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Biomedical subjects

S R Bergmann

Publications and source records attributed to S R Bergmann.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Visualization of thrombi in pulmonary arteries with radiolabeled, enzymatically inactivated tissue-type plasminogen activator.

BACKGROUND: Despite the high frequency of pulmonary thromboembolism and its significant morbidity and mortality, diagnosis remains suboptimal. We have been developing a method for prompt detection with the use of radiolabeled, inactivated tissue-type plasminogen activator (TPA) and performed the present study to determine whether its use permits rapid scintigraphic visualization of pulmonary thrombi in vivo. METHODS AND RESULTS: The thrombolytic, but not fibrin-binding, property of TPA was inactivated with a tripeptide chloromethyl ketone (YPACK) that had already been iodinated with 123I to radiolabel the TPA. Pulmonary arterial thrombosis was induced in nine dogs with the use of guide wires modified to provide thrombogenic tips. 123I-YPACK-TPA (1.1 to 7.8 mCi, 0.5 to 7.8 mg) was infused for 5 minutes into either the systemic or the pulmonary circulation. Clearance of radioactivity from the blood was rapid and indistinguishable from that of unlabeled, thrombolytically active TPA, with only 6.7 +/- 1.0% (mean +/- SEM) of peak radioactivity remaining after 60 minutes and minimal release of labeled fragments from the liver during this interval. Thrombi were visualized with single photon emission computed tomography and/or planar imaging 40 to 120 minutes after infusion of tracer in all seven animals given at least 3.7 mCi of 123I-YPACK-TPA. Ratios of radioactivity in thrombus (wet mass, 610 +/- 64 mg) to blood were high (14 +/- 3:1). CONCLUSIONS: The use of radiolabeled TPA in which thrombolytic activity is inactivated permits prompt scintigraphic detection of thrombi in pulmonary arteries in vivo.

Amino Acid Chloromethyl Ketones

Species-dependent binding of copper(II) bis(thiosemicarbazone) radiopharmaceuticals to serum albumin.

UNLABELLED: Copper-62-labeled pyruvaldehyde bis(N4-methylthiosemicarbazonato)-copper(II) (Cu-PTSM) is a generator-based PET radiopharmaceutical under investigation for use in evaluation of tissue perfusion. Despite promising results from animals, problems have been encountered in the use of 62Cu-PTSM to quantitate myocardial perfusion in humans at high flow rates, possibly due to species-dependent interactions of the tracer with serum albumin. METHODS: Ultrafiltration and plasma/erythrocyte partitioning studies were performed to assess the protein binding of 67Cu-labeled Cu-PTSM and six related copper(II) bis(thiosemicarbazone) complexes. RESULTS: These studies reveal significant interspecies variability in the strength of Cu-PTSM binding to serum albumin, with 67Cu-PTSM binding much more strongly to human albumin than to dog albumin. Most of the related Cu(II)-bis(thiosemicarbazone) complexes examined exhibit interspecies variability of albumin binding similar to that observed with Cu-PTSM. Two such complexes, Cu-ETS and Cu-n-PrTS, however, were identified that exhibit no preferential association with human serum albumin. CONCLUSION: Copper-62-PTSM exhibits substantial interspecies variability in the strength of its binding to serum albumin, which appears to explain the problems encountered in using animal data to predict 62Cu-PTSM behavior in humans. The 62Cu-ETS and 62Cu-n-PrTS complexes may be viable alternatives to 62Cu-PTSM for PET studies to evaluate quantitatively myocardial blood flow in humans.

Animals

Heterogeneity of myocardial perfusion provides the physiological basis of perfusable tissue index.

