How the cognitive reserve interacts with β-amyloid deposition in mitigating FDG metabolism: An observational study

This observational study had the aim to assess the interaction between cognitive reserve (CR) and cerebrospinal fluid β-amyloid1-42 (Aβ1-42) in modulating brain [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) metabolism in patients with moderate Alzheimer disease (AD).Twenty-seven patients with probable AD and 25 neurological normal subjects (NNS) entered the study. All participants had an FDG-PET scan, and AD patients also received a lumbar puncture to measure Aβ1-42, 181p-tau, and Tau concentrations. Based on years of formal education, AD patients were classified as highly educated-AD (years of formal education >5) or less educated-AD (years of formal education <5). By using a voxel-wise approach, we first investigated differences in the cerebral glucose uptake between AD and NNS, then we assessed the interaction between level of education (a proxy of CR) and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers on FDG-PET metabolism in the patient groups.Significantly lower glucose uptake was observed in the posterior cingulate gyrus, in the precuneus, in the inferior and medial temporal gyrus, and in the inferior parietal lobule of AD patients compared with NNS. A significant interaction was found between CR and Aβ1-42 values on brain metabolism in the inferior and medial temporal gyrus bilaterally.The AD patients with higher CR level and marked signs of neuropathology showed glucose hypometabolism in regions typically targeted by AD pathology. This finding supports the hypothesis that CR partially compensates for the effect of Aβ plaques on cognitive impairment, helps in patients' clinical staging, and opens new possibilities for the development of nonpharmacological interventions

Association of CSF and PET markers of neurodegeneration with electroclinical progression in Lafora disease

PurposeTo evaluate the electro-clinical features in association with laboratory and instrumental correlates of neurodegeneration to detect the progression of Lafora disease (LD).MethodsWe investigated the electro-clinical longitudinal data and CSF Aβ42, p-tau181 and t-tauAg, amyloid, and 18F-FDG PET of five unrelated LD families.ResultsThree progressive electro-clinical stages were identified. The early phase was characterized by rare, generalized tonic-clonic and focal visual seizures, followed by the occurrence of myoclonus after a period ranging from 2 to 12 months. The intermediate stage, usually occurring 2 years after the onset of epilepsy, is characterized by a worsening of epilepsy and myoclonus associated with progressive dementia and cerebellar signs. Finally, the late stage, evolving after a mean period of 7 ± 1.41 years from the onset of the disease, was characterized by gait ataxia resulting in bedriddenness, severe dementia, daily/pluri-daily myoclonus, drug-resistant epilepsy, clusters of seizures or status epilepticus, and medical complications. Amyloid (CSF Aβ42, amyloid PET) and neurodegenerative (CSF p-tau181 and t-tauAg, FDG-PET) biomarkers indicate a pattern of cognitive impairment of the non-Alzheimer's disease type. A total of 80% of the LD patients showed more severe hypometabolism in the second FDG-PET scan compared to the first scan performed in a lower phase; the lateral temporal lobe and the thalamus hypometabolism were associated with the presence of intermediate or late phase.ConclusionsThree electroclinical and 18F-FDG PET evolutive stages are useful biomarkers for the progression of LD and could help to evaluate the efficacy of new disease-modifying treatments. The combination of traditional CSF biomarkers improves the diagnostic accuracy of cognitive decline in LD patients, indicating a cognitive impairment of the non-Alzheimer's disease type

Age-related changes in the global skeletal uptake of technetium-99m methylene diphosphonate in healthy women

A short-term evaluation of global skeletal uptake (GSU) of technetium-99m methylene diphosphonate (MDP) was performed in 40 healthy female subjects with a wide age range in order to investigate the clinical performance of the technique and to detect the age-related changes in bone turnover, The results obtained were compared with measurements of the main biochemical markers of skeletal metabolism. We found that GSU increases progressively with age, independently of concomitant changes in renal function; significant correlations with biochemical markers of bone formation were also found, Therefore, the method appears to provide useful information concerning the bone turnover rate, and is also applicable to elderly people owing to its simplicity

Multiple Skeletal Muscle Metastases from Colon Carcinoma Preceded by Paraneoplastic Dermatomyositis

Skeletal muscle metastases are very rare events in colorectal carcinoma. By contrast, dermatomyositis is an idiopathic inflammatory myopathy with characteristic cutaneous manifestations and a well-recognized association with several human malignancies and, among others, colorectal cancer. Here, we report the case of a 71-year-old woman with paraneoplastic dermatomyositis followed by the development of a metastatic colon cancer. Interestingly, this patient developed multiple skeletal metastases which were preceded by the worsening of systemic symptoms of dermatomyositis. This observation suggests that, while muscle tissue is usually resistant to the development of tumor metastases, the inflammatory and immune response which characterizes and boosts paraneoplastic myopathy may represent a favorable soil for tumor cell invasion and metastasization to skeletal muscles

How the cognitive reserve interacts with ß-amyloid deposition in mitigating FDG metabolism: An observational study

