http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and 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 Australian researchers have developed a new therapy to treat a common and aggressive form of breast cancer and stop the disease spreading, with a 100% success rate reported in mice. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-therapy-aggressive-breast-cancers.html Cancer Tue, 16 Apr 2013 09:05:41 EST news285321933 A technology being developed at Oak Ridge National Laboratory promises to provide clear images of the brains of children, the elderly and people with Parkinson's and other diseases without the use of uncomfortable or intrusive restraints. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-ornl-imaging-device-diagnostics-field.html Medical research Thu, 04 Apr 2013 12:40:22 EST news284298016 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 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 A collaboration between the Paul Scherrer Institute, CERN's ISOLDE facility, and the Institut Laue-Langevin, has published preclinical study results for a newly developed set of tumour-targeting radiopharmaceuticals. The results, published in The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, are a significant success for this group of nuclear medicine specialists and radiochemists, demonstrating the potential to provide a new generation of radioisotopes with excellent properties for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-terbium-swiss-army-knife-cancer.html Cancer Mon, 24 Dec 2012 07:49:38 EST news275557766 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 For those with esophageal cancer, initial staging of the disease is of particular importance as it determines whether to opt for a curative treatment or palliative treatment. Research presented in the June issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine shows that physicians using positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) can discern incremental staging information about the cancer, which can significantly impact management plans. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-life-prolonged-esophageal-cancer-patients.html Cancer Mon, 04 Jun 2012 15:18:27 EST news258041458 (Medical Xpress) -- A Yale University-led research team has developed a way to measure the loss of insulin-producing islet cells in the human pancreas. The death of those beta cells leads to diabetes. The finding is a crucial step in developing therapies to preserve insulin production and slow or halt the progress of diabetes. The study appears in the June issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-diabetes-loss-human-pancreas-cells.html Medical research Fri, 01 Jun 2012 06:44:59 EST news257751721 New research published in the April issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine reveals that systemic inflammation causes an increase in depressive symptoms and metabolic changes in the parts of the brain responsible for mood and motivation. With this finding, researchers can begin to test potential treatments for depression for patients that experience symptoms that are related to inflammation in the body or within the brain. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-molecular-imaging-links-inflammation-depression.html Neuroscience Mon, 02 Apr 2012 16:35:33 EST news252603324 Imaging amino acid transporters with positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) has been shown to significantly alter intended management plans for patients with brain tumors, according to research in the March issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. As a result of imaging with the radiopharmaceutical 3,4-dihydroxy-6-F-18-fluoro-L-phenylalanine (F-18-DOPA), physicians changed the intended management plan for 41 percent of patients with brain tumors. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-pet-tracer-brain-tumor-patients.html Cancer Thu, 01 Mar 2012 11:00:02 EST news249821026 In two new studies featured in the February issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine, researchers are revealing how molecular imaging can be used to solve mysteries about difficult cases of breast cancer. One article focuses on an imaging agent that targets estrogen receptors in estrogen receptor–positive breast cancer patients with formerly inconclusive assessments, and the second highlights a different imaging agent's ability to help predict the prognosis for patients undergoing chemotherapy for a very aggressive type of breast cancer. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-pet-techniques-accurate-diagnosis-prognosis.html Cancer Mon, 06 Feb 2012 16:25:14 EST news247767908 In a new review of imaging studies spanning more than ten years, scientists find that a method of positron emission tomography (PET) safely and accurately detects dementia, including the most common and devastating form among the elderly, Alzheimer's disease. This research is featured in the January issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-decade-pet-effectively-dementia.