• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.1863-1870
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• 2023

Molybdenum-99 (⁹⁹Mo) is used for preparing Technetium-99 m (^99mTc), which is the most widely used isotope in nuclear medicine. In this work, a study for ⁹⁹Mo production based on a high-power electron accelerator has been performed as an alternative approach to produce ^99mTc. In this study, Monte Carlo MCNPX2.6 code has been used to examine a novel idea of simultaneous hybrid production of ⁹⁹Mo via both photoneutron and neutron capture reactions using an electron accelerator in heavy water tank. It is expected that this conceptual design including an arrangement of metallic plates of ¹⁰⁰Mo and ⁹⁸Mo produces total activity of 97.5 Ci at the end of 20-h continuous e-beam irradiation (30 MeV, 10 mA).

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.244-254
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• 2002

Purpose: This study investigated the differences between technetium-99m ethyl cysteinate dimer (Tc-99m ECD) and technetium-99m hexamethylpropylene amine oxime (Tc-99m HMPAO) uptake in the normal brain by means of statistical parametric mapping (SPM) analysis. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed age and sex matched 53 cases of normal brain SPECT. Thirty-two cases were obtained with Tc-99m ECD and 21 cases with Tc-99m HMPAO. There were no abnormal findings on brain MRIs. All of the SPECT images were spatially transformed to standard space, smoothed and globally normalized. The differences between the Tc-99m ECD and Tc-99m HMPAO SPECT images were statistically analyzed using statistical parametric mapping (SPM'99) software. The differences bgetween the two groups were considered significant ant a threshold of corrected P values less than 0.05. Results: SPM analysis revealed significantly different uptakes of Tc-99m ECD and Tc-99m HMPAO in the normal brains. On the Tc-99m ECD SPECT images, relatively higher uptake was observed in the frontal, parietal and occipital lobes, in the basal ganglia and thalamus, and in the superior region of the cerebellum. On the Tc-99m HMPAO SPECT images, relatively higher uptakes was observed in subcortical areas of the frontal region, temporal lobe, and posterior portion of inferior cerebellum. Conclusion: Uptake of Tc-99m ECD and Tc-99m HMPO in the normallooking brain was significantly different on SPM analysis. The selective use of Tc-99m ECD of Tc-99m HMPAO in brain SPECT imaging appears especially valuable for the interpretation of cerebral perfusion. Further investigation is necessary to determine which tracer is more accurate for diagnosing different clinical conditions.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.613-623
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• 2016

Molybdenum-99 ($^{99}Mo$) is the most important isotope because its daughter isotope, technetium-99m ($^{99m}Tc$), has been the most widely used medical radioisotope for more than 50 years, accounting for > 80% of total nuclear diagnostics worldwide. In this review, radiochemical routes for the production of $^{99}Mo$, and the aspects for selecting a suitable process strategy are discussed from the historical viewpoint of $^{99}Mo$ technology developments. Most of the industrial-scale $^{99}Mo$ processes have been based on the fission of $^{235}U$. Recently, important issues have been raised for the conversion of fission $^{99}Mo$ targets from highly enriched uranium to low enriched uranium (LEU). The development of new LEU targets with higher density was requested to compensate for the loss of $^{99}Mo$ yield, caused by a significant reduction of $^{235}U$ enrichment, from the conversion. As the dramatic increment of intermediate level liquid waste is also expected from the conversion, an effective strategy to reduce the waste generation from the fission $^{99}Mo$ production is required. The mitigation of radioxenon emission from medical radioisotope production facilities is discussed in relation with the monitoring of nuclear explosions and comprehensive nuclear test ban. Lastly, the $^{99}Mo$ production process paired with the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute's own LEU target is proposed as one of the most suitable processes for the LEU target.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.285-293
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• 2000

