Following the previous study, which investigated the pharmacological properties of the Technekitty injection (Tc-99m), the toxicity of a single intravenous administration of the Technekitty injection (Tc-99m) and the side effects that may occur at the diagnostic dose were confirmed. The Technekitty injection (Tc-99m) was administered intravenously once at a dose of 0, 0.67, 2.0, and 6.0 mCi/kg to 5 male and female rats per group. Mortality, general symptom observation, and weight measurement were performed for 2 weeks, followed by observation of autopsy findings. There were no deaths, and no statistically significant weight change was observed. No abnormal systemic signs related to the Technekitty injection (Tc-99m) were observed. These results confirmed that Technekitty injection (Tc-99m) can be safely administered intravenously at doses up to 6.0 mCi/kg. Additionally, technetium-99m at an average dose of 2 mCi (74 MBq) has been verified as a diagnostic dose without adverse effects, allowing the Technekitty injection (Tc-99m) to be used safely without side effects at this dosage. This study demonstrates that the Technekitty injection (Tc-99m) has a wide safety margin, supporting its potential for clinical application. Moreover, these findings align with the nonclinical safety standards for radiopharmaceuticals, reinforcing its utility in veterinary medicine. The Technekitty injection (Tc-99m) is expected to be applicable for clinical diagnosis as a veterinary drug in Korea.

Thyroid scanning using technetium-99m (99mTc) is the gold standard for diagnosing feline hyperthyroidism. In cats with an overactive thyroid, a thyroid scan is the most appropriate imaging technique to detect and localize any hyperfunctional adenomatous thyroid tissue. In this study, the pharmacological properties of the Technekitty injection (Tc-99m), developed as a diagnostic agent for feline hyperthyroidism using 99mTc as an active ingredient, were tested in FRTL-5 thyroid follicular cell line and ICR mice. The percentage of cell uptake of the Tc-99m in FRTL-5 thyroid cells was 0.182 ± 0.018%, which was about 6 times higher compared to Clone 9 hepatocytes. This uptake decreased by 38.2% due to competitive inhibition by iodine (sodium iodide). In tissue distribution tests by using ICR mice, the highest distribution was observed in the liver, kidneys, spleen, lungs, and femur at 0.083 hours after administration, and this distribution decreased as the compound was excreted through the kidneys, the primary excretory organ. Maximum distribution was confirmed at 1 hour in the small intestine, 6 hours in the large intestine, and 2 hours in the thyroid gland. Additionally, the total amount excreted through urine and feces over 48 hours (2 days) was 78.80% of the injected dose, with 37.70% (47.84% of the total excretion) excreted through urine and 41.10% (52.16% of the total excretion) through feces. In conclusion, the Tc-99m has the same mechanism of action, potency, absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion characteristics as 99mTc used for feline hyperthyroidism in the United States, Europe, and other countries, because the Technekitty injection (Tc-99m) contains 99mTc as its sole active ingredient. Based on these results, the Technekitty injection (Tc-99m) is expected to be safely used in the clinical diagnosis of feline hyperthyroidism.

The purpose of this study is to examine the impacts of the utilitarian, hedonic and symbolic benefits of consuming sportswear on consumers’ purchase intention and willingness to pay. Also, the potential moderating role of the type of brands (i.e., luxury vs. regular brands) is examined. A multiple regression was performed to examine the impacts of the perceived utilitarian-, hedonic-, and symbolic benefits on individuals’ purchase intention, while controlling for descriptive norm, financial constraints, prior brand attitude and familiarity, prestige sensitivity, fashion consciousness, and demographics. It appeared that respondents who indicated that the advertised sportswear fulfilled their hedonic, utilitarian, and symbolic benefit had greater purchase intention. A log-linear regression analysis was performed to examine the impacts of the perceived utilitarian-, hedonic-, and symbolic benefits on individuals’ willingness to pay for sportswear, while controlling for the descriptive norm, financial constraints, prior brand attitude and familiarity, prestige sensitivity, fashion consciousness, and demographics. As respondents’ willingness to pay was logarithmically transformed in order to correct its skewed bias from the normal distribution, the findings indicated that those who indicated that the utilitarian and symbolic benefits were fulfilled were likely to pay 35% and 19.4%, respectively, more for the sportswear. In order to explore the potential moderating role of the type of brands, we examined the influences of utilitarian, hedonic, and symbolic benefits on purchase intention and willingness to pay for two split samples—one for the two luxury sportswear brands, and the other for the regular sportswear brands. After estimating coefficients for luxury and regular sportswear brands, respectively, a series of z-tests was performed to examine whether the magnitude of coefficients varied across the luxury vs. regular brands. The impacts of hedonic and symbolic benefits on purchase intention were greater for the luxury brands than for the regular brands, whereas the opposite pattern was observed for the utilitarian benefits. Similar patterns of relationships were observed for consumers’ willingness to pay, although the hedonic benefits did not have any significant impact. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed along with future research directions.