Reference values of inspiratory spirometry for Finnish adults

Inspiratory spirometry is used in evaluation of upper airway disorders e.g. fixed or variable obstruction. There are, however, very few published data on normal values for inspiratory spirometry. The main aim of this study was to produce reference values for inspiratory spirometry for healthy Finnish adults.Inspiratory spirometry was preplanned to a sample of the Finnish spirometry reference values sample. Data was successfully retrieved from 368 healthy nonsmoking adults (132 males) between 19 and 83years of age. Reference equations were produced for forced inspiratory vital capacity (FIVC), forced inspiratory volume in one second (FIV1), FIV1/FIVC, peak inspiratory flow (PIF) and the ratios of FIV1/forced expiratory volume in one second and PIF/peak expiratory flow. The present values were compared to PIF values from previously used Finnish study of Viljanen etal. (1982) reference values and Norwegian values for FIV1, FIVC and FIV1/FIVC presented by Gulsvik etal. (2001). The predicted values from the Gulsvik etal. (2001), provided a good fit for FIVC, but smaller values for FIV1 with mean 108.3 and 109.1% of predicted values for males and females, respectively. PIF values were 87.4 and 91.2% of Viljanen etal. (1982) predicted values in males and females, respectively. Differences in measurement methods and selection of results may contribute to the observed differences. Inspiratory spirometry is technically more demanding and needs repeatability criteria to improve validity. New reference values are suggested to clinical use in Finland when assessing inspiratory spirometry. Utility of inspiratory to expiratory values indices in assessment of airway collapse need further study.Peer reviewe

PET-tutkimus syövän diagnostiikassa ja levinneisyysselvittelyssä

PET-TT- ja -MK-tutkimukset ovat vakiinnuttaneet asemansa syöpäkuvantamisen työkaluna tavanomaisten anatomisten kuvausmenetelmien rinnalla. Tästä on osoituksena kuvausmäärien tasainen kasvu Suomessa ja uusien kameroiden hankkiminen paitsi yliopistosairaaloissa, myös keskussairaaloissa. PET-kuvantaminen vaikuttaa syövän hoitoon ja hoitomuotojen valintaan. Menetelmä on herkkä, ja sillä voidaan paikantaa aiempaa pienempiä imusolmuke-etäpesäkkeitä tai etäpesäkkeitä jo ennen anatomisia muutoksia, erottaa aktiivisen kasvainkudoksen keuhkojen atelektaasista tai hoitojen aiheuttamista arvista sekä fibroosista. PET-menetelmästä on hyötyä syövän hoidossa hoidon suunnittelusta hoitovastearvioon sekä taudin uusiutumisen osoittamiseen. Oikein kohdennettuna kalliin kuvausmenetelmän käyttö on kustannustehokasta. Syövän tarkka levinneisyysselvittely auttaa potilaalle soveltuvimman hoidon valinnassa. PET-tutkimus ei tuo lisäarvoa kaikkien syöpien levinneisyyden selvittelyyn. Kliininen tutkimusnäyttö tarkentuu koko ajan PET-menetelmän käyttöaiheista, ja nykyään syöpätautien hoitosuosituksissa otetaan aiempaa tarkemmin kantaa, milloin PET-kuvantamisesta on osoitettu olevan kliinistä hyötyä

Comparison of reprojected bone SPECT/CT and planar bone scintigraphy for the detection of bone metastases in breast and prostate cancer

