[18F]Tetrafluoroborate, a new NIS PET/CT radiopharmaceutical: an overview focused on differentiated thyroid cancer.

Background: In relapsing differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC), the in vivo evaluation of natrium-iodide symporter (NIS) expression is pivotal in the therapeutic planning and is achieved by 131/123Iodine (131/123I) whole body scan. However, these approaches have low sensitivity due to the low resolution of SPECT. 18F-Tetrafluoroborate (TFB) has been proposed as a viable alternative, which could outperform 131/123I scans owing to the superior PET resolution.

Composite Prediction Score to Interpret Bone Focal Uptake in Hormone-Sensitive Prostate Cancer Patients Imaged with [F]PSMA-1007 PET/CT.

Unspecific bone uptake (UBU) related to [F]PSMA-1007 PET/CT imaging represents a clinical challenge. We aimed to assess whether a combination of clinical, biochemical, and imaging parameters could predict skeletal metastases in patients with [F]PSMA-1007 bone focal uptake, aiding in result interpretation. We retrospectively analyzed [F]PSMA-1007 PET/CT performed in hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (PCa) patients at 3 tertiary-level cancer centers.

The Glucose-Glutamine Metabolic Interplay in MCF-7 Cells, a Hormone-Sensitive Breast Cancer Model.

Background: Selective deprivation of glutamine has been shown to accelerate the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and to impair the activity of a specific pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) located within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). The consequent oxidative damage suggests that glucose flux through this reticular pathway might contribute to the redox stress of breast cancer cells. We thus evaluated whether this response is reproduced when the glutamine shortage is coupled with the glucose deprivation.

Impossibility result for Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling from microcanonical bipartite graph ensembles.

Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithms are commonly used to sample from graph ensembles. Two graphs are neighbors in the state space if one can be obtained from the other with only a few modifications, e.g.

Divergent Oxidative Stress in Normal Tissues and Inflammatory Cells in Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.

Background: Previous studies reported mitochondrial and endoplasmic reticulum redox stress in peripheral blood mononucleated cells (PBMCs) of treatment-naïve Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) patients. Here, we assessed whether this response also applies to non-HL (NHL) patients, and whether the oxidative damage is a selective feature of PBMCs or, rather, also affects tissues not directly involved in the inflammatory response.

Methods: Isolated PBMCs of 28 HL, 9 diffuse large B cell lymphoma, 8 less aggressive-NHL, and 45 controls underwent flow cytometry to evaluate redox stress and uptake of the glucose analogue 2-NBDG.

Oldie but Goodie: Is Technetium-99m Still a Treasure Trove of Innovation for Medicine? A Patents Analysis (2000-2022).

Technetium-99m is the workhorse of diagnostic nuclear medicine. The aim of the work is to analyze the technetium-99m patents since 2000 to photograph its innovation. QUESTEL's ORBIT Intelligence system was used for the collection of technetium inventions disclosed in patents and patent applications in more than 96 countries in the period 2000-2022; 2768 patent documents were analyzed.

Combined forced diuresis and late acquisition on [Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT for biochemical recurrent prostate cancer: a clinical practice-oriented study.

Objectives: Increased detection of prostate cancer (PCa) recurrences using [Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT has been reported by adding forced diuresis or late-phase imaging to the standard protocol. However, the combination of these procedures in the clinical setting is still not standardized.

Methods: One hundred prospectively recruited biochemical recurrent PCa patients were restaged with dual-phase [Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT from September 2020 to October 2021.

Fundamental Role of Pentose Phosphate Pathway within the Endoplasmic Reticulum in Glutamine Addiction of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells.

Cancer utilization of large glutamine equivalents contributes to diverging glucose-6-P flux toward the pentose phosphate shunt (PPP) to feed the building blocks and the antioxidant responses of rapidly proliferating cells. In addition to the well-acknowledged cytosolic pathway, cancer cells also run a largely independent PPP, triggered by hexose-6P-dehydrogenase within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), whose activity is mandatory for the integrity of ER-mitochondria networking. To verify whether this reticular metabolism is dependent on glutamine levels, we complemented the metabolomic characterization of intermediates of the glucose metabolism and tricarboxylic acid cycle with the estimation of proliferating activity, energy metabolism, redox damage, and mitochondrial function in two breast cancer cell lines.

Oligometastatic Prostate Cancer Treated with Metastasis-Directed Therapy Guided by Positron Emission Tomography: Does the Tracer Matter?

