Iatrogenic FDG foci in the lungs: a pitfall of PET image interpretation

Abstract.: 2-[F-18]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) has become an important staging modality for many tumors, including bronchial carcinoma; however it is important to know that there are several pitfalls in PET image interpretation. In this report we demonstrate three cases in which focal intrapulmonary FDG uptake could possibly represent iatrogenic microembolism. These FDG accumulations would have been interpreted as malignant tumor mass in the lung if no anatomic correlation would have been performed. For this reason, we further present an integrated PET/CT scanner, which recently has been introduced. This correlation of molecular and morphological information enables the specification of the FDG-PET finding

Development of Measuring System using CSI on ITIL V3 for Improvement at Oil Palm Plantation Company

Many information technology services firms now offer services and consider software availability to be a critical component of achieving excellence and competing in the industry. The most crucial factor for customers is the quality of service, consumer needs, the state of the organization/company, and the present market should all be considered when improving their service. In this study, an ITSM analysis will be carried out at an oil palm plantation company based in West Kalimantan Province using ITIL framework V3 by focusing on continual service improvement, which largely relies on service measurement because a process must be measurable to be regulated and improved. To achieve continuous service improvement (CSI) throughout the service life cycle, we use the 7-step process to improve is used to establish and take care of the stages involved in identifying, defining, collecting, processing, analyzing, presenting, and implementing changes. The result of this analysis is CSF and KPI analysis that produce metrics, such as the average resolution time, the percentage of events allocated more than once, and the initial response time, then create a measurement system that is in accordance with the needs and can be used as a reference for the company's system assessment.Many information technology services firms now offer services and consider software availability to be a critical component of achieving excellence and competing in the industry. The most crucial factor for customers is the quality of service, consumer needs, the state of the organization/company, and the present market should all be considered when improving their service. In this study, an ITSM analysis will be carried out at an oil palm plantation company based in West Kalimantan Province using ITIL framework V3 by focusing on continual service improvement, which largely relies on service measurement because a process must be measurable to be regulated and improved. To achieve continuous service improvement (CSI) throughout the service life cycle, we use the 7-step process to improve is used to establish and take care of the stages involved in identifying, defining, collecting, processing, analyzing, presenting, and implementing changes. The result of this analysis is CSF and KPI analysis that produce metrics, such as the average resolution time, the percentage of events allocated more than once, and the initial response time, then create a measurement system that is in accordance with the needs and can be used as a reference for the company's system assessment

Bone involvement in patients with lymphoma: the role of FDG-PET/CT

Purpose: To evaluate the diagnostic impact and clinical significance of FDG-avid bone lesions detected by FDG-PET/CT in patients with lymphoma. Methods: The study population comprised 50 consecutive patients (mean age 41.7±15.5years; 27 female, 23 male; 41 staging, 9 restaging) with Hodgkin's disease (n=22) or aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (n=28) in whom FDG-avid bone lesions were detected by FDG-PET/CT. All patients had either direct biopsy of the FDG-avid bone lesion (n=18), standard bone marrow biopsy at the iliac crest (BMB; n=43) or both procedures (n=11). In 15 patients, additional MRI of the bone lesions was performed. All patients underwent FDG-PET/CT after the end of treatment. All CT images of FDG-PET/CT scans were analysed independently regarding morphological osseous changes and compared with FDG-PET results. Results: In the 50 patients, 193 FDG-avid lesions were found by PET/CT. The mean standardised uptake value was 6.26 (±3.22). All direct bone biopsies (n=18) of the FDG-avid lesions proved the presence of lymphomatous infiltration. BMB (n=43) was positive in 12 patients (27.9%). In CT, 32 of 193 (16.6%) lesions were detected without the PET information. No additional morphological bone infiltration was detected on CT compared with FDG-PET. All morphological bone alterations on CT scans persisted after the end of therapy. Additional PET/CT information regarding uni- or multifocal bone involvement resulted in lymphoma upstaging in 21 (42%) patients compared with the combined information provided by CT and BMB. Conclusion: In patients with FDG-avid bone lesions, FDG-PET is superior to CT alone or in combination with unilateral BMB in detecting bone marrow involvement, leading to upstaging in a relevant proportion of patient

Encapsulated Zosteric Acid Embedded in Poly[3-hydroxyalkanoate] Coatings—Protection against Biofouling

Summary : The natural, non-toxic antifouling compound zosteric acid (ZA, p-coumaric acid sulfate) was encapsulated in polystyrene (PS) microcapsules (30 mg ZA /1 g PS) with an efficiency of 30 % via an in-liquid drying process. Electron micrographs showed microcapsules with smooth surfaces and a mean diameter of 200 μm. The FIB method was used to cross-section a microcapsule in order to visualize the inner capsule structure and to localize ZA via element analysis. Coatings of a biocompatible polyester, poly[3-hydroxyalkanoate-co-3-hydroxyalkenoate] (PHAE), were prepared on microscopic slides. These coatings contained dispersed ZA (PHAE/ZA) or ZA-loaded PS microcapsules (PHAE/PS(ZA)). The release of ZA was monitored via conductivy measurements in water and was 4 μgcm-2d-1 for PHAE/ZA and 0.9 μgcm-2d-1 for PHAE/PS(ZA) coatings. To follow the initial steps of biofilm formation, coated slides were exposed to activated sludge and analyzed for cell adhesion with ESEM. ZA was effective during the burst release time of the PHAE/ZA coating, but no significant differences in biofouling were observed after 48 h. This was attributed to the minimal effective release rate of ZA, which is approximately 10 μgcm-2d-

