Role of radiography, MRI and FDG-PET/CT in diagnosing, staging and therapeutical evaluation of patients with multiple myeloma

Multiple myeloma is a malignant B-cell neoplasm that involves the skeleton in approximately 80% of the patients. With an average age of 60 years and a 5-years survival of nearly 45% Brenner et al. (Blood 111:2516–2520, 35) the onset is to be classified as occurring still early in life while the disease can be very aggressive and debilitating. In the last decades, several new imaging techniques were introduced. The aim of this review is to compare the different techniques such as radiographic survey, multidetector computed tomography (MDCT), whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WB-MRI), fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography- (FDG-PET) with or without computed tomography (CT), and 99mTc-methoxyisobutylisonitrile (99mTc-MIBI) scintigraphy. We conclude that both FDG-PET in combination with low-dose CT and whole-body MRI are more sensitive than skeleton X-ray in screening and diagnosing multiple myeloma. WB-MRI allows assessment of bone marrow involvement but cannot detect bone destruction, which might result in overstaging. Moreover, WB-MRI is less suitable in assessing response to therapy than FDG-PET. The combination of PET with low-dose CT can replace the golden standard, conventional skeletal survey. In the clinical practise, this will result in upstaging, due to the higher sensitivity

Virtual worlds as a medium for advertising: a research agenda

Online virtual worlds, such as Second Life, are rapidly becoming recognized as a technology of substantial future importance for marketers and advertisers. Many of these virtual worlds provide the potential medium for very rich and varied new and enhanced modes of advertising—all in one online channel. Such varied advertising experiences can be immersive or absorptive, active or passive. Potential modes of advertising include product placement of 3-D objects (such as brand-name clothing), billboards, radio, musical performances, movies and videos, advergames (typically mini-worlds or mini-games) and cross-promotional offers and activities. Little is known about the effectiveness of advertising in virtual worlds on purchasing intention towards a product. The purpose of this paper is to introduce the concept of advertising in virtual worlds and to create an agenda for future experimental research in this exceptionally new domain. As a result, we hope to encourage others to begin to further engage in research on this topic over the period from 2007-2014

Store selection criteria and sales prediction in virtual worlds

Virtual worlds (VWs) have emerged as a new context for gaming, collaboration, social networking but also commercial activity. This paper focuses on the latter, and investigates how consumers behave in this virtual context when selecting stores they visit or buy from. The paper explores store selection criteria in virtual world stores and extends earlier research in both offline and online commercial environments, taking into account the novel IT capabilities that VWs exploit. Theoretical insights drawn from the marketing and information systems literature have been used to guide the design of a survey conducted in the virtual world Second Life. In addition to identifying the factors influencing store selection, the paper investigates how these differ between shoppers and non-shoppers, and identifies the factors that affect the amount of money spent in virtual world shopping environments. The findings suggest that "Core Store Features" and "Security and Privacy" constitute the most important store selection factors in virtual environments and that sales in VWs are predicted by the frequency of visiting and the time spent within VWs' stores. Building on these findings, the paper discusses theoretical and practical implications and further research perspectives in the context of (3D) online commerce. © 2014 Elsevier B.V