F-FDG PET/CT and MRI in the Management of Multiple Myeloma: A Comparative Review.

During the last two decades, the imaging landscape of multiple myeloma (MM) has evolved with whole-body imaging techniques such as fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography-computed tomography (F-FDG PET/CT) and MRI replacing X-ray skeletal survey. Both imaging modalities have high diagnostic performance at the initial diagnosis of MM and are key players in the identification of patients needing treatment. Diffusion-weighted MRI has a high sensitivity for bone involvement, while F-FDG PET/CT baseline parameters carry a strong prognostic value.

Trust and Social Control: Sources of Cooperation, Performance, and Stability in Informal Value Transfer Systems.

We study the functioning of informal value transfer systems through the example of Hawala. By complementing the institutional theory with computational experiments that use the first agent-based model of IVTS, we examine the roles of generalized trust and social control for the emergence, stability, and efficiency of Hawala. We show that both trust and control are necessary, but not sufficient to guarantee its functioning, and that their relationship is time-dependent.

Relevance of treatment-free remission recommendations in chronic phase chronic leukemia patients treated with frontline tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

Background: Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) can be safely discontinued in chronic phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CP-CML) patients who had achieved a sustained deep molecular response. Based on the results of discontinuation trials, recommendations regarding patient selection for a treatment-free remission (TFR) attempt had been proposed. The aims of this study were to evaluate the rate of patients eligible for TKI discontinuation and molecular recurrence-free survival (MRFS) after stop according to recommendations.

Prospective Comparison of 18-FDG PET/CT and Whole-Body MRI with Diffusion-Weighted Imaging in the Evaluation of Treatment Response of Multiple Myeloma Patients Eligible for Autologous Stem Cell Transplant.

To compare the prognostic values of 18-FDG PET/CT (FDG-PET) and Whole-Body MRI with Diffusion-Weighted Imaging (WB-DW-MRI) in the evaluation of treatment response of Multiple Myeloma (MM) patients eligible for ASCT. Thirty patients with newly diagnosed MM prospectively underwent FDG-PET and WB-DW-MRI at baseline, after induction chemotherapy and after ASCT. Response on WB-DW-MRI was evaluated with the MY-RADS criteria.