The emergence, in our study, of a correlation between the percentage of CD8+/CD38+/RO+ T cells (well established markers of progression to AIDS independently of CD4+ T lymphocytes) and positive FDG-PET in ART-naive patients is a novel finding that seems to confer prognostic value on FDG uptake. FDG uptake is strongly associated with response to ART independently of a previous AIDS diagnosis. Notably, no differences were observed between ART-treated subjects classed as immunological responders and those classed as non responders. Data herewith indicate that FDG uptake and immunological variables are unrelated when ART is being administered. This is evidence of the complementarity of immunological and FDG measures. FDG uptake is a sensitive marker of disease state and its relation with CD8+/CD38+/CD45RO+ T cells indicates that it can be considered a marker of disease status. The lack of a correlation between FDG uptake and immunological variables in patients under ART warrants further investigation.

This study reveals that perceptron-like ANN is potentially a useful approach for GD-management in choosing the most appropriate therapy schedule at the time of diagnosis.

Aims: To investigate the analytical and diagnostic accuracy of thyrotrophin (TSH) receptor antibody assays using recombinant human TSH receptors. Methods: Sera from 68 patients with Graves' disease, 23 patients with autoimmune thyroiditis, and 119 healthy controls were evaluated in four different laboratories using both radioactive and chemiluminescent tracers. Functional sensitivity, interlaboratory precision, optimal cutoff values for Graves' disease, and the correlation between the two methods were evaluated. Results: Functional sensitivity was 0.98 IU/litre for both assays. Interlaboratory precision, expressed as per cent coefficient of variation over a wide range of antibody concentrations, varied from 5.7% to 15.1% for the radioligand, and from 6.6% to 19.9% for the chemiluminescence assay. The two methods (radioactive and chemiluminescent) were closely correlated. All the sera from untreated or relapsing patients with Graves' disease gave TSH receptor antibody values above 2.1 IU/litre, whereas in none of the healthy controls did values exceed 2.5 IU/litre. Receiver operating curve analysis allowed an optimal cutoff point to be defined at 1.99 IU/litre, according to a sensitivity of 100% and specificity of 99.1%. Conclusions: These data show the high analytical and diagnostic accuracy of the human TSH receptor assays, both with radioactive and chemiluminescent tracers, when both functional sensitivity and interlaboratory reproducibility are considered. These two methods could be proposed as first line diagnostic markers for Graves' disease.

F-choline PET/CT was performed for suspected prostate cancer relapse in a 67-year-old man with hip pain and a rapid rise in prostate-specific antigen values (1.1 ng/mL). PET imaging showed an area of increased F-choline bone uptake in the right ischium. Coregistered CT images showed a lytic bone lesion. The infrequent CT appearance of a possible prostate carcinoma metastasis led to additional laboratory testing that showed a monoclonal γ-peak and to subsequent biopsy, which revealed a solitary plasmocytoma.