PET/MRI multimodality imaging to evaluate changes in glymphatic system function and biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease.

The glymphatic system is considered to play a pivotal role in the clearance of disease-causing proteins in neurodegenerative diseases. This study employed MR diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to evaluate glymphatic system function and its correlation with brain amyloid accumulation levels measured using [C]Pittsburgh compound-B (PiB) PET/MRI. Fifty-six patients with mild cognitive impairment and early Alzheimer's disease (AD: 70 ± 11 y) underwent [C]PiB PET/MRI to assess amyloid deposition and were compared with 27 age-matched cognitively normal volunteers (CN: 69 ± 10y).

Effect of newly developed scissors-attached micro-forceps on the recipient clamp time and occurrence of anastomotic site infarction after bypass surgery for moyamoya disease.

Introduction: This study aimed to examine the effect of newly developed scissors-attached micro-forceps in superficial temporal artery-to-middle cerebral artery (STA-MCA) anastomosis for moyamoya disease (MMD).

Materials And Methods: Of 179 consecutive STA-MCA anastomoses on 95 hemispheres of 71 MMD patients at the University of Fukui Hospital between 2009 and 2023, 49 anastomoses on 26 hemispheres of 21 patients were enrolled in this retrospective cohort clinical trial intraoperative indocyanine green video-angiography did not demonstrate bypass patency in three anastomoses in two patients who were excluded. Twenty-one anastomosis in 19 hemispheres of 16 patients were performed using the conventional micro-forceps (conventional group, CG), and 25 anastomoses in 22 hemispheres of 19 patients were performed using scissors-attached micro-forceps (scissors group, SG).

High efficacy of particle beam therapies against tumors under hypoxia and prediction of the early stage treatment effect using 3'-deoxy-3'-[F]fluorothymidine positron emission tomography.

Objective: Compared with radiation therapy using photon beams, particle therapies, especially those using carbons, show a high relative biological effectiveness and low oxygen enhancement ratio. Using cells cultured under normoxic conditions, our group reported a greater suppressive effect on cell growth by carbon beams than X-rays, and the subsequent therapeutic effect can be predicted by the cell uptake amount of 3'-deoxy-3'-[F]fluorothymidine (F-FLT) the day after treatment. On the other hand, a hypoxic environment forms locally around solid tumors, influencing the therapeutic effect of radiotherapy.

Hematopoiesis in the spleen after engraftment in unrelated cord blood transplantation evaluated by F-FLT PET imaging.

Cord blood is an important donor source for allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HSCT), with its unique composition and quality of hematopoietic cells. The proliferation site and potency of infused hematopoietic stem cells in humans may vary between stem cell sources. We investigated this possibility in a prospective, exploratory study to assess hematopoietic dynamics using the radiopharmaceutical 3'-deoxy-3'-F-fluorothymidine (F-FLT), a thymidine analog used in positron emission tomography imaging, before allo-HSCT and on days 50 and 180 after allo-HSCT.

[F]FES PET Resolves the Diagnostic Dilemma of COVID-19-Vaccine-Associated Hypermetabolic Lymphadenopathy in ER-Positive Breast Cancer.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination is known to cause a diagnostic dilemma due to false-positive findings on [F]FDG PET in vaccine-associated hypermetabolic lymphadenopathy. We present two case reports of women with estrogen-receptor (ER)-positive cancer of the breast who were vaccinated for COVID-19 in the deltoid muscle. [F]FDG positron emission tomography (PET) demonstrated primary breast cancer and multiple axillary lymph nodes with increased [F]FDG uptake, diagnosed as vaccine-associated [F]FDG-avid lymph nodes.

Feasibility of Renal Blood Flow Measurement Using Cu-ATSM PET/MRI: A Quantitative PET and MRI Study.

This study aimed to evaluate the renal blood flow (RBF) in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) using Cu(II)-diacetyl-bis(4-methylthiosemicarbazonate) (Cu-ATSM) for positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We included five healthy controls (HCs) and ten patients with CKD. The estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated from the serum creatinine (cr) and cystatin C (cys) levels.

Evaluation of -[C]PK11195 PET/MRI for Spinal Cord-Related Neuropathic Pain in Patients with Cervical Spinal Disorders.

Activated microglia are involved in secondary injury after acute spinal cord injury (SCI) and in development of spinal cord-related neuropathic pain (NeP). The aim of the study was to assess expression of translocator protein 18 kDa (TSPO) as an indicator of microglial activation and to investigate visualization of the dynamics of activated microglia in the injured spinal cord using PET imaging with -[C]PK11195, a specific ligand for TSPO. In SCI chimeric animal models, TSPO was expressed mainly in activated microglia.

