Radiochemical purity and patient preparation: Key factors affecting the accuracy of Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT imaging in neuroendocrine tumors.

Gallium-68-DOTA-D-phe1-try3-octreotide (Ga-DOTATOC) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) is a crucial diagnostic tool for neuroendocrine tumors (NET). Its accuracy is influenced by radiochemical purity and patient preparation. We present two cases where unexpected radiotracer uptake in Ga-DOTATOC PET/CT imaging was observed.

Correlation of PSA blood levels with standard uptake value maximum (SUV max ) and total metabolic tumor volume (TMTV) in 18F-PSMA-1007 and 18F-choline PET/CT in patients with biochemically recurrent prostate cancer.

Objectives: In this prospective study, we investigated the correlation between prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels in the blood of patients with prostate cancer in biochemical recurrence after radical treatment with the semiquantitative parameters standard uptake value maximum (SUV max ) and the total metabolic tumor volume (TMTV) in the metastatic foci depicted in 18F-prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)-1007 and 18F-choline PET/computed tomography (CT) imaging.

Methods: We prospectively examined 104 patients with biochemical relapse of prostate cancer after primary definitive treatment. All patients underwent one 18F-PSMA-1007 and one 18F-choline PET/CT examination in randomized order within a time frame of 10 days and were followed for at least 6 months (182 ± 10 days).

Towards improved diagnosis: radiomics and quantitative biomarkers in 18 F-PSMA-1007 and 18 F-fluorocholine PET/CT for prostate cancer recurrence.

Objective: This study compared the radiomic features and quantitative biomarkers of 18 F-PSMA-1007 [prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA)] and 18 F-fluorocholine (FCH) PET/computed tomography (CT) in prostate cancer patients with biochemical recurrence (BCR) enrolled in the phase 3, prospective, multicenter BIO-CT-001 trial.

Methods: A total of 106 patients with BCR, who had undergone primary definitive treatment for prostate cancer, were recruited to this prospective study. All patients underwent one PSMA and one FCH PET/CT examination in randomized order within 10 days.

The dyadic regulation approach of coping and illness representations in female cancer patients and their partners.

Purpose: Adjustment to any illness is a 'dyadic' process whereby patients and their partners mutually determine each other's perceptions, behaviours, and well-being. The present study explored the association between dyadic coping strategies and illness representations in newly diagnosed female cancer patients and their partners.

Methods: The sample consisted of 92 female cancer patient-partner pairs from 3 oncology hospitals in Greece and Cyprus.

F-FDG PET/CT in monoclonal plasma cell disorders.

Plasma cell disorders are a heterogeneous group caused by the monoclonal proliferation of lymphoplasmacytic cells in the bone marrow. Multiple Myeloma (MM) is the most serious and prevalent plasma cell dyscrasia, with a median age of onset of 60 years.MM displays significant genetic, biological and clinical heterogeneity with subsequent imaging heterogeneity, evident in contemporary imaging modalities (PET/CT and MRI).

Reliability of Moral Distress Scale, Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale, and Jefferson Scale of Empathy Among Greek Nurses: A Pilot Study.

Moral distress (MD), secondary traumatic stress (STS), and empathy are of particular interest to the nursing profession. The availability of validated tools for the assessment of these parameters is of high importance. The primary aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the reliability of the Greek version of the MD Scale or the revised version (MDS-R), the Jefferson Scale of Empathy for Health Professionals (JSE-HP), and the STS Scale (STSS) in Greek nurses working in open and psychiatric wards.

Artificial intelligence in Nuclear Medicine Physics and Imaging.

No one can deny the significant impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on everyday life, especially in the health sector where it has emerged as a crucial and beneficial tool in Nuclear Medicine (NM) and molecular imaging. The objective of this review is to provide a summary of the various applications of AI in single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET), with or without anatomical information (CT or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)). This review analyzes subsets of AI, such as machine learning (ML) and Deep Learning (DL), and elaborates on their applications in NM imaging (NMI) physics, including the generation of attenuation maps, estimation of scattered events, depth of interaction (DOI), time of flight (TOF), NM image reconstruction (optimization of the reconstruction algorithm), and low dose imaging.