UNLABELLED: Assessment of viable from nonviable myocardium is critical for the care of patients being considered for revascularization procedures. Recently, the perfusable tissue index (PTI) has been proposed as an index of myocardial viability. METHODS: Computer simulations were performed for homogeneously and heterogeneously perfused tissue over a wide range of flows (0.04-6.4 ml/g/min) using both bolus and infusion inputs. RESULTS: PTI estimated from simulated homogeneously perfused tissue did reflect the amount of tissue being perfused independent of absolute level of flow, type of input or model configuration, whereas PTI obtained from simulated heterogeneously perfused tissue was consistently lower than the simulated "true" PTI and varied with flow, type of input function and model configuration. Flow estimated with 15O-water was not significantly different from that measured with radio labeled microspheres. CONCLUSION: Oxygen-15-water can diffuse into both acutely and chronically ischemic myocardium irrespective of its functional status. The results suggest that PTI is most likely an index of the heterogeneity of myocardial flow rather than an index of the amount of tissue being perfused. Its utility for delineating myocardial viability is thus related to the amount of tissue perfused that has low absolute levels of perfusion or high degrees of flow heterogeneity.

Analysis of Variance

Synthesis and tissue biodistribution of [omega-11C]palmitic acid. A novel PET imaging agent for cardiac fatty acid metabolism.

In order to diagnose patients with medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency with a noninvasive diagnostic technique such as positron emission tomography, we have developed a synthesis of [omega-11C]palmitic acid. The radiochemical synthesis was achieved by coupling an alkylfuran Grignard reagent (7) with [11C]methyl iodide, followed by rapid oxidative cleavage of the furan ring to the carboxylate using ruthenium tetraoxide. Tissue biodistribution studies in rats comparing [omega-11C]palmitic acid and [1-11C]palmitic acid show that the %ID/g and %ID/organ in the heart tissue after administration of [omega-11C]palmitic acid is approximately 50% greater than after administration of [1-11C]palmitic acid, due to the diminished metabolism of the [omega-11C]palmitic acid. These studies show as well, low uptake in nontarget tissues (blood, lung, kidney, and muscle). PET images of a dog heart obtained after administration of [omega-11C]-and [1-11C]palmitic acid show virtually identical uptake and distribution in the myocardium. The differing cardiac washout of labeled palmitates measured by dynamic PET studies may allow diagnosis of disorders in cardiac fatty acid metabolism.

Acyl-CoA Dehydrogenase

Ischemic preconditioning stimulates anaerobic glycolysis in the isolated rabbit heart.

Preconditioning decreases ischemic injury, preserves tissue ATP content, and enhances the salutary effects of reperfusion. To evaluate whether preserved ATP is related to reduced utilization or increased production, 28 paced isolated rabbit hearts, perfused at constant flow, were subjected to 3 min of transient no-flow ischemia followed 12 min later by 1 h of low-flow ischemia and 45 min of reperfusion. Results were compared with those from 34 control hearts subjected to ischemia and reperfusion without preconditioning. Preconditioning delayed the onset of ischemic contracture and decreased its amplitude. At the end of ischemia, tissue ATP content was higher in hearts subjected to preconditioning (9.8 +/- 3.3 vs. 4.5 +/- 1.1 mumol/g dry wt; P < 0.01), accounted for by increased anaerobic ATP production using exogenous glucose. Preconditioning decreased ischemic damage (creatine kinase release 373 +/- 199 vs. 587 +/- 291 U/g dry wt; P < 0.05) and resulted in better functional recovery with reperfusion (74 +/- 11% of baseline developed pressure vs. 60 +/- 23%; P < 0.05). Thus preconditioning appears to protect ischemic myocardium by enhancing anaerobic glycolytic production of ATP using exogenous glucose.

Adenosine Triphosphate

Rate of glycolysis during ischemia determines extent of ischemic injury and functional recovery after reperfusion.

The efficacy of increasing glycolysis during ischemia for enhancing the salutary effects of reperfusion was evaluated in isolated perfused rabbit hearts subjected to low-flow ischemia followed by reperfusion. Control hearts were perfused with buffer containing 0.4 mM palmitate, 5 mM glucose, and 70 mU/l insulin. Additional groups of hearts were perfused with double glucose/insulin and 1 mM dichloroacetate or were subjected to substrate priming to increase preischemic glycogen content. Ischemic contracture was completely prevented in hearts perfused with high glucose/insulin and was delayed markedly by either dichloroacetate or enhanced preischemic glycogen [45 +/- 14 and 31 +/- 20 min, respectively; P < 0.01 each vs. control (11 +/- 10 min)] and inversely related to the rate of lactate production. With reperfusion, recovery of developed pressure was 56 +/- 23% of baseline in control hearts, 90 +/- 8% in hearts receiving high glucose/insulin, 92 +/- 5% in hearts receiving dichloroacetate, and 79 +/- 19% in hearts with increased glycogen (P < 0.05 each vs. control hearts). Creatine kinase release was reduced by > 55% in treated hearts. Thus enhancement of glycolysis by diverse mechanisms during ischemia decreased ischemic damage and improved the recovery of contractile function with reperfusion.