The superior diagnostic accuracy of [68Ga]Ga-prostate-specific membrane antigen-11 (PSMA) ([68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11) compared to [18F]F-Fluorocholine Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (PET/CT) in Prostate Cancer (PCa) is established. However, it is currently unclear if the added diagnostic accuracy actually translates into improved clinical outcomes in oligometastatic PCa patients treated with [68Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET-guided metastasis-directed therapy (MDT). The present study aimed to assess the impact of these two imaging techniques on Progression-Free Survival (PFS) in a real-world sample of oligometastatic PCa patients submitted to PET-guided MDT.

Gene's expression underpinning the divergent predictive value of [18F]F-fluorodeoxyglucose and prostate-specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography in primary prostate cancer: a bioinformatic and experimental study.

Background: Positron Emission Tomography (PET) imaging with Prostate-Specific Membrane Antigen (PSMA) and Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) represent promising biomarkers for risk-stratification of Prostate Cancer (PCa). We verified whether the expression of genes encoding for PSMA and enzymes regulating FDG cellular uptake are independent and additive prognosticators in PCa.

Methods: mRNA expression of genes involved in glucose metabolism and PSMA regulation obtained from primary PCa specimens were retrieved from open-source databases and analyzed using an integrative bioinformatics approach.

Concomitant Prostate Cancer and Hodgkin Lymphoma: A Differential Diagnosis Guided by a Combined 68Ga-PSMA-11 and 18F-FDG PET/CT Approach.

Here we report the case of concomitant favorable-risk prostate cancer and Hodgkin Lymphoma in a 38-year old male. 68Ga-Prostate Specific Membrane Antigen-11 Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography (68Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT) was performed for staging purposes, showing the focal PSMA prostatic uptake as well as the presence of enlarged low-PSMA expressing mediastinal lymphadenopathies, thus raising the suspicion of another malignancy. A subsequent 18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) PET/CT demonstrated a high FDG-avidity by mediastinal lymphadenopathies as opposed to the low prostate cancer FDG uptake.

Changes over the years in radiopharmaceutical design.

Of the many uses of radiopharmaceuticals, developing radiotracers that contribute significantly to diagnosis and therapy of patients has been a major focus. This requires a broad spectrum of expertise including that of the attending physician who lends insight to an unmet clinical need neither addressed by other imaging techniques nor by analysis of tissue, blood, and urine for diagnostics and addressed by pharmaceuticals for therapeutic applications. The design criteria have depended on radiochemistry, on matching the radiopharmaceutical with the imaging devices, and basing the design on current pharmaceuticals.

Toward the Discovery and Development of PSMA Targeted Inhibitors for Nuclear Medicine Applications.

Background: The rising incidence rate of prostate cancer (PCa) has promoted the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals during the last decades. Promising improvements have been achieved in clinical practice using prostate specific membrane antigen (PSMA) labeled agents, including specific antibodies and small molecular weight inhibitors. Focusing on molecular docking studies, this review aims to highlight the progress in the design of PSMA targeted agents for a potential use in nuclear medicine.

Longitudinal cognitive decline in mild cognitive impairment subjects with early amyloid-β neocortical deposition.

Purpose: The rate of clinical progression of cognitive impairment in subjects with early amyloid deposition is unknown. The primary aim of the study was to follow the rate of cognitive decline over 1 year in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) by determining amyloid retention levels in terms of standardized uptake value ratios (SUVr) that ranged from 0.85 to 1.

The brain cognitive reserve hypothesis: A review with emphasis on the contribution of nuclear medicine neuroimaging techniques.

Neuropathological and clinical evidence indicates that the clinical expression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) occurs as neuropathology exceeds the brain reserve capacity. The brain or cognitive reserve (BCR) hypothesis states that high premorbid intelligence, education, and an active and stimulating lifestyle provide reserve capacity, which acts as a buffer against the cognitive deficits due to accumulating neuropathology. Neuroimaging studies that assessed the BCR hypothesis are critically reviewed with emphasis on study design and statistical analysis.

C-choline PET/CT predicts survival in prostate cancer patients with PSA < 1 NG/ml.

Purpose: The main drawback of C-choline PET/CT for restaging prostate cancer (PCa) patients with biochemical failure is the relatively low positive detection rate for prostate specific antigen (PSA) < 1 ng/ml. This study assessed whether C-choline PET/CT predicts survival in PCa patients with PSA < 1 ng/ml.