Radiobrominated probe targeting activated p38α in inflammatory diseases.

Objective: p38α, a member of the mitogen-activated protein kinase superfamily, is activated by external stimuli, followed by nuclear translocation for the regulation of inflammatory responses at the transcriptional and translational levels in inflammatory diseases. Thus, activated p38α would be an appropriate target molecule for in vivo noninvasive imaging and targeted radionuclide therapy. For this purpose, we designed a radiobrominated compound, 6-(4-[Br]bromo-2-fluorophenoxy)-8-methyl-2-(tetrahydro-2H-pyran-4-ylamino)-pyrido[2,3-d]pyrimidin-7(8H)-one ([Br]4-BR), based on a potent p38α selective inhibitor, R1487, for use with single-photon emission computed tomography.

PET Imaging of Estrogen Receptors for Gynecological Tumors.

In the past few decades, PET with 18F-FDG has been used for the diagnosis of gynecological malignancies and is considered to be superior to conventional imaging methods in diagnostic accuracy for detecting metastatic lesions and local recurrence and in evaluating the treatment response. On the other hand, several gynecological tumors, such as endometrial cancer and leiomyoma, and breast cancer are estrogen-dependent, in which estrogen is essential for their development and progression. 18F-FES is an 18F-labeled compound of estradiol, the most bioactive type of estrogen, and 18F-FES PET has been well-established for diagnosis, staging, and posttherapeutic follow-up in patients with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer.

Cerebral Oxidative Stress in Early Alzheimer's Disease Evaluated by Cu-ATSM PET/MRI: A Preliminary Study.

Oxidative stress imaging using diacetyl-bis (-methylthiosemicarbazone) (Cu-ATSM) was applied to the evaluation of patients with early Alzheimer's disease (eAD). Ten eAD patients (72 ± 9 years) and 10 age-matched healthy controls (HCs) (73 ± 9 years) participated in this study. They underwent dynamic PET/MRI using C-PiB and Cu-ATSM with multiple MRI sequences.

Development of Low Molecular Weight Ligands for Integrin αβ.

We designed and synthesized non-peptide organic molecular ligands for integrin αβ. Candidate ligands featured amidino analog and carboxy groups as binding sites on either side of a spacer, which consisted of benzophenone or an analog, such as diphenyl sulfide, diphenyl sulfoxide, diphenyl sulfone, or diphenyl ether. Competitive binding assays to integrin αβ with respect to [I]echistatin were used to determine inhibitory activity of the synthetic ligands.

Development of Radiohalogenated Osimertinib Derivatives as Imaging Probes for Companion Diagnostics of Osimertinib.

Osimertinib is an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor approved for treating non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with EGFR mutations. Genetic testing is required to detect the mutation for selecting patients who can use osimertinib. Here, we report an attempt to develop nuclear imaging probes that detect the EGFR mutations.

Metastatic invasive lobular breast cancer presenting as linitis plastica of the colon: Tumour characterization using [ F]FES PET/MRI.

Metastatic invasive lobular breast cancer (ILC) to the colon is rare and usually ER-positive. We present an ER-negative case of metastatic ILC presenting as linitis plastica of the colon where [ F]FES PET/MRI allowed the evaluation of the ER phenotypic transformation in the colonic metastasis from the ER-positive breast ILC in vivo.

Utilization of Antibody Allows Rapid Clearance of Nanoparticle Probes from Blood without the Need of Probe Modifications.

Nanoparticles are attracting attention as drug carriers for realizing "theranostics". However, nanoparticles generally show long blood circulation behaviors, and the remaining nanoparticle probe in the blood is the cause of prolonged optimal time from probe injection to imaging. Recently, it has been reported that some nanoparticles activate the immune system, producing an anti-nanoparticle antibody, which can selectively detect the corresponding nanoparticle and transfer it to the liver by opsonization.

18F-Fluoroestradiol Tumor Uptake Is Influenced by Structural Components in Breast Cancer.

Purpose: Estrogen receptor (ER) is expressed in the majority of invasive breast cancer and is an important prognostic indicator. The tumor stroma also plays an important role in disease progression. This study evaluated the effect of stromal components on 16α-[18F]-fluoro-17β-estradiol (18F-FES) uptake in breast cancer and proposed a partial-volume correction method for 18F-FES PET based on histopathological analyses.