Purpose: A prospective comparison was made between imaging with Tc-99m pertechnetate (Tc-99m) and Ioine-131 (I-131) for the detection of residual and metastatic tissue after total thyroidectomy in patients with well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Materials and Methods: Initially our patients had imaging with Tc-99m, followed by I-131 within 3 days. The study included 21 patients who had ablation with high dose of I-131 ranging from 100 mCi to 150 mCi. Planar and pinhole images were acquired for both Tc-99m and I-131. Diagnostic images of Tc-99m and I-131 were compared with post-therapy images. Degree of uptake on Tc-99m and I-131 images was scored by four point scale and compared. Results: The results of the Tc-99m study were: 16 of 19 studies (84%) were positive on simple planar images, but 19 of 20 studies (95%) were positive on pinhole images. Conventional I-131 diagnostic imaging on the other hand showed that all studies (100%) were positive on both planar and pinhole images. There was a significant difference in degree of uptake between Tc-99m and I-131 planar images (p<0.05). Only one case of Tc-99m scintigraphy was negative on both planar and pinhole studies (false negative). There was no distant metastasis on the therapeutic I-131 images. Conclusion: Tc-99m scan using pinhole in certain clinical situations is an alternative to the I-131 scan in detecting thyroid or lymph node metastasis prior to the first ablative treatment after thyroidectomy for well-differentiated thyroid carcinoma.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.32 no.7
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• pp.2358-2368
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• 2011

Density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) calculations, employing the B3LYP method and the LANL2DZ, 6-31G$^*$(LANL2DZ for Tc), 6-31G$^*$(cc-pVDZ-pp for Tc) and DGDZVP basis sets, have been performed to investigate the electronic structures and absorption spectra of the technetium-99m-labeled methylenediphosphonate ($^{99m}Tc$-MDP) complex of the simplest diphosphonate ligand. The bonding situations and natural bond orbital compositions were studied by the Mulliken population analysis (MPA) and natural bond orbital (NBO) analysis. The results indicate that the ${\sigma}$ and ${\pi}$ contributions to the Tc-O bonds are strongly polarized towards the oxygen atoms and the ionic contribution to the Tc-O bonding is larger than the covalent contribution. The electronic transitions investigated by TDDFT calculations and molecular orbital analyses show that the origin of all absorption bands is ascribed to the ligand-to-metal charge transfer (LMCT) character. The solvent effect on the electronic structures and absorption spectra has also been studied by performing DFT and TDDFT calculations at the B3LYP/6-31G$^*$(cc-pVDZ-pp for Tc) level with the integral equation formalism polarized continuum model (IEFPCM) in different media. It is found that the absorption spectra display blue shift in different extents with the increase of solvent polarity.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.59-66
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• 1968

Technetium 99m pertechnetate brain scanning were performed in 3 cases of head injury (2 chronic subdural hematomas and 1 acute epidural hematoma), 2 cases of brain abscess and I case of intracerebral hematoma associated with arteriovenous anomaly. In all the cases brain scintigrams showed "hot areas." Literatures on radioisotope scanning of intracranial lesions were briefly reviewed. With the improvement of radioisotope scanner and development of new radiopharmaceuticals brain scanning became a safe and useful screening test for diagnosis of intracranial lesions. Brain scanning can be easily performed even to a moribund patient without any discomfort and risk to the patient which are associated with cerebral angiography or pneumoencephalography. Brain scanning has been useful in diagnosis of brain tumor, brain abscess, subdural hematoma, and cerebral vascular diseases. In 80 to 90% of brain tumors positive scintigrams can be expected. Early studies were done with $^{203}Hg$-Neohydrin or $^{131}I$-serum albumin. With these agents, however, patients receive rather much radiation to the whole body and kidneys. In 1965 Harper introduced $^{99m}Tc$ to reduce radiation dose to the patient and improve statistical variation in isotope scanning.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.39-43
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• 1986

