Characterization of the Tracer YSZ/CoO Microspheres with YSZ Ceramic Coating for HTR Fuel Element

The Co element was used during the first operation of high temperature reactor (HTR) reactor to distinguish low-enrichment and high-enrichment fuel elements. In this paper the YSZ/CoO ceramic tracer microspheres with YSZ coating were prepared. The design size of the microspheres were about 750μm. The YSZ shell thickness were 100 μm, the mean nuclear roundness were ≤1.03 and the density were ≥5.50g/cm3. Morphology, microstructure and element composition of the core-shell microspheres were characterized by stereo microscope, scanning electron microscopy, x-ray spectrometers etc. The results of both line scan and spot scan of X-ray spectrometer show that dense YSZ shell can efficiently prevent Co element in YSZ/CoO core from diffusing into the YSZ shell at high temperature.

Heterogeneities in regional volumes of distribution and flows in rabbit heart

The heterogeneity of volumes of distribution in the heart influences the rates of uptake and washout of substrates and metabolites; thus it is important to evaluate their variability in the normal heart. Several tracers were injected intravenously into anesthetized adult closed-chest rabbits, and time was allowed for equilibration in the heart. Tracer microspheres were injected into the left ventricular cavity at the apex for the measurement of regional flows, the chest was opened, another set of microspheres was injected, and the heart was frozen rapidly in situ with liquid nitrogen-cooled Freon-22. Each heart was divided into 72 pieces of less than 0.1 g weight, and the tracer content of each was determined by multichannel gamma-counting and the water content by desiccation. The regional myocardial flows were (closed chest) 0.62 +/- 0.16 ml.g-1.min-1 and (open chest) 0.63 +/- 0.37 ml.g-1.min-1. The volumes of distribution (ml/g) for the 432 pieces for six rabbits, given as mean +/- SD (% coefficient of variation), were as follows: for plasma, VP = 0.11 +/- 0.03 (26%); erythrocytes, VRBC = 0.041 +/- 0.015 (37%); vascular space, VV = 0.15 +/- 0.04 (26%); extracellular space, VECF = 0.33 +/- 0.05 (15%); interstitial space, VISF = 0.21 +/- 0.03 (15%); and water space, VW -0.79 +/- 0.022 (2.8%). Regional hematocrits were 77% +/- 9% of the large-vessel hematocrits.

Effects of histamine receptor stimulation on regional myocardial blood flow

The effect of histamine (H) and specific H1 and H2 agonists and antagonists on regional myocardial blood flow was studied in anesthetized dogs by use of tracer microspheres. Intracoronary infusion of histamine (15 and 34 micrograms/min) produced a dose-related increase in transmural myocardial blood flow (from 0.82 to 1.36 and 2.25 ml X min-1 X g-1) without alteration of heart rate or blood pressure. Infusion of the H1 agonist 2-(2-thiazolyl)ethylamine (135 and 442 micrograms/min) produced an increase in transmural perfusion (from 0.69 to 1.22 and 1.65 ml X min-1 X g-1) and a significant (P less than 0.05) increase in the ratio of flow between subendocardium and subepicardium (endo/epi from 0.97 to 1.31 and 1.54). Infusion of the H2 agonist dimaprit (195 and 390 micrograms/min) produced an increase in transmural myocardial blood flow (from 0.97 to 1.49 and 2.00 ml X min-1 X g-1) without a change in endo/epi. The H1-mediated increase in regional myocardial perfusion and endo/epi was blocked by the H1 antagonist diphenhydramine but not by the H2 antagonist cimetidine. These results suggest that stimulation of H1 coronary receptors preferentially distributes flow to the subendocardium, whereas H2 receptors mediate vasodilation in subepicardium as well as subendocardium.