Free community pet clinics (FCPCs) are instrumental in providing healthcare services for pets in resource-constrained communities. These programmes are typically single-day and coupled with limited opportunity for post-operative follow-up, the likelihood of compromise on the welfare of the sterilised pets becomes apparent. The objective of this study was to identify welfare and ethical challenges associated with dog sterilisation clinics conducted in Kampala Metropolitan Area, Uganda, from May to October 2023. We evaluated the welfare of 46 dogs sterilised at the FCPCs. We collected data using a questionnaire combined with observations and checklists at all stages, including arrival, pre-surgical evaluation, post-surgical recovery, and follow-ups at 7 and 30 days post-surgery. Dogs transported to the clinics by motorcycle moved the longest distance (9.5 km; range: 7.2-11 km), followed by those brought by car (3.8 km; range 3.8-4 km) and lastly by walking (2.0 km; 1-3 km). During the pre-surgical waiting period and post-surgical recovery, 91.3 and 63.0% of dogs, respectively, did not receive any provisions. The Animal Welfare Assessment Grid (AWAG) tool evaluated the impact of physical, psychological, and procedural factors on dog welfare and revealed that procedural events had the most negative impact. In the follow-up, one week post-surgery, a significant percentage of dogs were healing normally (73.7%) while infection at the surgical site was reported in 15.4%. Assessing the behavioural change of dogs by 30 days post-operatively, 46.4% reportedly had increased aggression levels. These findings highlight crucial welfare and stress control points for dogs sterilised at free community clinics, which may influence the outcome of the surgery and later interactions with healthcare professionals.
Misregistration between CT and PET images can compromise lesion localization and the accuracy of tracer uptake quantification. Although repeating a limited-coverage (LC) CT scan may resolve the issue, most PET/CT systems require extending the LC CT to cover one to two PET bed positions, substantially increasing the patient's CT dose and adding the complexity of matching the LC CT to the corresponding PET positions. Consequently, many clinics instead repeat an LC PET/CT scan, which is operationally simpler but adds several minutes of unnecessary PET acquisition and still results in a significant increase in CT dose. A more efficient solution is needed-one that minimizes CT doses without necessitating an additional PET scan. We aimed to develop a misregistration correction server (MCS) to solve the problems of excessive CT dose and unnecessary PET scans associated with current limited coverage (LC) CT and LC PET/CT procedures. A new MCS was developed to embed the CT of PET/CT with either an LC CT or data-driven gated (DDG) CT to enable PET attenuation correction. Both LC CT and DDG CT can be positioned across PET bed positions and does not need a repeat PET. The MCS currently supports misregistration correction of 9 scanners within our hospital network: 8 GE DMI and 1 Siemens Quadra. It can simultaneously process data from all 9 scanners and return the WB CT embedded with LC CT or DDG CT to each requesting scanner for misregistration correction. Over 2,033 patient studies have been corrected. The dose implications of the MCS will be assessed. The processing time from data transfer to output was approximately 1 min for LC CT and 3 min for DDG CT. The MCS workflow has minimal operational impact and eliminates the need for repeat PET acquisitions. The LC/DDG CT scan ranges were 17.5 ± 4.7 cm on the GE DMI and 22.1 ± 5.6 cm on the Siemens Quadra, with corresponding doses of 7.52 ± 4.18 mGy and 5.63 ± 4.46 mGy. Registration improved in 2,004 of 2,013 DMI studies and 13 of 20 Quadra studies. The dose length product (DLP) values for LC/DDG CT (DMI: 133.9 ± 87.8 mGy-cm; Quadra: 108.3 ± 90.6 mGy-cm) were substantially lower than the WB CT values (DMI: 569.0 ± 305.0 mGy-cm; Quadra: 641.8 ± 321.5 mGy-cm), representing only 23.5% and 16.8% of the corresponding WB DLP. A new MCS has been developed to correct misregistration in PET/CT scanners from GE and Siemens. It can generate DDG CT from the cine CT data to correct for PET or DDG PET, or enable repeat CT of any coverage, avoiding the need for repeat PET and thereby reducing both CT dose and PET scan time. The additional doses in DLP accounted for 23.5% of the WB DLP for the GE DMI scanner and 16.8% for the Siemens Vision Quadra scanner.
