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Simple Summary: We measured serum thyroglobulin (Tg), a marker of thyroid cancer metastases, in patients operated on with total thyroidectomy for thyroid carcinoma on three different occasions at the beginning of follow-up: 30 days before radioactive iodine therapy (RAI) for remnant ablation (and at least 40 days after thyroidectomy in euthyroidism), at the time of RAI (in hypothyroidism), and 7 days after RAI in euthyroidism. Patients were then followed for at least 3 years searching for possible local recurrences or metastases. Results showed that the first Tg measurement is highly indicative and predictive of the future development of metastases. Introduction: Thyroidectomy followed by radioactive iodine therapy (RAI) is the treatment of choice for differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC). Serum thyroglobulin (Tg) measurement has proved to be useful for predicting persistent and/or recurrent disease during follow-up of DTC patients. In our study, we evaluated the risk of disease recurrence in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), who were treated with thyroidectomy and RAI, by measuring serum Tg at different time-points: at least 40 days after surgery, in euthyroidism with TSH < 1.5 and usually 30 days before RAI (Tg−30), on the day of RAI (Tg0), and seven days after RAI (Tg+7). Methods: One hundred and twenty-nine patients with PTC were enrolled in this retrospective study. All patients were treated with 131I for thyroid remnant ablation. Disease relapse (nodal disease or distant disease) during at least 36 months follow-up was evaluated by serum measurements of Tg, TSH, AbTg at different time points and by imaging techniques (neck ultrasonography, 131I-whole body scan (WBS) after Thyrogen® stimulation). Typically, patients were assessed at 3, 6, 12, 18, 24, and 36 months after RAI. We classified patients in five groups: (i) those who developed nodal disease (ND), (ii) those who developed distant disease (DD), (iii) those with biochemical indeterminate response and minimal residual thyroid tissue (R), (iv) those with no evidence of structural or biochemical disease + intermediate ATA risk (NED-I), and (v) those with no evidence of structural or biochemical disease + low ATA risk (NED-L). ROC curves for Tg were generated to find potential discriminating cutoffs of Tg values in all patients' groups. Results: A total of 15 out of 129 patients (11.63%) developed nodal disease and 5 (3.88%) distant metastases, during the follow-up. We found that Tg−30 (with suppressed TSH) has the same sensitivity and specificity than Tg0 (with stimulated TSH), and it is slightly better than Tg+7, which can be influenced by the size of the residual thyroid tissue. Conclusion: Serum Tg−30 value, measured in euthyroidism 30 days before RAI, is a reliable prognostic factor to predict future nodal or distant disease, thus allowing to plan the most appropriate therapy and follow-up. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copper is required for cancer cell proliferation and tumor angiogenesis. Copper-64 radionuclide (64Cu), a form of copper chloride (64CuCl2), is rapidly emerging as a diagnostic PET/CT tracer in oncology. It may also represent an interesting alternative to gallium-68 (68Ga) as a radionuclide precursor for labelling radiopharmaceuticals used to investigate neuroendocrine tumors and prostate cancer. This emerging interest is also related to the nuclear properties of 64CuCl2 that make it an ideal theragnostic nuclide. Indeed, 64CuCl2 emits β+ and β- particles together with high-linear-energy-transfer Auger electrons, suggesting the therapeutic potential of 64CuCl2 for the radionuclide cancer therapy of copper-avid tumors. Recently, 64CuCl2 was successfully used to image prostate cancer, bladder cancer, glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), and non-small cell lung carcinoma in humans. Copper cancer uptake was related to the expression of human copper transport 1 (hCTR1) on the cancer cell surface. Biodistribution, toxicology and radiation safety studies showed its radiation and toxicology safety. Based on the findings from the preclinical research studies, 64CuCl2 PET/CT also holds potential for the diagnostic imaging of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), malignant melanoma, and the detection of the intracranial metastasis of copper-avid tumors based on the low physiological background of radioactive copper uptake in the brain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Dissociative disorders encompass loss of integration in essential functions such as memory, consciousness, perception, motor control, and identity. Nevertheless, neuroimaging studies, albeit scarce, have suggested the existence of particular brain activation patterns in patients belonging to this diagnostic category. The