Evaluating the Impact of Adjunctive Partial Cryoablation on Dual Checkpoint Inhibitor Immunotherapy Response in a Murine Model.

Purpose To evaluate the impact of adjunctive partial cryoablation on checkpoint inhibitor (CPI) immunotherapy response. Materials and Methods One hundred fifty-six mice (equal number of male and female animals) with dual-implanted tumor models were treated with dual CPI or a vehicle and randomized to treatment of a single tumor with partial cryoablation. Tumors were followed for 60 days following cryoablation for response assessment.

Granzyme B PET Imaging for Assessment of Disease Activity in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

Developing a noninvasive imaging method to detect immune system activation with a high temporal resolution is key to improving inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) management. In this study, granzyme B (GZMB), typically released from cytotoxic T and natural killer cells, was targeted using PET with Ga-NOTA-GZP (where GZP is β-Ala-Gly-Gly-Ile-Glu-Phe-Asp-CHO) to detect early intestinal inflammation in murine models of colitis. Bioinformatic analysis was used to assess the potential of GZMB as a biomarker for detecting IBD and predicting response to treatment.

International Medical Graduates in Radiology Residencies: Demographics, Performance, and Visa Issues.

Rationale And Objectives: The number of international medical graduates (IMG) in radiology residencies has varied from year to year even as the number of candidates continues to grow. It is unclear from which countries the IMGs are arriving and what visas are being used to accommodate them.

Materials And Methods: We sent a survey to 195 program directors (PD) in diagnostic radiology (DR) inquiring about the number and nationality of IMG residents in their program, their attitudes about IMG candidates, the performance of their IMG trainees, and the visas that are offered.

HER3 PET Imaging Predicts Response to Pan Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Inhibition Therapy in Gastric Cancer.

Purpose: New generation of receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors (RTKIs) have shown to improve survival in many solid tumors. However, an imaging biomarker is needed for patient selection and prediction of treatment response. This study evaluates the use of quantitative changes of HER3 on  Ga-NOTA-HER3P1 PET/MRI for prediction of early response to pan-RTKIs in gastric cancer (GCa).

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor-Mediated Cancer Theranostics with Radiolabeled Anti-Granzyme B Peptide.

Although immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have revolutionized cancer management, patient response can be heterogeneous, and the development of ICI resistance is increasingly reported. Novel treatment strategies are necessary not only to expand the use of ICI to previously unresponsive tumor types but also to overcome resistance. Targeted radionuclide therapy may synergize well with ICIs since it can promote a pro-inflammatory tumor microenvironment.

ImmunoPET: Antibody-Based PET Imaging in Solid Tumors.

Immuno-positron emission tomography (immunoPET) is a molecular imaging modality combining the high sensitivity of PET with the specific targeting ability of monoclonal antibodies. Various radioimmunotracers have been successfully developed to target a broad spectrum of molecules expressed by malignant cells or tumor microenvironments. Only a few are translated into clinical studies and barely into clinical practices.

Peroxidasin Deficiency Re-programs Macrophages Toward Pro-fibrolysis Function and Promotes Collagen Resolution in Liver.

Background & Aims: During liver fibrosis, tissue repair mechanisms replace necrotic tissue with highly stabilized extracellular matrix proteins. Extracellular matrix stabilization influences the speed of tissue recovery. Here, we studied the expression and function of peroxidasin (PXDN), a peroxidase that uses hydrogen peroxide to cross-link collagen IV during liver fibrosis progression and regression.

Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Diagnostic and Therapeutic Radiopharmaceutical Development:: In Silico Smart Molecular Design.

Novel diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals are increasingly becoming a central part of personalized medicine. Continued innovation in the development of new radiopharmaceuticals is key to sustained growth and advancement of precision medicine. Artificial intelligence has been used in multiple fields of medicine to develop and validate better tools for patient diagnosis and therapy, including in radiopharmaceutical design.

Non-invasive Detection of Immunotherapy-Induced Adverse Events.

Purpose: Cancer immunotherapy has markedly improved the prognosis of patients with a broad variety of malignancies. However, benefits are weighed against unique toxicities, with immune-related adverse events (irAE) that are frequent and potentially life-threatening. The diagnosis and management of these events are challenging due to heterogeneity of timing onset, multiplicity of affected organs, and lack of non-invasive monitoring techniques.

National and Subnational Incidence, Mortality, and Years of Life Lost Due to Breast Cancer in Iran: Trends and Age-Period-Cohort Analysis Since 1990.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women, causing considerable burden and mortality. Demographic and lifestyle transitions in low and low-middle income countries have given rise to its increased incidence. The successful management of cancer relies on evidence-based policies taking into account national epidemiologic settings.

Impact of 18F-FDG PET/MR based tumor delineation in radiotherapy planning for cholangiocarcinoma.