Human-animal interaction (HAI; e.g., pet ownership) may contribute to enhanced health and well-being among individuals managing chronic conditions like HIV; however, responsibilities associated with pet ownership may also prevent owners from accessing timely healthcare. This study investigates the relationship between pet ownership, pet-related barriers to healthcare (PRBH), and comfort derived from pets with durable HIV viral suppression among people with HIV (PWH) in Florida. We tested three hypotheses using survey data from the Florida Cohort Study linked with Florida Department of Health HIV surveillance data, which included 623 participants recruited through HIV care providers and community health clinics. First, we hypothesized that pet owners would exhibit a higher likelihood of durable viral suppression compared to non-owners. While initial findings suggested that pet owners were more likely to be durably virally suppressed (OR = 1.82, p < 0.01), this association weakened, though remained marginally significant, after adjusting for covariates (OR = 1.55, p = 0.06). Second, we hypothesized that, among the pet-owning subset (n = 221), both experienced and anticipated PRBH would be negatively associated with viral suppression among pet owners. Our results confirmed that previously experienced PRBH were significantly associated with lower rates of viral suppression (OR = 0.22, p = 0.02), while anticipated barriers were not (OR = 0.44, p = 0.12). Lastly, we hypothesized that comfort from pets would be associated with better viral suppression; however, this was not supported (OR = 1.00, p = 0.98). These findings suggest that integrating pet-related support into HIV management strategies (e.g., providing pet sitting for patients receiving HIV care) could be supportive of HIV patient health by enabling owners to access timely care while maintaining the human-animal bond. Future research should assess the efficacy of collaborative efforts between healthcare providers and veterinary services in addressing the PRBH faced by pet-owning PWH to promote HIV management while supporting pet ownership in this population. La interacción humano-animal (HAI, por sus siglas en inglés; por ejemplo, tener una mascota) puede contribuir a una mejor salud y bienestar en general entre personas que manejan condiciones crónicas como el VIH; sin embargo, las responsabilidades asociadas con tener mascotas también pueden impedir que sus dueños atiendan a su salud de manera oportuna. El presente estudio investiga la relación entre tener mascotas y las barreras relacionadas con las mascotas para acceder a la atención médica (PRBH, por sus siglas en inglés), y el confort derivado de las mascotas con la supresión viral a largo plazo del VIH entre personas con VIH (PVIH) en La Florida. Pusimos a prueba tres hipótesis utilizando datos de la encuesta del Estudio de Cohorte de La Florida vinculados con los datos de vigilancia del VIH del Departamento de Salud de La Florida, que incluyeron a 623 participantes reclutados a través de proveedores de atención del VIH y clínicas comunitarias de salud. Primero, planteamos la hipótesis de que los dueños de mascotas tendrían una mayor probabilidad de supresión viral a largo plazo en comparación con quienes no las tenían. Aunque los resultados iniciales sugirieron que los dueños de mascotas tenían mayor probabilidad de tener una supresión viral a largo plazo (OR = 1.76, p < 0.01), esta asociación se debilitó, después de ajustar por covariables, aunque se mantuvo marginalmente significativa (OR = 1.55, p = 0.06). En segundo lugar, planteamos la hipótesis de que, entre el subconjunto de dueños de mascotas (n = 221), tanto las barreras experimentadas como las anticipadas relacionadas con las mascotas para acceder a la atención médica (PRBH) estarían negativamente asociadas con la supresión viral. Nuestros resultados confirmaron que las PRBH previamente experimentadas se asociaron significativamente con tasas más bajas de supresión viral (OR = 0.22, p = 0.02), mientras que las barreras anticipadas no lo estuvieron (OR = 0.44, p = 0.12). Por último, planteamos la hipótesis de que el confort de las mascotas estaría asociado con una mejor supresión viral; sin embargo, esto no fue confirmado (OR = 1.01, p = 0.63). Estos hallazgos sugieren que integrar el apoyo relacionado con las mascotas en las estrategias de manejo del VIH (por ejemplo, ofrecer cuidado de mascotas a pacientes que reciben atención para el VIH) podría contribuir a la salud de los pacientes con VIH al permitir que los dueños accedan a atención oportuna a la misma vez que puedan mantener el vínculo humano-animal. En el futuro, las investigaciones deberían evaluar la eficacia de los esfuerzos colaborativos entre proveedores de atención médica y servicios veterinarios para abordar las PRBH que enfrentan las PVIH con mascotas, con el fin de promover el manejo del VIH y apoyar la tenencia de mascotas en esta población.
