Activity quantification and dosimetry in radiopharmaceutical therapy with reference to Lutetium.

Radiopharmaceutical therapy has been widely adopted owing primarily to the development of novel radiopharmaceuticals. To fully utilize the potential of these RPTs in the era of precision medicine, therapy must be optimized to the patient's tumor characteristics. The vastly disparate dosimetry methodologies need to be harmonized as the first step towards this.

Generation of Multicellular 3D Liver Organoids From Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells as a Tool for Modelling Liver Diseases.

The liver is an essential organ that is involved in the metabolism, synthesis, and secretion of serum proteins and detoxification of xenobiotic compounds and alcohol. Studies on liver diseases have largely relied on cancer-derived cell lines that have proven to be inferior due to the lack of drug-metabolising enzymes. Primary human hepatocytes are considered the gold-standard for evaluating drug metabolism.

Combined analysis of host IFN-γ, IL-2 and IP-10 as potential LTBI biomarkers in ESAT-6/CFP-10 stimulated blood.

Accurate diagnosis of latent tuberculosis infected (LTBI) individuals is important in identifying individuals at risk of developing active tuberculosis. Current diagnosis of LTBI routinely relies on the detection and measurement of immune responses using the Tuberculin Skin Test (TST) and interferon gamma release assays (IGRAs). However, IGRA, which detects specific IFN-γ, is associated with frequent indeterminate results, particularly in immunosuppressed patients.

[F]F-Poly(ADP-Ribose) Polymerase Inhibitor Radiotracers for Imaging PARP Expression and Their Potential Clinical Applications in Oncology.

Including poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors in managing patients with inoperable tumors has significantly improved outcomes. The PARP inhibitors hamper single-strand deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) repair by trapping poly(ADP-ribose)polymerase (PARP) at sites of DNA damage, forming a non-functional "PARP enzyme-inhibitor complex" leading to cell cytotoxicity. The effect is more pronounced in the presence of PARP upregulation and homologous recombination (HR) deficiencies such as ().

Cysteinyl leukotriene receptor-1 as a potential target for host-directed therapy during chronic schistosomiasis in murine model.

Schistosomiasis remains the most devastating neglected tropical disease, affecting over 240 million people world-wide. The disease is caused by the eggs laid by mature female worms that are trapped in host's tissues, resulting in chronic Th2 driven fibrogranulmatous pathology. Although the disease can be treated with a relatively inexpensive drug, praziquantel (PZQ), re-infections remain a major problem in endemic areas.

Prostate-specific Membrane Antigen: Alpha-labeled Radiopharmaceuticals.

Novel prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) ligands labeled with α-emitting radionuclides are sparking a growing interest in prostate cancer treatment. These targeted alpha therapies (TATs) have attractive physical properties that deem them effective in progressive metastatic castrate-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). Among the PSMA TAT radiopharmaceuticals, [225Ac]Ac-PSMA has been used extensively on a compassionate basis and is currently undergoing phase I trials.

Advances in Radioligand Theranostics in Oncology.

Theranostics with radioligands (radiotheranostics) has played a pivotal role in oncology. Radiotheranostics explores the molecular targets expressed on tumor cells to target them for imaging and therapy. In this way, radiotheranostics entails non-invasive demonstration of the in vivo expression of a molecular target of interest through imaging followed by the administration of therapeutic radioligand targeting the tumor-expressed molecular target.

Imaging Molecular Targets and Metabolic Pathways in Breast Cancer for Improved Clinical Management: Current Practice and Future Perspectives.

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Timely decision-making that enables implementation of the most appropriate therapy or therapies is essential for achieving the best clinical outcomes in breast cancer. While clinicopathologic characteristics and immunohistochemistry have traditionally been used in decision-making, these clinical and laboratory parameters may be difficult to ascertain or be equivocal due to tumor heterogeneity.

Insights into Peptidoglycan-Targeting Radiotracers for Imaging Bacterial Infections: Updates, Challenges, and Future Perspectives.

The unique structural architecture of the peptidoglycan allows for the stratification of bacteria as either Gram-negative or Gram-positive, which makes bacterial cells distinguishable from mammalian cells. This classification has received attention as a potential target for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Bacteria's ability to metabolically integrate peptidoglycan precursors during cell wall biosynthesis and recycling offers an opportunity to target and image pathogens in their biological state.

Mycobacterial FtsEX-RipC interaction is required for normal growth and cell morphology in rifampicin and low ionic strength conditions.

Unlabelled: Tuberculosis, a lung disease caused by (), remains a major global health problem ranking as the second leading cause of death from a single infectious agent. One of the major factors contributing toward success as a pathogen is its unique cell wall and its ability to counteract various arms of the host's immune response. A recent genome-scale study profiled a list of candidate genes that are predicted to be essential for survival of host-mediated responses.

Actinium-225-PSMA radioligand therapy of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (WARMTH Act): a multicentre, retrospective study.

Background: Actinium-225 (Ac) prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) radioligand therapy (RLT) is a novel therapy for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). We aimed to report the safety and antitumour activity of Ac-PSMA RLT of mCRPC in a large cohort of patients treated at multiple centres across the world.

Methods: This retrospective study included patients treated at seven centres in Australia, India, Germany, and South Africa.

PET/CT and SPECT/CT for Infection in Joints and Bones: An Overview and Future Directions.

