Radiation-induced exosomal miR-21 enhances tumor proliferation and invasiveness in breast cancer: implications for poor prognosis in radiotherapy patients.

Radiotherapy is widely used as an effective non-surgical strategy to control malignant tumors. However, recurrence is one of common causes of treatment failure even after the effective radiotherapy. In this study, we focused on the effects of radiation-induced exosomal miR-21 on the tumor microenvironment to investigate the causes of recurrence.

Gender- and Age-Group Specific Association of Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) Exposure with Diabetes Mellitus: Korean National Environmental Health Survey (KoNEHS) 2015-2017.

Exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) has been reported as a potential risk factor for diabetes in adults. However, effect modifications by sex and age, especially among Asian populations, have seldom been investigated. In the present study, we assessed associations of major POPs exposure including organochlorine pesticides (OCPs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), with diabetes in Korean adults ( = 1,295), a subset of the Korean National Environmental Health Survey (KoNEHS) Cycle 3 (2015-2017).

Hypoxia-inducible factor-1α-deficient adipose-tissue macrophages produce the heat to mediate lipolysis of white adipose tissue through uncoupling protein-1.

Background: Uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) is a proton uncoupler located across the mitochondrial membrane generally involved in thermogenesis of brown adipose tissues. Although UCP1 is known to be strongly expressed in brown adipocytes, recent evidence suggest that white adipocytes can also express UCP1 under certain circumstances such as cold- or β-adrenergic receptor-stimulation, allowing them to acquire brown adipocyte-like features thereby becoming 'beige' adipocytes.

Results: In this study, we report that UCP1 can be expressed in adipose-tissue macrophages (ATM) lacking functional hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) and this does not require cold- nor β-adrenergic receptor activation.

Prospective Comparison of [F]FDG and [F]AIF-FAPI-74 PET/CT in the Evaluation of Potentially Resectable Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma.

Purpose: Accurate clinical staging of potentially resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is critical for establishing optimal treatment strategies. While the efficacy of fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose ([F]FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) in clinical staging is unclear, PET/CT detecting fibroblast-activation protein (FAP) expression has recently received considerable attention for detecting various tumors, including PDAC, with high sensitivity. We explored the efficacy of [F]FDG and [F]AIF-FAPI-74 PET/CT in the initial evaluation of potentially resectable PDAC.

Evaluation of Fibroblast Activation Protein Expression Using Ga-FAPI46 PET in Hypertension-Induced Tissue Changes.

Chronic hypertension leads to injury and fibrosis in major organs. Fibroblast activation protein (FAP) is one of key molecules in tissue fibrosis, and Ga-labeled FAP inhibitor-46 (FAPI46) PET is a recently developed method for evaluating FAP. The aim of this study was to evaluate FAP expression and fibrosis in a hypertension model and to test the feasibility of Ga-FAPI46 PET in hypertension.

Clinical Factors Affecting Discrepancy Between Predicted and Long-term Actual Lung Function Following Surgery.

Purpose: Lung cancer surgery outcomes depend heavily on preoperative pulmonary reserve, with forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) being a critical preoperative evaluation factor. Our study investigates the discrepancies between predicted and long-term actual postoperative lung function, focusing on clinical factors affecting these outcomes.

Methods: This retrospective observational study encompassed lung cancer patients who underwent preoperative lung perfusion SPECT/CT between 2015 and 2021.

Selenium levels and their association with thyroid autoimmunity and severe preeclampsia in pregnancy: Insights from a prospective ideal breast milk cohort study.

Objective: This study aimed to assess selenium status in South Korean pregnant women and its impact on maternal thyroid function and pregnancy outcomes.

Methods: 'Ideal Breast Milk (IBM) Cohort Study' included 367 pregnant women out of 442 participants and categorized into three groups based on plasma selenium levels: deficient (< 70 μg/L), suboptimal (70-99 μg/L), and optimal (≥ 100 μg/L). During the second or third trimester, various blood parameters, including selenium, thyroid-stimulating hormone, free T4, free T3, and anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody levels, were measured.

Enhancing voxel-based dosimetry accuracy with an unsupervised deep learning approach for hybrid medical image registration.

Background: Deformable registration is required to generate a time-integrated activity (TIA) map which is essential for voxel-based dosimetry. The conventional iterative registration algorithm using anatomical images (e.g.