Pets can contain parasites along with other infectious diseases. This survey investigates risk factors associated with pet owners' sociodemographic status and categorizes pet animals into different risk groups, as reported by their owners, in Sylhet City Corporation, Bangladesh. Data were collected using a preplanned questionnaire from cat and dog owners at different pet clinics. The responses provided details on pets' living conditions and classified them into one of the four levels of risk for ESCCAP infections (A, B, C, and D). The chi-square test examined associations between risk groups and the owners' sociodemographic factors. This study assessed 197 cat owners and 32 dog owners to assess their pets' risk of diseases using ESCCAP guidelines and its relationship with owners' sociodemographic factors. Among dogs, 50% were classified in the highest-risk group (D), requiring monthly deworming, while 54% of cats were in the lowest-risk group (A), reflecting reduced exposure to parasites. For dogs, significant associations were observed between risk groups and owners' education, gender, veterinary visits, and residency (p < 0.05). Among cat owners, owners' residency, responsibility, vet visits, and attitude toward pets are significantly associated with different risk groups (p < 0.05). Deworming compliance was higher among cat owners (55.83%) than dog owners (18.75%), though it remained suboptimal overall. Awareness of zoonotic diseases was low, with only 21.87% of dog owners and 25.38% of cat owners informed. The serious shortage of zoonotic awareness among pet owners forms the basis of the One Health challenges. This represents a major threat to public health owing to the intimate relationship between owners and vulnerable pets, such as 50% of dogs in group D. Vaccination rates were higher for cats (56.34%) than dogs (28.12%). Pets in urban areas faced lower risks than those in rural settings (p < 0.001), underscoring the role of environmental exposure. These findings emphasize the urgent need for comprehensive health education, better veterinary engagement, and targeted interventions to enhance parasite control and reduce zoonotic risks within the One Health framework.
Most published studies of fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET for infection and inflammation have focused on adults, and this experience-along with more limited pediatric FDG-PET/CT experience-has guided the use of FDG-PET/MR in children and young adults. In pediatric patients, FDG-PET/MR has been used for evaluation of fever of unknown origin, suspected osteomyelitis, endocarditis or cardiac device infection, vasculitis, and inflammatory bowel disease. Compared with FDG-PET/CT, FDG-PET/MR provides better soft tissue detail and lower radiation exposure. Although FDG-PET/MR is currently underused, these advantages support broader adoption of FDG-PET/MR for evaluating inflammatory and infectious conditions in younger patients.
Pet food, due to its general abundance and use of animal protein, makes a substantial contribution to the environmental 'pawprint' of dog and cat ownership. As pet owners are increasingly interested in sustainability issues, which include both the physical environment and animal welfare, our objective was to identify how veterinary teams can support pet owners to make sustainable feeding choices. We surveyed 1,066 people on perceptions of these topics and the role their veterinary team could fill. While people value both factors when choosing pet food, animal welfare was significantly more important in driving pet owners' choices relative to the environment. We found that pet owners consider the veterinary team, particularly veterinarians, to be a trusted source of information for animal welfare and environmental sustainability. Finally, third-party certifications are well received by both familiar and introduced individuals and could be a powerful tool in these conversations. This study highlights opportunities for veterinary clinics to advance sustainability efforts in the animal health sector.