aim of this review is to identify the main functional neuroimaging correlates of dissociative disorders. Methods: we searched the PubMed database to identify functional neuroimaging studies conducted on subjects with a diagnosis of a dissociative disorder, following the PRISMA guidelines. In the end, we included 13 studies in this systematic review, conducted on 51 patients with dissociative identity disorder (DID), 28 subjects affected by depersonalization disorder, 24 with dissociative amnesia, and 6 with other or not specified dissociative disorders. Results: Prefrontal cortex dysfunction seems prominent. In addition, changes in the functional neural network of the caudate are related to alterations of identity state and maintenance of an altered mental status in DID. Another role in DID seems to be played by a dysfunction of the anterior cingulate gyrus. Other regions, including parietal, temporal, and insular cortices, and subcortical areas were reported to be dysfunctional in dissociative disorders. Conclusions: Prefrontal dysfunction is frequently reported in dissociative disorders. Functional changes in other cortical and subcortical areas can be correlated with these diagnoses. Further studies are needed to clarify the neurofunctional correlations of each dissociative disorder in affected patients, in order to identify better tailored treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Pancreatic Scintigraphy With Interleukin-2 Radiolabeled With 99MTc (99MTc-Il-2) Is A Technique Used To Image Chronic Inflammatory-Mediated Disorders. We Used This Method To Detect A Signal Consistent With The Presence Of Insulitis In Patients With Autoimmune Diabetes. Positive And Negative Controls (Patients With Pancreatic Carcinoma And Type 2 Diabetes, Respectively) Also Were Studied. Research Design And Methods We Examined 25 Patients With Autoimmune Diabetes (16 With Recently Diagnosed Type 1 Diabetes, 9 With Latent Autoimmune Diabetes In Adults [Lada]), 6 With Type 2 Diabetes, And 7 With Pancreatic Carcinoma (The Latter Two Groups Were Used As Negative And Positive Controls, Respectively). All Patients Underwent 99MTc-Il-2 Scintigraphy And Contrast-Enhanced Mri Of The Pancreas. To Validate Positive Controls, Samples Were Taken From Patients With Pancreatic Carcinoma During Surgery For Histological And Immunohistochemical Investigations. Results Pancreatic Accumulation Of 99MTc-Il-2 Was Detected In Patients With Autoimmune Diabetes (61% Positive) And, Notably, In 6 Of 9 Patients With Lada; Semiquantita-Tive Evaluation Of Pancreatic Uptake Of 99MTc-Il-2 Showed Higher Values In Patients With Autoimmune Diabetes (Both Childhood And Lada) And Pancreatic Carcinoma Than In Those With Type 2 Diabetes (4.45 ± 1.99, ± 4.79 1.1, And 4.54 ± 1.62 Vs. 2.81 ± 0.63; P = 0.06, P = 0.01, And P = 0.04, Respectively). In Patients With Pancreatic Carcinoma, Pancreatic Interleukin-2 Receptor Expression Correlated With Pancreatic ±Tc-Il-2 Uptake (R = 0.8; P = 0.01). In Patients With Lada, ±Tc-Il-2 Uptake Inversely Correlated With Duration Of Disease (R = 0.7; P = 0.03). Conclusions Autoimmune Diabetes In Adults Is Associated With Increased Pancreatic ±Tc-Il-2 Uptake, Indicating The Presence Of Insulitis, Particularly Within 1 Year Of The Beginning Of Insulin Therapy, Similar To Type 1 Diabetes At Diagnosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Previous reports showed the reduction of dopamine transporter immunoreactivity in peripheral blood lymphocytes in Parkinson's disease. In this work, we sought to investigate the possible correlation between central and peripheral dopamine transporter immunoreactivity values in a group of 11 drug-naive patients with Parkinson's disease. Methods: Densitometric measurements of dopamine transporter immunoreactivity in peripheral blood lymphocytes was accomplished as described recently, using a monoclonal antidopamine transporter antibody. Dopamine transporter binding in the caudate and putamen nuclei was measured by means of 123I-fluopane single-photon emission computed tomography in the same patients. Results: The results failed to show any significant correlation between dopamine transporter immunoreactivity in peripheral blood lymphocytes and the caudate or putamen dopamine transporter binding. Moreover, dopamine transporter immunoreactivity in peripheral blood lymphocytes was reduced also in the single patient with normal striatal dopamine transporter binding. Discussion: These results indicate the lack of correlation between central and peripheral dopamine transporter reduction in Parkinson's disease, using the methodologies applied herein. They therefore suggest that the two phenomena are unlikely to share a common pathogenetic mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crohn's disease (CD) is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that may involve the whole