Objective The aim of this study was to compare reprojected bone SPECT/CT (RBS) against planar bone scintigraphy (BS) in the detection of bone metastases in breast and prostate cancer patients. Methods Twenty-six breast and 105 prostate cancer patients with high risk for bone metastases underwent Tc-99m-HMDP BS and whole-body SPECT/CT, 1.5-T whole-body diffusion-weighted MRI and F-18-NaF or F-18-PSMA-1007 PET/CT within two prospective clinical trials (NCT01339780 and NCT03537391). Consensus reading of all imaging modalities and follow-up data were used to define the reference standard diagnosis. The SPECT/CT data were reprojected into anterior and posterior views to produce RBS images. Both BS and RBS images were independently double read by two pairs of experienced nuclear medicine physicians. The findings were validated against the reference standard diagnosis and compared between BS and RBS on the patient, region and lesion levels. Results All metastatic patients detected by BS were also detected by RBS. In addition, three metastatic patients were missed by BS but detected by RBS. The average patient-level sensitivity of two readers for metastases was 75% for BS and 87% for RBS, and the corresponding specificity was 79% for BS and 39% for RBS. The average region-level sensitivity of two readers was 64% for BS and 69% for RBS, and the corresponding specificity was 96% for BS and 87% for RBS. Conclusion Whole-body bone SPECT/CT can be reprojected into more familiar anterior and posterior planar images with excellent sensitivity for bone metastases, making additional acquisition of planar BS unnecessary.Peer reviewe

Can We Identify Sources of Fine Particles Responsible for Exercise-Induced Ischemia on Days with Elevated Air Pollution? The ULTRA Study

Epidemiologic studies have shown that ambient particulate matter (PM) has adverse effects on cardiovascular health. Effective mitigation of the health effects requires identification of the most harmful PM sources. The objective of our study was to evaluate relative effects of fine PM [aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 μm (PM(2.5))] from different sources on exercise-induced ischemia. We collected daily outdoor PM(2.5) samples between autumn 1998 and spring 1999 in Helsinki, Finland. The mass of PM(2.5) was apportioned between five sources. Forty-five elderly nonsmoking persons with stable coronary heart disease visited a clinic biweekly for submaximal exercise testing, during which the occurrence of ST segment depressions was recorded. Levels of PM(2.5) originating from local traffic and long-range transport were associated with ST segment depressions > 0.1 mV, with odds ratios at 2-day lag of 1.53 [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.19–1.97] and 1.11 (95% CI, 1.02–1.20) per 1 μg/m(3), respectively. In multipollutant models, where we used indicator elements for sources instead of source-specific PM(2.5), only absorbance (elemental carbon), an indicator of local traffic and other combustion, was associated with ST segment depressions. Our results suggest that the PM fraction originating from combustion processes, notably traffic, exacerbates ischemic heart diseases associated with PM mass

Associations between PM2.5 and Heart Rate Variability Are Modified by Particle Composition and Beta-Blocker Use in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease

BACKGROUND: It has been hypothesized that ambient particulate air pollution is able to modify the autonomic nervous control of the heart, measured as heart rate variability (HRV). Previously we reported heterogeneous associations between particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter < 2.5 mu m (PM2.5) and HRV across three study centers. OBJECTIVE: We evaluated whether exposure misclassification, effect modification by medication, or differences in particle composition could explain die inconsistencies. METHODS: Subjects with coronary heart disease visited clinics biweekly in Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Erfurt, Germany; and Helsinki, Finland for 6-8 months. The standard deviation (SD) of NN intervals on an electrocardiogram (ECG; SDNN) and high frequency (HF) power of HRV was measured with ambulatory ECG during paced breathing. Outdoor levels of PM2.5 were measured at a central site. In Amsterdam and Helsinki, indoor and personal PM2.5 were measured during the 24 hr preceding the clinic visit. PM2.5 was apportioned between sources using principal component analyses. We analyzed associations of indoor/personal PM2.5 elements of PM2.5 and source-specific PM2.5 With HRV using linear regression. RESULTS: Indoor and personal PM2.5 were not associated with HRV. Increased outdoor PM2.5 was associated with decreased SDNN and HF at lags of 2 and 3 days only among persons not using beta-blocker medication. Traffic-related PM2.5 was associated with decreased SDNN, and long-range transported PM2.5 with decreased SDNN and HF, most strongly among persons not using beta blockers. Indicators for PM2.5 from traffic and long-range transport were also associated with decreased HRV. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that differences in the composition of particles, beta-blocker use, and obesity of study subjects may explain some inconsistencies among previous studies on HRV