Animals

Enhancement of regional myocardial efficiency and persistence of perfusion, oxidative, and functional reserve with paired pacing of stunned myocardium.

BACKGROUND: Stunned myocardium reflects postreperfusion dysfunction in myocardium that is destined to ultimately fully recover. Most investigators attribute postreperfusion stunning to a primary defect in excitation-contraction coupling or to an altered sensitivity of the myofilaments to calcium. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the interrelation between myocardial perfusion, oxidative metabolism, and function in an effort to better characterize the phenomenon of myocardial stunning, to define the regional efficiency of stunned myocardium, and to characterize its reserve capacity. METHODS AND RESULTS: Regional myocardial perfusion (measured with radiolabeled microspheres), myocardial oxygen consumption (MVO2) (quantified with positron emission tomography using 1-11C-acetate), and myocardial function (assessed with two-dimensional echocardiography) were evaluated in 12 anesthetized, closed-chest dogs subjected to 15 minutes of left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion followed by reperfusion. To evaluate flow, oxidative, and functional reserve after measurements were obtained 1 hour after reperfusion, dogs were subjected to paired pacing (an inotropic stimulus that does not alter systemic hemodynamics), and measurements were repeated. One hour after reperfusion, stunned myocardium was characterized by near-normal levels of myocardial perfusion (0.57 +/- 0.13 mL/g per minute, 81 +/- 13% of that in remote, normal regions) but severe dyskinesis (echo score, 2.6 +/- 0.7; percent wall thickening, 14 +/- 20%). Despite the low level of contractile function, MVO2 averaged 1.72 +/- 0.7 mumol/g per minute, 71 +/- 27% of that observed in remote myocardium. Regional myocardial efficiency (systolic wall thickening divided by MVO2) was markedly diminished. With paired pacing, myocardial perfusion increased proportional to that in remote myocardium, systolic function improved (echo score, 1.4 +/- 0.7; percent wall thickening, 30 +/- 15%), and regional MVO2 nearly doubled (to 3.41 +/- 1.82 mumol/g per minute, P < .05 for each paired measurement). Importantly, with paired pacing, regional myocardial efficiency nearly normalized in reperfused myocardium. CONCLUSIONS: Stunned myocardium is characterized by near-normal levels of perfusion and oxygen consumption despite marked dyskinesis. Myocardial efficiency is poor. With inotropic stimulation (in the present study, paired pacing), reperfused myocardium demonstrated considerable perfusion, oxidative, and functional reserve and a dramatic improvement in myocardial efficiency. These results may have implications for the treatment of postreperfusion pump failure.

Animals

The relative importance of myocardial energy metabolism compared with ischemic contracture in the determination of ischemic injury in isolated perfused rabbit hearts.

