A Prospective Comparative Study of 18 F-FDOPA PET/CT Versus 123 I-MIBG Scintigraphy With SPECT/CT for the Diagnosis of Pheochromocytoma and Paraganglioma.

Purpose: This study aimed to compare the diagnostic performances of 18 F-FDOPA PET/CT and 123 I-MIBG scintigraphy with SPECT/CT for detection of pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma (PPGL).

Patients And Methods: We conducted a prospective, single-institution comparative study. Patients suspected of having PPGL or those showing recurrence and/or distant metastasis of PPGL were enrolled.

Serum zinc deficiency is a potential risk factor for the occurrence of levodopa-induced dyskinesia in drug-naïve Parkinson's disease.

Background: Since environmental factors, especially heavy metals, were highlighted in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD), there are many epidemiologic studies regarding heavy metals and PD risk. However, longitudinal studies regarding the impacts of heavy metals on motor and nonmotor symptoms of PD are scarce.

Methods: In the current study, we compared the serum levels of five heavy metals, such as zinc(Zn), copper(Cu), lead(Pb), mercury(Hg), and manganese(Mn), in 111 previously drug-naïve PD patients ( = 111) retrospectively.

Comparison of accuracy of breeding value for cow from three methods in Hanwoo (Korean cattle) population.

In Korea, Korea Proven Bulls (KPN) program has been well-developed. Breeding and evaluation of cows are also an essential factor to increase earnings and genetic gain. This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of cow breeding value by using three methods (pedigree index [PI], pedigree-based best linear unbiased prediction [PBLUP], and genomic-BLUP [GBLUP]).

Association between tumor F-fluorodeoxyglucose metabolism and survival in women with estrogen receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer.

We examined whether F-fluorodeoxyglucose metabolism is associated with distant relapse-free survival (DRFS) and overall survival (OS) in women with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer. This was a cohort study examining the risk factors for survival that had occurred at the start of the study. A cohort from Asan Medical Center, Korea, recruited between November 2007 and December 2014, was included.

Prediction of renal function improvement in azotemic patients using glomerular filtration rate from 99mTc-DTPA renal scan: An observational study.

This study aimed to evaluate the ratio of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) from 99mTc-diethylenetriamine-pentaacetic acid dynamic renal scan (GFRSCAN) to estimated GFR (eGFR) as a predictor of renal function improvement in patients with azotemia.A retrospective review of medical records was conducted to identify consecutive patients with newly discovered or aggravated azotemia who underwent 99mTc-diethylenetriamine-pentaacetic acid renal scan. Significant renal function improvement was defined as ≥100% and ≥10 mL/min improvement of eGFR at 12 weeks compared to eGFR on the day of renal scan (eGFR0).

Prognostic Value of 18F-FDG PET in Neuroendocrine Neoplasm: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Objectives: Accurate assessment of the prognosis is critical for the rational treatment of neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs). We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the prognostic value of 18F-FDG PET for NENs.

Patients And Methods: PubMed and Embase databases were searched up to September 2020 for studies that evaluated 18F-FDG PET as prognostic factors in patients with NENs with overall survival (OS) and event-free survival (EFS) as outcomes.

A practical individualized radiation precaution based on the dose rate at release time after inpatient 131I ablation therapy.

Introduction: Retained radioactivity of 131I after ablation therapy largely differs in each patient according to factors including the amount of remnant thyroid tissue, renal function, and use of recombinant human thyroid-stimulating hormone. To reduce unnecessary restriction of patient's daily life after inpatient 131I ablation therapy, we propose a practical individualized method for radiation precaution based on dose rate at release time.

Methods: We evaluated 215 patients with differentiated thyroid cancer who underwent inpatient 131I ablation therapy following total thyroidectomy.

Prognostic Significance of Pretreatment 18F-FDG PET/CT Volumetric Parameters in Patients With Colorectal Liver Metastasis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Purpose: Colorectal liver metastasis (CRLM) remains a clinical challenge due to the lack of reliable prognostic parameters. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the prognostic value of pretreatment 18F-FDG PET/CT volumetric parameters for hepatic metastatic lesions (HMLs) in patients with CRLM.

Methods: A systematic search was performed using the following combination of keywords: CRLM, FDG, PET, and prognosis.

Assessment of naive indolent lymphoma using whole-body diffusion-weighted imaging and T2-weighted MRI: results of a prospective study in 30 patients.

