Positron emission tomography (Pet) and neuroimaging in the personalized approach to neurodegenerative causes of dementia

Generally, dementia should be considered an acquired syndrome, with multiple possible causes, rather than a specific disease in itself. The leading causes of dementia are neurodegenerative and non-neurodegenerative alterations. Nevertheless, the neurodegenerative group of diseases that lead to cognitive impairment and dementia includes multiple possibilities or mixed pathologies with personalized treatment management for each cause, even if Alzheimer's disease is the most common pathology. Therefore, an accurate differential diagnosis is mandatory in order to select the most appropriate therapy approach. The role of personalized assessment in the treatment of dementia is rapidly growing. Neuroimaging is an essential tool for differential diagnosis of multiple causes of dementia and allows a personalized diagnostic and therapeutic protocol based on risk factors that may improve treatment management, especially in early diagnosis during the prodromal stage. The utility of structural and functional imaging could be increased by standardization of acquisition and analysis methods and by the development of algorithms for automated assessment. The aim of this review is to focus on the most commonly used tracers for differential diagnosis in the dementia field. Particularly, we aim to explore F-18 Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) imaging in Alzheimer's disease and in other neurodegenerative causes of dementia

Probabilidade de ocupação e separação espacial entre onça parda (Puma concolor) e onça pintada (Phantera onca) na borda oeste do Pantanal.

Populações de grandes felinos são sensíveis à intervenções antrópicas nas paisagens, habitats e populações de espécies-presa. O Pantanal constitui uma das mais importantes regiões para a conservação onças exatamente pelo seu grau de conservação até os dias atuais. O objetivo desse estudo foi estimar a probabilidade de ocupação de onça parda (Puma concolor) e onça pintada (Panthera onca), além de analisar o grau de sobreposição espacial das áreas ocupadas pelas duas espécies. Large cat populations are sensible to human intervention in the landscape, habitats and prey-species population. The Pantanal is one of the most important regions for the conservation of jaguar and puma, given its conservation status to date. The objective of this study was to estimate the occupancy by jaguars (Panthera onca) and pumas (Puma concolor), as well as to analyze the degree of spatial overlap of the areas occupied by the two species

MGMT promoter methylation and IDH1 mutations do not affect [18F]FDOPA uptake in primary brain tumors

The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of methylation of O-6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase promoter (MGMTp) and isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH 1) mutations on amino acid metabolism evaluated with 3,4-dihydroxy-6-[F-18]-fluoro-l-phenylalanine ([F-18] FDOPA) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT). Seventy-two patients with primary brain tumors were enrolled in the study (33 women and 39 men; mean age 44 +/- 12 years old). All of them were subjected to PET/CT examination after surgical treatment. Of them, 29 (40.3%) were affected by grade II glioma and 43 (59.7%) by grade III. PET/CT was scored as positive or negative and standardized uptake value ratio (SUVr) was calculated as the ratio between SUVmax of the lesion vs. that of the background. Statistical analysis was performed with the Mann-Whitney U test. Methylation of MGMTp was detectable in 61 out of the 72 patients examinated. Mean SUVr in patients without methylation of MGMTp was 1.44 +/- 0.38 vs. 1.35 +/- 0.48 of patients with methylation (p = 0.15). Data on IDH1 mutations were available for 43 subjects; of them, 31 are IDH-mutant. Mean SUVr was 1.38 +/- 0.51 in patients IDH mutant and 1.46 +/- 0.56 in patients IDH wild type. MGMTp methylation and IDH1 mutations do not affect [F-18] FDOPA uptake in primary brain tumors and therefore cannot be assessed or predicted by radiopharmaceutical uptake parameters

The brain metabolic correlates of the main indices of neuropsychological assessment in Alzheimer’s disease

Background: The study aimed to investigate the relationships between F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (18F)FDG uptake and neuropsychological assessment in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods: We evaluated 116 subjects with AD according to the NINCDS-ADRDA criteria. All the subjects underwent a brain PET/CT with (18F)FDG, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) assay, mini-mental state examination (MMSE) and further neuropsychological tests: Rey auditory verbal learning test, immediate recall (RAVLT immediate); Rey auditory verbal learning test, delayed recall (RAVLT, delayed); Rey complex figure test, copy (RCFT, copy); Rey complex figure test, delayed recall (RCFT, delayed); Raven's colored progressive matrices (RCPM); phonological word fluency test (PWF) and Stroop test. We performed the statistical analysis by using statistical parametric mapping (SPM12; Wellcome Department of Cognitive Neurology, London, UK). Results: A significant relationship has been reported between (18F)FDG uptake and RAVLT immediate test in Brodmann area (BA)37 and BA22 and with RCFT, copy in BA40, and BA7. We did not find any significant relationships with other tests. Conclusion: In the AD population, brain (18F)FDG uptake is moderately related to the neuropsychological assessment, suggesting a limited impact on statistical data analysis of glucose brain metabolism