Methods: This retrospective study included 210 PCa patients treated with radical prostatectomy who underwent C-choline PET/CT from December 1, 2004 to July 31, 2007 due to biochemical failure.

[Ga]-Dota Peptide PET/CT in Neuroendocrine Tumors: Main Clinical Applications.

Objective: Neuroendocrine Neoplasms (NENs) are generally defined as rare and heterogeneous tumors. The gastrointestinal system is the most frequent site of NENs localization, however they can be found in other anatomical regions, such as pancreas, lungs, ovaries, thyroid, pituitary, and adrenal glands. Neuroendocrine neoplasms have significant clinical manifestations depending on the production of active peptide.

Sensitivity of fluorine-18-fluoromethylcholine PET/CT to prostate-specific antigen over different plasma levels: a retrospective study in a cohort of 192 patients with prostate cancer.

Purpose: Several factors have been identified that predict positive fluorine-18-fluoromethylcholine (F-FCH) PET/CT result in patients with prostate cancer undergoing PET/CT for biochemical failure. Among these factors, prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is the single factor most consistently associated with the prediction of positive F-FCH PET/CT. In this study, we wished to confirm this finding and expand it in a large series of patients.

Amyloid burden identifies neuropsychological phenotypes at increased risk of progression to Alzheimer's disease in mild cognitive impairment patients.

Purpose: The extent of amyloid burden associated with cognitive impairment in amnestic mild cognitive impairment is unknown. The primary aim of the study was to determine the extent to which amyloid burden is associated to the cognitive impairment. The secondary objective was to test the relationship between amyloid accumulation and memory or cognitive impairment.

Small-Animal F-FDG PET for Research on : Applications and Future Directions in Invertebrate Neuroscience and Tissue Regeneration.

This study aimed to develop a method of administering F-FDG to the common octopus in order to perform a PET biodistribution assay characterizing glucose metabolism in organs and regenerating tissues. Seven animals (two of which had a regenerating arm) were anesthetized with 3.7% MgCl in artificial seawater and then injected with 18-30 MBq of isosmotic F-FDG through either the left branchial heart or the anterior vena cava.

PET/CT With Ga-PSMA in Prostate Cancer: Radiopharmaceutical Background and Clinical Implications.

Background And Objective: In the last twenty years, positron emission tomography / computed tomography (PET/CT) with radiolabeled choline, represented the most powerful imaging modality for prostate cancer (PCa). However, the low positive detection rate of the technique for PSA < 1 ng/ml prompted the development of other tracers for imaging PCa.

Methods: We performed a critical review of 68Ga-PSMA, a receptor ligand tracer, which has been identified as the most promising radiopharmaceutical for imaging PCa.

PET/MR Tomographs: A Review with Technical, Radiochemical and Clinical Perspectives.

Background And Objective: In the last decade, an increasing number of positron emission tomography / magnetic resonance (PET/MR) tomographs were installed and many clinical studies were performed in the neurological field.

Methods: Although PET/MR has many favorable properties to support the application in brain imaging, attenuation correction, and therefore accurate quantification, is a problem that still requires optimal solution.

Results: In this review we have summarized the three main methods that are currently used to correct attenuation in PET/MR, namely atlas- or template-based methods, segmentation-based methods, and reconstruction-based methods.

PET and PET/CT with radiolabeled choline in prostate cancer: a critical reappraisal of 20 years of clinical studies.

We here aim to provide a comprehensive and critical review of the literature concerning the clinical applications of positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) with radiolabeled choline in patients with prostate cancer (PCa). We will initially briefly summarize the historical context that brought to the synthesis of [C]choline, which occurred exactly 20 years ago. We have arbitrarily grouped the clinical studies in three different periods, according to the year in which they were published and according to their relation with their applications in urology, radiotherapy and oncology.

Radiopharmaceuticals for the Diagnosis and Therapy of Neuroendocrine Differentiated Prostate Cancer.

Neuroendocrine differentiation of prostate cancer (PCa) is a relatively frequent event, generally understudied, that carries important prognostic information. It is the most frequently observed during the advanced stages of disease, when PCa has lost its sensitivity to androgen deprivation therapy or to chemotherapy, moderate to diffuse bone metastatic spread dominates the imaging scenario and it is responsible for painful clinical symptomatology. However, evidences indicate that neuroendocrine differentiation is a progressive phenomenon that starts at the very early part of the pathogenesis of cancer transformation contributing to it.