PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Study highlights 'important safety issue' with widely used MRI contrast agents

2015-06-25
(Press-News.org) June 25, 2015 - New results in animals highlight a major safety concern regarding a class of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) contrast agents used in millions of patients each year, according to a paper published online by the journal Investigative Radiology. The journal is published by Wolters Kluwer.

The study adds to concerns that repeated use of specific "linear"-type gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) lead to deposits of the heavy-metal element gadolinium in the brain. The results will have a major impact on the multimillion-dollar market for MRI contrast agents, predicts Investigative Radiology Editor-in-Chief Val M. Runge, MD, of University Hospital Zurich. He comments, "This important safety issue may lead to certain linear GBCAs not being used in the future."

One Class of Contrast Agents Linked to Brain Gadolinium Deposits Led by Philippe Robert, PhD, of the French pharmaceutical company Guerbet, the researchers designed experiments in rats to assess the effects of repeated injections of GBCAs. These agents are widely used for diagnostic MRI scans, with approximately 30 million doses given each year worldwide.

Over five weeks, one group of rats received a series of 20 injections with gadodiamide, one of a class of agents known as "linear" GBCAs. Another group of animals were injected with a different type of GBCA--the "macrocyclic" agent gadoterate meglumine. (Dr. Robert's company, Guerbet, manufactures gadoterate meglumine.) A third group of rats received an inactive saline solution.

Over time, "significant and persistent" MRI abnormalities (called T1-weighted signal hyperintensities) developed in the brains of rats receiving the linear GBCA, gadodiamide. But no MRI abnormalities appeared in the brains of rats injected with the macrocyclic agent, gadoterate meglumine.

The increases in signal hyperintensity persisted even after the injections stopped. In subsequent examinations, high total gadolinium concentrations were measured in the deep brain (cerebellum) of gadodiamide-treated rats, corresponding to the area of the MRI abnormalities.

The findings are consistent with recent studies reporting T1 hyperintensities in human patients receiving multiple injections of linear GBCAs for MRI scans. "Certain of these agents lead to heavy-metal deposition in parts of the brain, which is not seen with the macrocyclic GBCAs," says Dr. Runge. A pioneer in the development of chelated gadolinium as a contrast agent for MRI, Dr. Runge was the first to publicly propose the concept in 1982. In 1984, he demonstrated the effectiveness of the first GBCA to be developed, which was approved in 1988.

Gadolinium is the element employed as the basis of GBCAs, which have been widely used as MRI contrast agents for nearly three decades. "However, it is also a toxic heavy metal that is not a normal trace element in the body," Dr. Runge explains.

Certain linear GBCAs have previously been linked to a rare but serious disease (called nephrogenic systemic fibrosis) in patients with severely impaired kidney function. Macrocyclic GBCAs were originally developed as a safer alternative to linear GBCAs. Based on the new results, Dr. Runge predicts that certain GBCAs may soon fall out of use. A question raised by physicians is whether any patient, upon seeing this data, would want to be injected with the less stable agents.

In addition to the effects on patient care, the study may also have a major impact on the contrast agent industry. Dr. Runge believes that several products--accounting for a substantial part of annual sales worldwide--may be withdrawn. The estimated US market for GBCAs is at least $300 million per year, about one-fourth of the world market.

The animal model developed for the study provides an important new scientific tool for evaluating which contrast media are associated with brain gadolinium deposits, and which are not, Dr. Runge believes. "All of the currently approved GBCAs should be evaluated by the methods used in the article by Robert et al, or by a similar approach," he writes in an editorial accompanying the new paper. "This could lead, and if so appropriately, to the reassessment of the approval status of the least stable agents."

INFORMATION:

Click here to read "T1-Weighted Hypersignal in the Deep Cerebellar Nuclei After Repeated Administrations of Gadolinium-Based Contrast Agents in Healthy Rats: Difference Between Linear and Macrocyclic Agents."

Article: "T1-Weighted Hypersignal in the Deep Cerebellar Nuclei After Repeated Administrations of Gadolinium-Based Contrast Agents in Healthy Rats: Difference Between Linear and Macrocyclic Agents" (doi: 10.1097/RLI.0000000000000181)

About Investigative Radiology Investigative Radiology publishes original, peer-reviewed research from clinical and basic science investigations in diagnostic imaging, focusing on magnetic resonance, computed tomography, ultrasound, digital subtraction angiography and new technologies. An additional major focus is intravenous contrast media, including clinical trials, development, and the field of theranostics. Primarily research-oriented, Investigative Radiology--due to publication of leading edge technology--includes a wide variety of papers of interest to clinical radiologists.

