The Canadian Study of Arterial Inflammation in Patients with Diabetes and Recent Vascular Events, Evaluation of Colchicine Effectiveness (CADENCE): protocol for a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Inflammation is a key mediator in the development and progression of the atherosclerotic disease process as well as its resultant complications, like myocardial infarction (MI), stroke and cardiovascular (CV) death, and is emerging as a novel treatment target. Trials involving anti-inflammatory medications have demonstrated outcome benefit in patients with known CV disease. In this regard, colchicine appears to hold great promise.

The Past, Present, and Future Role of Artificial Intelligence in Ventilation/Perfusion Scintigraphy: A Systematic Review.

Ventilation-perfusion (V/Q) lung scans constitute one of the oldest nuclear medicine procedures, remain one of the few studies performed in the acute setting, and are amongst the few performed in the emergency setting. V/Q studies have witnessed a long fluctuation in adoption rates in parallel to continuous advances in image processing and computer vision techniques. This review provides an overview on the status of artificial intelligence (AI) in V/Q scintigraphy.

FLT-PET for the assessment of systemic sarcoidosis including cardiac and CNS involvement: a prospective study with comparison to FDG-PET.

Background: 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose's (FDG) biodistribution limits the evaluation of cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) and neurosarcoidosis (NS). While protocols for cardiac suppression exist, they can be inconvenient for patients and lead to incomplete cardiac suppression in many cases. Furthermore, FDG PET is limited in the detection of neurosarcoidosis due to an inability to suppress high level of physiological uptake within the brain.

Prognostic importance of coincidental coronary artery calcification on FDG-PET/CT oncology studies.

Coronary artery calcification (CAC) on body CT imaging is considered a coincidental finding in cancer patients. In order to determine the significance of CAC in cancer patients we evaluated the prognostic utility of CAC detected on oncology FDG-PET/CT studies. A retrospective study was performed of consecutive FDG-PET/CT studies from January to March 2011.

Atrial Arrhythmias in Clinically Manifest Cardiac Sarcoidosis: Incidence, Burden, Predictors, and Outcomes.

Background Recent data have suggested a substantial incidence of atrial arrhythmias (AAs) in cardiac sarcoidosis (CS). Our study aims were to first assess how often AAs are the presenting feature of previously undiagnosed CS. Second, we used prospective follow-up data from implanted devices to investigate AA incidence, burden, predictors, and response to immunosuppression.

Safe Use of Radium-223 Dichloride (RaCl) Across a Wide Range of Clinical Scenarios, Incorporating a 10-year Single-Institution Radiation Safety Experience.

Radium Ra dichloride (RaCl) is an effective therapeutic radiopharmaceutical presently approved for the treatment of prostate cancer metastatic to bone. It is unique by virtue of being the first alpha-emitting radiopharmaceutical to achieve approval for use in the clinic, reaching this status both in the United States and Europe in 2013. In over ten years of research and approved clinical usage, the authors have encountered very few radiation-safety incidents of concern with RaCl; in this review, they relate their first-hand experience with this radiopharmaceutical and share some lessons learned, including situations of bleeding, surgery and patient demise.

[18F]-Fluorodeoxyglucose PET/CT imaging as a marker of carotid plaque inflammation: Comparison to immunohistology and relationship to acuity of events.

Background: [18F]-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake imaged with positron emission tomography (PET) and computed tomography (CT) may serve as a biomarker of plaque inflammation. This study evaluated the relationship between carotid plaque FDG uptake and a) intraplaque expression of macrophage and macrophage-like cellular CD68 immunohistology; b) intraplaque inflammatory burden using leukocyte-sensitive CD45 immunohistology; c) symptomatic patient presentation; d) time from last cerebrovascular event.

Methods: 54 patients scheduled for carotid endarterectomy underwent FDG PET/CT imaging.

How common is isolated cardiac sarcoidosis? Extra-cardiac and cardiac findings on clinical examination and whole-body F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography.

Background: Sarcoidosis is a systemic inflammatory disease which can involve nearly any organ. Clinically manifest cardiac involvement occurs in perhaps 5% of patients with sarcoidosis. The reported prevalence of isolated cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) varies widely with reported rates of 27-54%.

