PSA levels, PSA doubling time, Gleason score and prior therapy cannot predict measured uptake of [Ga-68]PSMA-HBED-CC lesion uptake in recurrent/metastatic prostate cancer

Aim: To assess whether clinical prostate cancer (PCA) related factors and therapy status can predict the degree of tracer uptake on [Ga-68] PSMA-HBED-CC PET/CT. Materials & methods: We retrospectively studied 124 patients with recurrent an/or metastatic PCA who underwent [Ga-68] PSMA-HBED-CC PET/CT. The maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax) was determined in the prostate bed as well as in three size categories ( 5-15 mm, > 15 mm) in pelvic lymph node, extrapelvic lymph node, bone and visceral metastases. Results: Significant positive correlations between lesion size and SUVmax were found in pelvic lymph node metastases > 5 - 5 - <= 15 mm (rho = 0.614, p < 0.001). SUVmax tended to be higher in the largest diameter category in each anatomic station than in the middle and lower categories. We were unable to find evidence for a relationship between SUVmax and PSA, PSAdt, Gleason score, androgen deprivation therapy, radiation therapy or chemotherapy status. Conclusion: Measured tracer uptake in [Ga-68] PSMA-HBED-CC PET/CT in patients with recurrent/metastasized prostate cancer is significantly influenced by lesion size as a result of partial volume effects in the very small lesions. Clinical indicators of aggressive prostate cancer behaviour such as PSA levels, PSA doubling time or the Gleason score of the primary tumour, as well as the androgen deprivation therapy, radiation therapy or chemotherapy status are not related to measured tracer uptake

Open Science 2.0: Towards a truly collaborative research ecosystem.

Conversations about open science have reached the mainstream, yet many open science practices such as data sharing remain uncommon. Our efforts towards openness therefore need to increase in scale and aim for a more ambitious target. We need an ecosystem not only where research outputs are openly shared but also in which transparency permeates the research process from the start and lends itself to more rigorous and collaborative research. To support this vision, this Essay provides an overview of a selection of open science initiatives from the past 2 decades, focusing on methods transparency, scholarly communication, team science, and research culture, and speculates about what the future of open science could look like. It then draws on these examples to provide recommendations for how funders, institutions, journals, regulators, and other stakeholders can create an environment that is ripe for improvement

The reconstruction algorithm used for [68Ga]PSMA-HBED-CC PET/CT reconstruction significantly influences the number of detected lymph node metastases and coeliac ganglia

To investigate whether the numbers of lymph node metastases and coeliac ganglia delineated on [Ga-68]PSMA-HBED-CC PET/CT scans differ among datasets generated using different reconstruction algorithms.Data were constructed using the BLOB-OS-TF, BLOB-OS and 3D-RAMLA algorithms. All reconstructions were assessed by two nuclear medicine physicians for the number of pelvic/paraaortal lymph node metastases as well the number of coeliac ganglia. Standardized uptake values (SUV) were also calculated in different regions.At least one [Ga-68]PSMA-HBED-CC PET/CT-positive pelvic or paraaortal lymph node metastasis was found in 49 and 35 patients using the BLOB-OS-TF algorithm, in 42 and 33 patients using the BLOB-OS algorithm, and in 41 and 31 patients using the 3D-RAMLA algorithm, respectively, and a positive ganglion was found in 92, 59 and 24 of 100 patients using the three algorithms, respectively. Quantitatively, the SUVmean and SUVmax were significantly higher with the BLOB-OS algorithm than with either the BLOB-OS-TF or the 3D-RAMLA algorithm in all measured regions (p &lt;0.001 for all comparisons). The differences between the SUVs with the BLOB-OS-TF- and 3D-RAMLA algorithms were not significant in the aorta (SUVmean, p = 0.93; SUVmax, p = 0.97) but were significant in all other regions (p &lt;0.001 in all cases). The SUVmean ganglion/gluteus ratio was significantly higher with the BLOB-OS-TF algorithm than with either the BLOB-OS or the 3D-RAMLA algorithm and was significantly higher with the BLOB-OS than with the 3D-RAMLA algorithm (p &lt;0.001 in all cases).The results of [Ga-68]PSMA-HBED-CC PET/CT are affected by the reconstruction algorithm used. The highest number of lesions and physiological structures will be visualized using a modern algorithm employing time-of-flight information.</p

Elastin imaging enables noninvasive staging and treatment monitoring of kidney fibrosis

Fibrosis is the common endpoint and currently the best predictor of progression of chronic kidney diseases (CKDs). Despite several drawbacks, biopsies remain the only available means to specifically assess the extent of renal fibrosis. Here, we show that molecular imaging of the extracellular matrix protein elastin allows for noninvasive staging and longitudinal monitoring of renal fibrosis. Elastin was hardly expressed in healthy mouse, rat, and human kidneys, whereas it was highly up-regulated in cortical, medullar, and perivascular regions in progressive CKD. Compared to a clinically relevant control contrast agent, the elastin-specific magnetic resonance imaging agent ESMA specifically detected elastin expression in multiple mouse models of renal fibrosis and also in fibrotic human kidneys. Elastin imaging allowed for repetitive and reproducible assessment of renal fibrosis, and it enabled longitudinal monitoring of therapeutic interventions, accurately capturing anti-fibrotic therapy effects. Last, in a model of reversible renal injury, elastin imaging detected ensuing fibrosis not identifiable via routine assessment of kidney function. Elastin imaging thus has the potential to become a noninvasive, specific imaging method to assess renal fibrosis