Attenuation Correction Using Template PET Registration for Brain PET: A Proof-of-Concept Study

NeuroLF is a dedicated brain PET system with an octagonal prism shape housed in a scanner head that can be positioned around a patient's head. Because it does not have MR or CT capabilities, attenuation correction based on an estimation of the attenuation map is a crucial feature. In this article, we demonstrate this method on [18F]FDG PET brain scans performed with a low-resolution proof of concept prototype of NeuroLF called BPET. We perform an affine registration of a template PET scan to the uncorrected emission image, and then apply the resulting transform to the corresponding template attenuation map. Using a whole-body PET/CT system as reference, we quantitively show that this method yields comparable image quality (0.893 average correlation to reference scan) to using the reference µ-map as obtained from the CT scan of the imaged patient (0.908 average correlation). We conclude from this initial study that attenuation correction using template registration instead of a patient CT delivers similar results and is an option for patients undergoing brain PET. Keywords: Nifty-Reg; PET; STIR; attenuation correction; brain; image reconstruction; registration; tomography

Attenuation Correction Using Template PET Registration for Brain PET:A Proof-of-Concept Study

NeuroLF is a dedicated brain PET system with an octagonal prism shape housed in a scanner head that can be positioned around a patient’s head. Because it does not have MR or CT capabilities, attenuation correction based on an estimation of the attenuation map is a crucial feature. In this article, we demonstrate this method on [18F]FDG PET brain scans performed with a low-resolution proof of concept prototype of NeuroLF called BPET. We perform an affine registration of a template PET scan to the uncorrected emission image, and then apply the resulting transform to the corresponding template attenuation map. Using a whole-body PET/CT system as reference, we quantitively show that this method yields comparable image quality (0.893 average correlation to reference scan) to using the reference µ-map as obtained from the CT scan of the imaged patient (0.908 average correlation). We conclude from this initial study that attenuation correction using template registration instead of a patient CT delivers similar results and is an option for patients undergoing brain PET.</p

Cells from discarded dressings differentiate chronic from acute wounds in patients with Epidermolysis Bullosa

Impaired wound healing complicates a wide range of diseases and represents a major cost to healthcare systems. Here we describe the use of discarded wound dressings as a novel, cost effective, accessible, and non-invasive method of isolating viable human cells present at the site of skin wounds. By analyzing 133 discarded wound dressings from 51 patients with the inherited skin-blistering disease epidermolysis bullosa (EB), we show that large numbers of cells, often in excess of 100 million per day, continually infiltrate wound dressings. We show, that the method is able to differentiate chronic from acute wounds, identifying significant increases in granulocytes in chronic wounds, and we show that patients with the junctional form of EB have significantly more cells infiltrating their wounds compared with patients with recessive dystrophic EB. Finally, we identify subsets of granulocytes and T lymphocytes present in all wounds paving the way for single cell profiling of innate and adaptive immune cells with relevance to wound pathologies. In summary, our study delineates findings in EB that have potential relevance for all chronic wounds, and presents a method of cellular isolation that has wide reaching clinical application

Cetuximab in metastatic squamous cell cancer of the skin: a Swiss case series

There is current evidence that non-melanoma skin cancers can be successfully treated with cetuximab. To evaluate the use and efficacy of cetuximab (with or without radiotherapy) in a series of previously treated patients with metastatic squamous cell cancer of the skin (SCCS) in Switzerland. We performed a retrospective analysis of six patients from four centers. Endpoints were disease control rates (DCRs) at 4-8 weeks, 12-14 weeks and 20-36 weeks of treatment. Treatment-related toxicity was evaluated additionally. A median of 14 cycles of cetuximab were applied. DCR was 67% at 4-8 weeks, 50% at 12-14 weeks and 33% at 20-36 weeks. In 4-8 weeks responders, mean relapse-free time was 12 +/- 6.2 months and mean overall survival was 25 +/- 16.2 months. Grade I-III acne-like rash developed around week 3 of treatment in 83%. Cetuximab treatment in patients with metastatic SCCS achieved an overall DCR of 67% at 4-8 weeks of treatment. This study underlines the current evidence that SCCS can be successfully treated with cetuximab