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Abstract: A 63-year-old man was remitted for a 68 Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT scan due to biochemical recurrence with a PSA of 0.32 ng/mL 1 year after radical prostatectomy of locally advanced Gleason 6 (3 + 3) ISUP 2 pT3a pN0 prostate cancer. 68 Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT showed multiple cutaneous and subcutaneous uptake foci in the upper body. Physical examination revealed numerous dome-shaped, ruby-red papules. These were consistent with a previous diagnosis of cutaneous hemangiomas. Cherry hemangiomas (also known as Campbell de Morgan spots) are the most common type of benign vascular proliferation of the skin. Due to the nonspecific 68 Ga-PSMA-11 uptake of vascular lesions, careful interpretation should be considered in order to avoid a potential pitfall in nonmalignant conditions., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interests and sources of founding: none declared., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of [ 68 Ga]Ga-PSMA-11 PET/CT (PET-PSMA) in local and loco-regional nodal staging compared with histopathological results in intermediate- and high-risk prostate cancer patients treated with radical prostatectomy (RP) and pelvic lymph node dissection (PLND)., Materials Y Methods: A total of 122 intermediate- and high-risk prostate cancer (PCa) patients staged with PET-PSMA and treated with RP (36/122) and RP plus PLND (86/122) from December 2018 to December 2023 were included. Visual and semiquantitative analysis findings using the SUVmax of the molecular imaging were correlated with histopathological results., Results: The primary tumor was visible by PET-PSMA in 96.7% of the patients. A positive correlation was found between PSA levels and SUVmax (Spearman's r: 0.303, p < 0.001). PET-PSMA detected nodal involvement in 25/89 patients (28.08%). The sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of PET-PSMA for detecting nodal involvement were 75%, 82.2%, and 80.9%, respectively. Patients with PSA levels >20 ng/mL, Gleason score ≥7b, ISUP grade >2, and extracapsular extension showed significantly higher SUVmax values. No differences were observed in SUVmax between risk groups or in other histopathological variables., Conclusions: PET-PSMA is an effective tool for the initial staging of intermediate- and high-risk PCa. SUVmax values were significantly higher in patients with unfavorable clinical features., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare., (Copyright © 2024 Sociedad Española de Medicina Nuclear e Imagen Molecular. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Epigenetically modified fibroblasts contribute to chronicity in inflammatory diseases. Reasons for the relapsing character of large vessel vasculitis (LVV) remain obscure, including the role of fibroblasts, in part due to limited access to biopsies of involved tissue.68Ga FAPI-46 (FAPI)-PET/CT detects activated fibroblasts in vivo. In this exploratory pilot study, we tested the detection of fibroblast activation in vessel walls using FAPI-PET/CT in LVV with aortitis., Methods: Eight LVV patients with aortitis and eight age- and gender-matched controls were included. The distribution of FAPI uptake was evaluated in the aorta and large vessels. FAPI-uptake was compared with MRI inflammatory activity scores. Imaging results were compared with clinical parameters such as serum inflammatory markers, time of remission and medication., Results: Three aortitis patients were clinically active and five in remission. Irrespective of activity, FAPI uptake was significantly enhanced in aortitis compared with controls. Patients in remission had a mean duration of remission of 2.8 years (range 1-4 years), yet significant FAPI uptake in the vessel wall was found. In remitted aortitis, MRI inflammatory scores were close to be negative, while in 4/5 patients visually identifiable FAPI uptake was observed., Conclusions: This pilot feasibility study shows significant tracer uptake in the aortic walls in LVV. FAPI positivity indicates ongoing fibroblast pathology in clinically remitted LVV., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Objectives: The aim of this study is to analyse the diagnostic value of positron emission tomography (PET) in patients with giant cell arteritis (GCA) despite glucocorticoid (GC) therapy before PET acquisition., Methods: Consecutive patients with strongly suspected GCA according to 2022 EULAR/ACR criteria were included. The physician diagnosis of GCA after 6 months of follow-up was the gold standard. PET was performed at baseline and 6 months later. In patients with negative results at 60 min, delayed imaging was performed at 180 min., Results: Twenty-six patients were included with a median (IQR) age of 70.5 (57-88) years. Baseline PET was positive in all but one: 18 patients at 60 min and 7 patients after delayed imaging at 180 min. The median (IQR) GC dose at the time of baseline PET was 45 mg/d (26.2-45) of prednisone equivalent with a median exposure of 14 days (7-76.2). At 6 months of follow-up, PET was performed in 22 patients, with positive results in 16. Delayed imaging was performed in 6 patients due to negative PET at 60 min, with positive results in all cases, despite treatment with GC and/or biological therapy., Conclusions: In patients on GC therapy, delayed imaging protocols applying procedural recommendations for vascular quantification could improve diagnostic accuracy. Therefore, we suggest performing imaging only at 180 min in patients who have been on GCs for more than 3 days as well as in those with highly suspected GCA but negative findings in baseline PET at 60 min.

