Positron Emission Computed Tomography Imaging of Synaptic Vesicle Glycoprotein 2A in Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disorder seen in age-dependent dementia. There is currently no effective treatment for AD, which may be attributed in part to lack of a clear underlying mechanism. Early diagnosis of AD is of great significance to control the development of the disease. Synaptic loss is an important pathology in the early stage of AD, therefore the measurement of synaptic density using molecular imaging technology may be an effective way to early diagnosis of AD. Synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A (SV2A) is located in the presynaptic vesicle membrane of virtually all synapses. SV2A Positron Emission Computed Tomography (PET) could provide a way to measure synaptic density quantitatively in living humans and to track changes in synaptic density in AD. In view of the fact that synaptic loss is the pathology of both epilepsy and AD, this review summarizes the potential role of SV2A in the pathogenesis of AD, and suggests that SV2A should be used as an important target molecule of PET imaging agent for the early diagnosis of AD.

ANALYSIS OF THE DIAGNOSTIC VALUE OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE COMPUTER TOMOGRAPHY AND POSITRON EMISSION COMPUTER TOMOGRAPHY WITH 18F-FDG IN IDENTIFICATION OF SPINAL AND PELVIC BONE METASTASES

Background. The treatment outcomes for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) depend on the tumor stage and treatment strategy. The imaging techniques play a significant role in the diagnosis, staging and choice of appropriate treatment for NSCLC.Purpose of the study: сomparison of the diagnostic capabilities of magnetic resonance imaging (MR) and positron emission computed tomography to select the optimal approaches to early detection of spinal and pelvic bone metastases.Material and Methods. The treatment outcomes were analyzed in 71 patients with NSCLC. Spinal and pelvic bone metastases were detected in 24 patients using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission computed tomography (PET/CT). Multiple bone lesions were the most common. A total of 69 metastatic lesions were identified. To compare the capabilities of diagnostic techniques, all patients underwent PET/CT with 18F-FDG, and MRI of the spine and pelvic bones using diffused-weighted images (DWI). Statistical data processing included the calculation of the sensitivity, specificity and diagnostic accuracy of the above techniques.Conclusion. The comparative analysis of the capabilities of modern high-tech diagnostic techniques (PET/CT with 18F-FDG and MRI of the spine and pelvic bones with DWI) in early detection of bone metastases in patients with NSCLC, PET/CT with 18F-FDG showed the greatest diagnostic value. However, taking into account the high sensitivity and specificity of MRI with DVI in detection of bone metastases and limited availability of PET/CT for patients, MRI with DVI is recommended to exclude bone metastases.

Difficult endoscopic resection of a giant esophageal fibrovascular polyp: case report and literature review

Esophageal fibrovascular polyp is rare in esophageal neoplasms and usually very large. Here, we present a case of giant esophageal fibrovascular polyp. The patient had dysphagia and choking sensation at presentation. She underwent positron emission-computed tomography (PET-CT), endoscopy, endoscopic ultrasonography, and fine needle aspiration. She was clinically diagnosed as having an esophageal benign tumor and underwent endoscopic submucosal dissection. The polyp was successfully resected; however, the process was very difficult, and the lesion was too large to pass through the upper esophagus. Finally, we removed the lesion surgically. Fibrovascular polyps are often large, and if endoscopic resection is chosen, it is necessary to consider the difficulties that may be encountered during resection, before initiating treatment.

Case Report: Incidental Finding of COVID-19 Infection after Positron Emission Tomography/CT Imaging in a Patient with a Diagnosis of Histoplasmosis and Recurring Fever

This is a case report of a 37-year-old woman evaluated with 18F-fludeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission computed tomography/CT with recurrent fever after treatment with itraconazole for 6 weeks for histoplasmosis. The examination demonstrated a decrease in the dimensions of the pulmonary opacities previously identified in the left lower lobe and attributed to histoplasmosis. In addition to these pulmonary opacities, increased FDG uptake was also observed in lymph nodes present in the cervical region, mediastinum, left lung hilum, and hepatic hilum. Notably, other pulmonary opacities with ground-glass pattern that were not present in the previous computed tomography were detected in the right lower lobe, with mild 18F-FDG uptake. Nasal swab performed shortly after the examination was positive for COVID-19. In this case, the 18F-FDG positron emission computed tomography/CT study demonstrated findings consistent with active COVID-19 infection coexisting with inflammatory changes associated with histoplasmosis infection.

Malignancy in non-HIV infected patients with cryptococcal meningitis: a retrospective study

Background: Cryptococcal meningitis (CM) was found to be coexist with malignancy in non-human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical characteristics and therapeutic outcomes of CM in non-HIV infected patients with malignancy.Methods: A total of 320 CM patients were enrolled for analysis from January 2013-May 2019. One hundred and four patients underwent positron emission computed tomography (PET-CT) examination. The demographics, clinical characteristics, microbiological, radiological, therapeutic outcomes were analyzed in CM patients with and without malignancy.Results: Twelve patients with malignancy were found, of which 7 malignancy before CM (MBC), 5 malignancy after CM (MAC). CM patients with malignancy were older than non-malignancy ones. The prognosis of MBC patients was comparable to that of non-malignancy patients, but was extremely poor in MAC patients. Four out of 5 CM patients, who was suggested diagnosis as malignancy by PET-CT, were finally confirmed.Conclusions: This study found an increase rate of solid malignancies in CM patients. Screening malignancy in older CM patients was very important because it is closely related to prognosis and might affect treatment strategy. PET-CT might be a useful tool for early malignancy screening in CM.