Incidental focal hypermetabolic colorectal lesions identified by positron emission tomography: prevalence of malignancy.

Colorectal cancer is commonly diagnosed in the United State and is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths. Positron emission tomography has been used for the evaluation and management for patients with colorectal cancer. Frequently, abnormal incidental lesions are detected on positron emission tomography.

Systematic review: prevalence of malignant incidental thyroid nodules identified on fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography.

Purpose: To review current literature and determine the prevalence of malignant incidental focal hypermetabolic thyroid lesions detected by fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (F-FDG-PET).

Materials And Methods: Studies evaluating thyroid carcinomas discovered incidentally on F-FDG-PET were systematically searched in the MEDLINE, CINAHL, and Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) Reviews from 1998 to 2007. Studies were eligible for inclusion with the following criteria: F-FDG-PET studies carried out on humans, long-term clinical follow-up or presence of histological confirmation of thyroid disease, and if studies reported the prevalence of abnormal F-FDG-PET scans with thyroid lesions and confirmed pathological thyroid disease.

Meta-analysis: comparison of F-18 Fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography and bone scintigraphy in the detection of bone metastases in patients with breast cancer.

Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic properties of FDG-PET and bone scintigraphy in the detection of osseous metastases in patients with breast cancer.

Materials And Methods: Studies evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of FDG-PET and bone scintigraphy in the diagnosis of osseous metastasis were systematically searched for in the MEDLINE, CINAHL, and EBM Review databases from January 1995 to November 2006. Two reviewers independently abstracted data including research design, sample size, imaging technique and technical characteristics, reference standard, method of image interpretation, and totals of true positives, false positives, true negatives, and false negatives.

Interdisciplinary group approach to occupational safety and health administration standard: reductions in cost and duplication of effort.

After the December 1991 publication of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration standard, "Occupational Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens; Final Rule," medical facilities in the United States were challenged to meet the mandates of this standard with massive training in a relatively short time. An interdisciplinary task force composed of representative members of a major health maintenance organization was charged with the task of developing a training plan for 11 Southern California medical centers and their 42 satellite medical offices. The task force ultimately developed, refined, and distributed a Trainer Guidebook that could be used by a variety of disciplines.