A Prospective Comparison of F-18-prostate-specific Membrane Antigen-1007 Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography, Whole-body 1.5 T Magnetic Resonance Imaging with Diffusion-weighted Imaging, and Single-photon Emission Computed Tomography/Computed Tomography with Traditional Imaging in Primary Distant Metastasis Staging of Prostate Cancer (PROSTAGE)

Background: Computed tomography (CT) and bone scintigraphy (BS) are the imaging modalities currently used for distant metastasis staging of prostate cancer (PCa). Objective: To compare standard staging modalities with newer and potentially more accurate imaging modalities. Design, setting, and participants: This prospective, single-centre trial (NCT03537391) enrolled 80 patients with newly diagnosed high-risk PCa (International Society of Urological Pathology grade group >= 3 and/or prostate-specific antigen [PSA] >= 20 and/or cT >= T3; March 2018-June 2019) to undergo primary metastasis staging with two standard and three advanced imaging modalities. Outcome measurements and statistical analysis: The participants underwent the following five imaging examinations within 2 wk of enrolment and without a prespecified sequence: BS, CT, Tc-99m-hydroxymethylene diphosphonate (Tc-99m-HMDP) single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)-CT, 1.5 T whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WBMRI) using diffusion-weighted imaging, and F-18-prostate-specific membrane antigen-1007 (F-18-PSMA-1007) positron emission tomography(PET)-CT. Each modality was reviewed by two independent experts blinded to the results of the prior studies, who classified lesions as benign, equivocal, or malignant. Pessimistic and optimistic analyses were performed to resolve each equivocal diagnosis. The reference standard diagnosis was defined using all available information accrued during at least 12 mo of clinical follow-up. Patients with equivocal reference standard diagnoses underwent MRI and/or CT to search for the development of anatomical correspondence. PSMA PET-avid lesions without histopathological verification were rated to be malignant only if there was a corresponding anatomical finding suspicious for malignancy at the primary or follow-up imaging. Results and limitations: Seventy-nine men underwent all imaging modalities except for one case of interrupted MRI. The median interval per patient between the first and the last imaging study was 8 d (interquartile range [IQR]: 6-9). The mean age was 70 yr (standard deviation: 7) and median PSA 12 ng/mL (IQR:7-23). The median follow-up was 435 d (IQR: 378-557). Metastatic disease was detected in 20 (25%) patients. The imaging modality F-18-PSMA-1007 PET-CT had superior sensitivity and highest inter-reader agreement. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC) values for bone metastasis detection with PSMA PET-CT were 0.90 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.85-0.95) and 0.91 (95% CI: 0.87-0.96) for readers 1 and 2, respectively, while the AUC values for BS, CT, SPECT-CT, and WBMRI were 0.71 (95% CI: 0.58-0.84) and 0.8 (95% CI: 0.67-0.92), 0.53 (95% CI: 0.39-0.67) and 0.66 (95% CI: 0.54-0.77), 0.77 (95% CI: 0.65-0.89) and 0.75 (95% CI: 0.62-0.88), and 0.85 (95% CI: 0.74-0.96) and 0.67 (95% CI: 0.54-0.80), respectively, for the other four pairs of readers. The imaging method F-18-PSMA-1007 PET-CT detected metastatic disease in 11/20 patients in whom standard imaging was negative and influenced clinical decision making in 14/79 (18%) patients. In 12/79 cases, false positive bone disease was reported only by PSMA PET-CT. Limitations included a nonrandomised study setting and few histopathologically validated suspicious lesions. Conclusions: Despite the risk of false positive bone lesions, F-18-PSMA-1007 PET-CT outperformed all other imaging methods studied for the detection of primary distant metastasis in high-risk PCa. Patient summary: In this report, we compared the diagnostic performance of conventional and advanced imaging. It was found that F-18-prostate-specific membrane antigen-1007 positron emission tomography/computed tomography (F-18-PSMA-1007 PET-CT) was superior to the other imaging modalities studied for the detection of distant metastasis at the time of initial diagnosis of high-risk prostate cancer. PSMA PET-CT also appears to detect some nonmetastatic bone lesions. (C) 2020 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of European Association of Urology.Peer reviewe