Background: We prospectively evaluated the diagnostic utility of whole-body diffusion-weighted imaging with background body signal suppression and T2-weighted short-tau inversion recovery MRI (WB-DWIBS/STIR) for the pretherapeutic staging of indolent lymphoma in 30 patients.

Methods: This prospective study included 30 treatment-naive patients with indolent lymphomas who underwent WB-DWIBS/STIR and conventional imaging workup plus biopsy. The pretherapeutic staging agreement, sensitivity, and specificity of WB-DWIBS/STIR were investigated with reference to the multimodality and multidisciplinary consensus review for nodal and extranodal lesions excluding bone marrow.

Genetic alterations associated with F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

Background: We investigated the relationship between genetic alterations and F-FDG PET/CT findings in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSC).

Methods: Using mRNA-sequences of HNSC samples (480 patients) from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) portal, gene coexpression networks were constructed via a weighted correlation network analysis (WGCNA) algorithm, and their association with the tumor-to-blood signal ratio on F-FDG PET/CT data (21 patients) was explored. An elastic-net regression model was developed to estimate the PET tumor-to-blood ratio from the gene networks and to derive an FDG signature score (FDG).

Correlation between private education costs and parental depression in South Korea.

Background: In Korea, higher education has rapidly grown influenced by sociocultural tradition. Parents invest a significant portion of their household income in their children's education. Private education has been considered to greatly affect students' psychology and behavior.

Diagnostic accuracy and safety of 16α-[F]fluoro-17β-oestradiol PET-CT for the assessment of oestrogen receptor status in recurrent or metastatic lesions in patients with breast cancer: a prospective cohort study.

Background: A biopsy of first recurrence or metastatic disease is recommended to re-evaluate oestrogen receptor status in patients with breast cancer and to select appropriate treatment. However, retesting for oestrogen receptor status with rebiopsy is not always feasible, depending on lesion location and the risk associated with biopsy, and in these cases clinicians continue to treat patients according to the oestrogen receptor status of the primary tumour. Consequently suboptimal therapy might be offered to these patients.

Cerebrospinal Fluid Levels of Autophagy-related Proteins Represent Potentially Novel Biomarkers of Early-Stage Parkinson's Disease.

The roles of autophagy-related proteins as diagnostic or monitoring biomarkers in Parkinson's disease (PD) have not been clearly elucidated. We recruited 32 patients with early-stage PD and 28 control subjects, and evaluated parkinsonian motor symptoms and dopamine transporter imaging data. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of LC3B, Beclin1, and LAMP-2 were estimated using ELISAs, and CSF levels of ATG5, ATG7, and p62 were examined by immunoblotting.

Is F-FDG PET/CT useful for the differential diagnosis of solitary pulmonary nodules in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis?

Objective: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is associated with an increased incidence of lung cancer, but patients with IPF often have poor pulmonary function and are vulnerable to pneumothorax and so using an invasive procedure to diagnose a single nodule detected on chest CT risks a critical adverse outcome. F-fluorodeoxyglucose (F-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is recognized to be useful for differentiating between benign and malignant solitary pulmonary nodules (SPN) in patients without IPF, but its diagnostic accuracy has not been investigated in patients with IPF. In this study, therefore, we investigated whether F-FDG PET/CT is useful for the differential diagnosis of SPNs in patients with IPF.

Enhancement of charge transport properties of small molecule semiconductors by controlling fluorine substitution and effects on photovoltaic properties of organic solar cells and perovskite solar cells.

We prepared a series of small molecules based on 7,7'-(4,4-bis(2-ethylhexyl)-4-silolo[3,2-:4,5-']dithiophene-2,6-diyl)bis(4-(5'-hexyl-[2,2'-bithiophene]-5-yl)benzo[][1,2,5]thiadiazole) with different fluorine substitution patterns (). Depending on symmetricity and numbers of fluorine atoms incorporated in the benzo[][1,2,5]thiadiazole unit, they show very different optical and morphological properties in a film. and , which featured symmetric and even-numbered fluorine substitution patterns, display improved molecular packing structures and higher crystalline properties in a film compared with and and thus, achieved the highest OTFT mobility, which is followed by .

Metformin discontinuation less than 72 h is suboptimal for F-18 FDG PET/CT interpretation of the bowel.

Objective: Metformin-induced [F-18] fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) bowel uptake can hinder positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) evaluation of the bowel. This study aimed to investigate the segmental bowel uptake of FDG according to metformin discontinuation times up to 72 h.