gut. Marked intestinal T cell and macrophage activation is a key feature of the disease. Polymorphonuclear cell infiltration is also observed in the diseased gut, mainly during active inflammation. Scintigraphic detection of granulocytes and activated lymphocytes infiltrating the gut wall may be useful in identifying a subgroup of patients with clinically inactive CD who are undergoing early clinical relapse. The aims of the present study were (a) to compare the effectiveness of scintigraphy with[SUP99m]Tc-labelled in-terleukin-2 ([SUP99m]Tc-IL2) and with[SUP99m]Tc-HMPAO labelled granulocytes ([SUP99m]Tc-WBC) in detecting the presence and extent of bowel inflammation in patients with long-term inactive CD (>12 months) and (b) to assess the accuracy of these techniques in predicting future disease relapse. We studied 29 patients with ileal and/or colonic CD in stable clinical remission (Crohn's Disease Activity Index <150 for at least 12 months) using both [SUP99m]Tc-IL2 and [SUP99m]Tc-WBC scintigraphy in order to evaluate the extent of acute and chronic inflammation in the bowel. Planar and single-photon emission tomography images were acquired in each patient at 1 h p.i. For quantitative analysis of [SUP99m]Tc-IL2 uptake, the abdomen was divided into 32 regions of interest. Despite the absence of symptoms, 18 patients (62%) showed a positive [SUP99m]Tc-IL2 and 18 (62%) a positive [SUP99m]Tc-WBC scan. Only 12 patients (41.4% of the total group) were positive on both scans, and the sites of IL2 and granulocyte bowel uptake were usually located in different segments, indicating that in CD, acute and chronic inflammation can be present in different sites. As far as the prognostic role of the two scans in predicting future disease relapse is concerned, both [SUP99m]Tc-IL2 and [SUP99m]Tc-WBC scintigraphy showed a high negative predictive value (1.00 and 0.91, respectively)... [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid nanoparticles (PLGA-NPs) were approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for drug delivery in cancer. The enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect drives their accumulation minimizing the side effects of chemotherapeutics. Our aim was to develop a new theranostic tool for cancer diagnosis and therapy based on PLGA-NPs and to evaluate the added value of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) for enhanced tumor targeting. In vitro and in vivo properties of PLGA-NPs were tested and compared with VEGF-PLGA-NPs. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) was performed to evaluate the particle size, polydispersity index (PDI), and zeta potential of both preparations. Spectroscopy was used to confirm the absorption spectra in the near-infrared (NIR). In vivo, in BALB/c mice bearing a syngeneic tumor in the right thigh, intravenously injected PLGA-NPs showed a high target-to-muscle ratio (4.2 T/M at 24 h post-injection) that increased over time, with a maximum uptake at 72 h and a retention of the NPs up to 240 h. VEGF-PLGA-NPs accumulated in tumors 1.75 times more than PLGA-NPs with a tumor-to-muscle ratio of 7.90 ± 1.61 (versus 4.49 ± 0.54 of PLGA-NPs). Our study highlights the tumor-targeting potential of PLGA-NPs for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Such NPs can be conjugated with proteins such as VEGF to increase accumulation in tumor lesions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Nuclear medicine plays a crucial role for personalized therapy, mainly in oncology. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy present some disadvantages and research is shifting toward nanotechnology with significant improvements in therapy and diagnosis of several cancers. Indeed, nanoparticles can be tagged with different radioisotopes for single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET) imaging and for therapy. This review describes the current state of the art of 64 Copper-labeled nanoparticles for PET imaging of cancer., Evidence Acquisition: We performed a systematic analysis of literature using the terms "64CuCl2," "64Cu," "Copper" AND "nanoparticle" AND "PET" in online databases: i.e. PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus. The search was limited to English papers and original articles. We excluded articles not in English language, abstracts, case reports, review articles and meeting presentations., Evidence Synthesis: Amongst the 116 articles retrieved, 88 were excluded because reviews, or not in English, or only in-vitro studies or meeting presentations. We considered only 28 original papers. The most used nanoparticles are liposomes and they are mainly used in breast cancer although other animal models of cancer have been also investigated., Conclusions: The results showed that nanoparticles can be considered a promising radiopharmaceutical for PET imaging of different type of cancer.