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Research on Petra has shown that the main causes of degradation of monuments are synthetically due to heavy rainfall and the running waters phenomena. The goal was to realize a project for the conservation and safeguard of the monuments based on petrographic analysis and 3D data acquisition

A wide variety of pieces of evidence has suggested that obesity is associated with a significant increase in the risk for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms and its complications. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of weight loss on reflux symptoms in overweight/obese patients with proven GERD. We enrolled overweight/obese patients with typical GERD symptoms and erosive esophagitis. At baseline, patients underwent detailed reflux symptoms evaluation and anthropometric assessment, and were divided into two treatment groups: group A received proton pump inhibitor (PPI) and a personalized hypocaloric diet and aerobic exercise; and group B received PPI and a 'standard of care diet'. The dietetic treatment was considered effective if at least 10% of weight loss was achieved within 6 months. All patients were evaluated in terms of anthropometric data, GERD symptoms, and PPI use. In group A, mean body mass index (BMI) decreased from 30.3 ± 4.1 to 25.7 ± 3.1 (P0.05), and mean weight decreased from 82.1 ± 16.9 kg to 69.9 ± 14.4 kg (P0.05). In group B, there was no change in BMI and weight. Symptom perception decreased (P0.05) in both groups during PPI therapy, but a higher improvement was recorded in group A. In group A, PPI therapy was completely discontinued in 27/50 of the patients, and halved in 16/50. Only 7/50 continued the same PPI dosage. In group B, 22/51 halved the therapy and 29/51 maintained full dosage of therapy, but none was able to discontinue PPI due to a symptom recurrence. Overall, weight loss of at least 10% is recommended in all patients with GERD in order to boost the effect of PPI on reflux symptom relief and to reduce chronic medication use.

Neuroendocrine tumours (NET) diagnosis has represented a major challenge in the past decades. The introduction of somatostatin receptor scintigraphy in the diagnostic work-up led to a significant improvement of accuracy. However with the advent of positron emission tomography (PET) that presents a higher spatial resolution as compared to the gamma camera and an array of different radiotracers, it is now possible to image NET with an even higher accuracy. In fact, PET imaging of NET is a rapidly evolving field closely connected to the development of novel beta-emitting radiopharmaceuticals. NET can be easily visualized on PET scans using an array of both metabolic and receptor-based tracers. [18F]DOPA and [68Ga]DOTA-peptides (DOTA-TOC, DOTA-NOC, DOTA-TATE) are very promising to image well differentiated NET and were reported to be superior to other imaging modalities (computed tomography [CT], somatostatin receptor scintigraphy). On the contrary, the role of [18F]FDG is limited in well differentiated NET, due to their low glucose metabolism and growth rate, while it still can provide valuable information in less differentiated tumours. On-going studies are investigating the potential role of new imaging agents (bombesin, GLP-1, CCK) that specifically bind to receptors expressed on NET cells.

Infections in cancer patients after implantation of a central venous device (CVD) are not infrequent and are potentially serious. The possibility of limiting this complication with antithrombotic drugs is still debated. For this observational study, we recorded the routine management of CVD in cancer patients in 18 oncology centers in Lombardy (northern Italy), assessing the effect of antithrombotic prophylaxis on catheter-related infections. Out of 1410 patients enrolled, 451 received antithrombotic prophylaxis continuously after implantation of the central line. During a median follow-up of 30 months, 57 catheter-related infections were reported in the 1390 patients seen at least once at follow-up visits (4.1 % of the whole series), giving an overall incidence of 0.10 infections per 1000 catheter days. This complication was significantly more frequent among patients with an indwelling central venous catheter, or peripherally inserted catheter, than among those with a port device, and the group not given antithrombotic prophylaxis had 0.14 infective complications/1000 CVD days compared with 0.05/1000 CVD days (odds ratio 2.4; 95% confidence interval 1.7-5.0) for those treated. Antithrombotic prophylaxis protected against infections at the catheter exit site and track but not against systemic infections. Confirming earlier evidence, this study found a reduction in catheter-related infections in patients given antithrombotic prophylaxis. However, this reduction, reflecting local infections, seems unlikely to be one of the mechanisms explaining the lower mortality among our patients treated with anticoagulants.