Infections of the bones and joints, if misdiagnosed, may result in serious morbidity and even mortality. A prompt diagnosis followed by appropriate management may reduce the socioeconomic impact of bone and joint infections. Morphologic imaging such as ultrasound and plain radiographs form the first line investigations, however, in early infections findings may be negative or nonspecific.

Correlation between [Ga]Ga-FAPI-46 PET Imaging and HIF-1α Immunohistochemical Analysis in Cervical Cancer: Proof-of-Concept.

Hypoxia leads to changes in tumor microenvironment (upregulated CAFs) with resultant aggressiveness. A key factor in the physiological response to hypoxia is hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1α). [Ga]Ga-FAPI PET imaging has been demonstrated in various cancer types.

Prognostic Value of PSMA PET/CT in Prostate Cancer.

Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a transmembrane glycoprotein expressed in the majority of prostate cancer (PCa). PSMA has an enzymatic function that makes metabolic substrates such as folate available for utilization by PCa cells. Intracellular folate availability drives aggressive tumor phenotype.

Ac-PSMA-617 radioligand therapy of de novo metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate carcinoma (mHSPC): preliminary clinical findings.

Purpose: Ac-PSMA-617 has demonstrated good anti-tumor effect as a treatment option for metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) patients. No study has previously assessed treatment outcome and survival following Ac-PSMA-617 treatment of de novo metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate carcinoma (mHSPC) patients. Based on the potential side effects that are known and explained to the patients by the oncologist, some of the patients refused the standard treatment and are seeking alternative therapies.

The SARS-COV-2 Seroprevalence among Oncology Patients.

Patients with cancer are presumed to be vulnerable to an increased risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and severe clinical outcomes due to the immunocompromised state mediated by their underlying malignancies and therapy. The aim of this study was to estimate the SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence, following second to fourth waves in solid tumour patients attending the Steve Biko Academic Hospital (SBAH) for diagnosis and treatment of cancer. We used the single-prick COVID-19 IgG/IgM Rapid Test Cassettes to detect SARS-CoV-2 IgG/IgM antibodies in 760 patients with solid tumours who were asymptomatic and who had never tested positive for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Immune cells and associated molecular markers in dermal fibrosis with focus on raised cutaneous scars.

Raised dermal scars including hypertrophic, and keloid scars as well as scalp-associated fibrosing Folliculitis Keloidalis Nuchae (FKN) are a group of fibrotic raised dermal lesions that mostly occur following cutaneous injury. They are characterized by increased extracellular matrix (ECM) deposition, primarily excessive collagen type 1 production by hyperproliferative fibroblasts. The extent of ECM deposition is thought to be proportional to the severity of local skin inflammation leading to excessive fibrosis of the dermis.

[Ga]Ga-NODAGAZOL uptake in atherosclerotic plaques correlates with the cardiovascular risk profile of patients.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the correlation of [Ga]Ga-NODAGA uptake in atherosclerotic plaques and the cardiovascular risk profile of patients imaged with positron emission tomography (PET), wherein quantification of uptake was determined by atherosclerotic plaque maximum target-to-background ratio (TBRmax). We also correlated uptake with a history of cardiovascular events.

Methods: We included patients who underwent PET/CT imaging post-injection of [Ga] Ga-NODAGA.

Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT Initial Staging in Black and White South African Males with ISUP Grade Group 1 and 2 Prostate Adenocarcinoma.

Prostate adenocarcinoma (PCa) is a leading cause of mortality. Black males with high-risk PCa have a poorer prognosis compared to white males. Patients with International Society of Urological Pathology (ISUP) Grade Group (GG) 1 and 2 PCa have little potential for metastases post radical prostatectomy.

Hematologic toxicity profile and efficacy of [Ac]Ac-PSMA-617 α-radioligand therapy of patients with extensive skeletal metastases of castration-resistant prostate cancer.

Purpose: Actinium-225-labeled prostate-specific membrane antigen ([Ac]Ac-PSMA-617) is safe and effective in the treatment of metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC). No study has specifically assessed its safety in patients with extensive skeletal metastases of mCRPC. We aimed to investigate the hematologic toxicity and efficacy of [Ac]Ac-PSMA-617 therapy in patients with extensive skeletal metastases of mCRPC.

Head-to-head Intra-individual Comparison of [Ga]-FAPI and [F]-FDG PET/CT in Patients with Bladder Cancer.

Aim/purpose: Fibroblast activation protein-(FAP)-ligands, a novel class of tracers for PET/CT imaging, demonstrated promising results in previous studies in various malignancies compared to standard [F]FDG PET/CT. Ga-labeled fibroblast activation protein inhibitor-([Ga]Ga-DOTA-FAPI)-PET/CT impresses with sharp contrasts in terms of high tumor uptake and low background noise leading to clear delineation. [F]FDG PET/CT has limited accuracy in bladder cancer due to high background signal.

A Prospective Investigation of Tumor Hypoxia Imaging with Ga-Nitroimidazole PET/CT in Patients with Carcinoma of the Cervix Uteri and Comparison with F-FDG PET/CT: Correlation with Immunohistochemistry.

Hypoxia in cervical cancer has been associated with a poor prognosis. Over the years Ga labelled nitroimidazoles have been studied and have shown improved kinetics. We present our initial experience of hypoxia Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging in cervical cancer with Ga-Nitroimidazole derivative and the correlation with F-FDG PET/CT and immunohistochemistry.