Abstract: A 76-year-old man undergoing hormone therapy for prostate cancer was referred for 68 Ga-PSMA-11-PET (PSMA PET) due to persistently detectable PSA level. No PSMA-positive tumor lesions were detected, so a delayed phase imaging was performed, which revealed focal PSMA uptake in the right seminal vesicle together with contrast accumulation on excretory phase contrast-enhanced CT. These findings were finally determined to be secondary to urinary reflux as a consequence of a prostatic enucleation he had undergone 5 months earlier following an episode of acute urinary retention., Competing Interests: Conflicts of interest and sources of funding: none declared., (Copyright © 2024 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Maternal overweight and obesity have been associated with an increased risk of atopic dermatitis (AD) in the offspring, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Vernix caseosa (VC) is a proteolipid material covering the fetus produced during skin development. However, whether maternal prepregnancy weight excess influences fetal skin development is unknown. Characterizing the VC of newborns from mothers with prepregnancy overweight and obesity might reveal AD-prone alterations during fetal skin development., Objective: We sought to explore AD biomarkers and staphylococcal loads in VC from the offspring of mothers who were overweight/obese (O/O) before pregnancy versus in those from offspring of normal weight mothers., Methods: The VC of newborns of 14 O/O and 12 normal weight mothers were collected immediately after birth. Biomarkers were determined by ELISA and staphylococcal species by quantitative PCR., Results: The VC from the O/O group showed decreased expression of skin barrier proteins (filaggrin and loricrin) and increased levels of proinflammatory biomarkers (IgA, thymic stromal lymphopoietin [TSLP], S100A8, IL-25, and IL-33). No differences in concentrations of antimicrobial peptides and enzymes were detected. The VC from the O/O group had a lower Staphylococcus epidermidis and Staphylococcus hominis commensal bacterial load, whereas Staphylococcus aureus bacterial load was not significantly different between the 2 groups. Maternal body mass index was negatively correlated with VC filaggrin expression and S epidermidis load and was positively associated with TSLP concentration. One-year follow-up established that the offspring of O/O mothers had a higher incidence of AD that was specifically linked with decreased VC filaggrin expression and lower S epidermidis load., Conclusions: VC from neonates of mothers with prepregnancy overweight and obesity exhibit skin barrier molecular alterations and staphylococcal dysbiosis that suggest early mechanistic clues to this population's increased risk of AD., (Copyright © 2023 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Microbial communities in dark fermentation continuous systems are affected by substrate type, concentration, and product accumulation (e.g., H 2 and CO 2 ). Metatranscriptomics and quantitative PCR (qPCR) were used to assess how high organic loading rates (OLR) from 60 to 160 g total carbohydrates (TC)/L-d modify the microbial community diversity and expression of key dark fermentative genes. Overall, the microbial communities were composed of H 2 -producing bacteria ( Clostridium butyricum ), homoacetogens ( Clostridium luticellarii ), and lactic acid bacteria ( Enteroccocus gallinarum and Leuconostoc mesenteroides ). Quantification through qPCR showed that the abundance of genes encoding the formyltetrahydrofolate synthetase ( fthfs , homoacetogens) and hydrogenase ( hydA , H 2 -producing bacteria) was strongly associated with the OLR and H 2 production performance. Similarly, increasing the OLR influenced the abundance of the gene transcripts responsible for H 2 production and homoacetogenesis. To evaluate the effect of decreasing the H 2 partial pressure, silicone oil was added to the reactor at an OLR of 138 and 160 g TC/L-d, increasing the production of H 2 , the copies of genes codifying for hydA and fthfs , and the genes transcripts related to H 2 production and homoacetogenesis. Moreover, the metatranscriptomic analysis also showed that lactate-type fermentation and dark fermentation simultaneously occurred without compromising the reactor performance for H 2 production.

For many students, learning physics is difficult because of its abstractness. To help students to learn physics, we have developed the Integrated Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Projects Based Learning (STEM-PjBL) method based on principles from neuroscience. We believe that incorporating principles from educational neuroscience would help students learn better. This paper describes our experiments of implementing the integrated STEM-PjBL Module in physics, i.e., classical mechanics, to secondary school students in Malaysia and South Korea. The study consists of two groups of students: the experiment group, 77 in total, comprising those who have undergone the integrated STEM-PjBL, and the control group, again 77 in total, who experienced the traditional approach. The Colorado Learning Attitudes Science Survey (CLASS) was conducted for the two groups on students' beliefs about physics and learning physics before and after the implementation. The paired sample t -test from the pre-survey and post-survey shows that the integrated STEM-PjBL group has a more positive shift in belief about physics and learning physics than the traditional group. The results of the independent samples t -test for students' beliefs about physics and learning physics, compared with the post-survey between the experimental group and the traditional group for both Malaysian and Korean perspectives, show that the experimental group has a higher mean compared to the traditional group. This paper explains why the integrated STEM-PjBL has improved students' beliefs about physics and learning physics, from the neuroscience education perspective. Finally, the paper concludes with guidelines for teachers who wish to implement the integrated STEM-PjBL in the classroom., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Uden, Sulaiman, Ching and Rosales.)