Multichannel impedance pH monitoring has shown that weakly acidic refluxes are able to generate heartburn. However, data on the role of different pH values, ranging between 4 and 7, in the generation of them are lacking. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether different pH values of weakly acidic refluxes play a differential role in provoking reflux symptoms in endoscopy-negative patients with physiological esophageal acid exposure time and positive symptom index and symptom association probability for weakly acidic refluxes. One hundred and forty-three consecutive patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease, nonresponders to proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), were allowed a washout from PPIs before undergoing: upper endoscopy, esophageal manometry, and multichannel impedance pH monitoring. In patients with both symptom index and symptom association probability positive for weakly acidic reflux, each weakly acidic reflux was evaluated considering exact pH value, extension, physical characteristics, and correlation with heartburn. Forty-five patients with normal acid exposure time and positive symptom association probability for weakly acidic reflux were identified. The number of refluxes not heartburn related was higher than those heartburn related. In all distal and proximal liquid refluxes, as well as in distal mixed refluxes, the mean pH value of reflux events associated with heartburn was significantly lower than that not associated. This condition was not confirmed for proximal mixed refluxes. Overall, a low pH of weakly acidic reflux represents a determinant factor in provoking heartburn. This observation contributes to better understand the pathophysiology of symptoms generated by weakly acidic refluxes, paving the way toward the search for different therapeutic approaches to this peculiar condition of esophageal hypersensitivity.

Objective: 18F-FDG PET is of limited value for the assessment of lung neuroendocrine tumours (NET). Sixty-eight Ga-DOTA-NOC, has been reported to be useful for the assessment of gastro-entero-pancreatic NET expressing somatostatin receptors (SSR). To our knowledge, 68Ga-DOTA-NOC has never been studied in patients with lung NET. Aim of the study was to evaluate the role of 68Ga-DOTA-NOC PET for the evaluation of lung NET. Methods: Eleven patients (mean age: 62 years [44–80], M:F=6:5) with pathology proven lung NET were scheduled for 68Ga-DOTA-NOC PET. Indications to perform PET included staging (2), evaluation of equivocal conventional imaging findings (2) and follow-up after surgical excision of the primary tumour (7). PET results were compared with CT and with follow-up data. Results: PET showed at least one positive lesion in 7/11 cases and was negative in 4. Considering all lesions, the mean SUV max was 29.1 [range: 4.4–60.5]. 68Ga-DOTA-NOC PET was concordant with CT in 3/11. Of the remaining eight cases, PET identified a higher number of pathologic areas in 3/8 and excluded the malignant nature of suspicious CT findings in 4/11. In one case a suspicious liver lesion documented by CT and undetected on the PET scan was subsequently excised and immunohistochemistry showed the lack of SSR on tumour cells. Overall, PET provided additional information in 8/11 cases, changing the clinical management in 4/8 and contributing to better evaluate the extent of the disease in 4. Conclusions: Preliminary data show that 68Ga-DOTA-NOC is useful for evaluation of lung NET contributing to more accurate evaluation of disease.

Background and Aims: We evaluated the usefulness of Positon Emission Tomography (PET) with two tracers, 11C-Acetate and 18FFluorodeoxyglucose (FDG), for differentiating focal nodular hyperplasia (FNH), that is managed conservatively, from hepatic adenoma (HA) that needs to be resected. Methods: We prospectively enrolled 30 patients with known or suspected FNH or HA. The diagnostic work-up included Doppler ultrasonography (US), contrast enhanced computed tomography (CT) and/or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Fine needle biopsy (FNB) was performed if imaging study was inconclusive. All patients underwent double tracer PET with a single day protocol. The images were acquired with a PET-CT tomograph to obtain image fusion. The tracer uptake was evaluated using the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax). The target to background (T/B) ratio was also calculated. Lesions

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In recent years a number of studies have been published showing strong value of positron emission tomography using 18-Fluorine 2-fluoro-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG-PET) in term of diagnosis, response to treatment, disease recurrence and prognostic indicator in early restaging. This study observed 17 patients who presented contemporary disease progression in some localizations as well as regression in others (PROG + REG pattern); this investigation assessed that this unusual pattern of FDG uptake lead to an unfavorable prognosis. Among 1280 FDG-PET scans performed between August 2003 and December 2004 on patients affected by lymphoma with suspected recurrence, attention was focused on 17 patients presenting a PROG + REG pattern. At follow-up (4 months) only 1/17 (6%) patient was in complete remission after salvage therapy, while 6/17 (35%) had stable disease and 10/17 (59%) had rapid progression of the disease. This study further strengthens the role of FDG-PET in lymphoma patients follow-up, as it can provide useful information to better differentiate those cases who may benefit from conventional treatments from others in whom additional treatment would provide avoidable toxicity.