HER-2 breast cancer treatment induced mediastinal sarcoid like reaction depicted on F-FDG PET/CT.

This is a case of a woman with breast cancer, who developed mediastinal sarcoid-like reaction, depicted on PET/CT, which was histologically confirmed, following treatment with trastuzumab and pertuzumab. The development of noncaseating granulomas in patients who do not fulfill the criteria for systemic sarcoidosis is known as sarcoid-like reaction, having been described in association with trastuzumab in a few case reports, but none with pertuzumab. Physicians should be aware of the potentially higher rate of sarcoid-like reaction in patients receiving HER-2 treatment.

Treatment Adherence in Patients with Lung Cancer from Prospects of Patients and Physicians.

Purpose: Adherence to treatment can be defined as the degree to which a patient's behavior is consonant with medical or health advice he or she receive as part of his treatment regimen. The aim of this study was:  1) to measure the rate of treatment adherence to among patients with lung cancer from the prospect of both patients and physicians, 2) to measure the degree of concordance between the two prospect, and 3) to identify factors related to adherence for both prospect (patients and physicians).

Materials And Methods: A total of 250 patients were included in this study.

Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography Alert Finding in an Esophageal Cancer Patient.

Emergency pathologies often accompany malignancies. We herein report a case of pulmonary abscess in a patient with esophageal cancer which was depicted during the F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) staging study. The patient's history of recent dilatation of the cancer stenosis in adjunct to the previous CT lung imaging, which was normal, made evident the diagnosis of the pulmonary abscess due to the perforation of the esophageal neoplasm.

Attitudes, beliefs and knowledge towards Medical Cannabis of Greek undergraduate and postgraduate university nursing students.

Objectives: To assess attitudes, beliefs and knowledge towards medical cannabis (MC) among Greek nursing students by year of study and undergraduate/postgraduate status.

Methods: 294 (229 undergraduate and 65 postgraduate) students participated in this survey. Descriptive and inferential statistics (Pearson's chi-squared, t-test) were applied using SPSS.

A proposed index of diffuse bone marrow [18F]-FDG uptake and PET skeletal patterns correlate with myeloma prognostic markers, plasma cell morphology, and response to therapy.

Purpose: The investigation of a semi-quantitative index in the pelvis to assess for diffuse bone marrow (BM) [18F]-FDG uptake and the investigation of PET skeletal patterns in multiple myeloma (MM) patients, in accordance with prognostic markers, clonal plasma cell (cPC) morphology, and response to therapy.

Methods: We prospectively analyzed [18F]-FDG PET/CT in 90 MM patients (newly diagnosed, 60; relapsed/refractory, 30). Among other PET/CT parameters, we calculated the ratio SUVmax pelvis/liver and examined for correlations with known MM prognostic parameters, cPC morphology (good vs.

Nuclear Cardiology practice in COVID-19 era.

The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is the biggest shock in decades to the well developed healthcare system and resources worldwide. Although there was a wide variation in the level of preparedness, the transition was tough even for the most renowned healthcare systems. Increasing the capacity and adapting healthcare for the needs of COVID-19 patients is described by the WHO as a fundamental outbreak response measure.

Economic Distress in Families with a Member Suffering from Severe Mental Illness: Illness Burden or Financial Crisis? Evidence from Greece.

The present study aims to explore the economic distress and pertinent coping strategies in families with a member suffering from a severe mental illness. Furthermore it endeavors to gauge the impact of illness burden and that of the Greek recession on economic distress, while disentangling their contribution. In total, 190 key relatives of people with severe mental illness were recruited from community mental health services in the region of Attica.

Relaxation training significantly reduced blood glucose levels in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Purpose/objective: The present study was designed to test whether adding a relaxation training technique to the medical treatment of patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus could, adjusting for the non-specific factors of therapy, lead to an improvement in the patients' condition.