ANALISIS PERTUMBUHAN DAN LAJU EKSPLOITASI IKAN TONGKOL ABU-ABU, Thunnus tonggol (Bleeker, 1851) DI PERAIRAN LAUT JAWA

Tongkol abu-abu atau longtail tuna (Thunnus tonggol) salah satu jenis ikan tuna neritik sebagai target penangkapan armada pukat cincin, jaring isang, dan pancing di Laut Jawa. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui parameter pertumbuhan, umur dan mortalitas ikan tongkol abu-abu untuk penyusunan strategi pengelolaannya. Pengumpulan data frekuensi panjang dan bobot ikan dilakukan di Pelabuhan Perikanan Nusantara (PPN) Pekalongan pada Januari – Nopember 2014. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan hubungan panjang-bobot ikan tongkol abu-abu bersifat isometrik dan indek kecepatan pertumbuhan 3,46/tahun. Ikan dapat tumbuh hingga mencapai panjang asimtotik (L) = 85 cm dengan laju pertumbuhan (K) sebesar 0,4/tahun. Umur teoritis pada saat panjang ikan sama dengan nol (t0) adalah 0,046 tahun. Umur maksimal diduga 15 tahun. Mortalitas alami (M) sebesar 0,61/tahun, mortalitas karena penangkapan (F) 1,01/tahun, mortalitas total (Z) 1,62/tahun. Tingkat eksploitasi (E) sebesar 0,59 berarti bahwa pemanfaatan ikan tongkol abu-abu di Laut Jawa cenderung sudah penuh (fully exploited).Longtail tuna as one of neritic tuna species are commonly caught by purse seine, gill net and hand line in java sea.. This research activity aims to determine population parameters i.e. growth, mortality and its exploitation rate that can contribute to strengthen database on preparation its harvest strategy. The Collecting of length and weight data were conducted at Pekalongan fishing port during period of January to November 2014. The Long-weigth relationship was isometric and growth performance index was 3.46/year. The asymptotic length rate (L) was 85 cmFL, growth rate (K) was 0.4/year and zero age (t0) was 0.046 year. This length is reached allegedly at the 15 years age. Natural mortality (M) was 0.6/year, fishing mortality (F) was 1.01/year, total mortality (Z) was 1.62/yera. The exploitation rate (E) was 0.59, it means exploitation of longtail tuna in the Java Sea tend to highly exploited

Analysis of Propagation Characteristics in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) System

Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) has gained great attention to the spread of communication in civilian and military applications. UAV communication channel has its own characteristics compared to cellular and satellite systems, which are widely used. Thus, an accurate channel characterization is very important to optimize the performance and design of an efficient UAV communication system. However, several challenges exist in UAV channel modeling. For example, channel propagation characteristics of UAVs are still less explored. Therefore, this research discusses the propagation characteristics of UAV communication systems. Due to the limitation of the measurement tools, the propagation characteristics identified in this research was the pathloss coefficient value and optimum height based on the value of Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) measurement results at different distance and heights. The link communication used 433 MHz telemetry. The results of pathloss coefficient at heights of 10 m, 20 m, and 30 m are 1.56 m, 1.77 m, and 1.99 m. While the results of the optimum height of 10 m, 20 m, and 30 m are 1.39 m, 1.32 m, and 1.47 m

Correlation between therapy response assessment using FDG PET/CT and histopathologic tumor regression grade in hepatic metastasis of colorectal carcinoma after neoadjuvant therapy

Purpose: To evaluate the correlation between change in FDG uptake before and after chemotherapy in hepatic metastases of colorectal carcinoma (HCRC) and a histopathologic tumor regression grade (TRG). Methods: In patients with HCRC, PET/CT data prior to hepatic surgery were retrospectively analyzed under an IRB waiver. The maximum standard uptake value (SUVmax) was measured before and after chemotherapy. The relative change of FDG activity in the identified lesions was calculated (dSUV). Histopathological specimens of resected metastases were graded on a 5-score TRG scale. A TRG of 1-3 was rated as a responding to therapy, whereas TRG 4-5 were regarded as non-responding lesions. Results: 31 lesions were identified in 23 patients. Mean SUVmax before and after therapy was 6.9±3.7 and 3.5±1.8, respectively. The area under the receiver operator characteristic curve revealed a conclusive correlation between TRG and dSUV (AUC 0.773; 95% confidence interval 0.599-0.946) with a cut off at 41% decrease in FDG activity yielding a sensitivity and specificity of 72 and 75%, respectively. Conclusion: A relative change in FDG activity (dSUV) of more than 41% decrease correlated significantly with histopathological tumor regression and might be a prognostic tool for response to chemotherapy in HCR