An Uncommon Case of Pediatric Esthesioneuroblastoma Presenting as SIADH:18F-FDG PET/CT in Staging and Post-Therapeutic Assessment

Esthesioneuroblastoma (ENB) is an uncommon neuroendocrine tumor originating from the olfactory neuroepithelium and accounts for 3–6% of all intranasal tumors [1]. ENBs can be locally aggressive and cause invasion and destruction of surrounding structures. Histological grading and clinical stage at presentation are highly predictive of survival and especially presence of lymph node and distant metastases are determining prognostic factors [2,3,4,5]. Thus, reliable imaging is essential in these patients. Conventional imaging modalities for staging ENB are magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT). However, fluorine-18 fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose positron emission tomography/CT (18F-FDG PET/CT) has been reported as a valuable adjunct and was found to upstage 36% of ENB patients compared to conventional imaging [6]. We present a case demonstrating the diagnostic work-up and follow-up with 18F-FDG PET/CT in a young patient with ENB with a highly atypical clinical presentation

Feasibility of simultaneous PET/MR of the carotid artery: first clinical experience and comparison to PET/CT

The study aimed at comparing PET/MR to PET/CT for imaging the carotid arteries in patients with known increased risk of atherosclerosis. Six HIV-positive men underwent sequential PET/MR and PET/CT of the carotid arteries after injection of 400 MBq of (18)F-FDG. PET/MR was performed a median of 131 min after injection. Subsequently,PET/CT was performed. Regions of interest (ROI) were drawn slice by slice to include the carotid arteries and standardized uptake values (SUV) were calculated from both datasets independently. Quantitative comparison of (18)F-FDG uptake revealed a high congruence between PET data acquired using the PET/MR system compared to the PET/CT system. The mean difference for SUV(mean) was -0.18 (p < 0.001) and -0.14 for SUV(max) (p < 0.001) indicating a small but significant bias towards lower values using the PET/MR system. The 95% limits of agreement were -0.55 to 0.20 for SUV(mean) and -0.93 to 0.65 for SUV(max). The image quality of the PET/MR allowed for delineation of the carotid vessel wall. The correlations between (18)F-FDG uptake from ROI including both vessel wall and vessel lumen to ROI including only the wall were strong (r = 0.98 for SUV(mean) and r = 1.00 for SUV(max)) indicating that the luminal (18)F-FDG content had minimal influence on the values. The study shows for the first time that simultaneous PET/MR of the carotid arteries is feasible in patients with increased risk of atherosclerosis. Quantification of (18)F-FDG uptake correlated well between PET/MR and PET/CT despite difference in method of PET attenuation correction, reconstruction algorithm, and detector technology

A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased negative emotions and decreased positive emotions globally. Left unchecked, these emotional changes might have a wide array of adverse impacts. To reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions, we tested the effectiveness of reappraisal, an emotion-regulation strategy that modifies how one thinks about a situation. Participants from 87 countries and regions (n = 21,644) were randomly assigned to one of two brief reappraisal interventions (reconstrual or repurposing) or one of two control conditions (active or passive). Results revealed that both reappraisal interventions (vesus both control conditions) consistently reduced negative emotions and increased positive emotions across different measures. Reconstrual and repurposing interventions had similar effects. Importantly, planned exploratory analyses indicated that reappraisal interventions did not reduce intentions to practice preventive health behaviours. The findings demonstrate the viability of creating scalable, low-cost interventions for use around the world

Concomitant Polymyalgia Rheumatica and Large-Vessel Vasculitis Visualized on 18F-FDG PET/CT

Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and large-vessel vasculitis (LVV) are related rheumatic diseases which are occasionally present concomitantly. PMR is characterized by synovitis and bursitis. In LVV, inflammation of the blood vessel wall is seen. Both disorders can be difficult to diagnose since patients often present non-specific symptoms and results of blood tests. The non-specific symptoms cannot always be distinguished from symptoms indicating an occult malignancy. We present a case of PMR and LVV in a Scandinavian man visualized on [18F]-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG PET/CT) with the presentation of typically affected sites of joints and arteries and with the same imaging modality ruling out occult malignancy

HIV infection and arterial inflammation assessed by ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron emission tomography (PET):A prospective cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: HIV-infected patients are at increased risk of myocardial infarction and arterial inflammation has been suggested as a pathophysiological explanation. We compared the uptake of (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) by PET in four arterial regions, and factors associated with FDG uptake in well-treated HIV-infected patients without cardiovascular disease (CVD) and healthy controls. METHODS AND RESULTS: We prospectively scanned 26 HIV-infected patients on stable antiretroviral therapy and 25 healthy volunteers with FDG PET/CT, measuring standardized uptake values (SUV) in the carotid arteries, the ascending, descending, and abdominal aorta. We performed correlation analyses between FDG uptake and intima-media thickness (IMT), and soluble biomarkers of inflammation. We found no difference in arterial FDG uptake between the HIV-infected patients and healthy controls quantified either as mean SUV(max) or target-to background ratio in the carotid region, the ascending aorta, the descending aorta, or the abdominal aorta. Correlations between SUV, IMT, and soluble biomarkers were scarce in both groups. CONCLUSION: In a group of optimally treated HIV-infected patients with full viral suppression, low Framingham risk score and no known CVD, we found no evidence of increased arterial inflammation as assessed by FDG PET/CT compared to healthy volunteers