Psychiatric and neurological disorders severely compromised patients' quality of life. Despite their urgent needs, the development of diagnostics and therapeutics based on the biological basis has made only little progress. This is due to limited evidence on the biological basis of these disorders in humans. Synapses are fundamental structural units of neurotransmission, and neuropsychiatric disorders are considered as 'synapse diseases'. Thus, a translational approach based on synaptic physiology is important to understand these disorders. Excitatory glutamatergic synapses play principal roles in neuronal functions. Glutamate α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid receptor (AMPAR) is a fundamental molecule of glutamatergic neurotransmission and therefore is considered to be a promising translational target. Here we review the limitations of current diagnostics and therapeutics of psychiatric disorders and claim the essential need for the promotion of translational medicine based on the synaptic physiology of AMPAR. Further, we introduce our recent translational challenge to tackle these diseases by targeting AMPARs.
Background: Motion is a long-standing problem in cardiac PET/CT. An automated data-driven motion correction (DDMC) algorithm for within-reconstruction motion correction (MC) has been developed and validated in static images from [13N]NH3 and 82Rb PET/CT. This study aims to validate DDMC in dynamic [13N]NH3 PET/CT, and to explore the added value of DDMC in the evaluation of myocardial motion. Methods: Thirty-six PET/CT studies from normal patients and forty-three scans from patients with myocardial ischemia were processed using QPET software without MC (NMC), using manual in-software MC (ISMC), and DDMC. Differences in the mean values of rest-, stress-MBF, and CFR; and differences in effect size related to the use and type of MC method were explored. Moreover, motion vectors provided by DDMC were analyzed to evaluate differences in myocardial motion between scan phases and axes, and to elucidate changes in MBF quantification in relation to the motion extent. Results: In both subgroups, repeated measures ANOVA showed that the use of MC significantly increased regional and global stress-MBF and CFR values (p < 0.05), regardless of the MC method. Paired t-test analysis demonstrated a comparable ES between MC tools, despite minor differences in Cx, RCA and global rest-MBF values. High-intensity motion (>6 mm) proved to be present almost exclusively in the Z (cranio-caudal) direction. In the same axis, motion was significantly higher during stress than rest, regardless of patients' subgroup. Finally, the Jonckheere trend test showed a significant trend caused by motion in s-MBF values, in which lower stress-MBF values were observed in response to motion extent increments. Conclusions: DDMC is feasible to perform in [13N]NH3 dynamic acquisitions and provides similar MBF/CFR values than manual ISMC. The use of DDMC reduces post-processing times and observer variability, and allows a more extensive evaluation of motion. MC is highly recommended when using QPET, as motion in the Z-axis during stress scans negatively impacts stress-MBF quantification.
Limbic-predominant age-related transactive response DNA-binding protein 43 kDa encephalopathy (LATE) is emerging as a prevalent neurodegenerative disorder in aging populations, mimicking the clinical presentation of Alzheimer disease (AD). This study investigates in vivo [18F]FDG PET and MRI biomarkers in detecting probable LATE neuropathologic change. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 944 [18F]FDG PET cases referred from cognitive disorder clinics in a tertiary care center. To characterize the LATE and AD findings objectively and quantitatively, we created 3-dimensional stereotactic surface projection PET templates for LATE neuropathologic change (n = 6) and AD neuropathologic change (n = 32) from autopsy-confirmed Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative and University of Utah datasets, respectively. All 3-dimensional stereotactic surface projection z score [18F]FDG maps were created in comparison to normal PET scans from 20 control cases whose amyloid PET scans were negative. Using the autopsy-derived z score maps, z score product indices (the individual z score map multiplied by the z scores of autopsy-confirmed cohorts) were generated for each subject, stratifying participants into probable LATE, probable LATE and AD (LATE+AD), and probable AD. Clinical and quantitative MRI volumetry data were compared across the groups using 1-way or Welch ANOVA and Fisher exact tests, depending on the assessed variables. Results: Of the 944 clinical cases, 13.0% were characterized as probable LATE (2.4% pure LATE and 10.6% LATE+AD) and 23.7% were characterized as probable AD without LATE. MRI volumetry revealed that the medial temporal lobe was most affected in pure LATE cases (P < 0.001), whereas the orbitofrontal gyrus and lateral temporal lobe were most vulnerable in mixed LATE+AD cases (P = 0.001; P < 0.001). Post hoc analysis identified the entorhinal cortex and amygdala as key regions for distinguishing mixed LATE+AD cases from pure LATE and pure AD cases, respectively (P = 0.05; P < 0.001). Subgroup analysis of the probable LATE+AD group demonstrated additive or synergistic effects of both pathologies, with three quarters of cases exhibiting concordant lateralized metabolic brain changes, predominantly left-sided, based on LATE and AD z score products (P < 0.001). A similar pattern of left-dominant brain atrophy was observed in MRI volumetry. Conclusion: Substantial numbers of our patients exhibited LATE features that were characterized objectively using scans from autopsy-proven cases. These LATE cases were associated with specific regional atrophy measured by quantitative MRI. Cases with LATE+AD copathologies demonstrated synergistic hemispheric involvement. Further investigations of such synergistic changes between LATE and AD are warranted.