Bovine herpesvirus (BoAHV) types 1 and 5 are closely-related neurotropic alpha-herpesviruses. BoAHV-1 generally causes respiratory and genital disease but can occasionally cause encephalitis. BoAHV-5 is the causative agent of non suppurative meningoencephalitis in calves. During neuroinvasion, both viruses reach the central and peripheral nervous system. While brain alterations are well-described, the changes that occur in the medulla have not been fully detailed. In this work, we integrated and analyzed the virological findings, the microscopic lesions and the changes that occur in the expression of genes related to the innate immunity, cell cycle and apoptosis in the cervical medulla of calves experimentally-infected with BoAHV-1 and BoAHV-5. This will contribute to the understanding of the differential neuropathogenesis of these alpha-herpesviruses of cattle., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declared no conflict of interest on the research, authorship and publication of the manuscript., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Multiple myeloma (MM) is the second most common haematological malignancy and remains incurable despite therapeutic advances. 18 F-FDG (FDG) PET/CT is a relevant tool MM for staging and it is the reference imaging technique for treatment evaluation. However, it has limitations, and investigation of other PET tracers is required. Preliminary results with L-methyl-[ 11 C]- methionine (MET), suggest higher sensitivity than 18 F-FDG. This study aimed to compare the diagnostic accuracy and prognostic value of 1 FDG and MET in MM patients. We prospectively compared FDG and MET PET/CT for assessment of bone disease and extramedullary disease (EMD) in a series of 52 consecutive patients (8 smoldering MM, 18 newly diagnosed MM and 26 relapsed MM patients). Bone marrow (BM) uptake patterns and the detection of focal lesions (FLs) and EMD were compared. Furthermore, FDG PET parameters with known MM prognostic value were explored for both tracers, as well as total lesion MET uptake (TLMU). Median patient age was 61 years (range, 37-83 years), 54% were male, 13% of them were in stage ISS (International Staging System) III, and 31% had high-risk cytogenetics. FDG PET/CT did not detect active disease in 6 patients, while they were shown to be positive by MET PET/CT. Additionally, MET PET/CT identified a higher number of FLs than FDG in more than half of the patients (63%). For prognostication we focussed on the relapsed cohort, due to the low number of progressions in the two other cohorts. Upon using FDG PET/CT in relapsed patients, the presence of more than 3 FLs (HR 4.61, p = 0.056), more than 10 FLs (HR 5.65, p = 0.013), total metabolic tumor volume (TMTV) p50 (HR 4.91, p = 0.049) or TMTV p75 (HR 5.32, p = 0.016) were associated with adverse prognosis. In MET PET/CT analysis, TMTV p50 (HR 4.71, p = 0.056), TMTV p75 (HR 6.27, p = 0.007), TLMU p50 (HR 8.8, p = 0.04) and TLMU p75 (HR 6.3, p = 0.007) adversely affected PFS. This study confirmed the diagnostic and prognostic value of FDG in MM. In addition, it highlights that MET has higher sensitivity than FDG PET/CT for detection of myeloma lesions, including FLs. Moreover, we show, for the first time, the prognostic value of TMTV and TLMU MET PET/CT in the imaging evaluation of MM patients.

Type III interferons (IFNs) are components of the innate immunity, with IFN lambda- (λ)3 having the most potent bioactivity in humans. IFN-λ has a predominant role in epithelial cells. However, antiviral function in certain infections of the central nervous system has also been demonstrated. IFN-λ3 expression in neural tissues of cattle has not been investigated. Thus, the aim of this study was to analyze whether an antiviral IFN-λ3 response is mounted after infection with bovine alphaherpesviruses (BoHV-1 and BoHV-5) in vitro, in neuronal-type cells, and in neural tissues from experimentally-infected calves. This study demonstrated that there is a strong IFN-λ3 response early after BoHV-1infection of undifferentiated neuroblastoma cells. During acute BoHV-1 and BoHV-5 infection of calves, low levels of IFN-λ3 expression were detected in the brain, which would favor virus spread within this tissue. Striking differences in the transcriptional levels of IFN-λ3 were observed in trigeminal ganglion, particularly in BoHV-1-acutely- and latently-infected calves. During reactivation, IFN-λ3 expression was down-regulated, which may be a requirement for virus replication and spread. Overall, different patterns of IFN-λ3 expression were detected during BoHV-1 and BoHV-5 infection, particularly during latency., (Copyright © 2022 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Prostate cancer (PC) is the most common tumor in men in the West and the fifth leading cause of cancer-related death. The use of PSMA radioligands has represented an important advance both in its diagnosis, through PET molecular imaging, and in its treatment in advanced stages of the disease. This article reviews the contribution of PET studies with PSMA radioligands in initial staging, in tumor detection in biochemical recurrence (elevation of PSA) after treatment with curative intent, and in the more advanced stages of the disease (castration resistant PC or CRPC). The contribution of PSMA radioligand therapy (PSMA-RLT) in CRPC patients who progress to standard therapy is also analyzed., (Copyright © 2021 Sociedad Española de Medicina Nuclear e Imagen Molecular. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)