[F]FDOPA PET/CT in Solid Pseudopapillary Tumor of the Pancreas: a Recurred Tumor Mimicking Splenosis.

Solid pseudopapillary tumor (SPT) of the pancreas is a neoplasm with low malignant potential. It is often challenging to diagnose SPT due to its nonspecific clinical and radiological features, and [F]FDOPA is effective in diagnosing SPT, particularly in differentiating SPT from benign conditions such as splenosis. A 55-year-old woman underwent distal pancreatectomy and splenectomy for histologically confirmed SPT.

Simplified image-based dosimetry using planar images and patient-specific S-values.

Background: Single time point measurement approach and hybrid dosimetry were proposed to simplify the dosimetry process. It is anticipated that utilizing patient-specific S-value would enable more accurate dosimetry assessment based on imaging compared to using the conventional MIRD S-values.

Purpose: We performed planar image-based dosimetry scaled with a single SPECT image for the entire treatment cycle using patient-specific S-values (PSS dosimetry) of organs.

Neovascularization in Outer Membrane of Chronic Subdural Hematoma : A Rationale for Middle Meningeal Artery Embolization.

Objective: Chronic subdural hematomas (cSDHs) are generally known to result from traumatic tears of bridging veins. However, the causes of repeat spontaneous cSDHs are still unclear. We investigated the changes in vasculature in the human dura mater and outer membrane (OM) of cSDHs to elucidate the cause of their spontaneous repetition.

The Impact of I-Metaiodobenzylguanidine as a Conditioning Regimen of Tandem High-Dose Chemotherapy and Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation for High-Risk Neuroblastoma.

Background: The optimal conditioning regimen of tandem high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) for high-risk neuroblastoma (HR-NBL) has not been established. The efficacy of I-MIBG therapy is under exploration in newly diagnosed HR-NBL patients. Here, we compared the outcomes of tandem HDC/ASCT between the I-MIBG combination and non-MIBG groups.

Deep Learning-Based Feature Extraction from Whole-Body PET/CT Employing Maximum Intensity Projection Images: Preliminary Results of Lung Cancer Data.

Purpose: Deep learning (DL) has been widely used in various medical imaging analyses. Because of the difficulty in processing volume data, it is difficult to train a DL model as an end-to-end approach using PET volume as an input for various purposes including diagnostic classification. We suggest an approach employing two maximum intensity projection (MIP) images generated by whole-body FDG PET volume to employ pre-trained models based on 2-D images.

Comparison of the Effects of DOTA and NOTA Chelators on Cu-Cudotadipep and Cu-Cunotadipep for Prostate Cancer.

Background: This study compared the effects of 1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane-1,4,7,10-tetraacetic acid (DOTA) and 1,4,7-triazacyclononane-1,4,7-triacetic acid (NOTA) as Cu-chelating agents in newly developed prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) target compounds, Cu-cudotadipep and Cu-cunotadipep, on pharmacokinetics.

Methods: The in vitro stability of the chelators was evaluated using human and mouse serum. In vitro PSMA-binding affinity and cell uptake were compared using human 22Rv1 cells.

The role of Tc-DPD bone SPECT/CT in the management of growth disturbance of the long bones in pediatric patients: a retrospective observational study.

Backgrounds: Determining the precise localization of diseased physes is crucial for guiding the treatment of growth disturbances. Conventional radiography, computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging only provide information on physeal anatomy. Planar bone scintigraphy and bone single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) resolutions are suboptimal for clinically managing growth disturbances.

FDG uptake reflects an immune-enriched subtype of thyroid cancer: Clinical implications of imaging-based molecular characterization.

Introduction: Iodine and FDG uptakes have been established as methods to define the biological properties of thyroid cancer. As various cells in the tumor microenvironment (TME) affect tumor metabolism, we investigated the association between glucose metabolism in thyroid cancer and the TME using transcriptomic analyses.

Methods: We used F-18 FDG PET and RNA sequencing data of thyroid cancer to find associations between TME cell types and glucose metabolism.

Pneumatic Compression-Assisted Lymphoscintigraphy for Quantitative Evaluation of Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema.