While 123I-metaiodobenzylguanidine scintigraphy with single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography remains the gold standard for the initial diagnosis, staging, treatment response assessment, and surveillance of recurrence in neuroblastoma (NB), PET imaging has emerged as a promising alternative modality. PET provides superior spatial resolution, allowing earlier detection of small lesions and more accurate staging through quantitative analysis. The development of diverse PET radiotracers has further improved diagnostic precision and facilitated treatment planning. Although current clinical evidence for PET in NB is still limited, ongoing advances in tumor-specific PET tracers are likely to expand its role in future clinical practice.
SUV4.0-based thresholding is widely used for baseline [¹⁸F]FDG PET-based metabolic tumor volume (MTV) assessment in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), but its suitability at interim and end-of-treatment (EoT) PET, when residual uptake is heterogeneous and tumor-to-background contrast is lower, is uncertain. We aimed to define a lesion-adaptive decision rule approach for selecting the optimal segmentation method based on lesion-level features and treatment phase and, exploratorily, to compare its performance with ML-based selection models. A total of 598 lesions from 33 DLBCL patients (HOVON-84 trial) were segmented at baseline, interim, and EoT [¹⁸F]FDG PET/CT using six semi-automated methods: SUV2.5, SUV4.0, 41%max, A50peak, MV2, and MV3. Segmentation quality was independently rated for each lesion by two observers (scale 1-5; 3 = preferred), with adjudication by a third reviewer. The influence of lesional SUVpeak, tumor-to-background ratio (TBRpeak), background uptake (SUVbg), treatment phase, and location on segmentation quality was assessed. Over six million rule-based combinations of key features were evaluated to derive a lesion-adaptive decision rule for preferred method selection. Exploratorily, ML classifiers were trained and compared with the decision-rule strategy. Segmentation quality varied across lesions and methods. SUVpeak, TBRpeak, and SUVbg were key predictors of method performance. The final lesion-adaptive rule, applying SUV4.0 if SUVpeak > 8, MV3 if SUVbg > 0.8, and otherwise MV2, achieved a lesion-wise accuracy of 0.82 for preferred method selection, matching the best-performing ML models. Versus SUV4.0 alone (benchmark), the Decision Rule improved lesion-level MTV agreement with the reference (ρ = 0.85 vs. 0.82 vs. best ML ρ = 0.81) and reduced the proportion of lesions with > 10% MTV deviation (46.2% vs. 63.5%; best ML 50.2%). Total-MTV agreements with the reference were uniformly high across all strategies (all ρ ≥ 0.94), with modest gains for the decision rule at interim and EoT PET. A straightforward decision-rule approach using SUVpeak and SUVbg successfully selects the preferred method for individual DLBCL lesions across treatment phases and matches ML performance with greater simplicity and clinical applicability. Although supervision remains necessary, this approach helps address the current gap in segmentation methodology for interim and EoT PET, where SUV4.0 may not always be appropriate.
