Utility of FDG-PETCT and magnetic resonance spectroscopy in differentiating between cerebral lymphoma and non-malignant CNS lesions in HIV-infected patients.

Background And Purpose: In HIV infected patients, MRI cannot reliably differentiate between central nervous system (CNS) lymphoma and non-malignant CNS lesions, particularly cerebral toxoplasmosis (CTOX). This study prospectively investigates the utility of FDG PET-CT and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) in discriminating CNS lymphoma from non-malignant CNS lesions in HIV infected patients, and assesses the ability of FDG PET-CT to guide the use of early brain biopsy.

Methods: 10 HIV patients with neurological symptoms and contrast enhancing lesions on MRI were commenced on anti-toxoplasmosis therapy before undergoing FDG PET-CT and MRS.

Comparative study with new accuracy metrics for target volume contouring in PET image guided radiation therapy.

The impact of PET on radiation therapy is held back by poor methods of defining functional volumes of interest. Many new software tools are being proposed for contouring target volumes but the different approaches are not adequately compared and their accuracy is poorly evaluated due to the illdefinition of ground truth. This paper compares the largest cohort to date of established, emerging and proposed PET contouring methods, in terms of accuracy and variability.

Optimization of the injected activity in dynamic 3D PET: a generalized approach using patient-specific NECs as demonstrated by a series of 15O-H2O scans.

Unlabelled: The magnitude of the injected activity (A(0)) has a direct impact on the statistical quality of PET images. This study aimed to develop a generalized method for maximizing the statistical quality of dynamic PET images by optimizing A(0).

Methods: Patient-specific noise-equivalent counts (PS-NECs) were used as a metric of the statistical quality of each time frame of a dynamic PET image.

Neural plasticity in blind cochlear implant users.

This study, using positron emission tomography, investigates the cortical activation generated by auditory stimulation in two congenitally blind cochlear implant users. In the patient with a relatively short history of deafness, activity increased in both auditory cortices and fell in the visual cortices. The patient with a longer period of deafness had greater activation of the visual cortices than the auditory cortices.

Phase I evaluation of a fully human anti-alphav integrin monoclonal antibody (CNTO 95) in patients with advanced solid tumors.

Purpose: A fully human monoclonal antibody to anti-alpha(v) integrins (CNTO 95) has been shown to inhibit angiogenesis and tumor growth in preclinical studies. We assessed the safety and pharmacokinetics of CNTO 95 in patients with advanced refractory solid tumors.

Experimental Design: In this phase I trial, CNTO 95 (0.

Auditory cortical activation and speech perception in cochlear implant users: effects of implant experience and duration of deafness.

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between outcome following cochlear implantation and auditory cortical activation. It also studied the effects of length of implant use and duration of deafness on the auditory cortical activations. Cortical activity resulting from auditory stimulation was measured using [(18)F]FDG positron emission tomography.

Hepatic drug targeting: phase I evaluation of polymer-bound doxorubicin.

Purpose: Preclinical studies have shown good anticancer activity following targeting of a polymer bearing doxorubicin with galactosamine (PK2) to the liver. The present phase I study was devised to determine the toxicity, pharmacokinetic profile, and targeting capability of PK2.

Patients And Methods: Doxorubicin was linked via a lysosomally degradable tetrapeptide sequence to N-(2-hydroxypropyl)methacrylamide copolymers bearing galactosamine.