Head-to-head comparison between F-18-DOPA PET/CT and Ga-68-DOTA-peptide PET/CT in detecting intestinal neuroendocrine tumours:A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: The imaging of intestinal neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) relies on functional PET tracers; these tumours can be studied by means of both Ga-68-DOTA-peptides and F-18-DOPA PET/CT. As yet, it is unclear which of these two modalities offers the better sensitivity. We therefore conducted a meta-analysis to assess the available data. Design: PubMed, CENTRAL, Scopus and Web of Science were searched for studies comparing the sensitivity of Ga-68-DOTA-peptides and F-18-DOPA PET/CT; papers up to February 2021 were considered. Patients and Measurements: In each study, we considered sensitivity in terms of patient-based (PBA), region-based (RBA) and lesion-based analysis (LBA) and pooled the results yielded by each tracer. Multidisciplinary follow-up served as the standard of truth. Results: Of the 636 records identified, 6 articles published between 2008 and 2021 were finally selected, and 112 intestinal NET patients were included. The pooled sensitivity of F-18-DOPA PET/CT was 83%, 89% and 95% on PBA, RBA and LBA, respectively. Ga-68-DOTA peptide PET/CT showed sensitivity of 88%, 92% and 82% on PBA, RBA and LBA, respectively. No significant differences were found between the two tracers on PBA and RBA. By contrast, a clear trend towards significance in favour of F-18-DOPA PET/CT was identified on LBA. The presence of a significant difference in favour of F-18-DOPA PET/CT was confirmed in a subgroup analysis conducted only on the most recent and largest studies. In all three analyses, mild-to-high heterogeneity was found, while no publication bias was observed. Conclusion: Both F-18-DOPA PET/CT and Ga-68-DOTA-peptide PET/CT are reliable diagnostic procedures in patients with intestinal NETs. However, in terms of lesion detection, a non-negligible difference in favour of F-18-DOPA PET/CT was observed. Thus, the use of F-18-DOPA PET/CT could be considered as a first-line molecular procedure in intestinal NETs

Association Testing Of Copy Number Variants in Schizophrenia and Autism Spectrum Disorders

Background: Autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia have been associated with an overlapping set of copynumber variant loci, but the nature and degree of overlap in copy number variants (deletions compared toduplications) between these two disorders remains unclear.Methods: We systematically evaluated three lines of evidence: (1) the statistical bases for associations of autismspectrum disorders and schizophrenia with a set of the primary CNVs thus far investigated, from previous studies;(2) data from case series studies on the occurrence of these CNVs in autism spectrum disorders, especially amongchildren, and (3) data on the extent to which the CNVs were associated with intellectual disability anddevelopmental, speech, or language delays. We also conducted new analyses of existing data on these CNVs inautism by pooling data from seven case control studies.Results: Four of the CNVs considered, dup 1q21.1, dup 15q11-q13, del 16p11.2, and dup 22q11.21, showed clearstatistical evidence as autism risk factors, whereas eight CNVs, del 1q21.1, del 3q29, del 15q11.2, del 15q13.3, dup16p11.2, dup 16p13.1, del 17p12, and del 22q11.21, were strongly statistically supported as risk factors forschizophrenia. Three of the CNVs, dup 1q21.1, dup 16p11.2, and dup 16p13.1, exhibited statistical support as riskfactors for both autism and schizophrenia, although for each of these CNVs statistical significance was nominal fortests involving one of the two disorders. For the CNVs that were statistically associated with schizophrenia but werenot statistically associated with autism, a notable number of children with the CNVs have been diagnosed withautism or ASD; children with these CNVs also demonstrate a high incidence of intellectual disability anddevelopmental, speech, or language delays.Conclusions: These findings suggest that although CNV loci notably overlap between autism and schizophrenia,the degree of strongly statistically supported overlap in specific CNVs at these loci remains limited. These analysesalso suggest that relatively severe premorbidity to CNV-associated schizophrenia in children may sometimes bediagnosed as autism spectrum disorder