Methods: We retrospectively divided 240 diabetic patients into four groups: metformin discontinuation <24 h (group A; n = 86), 24-48 h (group B; n = 40), 48-72 h (group C; n = 12), and no metformin (control group; n = 102).

A Randomized Feasibility Study of F-Fluoroestradiol PET to Predict Pathologic Response to Neoadjuvant Therapy in Estrogen Receptor-Rich Postmenopausal Breast Cancer.

The aim of this study was to explore the ability of F-fluoroestradiol (F-FES) PET/CT imaging to predict pathologic response to neoadjuvant therapy in postmenopausal women with estrogen receptor (ER)-rich breast cancer. This was a prospective, single-center study conducted as a substudy of the neoadjuvant study of chemotherapy versus endocrine therapy in postmenopausal patients with primary breast cancer (NEOCENT) trial. Patients with ER-rich breast cancer were randomized to neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NC) or neoadjuvant endocrine therapy (NET).

Similar Impact of Clopidogrel or Ticagrelor on Carotid Atherosclerotic Plaque Inflammation.

Background: Platelets play an important role in inflammation. Inhibitors of the P2Y receptor, which is involved in platelet activation, may have a direct effect on carotid atherosclerotic plaque inflammation.

Hypothesis: We compared the effects of clopidogrel and ticagrelor therapy for carotid atherosclerotic plaque inflammation using F-fluorodeoxyglucose ( FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging.

Fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography for the detection of proximal synchronous lesions in patients with obstructive colorectal cancer.

Background And Aim: We aimed to investigate the ability of fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) to detect synchronous neoplasms, specifically obstructive colorectal cancer (CRC) and CRC in the proximal colon and to suggest a management strategy based on FDG PET/CT findings.

Methods: From the CRC surgery database of our institution, 518 patients with obstructive CRC whose proximal colon could not be examined by colonoscopy and who underwent preoperative FDG PET/CT were eligible for this study. Of these, final analyses were performed in 345 patients who had reference standards for the proximal colon, which were a surgical colectomy specimen and/or postsurgical colonoscopy.

Association Between (18)F-FDG Avidity and the BRAF Mutation in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma.

Purpose: The BRAF mutation, a potential prognostic factor in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), is associated with a high expression of the glucose transporter gene. We investigated which clinicopathologic factors, including BRAF mutation status, influence (18)F-fluoro-2-deoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) avidity.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 55 patients who underwent BRAF analysis from biopsy-confirmed PTC and (18)F-FDG positron emission tomography/computed tomography within 6 months before undergoing thyroid surgery from September 2008 to August 2014.

Differentiating the grades of thymic epithelial tumor malignancy using textural features of intratumoral heterogeneity via (18)F-FDG PET/CT.

Objective: We aimed to explore the ability of textural heterogeneity indices determined by (18)F-FDG PET/CT for grading the malignancy of thymic epithelial tumors (TETs).

Methods: We retrospectively enrolled 47 patients with pathologically proven TETs who underwent pre-treatment (18)F-FDG PET/CT. TETs were classified by pathological results into three subgroups with increasing grades of malignancy: low-risk thymoma (LRT; WHO classification A, AB and B1), high-risk thymoma (B2 and B3), and thymic carcinoma (TC).

Exploratory Clinical Investigation of (4S)-4-(3-18F-Fluoropropyl)-L-Glutamate PET of Inflammatory and Infectious Lesions.

Unlabelled: We explored system [Formula: see text] transporter activity and the detection of inflammatory or infectious lesions using (4S)-4-(3-(18)F-fluoropropyl)-l-glutamate ((18)F-FSPG) PET.

Methods: In 10 patients with various inflammatory or infectious diseases, as many as 5 of the largest lesions were selected as reference lesions. (18)F-FSPG images were assessed visually and quantitatively.

A highly planar fluorinated benzothiadiazole-based conjugated polymer for high-performance organic thin-film transistors.

High-mobility and low-voltage-operated organic field-effect transistors (OFETs) are demonstrated by the design of a new fluorinated benzothiadiazole-based conjugated polymer with fluorinated high-k polymer dielectrics. A record-breaking high hole mobility of 9.0 cm(2) V(-1) s(-1) for benzothiadiazole-based semiconducting polymers is achieved by the excellent planarity of the semiconducting polymer.