Predictive value of 3'-deoxy-3'-F-fluorothymidine PET in the early response to anti-programmed death-1 therapy in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: Anti-programmed death-1 (anti-PD-1) therapy has shown clinical success in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, it is difficult to evaluate the early response to anti-PD-1 therapy. We determined whether changes in 3'-deoxy-3'-[F]-fluorothymidine (F-FLT) PET parameters before and soon after treatment initiation predicted the therapeutic effect of anti-PD-1 antibody.

Paradoxical changes in mood-related behaviors on continuous social isolation after weaning.

Continuous social isolation (SI) from an early developmental stage may have different effects in youth and adulthood. Moreover, SI is reported to impair neuronal plasticity. In this study, we used post-weaning rats to compare the impact of continuous SI on depressive-like, anxiety-related, and fear-related behaviors and neuronal plasticity in puberty and adulthood.

A Radiobrominated Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor for EGFR with L858R/T790M Mutations in Lung Carcinoma.

Activating double mutations L858R/T790M in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) region are often observed as the cause of resistance to tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs). Third-generation EGFR-TKIs, such as osimertinib and rociletinib (CO-1686), was developed to target such resistance mutations. The detection of activating L858R/T790M mutations is necessary to select sensitive patients for therapy.

Assessing the ADC of Bone-marrow on Whole-body MR Images in Relation to the Fat-suppression Method and Fat Content.

Purpose: To compare apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) of bone marrow on diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) between two fat-suppression techniques, and to evaluate the association between bone-marrow ADCs and the proton density fat fraction (PDFF).

Methods: Seventy-seven patients underwent whole-body DWI with short-inversion time inversion-recovery (STIR) (DWI) and/or STIR + selective water-excitation (spectral-spatial RF [SSRF]) (DWI). ADCs of lumbar vertebrae (L3 and L4) were compared between DWI and DWI, and correlated with the PDFF.

Noninvasive Measurement of [C]PiB Distribution Volume Using Integrated PET/MRI.

A noninvasive image-derived input function (IDIF) method using PET/MRI was applied to quantitative measurements of [C] Pittsburgh compound-B (PiB) distribution volume (DV) and compared with other metrics. Fifty-three patients suspected of early dementia (71 ± 11 y) underwent 70 min [C]PiB PET/MRI. Nineteen of them (68 ± 11 y) without head motion during the scan were enrolled in this study and compared with 16 age-matched healthy controls (CTL: 68 ± 11 y).

Prognostic Value of 16α-F-Fluoro-17β-Estradiol PET as a Predictor of Disease Outcome in Endometrial Cancer: A Prospective Study.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential of 16α-F-fluoro-17β-estradiol (F-FES) PET to predict prognosis in patients with endometrial cancer (EC). In total, 67 patients with International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) stage I-IV EC underwent F-FES and F-FDG PET/CT before treatment. The SUV of the primary tumor was compared with the clinical characteristics, and the relationships between SUV and progression-free survival (PFS) or overall survival were analyzed.

Predictive value of integrated F-FDG PET/MRI in the early response to nivolumab in patients with previously treated non-small cell lung cancer.

Background: The early response to treatment with immune-checkpoint inhibitors is difficult to evaluate. We determined whether changes in integrated [F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography/MRI (F-FDG PET/MRI) parameters after the first 2 weeks of antiprogrammed death-1 antibody nivolumab therapy could predict the response of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods: Twenty-five patients with previously treated NSCLC were enrolled prospectively and underwent F-FDG PET/MRI before and at 2 weeks after nivolumab therapy.

Multimodal analysis using [C]PiB-PET/MRI for functional evaluation of patients with Alzheimer's disease.

Background: Multimodal PET/MRI image data simultaneously obtained from patients with early-stage of Alzheimer's disease (eAD) were assessed in order to observe pathophysiologic and functional changes, as well as alterations of morphology and connectivity in the brain. Fifty-eight patients with mild cognitive impairment and early dementia (29 males, 69 ± 12 years) underwent [C]Pittsburgh compound-B (PiB) PET/MRI with 70-min PET and MRI scans. Sixteen age-matched healthy controls (CTL) (9 males, 68 ± 11 years) were also studied with the same scanning protocol.

From the respective expert viewpoints of the ANM specialty editors.

Although it may not be well known, the Annals of Nuclear Medicine (ANM) Editorial Committee includes one specialty editor of nuclear medicine physics, one of nuclear medicine technology, one of molecular imaging, and two of radiopharmacology. In addition, a statistics editor and a language editor are also on the committee. Manuscripts submitted to ANM can be peer-reviewed by such specialty editors similar to those submitted to highly ranked journals, which is a great pride and joy to us.