About Wolters Kluwer Wolters Kluwer is a global leader in professional information services. Professionals in the areas of legal, business, tax, accounting, finance, audit, risk, compliance and healthcare rely on Wolters Kluwer's market leading information-enabled tools and software solutions to manage their business efficiently, deliver results to their clients, and succeed in an ever more dynamic world.

Wolters Kluwer reported 2014 annual revenues of €3.7 billion. The group serves customers in over 170 countries, and employs over 19,000 people worldwide. The company is headquartered in Alphen aan den Rijn, the Netherlands. Wolters Kluwer shares are listed on NYSE Euronext Amsterdam (WKL) and are included in the AEX and Euronext 100 indices. Wolters Kluwer has a sponsored Level 1 American Depositary Receipt program. The ADRs are traded on the over-the-counter market in the U.S. (WTKWY).

For more information about our products and organization, visit http://www.wolterskluwer.com, follow @WKHealth or @Wolters_Kluwer on Twitter, like us on Facebook, follow us on LinkedIn, or follow WoltersKluwerComms on YouTube.



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Smartphone app may prevent dangerous freezing of gait in Parkinson's patients

2015-06-25
Many patients in the latter stage of Parkinson's disease are at high risk of dangerous, sometimes fatal, falls. One major reason is the disabling symptom referred to as Freezing of Gait (FoG) -- brief episodes of an inability to step forward that typically occurs during gait initiation or when turning while walking. Patients who experience FoG often lose their independence, which has a direct effect on their already degenerating quality of life. In the absence of effective pharmacological therapies for FoG, technology-based solutions to alleviate the symptom and prolong ...

Development of new blood vessels not essential to growth of lymph node metastases

2015-06-25
While the use of antiangiogenesis drugs that block the growth of new blood vessels can improve the treatment of some cancers, clinical trials of their ability to prevent the development of new metastases have failed. Now a study from the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center may have found at least one reason why. In their paper published online in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, an MGH research team reports finding that the growth of metastases in lymph nodes -- the most common site of cancer spread -- does not require new blood vessels but instead ...

Study finds a good appetizer could make your main course less enjoyable

Study finds a good appetizer could make your main course less enjoyable
2015-06-25
A good or mediocre appetizer has the potential to significantly change how the main course is enjoyed, according to one Drexel food science professor. Jacob Lahne, PhD, an assistant professor in the Center for Hospitality and Sport Management, recently found that a comparatively good appetizer could make people enjoy the main course less than if it were preceded by a mediocre appetizer. Lahne tested and analyzed subjects' hedonic (liking) responses to a main dish of "pasta aglio e olio" (pasta with garlic and oil) after they had either a good or mediocre bruschetta ...

Stanford researchers stretch a thin crystal to get better solar cells

2015-06-25
Nature loves crystals. Salt, snowflakes and quartz are three examples of crystals - materials characterized by the lattice-like arrangement of their atoms and molecules. Industry loves crystals, too. Electronics are based on a special family of crystals known as semiconductors, most famously silicon. To make semiconductors useful, engineers must tweak their crystalline lattice in subtle ways to start and stop the flow of electrons. Semiconductor engineers must know precisely how much energy it takes to move electrons in a crystal lattice. This energy measure is the ...

New class of compounds shrinks pancreatic cancer tumours and prevents regrowth

2015-06-25
Scientists from UCL (University College London) have designed a chemical compound that has reduced the growth of pancreatic cancer tumours by 80 percent in treated mice. The compound, called MM41, was designed to block faulty genes. It appears to do this by targeting little knots in their DNA, called quadruplexes, which are very different from normal DNA and which are especially found in faulty genes. The findings, published in Nature Scientific Reports, showed that MM41 had a strong inhibiting effect on two genes -- k-RAS and BCL-2 -- both of which are found in the ...

Past water patterns drive present wading bird numbers

2015-06-25
Wading bird numbers in the Florida Everglades are driven by water patterns that play out over multiple years according to a new study by the U.S. Geological Survey and Florida Atlantic University. Previously, existing water conditions were seen as the primary driving factor affecting numbers of birds, but this research shows that the preceding years' water conditions and availability are equally important. "We've known for some time that changes in water levels trigger a significant response by wading birds in the Everglades," said James Beerens, the study's lead author ...

