Positron emission mammography in the diagnosis of breast cancer. Is maximum PEM uptake value a valuable threshold for malignant breast cancer detection?

An enteric ultrastructural surface atlas of the model insect Manducasexta

The tobacco hornworm is a laboratory model that is particularly suitable for analyzing gut inflammation, but a physiological reference standard is currently unavailable. Here, we present a surface atlas of the healthy hornworm gut generated by scanning electron microscopy and nano-computed tomography. This comprehensive overview of the gut surface reveals morphological differences between the anterior, middle, and posterior midgut, allowing the screening of aberrant gut phenotypes while accommodating normal physiological variations. We estimated a total resorptive midgut surface of 0.42 m2 for L5d6 larvae, revealing its remarkable size. Our data will support allometric scaling and dose conversion from Manduca sexta to mammals in preclinical research, embracing the 3R principles. We also observed non-uniform gut colonization by enterococci, characterized by dense biofilms in the pyloric cone and downstream of the pylorus associated with pore and spine structures in the hindgut intima, indicating a putative immunosurveillance function in the lepidopteran hindgut.

High-throughput screening of caterpillars as a platform to study host-microbe interactions and enteric immunity

Mammalian models of human disease are expensive and subject to ethical restrictions. Here, we present an independent platform for high-throughput screening, using larvae of the tobacco hornworm Manduca sexta, combining diagnostic imaging modalities for a comprehensive characterization of aberrant phenotypes. For validation, we use bacterial/chemical-induced gut inflammation to generate a colitis-like phenotype and identify significant alterations in morphology, tissue properties, and intermediary metabolism, which aggravate with disease progression and can be rescued by antimicrobial treatment. In independent experiments, activation of the highly conserved NADPH oxidase DUOX, a key mediator of gut inflammation, leads to similar, dose-dependent alterations, which can be attenuated by pharmacological interventions. Furthermore, the developed platform could differentiate pathogens from mutualistic gastrointestinal bacteria broadening the scope of applications also to microbiomics and host-pathogen interactions. Overall, larvae-based screening can complement mammals in preclinical studies to explore innate immunity and host-pathogen interactions, thus representing a substantial contribution to improve mammalian welfare.

Dedicated Breast Gamma Camera Imaging and Breast PET: Current Status and Future Directions

Recent advances in nuclear medicine instrumentation have led to the emergence of improved molecular imaging techniques to image breast cancer: dedicated gamma cameras using γ-emitting ^99mTc-sestamibi and breast-specific PET cameras using ¹⁸F-fluorodeoxyglucose. This article focuses on the current role of such approaches in the clinical setting including diagnosis, assessing local extent of disease, monitoring response to therapy, and, for gamma camera imaging, possible supplemental screening in women with dense breasts. Barriers to clinical adoption and technologies and radiotracers under development are also discussed.

Use of Breast-Specific PET Scanners and Comparison with MR Imaging

The goals of this article are to discuss the role of breast-specific PET imaging of women with breast cancer, compare the clinical performance of positron emission mammography (PEM) and MR imaging for current indications, and provide recommendations for when women should undergo PEM instead of breast MR imaging.