This observational study had the aim to assess the interaction between cognitive reserve (CR) and cerebrospinal fluid ß-amyloid1-42 (Aß1-42) in modulating brain [18F]fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) metabolism in patients with moderate Alzheimer disease (AD).Twenty-seven patients with probable AD and 25 neurological normal subjects (NNS) entered the study. All participants had an FDG-PET scan, and AD patients also received a lumbar puncture to measure Aß1-42, 181p-tau, and Tau concentrations. Based on years of formal education, AD patients were classified as highly educated-AD (years of formal education >5) or less educated-AD (years of formal education <5). By using a voxel-wise approach, we first investigated differences in the cerebral glucose uptake between AD and NNS, then we assessed the interaction between level of education (a proxy of CR) and cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers on FDG-PET metabolism in the patient groups.Significantly lower glucose uptake was observed in the posterior cingulate gyrus, in the precuneus, in the inferior and medial temporal gyrus, and in the inferior parietal lobule of AD patients compared with NNS. A significant interaction was found between CR and Aß1-42 values on brain metabolism in the inferior and medial temporal gyrus bilaterally.The AD patients with higher CR level and marked signs of neuropathology showed glucose hypometabolism in regions typically targeted by AD pathology. This finding supports the hypothesis that CR partially compensates for the effect of Aß plaques on cognitive impairment, helps in patients' clinical staging, and opens new possibilities for the development of nonpharmacological interventions

Neurometabolic Features of Takotsubo Syndrome: A Brain 18F-FDG PET Case Control-Prospective Study

Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is an acute heart failure syndrome featured by transient left ventricular systolic dysfunction. TTS pathophysiology is still unclear.1 A retrospective analysis using brain 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomographic (PET)–computed tomography (CT) showed higher amygdala activity in subjects who subsequently developed TTS, suggesting a premorbid state.2 The aim of this study was to evaluate potential features of brain metabolism in TTS patients compared with a control group

Prevalence of interstitial pneumonia suggestive of COVID-19 at 18F-FDG PET/CT in oncological asymptomatic patients in a high prevalence country during pandemic period: a national multi-centric retrospective study

67sinonenoneAlbano, Domenico; Bertagna, Francesco; Alongi, Pierpaolo; Baldari, Sergio; Baldoncini, Alfonso; Bartolomei, Mirco; Boccaletto, Franco; Boero, Michele; Borsatti, Eugenio; Bruno, Andrea; Burroni, Luca; Capoccetti, Francesca; Castellani, Massimo; Cervino, Anna Rita; Chierichetti, Franca; Ciarmiello, Andrea; Corso, Angelo; Cuocolo, Alberto; De Rimini, Maria Luisa; Deandreis, Desiree’; Dottorini, Massimo Eugenio; Esposito, Filomena; Farsad, Mohsen; Gasparini, Massimo; Grana, Chiara Maria; Gregianin, Michele; Guerra, Luca; Loreti, Fabio; Lupi, Andrea; Martino, Gianluigi; Milan, Elisa; Modoni, Sergio; Morbelli, Silvia; Muni, Alfredo; Nicolai, Emanuele; Palumbo, Barbara; Papa, Sergio; Papaleo, Alberto; Pellerito, Riccardo; Poti, Carlo; Romano, Pasquale; Rossetti, Claudio; Rossini, Pierluigi; Rubini, Giuseppe; Ruffini, Livia; Sacchetti, Gianmauro; Savelli, Giordano; Schiavariello, Saverio; Sciagrà, Roberto; Sciuto, Rosa; Seregni, Ettore; Sestini, Stelvio; Sicolo, Michele; Spanu, Angela; Storto, Giovanni; Balducci, Massimo Tosti; Trifirò, Giuseppe; Versari, Annibale; Vignati, Alberto; Volterrani, Duccio; Calcagni, Maria Lucia; Marzola, Maria Cristina; Garufo, Antonio; Evangelista, Laura; Maroldi, Roberto; Schillaci, Orazio; Giubbini, RaffaeleAlbano, Domenico; Bertagna, Francesco; Alongi, Pierpaolo; Baldari, Sergio; Baldoncini, Alfonso; Bartolomei, Mirco; Boccaletto, Franco; Boero, Michele; Borsatti, Eugenio; Bruno, Andrea; Burroni, Luca; Capoccetti, Francesca; Castellani, Massimo; Cervino, Anna Rita; Chierichetti, Franca; Ciarmiello, Andrea; Corso, Angelo; Cuocolo, Alberto; De Rimini, Maria Luisa; Deandreis, Desiree’; Dottorini, Massimo Eugenio; Esposito, Filomena; Farsad, Mohsen; Gasparini, Massimo; Grana, Chiara Maria; Gregianin, Michele; Guerra, Luca; Loreti, Fabio; Lupi, Andrea; Martino, Gianluigi; Milan, Elisa; Modoni, Sergio; Morbelli, Silvia; Muni, Alfredo; Nicolai, Emanuele; Palumbo, Barbara; Papa, Sergio; Papaleo, Alberto; Pellerito, Riccardo; Poti, Carlo; Romano, Pasquale; Rossetti, Claudio; Rossini, Pierluigi; Rubini, Giuseppe; Ruffini, Livia; Sacchetti, Gianmauro; Savelli, Giordano; Schiavariello, Saverio; Sciagrà, Roberto; Sciuto, Rosa; Seregni, Ettore; Sestini, Stelvio; Sicolo, Michele; Spanu, Angela; Storto, Giovanni; Balducci, Massimo Tosti; Trifirò, Giuseppe; Versari, Annibale; Vignati, Alberto; Volterrani, Duccio; Calcagni, Maria Lucia; Marzola, Maria Cristina; Garufo, Antonio; Evangelista, Laura; Maroldi, Roberto; Schillaci, Orazio; Giubbini, Raffael