[ $^{99m}Technetium-Heat$ ] damaged erythrocyte were used as spleen scanning agents in 12 patients from July, 1985 to April, 1986. We used this scan to evaluate situs inversus, asplenia, accessory spleen, hypersplenism, splenic infarction, tumor staging and evaluation of therapy, especially when the $^{99m}Tc-tin$ colloid scans were not definite for diagnosis. The techniques applied to these scans were in vivo/in vitro-labeling method and heating-method to damage the erythrocytes. Liver-to-spleen uptake ratios were increased upto 100 : 1 and interference from the left lobe of the liver was eliminated. These scans were helpful to evaluate the spleen.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.23 no.10
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• pp.1439-1444
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• 2002

6-Nitroquipazine has higher binding affinity for SERT than other selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. We have prepared 6-nitroquipazine based rhenium complexes which would lead to the development of potential SPECT imaging agents with $^{99m}Tc$ for 5-HT transporter.

• The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.4-6
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• 2023

Technetium-labeled phosphate bone scan was shown to detect bone fractures and bone metastasis in early stage than general radiographs. Therefore, bone scan has become one of the most frequently performed nuclear medicine imaging examination. However, non-osseous radiopharmaceutical uptake on the bone scan are unusual findings. We report a case of diffuse splenic absorption of Tc-99m dicarboxypropane diphosphonate in patients who undergo liver transplantation.

• Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.177-185
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• 2006

Purpose: Purpose of this study is to synthesize $^{99m}Tc$-labeled transferrin for injection imaging and to compare it with $^{67}Ga$-titrate for the detection of infectious foci. Materials and methods: Succinimidyl 6-hydrazino-nicotinate hydrochloride-chitosan-transferrin (Transferrin) was synthesized and radiolabeled with $^{99m}Tc$. Labeling efficiencies of $^{99m}Tc$-Transferrin were determined at 10 min, 30 min, 1 hr, 2 hr, 4 hr and 8 hr. Biodistribution and imaging studies with $^{99m}Tc$-Transferrin and $^{67}Ga$-citrate were performed in a rat abscess model induced with approximately $2{\times}10^8$ colony forming unit of Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 25923. Results: Successful synthesis of Transferrin was confirmed by mass spectrometry. Labeling efficiency of $^{99m}Tc$-Transferrin was $96.2{\pm}0.7%,\;96.4{\pm}0.5%,\;96.6{\pm}1.0%,\;96.9{\pm}0.5%,\;97.0{\pm}0.7%\;and\;95.5{\pm}0.7%$ at 10 min, 30 min, 1 hr, 2 hr, 4 hr and 8 hr, respectively. The injected dose per tissue gram of $^{99m}Tc$-Transferrin was $0.18{\pm}0.01\;and\;0.18{\pm}0.01$ in the lesion and $0.05{\pm}0.01\;and\;0.04{\pm}0.01$ in the normal muscle, and lesion-to-normal muscle uptake ratio was $3.7{\pm}0.6\;and\;4.7{\pm}0.4$ at 30 min and 3 hr, respectively. On image, lesion-to-background ratio of $^{99m}Tc$-Transferrin was $2.18{\pm}0.03,\;2.56{\pm}0.11,\;3.08{\pm}0.18,\;3.77{\pm}0.17,\;4.70{\pm}0.45\;and\;5.59{\pm}0.40$ at 10 min, 30 min, 1 hr, 2 hr, 4 hr and 10 hr and those of $^{67}Ga$-citrate was $3.06{\pm}0.84,\;4.12{\pm}0.54\;and\;4.55{\pm}0.74 $ at 2 hr, 24 hr and 48 hr, respectively. Conclusion: Transferrin is successfully labeled with $^{99m}Tc$, and its labeling efficiency was higher than 95% and stable for 8 hours. $^{99m}Tc$-Transferrin scintigraphy showed higher image quality in shorter time compared to $^{67}Ga$-citrate image. $^{99m}Tc$-transferrin is supposed to be useful in the detection of the infectious foci.