BACKGROUNDDiagnosis of syphilis is difficult. Follow-up and therapy evaluation of syphilitic patients are poor. Little is known about positron emission tomography (PET) in syphilis. This review was to systematically review usefulness of PET for diagnosis, disease extent evaluation, follow-up, and treatment response assessment in patients with syphilis.

METHODSWe searched PubMed, EMBASE, SCOPUS, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, ClinicalTrials.gov, and three Chinese databases (SinoMed, Wanfang, and CNKI) for English and Chinese language articles from inception to September 2016. We also collected potentially relevant studies and reviews using a manual search. The search keywords included the combined text and MeSH terms "syphilis" and "positron emission tomography". We included studies that reporting syphilis with a PET scan before and/or after antibiotic treatment. The diagnosis of syphilis was based on serological criteria or dark field microscopy. Outcomes include pre- and post-treatment PET scan, pre- and post-treatment computed tomography, and pre- and post-treatment magnetic resonance imaging. We excluded the articles not published in English or Chinese or not involving humans.

RESULTSOf 258 identified articles, 34 observational studies were included. Thirty-three studies were single-patient case reports and one study was a small case series. All patients were adults. The mean age of patients was 48.3 ± 12.1 years. In primary syphilis, increased fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) accumulation could be seen at the site of inoculation or in the regional lymph nodes. In secondary syphilis with lung, bone, gastrointestinal involvement, or generalized lymphadenopathy, increased FDG uptake was the most commonly detected changes. In tertiary syphilis, increased glucose metabolic activity, hypometabolic lesions, or normal glucose uptake might be seen on PET. There were five types of PET scans in neurosyphilis. A repeated PET scan after treatment revealed apparent or complete resolution of the asymmetry of radiotracer uptake.

CONCLUSIONPET is helpful in targeting diagnostic interventions, characterizing disease extent, assessing nodal involvement, and treatment efficacy for syphilis.

Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; metabolism ; Humans ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; methods ; Syphilis ; pathology

OBJECTIVETo explore the mechanism of puncturing at Sanyinjiao (SP6) on modulatory function of central nerve system.

METHODSPositron emission tomography (PET) was performed, using 18F-FDG as contrast medium, in six healthy female volunteers before and after puncturing right SP6 to detect the cerebral districts with changed glucose metabolism, using statistical parametric mapping (SPM) analysis.

RESULTSGlucose metabolism was increased in contralateral primary somatosensory cortex, primary somatic motor cortex, pre-supplementary motor cortex (BA8), and medial prefrontal cortex (BA10), bilateral supplementary motor cortex (BA6), anterior cingulate gyrus (BA24, BA32), and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (BA9), while glucose metabolism was decreased in lingual gyrus (BA17,18), hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus (BA28, BA35, BA30).

CONCLUSIONFunctions of cerebral districts with changed glucose metabolism after puncturing SP6 was well parallels to the clinical effect of puncturing SP6, illustrating the brain plays a great role in the body regulation of acupuncture at SP6, which possibly was the central foundation of acupuncture therapy.

Acupuncture ; Acupuncture Points ; Adult ; Brain ; metabolism ; physiology ; Female ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; Glucose ; metabolism ; Humans ; Positron-Emission Tomography

BACKGROUNDPermanent vegetative state is defined as the impaired level of consciousness longer than 12 months after traumatic causes and 3 months after non-traumatic causes of brain injury. Although many studies assessed the cerebral metabolism in patients with acute and persistent vegetative state after brain injury, few studies investigated the cerebral metabolism in patients with permanent vegetative state. In this study, we performed the voxel-based analysis of cerebral glucose metabolism and investigated the relationship between regional cerebral glucose metabolism and the severity of impaired consciousness in patients with permanent vegetative state after acquired brain injury.

METHODSWe compared the regional cerebral glucose metabolism as demonstrated by F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography from 12 patients with permanent vegetative state after acquired brain injury with those from 12 control subjects. Additionally, covariance analysis was performed to identify regions where decreased changes in regional cerebral glucose metabolism significantly correlated with a decrease of level of consciousness measured by JFK-coma recovery scale. Statistical analysis was performed using statistical parametric mapping.

RESULTSCompared with controls, patients with permanent vegetative state demonstrated decreased cerebral glucose metabolism in the left precuneus, both posterior cingulate cortices, the left superior parietal lobule (P(corrected) < 0.001), and increased cerebral glucose metabolism in the both cerebellum and the right supramarginal cortices (P(corrected) < 0.001). In the covariance analysis, a decrease in the level of consciousness was significantly correlated with decreased cerebral glucose metabolism in the both posterior cingulate cortices (P(uncorrected) < 0.005).

CONCLUSIONOur findings suggest that the posteromedial parietal cortex, which are part of neural network for consciousness, may be relevant structure for pathophysiological mechanism in patients with permanent vegetative state after acquired brain injury.

Adult ; Brain ; metabolism ; Brain Injuries ; metabolism ; Female ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; Glucose ; metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Persistent Vegetative State ; metabolism

BACKGROUNDCerebral glucose metabolism changes are always observed in patients suffering from malignant tumors. This preliminary study aimed to investigate the brain glucose metabolism changes in patients with lung cancer of different histological types.

