The predictive power of baseline metabolic and volumetric [F]FDG PET parameters with different thresholds for early therapy failure and mortality risk in DLBCL patients undergoing CAR-T-cell therapy.

Objective: [F]FDG imaging is an integral part of patient management in CAR-T-cell therapy for recurrent or therapy-refractory DLBCL. The calculation methods of predictive power of specific imaging parameters still remains elusive. With this retrospective study, we sought to evaluate the predictive power of the baseline metabolic parameters and tumor burden calculated with automated segmentation via different thresholding methods for early therapy failure and mortality risk in DLBCL patients.

The Predictive Role of Metabolic Volume Segmentation Compared to Semiquantitative PET Parameters in Diagnosis of LVAD Infection using [F]FDG Imaging.

Purpose: Left ventricular assisting device (LVAD) is a vital mechanical circulatory assist device for patients with end-stage heart disease, serving as either a bridge to transplantation or palliative destination therapy. Yet device infection represents a major lethal complication, warranting a multi-step, complex therapy approach including an urgent device exchange or heart transplantation. Still, timely diagnosis of site and extent of VAD-specific infection for a proper therapy planning poses challenges in regular clinical care.

2,5-Dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine and altanserin induce region-specific shifts in dopamine and serotonin metabolization pathways in the rat brain.

Purpose: For understanding the neurochemical mechanism of neuropsychiatric conditions associated with cognitive deficits it is of major relevance to elucidate the influence of serotonin (5-HT) agonists and antagonists on memory function as well dopamine (DA) and 5-HT release and metabolism. In the present study, we assessed the effects of the 5-HT receptor agonist 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI) and the 5-HT receptor altanserin (ALT) on object and place recognition memory and cerebral neurotransmitters and metabolites in the rat.

Methods: Rats underwent a 5-min exploration trial in an open field with two identical objects.

5-HT and 5-HT receptor effects on recognition memory, motor/exploratory behaviors, emotionality and regional dopamine transporter binding in the rat.

Both dopamine (DA) and serotonin (5-HT) play key roles in numerous functions including motor control, stress response and learning. So far, there is scarce or conflicting evidence about the effects of 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptor (R) agonists and antagonists on recognition memory in the rat. This also holds for their effect on cerebral DA as well as 5-HT release.

Thyroglobulin Antibodies and Tumor Epitope-Specific Cellular Immunity in Papillary Thyroid Cancer.

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is characterized by T cell infiltration and frequently by the presence of anti-thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAbs). The role of cellular immunity and of TbAbs in this context is a matter of debate. The aim of our study was to correlate the presence of TgAbs, tumor epitope-specific T cells and the clinical outcome of PTC patients.

The 5-HT receptor agonist 8-OH-DPAT modulates motor/exploratory activity, recognition memory and dopamine transporter binding in the dorsal and ventral striatum.

In the present studies, we assessed the effect of the 5-HT receptor (R) agonist 8-hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT) on motor and exploratory behaviors, object and place recognition and dopamine transporter (DAT) and serotonin transporter (SERT) binding in the rat brain. In Experiment I, motor/exploratory behaviors were assessed in an open field after injection of either 8-OH-DPAT (0.1 and 3 mg/kg) or vehicle for 30 min without previous habituation to the open field.

Head-to-Head Intra-Individual Comparison of Biodistribution and Tumor Uptake of [F]FAPI-74 with [F]FDG in Patients with PDAC: A Prospective Exploratory Study.

Background: Radiolabeled fibroblast activation protein (FAP) ligands, a novel class of tracers for PET/CT imaging, have demonstrated very promising results in various oncological, as well as in some benign, diseases with long-term potential to supplant the current pan-cancer agent [F]FDG in some cancer types. Pancreatic ductal carcinoma (PDAC) belongs to the group of epithelial malignancies with a strong so-called "desmoplastic reaction", leading to a prominent tumor stroma with cancer-associated fibroblasts that exhibit a marked overexpression of fibroblast activation protein (FAP). The first clinical experiences in PDAC with Ga-labeled FAP ligands suggested superior sensitivity to [F]FDG.

Intra-Individual Comparison of Physiologic [Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 and [F]PSMA-1007 Uptake in Ganglia in Patients with Prostate Cancer: A Retrospective, Monocentric Analysis.

Background: Several studies indicate, particularly in the case of [18F]PSMA-1007, a relatively high rate of detection of ganglia in PSMA PET imaging. Ganglia are an integral part of the sympathetic portion of the autonomous nervous system. To date, no studies have directly compared [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 and [18F]PSMA-1007 ganglionic uptake intra-individually and analyzed the underlying molecular and physical mechanisms of different detection rates.

BRAFV600E and BRAF-WT Specific Antitumor Immunity in Papillary Thyroid Cancer.

One feature of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is the frequently present somatic BRAF mutation. PTCs are also characterized by a lymphocytic infiltration, which may correlate with an improved clinical outcome. The objective of the study was the characterization of BRAF specific anti-immunity in PTC patients and correlation analyses with the clinical outcome.

PSMA-1007 Uptake in Ganglia of the Sympathetic Trunk and Its Intra-individual Reproducibility.

Aim/purpose: F-labeled PSMA ligands offer various advantages as PET tracers over Ga-labeled PSMA counterparts. Especially, an improved spatial resolution leads to improved detection rates of smaller prostate cancer (PCa) lesions. However, physiological PSMA uptake of ganglia of the sympathetic trunk can be quickly misinterpreted as possible PSMA-positive lymph node metastases.

Distinguishing Benign and Malignant Findings on [ Ga]-FAPI PET/CT Based on Quantitative SUV Measurements.