New breath test for pneumonia

New breath test for pneumonia
2015-06-25
Researchers from The University of Manchester are part of a team that has identified an important new approach to diagnose infections in critically ill patients rapidly and accurately. A study by colleagues in Salford and Manchester found that chemically analysing breath specimens from patients in intensive care can reveal bacterial infection in the lower respiratory tract of ventilated patients at risk of developing pneumonia. Although the work is in its early stages, the findings so far look very exciting and could potentially have a huge effect on clinical practice ...

Breakthrough graphene production could trigger revolution in artificial skin development

2015-06-25
A pioneering new technique to produce high-quality, low cost graphene could pave the way for the development of the first truly flexible 'electronic skin', that could be used in robots. Researchers from the University of Exeter have discovered an innovative new method to produce the wonder material Graphene significantly cheaper, and easier, than previously possible. The research team, led by Professor Monica Craciun, have used this new technique to create the first transparent and flexible touch-sensor that could enable the development of artificial skin for use in ...

Antarctic sponges: DNA barcoding discloses diversity

2015-06-25
Researchers at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich have used DNA barcoding to elucidate the diversity of the sponge fauna found in Antarctic waters. The data provide new insights into the evolution of this poorly characterized group. Sponges constitute an important component of marine ecosystems in the waters around Antarctica. As filter feeders that rely on food particles suspended in the water passing through complex networks of canals lined with flagellated cells, they provide protected niches for many other organisms. "In spite of their considerable ecological ...

Chimps are sensitive to what is right and wrong

2015-06-25
How a chimpanzee views a video of an infant chimp from another group being killed gives a sense of how human morality and social norms might have evolved. So says Claudia Rudolf von Rohr of the University of Zurich in Switzerland, lead author of a paper in Springer's journal Human Nature. It provides the first evidence that chimpanzees, like humans, are sensitive to the appropriateness of behaviors, especially those directed toward infants. It also shows that these primates might only take action when a member of their own group is being harmed. The researchers filmed ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Cercus electric stimulation enables cockroach with trajectory control and spatial cognition training

Day-long conference addresses difficult to diagnose lung disease

First-ever cardiogenic shock academy features simulation lab

Thirty-year mystery of dissonance in the “ringing” of black holes explained

Less intensive works best for agricultural soil

Arctic rivers project receives “national champion” designation from frontiers foundation

Computational biology paves the way for new ALS tests

Study offers new hope for babies born with opioid withdrawal syndrome

UT, Volkswagen Group of America celebrate research partnership

New Medicare program could dramatically improve affordability for cancer drugs – if patients enroll

Are ‘zombie’ skin cells harmful or helpful? The answer may be in their shapes

University of Cincinnati Cancer Center presents research at AACR 2025

Head and neck, breast, lung and survivorship studies headline Dana-Farber research at AACR Annual Meeting 2025

AACR: Researchers share promising results from MD Anderson clinical trials

New research explains why our waistlines expand in middle age

Advancements in muon detection: Taishan Antineutrino Observatory's innovative top veto tracker

Chips off the old block

Microvascular decompression combined with nerve combing for atypical trigeminal neuralgia

Cutting the complexity from digital carpentry

Lung immune cell type “quietly” controls inflammation in COVID-19

Fiscal impact of expanded Medicare coverage for GLP-1 receptor agonists to treat obesity

State and sociodemographic trends in US cigarette smoking with future projections

Young adults drive historic decline in smoking

NFCR congratulates Dr. Robert C. Bast, Jr. on receiving the AACR-Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research

Chimpanzee stem cells offer new insights into early embryonic development

This injected protein-like polymer helps tissues heal after a heart attack

FlexTech inaugural issue launches, pioneering interdisciplinary innovation in flexible technology

In Down syndrome mice, 40Hz light and sound improve cognition, neurogenesis, connectivity

Methyl eugenol: potential to inhibit oxidative stress, address related diseases, and its toxicological effects

A vascularized multilayer chip reveals shear stress-induced angiogenesis in diverse fluid conditions

[Press-News.org] Study highlights 'important safety issue' with widely used MRI contrast agents