METHODSOne hundred and twenty patients with primary untreated lung cancer, who visited People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University from February 2012 to July 2013, were divided into three groups based on histological types confirmed by biopsy or surgical pathology, which included adenocarcinoma (52 cases), squamous cell carcinoma (43 cases), and small-cell carcinoma (25 cases). The whole body 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) of these cases was retrospectively studied. The brain PET data of three groups were analyzed individually using statistical parametric maps (SPM) software, with 50 age-matched and gender-matched healthy controls for comparison.

RESULTSThe brain resting glucose metabolism in all three lung cancer groups showed regional cerebral metabolic reduction. The hypo-metabolic cerebral regions were mainly distributed at the left superior and middle frontal, bilateral superior and middle temporal and inferior and middle temporal gyrus. Besides, the hypo-metabolic regions were also found in the right inferior parietal lobule and hippocampus in the small-cell carcinoma group. The area of the total hypo-metabolic cerebral regions in the small-cell carcinoma group (total voxel value 3255) was larger than those in the adenocarcinoma group (total voxel value 1217) and squamous cell carcinoma group (total voxel value 1292).

CONCLUSIONSThe brain resting glucose metabolism in patients with lung cancer shows regional cerebral metabolic reduction and the brain hypo-metabolic changes are related to the histological types of lung cancer.

Adult ; Aged ; Brain ; metabolism ; Female ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; Glucose ; metabolism ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; metabolism ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Positron-Emission Tomography

Chorea is an uncommon clinical manifestation of Sytemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Its pathogenic mechanism has not been clearly clarified. We report a 54-year-old woman with SLE who presented with generalized chorea as an initial manifestation. Fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET revealed increased metabolism in the bilateral putamen. Intravenous and oral administration of steroid markedly improved chorea. Hypermetabolism of the bilateral putamen diminished on follow-up FDG-PET after the disappearance of chorea. This study suggests that chorea in SLE is associated with striatal hypermetabolism.
Administration, Oral ; Chorea* ; Female ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; Follow-Up Studies ; Humans ; Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic* ; Metabolism ; Middle Aged ; Putamen

Animals ; Brain ; metabolism ; physiology ; Circadian Rhythm ; physiology ; Female ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; pharmacokinetics ; Heart ; physiology ; Male ; Mice ; Mice, Inbred C57BL

The aim of this report was to assess the changes in the 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) uptake of brown fats on integrated positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging. The patient presented with an enlargement of the neck lymph nodes, and was suspicious for tuberculous lymphadenitis. A whole body PET/CT imaging was performed, followed by a delayed imaging of the neck and thoracic regions. A visually increased 18F-FDG uptake was taken as a positive finding. A semi-quantitative evaluation was performed using a maximum standardised uptake value (SUVmax), with a cut-off value above 2.5. There were a number of 18F-FDG avid activity areas seen at the supraclavicular, mediastinal, paravertebral and perirenal regions. These are in keeping with the physiological 18F-FDG uptake in brown fat. The differences in SUVmax between the two images ranged from -20 percent to +20 percent. Based on our observations, dual time point imaging may not be a reliable method for assessing the 18F-FDG uptake of brown fat.
Adipose Tissue, Brown ; diagnostic imaging ; metabolism ; Adult ; Female ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; Humans ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; methods ; Tuberculosis, Lymph Node ; diagnostic imaging

OBJECTIVETo study the biologic process of energy metabolism in brain during acupuncture using positron emission tomography (PET) with 18F-2-desoxyglucose (18FDG) for further elucidation of the relationship between acupunctural signal and nerve system.

METHODSElectroacupuncture (EA) was applied on right lateral of a healthy volunteer and paralytic limbs of 4 patients with cerebral infarction at acupoints L14, LI11, ST36 and SP6 using Hans acupoint-nerve stimulator. PET imaging was conducted on the healthy subject or patients with the same posture before and during EA with GE Advance II PET system.

RESULTSPET showed that in the healthy subject, before EA, the glucose metabolism (GM) in bilateral cerebral cortex, bilateral thalamus, basal nuclei and cerebellum was almost symmetrical, but during EA, the GM in contralateral thalamus, contralateral frontal lobe and parietal lobe (motor and sensory area) increased obviously. While in the patients before EA, the GM in the infarcted area was significantly lower than that in the non-infarcted area, as compared with that observed with CT and MRI, it showed a similar figure but with bigger abnormal area. During EA, GM in the infarcted area increased with apparent reduction of size. Increased GM of focal area, widened cerebral cortex and decreased edematous area were shown in patients with larger infarction area. Quantitative analysis revealed evident change in local/total ratio of glucose and increase of GM change rate.

CONCLUSION(1) EA on limb acupoints of healthy subject could induce obvious increase of regional GM in brain and contralateral thalamus, contralateral frontal lobe and parietal lobe (motor and sensory area). (2) EA on acupoints of paralytic limbs could cause increase of GM in contralateral thalamus, contralateral frontal lobe and parietal lobe. Besides, GM also increased in the area with lowered GM before EA, accompanied with shrinkage or disappearance of lesion. (3) Acupuncture could evoke the function of brain cells and raise the GM in them.

