around the world will meet in New Orleans June 14-18 for the Society of Nuclear Medicine Annual Meeting. Early news from the SNM indicates that annoucements will be made for new therapeutic agents for malignant melanoma and neuroendocrine tumors and new research on imaging agents for prostate cancer and Alzheimer's disease will be presented. It is exciting to hear the advances being made in molecular imaging! |
|
Zevalin Approved for First Line Therapy in Europe
 Zevalin ([90Y]-ibritumomab tiuxetan) can now be used as first-line consolidation therapy after remission induction in previously untreated patients with follicular lymphoma. The European Commission (EC) decision is based on data from the First-line Indolent Trial (FIT) study which showed almost a two-year improvement in progression free survival in patients with advanced FL receiving consolidation treatment with [90Y]-ibritumomab tiuxetan, compared to those patients receiving induction chemotherapy alone. For additional information... |
|
Canada Drops Reactor Development
 The Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) announced May 16, 2008, that it would discontinue the development of two maple reactors at the Chalk River Laboratories even after 12 years of development and millions of dollars invested. The Maple reactors were expected to stabilize world supply of molybdenum-99, iodine-131, iodine-125, and xenon-133, and were to be the world's first reactors dedicated exclusively to medical isotope production. This is disappointing news for nuclear medicine. The SNM has begun to explore options for isotope production both abroad and in the U.S.
|
|
|
USP <797> Educational Resources
 The revision of US Pharmacopeia (USP) General Chapter <797>, Pharmaceutical Compounding - Sterile Preparations, will go into effect on June 1, 2008. Educational resources are provided on the USP website. Carla Coley BCNP will present information at the upcoming SNM meeting about how the new regulations will impact the hospital nuclear medicine departments. |
|
Medical Images via Cellphones  Researchers at the UC Berkeley have developed a way to transmit medical images such as X-rays and ultrasounds via cellphones.The technology involves reducing large, complicated medical images to 6 kb. A cellphone transmits raw data to an offsite location. There the data is processed into an image and sent back to the cellphone's screen. This technique is intended to bring sophisticated medical-imaging technology to developing countries, where expensive medical-imaging equipment is often out of reach. View press release... |
|
Nuclear Section Officer Elections APhA members should be on the lookout for upcoming election ballots. The election period for chair-elect and member-at-large begins May 30,2008 and continues thru July 25, 2008. Many thanks to the candidates who have volunteered for office. Candidates for Chair-Elect are: Brigette Nelson BCNP and Collin O'Neill BCNP. Candidates for Member-at-Large are: Scott Knishka and Janet Reuther. | |
|
Nicki Hilliard, PharmD, BCNP
Professor of Nuclear Pharmacy |
|
|
