http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress provides the latest news from Society of Nuclear Medicine Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, may be detected and monitored more effectively in the future with positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT), according to research published in the May issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. Typically assessed by endoscopic and histologic evaluations, investigators demonstrated the ability of PET/CT to identify lesions along the complete intestinal wall that could be missed with traditional imaging techniques. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-inflammatory-bowel-disease-petct.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 01 May 2013 15:52:19 EST news286642326 In vivo ventilation/perfusion (V/Q) imaging can detect early changes to the lung caused by cigarette smoke exposure and provides a noninvasive method for studying lung dysfunction in preclinical models, according to research published in the April issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. These measures have the potential to be applied clinically to study and diagnose the early stages of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-early-copd-diagnosis-nuclear-medicine.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 01 Apr 2013 10:34:00 EST news284031218 Two novel radiolabeled small molecules targeting prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA) have excellent potential for further development as diagnostic and therapeutic radiopharmaceuticals, according to research published this month in The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. The imaging agents—123I-MIP-1072 and 123I-MIP-1095—were shown to have a high sensitivity of lesion detection in bone, soft tissue and the prostate gland with minimal retention in non-target tissue. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-small-molecules-visualize-prostate-cancer.html Cancer Tue, 05 Mar 2013 11:05:12 EST news281703906 While amyloid imaging may now be most associated with detecting plaques in the brain, it has the potential to change the way cardiac amyloidosis is diagnosed. According to first-of-its-kind research published in the February issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, positron emission tomography (PET) with 11C-PIB can positively visualize amyloid deposits in the heart. Currently there is no noninvasive test available for specific diagnosis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-amyloid-imaging-cardiac-amyloidosis.html Medical research Mon, 04 Feb 2013 11:34:36 EST news279200067 Only recently has it become possible to create high-quality images of the brain plaques characteristic of Alzheimer's disease in living people through positron emission tomography (PET). Even so, questions remain about what can be learned from these PET images and which people should have this test. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-guidelines-brain-amyloid-imaging-alzheimer.html Alzheimer's disease & dementia Mon, 28 Jan 2013 00:20:01 EST news278504680 New research published in the January issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine shows that 18F-fludeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) imaging offers significant prognostic stratification information at initial staging for patients with locally advanced breast cancer. When compared to conventional imaging, 18F-FDG PET/CT more accurately showed lesions in the chest, abdomen and bones in a single session, changing management for more than 50 percent of the patients in the study. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-petct-advantages-conventional-staging-breast.html Cancer Wed, 02 Jan 2013 13:03:32 EST news276354206 In the management of gliomas—or tumors that originate in the brain—precise assessment of tumor grade and the proliferative activity of cells plays a major role in determining the most appropriate treatment and predicting overall survival. Research published in the December issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine (JNM) highlights the potential of imaging with 3'-deoxy-3'-F-18-fluorothymidine (F-18-FLT) positron emission tomography (PET) to noninvasively and accurately provide tumor-specific details to guide management of patients with gliomas. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-pet-imaging-accurately-treatment-survival.html Cancer Mon, 03 Dec 2012 13:05:45 EST news273762333 Molecular imaging with positron emission tomography (PET) has enabled scientists for the first time to visualize binding sites of caffeine in the living human brain to explore possible positive and negative effects of caffeine consumption. According to research published in the November issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, PET imaging with F-18-8-cyclopentyl-3-(3-fluoropropyl)-1-propylxanthine (F-18-CPFPX) shows that repeated intake of caffeinated beverages throughout a day results in up to 50 percent occupancy of the brain's A1 adenosine receptors. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-caffeine-effect-brain-adenosine-receptors.html Medical research Thu, 01 Nov 2012 13:38:56 EST news270995928 Determining the optimal treatment course and predicting outcomes may get easier in the future for patients with head and neck sqaumous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) with the use of an investigational imaging agent. Research published in the October issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine shows that positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with 3'-deoxy-3'F-18-fluorothymidine (18-F-FLT) during treatment and early follow-up has the potential to predict therapeutic responses and identify patients needing close follow-up to detect persistent or recurring disease. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-pet-early-response-treatment-neck.html Cancer Mon, 01 Oct 2012 12:10:03 EST news268311404 Disease-free survival for invasive ductal breast cancer (IDC) patients may be easier to predict with the help of F-18-fludeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) scans, according to research published in the September issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. New data show that high maximum standard uptake value (SUVmax) of F-18-FDG in the lymph nodes prior to treatment could be an independent indicator of disease recurrence. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-pretreatment-petct-imaging-lymph-nodes.html Cancer Tue, 04 Sep 2012 14:50:53 EST news265989042 When combined with standard diagnostic tests, functional imaging procedures have been shown to reduce the rate of misdiagnosed cases of infectious endocarditis. According to new research published in the August issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT)/computed tomography (CT) with 99mTc-hexamethylpropleneamine oxime-labeled white blood cells (99mTc-HMPAO-WBC) can improve the diagnosis of infectious endocarditis in hard-to-diagnose cases. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-difficult-cases-infectious-endocarditis-spectct.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 01 Aug 2012 13:40:45 EST news263047228 Research published in the July issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine shows imaging progesterone receptor (PR) status also may be able to identify responders and nonresponders to endocrine therapy at an early stage. Estrogen receptor-α (ERα) status is an important factor in determining the most appropriate treatment for breast cancer patients, especially for those who are ERα+ and likely to respond well to hormone-based, or endocrine, therapies. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-imaging-agents-breast-cancer-response.html Cancer Mon, 02 Jul 2012 12:09:00 EST news260449734 Molecular imaging is effective for providing information about disease processes, and today's hybrid imaging systems have additional computed tomography (CT) technology on board for alignment and imaging structures. While this addition increases the amount of radiation dose a patient receives, research presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine's2012 Annual Meeting finds that multiple molecular imaging studies need only one structural scan, which would slice off a significant amount of patient radiation exposure. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-reconfigured-hybrid-imaging-lowers-exposure.html Cancer Mon, 11 Jun 2012 14:30:03 EST news258639918 Many chronic heart failure patients struggle with not just strenuous activity but even the essentials such as moderate exercise and normal breathing. Research revealed at the Society of Nuclear Medicine's 2012 Annual Meeting presents an overnight breathing treatment called adaptive servo-ventilation as a potential protocol for energizing the heart by increasing activity in the sympathetic nervous system. An aspect of the nervous system, the main function of the sympathetic nervous system is to mobilize the body, commonly known as the "fight-or-flight" impulse. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-treatment-cardiac-function-nerve-health.html Cardiology Mon, 11 Jun 2012 14:30:01 EST news258639558 Patients with cardiovascular disease will now benefit from a powerful new molecular imaging tool to detect disease in the main arteries supplying oxygen to the heart, say researchers presenting studies at the Society of Nuclear Medicine's 2012 Annual Meeting. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-molecular-imaging-coronary-arteries-disease.html Cardiology Mon, 11 Jun 2012 14:20:01 EST news258639533