In veterinary medicine, particularly in pet clinics, the accurate and rapid detection of pathogens is crucial for effective disease diagnosis and treatment. Traditional diagnostic methods are often time-consuming and fall short in identifying a broad spectrum of pathogens. The newly developed metagenomic transcriptomics next-generation sequencing (mtNGS) technology is a promising tool for the rapid detecting RNA- and DNA-based pathogens. However, its application in pet clinics has been limited due to high costs, complex operational procedures, and the absence of unified protocols. Here we established a standardized mtNGS workflow for pathogen detection tailored to various clinical sample types from pets. This workflow involves the extraction of total RNA without rRNA depletion and sequencing using Illumina platforms. It also incorporates Bowtie2 to eliminate host genome sequences and MetaPhlAn3 to identify microbial compositions. Our mtNGS technology was evaluated in 16 diverse clinical cases involving body fluids, fecal samples, nasopharyngeal swabs, and tissue samples from dogs, cats, and parrots. Notably, it detected pathogens in all cases, including an identification of Mycobacterium intracellulare in a cat, highlighting its utility in diagnosing zoonotic diseases. These results, corroborated by traditional techniques, demonstrate that the mtNGS-based diagnostic approach is particularly advantageous in cases where conventional diagnostics are insufficient or when multiple co-infections are suspected. This method exhibits potential in diagnosing complex clinical diseases that are challenging to identify using traditional techniques, thus representing a promising tool and can be widely applied in veterinary diagnostics. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12917-025-05174-0.
In recent years, plasma levels of phosphorylated tau species, particularly p-tau217, have emerged as reliable indicators of amyloid-β (Aβ) pathology in the brain. However, real-world data on plasma biomarkers across diverse populations remain limited. We conducted a prospective multicenter study under real-world clinical settings to evaluate diagnostic performance of plasma biomarkers, including p-tau217, in discriminating amyloid status among a Japanese population. A total of 332 participants were recruited from seven memory clinics across Japan. Participants were categorized into four clinical subgroups: cognitively unimpaired (CU), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Alzheimer’s disease dementia (ADD), and non-ADD. We measured Aβ40, Aβ42, p-tau181, total-tau, and neurofilament light chain (NfL) in CSF and Aβ40, Aβ42, p-tau217, p-tau181, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and NfL in plasma using the LUMIPULSE platform. Amyloid status was determined by amyloid PET imaging and/or CSF Aβ42/40 ratio. Significant differences were observed in plasma biomarker levels, including Aβ42/40, p-tau217, p-tau181, GFAP, and NfL across clinical categories. Plasma p-tau217 and p-tau217/Aβ42 achieved high diagnostic accuracy, with areas under the curve (AUC) exceeding 0.9 with PET amyloid status as the reference, demonstrating comparable performance to the in vitro diagnostic (IVD)-approved CSF Aβ42/40 ratio. The two-cutoff approach using plasma p-tau217 and p-tau217/Aβ42 to achieve 90% sensitivity and 90% specificity provided high negative and positive predictive values. The intermediate range defined by these two-cutoff points was narrower for p-tau217/Aβ42 than for p-tau217. The predefined U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved two-cutoff points were applicable to this cohort with good accuracy. Concordance of plasma p-tau217 or p-tau217/Aβ42 with PET or CSF Aβ42/40 status ranged from 87% to 93%, although larger discordant results were observed in the non-ADD group. This study demonstrates the clinical utility of plasma p-tau217 and p-tau217/Aβ42 ratio for real-world diagnostic evaluations of dementia. However, careful interpretation of plasma biomarker is warranted in cases showing discordant results with PET or CSF findings. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13195-026-01997-7.
Pediatric osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma are aggressive primary bone tumors requiring precise diagnosis and staging. 18F-FDG PET/computed tomography and PET/MRI are essential for staging, treatment monitoring, and clinical decision-making. PET/MRI provides enhanced soft-tissue contrast and reduced radiation exposure, making it well-suited for long-term surveillance in pediatric patients. Emerging molecular probes demonstrate potential for tumor-specific imaging, although their clinical utility has yet to be explored. This review aims to summarize the applications, limitations, and future directions of PET imaging in the precision diagnosis and management of pediatric osteosarcoma and Ewing sarcoma.