Method: Forty-six participants were randomly allocated either to an experimental (intervention) group, receiving weekly sessions of relaxation training, or to a control group (placebo) receiving weekly blood circulation training exercises. Measures included the State and Trait Anxiety Inventory, blood glucose levels, high-density lipoprotein levels, cholesterol levels, body weight, HbA1c levels, the Mood Adjective Checklist (MACL), a diary checklist, and urine glucose levels.

Rib Fractures Mimicking Bone Metastases in 18F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT for Prostate Cancer.

Prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) is a membrane glycoprotein that is overexpressed in prostate cancer cells. It is also expressed in other normal tissues and several other malignant and benign diseases. We present a case of a 69-year-old man with history of prostate adenocarcinoma who underwent F-PSMA-1007 PET/CT due to suspected biochemical recurrence.

FDG PET-CT: Need for Vigilance in Patients Treated with Bleomycin.

Bleomycin-induced interstitial lung disease is not a rare complication of treatment and may prove to be fatal if not suspected early in its course. As FDG PET-CT has become an essential clinical tool for interim and end-of-treatment response assessment in oncology, it is important that radiologists/nuclear medicine specialists be aware of the features of this potentially treatable condition so that treatment can be instigated during an early reversible phase before pulmonary damage has occurred. Herein, we report two cases of bleomycin toxicity featuring different patterns on the treatment-response assessment FDG PET-CT scan.

Cardiovascular preclinical imaging.

Non-invasive imaging in the form of single-photon emission-computed tomography (SPECT), positron-emission tomography (PET), computed tomography (CT), echocardiography or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a very useful tool for cardiovascular research as it allows assessment of biological processes in vivo. Nuclear imaging with SPECT and PET offers the advantage of high sensitivity, the potential for serial imaging, and reliable quantification. Currently a wide range of established as well as innovative agents is available and can be imaged with dedicated preclinical and clinical SPECT and PET imaging systems.

One Coin, No Need to Flip: Shared PET Targets in Cancer and Coronary Artery Disease.

Objective: The purposes of this article are to review the common biologic features of cancer and coronary artery disease assessed with PET tracers, focusing on those already used in the clinic and those with translational potential, and to discuss the current value and expected contribution of PET in diagnosis, risk stratification, and treatment monitoring.

Conclusion: PET using a wide variety of radiotracers enhances understanding of pathophysiologic changes shared by cancer and coronary artery disease, helps establish an accurate diagnosis, and aids in prognostic assessment and management decisions. It is likely that with the evolution of therapeutic strategies for blocking the development and progression of both diseases and with the introduction of novel, specific ligands in clinical practice, PET will play an ever stronger role in diagnosis, risk stratification, and monitoring of therapy.

18F-FDG PET Detection of a Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma in a Patient With SMZL.

Incidental thyroid FDG uptake is not rarely encountered on PET studies. In this case, we present an incidental thyroid focus of F-FDG uptake identified in a patient with splenic marginal zone lymphoma during the baseline and the response assessment PET/CT study that proved to be medullary thyroid carcinoma on subsequent histological examination.

Increased Background Activity in DMSA Scintigraphy of a Nonazotemic Patient With β-Thalassemia Major.

Renal DMSA uptake provides an index for evaluation of the functional tubular mass, which depends on the renal blood flow, proximal tubular cell membrane function, and urinary acid-base balance. We present a case of a nonazotemic 48-year-old adult with β-thalassemia major under regular blood transfusions and iron chelation therapy that underwent DMSA scan showing minor cortical abnormalities and high background activity, featuring prominent cardiac blood pool and liver uptake. This case highlights the pitfall of high background activity during DMSA study in patients with β-thalassemia major due to tubular disorders.

Nationwide surveillance of resistance rates of Staphylococcus aureus clinical isolates from Greek hospitals, 2012-2013.

Purpose To evaluate the in vitro efficacy of several anti-staphylococcal agents against a nationwide collection of contemporary Staphylococcus aureus clinical isolates from several healthcare centres in Greece. Methods Thirty hospitals throughout Greece (18 in Attica) provided all clinical isolates of S.aureus from April 2012 to May 2013 to a central lab to be re-submitted to susceptibility testing.