Purpose: Radiation therapy (RT) is an effective treatment for unresectable cholangiocarcinoma (CC). Accurate tumor volume delineation is critical in achieving high rates of local control while minimizing treatment-related toxicity. This study compares F-FDG PET/MR to MR and CT for target volume delineation for RT planning.

HER3 Differentiates Basal From Claudin Type Triple Negative Breast Cancer and Contributes to Drug and Microenvironmental Induced Resistance.

Triple Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive form of Breast Cancer (BC). Numerous kinase inhibitors (KI) targeting different pathway nodes have shown limited benefit in the clinical setting. In this study, we aim to characterize the extent of HER3 reliance and to define the effect of Neuregulin (NRG) isoforms in TNBCs.

Ultrasound for Intubation Confirmation: A Randomized Controlled Study among Emergency Medicine Residents.

Confirmation of endotracheal tube (ETT) placement during intubation is a critical skill for emergency medicine (EM) residents; airway ultrasonography has been suggested as an accessible and accurate method of ETT confirmation. Here, we investigated the accuracy with which EM residents could identify ETT location in cadavers using different ultrasound modes. EM attendings intubated either the trachea or the esophagus of a cadaver, and blinded residents identified ETT position using either B-mode or B-mode plus color Doppler.

Targeted Palliative Radionuclide Therapy for Metastatic Bone Pain.

Bone metastasis develops in multiple malignancies with a wide range of incidence. The presence of multiple bone metastases, leading to a multitude of complications and poorer prognosis. The corresponding refractory bone pain is still a challenging issue managed through multidisciplinary approaches to enhance the quality of life.

Bone Marrow Aspiration/Biopsy in the Evaluation of Fever of Unknown Origin in Patients with AIDS.

Background: HIV can interrupt the normal development of bone marrow cell lines. Bone marrow aspiration/biopsy (BMA/B) has been described as a diagnostic tool in AIDS patients with fever of unknown origin (FUO). In this review, we aimed to study patients with AIDS who had undergone a BMA/B to investigate FUO and describe the pathologies diagnosed in the biopsy.

Trends of National and Subnational Incidence of Childhood Cancer Groups in Iran: 1990-2016.

Childhood cancer is a double-edged sword, considering its high rate of response to treatment despite a high vulnerability to develop future malignancies in survivors. Thus, multidisciplinary preventive, curative, and supportive strategies must be incorporated in childhood cancer care that require understanding the distribution and trend of cancer in the target population. In this article, we aimed to report the national and subnational trends of childhood cancer incidence in Iran from 1990 to 2016, and mortality/incidence ratio (MIR), which, to our knowledge, have not been reported in previous literature.

Mapping 123 million neonatal, infant and child deaths between 2000 and 2017.

Since 2000, many countries have achieved considerable success in improving child survival, but localized progress remains unclear. To inform efforts towards United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 3.2-to end preventable child deaths by 2030-we need consistently estimated data at the subnational level regarding child mortality rates and trends.

Successful palliative peptide receptor radionuclide therapy for impending compression of vena cava due to unresectable liver metastasis of neuroendocrine tumor.

We present the case of a 77 year old male patient with metastatic pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor (NET). The patient was initially treated by extensive surgical resection that however, led to severe complications with delayed recovery. During follow-up, a number of new liver metastases were detected, one of which was in segment I with impending compression of the inferior vena cava.

Molecular imaging of bone metastases using tumor-targeted tracers.

Bone metastasis is a disastrous manifestation of most malignancies, especially in breast, prostate and lung cancers. Since asymptomatic bone metastases are not uncommon, early detection, precise assessment, and localization of them are very important. Various imaging modalities have been employed in the setting of diagnosis of bone metastasis, from plain radiography and bone scintigraphy to SPECT, SPECT/CT, PET/CT, MRI.

Anti-inflammatory cytokines in autism spectrum disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: In the search for the causes of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), inflammatory markers have emerged as potential candidates. The present meta-analysis was performed on studies examining circulating concentrations of anti-inflammatory cytokines in people with ASD compared with control subjects without ASD.

Methods: We identified potentially eligible studies by systematically searching electronic databases from inception to February 2018.

A meta-analysis of pro-inflammatory cytokines in autism spectrum disorders: Effects of age, gender, and latitude.

Background: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) occur in 1.5% of the general population worldwide. Studies suggest that ASD might have more costs than diabetes and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder by 2025.

Brachydactyly mental retardation syndrome with growth hormone deficiency.

Unlabelled: Deletion of chromosome 2q37 results in a rare congenital syndrome known as brachydactyly mental retardation (BDMR) syndrome; a syndrome which has phenotypes similar to Albright hereditary osteodystrophy (AHO) syndrome. In this report, we describe a patient with AHO due to microdeletion in long arm of chromosome 2 [del(2)(q37.3)] who had growth hormone (GH) deficiency, which is a unique feature among reported BDMR cases.