Radiation therapy remains essential in managing thoracic and head and neck malignancies, yet radiation-induced injury to surrounding normal tissues continues to pose significant clinical challenges. Traditional assessment of radiation complications relies on clinical symptoms and anatomic imaging, often detecting injury only after irreversible damage has occurred. This article reviews the emerging role of fluorodeoxyglucose PET/computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) as a theranostic tool for early detection and quantitative assessment of radiation-induced complications across multiple organ systems. FDG-PET/CT exploits the increased glycolytic activity of inflamed tissues to identify subclinical radiation-induced injury to the surrounding healthy tissue before the onset of clinical symptoms.
Otitis is a major disease impacting both pet guinea pigs and laboratory guinea pigs that are used as models in human otological studies. Medical records from two veterinary clinics were retrospectively reviewed to identify guinea pigs diagnosed with computed tomography (CT)-confirmed otitis between 2014 and 2023. The clinical signs, treatment and bacteria isolated in these cases were noted, and predisposing factors were identified. Thirty-six guinea pigs out of the 1477 seen at the clinics during the study period had otitis, giving a prevalence of 2.4%. The majority (61%) of guinea pigs had non-specific clinical signs, with 12 (33%) having respiratory signs and nine (25%) having dental disease. Only 14 animals (39%) had vestibular signs. Females were less likely to have otitis than males (odds ratio: 0.2). No age predilection was identified (age range 5-60 months). Animals with vestibular signs or respiratory signs had 21.8 and 9.5 times higher odds of having otitis, respectively. Treatment was divided into medical management or surgery and antibiotic therapy. No difference in survival times was observed regarding treatment received. Limitations of the study include the small number of animals and lack of repeat CT. Veterinarians should remember that otitis is a common disease in guinea pigs of all ages, with males being slightly more predisposed than females. Affected animals can have non-specific clinical signs, such as respiratory or dental disease. Head tilt is the most common vestibular sign.
The advent of total-body PET/computed tomography (TB PET) is revolutionizing the field of molecular imaging. The high photon collection efficiency of TB PET translates into superior sensitivity and signal-to-noise ratio compared to conventional scanners, enabling shorter acquisition times and lower administered doses while significantly enhancing diagnostic performance. In the era of precision medicine, patient selection for radioligand therapy and treatment response assessment are expected to benefit from accurate lesion detection, dual-tracer studies, the use of short- and long-lived radiopharmaceuticals, tracer kinetic analysis, and frequent follow-up monitoring. These advantages are made possible by long-axial field-of-view scanners and further maximized through TB PET/CT.
The review highlights clinical use cases of PET/MR imaging in a pediatric multispecialty neuro-oncology practice with a focus on the role of hybrid imaging with PET/MR imaging, the application of the clinically available tracer fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG), and opportunities in the implementation of amino acid-based tracers. Clinical examples of 18F-FDG hybrid PET/MR imaging use in pediatric diffuse gliomas, medulloblastomas, atypical teratoid rhabdoid tumor, metastatic disease with spine involvement, and cases where a brain tumor presents as a second malignancy are highlighted.
PET/MR combines MR imaging's structural detail with PET's functional and molecular insights, offering a powerful tool for pediatric nervous disorders. It is particularly valuable in epilepsy for surgical planning and treatment guidance, with emerging applications in autoimmune, neuroinflammatory, and neurodevelopmental conditions. This review highlights recent advances and case examples demonstrating its clinical utility in nonmalignant pediatric nervous disorders.
This review highlights the growing role of hybrid PET/MR imaging in pediatric imaging, emphasizing its advantages in reducing radiation exposure and consolidating diagnostic procedures. It discusses applications across various pediatric conditions, including histiocytic disorders, tumors, genetic syndromes, and inflammatory diseases. PET/MR imaging enhances lesion detection, treatment monitoring, and prognosis, especially in sensitive populations like children, where minimizing radiation and sedation is critical. The article underscores its expanding utility beyond oncology, demonstrating its value in diagnosing, managing, and surveilling rare and complex pediatric diseases, thereby promising broader adoption in pediatric care.