Aim/purpose: Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is overexpressed by cancer-associated fibroblasts. However, activated fibroblasts have been shown to play a significant role also in certain benign conditions such as wound healing or chronic inflammation. Therefore, the current study aimed to identify whether FAPI uptake might differ between malignant lesions and benign conditions.

Primary thyroid gland myxofibrosarcoma: a case report and review of the literature.

Background: Myxofibrosarcoma is a common soft tissue sarcoma of the extremities, which occurs very rarely in the thyroid gland.

Case Presentation: We report the case of a 61-year-old male who presented with a swelling of the left side of the neck and a newly emerged hoarseness. Ultrasound depicted a hypoechoic thyroid nodule with microcalcifications that was highly suspicious for malignancy.

A Role of Non-FDG Tracers in Lung Cancer?

Since the introduction of PET/CT hybrid imaging about two decades ago the landscape of oncological imaging has fundamentally changed, opening a new era of molecular imaging with emphasis on functional characterization of biological processes such as metabolism, cellular proliferation, hypoxia, apoptosis, angiogenesis and immune response. The most commonly assessed functional hallmark of cancer is the increased metabolism in tumor cells due to well-known Warburg effect, because of which FDG has been the most employed radiotracer, the so-called pan-cancer agent, in oncological imaging. However, several limitations such as low specificity and low sensitivity for several histopathological forms of lung cancer as well as high background uptake in the normal tissue of FDG imaging lead to numerous serious pitfalls.

Boosted dopamine and blunted serotonin in Tourette syndrome - evidence from imaging studies.

The precise cortical and subcortical mechanisms of Tourette syndrome (TS) are still not fully understood. In the present retrospective analysis, adolescent and adult medication-naïve patients showed increased DA transporter (DAT) binding in nucleus caudate (CAUD), putamen (PUT) and/or whole neostriatum (NSTR). D receptor (R) binding and DA release were not different from controls throughout the nigrostriatal and mesolimbocortical system.

18F-FDG-PET/CT in relapsed multiple myeloma: Are prognostic thresholds different from first-line therapy?

Purpose: While F-FDG PET/CT yields valuable prognostic information for patients in first-line therapy of multiple myeloma (MM), its prognostic relevance in relapse is not established. Available studies of relapsed MM describe prognostic thresholds for frequently used PET/CT parameters that are significantly higher than those identified in the first-line setting. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prognostic role of PET/CT in relapsed MM, based on parameters used in the first-line setting.

Is there a diagnostic benefit of late-phase abdomino-pelvic PET/CT after urination as part of whole-body Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT for restaging patients with biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy?

Background: To assess the diagnostic value of an additional late-phase PET/CT scan after urination as part of  Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT for the restaging of patients with biochemically recurrent prostate cancer (BCR).

Methods: This retrospective trial included patients with BCR following radical prostatectomy, who underwent standard whole-body early-phase PET/CT performed 105 ± 45 min and an additional late-phase PET/CT performed 159 ± 13 min after injection of  Ga-PSMA-11. Late-phase PET/CT covered a body volume from below the liver to the upper thighs and was conducted after patients had used the bathroom to empty their urinary bladder.

The 5-HT receptor antagonist WAY-100635 decreases motor/exploratory behaviors and nigrostriatal and mesolimbocortical dopamine D receptor binding in adult rats.

Serotonin(5-HT)ergic projections run from the raphe nuclei to dopamin(DA)ergic cells in substantia nigra/ventral tegmental area (SN/VTA) and to the terminal fields of DA neurons in nucleus accumbens, caudateputamen and neocortex. In the present studies, we assessed the effect of the 5-HT receptor (R) antagonist N-[2-[4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-1-piperazinyl]ethyl]-N-2-pyridinylcyclohexanecarbox-amide maleate (WAY-100635) on motor and exploratory behaviors and on DR binding in the rat brain with in vivo imaging methods. DR binding was determined in the same animals after systemic application of WAY-100635 (0.

Impact of Different Metal Artifact Reduction Techniques on Attenuation Correction of Normal Organs in F-FDG-PET/CT.

Purpose: To evaluate the impact of different metal artifact reduction algorithms on Hounsfield units (HU) and the standardized uptake value (SUV) in normal organs in patients with different metal implants.

Methods: This study prospectively included 66 patients (mean age of 66.02 ± 13.

Serotonergic Modulation of Nigrostriatal and Mesolimbic Dopamine and Motor/Exploratory Behaviors in the Rat.

The 5-HT receptor (R) is known to modulate dopamine (DA) release in the mammalian brain. Altanserin (ALT) and 2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodoamphetamine (DOI) act as 5-HTR antagonist and agonist, respectively. In the present study, we assessed the effects of ALT and DOI on motor and exploratory behaviors and on DR binding in the rat brain with imaging methods.

Prospective comparison of the diagnostic accuracy of 18F-FDG PET/MRI, MRI, CT, and bone scintigraphy for the detection of bone metastases in the initial staging of primary breast cancer patients.

Objectives: To compare the diagnostic performance of [F]FDG PET/MRI, MRI, CT, and bone scintigraphy for the detection of bone metastases in the initial staging of primary breast cancer patients.

Material And Methods: A cohort of 154 therapy-naive patients with newly diagnosed, histopathologically proven breast cancer was enrolled in this study prospectively. All patients underwent a whole-body [F]FDG PET/MRI, computed tomography (CT) scan, and a bone scintigraphy prior to therapy.

PSMA PET/CT vs. CT alone in newly diagnosed biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy: Comparison of detection rates and therapeutic implications.

Objectives: To compare prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) and computed tomography (CT) alone for the detection of biochemical recurrence of prostate cancer (PCa) and effect on treatment.

Methods: This retrospective study included 59 patients with recently recorded biochemical recurrence of PCa (mean PSA 1.96 ± 1.