Vinculando la danza y la educación: el caso del internado Beatriz Hernández

Informe que muestra el proceso de sistematización y teorización de gestión del conocimiento realizado para instalar el proyecto “La danza clásica desde la mirada educativa: una propuesta para la educación del cuerpo” en el internado para niñas de bajos recursos Beatriz Hernández, el cual depende de la Secretaría de Educación Jalisco (SEJ). Este proyecto tuvo el objetivo de diseñar un método educativo basado en la danza y en la conversación para incidir en el conocimiento del cuerpo, el desarrollo cognitivo y el socioafectivo de las alumnas del internado y lograr instalar este método como parte del currículo de la institución. Los resultados de este proyecto permiten tener un nuevo acercamiento al conocimiento de la práctica de la danza como herramienta metodológica para favorecer, por su naturaleza física, expresiva y cognitiva, la integración de mente, cuerpo y emociones. Además, posibilita abrir espacios para ampliar la visión tradicional de los procesos de cognición, aporta nuevos recursos a los normalmente utilizados en el currículo escolar, abre la reflexión sobre el cuerpo como medio de exploración y apropiación de los conocimientos y contribuye a la vinculación de la educación y el arte al proponer la danza como estrategia de formación en el currículo escolar. *A lo largo de este trabajo, la autora hace referencia a entrevistas y registros de clases en audio y video, los cuales no están agregados en este registro

Densidade e tamanho de grupos de Callicebus cf pallescens (Primates: Pitheciidae) na Fazenda Santa Teresa, Pantanal.

Os primatas da infraordem Platyrrhini são divididos em quatro famílias, dentre elas a Pitheciidae. Um gênero bastante representativo nesta família é Callicebus, com 29 espécies reconhecidas, sendo que 22 ocorrem no Brasil e apenas uma destas, Callicebus pallescens, ocorre na região do Pantanal. Esta espécie, conhecida popularmente na região como boca-d’água, é encontrada nas regiões não inundáveis da borda oeste do Pantanal, especialmente no Maciço do Urucum, Morrarias do Castelo e de Santa Teresa, além da Serra do Amolar. Dados existentes para Callicebus no Pantanal foram coletados utilizando métodos limitados. Este trabalho buscou estimar a densidade e o tamanho dos grupos de Callicebus cf pallescens, na fazenda Santa Teresa, localizada na Morraria de Santa Teresa e baía Vermelha, Corumbá, MS. The Primates of the Platyrrhini infraorder are divided in four families, being Pitheciidae one of them. A very representative genus in this family is Callicebus with 29 known species, 22 of them occurring in Brazil and only one of them, Callicebus pallescens, occurring in the Pantanal Wetland region. This titi monkey species, which is known as “boca-d´água” in the region, is found in the not flooded areas of Pantanal west border, mainly at Urucum Mountain range, Castelo e Santa Teresa mountains, besides the Serra do Amolar ridge. Existing data on Callicebus pallescens at the Pantanal were collected using limited methods. This research aimed to estimate density and group size of Callicebus cf pallescens at the Santa Teresa Ranch (18°18’ S; 57°30’ W), located in the mountains Santa Tereza and Baía Vermelha, Corumbá, MS

Medical imaging in the diagnosis of schistosomiasis: a review

Schistosomiasis is one of the most important parasitic diseases and it is endemic in tropical and subtropical areas. Clinical and laboratory data are fundamental for the diagnosis of schistosomiasis, but diagnostic imaging techniques such as x-rays, ultrasound (US), computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) may be helpful in the evaluation of disease severity and complications. In this context, the aim of this review is to explore the actual role of diagnostic imaging in the diagnosis of schistosomiasis, underlining advantages and drawbacks providing information about the utilization of diagnostic imaging techniques in this context. Furthermore, we aim to provide a useful guide regarding imaging features of schistosomiasis for radiology and nuclear medicine physicians of non-endemic countries: in fact, in the last years non-endemic countries have experienced important flows of migrants from endemic areas, therefore it is not uncommon to face cases of this disease in daily practice