The mechanical effects of ischemic contracture may be important in the development of irreversible cellular damage as it increases mechanical stress on sarcolemmal membranes and restricts endocardial perfusion. To assess the relative importance of these mechanical effects compared with decreased energy supply in the development of irreversible injury, the effects of inhibiting ischemic contracture with 2,3-butanedione monoxime (BDM), an agent that disrupts excitation-contraction coupling, were delineated in isovolumically contracting isolated rabbit hearts. Administration of 20 mmol/L BDM in 12 hearts subjected to 60 minutes of low-flow ischemia prevented ischemic contracture (left ventricular end-diastolic pressure [LVEDP], 12 +/- 3 compared with 48 +/- 14 mm Hg in 20 control hearts; P < .001), reduced membrane damage (creatine kinase [CK] release, -54% compared with control hearts; P < .05), and enhanced functional recovery during reperfusion (left ventricular developed pressure [LVDP], 86 +/- 10% of baseline compared with 56 +/- 23% in control hearts; P < .01). These observations were not related to increased intracavitary pressure and its effects on flow distribution, since venting the left ventricle in additional hearts did not result in improved function during reperfusion. Although it would be tempting to conclude that BDM protected ischemic myocardium by preventing ischemic contracture, administration of BDM was also associated with reduced depletion of ATP during ischemia, perhaps related to diminished energy demand. To distinguish between the relative importance of inhibiting contracture from provision of adequate energy, the period of ischemia was extended to 120 minutes. BDM still prevented ischemic contracture (LVEDP, 10 +/- 6 mm Hg) and preserved ATP stores, but it did not prevent membrane damage (CK release, 483 +/- 254 U/g dry weight) or contractile failure during reperfusion (LVDP, 68 +/- 7% of baseline). In contrast, increasing the rate of anaerobic glycolysis during ischemia by doubling glucose and insulin in the presence of BDM markedly decreased membrane damage (CK release, 114 +/- 72 U/g dry weight; P < .05) and contractile failure during reperfusion (LVDP, 88 +/- 7% recovery of baseline; P < .01). These results suggest that insufficient energy production is primarily responsible for myocardial ischemic damage, whereas mechanical effects of ischemic contracture appear to play only a minor role.

Animals

Effects of time discrepancies between input and myocardial time-activity curves on estimates of regional myocardial perfusion with PET.

UNLABELLED: Estimates of myocardial perfusion with PET using kinetic models require faithful recording of radioactivity content in blood and myocardium. Typically the arterial time-activity curve is obtained by placing a region of interest (ROIs) within the left atrial or left ventricular cavity. However, curves generated from these regions appear earlier in time than tissue time-activity curves obtained from ROIs within the myocardial tissue, and such time discrepancies can lead to errors in flow estimates. METHODS: The magnitude of these time discrepancies and their effect on estimates of regional myocardial perfusion using oxygen-15-water were measured in 30 normal subjects evaluated at rest and again after administration of dipyridamole. RESULTS: Under baseline conditions, the left atrial curve appeared 0.97 +/- 0.67 (s.d.) before the ascending aorta input curve (p < 0.05) and estimated perfusion decreased from 1.28 +/- 0.28 ml/g/min using the left atrial curve uncorrected for time to 0.98 +/- 0.27 ml/g/min after correction (p < 0.05). After dipyridamole, the left atrial curve appeared 0.68 +/- 0.72 sec before the ascending aorta curve (p < 0.05) and estimated perfusion decreased from 3.60 +/- 1.40 ml/g/min using the left atrial curve uncorrected for time to 3.24 +/- 1.26 ml/g/min using the time-corrected curve (p < 0.05). Because the magnitude of time discrepancies between the left ventricular and ascending aortic curves was less (0.25 +/- 0.34 and 0.19 +/- 0.23 sec at rest and after dipyridamole, respectively), effects on flow estimates were more modest. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study demonstrate that time discrepancies between input and tissue time-activity curves can affect estimates of myocardial flow. Correction for this potential source of error is proposed.

Adult

Use and limitations of metabolic tracers labeled with positron-emitting radionuclides in the identification of viable myocardium.

Identification of viable myocardium is crucial in identifying patients who could benefit from interventional therapy such as coronary artery balloon angioplasty or bypass surgery. PET can be used to prospectively identify viable from nonviable myocardium based on the pattern of substrate use in comparison with perfusion. Viable myocardium can be identified with such diverse tracers as 1-11C-palmitate (for assessment of fatty acid metabolism) and 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (for assessment of the uptake of glucose). Recent studies have suggested that assessment of oxidative metabolism with tracers such as 1-11C-acetate may predict with the greatest accuracy segments of myocardial tissue that will recover after recanalization. Further studies will be necessary to determine whether PET represents a superior technology compared with other more widely available (and less expensive) approaches for identification of jeopardized myocardium. Nonetheless, PET should provide a better understanding of the pathophysiology of myocardial ischemia (since it enables delineation of the biochemical alterations that underlie contractile dysfunction) and of therapeutic strategies likely to be beneficial. It will also be useful for the identification of viable from nonviable myocardium when results of other diagnostic techniques are equivocal, and in patients who are at high risk.

