Are adhesion molecules promising candidates to establish surrogate markers for natalizumab treatment?
Results show a sustained decrease of unblocked α4-integrin expression not only in all patients but also in all investigated PBMC subsets. This probably results in a continuously decreasing transmigration of PBMC into the CNS and may explain the improved clinical efficacy in the second treatment year and also the increasing risk of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy during long-term natalizumab therapy. We conclude that AM expression profiles are promising candidates for the development of a biomarker system to determine both natalizumab treatment response and patients at risk for opportunistic CNS infections.
All thyroid nodules with focal uptake on (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose-PET/CT should be considered at higher risk of malignancy than those discovered incidentally by other imaging modalities. Higher SUV(max) values are more indicative of malignant lesions. All lesions should be evaluated with ultrasonography ± fine-needle aspiration if no clinical contraindications exist. Size of the primary nodule does not influence SUV(max) uptake.