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Biomedical subjects

T Emerick

Publications and source records attributed to T Emerick.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

Thallium-201 SPECT and positron emission tomography equal predictors of glioma grade and recurrence.

Quantitative indexes based on regions of interest ratios from preoperative thallium-201 SPECT and F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) scans were compared for their ability to predict the histological grade of cerebral gliomas. Of the five different ratios used to determine the index for each PET scan, the ratio of tumour versus ipsilateral hemisphere in the same plane as the tumour showed the most significant correlation with glioma grade (p < 0.001). A large study of 62 thallium-201 SPECT scans showed equally good correlation with glioma grade (p < 0.0005). The use of thallium-201 SPECT for detection of tumour recurrence had 100% sensitivity in this series, while PET scans had 90.9% sensitivity. Patients with a rate of change in serial thallium indexes of 0.475 +/- 0.278 per month survived 5.93 +/- 2.25 months from onset of index increase, while those with little change in the index (0.069 +/- 0.063 per month) survived 17.93 +/- 5.25 months from onset of index increase. Results indicate thallium-201 SPECT correlates well with tumour grade and is equally efficient as PET in screening for glioma recurrence.

Brain Neoplasms

Rate and gender dependence of the sweating, vasoconstriction, and shivering thresholds in humans.

BACKGROUND: The range of core temperatures not triggering thermoregulatory responses ("interthreshold range") remains to be determined in humans. Although the rates at which perioperative core temperatures vary typically range from 0.5 to 2 degrees C/h, the thermoregulatory contribution of different core cooling rates also remains unknown. In addition, sweating in women is triggered at a slightly greater core temperature than in men. However, it is unknown whether the vasoconstriction and shivering thresholds are comparably greater in women, or if women tolerate a larger range of core temperatures without triggering thermoregulatory responses. Accordingly, the authors sought to (1) define the interthreshold range; (2) test the hypothesis that, at a constant skin temperature, the vasoconstriction and shivering thresholds are greater during rapid core cooling than during slowly induced hypothermia; and (3) compare the sweating, vasoconstriction, and shivering thresholds in men and women. METHODS: Eight men and eight women participated. The men participated on 2 separate days; no anesthesia or sedatives were administered. On each day, they were cutaneously warmed until sweating was induced and then were cooled by a central venous infusion of cold fluid. The cooling rates were 0.7 +/- 0.1 degrees C/h on 1 day and 1.7 +/- 0.4 degrees C/h on the other, randomly ordered. Skin temperature was maintained near 36.7 degrees C throughout each trial. The women were studied only once, in the follicular phase of their menstrual cycles, at the greater cooling rate. RESULTS: The interthreshold range was approximately 0.2 degrees C in both men and women, but all thermoregulatory response thresholds were approximately 0.3 degrees C higher in women. All thresholds were virtually identical during slow and fast core cooling. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings confirm the existence of an interthreshold range and document that its magnitude is small. They also demonstrate that the interthreshold range does not differ in men and women, but that women thermoregulate at a significantly higher temperature than do men. Typical clinical rates of core cooling do not alter thermoregulatory responses.

Adult