Acetates

Comparison of carbon-11-acetate with fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose for delineating viable myocardium by positron emission tomography.

OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to determine in patients with advanced coronary disease whether prediction of recovery of mechanical function after coronary revascularization could be accomplished more effectively by positron emission tomography (PET) with carbon-11 (11C)-acetate than by PET with fluorine-18 (18F)-fluorodeoxyglucose. BACKGROUND: Results of previous studies have demonstrated that preservation of myocardial oxidative metabolism (measured by PET with 11C-acetate) is necessary for recovery of systolic function after coronary revascularization. METHODS: Myocardial oxidative metabolism was quantified before revascularization in 34 patients by the analysis of the rate of myocardial clearance of 11C-acetate. Metabolism of glucose was assessed by analysis of uptake of 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose. Receiver operating characteristic curves for predicting functional recovery were derived for the measurements of oxidative metabolism and glucose metabolism. In addition, criteria for prediction of recovery of function based on measurements of oxidative metabolism and glucose metabolism were developed and compared. RESULTS: Analysis of receiver operating characteristic curves indicated that estimates of oxidative metabolism were more robust in predicting functional recovery than were estimates of glucose metabolism (p < 0.02). Moreover, threshold criteria with 11C-acetate exhibited superior positive and negative predictive values (67% and 89%, respectively) than did the criteria with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (52% and 81%, respectively), p < 0.01. In segments with initially severe dysfunction, estimates of oxidative metabolism tended to be more robust than estimates of glucose metabolism in predicting functional recovery. Moreover, in such segments, the threshold criteria with 11C-acetate tended to exhibit superior positive and negative predictive values (85% and 87%, respectively) than did the criteria with 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (72% and 82%, respectively), although statistical significance was not achieved. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with advanced coronary artery disease, the extent to which functional recovery can be anticipated after coronary revascularization can be delineated accurately by quantification of regional oxidative metabolism by PET with 11C-acetate.

Acetates

Detection and assessment by positron emission tomography of a genetically determined defect in myocardial fatty acid utilization (long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency).

Genetic defects in fatty acid oxidation are important, inherited causes of cardiomyopathy, skeletal myopathies, and childhood sudden death. The clinical manifestations and their severity vary widely among affected subjects and different age groups. Although measurement of serum and urinary fatty acid intermediary metabolites and enzymatic assays establish the diagnosis of a defect in fatty acid oxidation, they do not predict the specific clinical manifestations nor their severity in a given subject. To determine whether impaired myocardial fatty acid utilization, indicative of cardiac phenotypic expression of a specific genetic abnormality in fatty acid oxidation, can be detected, cardiac positron emission tomography with the metabolic tracers carbon-11-labeled palmitate and acetate was performed in 6 patients with long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (ACD) deficiency and in 9 control subjects. The myocardial extraction of both tracers was similar in patients and controls. The rate of clearance of palmitate from myocardium was significantly prolonged in patients compared with that in control subjects (0.022 +/- 0.012 vs 0.061 +/- 0.033 min-1; p < 0.025), indicative of a decreased rate of oxidation of long-chain fatty acids. Furthermore, the extent of diminution of clearance of palmitate, quantified in terms of the rate of clearance for palmitate divided by that for acetate (to correct for individual differences in overall mitochondrial oxidative metabolic flux), correlated with the clinical severity of the long-chain ACD deficiency. Accordingly, noninvasive evaluation with positron emission tomography may not only facilitate diagnosis, but also enable assessment of the pathogenetic impact and effects of therapeutic interventions in the hearts of subjects with specific, inherited defects in fatty acid oxidative metabolism.

Acetates

Persistence of coronary vasodilator responsivity after cardiac transplantation.