Positron Emission Tomography and Single-Photon Emission Computed Tomography Imaging in the Diagnosis of Cardiac Implantable Electronic Device Infection: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Background: The use of cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIED) is increasing, and their associated infections result in significant morbidity and mortality. The introduction of better cardiac imaging techniques could be useful for diagnosing this condition and guiding therapy. Our objective was to systematically assess the diagnostic accuracy of Fluor-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography and computed tomography, labeled leukocyte scintigraphy (LS), and Gallium-67 citrate scintigraphy for the diagnosis of CIED infection.

Inter- and Intraobserver Agreement of F-FDG PET/CT Image Interpretation in Patients Referred for Assessment of Cardiac Sarcoidosis.

Recent studies have reported the usefulness of F-FDG PET in aiding with the diagnosis and management of patients with cardiac sarcoidosis (CS). However, image interpretation of F-FDG PET for CS is sometimes challenging. We sought to investigate the inter- and intraobserver agreement and explore factors that led to important discrepancies between readers.

Reducing Inappropriate Antibiotic Prescribing for Adults With Acute Bronchitis in an Urgent Care Setting: A Quality Improvement Initiative.

Acute bronchitis is a predominantly viral illness and, according to clinical practice guidelines, should not be treated with antibiotics. Despite clear guidelines, acute bronchitis continues to be the most common acute respiratory illness for which antibiotics are incorrectly prescribed. Although the national benchmark for antibiotic prescribing for adults with acute bronchitis is 0%, a preliminary record review before implementing the intervention at the project setting showed that 96% (N = 30) of adults with acute bronchitis in this setting were prescribed an antibiotic.

Comparison of (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG PET) and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) in corticosteroid-naive patients with conduction system disease due to cardiac sarcoidosis.

Purpose: Cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) is a cause of conduction system disease (CSD). (18)F-Fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography (FDG PET) and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) are used for detection of CS. The relative diagnostic value of these has not been well studied.

Cholesterol Granuloma: An Unusual and Benign Cause of Focal FDG Uptake in the Breast Detected on PET/CT.

Cholesterol granulomas are benign lesions, rarely seen in the breast, which are indistinguishable from malignancy on anatomical imaging. The FDG PET/CT of a patient referred for melanoma staging revealed a mildly FDG-avid, soft tissue nodule in the left breast. This finding was felt unlikely to represent metastatic melanoma due to the relatively low level of uptake.

Advanced imaging of cardiac sarcoidosis.

Sarcoidosis with cardiac involvement is underdiagnosed and can put patients at risk of morbidity including conduction defects, arrhythmias and heart failure, as well as sudden cardiac death. In addition, cardiac sarcoidosis may have no clinical manifestations or non-specific presentation and diagnosis may be difficult on clinical criteria. Investigation for cardiac sarcoidosis should be considered in those with extra-cardiac sarcoidosis and cardiac findings as well as those under the age of 60 years presenting with atrioventricular block without a clear cause.

Atrioventricular block as the initial manifestation of cardiac sarcoidosis in middle-aged adults.

Introduction: Atrioventricular block (AVB) can be caused by several conditions, including cardiac sarcoidosis (CS). The prevalence of CS causing this presentation in a North American population has not been investigated and was the purpose of this study.

Methods: We prospectively evaluated patients aged 18-60 years presenting with unexplained 2nd or 3rd degree AVB and no previous history of sarcoidosis in any organ.

Prevalence of cardiac sarcoidosis in patients presenting with monomorphic ventricular tachycardia.

Introduction: Sarcoidosis is a granulomatous disease of unknown etiology, which involves the heart in 5-25% of cases. Although ventricular tachycardia (VT) has been reported as the first presentation of sarcoidosis, its prevalence has not previously been investigated. In this prospective study, we sought to systematically investigate the prevalence of cardiac sarcoidosis (CS) in patients presenting with monomorphic VT (MMVT) and no previous history of sarcoidosis.

Is there an association between clinical presentation and the location and extent of myocardial involvement of cardiac sarcoidosis as assessed by ¹⁸F- fluorodoexyglucose positron emission tomography?

Background: Positron emission tomography using (18)F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) is an emerging modality for diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis (CS). We compared the location and degree of FDG uptake in CS patients presenting with either advanced atrioventricular block (AVB) or ventricular tachycardia (VT).

Methods And Results: We included consecutive patients who presented with either AVB or VT with a diagnosis of CS.

Clinical benefits of alpharadin in castrate-chemotherapy-resistant prostate cancer: case report and literature review.

Prostate cancer has the second-highest mortality worldwide in men. The most common site of metastasis is bone. Bone metastases and their resulting complications represent a significant source of morbidity.