AIM: The aim of the present study was to assess the accuracy of an hybrid PET/CT scanner in the evaluation of newly diagnosed parotid masses, comparing the results with those reported in the literature with using PET scanners only. METHODS: The potential role of 18F-FDG PET/CT in distinguishing benign from malignant parotid masses in 14 consecutive patients was investigated. All patients were preoperatively evaluated by means of ultrasound (US), US-guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology, computed tomography (CT) scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and 18F-FDG PET/CT. For To interpreting FDG PET findings, the right to left parotid (R/L) SUV max ratio was calculated in a group of 54 patients without evidence of parotideal disease (mean+/-SD = 1+/-0.2; range = 0.8-1.2); considering the R/L SUV max ratio, focal or diffuse uptakes 1.2 were considered as potentially pathological. RESULTS: Imaging data were compared with surgical and histopathological findings. At FDG PET/CT, 9 false positive cases were found (8 Warthin's tumours, 1 pleomorphic adenoma), 1 false negative (acinar cell carcinoma), 4 true negative (1 Warthin's tumour, 1 pleomorphic adenoma, 1 lymph epithelial cyst, 1 parotid inflammation) whereas there was no case of true positive. The global accuracy of FGD PET/CT was rather low = at 29%. CONCLUSIONS: In agreement with other preliminary reports in which the FDG PET without CT fusion imaging was used, in our experience 18F-FDG PET/CT did not prove to play a significant role in differential diagnosis (benign vs malignant) of parotid masses. Further studies collecting larger groups of patients are needed to further elucidate this observation.

Il lavoro illustra, attraverso la descrizione di tre progetti specifici, le procedure di intervento multidisciplinare sul territorio portate avanti in questi ultimi anni dal gruppo di ricerca dell'Istituto per le Tecnologie Applicate ai Beni Culturali. L'attività del gruppo si concentra sullo studio del bene culturale immerso nell'ambiente che lo contiene, tenendo conto dei molteplici aspetti che caratterizzano il territorio e che determinano i processi evolutivi delle popolazioni che su di esso vivono. L'approccio multidisciplinare prevede la costruzione di sistemi informativi geografici che raccolgono e gestiscono in maniera integrata informazioni a diversa scala di carattere ambientale, storico e archeologico e la sperimentazione di tecnologie innovative per l'acquisizione di dati spaziali, come la fotogrammetria 3D ed il laser scanner, che portano all'elaborazione di modelli tridimensionali del terreno ed alla ricostruzione virtuale 3D dei beni monumentali. I tre casi di studio sinteticamente illustrati nell'articolo riguardano due missioni internazionali, la prima in Perù, sul sito di Chan Chan, e la seconda in Giordania, nella Valle di Petra, e un progetto, in corso di definizione, per la riqualificazione turistica dell'area di Policoro.

Purpose Tamoxifen, which is actually the gold standard adjuvant treatment in estrogen receptor–positive early breast cancer, is associated with an increased risk of endometrial cancer and other life-threatening events. Moreover, many women relapse during or after tamoxifen therapy because of the development of resistance. Therefore new approaches are required. Patients and Methods We conducted a prospective randomized trial to test the efficacy of switching postmenopausal patients who were already receiving tamoxifen to the aromatase inhibitor anastrozole. After 2 to 3 years of tamoxifen treatment, patients were randomly assigned either to receive anastrozole 1 mg/d or to continue receiving tamoxifen 20 mg/d, for a total duration of treatment of 5 years. Disease-free survival was the primary end point. Event-free survival, overall survival, and safety were secondary end points. Results Four hundred forty-eight patients were enrolled. All women had node-positive, estrogen receptor–positive tumors. At a median follow-up time of 36 months, 45 events had been reported in the tamoxifen group compared with 17 events in the anastrozole group (P = .0002). Disease-free and local recurrence-free survival were also significantly longer in the anastrozole group (hazard ratio [HR] = 0.35; 95% CI, 0.18 to 0.68; P = .001 and HR = 0.15; 95% CI, 0.03 to 0.65; P = .003, respectively). Overall, more adverse events were recorded in the anastrozole group compared with the tamoxifen group (203 v 150, respectively; P = .04). However, more events were life threatening or required hospitalization in the tamoxifen group than in the anastrozole group (33 of 150 events v 28 of 203 events, P = .04). Conclusion Switching to anastrozole after the first 2 to 3 years of treatment is well tolerated and significantly improves event-free and recurrence-free survival in postmenopausal patients with early breast cancer.