Accelerated graft atherosclerosis is a major cause of death after cardiac transplantation. Although its detection currently requires surveillance angiography, loss of vasodilator responsivity may precede obstructive lesions and be detectable by noninvasive assessment of myocardial perfusion. Thirty-five allograft recipients were studied an average of 31 +/- 19 (mean +/- SD) months after transplantation. All were free from angiographically definable macrovascular obstructive coronary artery lesions. Nutritive myocardial perfusion at rest, estimated in absolute terms by positron emission tomography with oxygen-15 water averaged 1.63 +/- 0.51 ml/g/min in patients and was greater than that in 26 healthy volunteers (1.17 +/- 0.33 ml/g/min, p < 0.001). The increase correlated with increased cardiac work at rest in transplant recipients with arterial hypertension and tachycardia. Peak myocardial perfusion induced by intravenous administration of dipyridamole was normal in the transplant recipients (3.49 +/- 1.70 ml/g/min compared with 3.60 +/- 1.41 ml/g/min in volunteers). Because of the high flow at rest, myocardial perfusion reserve (the ratio of hyperemic flow to flow at rest) was diminished (2.3 +/- 1.2 compared with 3.3 +/- 1.5 in volunteers, p < 0.005). These results indicate that the responsivity to vasodilator stimulation is well preserved in transplant recipients devoid of macroscopic coronary arterial lesions obviating detection of early vascular dysfunction in individual subjects. Positron emission tomography may be useful, however, in quantifying the magnitude of the increase in flow at rest secondary to increased cardiac work--a potentially remedial cause of accelerated coronary vascular disease induced by high shear force activation of platelets in the coronary bed, and in detecting impaired perfusion once macrovascular vascular disease is extant.

Adult

Functional recovery after reperfusion is predicated on recovery of myocardial oxidative metabolism.

To test the hypothesis that recovery of myocardial oxidative metabolism (MVO2) is a necessary prerequisite for recovery of contractile function following reperfusion and to evaluate its dependency on the interval of antecedent ischemia before reflow, we evaluated 11 dogs serially for 4 weeks. Six dogs were subjected to prompt reperfusion (after 1 hour of coronary artery occlusion) and five were subjected to delayed reperfusion (after 4 hours of ischemia). Despite equivalent levels of myocardial blood flow with reperfusion, hearts subjected to prompt reperfusion had faster and more complete recovery of MVO2 (assessed by sequential positron emission tomography with [11C]acetate) and function (assessed by echocardiography) compared with dogs subjected to delayed reperfusion. Infarct size was diminished in dogs with prompt reperfusion. In all dogs, recovery of function with reperfusion was predicted and correlated with early recovery of MVO2 (r = 0.61, p < 0.04). The results demonstrate that prompt reperfusion is associated with more rapid and complete recovery of oxidative metabolism and function and support the hypothesis that the ability to metabolize substrate oxidatively is a necessary prerequisite for recovery of function.

Animals

Development and validation of a solvent extraction technique for determination of Cu-PTSM in blood.

The partitioning of [67Cu]Cu-PTSM between plasma and red blood cells (RBC) was investigated in vitro with human, rat, pig and dog blood. Significant inter-species variability is observed in the plasma/RBC partitioning of tracer, ranging from c. 75% association with plasma in human blood to only c. 35% association with plasma in dog blood. This inter-species difference results from selective association of the [67Cu]Cu-PTSM tracer with human albumin. When [67Cu]Cu-PTSM is mixed with human blood in vitro at 37 degrees C the fraction of 67Cu-radioactivity that remains plasma-associated decreases with time, apparently due to the expected intracellular decomposition of the Cu-PTSM complex by RBC; however, this process is sufficiently slow that it should have limited influence on [62Cu]CU-PTSM biodistribution following intravenous injection. Octanol extraction of blood was found to be an effective technique for quantitating the amount of intact [67Cu]Cu-PTSM complex in blood samples. When imaging with [62Cu]Cu-PTSM, octanol extraction may be useful for determining the [62Cu]Cu-PTSM content of arterial blood samples to establish a true radiotracer input function.

Animals