A Prospective Comparison of 18F-prostate-specific Membrane Antigen-1007 Positron Emission Tomography Computed Tomography, Whole-body 1.5 T Magnetic Resonance Imaging with Diffusion-weighted Imaging, and Single-photon Emission Computed Tomography/Computed Tomography with Traditional Imaging in Primary Distant Metastasis Staging of Prostate Cancer (PROSTAGE)

Background: Computed tomography (CT) and bone scintigraphy (BS) are the imaging modalities currently used for distant metastasis staging of prostate cancer (PCa).Objective: To compare standard staging modalities with newer and potentially more accurate imaging modalities.Design, setting, and participants: This prospective, single-centre trial (NCT03537391) enrolled 80 patients with newly diagnosed high-risk PCa (International Society of Urological Pathology grade group ≥3 and/or prostate-specific antigen [PSA] ≥20 and/or cT ≥ T3; March 2018-June 2019) to undergo primary metastasis staging with two standard and three advanced imaging modalities.Outcome measurements and statistical analysis: The participants underwent the following five imaging examinations within 2 wk of enrolment and without a prespecified sequence: BS, CT, 99mTc-hydroxymethylene diphosphonate (99mTc-HMDP) single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)-CT, 1.5 T whole-body magnetic resonance imaging (WBMRI) using diffusion-weighted imaging, and 18F-prostate-specific membrane antigen-1007 (18F-PSMA-1007) positron emission tomography(PET)-CT. Each modality was reviewed by two independent experts blinded to the results of the prior studies, who classified lesions as benign, equivocal, or malignant. Pessimistic and optimistic analyses were performed to resolve each equivocal diagnosis. The reference standard diagnosis was defined using all available information accrued during at least 12 mo of clinical follow-up. Patients with equivocal reference standard diagnoses underwent MRI and/or CT to search for the development of anatomical correspondence. PSMA PET-avid lesions without histopathological verification were rated to be malignant only if there was a corresponding anatomical finding suspicious for malignancy at the primary or follow-up imaging.Results and limitations: Seventy-nine men underwent all imaging modalities except for one case of interrupted MRI. The median interval per patient between the first and the last imaging study was 8 d (interquartile range [IQR]: 6-9). The mean age was 70 yr (standard deviation: 7) and median PSA 12 ng/mL (IQR:7-23). The median follow-up was 435 d (IQR: 378-557). Metastatic disease was detected in 20 (25%) patients. The imaging modality 18F-PSMA-1007 PET-CT had superior sensitivity and highest inter-reader agreement. The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve (AUC) values for bone metastasis detection with PSMA PET-CT were 0.90 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.85-0.95) and 0.91 (95% CI: 0.87-0.96) for readers 1 and 2, respectively, while the AUC values for BS, CT, SPECT-CT, and WBMRI were 0.71 (95% CI: 0.58-0.84) and 0.8 (95% CI: 0.67-0.92), 0.53 (95% CI: 0.39-0.67) and 0.66 (95% CI: 0.54-0.77), 0.77 (95% CI: 0.65-0.89) and 0.75 (95% CI: 0.62-0.88), and 0.85 (95% CI: 0.74-0.96) and 0.67 (95% CI: 0.54-0.80), respectively, for the other four pairs of readers. The imaging method 18F-PSMA-1007 PET-CT detected metastatic disease in 11/20 patients in whom standard imaging was negative and influenced clinical decision making in 14/79 (18%) patients. In 12/79 cases, false positive bone disease was reported only by PSMA PET-CT. Limitations included a nonrandomised study setting and few histopathologically validated suspicious lesions.Conclusions: Despite the risk of false positive bone lesions, 18F-PSMA-1007 PET-CT outperformed all other imaging methods studied for the detection of primary distant metastasis in high-risk PCa.Patient summary: In this report, we compared the diagnostic performance of conventional and advanced imaging. It was found that 18F-prostate-specific membrane antigen-1007 positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-PSMA-1007 PET-CT) was superior to the other imaging modalities studied for the detection of distant metastasis at the time of initial diagnosis of high-risk prostate cancer. PSMA PET-CT also appears to detect some nonmetastatic bone lesions.</p