Aged ; Brain ; diagnostic imaging ; metabolism ; Cerebral Infarction ; diagnostic imaging ; metabolism ; Electroacupuncture ; Energy Metabolism ; Female ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; Glucose ; metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Radiopharmaceuticals ; Random Allocation ; Tomography, Emission-Computed

BACKGROUNDFluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose ((18)F-FDG) positron emission tomography imaging can be used to assess the treatment efficacy of chemotherapy and prognosis. The aim of this study was to determine the uptake rate of (18)F-FDG in colon cancer HCT-116 cells, and to evaluate the treatment efficacy of chemotherapy, hyperthermia and thermo-chemotherapy through the uptake inhibition rate of (18)F-FDG.

METHODSThe uptake rate of (18)F-FDG in HCT-116 cells was determined at various experimental conditions. The inhibition rate of cell growth, uptake rate of (18)F-FDG and uptake inhibition rate of (18)F-FDG in HCT-116 cells treated with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) at various concentrations were determined. In HCT-116 cells subjected to chemotherapy (5-FU, 100 µg/ml), hyperthermia (43°C, 40 minutes) and thermo-chemotherapy for 24 hours, the inhibition rate of cell growth and uptake inhibition rate of (18)F-FDG were determined; early apoptosis, the morphology and ultrastructure of HCT-116 cells were examined; and the contents of glucose and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in the cell culture medium of HCT-116 cells were determined. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and correlation analyses were conducted by using SPSS 16.0 software.

RESULTSThe uptake rate of (18)F-FDG in HCT-116 cells was (44.25 ± 2.19)%. Under the condition of adding 5-FU at various concentrations for 24 hours, the uptake rate of (18)F-FDG was negatively correlated with 5-FU dosage (r = -0.879, P < 0.01); the inhibition rate of cell growth revealed a positive correlation with the uptake inhibition rate of (18)F-FDG (r = 0.831, P < 0.01). In HCT-116 cells subjected to hyperthermia, chemotherapy, and thermo-chemotherapy for 24 hours, the uptake inhibition rates of (18)F-FDG were (12.94 ± 2.80)%, (28.25 ± 4.59)%, and (21.60 ± 3.68)%, respectively. The early apoptotic rates of HCT-116 cells were (9.80 ± 0.16)%, (19.80 ± 2.40)%, and (15.70 ± 1.80)%, respectively. Moreover, the contents of glucose and LDH in cell culture medium of HCT-116 cells after treatments were higher than those before treatment.

CONCLUSIONThe uptake inhibition rate of (18)F-FDG can be used for early evaluation of hyperthermia and 5-FU treatment efficacy on cancer cells although hyperthermia (43°C, 40 minutes) does not reveal the synergistic effect on 5-FU at the low dosage.

Apoptosis ; drug effects ; Cell Proliferation ; drug effects ; Colonic Neoplasms ; metabolism ; Fever ; metabolism ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 ; metabolism ; Fluorouracil ; pharmacology ; HCT116 Cells ; Humans ; Microscopy, Electron, Transmission

PURPOSE: In cardiac 2-[F-18]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) examination, interpretation of myocardial viability in the low uptake region (LUR) has been difficult without additional perfusion imaging. We evaluated distribution patterns of FDG at the border zone of the LUR in the cardiac FDG-PET and established a novel parameter for diagnosing myocardial viability and for discriminating the LUR of normal variants. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cardiac FDG-PET was performed in patients with a myocardial ischemic event (n = 22) and in healthy volunteers (n = 22). Whether the myocardium was not a viable myocardium (not-VM) or an ischemic but viable myocardium (isch-VM) was defined by an echocardiogram under a low dose of dobutamine infusion as the gold standard. FDG images were displayed as gray scaled-bull's eye mappings. FDG-plot profiles for LUR (= true ischemic region in the patients or normal variant region in healthy subjects) were calculated. Maximal values of FDG change at the LUR border zone (a steepness index; S(max) scale/pixel) were compared among not-VM, isch-VM, and normal myocardium. RESULTS: S(max) was significantly higher for n-VM compared to those with isch-VM or normal myocardium (ANOVA). A cut-off value of 0.30 in Smax demonstrated 100% sensitivity and 83% specificity for diagnosing n-VM and isch-VM. S(max) less than 0.23 discriminated LUR in normal myocardium from the LUR in patients with both n-VM and isch-VM with a 94% sensitivity and a 93% specificity. CONCLUSION: S(max) of the LUR in cardiac FDG-PET is a simple and useful parameter to diagnose n-VM and isch-VM, as well as to discriminate thr LUR of normal variants.
Aged ; Aged, 80 and over ; Echocardiography ; Female ; Fluorodeoxyglucose F18/*metabolism ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Myocardial Infarction/metabolism/pathology ; Myocardium/*metabolism/*pathology ; Positron-Emission Tomography ; Young Adult