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Fri, 06 Jan 2012 15:07:12 EST news245084811 Positron emission tomography (PET) and a molecular imaging agent that captures the proliferation of cancer cells could prove to be a valuable method for imaging a form of Non-Hodgkin's disease called mantle cell lymphoma, a relatively rare and devastating blood cancer. The pilot study is published in the December issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-12-pet-technique-response-non-hodgkin-lymphoma.html Cancer Wed, 21 Dec 2011 12:31:44 EST news243693083 For prostate cancer patients with bone metastases, repeated administrations of radionuclide therapy with 188Re-HEDP are shown to improve overall survival rates and reduce pain, according to new research published in the November issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-11-radionuclide-therapy-prostate-cancer-patients.html Cancer Tue, 01 Nov 2011 10:21:45 EST news239361694 For patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) the accurate determination of the lymph node status before therapy is critical to develop an individualized treatment plan. Research from the October issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine highlights a new way for this information to be collected -- a virtual fly-through three-dimensional 18F-FDG PET/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) bronchoscopy that has high diagnostic accuracy for the detection of regional lymph node metastases. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-virtual-fly-through-bronchoscopy-yields-real.html Cancer Mon, 03 Oct 2011 16:01:49 EST news236876478 According to new Dutch research featured in the September issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, a peptide receptor radiolabeled therapy (PRRT), [177Lu-DOTA0,Tyr3]Octreotate (177Lu-octreotate) , is effective not only in decreasing tumor size but also in reducing the severity of side effects that often accompany a cancer diagnosis. While many neuroendocrine cancers are incurable, they grow relatively slowly, and life expectancy is relatively long, making quality of life an important factor in treatment. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-benefits-radionuclide-therapy-neuroendocrine-tumors.html Cancer Tue, 20 Sep 2011 14:27:17 EST news235747604 Scientists at Queen's University have pioneered a new combination treatment for prostate cancer. The treatment, which has been successful in phase one of trials, will now be tested for efficacy in a second phase. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-queen-prostate-cancer-breakthrough.html Cancer Mon, 19 Sep 2011 09:49:11 EST news235644513 Oncologists have long sought a powerful "magic bullet" that can find tumors wherever they hide in the body so that they can be imaged and then destroyed. Until recently scientists accepted the notion that such an agent, an agonist, needed to enter and accumulate in the cancerous cells to act. An international research team has now shown in cancer patients that an investigational agent that sticks onto the surface of tumor cells without triggering internalization, an antagonist, may be safer and even more effective than agonists. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-proof-patients-magic-bullet-cancer.html Cancer Mon, 12 Sep 2011 16:00:49 EST news235061961 Two new studies published in the August issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine (JNM) provide insight into the potential of positron emission tomography (PET) to differentiate between types of dementia and to identify pharmaceuticals to slow the progress of dementia. With proposed National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the Alzheimer's Association guidelines for detecting Alzheimer's-related brain changes expected in September, these articles give a preview of what may be to come. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-upcoming-alzheimer-disease-guidelines.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 01 Aug 2011 16:18:09 EST news231432132 A new treatment option may soon be available for children with neuroblastoma according to research published in the July issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. The study tested the principle that combined positron emission tomography and X-ray computed tomography (PET/CT) may be used to select children with primary refractory or relapsed high-risk neuroblastoma for treatment with a molecular radiotherapy known as 177Lu-DOTATATE. This therapeutic option was found to be viable option for children with neuroblastomas. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-06-therapy-childhood-neuroblastoma-feasible-safe.html Cancer Wed, 29 Jun 2011 16:47:08 EST news228584793 With the deficiencies in knowledge of tuberculosis -- as well as in the practices, programs and strategies used to combat the disease and co-infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) -- the spread of multidrug-resistant (MDR) tuberculosis poses a major problem for the health care community. Research in the June issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, however, shows that the use of 18F-FDG positron emission tomography (PET) scans can help to determine earlier if treatment for tuberculosis is working or if the disease is MDR. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-pet-scans-effectiveness-treatment-multidrug-resistant.html Other Tue, 24 May 2011 11:41:35 EST news225456045 Two articles in the June issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine make a case for maintaining current U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) regulations on the release of patients who undergo radioactive iodine treatments for thyroid cancer, known as I-131. Currently, the NRC recommends outpatient treatment for patients receiving radioactive iodine after total or near-total thyroidectomy; however, several groups have been urging NRC to mandate overnight hospital stays to protect others from a perceived risk of radiation exposure. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-case-current-i-therapy.html Other Thu, 05 May 2011 13:55:38 EST news223822525