Objectives: Acquired lymphedema of upper extremity is a chronic pathologic status that frequently occurs after breast cancer treatment. Reliable and quantitative evaluation of lymphedema is crucial for successful management of patients. Although lymphoscintigraphy is the primary investigation for the confirmation and evaluation of lymphedema, the specific protocol of stress intervention is not well established.

Activated Natural Killer Cell Inoculation Alleviates Fibrotic Liver Pathology in a Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Liver Cirrhosis Mouse Model.

Activated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) play a detrimental role in liver fibrosis progression. Natural killer (NK) cells are known to selectively recognize abnormal or transformed cells via their receptor activation and induce target cell apoptosis and, therefore, can be used as a potential therapeutic strategy for liver cirrhosis. In this study, we examined the therapeutic effects of NK cells in the carbon tetrachloride (CCl)-induced liver cirrhosis mouse model.

Tc-MAA accumulation within tumor in preoperative lung perfusion SPECT/CT associated with occult lymph node metastasis in patients with clinically N0 non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Tc-MAA accumulation within the tumor representing pulmonary arterial perfusion, which is variable and may have a clinical significance. We evaluated the prognostic significance of Tc-MAA distribution within the tumor in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients in terms of detecting occult nodal metastasis and lymphovascular invasion, as well as predicting the recurrence-free survival (RFS).

Methods: Two hundred thirty-nine NSCLC patients with clinical N0 status who underwent preoperative lung perfusion SPECT/CT were retrospectively evaluated and classified according to the visual grading of Tc-MAA accumulation in the tumor.

Central metabolites and peripheral parameters associated neuroinflammation in fibromyalgia patients: A preliminary study.

To identify central metabolites and peripheral measures associated with neuroinflammation in fibromyalgia (FM), we scanned [11C]-(R)-PK11195 positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance spectroscopy in FM patients. We measured associations between neurometabolite levels measured by magnetic resonance spectroscopy and the extent of neuroinflammation inferred by the distribution volume ratios of [11C]-(R)-PK11195 positron emission tomography in 12 FM patients and 13 healthy controls. We also examined the associations between peripheral parameters, such as creatinine and C-reactive protein, and neuroinflammation.

Voxel-Based Internal Dosimetry for Lu-Labeled Radiopharmaceutical Therapy Using Deep Residual Learning.

Purpose: In this study, we propose a deep learning (DL)-based voxel-based dosimetry method in which dose maps acquired using the multiple voxel S-value (VSV) approach were used for residual learning.

Methods: Twenty-two SPECT/CT datasets from seven patients who underwent Lu-DOTATATE treatment were used in this study. The dose maps generated from Monte Carlo (MC) simulations were used as the reference approach and target images for network training.

Imaging of Indocyanine Green-Human Serum Albumin (ICG-HSA) Complex in Secreted Protein Acidic and Rich in Cysteine (SPARC)-Expressing Glioblastoma.

Glioblastoma is the most common and fatal primary glioma and has a severe prognosis. It is a challenge for neurosurgeons to remove brain tumor tissues completely by resection. Meanwhile, fluorescence-guided surgery (FGS) is a technique used in glioma surgery to enhance the visualization of tumor edges to clarify the extent of tumor resection.

Development and Validation of 18F-FDG PET/CT-Based Models for Predicting Successful Complete Cytoreduction During Primary Cytoreductive Surgery for Advanced Ovarian cancer.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop an 18F-FDG PET/CT-based model to predict complete cytoreduction during primary cytoreductive surgery (CRS) for ovarian cancer (OC).

Patients And Methods: We retrospectively identified patients with stage III-IV OC who underwent primary CRS between June 2013 and February 2020 at 2 tertiary centers. Patients from each hospital were assigned to training and test sets.

Current Status of PSMA-Targeted Radioligand Therapy in the Era of Radiopharmaceutical Therapy Acquiring Marketing Authorization.

Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is highly expressed in PCa, which gradually increases in high-grade tumors, metastatic tumors, and tumors nonresponsive to androgen deprivation therapy. PSMA has been a topic of interest during the past decade for both diagnostic and therapeutic targets. Radioligand therapy (RLT) utilizes the delivery of radioactive nuclides to tumors and tumor-associated targets, and it has shown better efficacy with minimal toxicity compared to other systemic cancer therapies.